Chapter 6 - Building Your Connected Learning Community

     In the book The Connected Educator, the authors, Nussbaum-Beach and Hall, write chapter 6 about building your connected learning community. They discuss the positives of personal learning networks and tips/advice on how to build your own. They tell readers to watch who they allow to follow them and who they follow themselves, they warn readers not to allow just anybody to follow them on social media as this is a direct reflection on themselves. The authors highlight the idea of being well informed on social media and following reliable and diverse sources along. They also discuss the idea of getting a mentor or taking ideas from others. The authors also remind readers of the three different levels of personal learning networks, "As a reminder, connected learning communities are a three-pronged approach to effective professional development using the local, contextual, and global environments" (Nussbaum-Beach & Hall, 2012). 

                         

    When it comes to just about any profession, having a network of any source is vital. Having a community to support and relate to when needed can be so positive to your career and also your mind. In high pressure professions like social work, your community can help ease the stress of the job. Being able to relate and discuss questions and feelings with others who feel similar is so important. Having a positive and clean slate of social media can be really important when it comes to being a social worker or any job in general. You can easily be declined a job because of things that have been posted on social media of you in the past or present. Even if something is deleted, it is never really off the internet. Having a good social media presence is important to social work specifically because it is important to come across as professional to your coworkers or clients.