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Social Networking: Bridging Formal and Informal Learning

This blog is one of the tools that will be available to you in your communication and collaboration with others around the globe. It will also be one of the tools the facilitators, Stephen Downes, George Siemens, Dave Cormier and me, Rita Kop, will use to let you know new developments in the course, or any particular insights we have had about Personal Learning Environments Networks and Knowledge throughout the ten weeks of the course

1. Learners should be in control of their own learning. Autonomy is key. Educators can initiate, curate, and guide. But meaningful learning requires learner-driven activity 2. Learners need to experience confusion and chaos in the learning process. Clarifying this chaos is the heart of learning. 3. Openness of content and interaction increases the prospect of the random connections that drive innovation 4. Learning requires time, depth of focus, critical thinking, and reflection. Ingesting new information requires time for digestion. Too many people digitally gorge without digestion time. 5. Learning is network formation. Knowledge is distributed. 6. Creation is vital. Learners have to create artifacts to share with others and to aid in re-centering exploration beyond the artifacts the educator has provided. 7. Making sense of complexity requires social and technological systems. We do the former better than the latter.

Dolphin 7 - open-source, downloadable, scalable, customizable, full-featured, independent and free software package for building social networks, dating sites and niche communities. Dolphin is the only "all-in-one" bundle of PHP community scripts, Flash apps and Mobile apps that provide full control, freedom and flexibility. Launch your site, customize it and watch it grow!

Elgg provides a free to download and use open-source social networking engine that provides a framework on which to build all kinds of social environments

Elgg provides a free to

Four Facebook Alternative Alternatives

Now open for creators, instigators, and everyone's alpha friend to create amazing real life experiences for friends, fans, and followers.