I found an article on Edutopia helped me to better understand what a PLN is. I like that the P can be both Personal and Professional. I am amazed at how when we can connect virtually with colleagues online over common professional interests and questions, we make both personal and professional connections and relationships.
Rather than creating or joining more sites and growing my PLN, I feel an overwhelming need to do a “Marie Kondo” reorganization and sorting of my current PLNs. I have connected with many online facebook groups over the years related to teaching languages and to library and media. While they may still offer some great learning opportunities, at this point I find that facebook creates too much covid stress for me and as such I am no longer participating in the learning intended by joining these groups. I plan to take a look at which ones are still pertinent to my current position and unsubscribe from most.
I have also followed French language educators in the past on Twitter, but have not used this platform in a few years. I think now could be a good time to reconnect with key academics and educators in the French as an additional language world. I can get so busy with the coordinating and collaboration aspect of my job that I risk falling behind in current research and best practices in second language learning.
Finally, since I need more support in using technology in the language classroom, I would like to look for leaders in this field or forums that exist that specifically address this topic. I have found some great resources by following Edutopia and Common Sense Media in the past, but I need to expand beyond these two to find what I am looking for in terms of TL and technology support for language learning.
Cook, Rebecca J. (2017) « Online Professional Learning Networks: A Viable Solution to the Professional Development Dilemma. » Journal of Special Education Technology, 32(2).
Top Picks 22 Tools: Best Professional Development Websites and PLNs for Teachers » Common Sense Education, https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-professional-development-websites-and-plns-for-teachers.
Whitby, Tom (2013). How Do I Get a PLN? (Website) Edutopia, 18 Nov. 2013, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby
Technology in the language learning classroom and library 