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Published on Jun 18, 2016 This is a video summary of: Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital Learning Environments. In Rushby, N. & Surry D. (Eds) Handbook of Learning Technologies (pp. 242-260). Wiley. Download the paper from: http://www.veletsianos.com/wp-content... Digital learning environments are everywhere. Learning Management Systems (LMS) are used almost universally. People learn how to play the ukulele by watching YouTube videos. They learn how to grow organic veggies by joining Facebook groups. And they join a vast array of specialist communities that help them improve their skills, from knitting, to drawing, to managing their finances. All these technologies, resources, and platforms that people use to learn online, is what I call digital learning environments. What are some important issues that researchers and designers need to know about digital learning environments?

"The online environment is an integral part of modern economic and social activities, and a vast resource of education, information, communication and entertainment. Further, the evolution of new technologies is diversifying the ways in which Australians connect with each other and the world. As part of the Government's comprehensive commitment to cyber-safety, the Australian Parliament established this Committee in March 2010. This report focuses on how young people can be empowered and connect to the Internet, and use new technologies with confidence, knowing that they can use them safely, ethically and with full awareness of risks and benefits. The facilitation of safer online environments requires government, industry and the broader community to work together to realise the benefits of the online environment while also protecting Australians from dangers and enabling them to use existing and emerging tools to mitigate risks.  

"This paper deploys notions of emergence, connections, and designs for learning to conceptualize high school students' interactions when using online social media as a learning environment. It makes links to chaos and complexity theories and to fractal patterns as it reports on a part of the first author's action research study, conducted while she was a teacher working in an Australian public high school and completing her PhD. The study investigates the use of a Ning online social network as a learning environment shared by seven classes, and it examines students' reactions and online activity while using a range of social media and Web 2.0 tools. The authors use Graham Nuthall's (2007) "lens on learning" to explore the social processes and culture of this shared online classroom. The paper uses his extensive body of research and analyses of classroom learning processes to conceptualize and analyze data throughout the action research cycle. It discusses the pedagogical implications that arise from the use of social media and, in so doing, challenges traditional models of teaching and learning."

"This is a study well worth reading and thinking about because it focusses on teaching and learning. It demonstrates clearly that the use of social networking can be used successfully in the processes of learning. Designing for Learning: Online Social Networks as a Classroom Environment provides a model for schools to consider as a starting point for using social networking in pedagogy. "

A 2-min vignette from Steve Wheeler on Future learning environments: professional, powerful and personal.

"Surely, online interactions can be shallow, but it's no certainty. I've spent over a decade in different online spaces-primarily as a member of various web fora where sub-communities exist-and I cannot say that what I've witnessed and experienced was anything less than a human desire to connect with others. Sometimes these online spaces offered, for those who felt lonely or isolated by their interests in their physical environments, a place to belong. In other words, for many people I've encountered, these are not places for leading a shallow existence."

In this post I'll outline how educators can develop their own PLE, where to start, and I'll provide specific action steps, and what tools to use. First though, I'll share three convincing reasons why we should get serious about PLEs-why they aren't just for students.

Queensland University of Technology recognises the important role social media technologies play in enabling people not only to communicate and collaborate with each other, but also to create, share and consume content. The uptake of social media has opened up new ways of learning and teaching for educational communities to experience new ways of communicating. The rapid growth in Web 2.0 tools and other emerging technologies, often located outside university managed environments, has occurred alongside the steady growth in blended learning in higher education, with students becoming increasingly active communicators, collaborators and creators of content in a virtual community. Learning and teaching activities now take place both in physical and virtual spaces with a range of tools, including learning management systems, other university supported applications and tools, and, increasingly, a variety of public domain social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, wikis, mashups, video-sharing sites, etc.). These guidelines aim to provide guidance to QUT teaching staff and students in the use of social media that adds value to the educational experience, whilst being mindful of the University's duty of care and legal obligations.

"For most young people today, engagement with new digital media is a routine aspect of life. Through computers, mobile phones, and other handheld devices, youth can blog, tweet, participate in social networks like Facebook, play massive multi-player games, use online information sources, and share videos, stories, music, and art they've created. Important skills and knowledge can be gained from such activities, but there are also risks. For example, young people may only rarely consider what it means to be an ethical, socially responsible "citizen" on the Internet. Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. "

It is recommended that schools establish a small team of interested and motivated staff to oversee a holistic approach to cybersafety within the school environment. 

