PLN

One great way to start familiarizing yourself with the world of web2.0 is to create a Personal Learning Network (PLN). PLN's allow you to connect and collaborate with people from all over the country and even the world. You can learn from and share your ideas with people who have the same interests as you, whether it be professionally or personally. One way to begin is by simply reading blogs about topics that are of interest to you. Find a few that you enjoy reading, respond with comments when you have something to say, maybe even start your own blog. Before you know it, will find your network begin to grow. Below are some tools to help you begin.

RSS Reader- Setting up an RSS reader will help organize updates from the places that you like to visit often. Rather than going to each of the sites, such as CNN, MSNBC, NYTimes,Yahoo news, and your favorite blogs, you can subscribe to the RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed and view the most recent news from each of these sites on your reader. Don't worry if you don't understand RSS and what it is. These sites make it simple to subscribe. You may want to watch RSS in Plain English by [|Common Craft] first.
 * [|Google Reader] - with Google Reader you can easily get updates about postings on sites that you read often; one stop shopping for news and information. You use Google Reader to subscribe to the RSS feed of sites that have frequent updates such as news sites and blogs.
 * [|Bloglines] - another example of an RSS reader.

[|Twitter] - It seems that everyone is "tweeting" these days. You are constantly being told to "Follow us on Twitter."Twitter is an interesting tool that, at first glance, may seem somewhat useless and even silly. I began using Twitter a few years ago, before it was a mainstream tool, and, although I don't post anything myself, I have found that I learn a great deal from the people that I follow. It is certainly worth a look. You never know when you'll need to be rescued from an Egyptian jail! Read a "Newbie's guide to Twitter." or watch the Common Craft video below. media type="youtube" key="ddO9idmax0o&hl=en" height="226" width="269"

Ning- Ning is a site that allows you to create your own social networking site. It can also be used to create a space to use as a virtual extension of your classroom. Unfortunately, last summer, Ning began charging a nominal fee for a basic Ning. It is $20/year for up to 150 members. Pearson Education is currently sponsoring education Nings. Once you create the Ning you send a request to Pearson asking them to sponsor it for you. There are still many Nings that you can join, such as Classroom2.0. Once you become a member of a Ning you can use it to get ideas from others and share your own thoughts.