After some wonderful conversation within this community, specifically with Margaret Powers, Helen Blunden, Howard…

After some wonderful conversation within this community, specifically with Margaret Powers, Helen Blunden, Howard…

After some wonderful conversation within this community, specifically with Margaret Powers, Helen Blunden, Howard Rheingold, Jessica Swift, Rodd Lucier, and Sheri Edwards, I believe my understanding of PLNs has shifted from visualization of the entire network, to visualizing a smaller portion of it: The Neighborhood.

I would love to discuss the concept of introducing The People In Our Neighborhood to one another (in this community, in video, in blog posts). I think that it is inherently more easily understood as a construct than “weak ties” or curation workflows. It is the people in my neighborhood (NOT network) challenge me to be a better teacher and learner, but it takes the entire network in order to find the neighborhood I want to live in. If that doesn’t make sense just yet, here is the video that I am using to think it through with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Q1T6Y3Eh4

18 Comments

  1. Neighbourhood is, I think, a better way to conceptualize the learning relationships being fostered in this course and beyond.  The people in my neighbourhood, tend to be those with whom I’ve worked on a specific project, presentation or course, and more often than not, they are people that I’ve eventually come to know through face-to-face meeting.  Those that jump up-and-down discovering that they have the “bestest PLN ever” thanks to participation in a Twitter chat, may later find themselves yearning to move into a richer and deeper learning neighbourhood.  The good news is that such subdivisions continue to emerge and evolve.

  2. Neighbourhood is, I think, a better way to conceptualize the learning relationships being fostered in this course and beyond.  The people in my neighbourhood, tend to be those with whom I’ve worked on a specific project, presentation or course, and more often than not, they are people that I’ve eventually come to know through face-to-face meeting.  Those that jump up-and-down discovering that they have the “bestest PLN ever” thanks to participation in a Twitter chat, may later find themselves yearning to move into a richer and deeper learning neighbourhood.  The good news is that such subdivisions continue to emerge and evolve.

  3. Neighbourhood is, I think, a better way to conceptualize the learning relationships being fostered in this course and beyond.  The people in my neighbourhood, tend to be those with whom I’ve worked on a specific project, presentation or course, and more often than not, they are people that I’ve eventually come to know through face-to-face meeting.  Those that jump up-and-down discovering that they have the “bestest PLN ever” thanks to participation in a Twitter chat, may later find themselves yearning to move into a richer and deeper learning neighbourhood.  The good news is that such subdivisions continue to emerge and evolve.

  4. I think that is so important! I have found that those who get really excited about a particular tool (or experience like #edchat) very soon grow tired of it or run out of ways to use it effectively. I think that is because they are just visiting “a nice neighborhood” and not really staying there and tending their own house. Eventually, they just leave it vacant and the neighborhood suffers because of the loss of a formerly engaged community member. 

    I want to explore this some more because I like the idea of a neighborhood that is not bound by location, but only by how deeply the connections are made between the neighbors.

  5. I think that is so important! I have found that those who get really excited about a particular tool (or experience like #edchat) very soon grow tired of it or run out of ways to use it effectively. I think that is because they are just visiting “a nice neighborhood” and not really staying there and tending their own house. Eventually, they just leave it vacant and the neighborhood suffers because of the loss of a formerly engaged community member. 

    I want to explore this some more because I like the idea of a neighborhood that is not bound by location, but only by how deeply the connections are made between the neighbors.

  6. I think that is so important! I have found that those who get really excited about a particular tool (or experience like #edchat) very soon grow tired of it or run out of ways to use it effectively. I think that is because they are just visiting “a nice neighborhood” and not really staying there and tending their own house. Eventually, they just leave it vacant and the neighborhood suffers because of the loss of a formerly engaged community member. 

    I want to explore this some more because I like the idea of a neighborhood that is not bound by location, but only by how deeply the connections are made between the neighbors.

  7. Great reflection of the day :)! I was agreeing with you throughout your whole video! Its really too bad you couldn’t have heard me! 

    Personal Learning Neighbourhoods sounds more personal and less intimidating to me, which makes creating one more appealing and meaningful and something that I am more interested in doing. I want to create a wheel -spokes, ribbons and all 🙂

    I only have a few spokes at the moment, or a few members in my community. I feel connected with them and they keep me coming back and because of the connectedness we share, I trust that their spokes will be of interest to me so as a result I am slowly growing my neighbourhood. 

    I don’t necessarily know if I need my wheel to be huge. I am not shying away from building my wheel, but I’d it be one that can endure deep discussions rather than impersonal and busy. As you said, its all about finding those people that push you to think, be better, and support you all at the same time!

  8. Great reflection of the day :)! I was agreeing with you throughout your whole video! Its really too bad you couldn’t have heard me! 

    Personal Learning Neighbourhoods sounds more personal and less intimidating to me, which makes creating one more appealing and meaningful and something that I am more interested in doing. I want to create a wheel -spokes, ribbons and all 🙂

    I only have a few spokes at the moment, or a few members in my community. I feel connected with them and they keep me coming back and because of the connectedness we share, I trust that their spokes will be of interest to me so as a result I am slowly growing my neighbourhood. 

    I don’t necessarily know if I need my wheel to be huge. I am not shying away from building my wheel, but I’d it be one that can endure deep discussions rather than impersonal and busy. As you said, its all about finding those people that push you to think, be better, and support you all at the same time!

  9. Great reflection of the day :)! I was agreeing with you throughout your whole video! Its really too bad you couldn’t have heard me! 

    Personal Learning Neighbourhoods sounds more personal and less intimidating to me, which makes creating one more appealing and meaningful and something that I am more interested in doing. I want to create a wheel -spokes, ribbons and all 🙂

    I only have a few spokes at the moment, or a few members in my community. I feel connected with them and they keep me coming back and because of the connectedness we share, I trust that their spokes will be of interest to me so as a result I am slowly growing my neighbourhood. 

    I don’t necessarily know if I need my wheel to be huge. I am not shying away from building my wheel, but I’d it be one that can endure deep discussions rather than impersonal and busy. As you said, its all about finding those people that push you to think, be better, and support you all at the same time!

  10. I’m so glad that it makes sense to you. I really do want to play around with the ways in which we tend our neighborhoods. I would also agree that too many people or too many competing interests in a neighborhood is going to bring the overall community feel of it way down. 

    It is those deep discussions that I crave. Thank you for having one with me about this. I’d love to hear your perspectives through video if you have the inclination!

  11. I’m so glad that it makes sense to you. I really do want to play around with the ways in which we tend our neighborhoods. I would also agree that too many people or too many competing interests in a neighborhood is going to bring the overall community feel of it way down. 

    It is those deep discussions that I crave. Thank you for having one with me about this. I’d love to hear your perspectives through video if you have the inclination!

  12. I’m so glad that it makes sense to you. I really do want to play around with the ways in which we tend our neighborhoods. I would also agree that too many people or too many competing interests in a neighborhood is going to bring the overall community feel of it way down. 

    It is those deep discussions that I crave. Thank you for having one with me about this. I’d love to hear your perspectives through video if you have the inclination!

Leave a Reply to Rodd LucierCancel reply