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Tony Bates (my fav edtech guy) discusses connectivism and how it applies to teaching and online learning. Another great read. Anything by Tony Bates is quite amazing! EDTECH543 Connectivism

My struggle with pedagogies such as the nurturing approach is that I am torn between teaching my students according to the way the world is and the way the world should be. In the former, I believe my students are academically and emotionally prepared to learn in any environment. In the latter, I worry that my students won't be able to cope and compete in the real world. When I worked with at-risk youth, many of them fell behind when they started fourth grade after the "class size reduction subsidies" stopped, and they were put in classes with 50% more students. They were no longer able to get the specialized attention and they were not prepared for it.

One of the aspects that Bates talks about in regards to connectivism is that "There is no need for formal institutions to support this kind of learning, especially since such learning often depends heavily on social media readily available to all participants." I found this statement to be a bit rogue as he tries to state that learning will automatically occur through the use of social media. In identifying how connectivism works, there is still a need to help define the learning for students so that they are provided with the proper structure of information, sources, and how to identify good information. I would love to think that all students inherently want to learn, but truly think that students also need to be taught how to learn through this medium. Not all learning will occur naturally.

This text is similar to others posted in that it highlights the main features to the communities of practice theory. However, this particular text's focus draws to the readers attention the importance of the commitment factor in order to form a successful community of practice. A community of practice can exist in haphazardly fashion, but when the commitment is to the common purpose and shared experience the success will be more vivid. It also alludes to the seven principles outlined by Etienne Wenger which include: shepherd the evolution, encourage internal leadership, weave private and public space, invite multiple level of participation, find rhythm between familiarity and excitement, build momentum, and develop both communal and personal identity. The author states that the communities of practice platform is the perfect place for new and unattempted concepts or ideas to be practiced with nurtured care.

A critical review of George Siemen's (2005) article "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age". A distinct relationship is made with Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and connectivism: The individual, and his/her abilities to create a personal learning network, is the "starting point of connectivism" (Siemens, 2005, p. 6). A great summation of the original article.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article! To some degree I have always associated Common Core with connectivism because I am seeing the ways in which Common Core is pushing students to be critical, analytical thinkers able to justify their responses. It isn't so much memorizing content as much as it is learning skills to apply to different terrains of knowledge which is similar to part of Siemen's definition that connectivism involves "determining when and what knowledge should be retired and replaced with updated knowledge." This statement prompted an "ah-ha" moment within my head as I was able to begin connecting some dots between connectivism and the practical aspects of my own teaching practice.

Is connectivism limted to Western and technologically advanced cultures? Learning theories such as behaviorism, constructivism and even cognitive and socioclultural theories can be applied to learning in various cultures. It seems that connectivsm requires a certain amount of freedom and access to technology. If this is the case, can it be considered a learning theory?

A content analysis of 100 academic blogs that looks at reasons academics give for blogging and the connection it may have to community of practice.

I really enjoyed reading this article as it provided further insight into the "why" teachers and higher ed professionals should engage in blogging. Three main ideas really jumped out to me and solidified the validity of blogging: "blogs are a way to expand and disseminate knowledge, make contact with potential collaborators, and have scholarly discussions on a global scale". By engaging in these blogs we enter into a CoP that promotes these virtues by nature as all those involved in the CoP have similar motivations and goals. The communities then function as an opportunity to collaborate on materials, subject matter, and other issues pertinent to the educators. One aspect that is noted is that blogs provide a specific function, thus different blogs will contain different topics, subject matter, and ideas that can be shared online.

When I used to blog, I realized it was a passive-aggressive way for me to complain about my District. So, I stopped. However, I have found other academic blogs useful. One of my classmates in the EdD program blogs daily, and she is a great source of information. Blogs are also good starting points for research. Reading them often broadens my perspective which in turn helps me in my search for sources.

Video details what a CoP is and how it will work. Also talks about joining existing versus starting a new CoP for what best suits you. I think the video is short enough and to the point that it is a valuable resource for someone who is starting out and trying to find more information about a community of practice.

Contains a broad review of the theory of connectivism and discussion of the LaaN view of knowledge ecology. Compares knowledge ecology to CoP, knot, intentional networks and coalitions...to name a few that I had not heard of before. Also some interesting comparisons of learning theories.

This is a simple resource that explains personal learning networks for those being introduced to it.

The first section of this resource is great for someone new to PLNs. It expresses how PLNs provide the tools and resources that allow for an educators continuous growth. I also like that this resource explains that teachers may still have face-to-face PLNs within their district or subject area. However, it is beneficial to have the digital PLN as well to allow for growth that can expand further and can be accessed at all times. In addition, this article emphasizes how it is important to remember the "personal" part of PLNs, you can adapt your PLN to your changing needs.

