Professional Learning Networks Taking Off

Professional learning networks take an organic, grassroots approach

Face-to-face interaction has its benefits, but busy educators who want to ask advice, offer opinions, and engage in deep discussions with colleagues are increasingly turning to professional learning networks—online communities that allow the sharing of lesson plans, teaching strategies, and student work, as well as collaboration across grade levels and departments.

“You get a chance to see what some of the best teachers in the field are doing, and you can do it on your own time at home,” said Kellie Viera, a reading teacher at the 2,330-student Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla. “I used to stay in my comfort zone and only go to people in my department to find out what they were doing in the classroom, but now I interact with other content-area teachers I might not have contact with in other settings.”

As budget cuts continue to limit district-level training opportunities, PLNs take an organic, grassroots approach to professional development. Administrators and teachers say such networks reduce isolation, promote autonomy, and provide inspiration by offering access to support and information not only within the walls of a school but also around the globe.

Professional learning networks have energized a movement of sorts, as educators create meaningful connections on their own through social networking that encourage innovation and help them model what it means to be a lifelong learner.

“This is a really good shift because it puts teachers back in a place where we’re recognizing them as professionals,” said Steve Hargadon, who created Classroom 2.0, the largest education site on the social-networking platform Ning. “The deeper message here is that this is a complete reversal of how information typically has gotten transferred, and it’s a reversal that represents a larger story in education.”

‘They’re Catching Fire’

Also known as personal learning networks or professional learning communities, PLNs can be part of a self-contained, password-protected schoolwide effort or a mixed bag of social-networking and bookmarking sites such as Edmodo, Twitter, Diigo, andDelicious. The past four years alone have seen the launch of thousands of personalized education sites that allow threaded commenting, immediate feedback on teaching methodologies, and extended professional development through videos, blogs, podcasts, webinars, and slide shows.

Edmodo’s growth has been fast and furious, in part because it looks, feels, and acts so much likeFacebook. Since launching in September 2008 with an announcement on Twitter, the secure social-learning network had amassed 3 million users worldwide by September of this year and was on track to hit 4 million by the end of October, up from just over 1.5 million users in February. In August, more than 2,000 educators attended EdmodoCon, its first one-day global virtual conference, with an average stay of 4 hours 10 minutes. (Organizers had expected about 200 attendees.)

Reading teacher Kellie Viera, standing, works with students at Manatee High School. “I used to stay in my comfort zone and only go to people in my department to find out what they were doing in the classroom,” Ms. Viera says, “but now I interact with other content-area teachers I might not have contact with in other settings.”

—Chip Litherland for Education Week

Teachers in Nevada’s 310,000-student Clark County school district, which includes Las Vegas, have been using ...

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