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Miller begins the article by reviewing what the RTI team and process consists of and then does the same for a community of practice. Following the introduction of both programs the benefits of an RTI-CoP is explored. This exploration includes the ability for professional growth, peer to peer coaching, and an overall improvement to the RTI process by consistent engagement in program improvement. The work then continues to explore CoP by giving examples for creation of such a program and additional ideas for the group.

In this article the author makes the argument that a hybridization of PLCs and PLNs would benefit students and teachers. It provides an introduction to both concepts before it offers ideas on hybridization and why they would benefit stakeholders.

I like the argument. Hybridization of these two vital elements will provide teachers and learners with an all around better experience in a school day. I know that in my building PLC is often frowned upon by the staff, because they find it a waste of time. I think that the integration of PLNs in the process could provide far more than simply meeting and discussing policy/educational tools.

I really liked this article because I feel at my school there is many PLC, but no one is really connected to PLN (including myself). As a member of the technology commitment, we have a small group looking to create goals and share knowledge, but sometimes its doesn't go beyond our meeting walls. If the communities could be connected to PLN then the walls are broken down and the collaboration and problem-solving input increased.

I really connect to theory through hearing about practice. In this article by Tom Whitby for Edutopia, he shares 6 different stories from 6 different educators who have begun to engage with online professional learning networks. I connected to this article because I had the same path as many of these educators. Whether it was the teacher who heard someone at a conference or the 29 year veteran who found herself in a 1:1 MacBook class, they all began peripherally and then developed into active participants in their online PLNs. This article is a pretty good setup for our upcoming adventures.

It was interesting to see most of their stories had to do with Twitter. I have resisted Twitter for so long because I do not understand it at all! Guess it's time to learn.

Reading personal stories from teachers really helps me see how educators are using Twitter, and other technologies, in the classroom. I appreciated reading the variety of ways these teachers use Twitter to communicate with students and connect with other educators professionally. I'm beginning to see the value of Twitter as a professional network builder!

Beth Transue, a librarian at Messiah College, begins this article with the suggestion that librarian educators reflect the tenets of the connectivist learning theory when designing their information literacy instruction. Transue mentions how the adoption of this theory in the development of library instruction can happen very easily as many of the connectivist principles are already evident in the steps of the research process. Transue spends the majority of the rest of the article talking about how the connectivist theory is connected to the model of the networked student proposed by W. Drexler in 2010. According to Drexler, a student uses information from four different domains: information management, contacts, synchronous communication, and RSS. The information management domain essentially covers the traditional library resources. The contact domain covers those who should be part of the student's personal learning network such as teachers, librarians, and classmates. The synchronous communication domain covers platforms like Twitter and the RSS domain covers blogs, wikis, and other social networks. The author spends the next couple of pages offering very specific directions for librarians to address individual domains in their information literacy instruction. Transue concludes the article by talking about what an information literacy session rooted in the connectivist theory might look like.

Hi Kelly, Interesting article. In one of the videos I found, the connection between research and connectivism was highlighted. I had not thought about that before, but it makes sense! And I've always enjoyed research, so good to know I've already been practicing connectivism on some level.

Cybrary Man's Educational Websites has been one of my go to websites. It is a host of resources for educators, parents, and students. The educators pages have resources for all subjects, grade levels, and anything else you can think of including social networking in education. You can find a blog list rich with information about educational technology. I used this site to write the technology curriculum for my school district.

Jerry Blumengarten's website is an amazing catalogued website that literally seems to have everything teachers, administrators, or parents might need. There are so many catalogued websites that you can get lost in exploration. Enjoy!

This research effort developed by Barbara F. Hartigan, Ed.D. and Marialice B.F.X. Curran, Ph.D at University of Saint Joseph that looks at connectivism in the context of using social media as a mentorship program for pre-service teachers. It is based off the researchers witnessing teachers on Twitter who engage in the Twitter chat #kinderchat mentoring a first year kindergarten teacher through their weekly chats. This developed into a research project where they embedded social media into the program for 19 pre-service teachers. They used mostly Twitter, Skype, and blogging and found that all of the participants learn from and value learning and teaching ideas and methodology obtained from their social media interactions. They note that next steps would be to follow those educators into their classrooms to see their continued development using social media.

In this article Nicole Cooke, a Reference and Instruction Librarian encourages fellow librarians to keep abreast of the latest technology and the most current ways of seeking information so that they are prepared to help satisfy the needs of today's library patrons. She suggests that librarians prepare themselves for the evolving library patron by participating in professional development activities. In particular, Cooke advocates that librarians seek out the current educational opportunities that are available through various Web 2.0 applications. Cooke then moves on to describe how librarians can incorporate new learning opportunities into their day to day functions through the use of social media platforms such as blogs and wikis. Cooke ends the article by talking about personal learning networks and how librarians should take advantage of social media platforms to form connections with others in the field for professional growth.

I think this is a great article. I agree that anyone who is in education has to stay "savvy." I especially liked the comment "Maintaining competence and learning new skills must be at the top of every professional's "To Do" list. It is an ethical responsibility, to be sure, but also one that is pragmatic and critical for career success. [...] Continuing professional education is no longer an option, it is a requirement of professional practice. "

I am glad to see you posted a link to a PLN for librarians. I think understanding PLNs purpose and framework comes easier when it is viewed from a particular perspective (i.e. Librarians). I do think PLNs are particularly useful in the digital age with some much information and professional development resources readily available.

User-generated media (UGM) incorporates traditional media (i.e., newspapers, radio, television) as well as non-traditional media like the Internet (i.e., blogs, wikis, picture- and video-sharing sites, and social networking platforms). This article examines three usages of UGM from the uses and gratifications (U&G) perspective, which are separate but interdependent concepts. The first use, consuming, satisfies the information, entertainment, and mood management needs. Participation, the second use, fosters interaction with content and people to enhance social connections in virtual communities. The final use, producing, encompasses content that is created for both self-expression and self-actualization. This article analyzes the appeal of UGM via the lens of U&G. U&G is used to explain the psychological needs of the individual consumer and why an audience consciously chooses a specific medium to fill recognized needs. These needs can be divided into five categories to help us understand media consumption on user-generated sites: 1) cognitive needs, 2) affective needs, 3) personal integrative needs, 4) social integrative needs, and 5) tension release needs.

Connectivist theorists argue that the way in which individuals acquire knowledge has changed. Academic institutions (which have historically been considered as the place in which individuals acquire knowledge and information) are being supported and/or replaced by groups of people within a learning network. The process of learning involves the creation of knowledge through these personalized networks and identifying the relationships between one's own knowledge and the knowledge of others within a network. These connections can occur in a variety of ways and with a variety of learners.

This article helped me to understand how to apply connectivism in the classroom. It also pointed out misconceptions that educators have about using social networking in the classroom.

Written by Kegan Remington, an Instructional Designer, the article discusses what connectivism is and how it can be applied in the classroom. He lays out the four simple ways of introducing connectivism in the classroom.