Welcome to My Personal Learning Network!

📌 This system is designed to help me to track some documents, books, resources, and research papers efficiently. I will also share some of the journals I have published in academia, as well as the books I have read.

📌 From time to time, I will post questionnaires to learn about academic details in relevant fields. At the same time, if you are interested, you can join my team for discussion.

PLN

What elements are most valuable and why?

By comparison with traditional learning methods, the vibrant PLN offers several powerful advantages. For instance, A PLN allows us to seek knowledge and resources that are directly relevant to our specific classroom situation and challenges, making our learning highly targeted and practical. In addition, It provides an “unfair advantage” by giving you access to the collective knowledge and experience of thousands of other minds. We can ask questions and get new ideas and perspectives quickly(Poortman et al., 2022). To sum up, the Personal Learning Network is a self-chosen group of professionals we connect with to share ideas, collaborate, and enhance your learning. Its structure can be broken down into a few key elements(Pedersen et al., 2024).

In my PLN, the most valuable element is first and foremost “people”. Teachers play the role of guide and framework in my learning process, helping me understand complex concepts and establish a systematic knowledge structure. My classmates and friends helped me think about problems from different angles through discussions, collaboration and mutual feedback. Beyond that, the network of learners, content creators, and professionals who share their experiences through blogs, videos, and social platforms has been incredibly important, giving me access to knowledge and real-world perspectives outside of the classroom.

The second important element is digital platforms and tools. For example, learning management systems help me organize course content; search engines, academic databases, and video platforms support my independent inquiry; note-taking software and cloud tools allow me to organize, save, and reflect on what I have learned. The value of these platforms is not just in the information itself, but in that they help me establish connections between knowledge and improve the efficiency and depth of learning.

The third key element is my own study habits and attitudes. Setting goals, taking the initiative to ask questions, and reflecting on the learning process are the basis for the effective operation of our PLN. Without self-discipline and critical thinking, no matter how many resources you have, you can fall into information overload. Therefore, the learning ability itself is an integral part of PLN.

What will your PLN look like in 20 years time?

In terms of content, the PLN system 20 years from now is likely to be much richer, not only because individual efforts have been improved, but also because technology has developed rapidly.

The ideal model about learning style is that from “passive absorption” to “co-creation of intelligence”. In other words, in the future, PLN will not only help with learning, but also with thinking, creating and collaborating(Baltrušaitis et al., 2018).

1. Ultra-personalized learning experience • The system monitors brain electricity, eye movement and voice emotion signals in real time. • Adjust the teaching difficulty, rhythm and presentation form (text, visualization, immersive simulation) dynamically according to the attention state. • “” A thousand faces of a lesson”: the same topic, each learner sees a unique generation of the course.

2. Multimodal immersive learning • AR/VR/XR allows learning to seamlessly integrate with reality. • For example, when learning astronomy, you “go into the universe” with an AI teacher; when learning history, you immerse yourself in ancient cities for a conversational experience.

3. Learn = Create • PLN not only provides information, but also works with learners to write papers, build models and set up experiments. • “Human co-learning” becomes the norm in education(Yin et al., 2024).

To what extent are you in control of your learning?

I consider myself quite disciplined in my study habits. I maintain a consistent practice of creating study plans, where I categorize and schedule tasks for each day in advance. The PLN system has significantly enhanced my planning efficiency, allowing me to view both current and upcoming reading lists within the platform while organizing books by different categories. Additionally, I can set up timetables or dashboards to create customized monthly or quarterly study plans.

When it comes to controlling my learning, I have both agency and limitations. I can choose what to study, how to study, and the platform to use, but course requirements, examination systems, and algorithm recommendations will all affect my learning path. Being aware of the existence of these external factors allows me to make more conscious choices, thereby increasing my learning autonomy.

Do existing theories help to explain how you learn?

I think the current theory is helpful for my study. I can teach different students according to their aptitude from the aspects of teachers, students and teaching methods. It not only helps me acquire relevant knowledge and theories, but also helps me improve my learning ability.

Furthermore, existing learning theories go some way to explaining how I learn. Constructivism emphasizes learners’ active construction of knowledge, which is highly consistent with my process of learning through practice and reflection; social learning theory highlights the importance of interaction and observation, which just explains the impact of peers and online communities on my learning; and connectivism best reflects the learning characteristics of the digital age. It emphasizes that learning lies in establishing and maintaining networks of information and people, which is the core concept of PLN.

Overall, my personal learning network reflects a learning transition from passive reception to active connection. Understanding my PLN not only makes me more aware of how I learn, but also helps me continue to grow in an ever-changing future.

Reference List:

Baltrušaitis, T., Ahuja, C., & Morency, L.-P. (2018). Multimodal Machine Learning: A Survey and Taxonomy. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 41(2), 423–443.

Pedersen, J.M., Long, C.E., Hollweck, T.A. & Kim, M.J. (2024) ‘Professional learning in global networks: Lessons from ARC’, Journal of educational change, 25(2), pp. 271–303.

Poortman, C.L., Brown, C. & Schildkamp, K. (2022) ‘Professional learning networks: a conceptual model and research opportunities’, Educational research (Windsor), 64(1), pp. 95–112.

Yin, S., Fu, C., Zhao, S., Li, K., Sun, X., Xu, T., & Chen, E. (2024). A Survey on Multimodal Large Language Models. National Science Review, 11(12).