Continued PLN Creations

I have created various versions of my own personal learning network (PLN). Each version I have created has shown me different areas that I should develop more in order to have my connections and learning grow.


My previous blog on my PLN development outlines and explains the main process I took when I first started creating my PLNs. Since creating that blog I have been trying to find ways to make my PLN very interactive and 3D; however, after searching countless Google searches I came to realize there isn’t really a site that does exactly this. Although there does not seem to be my ideal “dream PLN platform” yet, there are tons of sites that do create visual personal learning networks. I have spent a few months adding to my current PLN that I shared in my previous PLN blog, but I really wanted to see how my current connections looked on a different platform. Ultimately I found several sites that show my connections overall and primarially through some of my social media accounts.

Social Media PLNs

The first being mindmapping. Mindmapping is a PLN platform for Twitter accounts. This platform showed my most frequent connections, hashtags, and most conversed topics. I really liked this because it was a culmination of my personal and somewhat professional life. Here are some screenshots of my results:

My overall PLN based on my Twitter account. K102, Florida Georgia Line, and Pat Knight all act as components of my yearlong internship with Minneapolis’ Top Country Radio Station K102 while Leah Jamie Fuller and Ashleyyyy_13 are friends from my personal life.


Clicking on one of your connection shows their PLN and how you fit into it.
This shows how I fit into K102's PLN and how my connection differs from stronger connections such as K102 DJs, who interact with K102's Twitter page daily.
Another example of how my Twitter account fits into a past coworker’s PLN.

I really liked this platform because I’m working on restructuring the way I use my Twitter account—I would like to use it more to keep up with current events and daily news about things I’m interested in. I will be interested to see how this changes after I graduate, and now that I do not work at the radio station anymore.

After I looked at this site, I was interested in all my PLNs on my social media accounts. I looked into Facebook PLN applications, friend whee specifically, but I think I have too many connections or too many browsers open because it did not generate correctly. Basically, the app was created to see how all of your friends on Facebook connect with one another. This is what mine came up with:

I know this didn’t generate correctly because all of the things around the circle are my connections names, and I know some of the connections on the bottom are connected to others on the top. So, I’m confused at why there aren’t any lines on the bottom half of this diagram, but interesting concept—a bit overwhelming, but interesting!

Overall PLN

Going off of these PLNs, I was curious to see how the results would fit into my current PLN. Remember, I want an interactive platform that shows me how everything connects with one another and subdivisions of the overall topics. The most recent platform I used was Mind Meister; however, that wasn’t interactive in the slightest. Although I almost installed several PLN generation softwares, I settled on Text 2 Mind.

Text 2 Mind allows users to organize their thoughts in an organized lists through different tab variations, which then organizes content into a connected diagram. The downfall in this platform was that when I tried to save my entire PLN, I could not—it is too large. In order to get my entire PLN saved into one screen, I would have to eliminate some of my resources or take various screenshots. I also could not save this version because I did not pay for a subscription.

Although not being able to have my entire PLN as one document is frustrating, it is kind of interesting to piece together pictures and focus on specific areas instead of being overwhelmed by the entire thing. Here are the portions of my most current PLN created through Text 2 Mind:

How Twitter connects to basically all fields of my PLN.


Resources and Connections from each area of education I have participated in, individual work, and LinkedIn connections.


Connections I have and resources I use in the Technical Communications field. Also, showing my LinkedIn network.
Connections and Resources I use for collaborative work. Showing how Facebook fits into collaborative work as a resource.

Through creating this version of my PLN, I think if I would have paid for a subscription this would be the most interactive site to use. But for the time being, screenshots might have to do…

I did notice from this version that my resources and interactions have grown and changed. My past PLN catered towards the music industry and resources used from my internship with K102 because I spent the majority of my time there. This version shows me that I am being exposed to more technologies and softwares like NING, Flipboard, and Google+. It also showed me that I am shifting the interests I follow from primarily being music industry content to technology and communication content. I notice this through the interactions I have on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Final Thoughts

I realize this version of my PLN is not the best due to the multiple screenshots, but it did show me how my connections are advancing now that my life is changing. The social media PLN apps I used also showed me the areas I need to work in, and how to utilize all the connections I currently have, and how I can make new ones.

This all seems a bit messy, to me anyway, but I have learned a lot through this process. Hopefully I will be able to discover a more interactive platform in my future PLN versions, but for now I guess it’s back to the drawing board.