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In this article the author makes the argument that a hybridization of PLCs and PLNs would benefit students and teachers. It provides an introduction to both concepts before it offers ideas on hybridization and why they would benefit stakeholders.

I like the argument. Hybridization of these two vital elements will provide teachers and learners with an all around better experience in a school day. I know that in my building PLC is often frowned upon by the staff, because they find it a waste of time. I think that the integration of PLNs in the process could provide far more than simply meeting and discussing policy/educational tools.

I really liked this article because I feel at my school there is many PLC, but no one is really connected to PLN (including myself). As a member of the technology commitment, we have a small group looking to create goals and share knowledge, but sometimes its doesn't go beyond our meeting walls. If the communities could be connected to PLN then the walls are broken down and the collaboration and problem-solving input increased.

This article explains connectivism with academic advising. Within this article, the writer states that connectivism can be useful to help combine old information to new information. It then states how that will help people to understand new material by connecting it to the old material. The writer also states how technology has impacted connectivism. It says connectivism is influencing students' decisions and knowledge through Siri, Amazon Echo, etc and that those tools of technology or other resources they have access to are impacting their decisions based on connections they've made to other information.

This is an interesting article that explains connectivism in the context of academic advising. I found this especially helpful as it makes it easier to understand connetivism as you first receive information and then that information is put into a contextual situation.

This article explores the ways in which using a model of connectivism can help an academic advisor in higher education better connect with or direct the student they are assisting. One example features the way in which students view their advisor, where some students see the advisor as a guidance counselor others are able to differentiate between the two roles distinctly. The article continues on with various examples of interactions and scenarios that students and advisors could encounter that when approached through the model of connectivism would assist the student in combining thoughts, theories, and general information.

Summary: The authors in this article analyze the evolution of communities of practice, or as they refer to them, CoPs. They define communities of practice as opportunities for sharing knowledge, learning through modeling, and observing. These CoPs have transformed from individuals wanting to learning and grow to a management system in which CoPs have changed slightly with terminology. This particular article highlights the need for a facilitator.

This article was written to compare the new-age learning theory Connectivism to the long-standing ideas of behaviorism, constructivism and others. Whether new or old, technology influences all theoretical viewpoints. Similar to communities of practices and networks, these theories are linked in many ways.

This 2011, Communities of Practice: A Brief Introduction, by Etienne Wenger distills earlier writings and discussions about communities of practice and outlines some characteristics and guidelines. Wegner's definition, "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." There are 3 characteristics: the domain of shared interest, the community shares information, activities and relationships and the practice of practioners who share resources, experiences, stories, tools and problem solving. Communities of practice can be for problem solving, information requests, experience seeking, reusing assets, coordination and synergy, documentation projects, visits and mapping knowledge. They can be small or vast, online or face to face. The theory of communities of practice has spilled over into organizations, businesses, government, education, associations, social sectors, international development and the web.

This article looks at the role of social networking and connectivist theory in the learning process. It explains how not only has technology changed, but the learner has changed as well. For example the learner no longer just consumes information, but also produces resources that can be shared in a network of knowledge. The article argues that technological tools, such as social media, will assist the learner in creating and contributing useful material.

This article explores how to find a balance between teacher control and student autonomy in personal learning environments. I like the author's observation that students are "networked learners in training." Page 3 has a networked teacher model, while page 4 of the article shows a diagram model of a networked student. A networked student uses constructivism based on experiences and social interactions. Meaningful learning is made up of knowledge construction, conversation, articulation, collaboration and reflection. The remainder of the article details a test case with networked learning. And there is a link to a YouTube presentation of the project, at the end of the conclusion.

Thank you for sharing this article. The diagrams painted a good picture of the networked teacher and student. It was interesting the direction the arrows were pointing in both pictures!

One of the articles in the resources for Module 2 mentioned collaborative learning vs. cooperative learning, so I wanted to read this article about the differences. This article details cooperative, collaborative and problem based learning in these areas: origins of the approach, definitions, essential features, goals, specific strategies and techniques and research that supports it. While there are multiple definitions, the authors say that "cooperative learning combines active and social learning via peer interaction in small groups," but that this also applies to collaborative learning. In contrast, cooperative learning emphasizes interdependence, where collaborative learning focuses more on discovery, understanding and producing knowledge. Collaborative learning also involves the teacher as well, working together with students to learn. In problem based learning, students work in small groups to solve a problem, often a real world problem. This type of learning does also involve cooperation and collaboration. There is a table on page 33 that summarizes the 3 approaches.

The authors state the the use of blogs as aggregators for student Personal Learning Networks (PLN) is an effective tool to help organize the many fascists of unique environments. They point out that in order for students to successfully create and use their own PLNs there must first be a successful example by an instructor for the students to model. They point out that although students may be using several of the tools that will ultimately comprise their PLNs, it is a fallacy to assume that students inherently understand the power and connectedness of these environments.

This article explores connectivism as a learning theory, then discusses how to use personal learning networks in your communities of practice. The author quotes from many experts in communities of practice and connectivism. Much detail was given to blogging.

Although this article is focused specifically on public affairs education, it is relevant to all learners. The author discusses professional learning networks as methods to connect and build communities of practice. Using personal experiences teaching a college course, the author's creation of communities of practice took learning for students to the next level.

This article discusses the power that social media has in adult education. It discusses the ability for knowledge to be shared and discussed worldwide. The article also points out that social media is changing the way society communicates and networks, and that the world has become more interconnected than before. I appreciated the author also bringing up that consumerism, mostly in the form of advertisements, can be a downside of many free social media applications. The author argues that the ads could perpetuate harmful spending habits of users. I think this argument is one to take into account when using social media in primary and secondary education.

Thanks for posting this article, which exposed me to a brand-new term: Pedagogy 2.0. Using social network tools, Pedagogy 2.0's teaching and learning practices advocate learner choice, self-direction, and flexibility in learning activities, which are key components to adult education. I also enjoyed the article's discussion of consumerism and power structures, which are engaging in "social surveillance."

Written by George Siemens, focuses on learning theories for the digital age. He hits on several learning theories but comes to focus on networks and connectivism. He defines it and shares principles of connectivism.

Learning theories are frameworks describing how knowledge is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning but they never focus on the networks and connections. It is interesting that the three major learning theories Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism are still so dominate in education when the digital age is more than acquiring information; it is how that information is organized and share with others.

George Siemens seems to be the authority on Connectivism. While I do think his theory has merit, I cannot completely agree with him on all points. I did look at this article and I think it does a good job of explaining his theory particularly the examples.