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I recommend Innovative Educators new to PLNs begin as a PLN consumer (1.0 skills) and grow into PLN producers (2.0 skills).

5 Ways to Begin Building Your Personal Learning Network 1.0

5 Ways to Begin Building Your Personal Learning Network 1.0

1-Join a professional social network.

1-Join a professional social network.

2-Pick 5 Blogs you find interesting and start reading them.

2-Pick 5 Blogs you find interesting and start reading them.

3-Set up an iGoogle account using your professional email and subscribe to the blogs you selected in Google Reader.

3-Set up an iGoogle account using your professional email and subscribe to the blogs you selected in Google Reader.

4-Become a part of the conversation and start commenting on the blogs you read

5-Join the microblogging phenomena by reading Tweets at Twitter.

5-Join the microblogging phenomena by reading Tweets at Twitter.

4-Become a part of the conversation and start commenting on the blogs you read.

Personal Learning Network Tool for further investigation

It seeks to determine how a teacher can scaffold a networked learning approach while providing a foundation on which students take more control of the learning process.

Emerging web applications offer unique opportunities to customise the learning environment for individual learners

In the past, learning environments were immediately associated with a physical location

however, the concept is increasingly expanded to include online learning, virtual schools, and blended opportunities that combine traditional with digital options

Traditional, lecture-based classrooms are designed as passive learning environments in which the teacher conveys knowledge and the student responds (Chen, 2009). Imagine the potential frustration that self-regulated learning holds for students who are quite comfortably accustomed to specific teacher directions with finite expectations.

learner motivation

Personal learning suggests learner autonomy and increased self regulation

self-directed.

they are also required to take an active role in the learning process by making decisions

Teachers, on the other hand, are challenged to provide an appropriate balance between structure and learner autonomy in order to facilitate self-directed, personalised learning

Such a scenario further presents challenges to traditional forms of assessment

The role of a teacher within a student-centered approach to instruction is that of a facilitator or coach

He or she supports the students in their search and supply of relevant material, coordinates the students' presentations of individual milestones of their projects, moderates discussions, consults in all kinds of problem-solving and seeking for solutions, lectures on topics that are selected in plenary discussions with the students and conforms to the curriculum"

The purpose of this test case is to introduce a model for the student construction of personal learning environments that balances teacher control with increased student autonomy

a level of structure is required to scaffold the learning process

Networked learning refers specifically to "learning in which information communication technology is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners, between learners and tutors, between a learning community and its learning resources"

Networked learning is manifested in personal learning environments (PLEs), or "systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning"

a model of the networked teacher that represents an educator's professional personal learning environment (PLE)

Figure 1: The Networked Teacher (Couros, 2008) It is a model through which teachers begin to build professional connections to support teaching practice

The Networked Student Model adapts Couros' vision for teacher professional development in a format that is applicable to the K-12 student. It includes four primary categories, each with many components evident in the networked teacher version (Figure 2).

he networked student follows a constructivist approach to learning. He or she constructs knowledge based on experiences and social interactions

Constructivism encourages "greater participation by students in their appropriation of scholarly knowledge"

Technology supports this appropriation as a collection of tools that promote knowledge construction,

Networked Student Model.

Students use RSS and social bookmarking to organise information and build upon prior knowledge with the goal of completing a task or meeting a learning objective. Social media, or web-based applications designed for the purpose of interacting with others online, promote conversations. Blogs are an example of a vehicle through which students can reflect on the learning process. The sub-parts coexist to support a constructive learning experience. The student's personal learning environment pulls them all together.

Siemens (2008) associates the concept of connectivism with networked learning

in the networked learning environment, blogging is a key component of the personal learning environment through which students respond to and collect the opinions of others. Students identify blogs that target a specific unit of study, and they have the option to respond with opinions of their own.

In a traditional classroom setting, the teacher has primary control over the content.

Networked learning gives students the ability and the control to connect with subject matter experts in virtually any field.

The skill to identify valid content and expertise,

The connection to humans is an essential part of the learning process. That connection expands to include access to resources and creative artifacts.

design of the teacher-facilitated, student-created personal learning environment

The teacher was a facilitator in the process helping the student scaffold network learning and manage the content as it became more complex.

