Social Learning Through Personal Learning Networks [+ Infographic]

Education
Written By Patrick Cupo

What Are Personal Learning Networks?

Haas et al. (2020) defined personal learning networks (PLNs) as "informal networks connecting people and organizations that allow for individualized learning and engagement in personal and professional development" (p. 373). PLNs are personal in that individuals align them to their needs, interests, and goals. PLNs are created to facilitate informal learning, where individuals decide when, where, and how they would prefer to learn a particular topic, as opposed to formal learning, where learners are required to meet and submit assessments on a set schedule and in the same manner. PLNs are viewed as networks where the various resources a person decides to use for learning purposes are connected but are not reliant on each other; this differs from systems where reliant parts work together to achieve a desired outcome.

There are three (3) main parts of a PLN: information sources, information filters, and feedback loops. Common information sources include:

  • Posted and shared content (videos, podcasts, articles, blogs, etc.).

  • Commentary that can be found in comment sections connected with content.

  • Academic research published on various sites (sometimes cited in content for validity).

  • Online conversations with other people (message/discussion boards).

  • On- and offline events we experience in real-time (live social media videos, protest rallies, etc.).

As individuals collect information, it is filtered through their prior knowledge gathered from the following:

  • Verified experts in a particular field through their content, commentary, research, etc.

  • Former and current colleagues who have proven to be trustworthy and accurate.

  • Aggregates of content and research (news outlets and community discussion boards).

  • Family members who have shaped an individual's characters, values, and opinions over time.

  • Trusted online and real-life friends with similar interests, goals, passions, etc.

It is important to remember that every source and filter in an individual's PLN, though perhaps accurate, is inherently biased. Therefore, information, media, digital, and "network" literacies combined with lateral reading are constantly used to find factual information. The final part of a PLN is a feedback loop that occurs when an individual, having gathered new information and filtered it accordingly, creates and shares new content, commentary, research, conversations, and experiences, thus becoming a potential source for other PLNs.

PLNs & Social Learning

To build our PNLs, we turn to the tools we have and the people we know. And for the most part, these sources of information (nodes) will be accessible to us through Web 2.0 tools. Once we find sources we trust, as per Bandura's social learning theory, we start observing, modeling, imitating (a single behavior), and identifying with (multiple behaviors) these sources (Mcleod, 2023). For example, I recently (re)joined LinkedIn, and I'm seeing how instructional and eLearning designers write and speak to others, and it affects how I plan on doing so. At some point, I'll move past observing others and want to socialize and connect with them, so what will that look like?

When we reach out online and make connections within our PLNs, we build informal communities with those who share our interests. Wegner's concept of a "Community of Practice" (CoP) is a group of people with a common interest, passion, or concern who learn about it or how to do it better through regular, ongoing interactions ("Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning Theories," 2016). CoPs have three (3) main components: domain, community, and practice. A domain is a single topic everyone in the group is interested in. Next, a community is more than a group of people nearby doing the same thing; people in communities build relationships based on trust, learn from each other, and help each other. Furthermore, I think there are three types of networks within a community:

  • Personal Learning Network: people work on their personal learning by observing others' personal learning; "I'll handle my own learning, and I'll learn through observing others."

  • Cooperative Learning Network: people with related interests help each other work on their personal learning; "I'll help you with your personal learning, and you help me with mine."

  • Collaborative Learning Network: people with a common interest work together on learning the same thing; "Let's help each other learn this one thing together."

Finally, practice means the group members actually do what they discuss and learn. It's not enough to talk about the shared interest.   

We're building our informal PLNs, learning socially through observation, and forming CoPs, so we're always connected. In Seimens and Downes' view of Connectivism, we're all nodes of information/data/knowledge connected in a vast network strengthened by constant internet connection. We're moving away from constructivism and the idea that we learn individualistically, forming knowledge internally post-observation. Instead, learning happens when and where we connect (Bates, 2015). Just like recall is important for retaining knowledge in the brain, we must stay connected and maintain our connections to prevent the loss of information – We can't NOT be connected today. Moreover, connectivist learning requires a diversity of opinion, as opposed to having an "echo chamber" where everyone agrees with each other (As I like to say, “There’s a whole lotta agreein’ going on!”). Deciding what to informally learn (choosing your PLN and CoP) and making meaning are essential and shifting 21st-century skills. 

Bottomline: No matter which social learning lens we use, all of the above is informal, and we choose why, how, when, where, and with whom we connect. 

I’m a Man with a PLN (Well, 3 PLNs!)

