Are YOU in a PLN?

Personal Learning Networks, or PLN's are a great way to contribute and work off others ideas. Do you even realize that you might be in one now? After learning more about PLN's and reading the resources provided, I had this realization that I am in several of these networks right now! While they are great and I would be lost if I was not in these PLN's for my professional career, can they be advanced and utilized more effectively?

I began to think about the grant I am currently working on. It is a Department of Labor- Trade Adjustment Assistant Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant. These grants have been around for much of the Obama administration and several colleges have benefited from them. Instead of each grant starting new and having to work out the kinks, documents from previous grants are stored in a repository called Skills Common. Grants that are currently in existence still have monthly webinars to ask questions and share ideas. So this made me think, how are these methods relevant to the HRD world? How can PLN's be used and utilized to help projects and companies grow?

Much of what I have gathered from HRD/OLP practices, is that success is gathered through collaboration. One persons perspective on how things operate can be a major cause of failure. Collaboration and the sharing of ideas and perspectives is what helps not only the HRD profession, but also projects and people grow. If you take out that piece, your success will look drastically different. This is where evaluations become essentials. Knowing what is working, what is not, and why to both sides help growth happen.

The trick is to keep your PLN organized and under control. They need to be strategic, yet open to ideas and assistance. Having to many irons in the fire can lead to work and ideas never coming to complete, so structure is essential and that, for me would be the biggest struggle. I have never lead a PLN, so maybe it's time to try something new!