{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03195266272189349, 'fraction_numerical': 0.001183431952662722, 'mean_word_length': 4.750566893424036, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 1, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Just the Facts: PLNS

What is the most common misconception about PLNs? Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because you're following a lot of people on Twitter or Pinterest or making professional connections through Facebook or LinkedIn that you're engaged in a worthwhile professional development experience. It's tempting and easy to allow online spaces and social networks to become one big link-sharing party. But the real power of the social web is revealed when you have a plan and a purpose for how you'll build your network, reap its benefits, and then apply the knowledge you gain. How can you incorporate PLNs into your professional practice? What do you want to accomplish or learn from your PLN? How do you attract the right people and organize the relevant content? Creating a productive PLN takes time, effort, and perseverance. Begin with a few tools and platforms, and add others as you feel comfortable. A number of basic web tools can help: blogging services, RSS aggregators such as Google Reader and Bloglines, Google docs, Dropbox, and archiving and notetaking software like Evernote. Social media tools are also important. Twitter and Twitter-management programs such as TweetDeck and Hoot-Suite, social bookmarks like Delicious and Diigo, image-sharing sites such as Flickr and Pinterest, and services like Ning.com allow you to participate in (or even create) special interest social media groups. Here are some key tips to get started: 1. Establish one consistent username across all networks to build and manage your online reputation and identity. 2. Find a mentor, if possible, to help you on your way. 3. When you find people online you respect, look at who they follow, and select your first connections from their list. You may want to begin your network by considering well-respected bloggers with whom you're familiar. Often, bloggers include links to their social media accounts. Review who is in their networks and whom they read and follow. Avoid creating a PLN that's just like you. As you build your network through blogs or Twitter, include people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The dissonance will extend your learning. What should you watch for next? The interest among educators in Twitter's usefulness as a professional learning tool is exploding. One major reason: hashtags. A hashtag (#) is different from a Twitter account/address (@). If you follow @edweek, you'll see education news alerts tweeted by the account holder (in this case, the Education Week staff ). …