My PLN
Twitter is like 
the virtual water cooler
overheard coffee shop conversations --- that are open to all!
Twitter
I follow people who are interested in learning, social media, communications and storytelling.  
I check twitter daily from my desktop or from my phone. 
I'm able to find interesting articles, links to other people's work, engage in (short) conversations, share files....
An Introduction to Twitter
Some of my favorite finds...youtube used to create branching scenarios
Diigo
Diigo is like...
Your computer "bookmarks"  but better because....your bookmarks are now accessible from any computer anywhere! It also has some great organizational features..
How I use Diigo....
It's my own personal knowledgement management tool.

I tag articles for easy retrival later.  Another feature I like about Diigo is the ability to highlight and take notes.  My notes are saved.
Social Bookmarking An Introduction
The social part.....
you can connect with friends on line and join groups of like minded people.  I share bookmarks with some of my former graduate school friends and joined groups (edtech, brainhacking and techno languages) which send me weekly updates.
my Local Library
The Library is like...
the analog version of the intenet...the original keeper of knowledge.
I've been a book fanatic since childhood.  Books for free can't be beat.  "Prospector" requests enable me to borrow books from anywhere in Colorado and get them sent to my local library.
Currently reading..."Lead Your Boss" by John Baldoni.  I think my boss would actually like this book!
Colleagues
Reader (Google Reader)
My face to face peers and mentors, I learn and grow in so many ways through my interactions with these people.
There isn't a "right" way to use twitter.  See this article for ways to use twitter.  http://socialmouths.com/blog/2010/04/08/so-which-one-is-the-right-use-of-twitter-anyways/
Colleagues can include other professionals I link to in other parts of my learning network....here I am reflecting on colleagues I work within within my organization.
If I were to extend my personal learning network to life learning I could include family and friends who have influenced me. For this outline I'm limiting myself to professional personal learning...but you can see where there is overlap in the professional and personal learning...
Also try #lrnchat on Thursdays...the watercooler becomes a firehose!
A reader is like having your own personalized newspaper delivered to you daily.....
...only better because you only get the sections you want and you can talk to the writer generally.
Of course one of the really great things about blogs is that they can become conversation starters.
Incidentally, I liked the article so much I tweeted it.
mentors
colleagues
A great thing about books...besides getting access to the author's perspective and knowledge, you get time to reflect on the writing as you think through the text.  

If it's a good read then I feel compelled to share it with others.  In the sharing, I reinforce the learning.
I wonder...
...when we all convert to digital readers, will there be digital libraries we can use for free?  Will we need books?  What will e-books look like?  Will we finally get interactivity into e-learning through e-books? Wouldn't that be ironic?

(I hope we still need libraries)
Missing Pieces?
So what about....
social learning networks?
professional associations?
I'm going to confess, while I belong to a few on line social networks and the ISPI, my participation hasn't been sustained by any one community.
I like to think my lack of consistent commitment to a particular group is due to a lack of time.

Whatever the reason, my personal goal is to improve my participation and interaction with others on Twitter and in Blogs (via my Reader) over the short term.  Because this is where I currently find the most value.
What about you?
How are you being self-directed in your learing?
Where do you go to learn?
Personal Learning Network
"A personal or professional learning network (PLN) involves an individual’s topic-oriented goal, a set of practices and techniques aimed at attracting and organizing a variety of relevant content sources selected for their value to help the owner accomplish a professional goal or personal interest."  
David Warlick’s Working Definition of a PLN.
What's your PLN look like?
specialists