Networks and Tools for PLN
LinkedIn is an employment-oriented network that allows users to post their job CVs and employers to post job opportunities. Thompson (2012) postulates that LinkedIn is a professional network that is highly recommended due to its automatic notice options. This is one of the best network tools for PLN as it will allow me to interact with different employers and learn about the employment opportunities that are currently in demand in the market. Thus, LinkedIn will allow me to connect with people or groups that we have similar interests professionally.
Separate Facebook page
A separate Facebook page operates separately from one’s account. This tool will allow me to create a specifically designated page for people who share similar interests. For instance, I can create a page for ex-military women pursuing higher education to share their struggles and success in the educational journey. Marín-Juarros et al. (2014) assert that one of the primary functions of PLN’s is for information management, connecting with others, and creating content. Similarly, a separate Facebook page will foster connections with people who share similar professional interests.
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National Association for Professional Women
NAPW is a professional organization with members from diverse backgrounds who share a common bond to succeed. I will use this tool because it offers a platform to connect with successful women. Thus, I can learn from members of the platform, exchange ideas, and advance knowledge. One element to note is that a PLN is based on the notion that each person should contribute their knowledge and share resources ( Marín-Juarros et al., 2014) . NAPW will allow me to create an effective PLN through the interactions with professional women who empower each other.
Instagram is a platform that allows members to share pictures. I chose Instagram for my PLN because it offers opportunities to use hashtags to find other professionals with similar interests. Additionally, Instagram allows users to visit and follow professional pages, thus, staying updated with current issues.
Professional Profile
The information I will present in the professional profile of the selected networks and tools includes my professional interests. According to Grantham (2012a), a profile picture should have a high resolution and a genuine smile. Taking a nice picture will allow one to gain followers. Bio information is another element to include in a professional profile. I will provide a summary of my professional interests on the networks I selected. This will allow the people I connect with to have an idea of whether we share similar interests. The specific texts I will use to identify myself include hardworking, achiever, Doctoral student, passionate about learning, and goal-oriented.
Moreover, my professional profile will include the name of the university I enrolled for my Doctoral program. This move is vital to connect me with people from my residency. Being part of a learning community and residency at Walden University allows one to interact with learners, who help one to understand that they are not in that program alone (Laureate Education,2012). Thus, including this in my profile will allow me to join a group of learners in their PLN and share each other’s journey in the Doctoral process.
Annotated List of People/Groups for PLN
AI Cuellar, LinkedIn
I would include this person in my PLN because of the unique qualities he possesses. AI Cuellar is a professional mentor who served in the military. Cuellar has been highly supportive of my educational endeavors, thus being a fundamental aspect of my desire to succeed academically. Moreover, Cuellar is always honest with me; hence, steering me on the right path whenever I am slacking. I found AI Cuellar through job hunting a few months ago on LinkedIn, where I also connected with other veterans. We communicated several times after the incident, as he helped in the job-hunting process. AI took an interest in my learning about my background and motivators for higher education and has since been my greatest cheerleader.
Johnny Opdenbosch
Opdenosch would be included in my PLN group because of his role in providing me with a realistic approach to life. Prior a military member, Opdenbosch is an engineer and a professional mentor through Veterati. I have worked with Opdenbosch professionally and liked how realistic and honest he is about my path considerations. Opdenbosch would help to steer me in the right direction whenever I am taking a lot than I can bear. I found Opdenbosch through Veterati, as a mentor, after I identified his technical and leadership backgrounds were similar to mine. Moreover, he is realistic and encouraging, particularly about how our military background translates to civilian professions. We are currently connected on LinkedIn and communicate regularly via phone.
Bruce Boyle, Step-dad
I would include Boyle in my group because he is one of the people I personally know. Boyle allows me to express myself exactly as I need at the moment before bringing me back to the center and rationale. Grantham (2012b) asserts that it is important to start slow by connecting with people you know. This will allow one to connect with trustworthy sources before expanding to other people. Boyle has a similar personality to mine, professionally. He is a hard worker, sees things through, and has an excellent work-family-friends balance. I found Boyle through my mum, and he is the reason I am a kind, objective, supportive, goal-oriented, and hardworking person.
Belinda Richards
Richards is one of my longest friends, nineteen years. Knowing each other for a long as enabled us to be honest with each other, motivate, and celebrate life together. We are both hardworking single moms who encourage each other in achieving all goals. Most importantly, we push each other to be the best and do not let each other quit. We both advanced to do a Masters degree where we completed within a month of each other. Even though we embarked on different career paths, Richards and I proofread each other's work throughout the program. This made us stronger as we approached it from a lens of learning new things, generating flow, and reducing ambiguity. I found Belinda Richards when we were stationed for the first time overseas in La Maddalena, Sardegna, in 2002. We became friends, sisters, and professional teammates.
Dr Will Miller
Dr Miller has a bright, positive personality and a strong mentoring spirit. He works at one of my Alma Meters, Jacksonville University, and will be valuable for my PLN since he is published. Moreover, Dr Miller is enthusiastic about learning and pursuing higher education coupled with his strong background in non-profit. Interacting with such as intelligent person would be thrilling. I found Dr Will Miller through a talent acquisition search at my previous employment. Even though he was not ultimately selected, we instantly had a professional spark. Olehnovica et al. (2015) assert that doctoral students’ research is specifically targeted for acquiring a PhD qualification. Thus, a doctoral student should have the right competencies to achieve this goal. Dr Miller can offer mentorship and guidance during this crucial period of research. I will be connecting with Dr Miller again outside of our current LinkedIn to officially ask him to be a mentor through this doctoral journey.
References
Grantham, N. (2012a, January 24). 5 education Twitter profiles you really can learn from [Blog post]. Fractus Learning. http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/01/24/education-twitter-profiles/
Grantham, N. (2012b, April 17). 5 tips to building a healthy PLN with Twitter [Blog post]. Fractus Learning. http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/04/17/pln-twitter/
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Being part of a learning community and attending residency [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Marín-Juarros, V., Negre-Bennasar, F., & Pérez-Garcias, A. (2014). Construction of the foundations of the PLE and PLN for collaborative learning. Comunicar: Revista Científica de Comunicación y Educación , 21 (42), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.3916/C42-2014-03
Olehnovica, E., Bolgzda, I., & Kravale-Pauliņa, M. (2015). Individual potential of doctoral students: Structure of research competencies and self-assessment. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 174 , 3557-3564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1072
Thompson, S. (2012, July 19). Deepen your digital footprint: A beginner to intermediate guide to increasing online traffic and web presence [Blog post]. Technology Embedded. http://technologyembedded.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/deepen-your-digital-footprint-a-beginner-to-intermediate-guide-to-increasing-online-traffic-and-web-presence/
