Chapter 6

 Building Your Connected Learning Community 

Chapter 6

In this chapter the author teaches readers how to start, nurture and design their own Personal Learning Network. According to Lani Hall a Personal Learning Network should involve, “ an individual's topic oriented goal, a set of practices or techniques aimed at attracting or organizing a variety of relevant content sources, which are selected for their value to help the owner accomplish a professional goal or personal interest“ (Hall 149). It is important for individuals to understand the value of personalizing their goal and planning steps to achieve it. Anyone can have a goal in mind but most people lack definitive steps to achieve that goal. By having smaller steps and breaking down your itinerary achieving a goal can be much easier.

I appreciate how Hall acknowledges that the audience are learners. She validates the idea that establishing a personal learning Network can be difficult and confusing for people without prior experience. That is why she suggests starting off small in this network building, then adding tools as you go. According to Hall, the best way to start this network is to use tools like blogs, note taking software, RSS aggregators, and social media platforms like Twitter. If anyone is like me when I first read this suggestion I was immediately confused. That is why I would be most likely to start off with a technique I am the most comfortable with. Like the author suggests in her tips for getting started section, I would start by establishing one consistent user name across all networks. I would keep these accounts strictly professional and connect on social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. She also explains how you have to be wary of who you follow and who you allow to follow you. That is why I would keep these accounts strictly professional. I would only follow people within my careers here or accounts regarding my future career. Then when I get more comfortable, and have had more time to network, I would slowly start to implement her other suggestions.

The next section of this chapter talks about nurturing your personal Netwerk. To do this Hall emphasizes the importance of engaging in content. Hall gives examples on how to accomplish thi. She says you can, “ engage in conversations in or ongoing and reciprocal sharing, that way you can develop relationships online. I am a political science major, meaning a majority of my future career will be engaging or observing the public. Having the ability to connect and interact within the community is ingrained into my nature. It is imperative for me to understand the political and social atmosphere of the community, and nurturing my personal network is important.

The last main section discussed is designing your connected community. Meaning that it’s imperative for a person to understand the interactions within their personal network. Hall categorizes the type of interactions within a person‘s network as linking, lurking, learning or leading. She explains that to have a full understanding of your personal network you have to understand the role you play in it as well as the role of the people you allow in it. Currently I believe I fall under the lurking definition defined by Hall. She defines a lurker as, “ legitimate peripheral participants. They are reluctant to share their thoughts and ideas transparently, but they are willing to listen and watch from the sidelines” (Hall 164). While it is important to stay up-to-date on the current political standing of America, there are connotations that go along with blatantly stating your opinion. Politics can be very messy, so I believe in keeping my cards close to my chest.