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SUMMARY: Connectivism teaches students skills that are not attached to time or space. Rather they are necessary in the fast-paced, ever-changing whirlwind we live in. The chart near the end clearly compares major educational theories and helped me see the connections and disconnects between them.

Great article. Chaos theory is so interesting. The study of pattern shifts is so real to this day and age. For example, I think the role of memes play a big part in our culture and this absolutely propels the chaos theory. Nice share Natalie!

Summary: The most useful part of this resource comes after the definition of Connectivism cited from Siemens. The author includes a graphic that compares Connectivism to other learning theories. In addition, a section is devoted to critics of Connectivism as learning theory who instead see it as a pedagogical view.

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!

Website on best educational software that has been evaluated by educators and parents alike and discusses software on geography, math, music, spelling, thinking skills and even writing.

This Twitter account belongs to a Principal at Kurt Hahn EL School in Brooklyn New York.  While this may not be thought of as using, social networking in education, I say it is.  Education is not just about classrooms and lessons, it is about about community and parents as well.  Keeping the community, parents, and students up to date on happenings at the school and profiling teachers and student achievements is an important part of education.  This is a great way to use Twitter.

EdSurge shares information and articles related to new developments and innovation within educational technology. You can sign-up to receive their weekly newsletter! It is fun learning about new products being used in education and how schools are utilizing them.

Welcome to the VoiceThread 4 Education wiki. This wiki was started by Colette Cassinelli (http://twitter.com/ccassinelli) but because of contributors like YOU - it has grown to be comprehensive collection of VoiceThread examples from students and teachers of all ages and groups. The purpose of this wiki is to gather examples of how educators are using Voicethread in their classrooms (or for professional development) and to share those examples.

What an excellent resource! 7 important things to know about PLE's? Why yes! This resource breaks down what they are, who started them/researched them, why they are significant, what is their future, their downfalls and their importance in education. This resource concisely explains PLE's and what educators need to know about them. The takeaway from this resource is that PLE's cause more reflection and deeper understanding, as well as develops student's information fluency to analyze the information presented on the internet.

This Edutopia article explains what a PLN is, how they develop through thought, that PLNs are collaborative, what PLNs can do for you, and how to build a PLN. The article brings up three deterrents of PLNs for educators: PLN is a mindset, there is an overwhelming amount of techno-babble, and requires more digital literacy than a Google search. A good quote from this article is, "We must remember that lifelong learning requires effort." The article ends with a list of resources on PLNs.

Edutopia's article defines PLN and provides concrete ways for educators to establish one. While it addresses the barriers for mass adoption of PLN, the focus is to highlight the collaborative nature of PLN. It is this collaboration that allows for personal and professional growth.

This is yet another great and practical article. I especially like how the author outlined how we can each develop a PLN in 20 min/ day and gave some great suggestions for what we should do with those 20 minutes. 20 min/day feels very doable, even to someone new to PLNs or social media.

Welcome Educator! Connect and collaborate around the world and gain easy access to lessons created by educators for educators.

This 1916 Dewey classic is packed with theory. He covers the fundamental meaning of education as a collective process that involves one's own experiences and the experiences of others. No one is an island when it comes to learning and sharing experiences.

Mr. Nussbaum has created an impressive resource list of educational, interactive games and websites divided by educational category.

Lesson plans, and other resources to help educators teach physical education.

This article focuses on the role of personal learning environments in higher education. I particularly appreciated the description of the PLE in the article. Pointing out what it offers that Learning Management Systems do not, the PLE is explained as the future of education where the student takes control and responsibility from the reigns of the institution. It also suggests that PLEs have staying power in education due to the fact that they are not wrapped up with a specific technology, rather they have the ability to adapt and change as technology around us continues to do so. The author discusses how students should be given challenging situations rather than ridged assignments. The article finishes with an example where this idea was implemented in an online learning environment. Väljataga, T. (2010). Learner control and personal learning environment: a challenge for instructional design. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(3), 277-291.

SUMMARY: Disaggregation of educational control leads to empowerment of individual learners.PLEs are presented as rebellious teenagers of the education domain, and yet by the end of the post you start to understand that often times, progress demands rebellion. And here we are.

The results of a 2014 teacher survey regarding teacher use of social media are discussed in this brief article. Interestingly, educators are finding that much of their education news comes from social media. Additionally, Twitter appears to be a powerful tool for collaboration, access to teaching resources, etc.

The author, a chief technology officer (CTO), does an excellent job outlining how to develop your own PLN. He challenges the reader to use Twitter, Diigo, Google+, and blog. The is an excellent beginners resource!

I like this a lot. As Jody stated above, I never really thought of connecting with others and considering them colleagues. I was more focused on just listening to their ideas and making them my own, rather than sharing collectively.

This article, while simple, points out some profound "a-ha's" about power of online personal learning networks. Online PLNs allow educators to engage in the flow of conversations without necessarily being to tied to a time and/or place. As the author points out, some of the biggest changes occur in educators when they begin to share what they know on a PLN. By sharing one's thoughts, an individual can reach a deeper understanding of his or her own understanding.

This research was published by the U.S. Department of Education on the role on Online Communities. Essentially, the research found that online learning Communities of Practice produce a wide range of values for educators, including immediate and potential value. The primary focus of this research was the role of Community Designers and the questions, concerns, and topics that must be addressed when creating a successful learning community involving educators. While member participation is the key to a successful community, there are other factors that play a major contribution in a group's success as a learning community that are addressed in this research.

This post explains how educators are becoming more sophisticated in their social media use which is leading to more shared information outside of the traditional conference or classroom.

This was an interesting read. I also find that many conferences are hard to attend due to funding. I like how many educational professionals are finding ways to connect using their PLNs through Twitter to participate in edchats. Social media has made the ability to connect with others in your field so much easier and cheaper. It also demonstrates the point how learning and professional development are becoming more self-directed to meet each educator's needs. Thanks for sharing!

At my district professional development day this August, there was a session title Twitter for Teachers. While my district is not prepared to get rid of traditional PD, they can see the value in PLNs that allow for continuous professional growth. I think this article provides a great explanation of the transition from traditional PD and conferences to a digital world. The author also notes, however, that personalized learning could lead to "one-sided" information. I think that is why it may be important for districts to educate their teachers on PLNs to hopefully start them in the right direction.

There are four main aspects to a successful PLN: 1. Tools - depend on learners ability level but commonly include social media 2. Connection - groups of people with similar interests and goals. There is no boundary for location of group. 3. Delivery - can be through any method the learner prefers 4. Opportunity - with the development of technology, this can happen anywhere the learner has access.

This wiki site was one of the most simplest definitions displaying the elements of a PLN: tools, connections, delivery, and opportunity. Tools allow the learner to use what is most familiar, connections provide the ability to build relationships with others, delivery includes how information is disseminated, and opportunity is when the learner has the time to practice.

This is a great site for someone new to PLNs. It provides a description of what makes up a PLN along with visuals. I also like the "growth" section of the wiki. In the first paragraph it discusses district PLCs. Many districts like to have vertical meetings, where all of the math teachers from elementary through the high school meet to see how their coursework aligns. These meetings are inconsistent because it is difficult to get all of the teachers out of class at the same time. Digital PLCs for vertical meetings would be a great way to allow for more constant collaboration.