When learning a new skill or just having a genuine interest in something work or pleasure related, having a personal learning network can be helpful. It allows you access to global learning communities and expertise, a place to discuss with others and ask questions, and many sources of information and knowledge.
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YouTube
In starting to build my crochet personal learning network I subscribed to a few YouTube Channels of the crocheters I watched most often. From here, I found there Facebook pages and blogs which I joined and followed. My favourite YouTubers so far are Crochet Guru, Expression Fiber Arts, and Made With Love By Glama. Glama even responded to a question I asked after one of her videos.
Twitter
To find crocheters on Twitter to follow, I initially used Feedly. This, however, was probably not the best way. Most of the crocheters I followed from here were just posting pictures of items they were selling on Etsy. I had to unfollow some of them because my entire feed was filled with the same pictures over and over again. After this fail, I used the Twitter hashtag #crochet to find other crocheters. This has worked out much better.
Facebook
I have joined a couple of Facebook crochet groups. I like these because people share things they have crocheted so you can pick up ideas. My favourite thing is that you can ask questions and many people could answer you. None of my questions got answered, but I will keep trying!
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Blogs
Blogs/blogging is a great way to expand your PLN. Clearly, I am blogging about learning to crochet and I have asked questions and posted resources to connect with other crocheters. I also subscribe to other blogs. I can ask questions, see tutorials, get free patterns, etc. by reading other people’s blogs.
Feedly
Feedly is a great place to get all my crochet content in one place. Here I can add my favourite blogs and sites to see what’s new in the world of crochet.
Apps
I only have a couple crochet apps (check out this post to see which ones). Of those, the AllFreeCrochet.com app links you to a ton of different crochet articles. These are usually from people’s blogs, so it is another way to connect with fellow crocheters. Crochet For Beginners also allows you to connect through Facebook and to other people’s blogs.
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Pinterest
I love Pinterest and it has been my go to place to find crochet. I already have 63 pins on my crocheting board! You can also follow other people with your similar interests to see what they are pinning.
Face-to-Face
Just because you’re learning a skill online, doesn’t mean you can’t meet up with someone and have a face-to-face conversation. I happened to mention to my neighbour that I was learning to crochet and he told me his mom is a really good crocheter. Now when I get stuck on something, I can meet up with her for help.
Jannae Bridgeman's ePortfolio 
I will definitely continue crocheting after this class is over. It is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and this class just gave me the push I needed to get started.
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I think the face to face can be such an important key to success. You hit the nail on the head when you said that just because we are online doesn’t mean we should forget about the face to face contacts. I haven’t had much success with face to face mostly because my language skills aren’t where they need to be to have a conversation with someone. That’s my final goal for the project. I have been in contact with two people in Italy who I hope to meet with online to practice.
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There is definitely something to be said about having an actual ‘teacher’ who you can talk to in person and get instantaneous feedback from, especially when learning a new skill. Good luck with your online meeting.
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Thanks for sharing Jannae! I have been using a lot of YouTube videos in my learning project, but hadn’t thought to subscribe. Great idea!
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I like how you’ve broken down your learning, explaining how each source is helping build your PLN. Do you see this project as something you will continue after ec&1831?
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