PLN or Personal Learning Networks do (I believe) offer a new take and development that only the opportunities technology and the internet brings. Of course, as humans and social beings there has been networking and natural connections made in the past but we can now access and build our own networks quickly and in numerous forms to account for our different interests to engage with like-minded people.
As Dave Cromier defines in his 5 stages of approaching a MOOC, we at the 3rd stage ‘network’ and the previous paragraph is an example of this. What takes a little longer is the 4th stage of ‘cluster’. You need to read posts and comments to identify those that you have some affinity or interest of their perspective and ideas. It is at this point that relations can be developed and real collaboration to support learning can occur.
It turns out that the internet is mightily good at social interaction and for many they find it an easier way to ‘network’ and ‘cluster’ than in the physical world. It can also be accessed at a time and in a way that meet the individuals’ need. We live in a ‘on-demand’ world where it is the expectation not the exception and education needs to meet this social need just as much as the music and entertainment industry did. PLN is an integral part of this new era of teaching through collaboration.
The saying 'diversify or die' in the business world is probably true to education. The fundamentals may still be required but an adaption of how these skills are used is key to future success. PLN allows for participant to participant collaboration and for participant to facilitator interaction (as well as facilitator to facilitator). This is seen as essential by some of the early developers of MOOC such as Dave Cromier and George Siemens.
Without PLN and the sharing of experiences, views, ideas and knowledge a course becomes just another eLearning course, but with PLN it takes it to another level where the course can adapt to the changing needs and evolve to become better at meeting this need and maybe identify something new and exciting that the intial course brief did not identify.
References:
Stacey (2013), The pedagogy of MOOCs.
Interview with Dave Cormier and George Siemens by David Weller Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1G4SUblnbo&feature=player_embedded
http://jiscrsc.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2013/03/personal-learning-network/
http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/pln-your-personal-learning-network-made-easy/
http://www.21things4teachers.net/17---professional-learning-networks.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_network
https://www.pinterest.com/esheninger/personal-learning-networks/
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"It turns out that the internet is mightily good at social interaction and for many they find it an easier way to ‘network’ and ‘cluster’ than in the physical world."
I totally agree with this statement and so the internet makes networking easier in the digital world than in the physical one.