Group items tagged

A free game based learning quiz style app that teaches students the continents and oceans.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

I was reminded that Google tries to rank sites for me based upon what it thinks I want. David Loertscher addressed siloing, which means your information group is too small and possibly too like-minded. Loertscher advocates that one should open your net just a bit. He suggests seeking diverse experts to follow on the Internet and identifies some of his favorites to gain a variety of voices.

Two more of those "C" words- helping to discern between them. The argument here is that connectivism is new, thus the misspelled word suggestion every time I type it in, whereas Constructivism is the "old" term and connectivism brings in more social media use to let people be more connected. I'll have to book mark the other blog they mention so look for that to be posted soon.

Mark, I agree with your point, although my thought is that Siemens and others associated with the theory would not discount the importance of offline interaction (traditional social constructivism) but rather highlight the new opportunities to learn that until now where being ignored in formal educational settings.

This blog talks about online education specifically science in an online environment. The blog post attached here talks about connectivism vs. constructivism. The post runs through how both of these learning theories discuss how students learn. The blog then goes into his takes on constructivism and connectivism.

You will need to use your BSU information to access this pdf article by Christine Muller. This is a pretty dry article that attempts to make the connection between the need for community and mathematics. The author states, "Despite a common belief that mathematical practitioners prefer isolation and self-study, we observe that they are highly collaborative and active in their community. Mathematical collaborations are essential for any stage of mathematical practice". The author states the need to further analyze the need(s) for web-based community tools, such as discussion spaces that facilitate international online collaboration on the Web. This article is a starting point of a great discussion but needs much more elaboration.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

The earliest recorded use of the concept of personal learning environments is by Goldstein and Miller in 1976. The next mention arises in 1998 when the first version of Future Learning Environment, a web-based learning environment designed to support learner and group centered work that concentrates on creating and developing expressions of knowledge, is mentioned. After that, the PLN begins to take off and becomes a common term.

This article is written in-response-to-a-response of an earlier article by the author (titled Researching religious education pedagogy through an action research community of practice - I've posted it as my #6 article). It seems that the response to the original article was critical of the a few items, most notably questioning whether the unnatural makeup of the group (too homogeneous or heterogeneous compared to the "general public") makes the practice invalid. Also, the article brings into question the nature of practice and theory, and how both impact one another.

I really like this article. Gives so many examples of free collaboration/sharing tools in the classroom. I appreciated the use of not only social media sites, but so many interactive sites that include collaboration tools - Even game-based learning ideas. Thanks for sharing! Matt

I have to try more of these tools out. It's great that this resource is found and can help our learners stay connected and that we have these kinds of resources to allow them to digitally create and collaborate on projects, and ideas.

What a fabulous find! I will definitely be taking a closer look at some of these! Nice job finding this incredible resource.

This shows how communities of practice is defined, explains the process of how they've created and what they look like. Further explanation into how they can be applied in a wide variety of environments. The application part discusses how specifically it can exist within education both internally and externally. For EDTECH students, web communities of practice enable us to " extend the reach of our interactions beyond the geographical limitations of traditional communities."

I forgot to add my summary! This is an excellent source that fully explains what a Community of Practice is and how it can be applied. "Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." I particularly liked the section about what CoPs actually look like. This is a must have resource for every EdTech student.

The author lists three "must-haves" to be considered a community of practice: the domain - shared interest, the community - learn from each other, the practice - share a repertoire of resources. Communities of practice fall back to learning theories. The term community of practice refers to a living curriculum. The concept is being applied in organizations, government, education, associations, social sector, international development, and the web.

Digital citizenship for elementary students through game-based learning.

A collection of videos and activities to practice digital citizenship for elementary and middle school students.

All kinds of creative uses of this tool come to mind. One can use it to have students visualize a character in a story and create a composite based upon the text and their own mental picture. Art Technology, Theatre, Language Arts, History could take strong advantage of this tool.

High quality educational online games, categorized according to educational standard, grade level, and academic content. Free to play games cover math, science, problem solving, and cognitive skills.

Project Based Learning video

Download a free Gradebook Template for Excel. This is a spreadsheet tool for teachers who grade on a percentage or point-based system.

This textbook provides a solid foundation on integrating technology into the classroom. It provides, research-based methods, case studies, and additional resources (websites & tools) to guide educators.

This is the textbook for the course EdTech541. The goal of this textbook is to describe how to integrate technology to it's fullest advantage using learning theory, tested teaching practices, matched learning and teaching needs, old and new strategies, and a combination of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge.

This video was really helpful. The only thing that has changed is Desmos is not available as an add-on to Google Drive. I had to go to the Desmos webpage but everything else worked well. This will come in handy as I create more project-based lessons.

A site of lesson plans and activities that are really amazing. It says that a subscription is required but some activities can be accessed without one. Based in the UK.

A LibGuide from the James C. Kirkpatrick Library at the University of Central Missouri. Provides a ton of resources about various aspects of gaming in education, including the important of play, digital learning, game-based learning, gamification, and subject area examples.

A thorough article about various aspects of games and information literacy in the digital age. Includes a list of references and an embedded TEDx talk from noted teacher-librarian and researcher Joyce Valenza.