Group items tagged

Meyerhoff, M. (2002). 21 Communities of Practice. This is another article that researches the marriage between social and linguistic definitions used in communities of practice. What I enjoyed about this excerpt was when the author went beyond the foundation communities of practice has, and explored distinguishing frameworks on which linguistic and social understandings were built. I also enjoyed that a good portion of this writing included the research that went on in the developmental stages of defining community of practice. This allowed me to draw strong correlations within my own educational arena and within the development of adolescents. All the research made sense to me as I read it; I just wish I knew the conclusion to the research, such as how it can affect those who want to belong to a less than morally ideal community of practice. How do I combat the need for certain students to want to feel part of a community of practice I know will not lead them to professional success.

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.

This blog post (linked to the book, Digital Habitats) discusses creating ones "personal technology configuration," which is a topic we'll be covering later in the semester. The author describes the tools in his "PTC" that he uses to "close triangles" (aka- network individuals to one another; Skype, LinkedIn), share information (blogs, Twitter), and curate information (tagging). Personal identity on the web is an important aspect of developing PLNs and CoPs.

I like how he has coined the phrase "network weaving practices", and also shows how he "weaves" in and out of other networks by using three different PLN configurations: closed triangles, sharing information, and curating resources.

I've never heard of this before with that term. I know it because of the general idea. I think it it great to weave our thoughts and information together with other professional. Teachers love to use materials and ideas from other and this would help make it easier to collaborate with them.

This detailed paper presents a model for creating a personal learning network based on an investigation using a literature review, semi-structure interviews and survey and includes an extensive reference list. Three stages of the networking process- building, maintaining and activating- are described and the nine factors influencing decisions in each of these areas are outlined. The authors schematically represent a personal professional networking model.

I really like how this article focused on research results and the factors that emerged for the researchers during their study. It made understanding how the theory of PLN's has become relevant. The three stages of networking model also helped drive home the concept. Establish, maintain and activity was a great visual representation. Quality find!

This article discusses the importance of personal learning networks. It defines them as finding and connecting with others that are a part of your field. These interactions with others can promote life-long learning; which is beneficial in any working field.

An older program that has chemistry simulations that allow students to visualize abstract chemistry principles.

I found the Nielson report cited in several of the articles I reviewed and decided to check it out. The Nielson report typically cites was published in 2009 and so instead I retrieved a more recent (2011) report on the state of social media. This is a fascinating graphic display of the synthesis and major findings of research on the use of social media both in the United States and globally. This is important as we consider the needs and possibilities of using the connected learning theories reviewed in our reading. The data gathered reflects a continued rise in access of social networks and blogs across a wide variety of demographics. Information such as 4 out of 5 active Internet users now visit SN and blogs cannot be ignored as we consider the impact this has on instructional design and education technology applications.

In this article that focuses on social networking and learning, Ruth Reynard explores research conducted by The National School Boards Association (USA), in partnership with research firm Grunwald Associates and with the support of Microsoft, Newscorp, and Verizon, published a 2007. The research cited indicates that learning through social networks is mostly "unidirectional (posting messages, downloading media files, updating personal information) and students utilize it as "a self-reflective learning environment." However, the author points out that the researchers also found if instructional design is geared toward "the user controlling the tool rather than the tool dictating the user's activity," learning collaboratively can increase knowledge because the learner becomes actively engaged in the task, rather than passively approaching it.

I really like the message where it says that students become more actively engaged when they control the tool rather than the tool dictating the user's activity. The students then take control of their learning. They map the course they want to take.

this was very interesting - I found myself wondering how much of it was still relevant given its "age." Crazy that 2008 is "old" but social media has changed so much since then!

Blog author Steve Wheeler summarizes several writings on connectivism in this blog post. He highlights the connectivist idea that learning occurs outside the individual via social networks and PLNs. He also points to the shift in knowledge acquisition from one of "knowing information (aka memorization)" to "knowing how to locate information." He suggests it's vital that students learn to develop their own networks and personalized learning tools.

I enjoyed the quote from Siemens where he says that students need to find a method to develop their own learning tools, environment, and communities to store their knowledge. As educators, it is more important for us to guide students to find the information they require. Then coach them as to how they can store and display the knowledge they have acquired.

I found his "nutshell" comment about how connectivism argues it's more important to know where to find knowledge than it is to internalise it to be very helpful.

This tool has been the best thing I have added to my classroom this year. Even better it is free! I can easily check books in and out by scanning with my ipad and I get a weekly overdue list. I love this app!

This website is new to me. It has information for students and curriculum resources for teachers on a wide variety of energy sources.

This website has a great collection of science demos on a wide variety of subjects. For most, they have a video showing the demonstration along with a blog post that provides the explanation and tips for a teacher performing it.

Ramsey Musallam shares how he has flipped his classroom as a tool to promote inquiry.

Tutorial on creating a timeline in Excel, PowerPoint, or Word (2010).

An evolutional biology teacher at the University of Connecticut is requiring student use of Twitter. The instructor has students using Twitter to post incidences of interesting bird behavior.

The Champaign, Illinois school district has drafted a social media use policy. This district started with a policy for staff, then began work on student policies.

KwikSurveys is a free to use online survey, poll, and quiz builder, which has been specifically designed so that it is quick and easy to use for people of all experience levels. Surveys can be embedded into websites for easy access.

In Dominique Chargois's Spanish III classes, students interact with native Spanish speakers on Livemocha, a social network for learners of foreign languages. Chargois has used Livemocha Active Spanish as a supplemental learning tool in all of her Spanish III sections in order to engage students and inspire them to learn ad so they could work at their own pace. It also helps expand students' horizons by 'chatting' with individuals who live outside the U.S.

In this L.A. class of Mr. Legaspi, students use cell phones and computers and type off 140 character answers on Twitter when he asks questions. The teacher states he uses the popular social networking site to make his classes energetic. According to him, using Twitter has been very productive in his classroom, helping engage students in the material and is especially powerful for shy students who wouldn't usually speak up in class.