Group items tagged

Technology is changing the way people can learn. With constant access to the internet, learning can take place all the time and everywhere. This is especially true with online learning. Connectivism is the theory that claims knowledge exists in the world, not in just an individual. This theory is what drives good online learning practices. The four major concepts that describe effective online teaching using connectivism are establish the feeling of the online classroom, create a social presence within the class, use activities and technology to make meaningful learning experiences and also to teach and guide your students through the learning process. These four concepts are best used within a social and learning community like Facebook or Blackboard that helps to connect the learners and the teacher. 

I thought this was an interesting because the way the classroom is constantly changing there is the opportunity to learn anywhere. A perfect example is this course! I have taken classes with people from all over the world through BSU due to the advancements in technology. The fact that the connectivism theory embraces the knowledge of the world, goes hand in hand with the effectiveness of online education. Social networking is another way that those connections can be made.

This case study examines which factors play into a successful MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). Some of these factors include peer interaction, professor engagement, and accessible course resources. The researchers concluded that these factors are as important in MOOCs as they are in traditional classroom settings. The article implies that classes based on the philosophy of connectivism are effective, but a number of factors must be taken into account when planning instruction.

It is difficult to maintain continuous student engagement in a traditional class setting. It is doubly so when the setting is online. This study researched what characteristics promote student engagement in online classes. Course takers identified 5 characteristics of MOOCs that encouraged their continued participation in the course. For the most part, courses that focus on problems and clear solutions, contain high levels of peer interaction and teacher participation, and include many active learning activities with accompanying course resources are well-liked by MOOC participants. The authors are certainly right to suggest that future research examine courses that are not as highly participatory as the MOOCs that are focused on in this study. I wondered as I read the article if the same level of engagement can be seen in other courses.

As this study emphasized, online courses have a unique challenge when compared to traditional brick-and-mortar courses because learners are physically separated from an instructor by a computer screen. Instructors do not just have to overcome motivation barriers, but also administrative obstacles. The article's "Table 2: Summary of Strategies Used" presented some well-designed methods to increase instructor accessibility---from the "Code Clinic" to weekly live interactive discussions.

This article looks at the connection between learning communities and linguistic and sociolinguistic elements that are essential to success in such communities. The article gives an initial theory of how linguistics is important in determining how different communities are conceived and the effect on diverse groups and how these communities are an excellent place to study those linguistics.

This article delves into the definition of communities of practice and relates this to the world beyond my lens of education. This academic article relates communities of practice to anthropology and linguistics. The way we talk influences our communities of practice. The things that band us together can be many… finding an identity inside of this community is important

This article goes in great detail to define communities of practice. The author defines communities of practice as, a collection of people who engage on an ongoing basis in some common endeavor. Communities of practice develop in response to common interest, and have an important role in forming their members' participation. This commitment to the common interest holds the individual accountable for their participation.

At the University of Southern Florida, students use Facebook, instead of Blackboard, for assignments and discussions.

Sixth grade class uses Skype to communicate with author.

"The Louisiana Bicentennial Commission asked students to design a promotional plan for a Louisiana tourist attraction and use emerging technologies and social media to promote it. They could not use traditional forms of advertising." While your class may not have the backing of the Tourism Board for your city/county/state or even a statewide competition, it doesn't mean you cannot give the same assignment to your class with the same general guidelines.

After reading a book or covering a topic in class, create a Facebook page for a character or a fan page for a cause that you read about. You can personalize the Facebook page, like other "peoples" pages and participate in "online discussions" that these people could have had if Facebook had been around at that time.

This blog post outlines an assignment in which students must create a Facebook page for a literary character.  This is a great idea.

Professor asks students to use Twitter to send in questions, answers the most common questions at the end of class.

This blog talks about Larry Liu, who has successfully implemented Facebook into his class as well as mobile technology.

Hotseat was created by Purdue University to allow students to Twitter and text messages during and after class. The conclusion was that there was more interaction, more engaging, and resulted in higher-performing students.

At U of Texas Dallas Twitter is credited with encouraging 100% student participation. Students enjoy that everyone can be heard from regardless of class size and that format allows swift recap of important lesson components

This is an article about using Worlde as a tool in class. It isn't really used in social networking, but I think it could easily be tweeted or posted as an update on Facebook. The power is in the words and analysis of the rhetorical features in the words.

Facebook used at Niagra County Community College in Intro English. With it students asked & answered each other, studied for tests, and collaborated on group projects. Streamlined approach to compiling links/images/videos which are accessible to classmates. There was simplicity in having class info where students are spending time already

Krista Jackman of U of New Hampshire instructs Freshman English Comp class and uses Twitter to build community. Micro blogging incorporates the fundamental classroom elements of writing, reading & talking. Students become experts and can know & be known

Great use of Twitter in a 3rd grade classroom. Students tweet concise summaries, but the class also follows discovery education on Twitter to stream videos that DE links to in it's Twitter posts. I love Twitter as both a discussion/summary forum and a resource for materials.

Student discussions on Google+ as used in a class at Georgetown U. Shared research was regarded as up to date and beneficial. Overall, students viewed g+ as educational/academic network & FB as social one

This was a great project introduce students to how to get an internship or full-time job using Klout scores. Students were able engage with other, via social media, and familiarize themselves regarding Klout scores. This was a very enjoyable project and the students were very enthusiastic about the project.

This study looked at how Twitter-using educators were using Twitter to collaborate, network, or engage in professional development

Molly, I really enjoyed this article. It is especially relevant with this course. Honestly, I could never image using Twitter as any kind of professional resource, but after reading this and using Twitter for this class and one other, I can see how it would benefit educator to collaborate. It is also very easy to use. Thank you for sharing this article!

Hi Molly, This is very appropriate for our class, especially since we are using Twitter to share articles and resources with each other - - in our own personal learning environment. I focused on the discussion portion of this article. I noticed that for educators, personal learning networks are important and useful for professional development. It was interesting that the study found greater use in high school environments (maybe because we are influenced by our students?). The benefits of Twitter and professional development, is that one can access and participate at any time and any location - - it is self-directed! I would be interested in finding out how to promote this type of professional development within a school. What type of training is needed for educators to get started? How would one track satisfaction and learning?