The Top 5 Members of My PLN Who Make My Job Easier

Inspired by Craig Kemp's (@mrkempnz) recent post: Who Are 5 People Online That Make Your Life Easier?, I set out to answer that question for myself.

Craig is a connected educator I've interacted with on many an occasion through Twitter. Well, that may be a bit of an understatement. The truth is that Craig is an educator living in Singapore. Well, he's an educator from New Zealand living in Singapore. Add to that the fact that he regularly engages in Twitter chats happening here in the US. (For those of you who are to this point unaware, New Zealand is not conveniently located in one of the many time zones that comprise the US. They're actually 16 hours ahead of us here on the East Coast, and nearly a full day ahead of our friends in Hawaii.)

He's a great thinker, a worthwhile educator with whom to connect, and a gentleman. (He thanks each of his followers for connecting - a practice which I try to uphold, yet always find excuses for why I fail.)  I enjoy that I've "met" Craig. His writings both in tweet form and blog form are generally thoughtful and promote teachers reflecting on what they do. His most recent post has clearly given me pause.

image credit: http://livingcivil.com/a-helping-hand/

So my five? It's hard to limit to just five, really. They're amazing people. They probably know who they are. I know I can count on them if I get stuck with a problem professionally. They have the resources, the know-how, and the accessibility to lend a hand when I get stuck. I feel like they're just on the same wavelength, and when it comes to taking full advantage of being a connected educator - my five are the reason I choose to stay connected when so many of my colleagues are still willing to say "I don't put myself out there online."

Those colleagues have limited themselves to the people they see on a daily basis. Those people need to think hard to come up with 5 people who help them. I needed to whittle down my list to get to the 5 most helpful. They've taught me to connect, they've taught me to lead, and they've taught me how to ask for help in ways I never imagined needing. I continue to choose connectivity, and I wouldn't be half the educator I am without my five.

And PS - I'm not actually going to tell you who my five are. This is my big takeaway from Craig's piece. They're mine. I have crafted my PLN to be what I need it to be, and that is not going to match up with anyone else's needs.  I can't tell you what your needs are. You need to take some time and determine your own five and how they've impacted your growth. It's a growth process.

And PPS - thanks for the inspiration, Craig.