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The authors postulate that within connectivist communities, the roles that people take (lurker, leader, expert, etc.) have as much or more to do with personality traits than the desire for engagement or ability levels of the participant. They use massive open open courses (MOOCs) as a testing ground and Personality and Self-determination theory as the prisms through which to view learner interactions within these communities.

This article begins by defining constructivism as the principle that all learning starts with a connection, be it neural, conceptual, or social, and that learning is the ability to construct and traverse connections. The authors acknowledge that it is widely recognized idea but not yet accepted as a formal learning theory. The paper focuses on four key principles for learning that exist within connectivism: autonomy, connectedness, diversity, and openness. The authors also examine different theories regarding personality and self-determination and look at how these affect the individual's experience within connectivism.

Here, the author describes connectivism as the proposed learning theory for a digital age and is "based on the principle that all learning starts with a connection." Additionally, "learning in connectivism terms is a network phenomenon" and strongly emphasizes learners making connections. The concept of autonomy is also discussed in depth.

The internet has allowed educators to create more diverse personal learning networks than ever before. This article addresses the idea of making our learning networks more diverse through intercultural outreach. This is an idea that is only possible through the use of educational technology.

I like that this article shows the components of Personal Learning Networks and talks about the fact that a shared learning interest is the basis for connections with others in a PLN. The discussion of the six stages of connectivism is valuable in that it shows what is involved in a true 21st Century Learning Education.

Here is Wikipedia's definition for a personal learning network. The explanation begins by explicitly stating that a personal learning network is an "informal learning network," which I think is an excellent distinction. The personal learning networks that we establish are for us to learn and grow as educators. I know Wikipedia sometimes gets a bad rap, but it came with references. :)

This is a great site to get started understanding the benefits of PLN's. In particular, I like the fact that when discussing the benefits of PLN's the author, Education in America, brings up the fact that even though teachers are surrounded by students and colleagues, teaching can be an isolating experience. I've been there, and I know that having a PLN has not only made me feel connected, but also it has helped me share ideas in a more personal way.

I liked the fact that this site recognizes that "teaching can be an isolated profession"! Very interesting article.

I have to agree with the statement in this article about teaching being an isolated profession. I felt that many times and often wished that I had the remedy. In hindsight, I think a better network would have been helpful. Most of my time spent in a traditional classroom setting (face to face instruction) was as a lone teacher in a very small school. A better PLN would have been very helpful.

The study in the paper was interesting as it looked at K-12 educators and their use of Twitter to research, relate and form PLNs. Twitter and other social medias have allowed teachers to form networks that are specific to their needs and wants in terms of their own professional growth. In the "End of Isolation" the researchers findings touched on the fact that "over 82% of the time, the educators in this study chose to follow other educators or content experts related to their field of teaching so they were able to create a personal learning network meaningful to their professional needs." Now I just need to work with teachers at my school site to help them realize the individualized professional potential!

This study underscored the benefits of Twitter for the educational community. The article shared the advantages to new teachers in particular, where one participant stated it changed her vision and practice in the classroom. Very powerful!

Of all the resources I have read thus far on PLNs, this particular article forced me to think deeper and reconsider my interpretation of this concept. First of all, I found that the article provided a picture of the quality of interaction that can occur within Twitter. The data collected by researchers provides an in depth look at Twitter as a PLN - a feat that few other resources I have read have accomplished. By detailing the amount, quality, and type of interactions and connections, a tangible conception of a PLN emerges, even for someone who has little to no experience with Twitter. Of the 10 surveyed, a majority of their connections and tweets were professionally related. According to Nussbaum-Beach (video I posted), the difference between a PLN and a CoP is the familiarity of the people and the connection to an idea or problem. However, this study provides a different perception of a PLN that is largely professionally based with strong two-way connections. These conclusions made me wonder if it is possible for facets of a PLN on Twitter to transform into a CoP. Further, at what point can one argue that a PLN has successfully transform into a virtual CoP? Thanks for sharing. This was an excellent read!

This article explores personal learning environments in detail. It first explains the theory of cognitivism and its limitations and then goes into learning networks as an alternative to this theory. When describing learning networks it first details what a network is and then tells of some of the characteristics which are good for learning and limitations of learning networks. Characteristics included learning resting in a diversity of opinions, learning as a collection of specialized nodes, and decision-making in itself being a learning process.

This article discusses the value of PLNs specifically for educators. It gives the who, what, when, why and how for the reader.

I really like how this article breaks down what a PLN is, how to learn from one, and where to network. So often, I think that these basics are what keep people from joining in. Though networking can sound intimidating, this piece notes why they are so important to educators and, potentially, students, thus encouraging and motivating users to join in.

This is a nice overview of what a PLN is and how teachers can get involved. It discussed important reasons that PLNs are useful. The article breaks down the need, structure and value of a PLN. #EDTECH543 #EDTechSN #PLN

This article addresses the many challenges of setting up a Personal Learning Environment. The article also discusses the many benefits and various modes of collaboration and online discussion forums.

This article is about how learning management systems can be set up to encourage the development of Personal Learning Environments and connectivist learning. Currently many LMS are not developing students who are reaching their potential in creativity and autonomous learning. The large limiting factor in this include lack of student or even instructor knowledge of tools within an LMS. This is creating students who are dependent on the resources available within their LMS rather than capable of finding their own resources to guide their learning. When designing an online course it is crucial that students have the opportunity to discuss their learning and to share resources among each other.

