Step 6: Using Curation Tools as a Connected Educator

 Welcome to the sixth and penultimate step in our free professional learning series on building your PLN. Next, you will learn about a simple framework you can use to get started with content curation. You will get the chance to explore a range of different tools that connected educators use for curation. What is Content Curation?
We are living in an era of information overload. There is so much content shared online that we actively seek out people who have good content curation skills to help us “sort the wheat from the chaff “. “Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant “. Mitchell Kapor, said. If you look closely at most educators with a high following on social networks like Twitter, Facebook ,Google,Pinterest ,or Instagram you will notice that most are great content curators and share excellent resources. Their sharing and content curation skills helped them build their PLN.
21ST Century Content Curation
Of course, content curation is nothing new. It has been an important skill for hundred of years — think of newspapers ,art galleries,museums or simple storytelling.
Teachers have always been curators too — bringing together the most worthwhile materials to help their students learn. In the past, this might have been limited to books,posters,concrete materials,guest speakers ,etc. But of course, there are so many wonderful digital resources available now too.
The benefits of Content Curation
The main reasons why educators curate content include:

• To find, organize, and manage information and resources on specific topics.
• To stay informed about the latest information on specific topics which leads to professional growth.
• To learn through the process. As you search for and curate the best resources, you reflect on their value and you may develop new ways of thinking.
• To help build your PLN. Networks actively