Blog by John Sui Fai Mak on #Change 11 where he refers to an article by Zimmerman. I believe this excerpt is important for eCH schools teaching their students because of the increasing reliance on online classes. Excerpt: "Traditional teaching methodology designed to educate through the assumptions of the past is no longer viable for more recent generations. The development of learning strategies, time management, goal setting, self-evaluation, self efficacy and intrinsic beliefs are key processes in promoting more self-regulated individuals who are capable of succeeding in the school context and in life (Zimmerman, 2002). Self regulatory processes as part of strategic learning that fosters reflection are teachable and are regarded as responsible for the increase of students' level of motivational performance (Zimmerman, 2002)."

Social Networked Learning in Complex Information Environments by George Siemens, Slideshare, January 13, 2012, presented at American University at Society for Learning Analytics Research Fabulous overivew of social networked learning. 1/4 the students in HE took at least one online class in Fall 2010

interesting use of Scoop.it on connected learning and connectivism

access to several TribalCafe Slideshare programs that present social learning, social media and agile leadership, social strategy, nonprofits social media, etc.

Dave Snowden's website Cognitive Edge; explanation of ritual dissent to increase diversity of views and idea enhancement Justification in explanation: "Overall plans that emerge from the process are more resilient than consensus based techniques."

Review of the Shallows by Nicholas Carr, 2011 Excerpt from one review: "Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic - a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is the ethic of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption - and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection. Part intellectual history, part popular science, and part cultural criticism, The Shallows sparkles with memorable vignettes - Friedrich Nietzsche wrestling with a typewriter, Sigmund Freud dissecting the brains of sea creatures, Nathaniel Hawthorne contemplating the thunderous approach of a steam locomotive - even as it plumbs profound questions about the state of our modern psyche. This is a book that will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds.

Prezi by Jenny Mackness, sui Fai John Mak, and Roy Williams on MOOCs, offered at Networked Learning Conference, posted April 2010.

Article by Scott Gillum at Forbes, 1/6/12. Excerpt: "The next-generation tools, like Curata (a HiveFire company) and Curation Station, are focused on B-to-B marketing with a value proposition focused on their ability to drive awareness by improving organic search, and provide organizations with an opportunity to build thought leadership. The key to this evolution is being the "curator." The curator is an editor who sorts through the content to find the information relevant to a company and/or its audience. Curators are not content creators. And this is where I think the challenge lies in using these tools for thought leadership. Creating a content farm on a "hot" topic will not improve organic search (Google has already figured this out) or establish thought leadership in that space. In the survey, marketers stated that "creating original content" was the number one challenge. Companies have to have a point of view and not just aggregated content on the subject. That said, tools can play an important role in the development of thought leadership content but not on their own. For example, the process I used in the past for developing content involved five steps: Decide on an issues set. Develop a point of view. Conduct research to validate the POV. Summarize the research and draw out insight. Write and publish a content piece."

CRAP Test questions for distinguishing between legitimate and less-than-legitimate information C--Currency R--Reliability A--Authority P--Purpose/Point of view

Preview of Google PLus's value to HE Excerpt: "Facebook does allow some selective sharing, but doing so is difficult to master. As a result, many professors have decided to reserve Facebook for personal communications rather than use it for teaching and research. "I don't friend my students, because the ability to share is so clunky on Facebook," says Jeremy Littau, an assistant professor of journalism at Lehigh University. "This gives us ways to connect with people that we can't do on Facebook." In Google Plus, users can assign each new contact to a "circle" and can create as many circles as they like. Each time they post an update, they can easily select which circles get to see it. B.J. Fogg, director of Stanford University's Persuasive Technology Lab and a consulting faculty member for computer science, says he plans to use Google Plus to collaborate on research projects: "Probably every project in my lab will have its own circle." Mr. Littau is even more enthusiastic. He posted an item to his blog on Thursday titled: "Why Lehigh (and every other) University needs to be on GPlus. Now." "I want to start using this in my class next term," he says, adding that he aims to expose his students to the latest communication technologies in all of his classes. He plans to try the video-chat feature of Google Plus, called "hangouts," to hold office hours online. The new system allows up to 10 people to join in a video chat. Mr. Littau may also hold optional review sessions for exams using the technology. "I can host chats a few nights a week," he says."

"Communities of practice are bridges between the work being done and the diversity of social networks."

Choose, Commit, Crash, Create, Copy, Converse, Collaborate which Quinn calls the 7 C's of natural learning. He urges designers to build systems that encourage learners to engage in this way. Some pushback in the comments on the use of a mnemonic as a stifling controlling device in the hands of a 'learning manager.'

Love this blog on seed, feed, and weed learning organizations. Excerpt: Overall, it taps into our natural learning, where we experiment, reflect, converse, mimic, collaborate, and more. Our approach to formal learning needs to more naturally mimic this approach, having us attempting to do something, and resourcing around it with information and facilitation. Our approach to informal learning similarly needs to reflect our natural learning.

A rubber ducky personal learning network--could this be a model for a personal reflection--knowledge building exercise for IL teachers?

Somewhat pessimistic view of formal educational systems failing to embrace the learning potential supported by new social technologies. Aviram says that culture determines learning boundaries and the use of 2.0 technology. Scandinavia and Holland are open in their learning attitudes; most of the rest of Europe and the United States are not.

"attributes. When entities are connected to other entities, different attributes will be activated based on the structure of those connections and the nature of other entities that are being connected. This fluidity of attribute activation appears to be subjective, but in reality, is the contextual activation of the attributes of entities based on how they are related to other entities. Knowledge then is literally the connections that occur between entities. I don't see networks as a metaphor for learning and knowledge. I see learning and knowledge as networks. In global, digital, distributed, and complex settings, a networked model of learning and knowledge is critical."

Excellent article on MOOCs and creating pedagogy for human beings to learn

Patti Anklam's blog on networks, September 25, 2011 Four key roles for network weavers Connector Network facilitator Project leaders/coordinator Network guardian

The Future of Online Learning, Stephen Downes

Stephen Downdes' home website--has interesting ebooks/pdfs on Free learning, Access::Future, and so on