Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Hi everyone,

This week, let’s discuss how we can supercharge our personal learning network (PLN). I’ll share tips on using your PLN for growth, creating a supportive environment, expanding your network, and actively engaging with the community.

Using Your PLN for Growth

Personally, I’ve found YouTube to be the most informative learning platform. Its longer-form content allows creators to explore topics in-depth and they often come with visuals and animations that enhance understanding. Moreover, since it generally requires much time and effort to produce content on Youtube, I’ve found that the content on this platform is often well-refined. In the past week, I have been exploring some new learning communities on the topic of business development and these channels have provided me with amazing lessons in just the past week of watching:

• GaryVee – Entrepreneur, motivational speaker, investor, and social media expert known for business advice and personal branding.
• My First Million – Podcast focusing on startup ideas, business strategies, and entrepreneurial success stories.
• The Futur – Design and business education platform offering insights on creative strategies, branding, and professional growth for agencies and freelancers.

I’m also slowly working through this long video, which is just packed with so much wisdom and knowledge:

Under this video, the comment section is filled with thousands of viewers expressing their appreciation for the wealth of information that Simon Squibb has generously shared with the community. Unfortunately, YouTube’s chat feature is quite limited and often hinders the community’s ability to fully engage in and benefit from in-depth discussions. This makes the learning experience on Youtube somewhat passive for the audience.

For more active learning, resource sharing, and seeking advice, Reddit stands out as a valuable platform. Communities like r/Entrepreneur or r/EntrepreneurRideAlong see hundreds if not thousands of activities engagement everyday. The anonymity it offers encourages users to engage in discussions and share knowledge more freely. However, when it comes to collaboration, privacy concerns can limit direct messaging and group interactions. I think that social media is not yet at the stage where people can easily collaborate together in big groups without someone who moderates or organizes online events or activities. It’s an area of potential growth for online learning communities. 

Ultimately, each platform has its unique strengths. By leveraging different platforms effectively, we can create a more comprehensive and engaging PLN to support our professional learning and growth. 

Engaging with The Community

We’re in a remarkable time where education is more accessible and free than ever, thanks to individuals who generously share their knowledge. This collective spirit of sharing creates a positive feedback loop that benefits everyone. Through this EDCI course, I’ve realized the importance of active participation within my PLN, and I hope more people do too. Although I follow many on social media, I’ve been cautious about interacting, preferring to maintain a clean digital footprint. From now on, I plan to engage more actively now that I have gained a better understanding on the value of sharing and also of online safety and security practices. I’ll start with smaller, private communities like Reddit and Discord to build my confidence. This can simply be replying to posts, hit “share” on helpful content so that more people discover them. Eventually, I aim to write blogs about my coding projects to reflect on my learning and offer valuable insights to others. 

I would also recommend everyone check out this book Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. For a quick summary, check out this summary and book review by Midhun Ivalka. The book inspires readers to start sharing their work and learning openly. Here are some key pieces of advice from the book that I find particularly applicable as we learn how to contribute effectively to our PLNs:

1. You don’t have to be a genius. 
2. Think process, not product.
3. Share something small every day.
4. Open up your cabinet of curiosities.
5. Tell good stories.
6. Teach what you know.

Let’s start sharing as we all have something to teach one another!

Building a Supportive PLN

When it comes to building a PLN, creating a supportive and emotionally safe space for people to feel comfortable with learning and making mistakes is the key. I’ve noticed that established social media platforms usually have good guidelines in place, so most people in learning communities are generally respectful. Another thing is it takes people who have a growth mindset and who seek to learn to join a learning community, so it tends to be supportive in nature. Then, once we are in those groups, it’s easy to find like-minded people. In my last blog, I have also talked about how to build a diverse and inclusive PLN and I will continue to employ those best practices to contribute to a positive and supportive PLN. 

Expanding My PLN

I plan to let my PLN grow naturally as I make new discoveries. Experts often give shout-outs to other creators, so I’ll be on the lookout for those connections. Social media recommendations are another great way to find new contacts. My long-term goal is to branch out into new topics, like health and science, and dive deeper into unexplored areas within software development, such as quantum computing, machine learning, cybersecurity, and cryptography. I’m really excited to explore these fields and expand my knowledge—they’ll be invaluable as I shape my career over time.

Final Words

By embracing the opportunities to share knowledge, participate in discussions, and explore new topics, we can create a more robust and supportive learning network. Let’s stay committed to contributing, learning, and expanding our PLN to support our long-term goals!

All the best,

Julia