It Takes a Team!
Getting Started with Developing a PLN
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| The Tooth Team for a Lifetime of Healthy Smiles. C. Seaman Photo |
Healthy lifestyles begin with good oral hygiene. Gum disease and dental decay have been positively linked to heart disease, diabetes, immune and digestive system disorders. Optimum oral health can be achieved; though, it takes more than a toothbrush and the Tooth Fairy. Contemporary dental professionals are trained to teach patients about oral-systemic links, current techniques and products while applying the most current evidenced-based care.
Patients are unique! And within the context of the care plan, teaching styles and lessons delivered are tailored to meet the needs and conditions of each patient. A critical facet of the care plan is evaluation. This is where dental professionals establish what works and what is relevant to the therapeutic needs of the patient while giving consideration to patient preferences. Evaluation of outcomes guides the patient and the clinician to success.
Developing a Professional Learning Network (PLN) is initiated in much the same way as a patient care plan. Care plans are developed via the acronym ADPIE, denoting the stages the professional takes to treat the patient: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. In the beginning, interests for professional development are assessed much the same as patient needs are noted. Assessment of interests may reveal you may be interested in teaching, learning, cultures, clouds, adventure, or gems. In the diagnosis phase of PLN development, you will determine what you want to know about these interests and who are the thought leaders represented in these areas of interest. Mapping out a strategy for how you will link to your new found resources and how you will stay in contact fulfills the planning phase of the process. Linking with the selected individuals on social media outlets such as Blogger or Twitter quickly fulfills the implementation phase. As with patient care, evaluation is ongoing and critical to the overall success of any plan. To ensure success in the PLN development process, establish a routine to evaluate current contacts and seek out new sources to bolster and/or broaden your knowledge. Remember, it takes a team to develop an effective PLN!
In developing my personal PLN I selected several areas of interest and searched these topics on Twitter and Google Blogs. This method was used as a means to quickly sort and study the most prolific and current leaders in their fields. As with selecting a mentor, I valued experience in my selections and I sought out thought leaders who were "nailing" my areas of interest in a thoughtful, sometimes opposing yet, timely manner. After all, current information was valuable from diverse perspectives; for, if we all agreed all the time we'd never stretch and grow. Second on my selection criteria list were blogs that were current and up to date. Out of date and irrelevant information in today's knowledge-driven environment has no value and can rapidly diverge our focus, so it is wise to look at the dates on the most recent posts. If the source was up to date on the most recent post, yet had not posted for several months in between, I passed this candidate over.
My initial selections for resources were based on my current interests and perceptions of the sources as noted above. Guided by my PLN plan I selected: Lisa Kidder-For The Love of Teaching, Connie Malamed-The eLearning Coach, NPR Education, and Edudemic. You may access the blogs I am following on my Blogger page, http://www.drcseaman.blogspot.com under the Blogs link or review my favorites list under the Links tab then select "My Feedly". Begin your knowledge journey with a vision and a plan. Develop a team through a PLN. The time to begin is now!
Hello Dr.Cindy,
ReplyDeleteYou may want to consider the book ‘Personal Learning Network by Wil Richardson’, as it will help you learn about PLN.I believe with the fact that oral hygiene is the key determinant of the overall human health, and it takes a lot of attention of yours to maintain it. I do agree that developing a PLN is also the same kind of an activity, as it is purely customized for each and every individual. The reason behind is that everybody is unique, and interests may differ a great deal. The tip of establishing a routine to broaden knowledge will prove to be quite helpful. The process you have mentioned is quite elaborate, and the thing which inspired me most, is about timeliness of the information. Outdated information is of no value in this rapidly changing world. The blogs you’ve mentioned have interested me because gum diseases are very harmful for our teeth.
Cindy,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very informative and I really enjoyed reading it and exploring your links. You seem to know what you are doing when it comes to blogging and tweeting. In the beginning of your blog you discussed a patient plan and then continued to compare it to a professional learning plan which helped me understand how they both fit together with the different steps. You are right when you said it is best to use blogs that are current and up to date. If they are not up to date they can be very misleading and unhelpful.
Cindy, As always an innovator. I particularly inspired by who you sought out to balance your team to stretch and grow. Because if we agreed all the time we would not stretch out of our comfort zones, of "we do it this way because we have always done it this way." Its like turning the triangle upside down, looking at it from a new fresh perspective with new eyes and ears. The customization of personalized dental hygiene care is a concept from an inside out perspective, ADPIE gives it a structure and in this vast complex changing world critical thinking can expand this in a simplified manner rather than making it more complex. Great to see you are blogging. As always love your viewpoints and vision.
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