EXTAFR100/EXTAFR102/Mapping your PLN/Collaborator activity 4

“	You can't use an old map to explore a new world.	”
—Albert Einstein

Collaborator activity 4

To map your PLN, use a tool such as Coggle, Mindmup, or even PowerPoint (see more Visual Organiser Tools in the Ontario Extend Toolkit), to create a visual diagram of the people, organisations, collectives, and others who are in your network. If creating a visual diagram presents a barrier for you, you can map your PLN by creating an audio, video, or written reflection. Whatever the format, be prepared to upload your work or provide a URL to its location in your response to this activity.

Activity Guidelines

• Identify a focus of your PLN. It could be your academic discipline or professional area, a topic on which you’ve already done some research or work, or a learning interest that you’re passionate about.
• Place your topic somewhere on your map. (You might put it in the central node, but remember, you are the centre of your learning network!)
• Identify a few people who already belong to your network as it relates to your interest or topic. These will be your nodes. They might be colleagues, influential educators, mentors, and/or people you’ve met at conferences or events. They could also be members of professional organisations. Then think of a few more nodes that you may not yet know personally but who you would like to include in your network. Who are the noted scholars or experts in your area of interest that you might follow?
• Map the nodes (names) that you’ve identified onto your diagram. (Using one of the mapping tools mentioned above will allow you to move nodes around easily without having to redraw the connections.) Your diagram should include at least 5 nodes by name (i.e. specific individuals and organisations).
• Add details to each of the nodes in your PLN. Review your map and rearrange the design as you see patterns emerge. For example, you might indicate any of the following in the design of your diagram (e.g. by grouping, or by using different colours, symbols, or text labels):
  • Their role (e.g. educator, researcher, blogger...)
  • Their role in your network (e.g. collaborator, mentor, provocateur, consultant...)
  • The relative weight of the connection (e.g. strong tie, weak tie)
  • The reciprocity of the connection (e.g. one-way, dialogue)
  • The technologies you use to connect to your network
  • The relationships between the different nodes (i.e. identify clusters of nodes who may interact)
  • Anything else that helps to illustrate your interactions - past, present, or future - with your network
• Export your diagram (or other) to an image format or other shareable format.

As evidence of completion, please add a link or a copy of your response to your Extend NZ blog or portfolio.