I have to balance reading with other learning sources and so this video on Communities of Practice in action is simple and effective. It focuses on uk govt as as example but covers the main idea, if not the academic theory. Person, working with others, driven to connect, collaborate and learn. Simple but effective

This video was helpful in showing how a Community of Practice is useful to individuals. I also found it helpful to be reminded that there may also be a face to face element in a Community of Practice, and it does not all have to be digital.

This blog post takes a detailed look at connectivism and breaks down the impact the theory has on learning. The author notes the change in thinking and learning and how the brain is being rewired because of technology.

I simply enjoy how easy of a read this source is. Articles are so boring and make it hard for me to concentrate while I'm reading and this sources is still giving valuable information, but offers an easy to read layout and language.

This is a blog entry, which can make me skeptical of the quality of the information. With digital use, our brain is rewired. If this isn't reason enough that we should not be teaching like it is 1980, I don't know what is.

This is a paid site, however, it is so woarth the investment. I use it myself from time to time when I have a moment of fustration or a lack of knowledge in a certian area. I use it with my students and teachers who struggle with technology. It is a great site. I also suggest Youtube as well but advise to be carefull on selecting the right tutorial

I love this site and use it to share tasks with my classes and more importantly have them collaborate and share with each other. Simple, easy to use and fun. Virtual post-its.

Move over, Facebook - if you teach middle or high schoolers, you know that Instagram is one of the most popular social media channels for teens and tweens today. And while it may not seem like it at first, there are many applications for Instagram in the classroom.

I love this book! It was written as an experiment in online participatory, collaborative scholarship. It looks at how learning institutions can become as flexible and collaborative as social networking sites. Personal learning networks are highlighted in several examples. The leads on the project are Cathy Davidson (see earlier bookmark) and David Theo Goldberg.

An article explaining what connectivism is, the theory behind it, its history, and criticisms.

This links to a composition by Etienne Wenger, who co-coined the term Community of Practice. Wenger gives an overview with a specific statement that a CoP can be viewed as a social learning system, but is also part of a much broader social learning system, as a result of the network in which it takes place. Wenger goes on to identify the identities that happen as a result of being part of a CoP.

Another article by Etienne Wenger, this appears to be a synopsis and an update to his previously published book. While he does not go into great detail about the topics, he talks about communities of practice as social learning systems and in social learning systems. He also talks about the power of COPs, as well as the relevance to learning today.

This is another article by Etienne Wenger discussing communities of practice. I like it because it works in social learning systems. Social learning systems are similar to connectivism, CoP, and PLNs so I think it fits right in with our topic of study for this module.

This document is a compilation of readings and resources for a community of practice. It includes infographics as well as summaries of information of theories of COP's.

This article had mentioned a good point about communities of practice: not all communitites are communities of practice. They gave the example of a neighborhood, it is a community where people are living, but they are not necessarily practicing a common interest. However if you have a neighborhood watch group to watch and protect the surrounding homes, them that would be a community of practice because they have the same goal and are working together. It stated that learning can be the reason for the group to come together, or it can be an outcome of someone's actions.

In this short blog post, Walker discusses the changing technology requires us to revisit classic learning theories. He continues to describe Connectivism with references from Siemans and Downes. He touches on the idea that learning is not just inside the learner, it now occurs among learners.

This website breaks down the learning theory of connectivism and how this learning theory came about. It describes how connectivism was created due to the Internet and the need for different strategies.

From this article I understand that connectivism is a way of learning through the internet, media and social networks. It discussed how learning can be formal and also informal, to which informal learning seems to be outweighing the formal learning now a days. Informal learning comes from communities of practice and personal networks which are very popular and common today.

Edublogs Teachers. This has a Step by Step process of how to create a PLN in just a few weeks. Very useful information given here.

Who can't use a step by step guide for PLNS? This is great. I can use guides for everything! I love quick breakdown and references that are presented in this blog. Thank your for sharing... I may be borrowing this into my diigo library! I think I now officially have a PLN to do list. Thank you for this find.

I love the step-by-step ease of this blog. Bookmarked this and definitely going to use it to my benefit!

Edutopia kills it one more time with this guide for student-centered learning. As most of these guides do, it points out that there has to be infrastructure development for a program like this to work. Administrators should support teachers interested in doing this.

Yes, Xtranormal was bought out, but it looks like it may come back in a different form.