This article provides an introduction and overview for personal learning environments and digital learning pedagogy.

Beth, good find I find that I very much agree with Markum in that one of the "best ways to make an impact on learners is to mentor them through project-based learning." Learning shouldn't be passive or a spectator sport. Students that are involved, hands on, through projects applying the materials that they are learning are more likely to master the concepts in my experience.

This article touches on one of the most important aspects of the discussions on personal learning environments. Students and educators have to be taught and mentored when it comes to internet usage and how to sift all of the information and resources that are available.Teachers who imagine they can just let the students lose and all will be well will have many unforeseen difficulties.

The authors state the the use of blogs as aggregators for student Personal Learning Networks (PLN) is an effective tool to help organize the many fascists of unique environments. They point out that in order for students to successfully create and use their own PLNs there must first be a successful example by an instructor for the students to model. They point out that although students may be using several of the tools that will ultimately comprise their PLNs, it is a fallacy to assume that students inherently understand the power and connectedness of these environments.

This article explores connectivism as a learning theory, then discusses how to use personal learning networks in your communities of practice. The author quotes from many experts in communities of practice and connectivism. Much detail was given to blogging.

Although this article is focused specifically on public affairs education, it is relevant to all learners. The author discusses professional learning networks as methods to connect and build communities of practice. Using personal experiences teaching a college course, the author's creation of communities of practice took learning for students to the next level.

This article explores how to find a balance between teacher control and student autonomy in personal learning environments. I like the author's observation that students are "networked learners in training." Page 3 has a networked teacher model, while page 4 of the article shows a diagram model of a networked student. A networked student uses constructivism based on experiences and social interactions. Meaningful learning is made up of knowledge construction, conversation, articulation, collaboration and reflection. The remainder of the article details a test case with networked learning. And there is a link to a YouTube presentation of the project, at the end of the conclusion.

Thank you for sharing this article. The diagrams painted a good picture of the networked teacher and student. It was interesting the direction the arrows were pointing in both pictures!

***You will likely have to sign in to the Albertson's Library to access this article! This article provides examples of how Karl Fisch uses his own personal learning network. He references electronic sources, books, and face-to-face interactions that all represent critical parts of his PLN.

YouTube video giving great reasons for the PLN, the role of the PLN and an overview of one person's PLN.  Gives one a pretty good understanding of the 'why' and 'how' of Personal Learning Networks.

I think the author makes a great point with the "two-way street" analogy. It helps differentiate the qualities of PLNs versus PLEs and reminds us that we can be a valuable resource in others' PLNs.

In this video, the author explains the reasons educators should focus on building their Personal Learning Networks. This guy is pretty funny and does a good job explaining why PLN's are important.

This short article emphasizes how social networks can build your Personal Learning Network. One great advantage is that your PLN can be accessed 24/7 The article suggests the use of Twitter, blogging, and other Social sites to connect with other education professionals to collaborate and learn.

I appreciate learning in context. Seeing how the PLN functions through Facebook and Twitter certainly filled in more blanks for me. Even though I am not a great blogger, the articles focus on student, parent, teacher, administrator communication hammered the value home.

This article really hit home, and made the CTE teacher in me say WOW! It was short and to the point on how students can really utilize social media as a tool to hone their learning. Great find Matt!

Stephen Downes shares, among other ideas, the notion that the self is expressed as a network of connections (when we use the web) and that this self should be at the center of the learning experience. Slides 12 and 13 compare the traditional view of learning with the "community of networks" view of learning, with the self at the center.

The authors have endeavored to find the motivations involved with professionals in the creation of Personal Learning Networks (PLN). The concluded that there are four common factors that for why people choose to use a PLN. These factors are : enhancing professional communication, remaining in touch with people in the network, positioning an individual in a network, and finding new people and expertise within the network. They point out that these factors are not necessarily the determining influences that comprise an individual successfully becoming a member of a network. They point out that there is metacognitive level, that of the attitude of the practitioner that is a determining factor for the success or failure of an individuals PLN.

Authors discuss connectivism as a framework for how students learn. They note that learning is making connections within a personal learning network and knowledge is recognition of these connections. They also note that knowledge is stored outside of the learner. They discuss connectivism and its origins as well as the role of connectivism in the work of librarians. They discuss how connectivism informs pedagogical practices in the library and defines the library as a node within student PLNs.

Exploration of the connectivist theory in relation to library media is the topic of this article. It expresses the idea that connectivism is defined by one's abilities to recognize connections, patterns, and similarities between concepts to construct learning. Dunaway argues that changes in technology, learning, and literacy make it necessary to apply connectivist ideas to library practices.

The author suggests that learning takes place when a learner connects ideas from his/her various personal learning networks. Further, those pieces of information is controlled by information technology. This idea becomes apparent when running the same search in Google, Bing or Yahoo. The author purports that in order for a teacher to be effective, he or she must understand this idea of connectivity and how it impacts a student's learning environment.

This article begins by addressing the changing technological innovations over time but the lack of widespread adoption of particular technologies. For example the acceptance of learning management system but apprehension towards virtual peer-to-peer interactions. Informal rather than formal learning is again highlighted as being a positive move of acceptance. The authors would like to see social media included in learning and life-long learning with a shift from virtual learning systems to personal learning environments