I currently have three (3) professional PLNs I identify with: instructional design, graphic design, and sound design. Table 1 details my instructional design PLN, and it is the PLN that receives the most attention.

Table 1
Current Instructional Design Personal Learning Network

Table 2 illustrates my graphic design PLN. This network is one I have been a part of (off and on) for a decade. I have utilized these skills more since developing my instructional design PLN, and I plan to strengthen these skills as I design instructional solutions for clients.

Table 2
Current Graphic Design Personal Learning Network

Table 3 shows my sound design PLN. I have been a professional educator for 17 years but have never officially been referred to as an instructional designer. Similarly, "Sound Designer" is a recent job title for me, though I have been an electronic musician for 15 years.

Table 3
Current Sound Design Personal Learning Network

Something I have noticed about these three PLNs is that I spend the least time in networks where I am more autonomous and vice versa. I am confident in my sound design skills, and therefore, I mainly use my sound design PLN to stay current on new concepts and ideas. Conversely, though I am confident in my knowledge and application of learning theories and design methodologies, I have much to learn about being a professional instructional designer, and, therefore, I spend more time in this PLN. As an adult learner who regularly takes asynchronous online-only courses, I view autonomy as something to strive for and acquire over time through my PLNs. As I become more comfortable and knowledgeable in a subject, I need to rely less on the associated PLN.

The network I plan to focus on the most is my instructional design PLN. I intend to join professional groups, associations, and institutes where I can earn official certificates that can supplement my graduate degree. First, having a Teaching Online Certificate from Quality Matters (QM) is often found on instructional design job postings because of the organization's reputation for ensuring front-loaded quality into online course design. Second, since project management is a skill instructional designers are often required to have, I plan on pursuing a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate from the Project Management Institute (PMI), another sought-after credential by job posters. Third, coaching is a skill adjacent to instructional design that can help a designer empathize with students, teachers, and stakeholders during the needs analysis process (Shé et al., 2021). Recently, I have spoken to Institute of Coaching (IOC) members and realized that being a good coach, or someone who can help others visualize and map out their goals on their own, is a large part of being a good teacher. Table 4 outlines my plan for participating in QM, PMI, and IOC as a future member.

Table 4
Plan for Instructional Design Personal Learning Network

The main benefit of personal learning networks (PLNs) is that they allow people to take personal and professional development into their own hands through informal, social, and reliable connections. I have learned a great deal from a wide range of information sources, and, over time, through my information literacy and lateral reading, I have strengthened my information filters to produce reliable knowledge, which I use in the creation of new content that I feed back to the digital world. As for my plans for my PLNs, I have three objectives. First, my PLNs are all focused on design – instructional, graphic, and sound – and my next area of focus will be systems design, one that can benefit all other types of design, in my opinion. Second, I intend to join professional networks such as QM, PMI, and IOC to broaden and sharpen my skill set. Third, as a lifelong teacher, I will strive to produce valuable, meaningful content and courses that will someday be part of other people's PLNs.

The Future of PLNs

The internet has changed the essential nature of knowledge, and as Siemens says, "[t]he pipe is more important than the content within the pipe" (Bates, 2015). Therefore, if the internet as we know it changes, as with the current shift from Web 2.0 (read-write) to Web 3.0 (read-write-own), then the exchange of knowledge and how our PLNs are constructed will change. As we become increasingly connected, and information and data are decentralized away from giant corporations and their platforms, PLNs and CoPs will become hyper-connected through new, more advanced tools. However, no matter how connected, we will always have our network's sources, filters, and feedback loops.

Personal Learning Networks: The Infographic!

I made a fun infographic in Canva to visualize how information collected from various sources is filtered and fed back into the network by creating new content. Enjoy!


References

Bates, A. (2015, April 5). 2.6 Connectivism. Pressbooks. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/3-6-connectivism/

Communities of practice (Lave and Wenger) - Learning theories. (2016, June 29). Learning Theories. https://learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html

Haas, M. R., Haley, K., Nagappan, B. S., Ankel, F., Swaminathan, A., & Santen, S. A. (2020). The connected educator: personal learning networks. Clinical Teacher, 17(4), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13146

Ní Shé, C., Farrell, O., Brunton, J., & Costello, E. (2022). Integrating design thinking into instructional design: The #OpenTeach case study. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 38(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.6667

Mcleod, S., Ph.D. (2023). Albert Bandura's social learning theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Patrick Cupo
Musician and Teacher
patcupo.com
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