School systems are still being far too reactive in their social media policies (some do not even have one). Outside of schools, students are 'on and connected' to virtual environments and social networks. Teachers must embrace these technologies inside and outside of the classroom to have a meaningful connection with their students and promote collaboration amongst students. Too many improprieties are occurring because the rules of collaboration are unclear and the power of online collaboration and communication goes untapped. Parents, teachers, and school leaders have a responsibility to guide students through understanding the characteristics of a global digital citizenship. "

"Learn the fundamentals of digital citizenship through animated, choose-your-own-adventure interactive experiences, designed for grades 6-9. Invite students to explore digital dilemmas, make good (and not-so-good) decisions, and try out possible solutions through stories and mini-games - all without risking their real-world reputations. Discover how Common Sense Education's award-winning digital literacy and citizenship curriculum seamlessly integrates into blended-learning environments. Coming soon as an iOS app, Android app, and Edmodo app!"

"This Media 21 LibGuides chronicles the learning experiences of 10th Honors Literature/Composition who have participated in a 2009-10 learning initiative, Media 21, at Creekview High School. This program, spearheaded by school librarian Buffy Hamilton and English teacher Susan Lester, provided students a learning environment facilitated by both Hamilton and Lester in which Hamilton was "embedded" as an instructor. Media 21, rooted in connectivism, inquiry, and participatory literacy, emphasized students creating their own research "dashboards" and portals and the creation of personal learning networks to help students engage in their learning experiences and to evaluate a diverse offering of information sources more critically. This guide is also documenting the 2010-11 Cohort 2 of Media 21 and the learning experiences of both the students and the teachers."

"This leads to an intriguing thought: that the young cyber-activists in Cairo are showing the rest of the world what it means to be a digital citizen. We, in the online safety community, have been promoting the idea and ideals of 21st century citizenship for a number of years. Simply put, we ask: How can we move the rights and responsibilities we take for granted in the offline world and move them into the online space? How can we encourage the equivalent of rushing to the scene of an accident or reporting a crime or getting involved in your local community when it comes to the online communities we increasingly inhabit? How can we promote new social norms of behavior in a seemingly rule-free, anything goes environment that much of the web seems to exhibit?"

"Robyn Treyvaud is the founder and director of CyberSafeWorld, a website that addresses the whole spectrum of online safety issues, including cyberbullying, risks, security, ethics and addiction.Her trail-blazing efforts have provided an essential resource for schools and parents to protect and educate the world's first generation of kids to 'grow up digital' in an environment where computers, the Internet, video games and mobile phones are ubiquitous. In addition to her work as director of CyberSafeWorld, Robyn is a senior ICT consultant at Australia's Center for Strategic Education."

"Connect.ed is an innovative, self-paced cybersafety education program offered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) as part of Cybersmart. Connect.ed provides teachers with the flexibility of a self paced environment to learn about current online behaviours of students, potential risks involved in these activities, a teacher's and school's duty of care and the appropriate tools, resources and strategies to help students to have safe and positive experiences online."

"That training isn't just for the kids interacting on the site. Everloop also educates parents about how kids make use of social media channels. Parents can help shape the online experience for their kids, but they aren't allowed to participate in the tweens' space. Everloop is a Toolkit for Parents There is a growing trend toward use of monitoring for digital parenting. Location services can be buried deep in the firmware of smartphones and other mobile devices to allow parents to keep tabs on their kids. CheckPoint, an internet security firm, offers software to alert parents to patterns of destructive online behavior on Facebook without granting direct access to the content. Facebook itself has taken steps, including an upgrade to their Family Safety Center, to improve education and member reporting of destructive content. Everloop focuses on a user group younger than these technologies address."

Approximately 32 percent of students report being bullied at school. Bullied students are more likely to take a weapon to school, get involved in physical fights, and suffer from anxiety and depression, health problems, and mental health problems. They suffer academically (especially high-achieving black and Latino students). And research suggests that schools where students report a more severe bullying climate score worse on standardized assessments than schools with a better climate. This is all common sense to educators. They have known for decades that students need to be in safe, supportive learning environments to thrive. And the vast majority care deeply about keeping children safe.

"Facebook takes safety very seriously and strives to create an environment where everyone can connect and share comfortably. Find answers to a variety of safety questions here."

Interesting results that may be indicative of some changes. Still dominated by the use of PPT and Word. Still not using Web 2.0 and collaborative online learning environments to full extent (of course).