No

I teach a social media course at a community college, and my subject relies on informal networks for continued learning. I have a PLN, and that fact surely lends some sparkle to my résumé. But if I did not have further learning via workshops and conferences, my job would have gone to someone else with more proof of expertise in teaching social media. And I have no problem with this. I would not want to visit my dentist either if his continuing education consisted solely of his learning network at ipullteeth.net.

A PLN does not constitute a full professional development plan. Instead, educators must view their PLNs as a complementary tool they use to sharpen their practice.

PLNs are definitely a powerful way to broaden horizons, develop ideas with peer feedback, and receive answers to queries. Every day, thousands of education professionals take advantage of the bright minds of potentially thousands of other educators to get ideas, check out new websites, or get answers to questions. Twitter, blog feeds, Facebook, virtual world groups, and listservs also connect educators to the activities and ideas of the greater educational community.

Unfortunately, these activities are unlikely to gain credit with any but a few administrators or licensing agencies, and with good reason. PLN interactions are usually not structured around a single concept or development activity, so they’re not easily quantifiable or trackable, and administrators can’t guarantee that all teachers are getting the PD they need. Educators and education researchers use data to determine how to approach student learning; it makes sense that someone needs to track data to determine professional learning needs as well. Based on that data, district adminstrators can decide if a PD program should lead to a staff meeting or workshop, or to helping teachers grow their PLNs.

Although I have sat through my share of less-than-informative staff meetings, I have also been repeatedly surprised by innovative content I never knew I needed that was designed by people who have been observing my field in ways my PLN and I cannot. These moments of staff-meeting zen, when they occur, are reminders that my tweeting and blogging friends might not be providing everything I need to grow as an educator.

Likewise, PLNs also complement formal PD by helping us coordinate and discover opportunities beyond what our districts and colleges offer locally. Traditional face-to-face PLNs consisting of local colleagues, professional associations, and school leaders can highlight local or subject-specific needs, while digital PLNs can expose educators to ideas from all over the world. Sometimes I need further research to understand how to use the tools my PLN tells me about, and I can get this through attending webinars, conferences (virtual and real), and workshops.

PLNs and traditional PD are not, then, separate activities but different components of the same activity. By coordinating them well and making sure they complement each other, we can become better educators for our students, our community, and ourselves.

—Rurik Nackerud, who is finishing his graduate degree, looks forward to working with secondary students again while collaborating with the Center4EduPunx as K–12/emerging technologies coordinator working on virtual worlds, augmented reality, and open online learning projects.

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