Personal Learning Network is interacting with network of our preferred people, digi-tal devices, information sources and services, both online and offline. We use it in different contexts (at work, in school and at home), and we can choose that wher-e, when an how we use. 
                                    --- What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?

Digital devices become more and more popular in social world.

What does it mean to network using social media?

Nowadays, people could not live without technology, because social media is indispensable in our daily life. People should consider developing our own network skills and digital literature, and they should also focus on making full use of our personal learning network, so that we can become lifelong learners with strong adaptability.

Networks are quite essential in the modern society. 

How do people learn & engage using mediated platforms?

They use networks to communicate, work and study, and it appears every day in people’s common routine unknowingly. Learning professionals can make full use of the learning opportunities in their hierarchical personal learning network.

Rajagopal, Joosten-ten Brinke, Van Bruggen, and Sloep (2012) suggest that three important tasks are needed to perform, which form the basis for all other activities in the network:

      • building connections,
      • maintaining connections and
      • activating connections.

Literature search on the factors that affect the establishment, maintenance and activation of connectivity reveals topics related to the network environment.

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

The professionals design and navigate their networks, bringing them the most professional and educational benefits at every stage of their careers. They engage in specific online activities, such as joining professional associations (online and face-to-face), attending conferences, seminars or social events to meet new friends or reconfirm existing relationships.

In addition, more and more web-based technologies play a role in connecting people or maintaining relationships after the fact. However, literature studies provide little information on practical strategies to encourage and build successful professional relationships.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

The benefits and negative influence also exist in public communication.

The individuals or companies use public communication to understand mutual better, to create reputation and status, to image creation and building, to forestall attacks, opposition and politics, to educate the people to a point of view, to counsel employee.

On the other hand, risk public communication can be defined as information unsafety, and the overwhelming public cultural products have been indiscriminately bombarded by the public media.

Overall, social media brings people convenient and save more time, and most people enjoy and use the social media anywhere and anytime in the age of technology and science.

 Reference:

Rajagopal, K., Joosten-ten Brinke, D., Van Bruggen, J., & Sloep, P. (2012). Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them. First Monday, 17(1). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131doi: 10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559 

Future Learn. (2020) What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)? Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644