400 word Discussion and 3-5 Page Paper

As an independent scholar, you are responsible for your learning experience. You will become familiar with the concept of learning communities, which can be defined in a number of ways, ranging from broad to specific. In its broadest sense, a learning community fits the definition offered by Riel and Fulton (2001): “A learning community is a group of people who share a common interest in a topic or area, a particular form of discourse about their phenomena, tools, and sense-making approaches for building collaborative knowledge, and valued activities” (p. 519). More recently, Yuan and Kim (2014) posited, “The salient features of learning communities are trust, knowledge construction, information sharing, a feeling of being connected, common goals, and a belief that learners’ needs would be fulfilled” (p. 221). Building your Personal Learning Network (PLN) will help you ensure you have a strong community of individuals who will help you achieve your personal goals. This week you will analyze your role in a personal learning community and your goals for attending residency and will create your PLN plan. 

Learning Objectives

Independent scholars will:

· Analyze role in personal learning communities to support doctoral study

· Analyze goals for attending residency to support doctoral study

· Create a plan for building a Personal Learning Network to support doctoral study 

Learning Resources 

Required Readings

Grantham, N. (2012, January 24). 5 education Twitter profiles you really can learn from [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/01/24/education-twitter-profiles/

Grantham, N. (2012, April 17). 5 tips to building a healthy PLN with Twitter [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/04/17/pln-twitter/

Marín, V., Negre, F., & Pérez, A. (2014). Construction of the foundations of the PLE and PLN for collaborative learning. Comunicar, 21(42), 35–42. doi: 10.3916/C42-2014-03

Riel, M., & Fulton, K. (2001). The role of technology in supporting learning communities. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(7), 518–523.

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Rockinson-Szpakiw, A. J., Spaulding, L. S., & Knight, A. (2015). Protecting the marriage relationship during the doctoral journey: Strategies for students and partners based on the strong marital house concept. The Family Journal, 23(2), 141–146. doi:10.1177/1066480714565106

Thompson, S. (2012, May 20). Personal learning networks (PLN) 101: Twitter [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://technologyembedded.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/twitter-101/

Thompson, S. (2012, July 19). Deepen your digital footprint: A beginner to intermediate guide to increasing online traffic and web presence [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://technologyembedded.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/deepen-your-digital-footprint-a-beginner-to-intermediate-guide-to-increasing-online-traffic-and-web-presence/

Discussion: Membership in a Learning Community

Communities are, in essence, places where members are bonded to one another by mutual commitments and special relationships, where they share a set of ideas and values that they feel compelled to follow. —Thomas Sergiovanni, “Small Schools, Great Expectations”

From the time they are born, people learn from others—long before they are aware of it. In many cultures, small family units gradually widen into larger communities, including communities of formal education that include teachers and independent scholars. In addition, within these larger communities, people often join smaller communities, such as sports teams, organizations, and informal friendship groups. As people progress through higher education, they make additional conscious choices about the communities of which they become a part, including those specifically geared toward learning and growth. 

As a DBA independent scholar at Walden, you are not alone. You have made a conscious, self-directed decision to become part of the Walden learning community. Of course, at times it may be tempting, as you sit at your computer, to think of your pursuit of your degree as a solitary effort. It will take conscious commitment to engage as an active member who both learns from and contributes to a learning community. 

As you watch and listen to others talk about the experience of being part of the Walden learning community and attending residency, reflect on the opportunities and responsibilities that exist for you. Consider your support strategy as you prepare your analysis.

To prepare for this Discussion, review this week’s readings and view the media “Being Part of a Learning Community and Attending Residency.” Also, listen to the insights offered by Walden DBA independent scholars in the interactive media piece “Voices of DBA Students.” Focus on the students’ explanations of what it means to be a part of the Walden learning community and their descriptions of their residency experience. Consider the week’s literature, along with your SWOT analysis, and assess your support needs.

Post a 400-word analysis of your role in your new learning community, including the support you require to complete your doctoral degree. In your analysis, be sure to do the following:

· Detail the steps you will take to establish your role in your new learning community.

· Categorize by your goals the individuals that are or will become members of your learning community.

· Assess how these individuals will support you in achieving your goals.

· Evaluate when and how you will reach out to your learning community to share your goals and needs.

· Identify challenges to building your learning community. 

· Analyze your goals for residency—in particular, what you hope to contribute and what you hope to gain from spending time with others in your learning community. 

Be sure to support your work with a minimum of two specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and one or more additional scholarly sources.

Assignment: The Power of Connection: Building a Personal Learning Network

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals who can go it alone. —Margaret Wheatley, Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future

The rise of social media and its power to instantaneously connect people to others is a testament to just how interconnected the world has become. Social media has become an important way to form and maintain relationships. Many people use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. Businesses search for new ways to connect with current and future customers. How many people, however, have recognized the potential of social media as a powerful learning tool?

Forward-thinking educators have begun purposefully building online social networks, known as Personal Learning Networks (PLN)s, of colleagues and experts in the field. Rather than see social networks as an annoyance or way of wasting time, these educators have made them an invaluable means of personal and professional growth. Business professionals can benefit from following their lead. Creating a PLN often is a guide for professionals and committed lifelong learners to help build relationships with others from all over the world. With careful work and commitment to building and maintaining a PLN, the possibilities for connection are endless.

To prepare for this Assignment, review the materials in the Learning Resources and consider novel ways in which you might use technology to foster new connections and seek information and advice. 

Submit a 3- to 5-page paper in which you create the plan for your PLN. Your paper should include the following: 

· A description of what networks and tools you will use to create your PLN, including a brief rationale for each

· Information you will present in your professional profile (which may be placed on one or more social media platforms), including specific text you will use to identify yourself and your interests for those who might be interested in following you or joining your PLN

· A categorized, annotated list of at least 5 people or groups that you might add to your PLN (through their Twitter feed, blog, LinkedIn page, etc.), including the following for each person or group:

· A brief (1–2 paragraphs) rationale for why you would include the person or group in your PLN

· A brief (1 paragraph) description of the process by which you found the person or group you added to your PLN, e.g., by browsing a group’s Twitter feed and then deciding to add it to your own PLN, by locating another person the group’s feed follows, by finding a group on Facebook and deciding to send a friend request to an individual within that group, etc. 

· Support your work with a minimum of two specific citations per page from this week’s Learning Resources and/or additional scholarly sources.