Personal Learning Network

The google reader and RSS feeds have been helpful in organizing my interests and finding new blogs by linking from those sites to others. I had previously used bookmarks as my method of keeping track of all sites I wanted to read but the RSS feeds provide a much more efficient way of knowing if there is something new to look at. This is only true for blogs and wikis but I find that websites are more stable and I use them for reference more than the magazine or newspaper type posts I read in blogs.

Admitting that I am not able to read ever post on every blog I have on my reader was a big step for me. I realized early on that one cannot follow all the links and read all the referenced sites and blogs but initially I wanted to read all the posts of the blogs I felt were worthy of being included in my reader. It’s OK to read, comment, scan or skip. You own the blog, the blog does not own you.

My PLN includes everyone and anyone I can learn from. I ask questions and opinions and I find that my use of reader has dramatically changed by taking advantage of other people’s tricks and tips and recommendations. Knowing how to learn and how to think has always been very important but more so now in the fast changing information environment.