Multimedia Reflection

Ian Regnier Module 12EDU 210

My Personal Learning Network Growth

Since I started my PLN back in September I have definitely increased the number of people that I am following on Twitter. Most of this has occurred through following one person and then seeing who else recommends to me for following. As I have followed more language learning enthusiasts, I have been directed to even more of them. This is how I see a PLN developing because it start off very small but then a network develops of like minded people. I went from following 20 people to over 70 now. The number will continue to grow.

Three Twitter Feeds in my PLN

• Michael Erard• About World Languages• Fluent in 3 MonthsThese sources are people/organizations that I

follow on Twitter and who help shape my PLN because they are professionals in the language industry who over top-notch advice and insight on language topics. I will give a brief description of each as to why they are highlights in my Twitter PLN.

• Michael Erard is the author of the best selling book Babel No More, which traces the stories of the world’s most succesful language learners. Besides being an author he continually posts on language subjects such as pedagogies and language families, which really intrigues me as a teacher because besides just teaching Spanish to students I also want to share facts to them about the linguistic world and why language matters as a subject. Erard’s knowledge allows me to contextualize my subject area and give an in-depth analysis of the language learning process.

• AWL is a site for language nerds such as myself because it is constantly tweeting factoids about various world languages that I would not otherwise be aware about. It always provides a link with its Tweets so I can visit the source and learn more on a given subject. Once again this site just provides a greater context for language teachers, which should make a classroom much more interesting to be in.

• Fluent in 3 Months, run by Benny Lewis, is the world’s most popular language learning blog that has over 400,000 hits per month. The reason the author info says “homeless” is because Benny has been traveling for 10 years non-stop on language learning adventures and offers multiple tips along the way. He is a great blogger to read, not only on language learning but life in general. Once I seen how regular a guy he is and how much fun he has in this process it has really inspired me to be an inspiration to my own students. This is done through passion and enthusiasm towards one’s subject. The main reason I follow Fluent in 3 Months is to follow that example.

PLN Interactions• Being Twitter allows me to interact with people within my PLN and I

will continue to do this on the many ideas that I have for teaching. As can be seen from my three examples, language learning/teaching is a big occupation of mine that I am continually interested in and some may even say obsessed. Being on Twitter allows me to quickly find these fellow obsessionists who are constantly exploring new ideas in the field. Recently I have discovered a language teaching pedagogy called Total Physical Response (TPR). When I return to Lloydminster this Spring I will be teaching my Adult Conversational Spanish class at the community college and want to implement this pedagogy. I’m hoping over the next few months to get in touch with teachers on Twitter who have used TPR to see what is the best strategy in its implementation. This will be a very practical use of having the PLN, which will ultimately enhance my teaching and benefit my students.

Conclusion

• That is my PLN Multimedia Reflection for Module 12 and the last Module for EDU 210. I have displayed the benefits of a PLN with examples of who I am following and how I want to interact within it. Hope you enjoyed it!