Construction of a personal learning environment does not necessarily facilitate comprehension or deep understanding

The networked student model is one of inquiry, or the process of "exploring problems, asking questions, making discoveries, achieving new understanding and fulfilling personal curiosity"

In guided inquiry, the teacher provides the problem and directs the students to the materials for investigation

The teacher is necessary to help the students navigate the breadth of content, apply the tools properly, and offer support in the form of digital literacy skills and subject matter expertise. Yet the teacher may not be the only expert in the learning process.

The test case for this model took place at a K-12 independent school in the southeastern United States. Fifteen students participated during a nine-week term as part of a contemporary issues research project. The contemporary issues course was unique to the school in its delivery. It was the first time a blended format had been offered. Students attended class three days face to face and two days online. Course assignments and discussions were organised using Moodle,

For the networked student project, each student selected a contemporary issue or topic for which he or she had a strong interest

Passion for a topic was one means of motivation

assessment of each student's ability to synthesise the research

The networked student test

It addresses the problem of determining the level of structure needed to facilitate networked learning while providing a foundation for greater student control over a personal learning environment

to collect student perceptions of the learning experience relative to their autonomy and comfort with the networked learning format

two key considerations when introducing the Networked Student Model. The first was student familiarity with web applications used to build the personal learning environment.

Second, considerably more structure was required since this was the first time each student embarked on the Networked Student Model.

The teacher gauged the level of structure depending upon the student's motivation, comfort with technology, and interest in the topic.

Patterns for networked learning

The learning environment slowly shifted from the classroom to online.

Google is used repeatedly because signing up for one account gave students access to a number of useful learning tools.

The level of structure is adjusted based on the prior experience of individual students.

Student activitylevel of structure

Personal learning environment toolset

a new tool was introduced each day over two weeks.

personal web page aggregators

iGoogle, PageFlakes, NetVibes, and Symbaloo

Personal web page compiles learning tools

There were four components of the assessment process for this test case of the Networked Student Model: (1) Ongoing performance assessment in the form of weekly assignments to facilitate the construction and maintenance of the personal learning environment, (2) rubric-based assessment of the personal learning environment at the end of the project, (3) written essay, and (4) multimedia synthesis of topic content.

Identify ten reliable resources and post to social bookmarking account. At least three new resources should be added each week. Subscribe and respond to at least 3 new blogs each week. Follow these blogs and news alerts using the reader. Subscribe to and listen to at least two podcasts (if available). Respectfully contact and request a video conference from a subject matter expert recognised in the field. Maintain daily notes and highlight resources as needed in digital notebook. Post at least a one-paragraph reflection in personal blog each day.

At the end of the project, the personal learning environment was assessed with a rubric that encompassed each of the items listed above.

The student's ability to synthesise the research was further evaluated with a reflective essay.

The personal blog provided an opportunity for regular reflection during the course of the project.

Students were instructed to articulate what was learned about the selected topic and why others should care or be concerned.

As part of a final exam, the students were required to access the final projects of their classmates and reflect on what they learned from this exposure

to give the students an additional opportunity to share and learn from each other.

Creativity is considered a key 21st century skil

A number of emerging web applications support the academic creative process

Students in this project used web tools to combine text, video, audio, and photographs to teach the research topics to others. The final multimedia project was posted or embedded on the student's personal wiki page.

The student-selected topics of study included

Video conferences were conducted with

All students participated in the video conferences and identified subject matter expertise as a key element of a personal learning environment.

Four key areas were targeted to assess the success of the project and determine whether an effective balance between teacher control and student autonomy was achieved:

Creation of the personal learning environment as a replacement for a traditional textbook

Student use of technology to complete projects was identified as important because the students had little prior exposure to technology as a learning tool.

Time management and workload were tangible measures of comparison from the student's perspective and indicated his or her ability to self regulate the learning process.

Student perception of whether he or she felt equipped to study other topics in this format with less teacher intervention provided some indication as to whether greater student autonomy was achieved