Group items tagged

This site contains a lot of information about COP and is organized as answers to FAQs. Importantly it covers tools that can be used to facilitate CoPs

This article has a great layout. I appreciated how I could decide what information I needed and click on the questions for answers. All of the information was interesting and useful in order to learn about social learning, communities and networks as well as cultivating communities of practice. Thank you for sharing this great resource.

In this article with an interesting format Wenger & Trayner tackle the frequently asked questions surrounding social learning, communities, and networks. Section 1.2 on Cultivating communities of practice was most helpful to me to truly understand the purpose of COP's by looking at the objectives.

This post discusses George Siemens 2005 article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age and examines the limitations of this theory as well as its relevance to teaching and knowledge management practices. The relationship of connectivism to learning in a MOOC is described. It is suggested that widespread adoption of connectivism in formal learning will face resistance because of its stance that 1) the network is more important than content 2) knowledge is a process rather than an artifact 3) and knowledge can be retrieved rather than memorized.

This source is actually a summary/review of a different article, but it provides some good insight. The author argues that the explosion of technology and internet sources has changed the way that we acquire knowledge. Different pieces of information are accessible by tapping into different sources. The author also discusses how connectivity can be used in the classroom and how some people may resist the use of the connectivity theory.

I found it valuable to go through Siemen's fundamental principles of connectivism. Siemens considers connectivism as a significant departure from previous learning theories because connectivism includes learning occurring outside of the learner, within the network. I also found it valuable to go through the applications of connectivism in classroom and managing knowledge.

(I accessed this one through the BSU library; it required a login) This article was geared toward technology leaders and information literacy specialists in schools and discussed the need for them to have access to the most current information. This could apply to any educator, though. They provide five reasons why librarians need PLNs: access to the thinking of colleagues, access to timely information, ability to post questions and get responses, ability to collaborate with colleagues, and to be able to communicate about events. Each of these is discussed in detail, and management tips for effective participation in a PLN are provided as well. This is a clear resource that makes a convincing argument of why educators need social-media based PLNs.

This blog post by Tom Whitby explains what a connected educator is and is not. Whitby discusses that way that educators can connect through social media and who they connect with is very crucial. He continues by discussing that being a connected educator is not an add-on, it is a necessity. We need to have digitally-literate educators to be able to teach digitally-literate student.

I really enjoyed reading this post, and it helped validate the reason I sought my Master's degree in Educational Technology. It is so important for educators to stay connected for their own professional development, and to enrich the instruction given to their students. When teachers connect with other teachers and use PLN's it benefits everyone involved, including the students.

It so true. Educators are finally arriving a pedagogy that reinforces the digital tools already available and provides a theoretical framework for all those teachers who resist technology or say that it isn't for them.

This Pinterest page is more of a menu of materials associated with Personal Learning Networks.  Numerous links to PLN resources are provided.

Pinterest is awesome, except for the fact that it is a total time sucker. At least I get some good ideas for my classroom and recipes for dinner from it. I also posted this link because it had quite a few websites that talked about PLN's. I'm new to PLN's but I am certainly learning a lot more about them this week.

I wondered if anyone would find something on Pinterest. One of the articles that I read mentions the idea of framing, or putting a personal interpretation on someone else's material. Pinterest is a classic example of this. Without framing, though, I don't think we would all see the value in what others pin.

PLN have been around forever but now we use technology to help increase those who can be involved. Most of the Personal Learning Networks are online and we can communicate with others from around the world. This article gives examples of how to use a PLN and how to build your own.

I liked the video clip that showed how networking can be beneficial. Simple video that explains it for people like me who are new the world of PLN's.

I like the chart of resources. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all of the social media tools available out there on the Internet, so the chart in this blog post is helpful. Thanks!

Examples of how our students are using PLN's and how we need to be thinking the same way that our students are if we want to be effective teachers.

This video did a nice job of showing the often antiquated school system most students function within. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of focusing on student strengths and resisting holding against them what they have not yet learned.

I like the way this video explored how students are taught in school versus how they learn information outside of school. The speaker in the video called this the "learning age" as opposed to the information age because we are learning all the time in everything we do. Yet, education still remains antiquated and traditional when our technology-filled, instant information society is anything but those traditional methods. We need to help students realize that learning is a way of life, not merely a classroom activity. The connectivism ideas permeate our society even beyond education.

This is a blog post that elaborates on the idea of learning networks and connectivism. The author provides a graphic of her own learning network, showing professional activities, school, friends & family, internet, and books & articles. She details her search for information (connectivism) and how "the web of information expands." She applies Siemens' theory of connectivism to her own evolution as a learner, illustrating that learning is changing and never stops. Further, informal learning is just as important as formal learning.

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.

I chose to share this link for two reasons: 1) It describes communities of practice, ways to support CoPs through networking, social learning, and online identities. 2) It's presented via a wiki, which is a platform that embodies the spirit of SNL, CoPs and PLNs.

I found this site to be very informative in a brief way! I find sites such as this a nice way to get started on something...find out enough so you know where to go next!

I appreciate the comment in this wiki about communities of practice developing a common store of knowledge. When I first heard the term, communities of practice, a few years ago, I thought they were simply referring to a group of people with something in common, not necessarily a group with a common purpose or goal toward which they are actively working.

Specific information on computer lab accessibility requirements.

While not based on technology, the article by Mark Granovetter published in 1973 looks at social networks where diffusion of information is not based on strong ties but rather weak ties. The paper suggests that information is diffused further through the strength of a person's weak ties. We may see this also through social media.

The author suggests that learning is a process of connecting information sources. What better place to connect information than online, where a world of information is at our fingertips. The author discusses Web 2.0 (blogs, wikis, social networking, and virtual gaming environments to name a few) and how they've impacted learning and helped to shape the idea of connectivism.

How three theories have shaped distance learning over the years. Connectivist theory shows how learning is about forming connections with others through human and digital interaction. Developed in the digital age and assumes access to social networking technologies.

This is a March 2011 journal article that highlights the shifts in technology and theory for distance learning. First, there was the cognitive-behaviorist with it's focus on read, watch, and recall. As the web developed, we saw constructivism shift the teachers duties from content creator to a guide through the content as students synthesized. Connectivism promotes the teacher as a "co-traveler" helping students to explore, connect, and create.

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.

"We do not always construct, but always connect". This line is the central philosophy in this article that argues about the importance of online educational and informational fields in the connection of information. One interesting piece that is identified is in reference to schools and connectivism. The author illustrates that simply putting technology into the hands of students to access the web will not produce learning. As many of us have talked about in the EdTech program, simply using e-learning does not produce learning. However, the theory of connectivism argues that it can strengthen information and learning while also producing areas for students to collaborate and learn later on.

Connectivism is an integration that encompasses social and individual learning, and experience. Connectivism is knowledge and the process of learning, principle of learning, technology, nature of knowledge, and the flow of information.

From the P2P Foundation (what is more Connectivist than that?), this an essential description of Connectivist Learning Theory and how it ties to knowledge networks. It includes a history and glossary of key terms.

Connectivist learning theory, by George Siemens This is the process of knowledge as well as learning. Connectivism focuses on the inclusion of technology. We must focus on our interactions with one another with connectivism.

This is a link to a Pinterest Board regarding Personal Learning Networks by Eric Sheninger, I found the information very helpful and fun. I love looking at pictures to understand concepts! EDTECH543 Personal Learning Network

This is a Pinterest source used for PLNs that offers numerous resources for educators and personal learning networks.

I have yet to get into Pinterest, feel it might be a black hole for me. These are some great PLN pins. The images alone give you a good idea of ways you can build your PLE.