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Katy Cooper

Students Make Their Case in Colorado | Edutopia - 0 views

  • via videoconference
  • This activity was a simulation, but to make the assignment more authentic, school board members agreed to listen to students' arguments and pose questions based on the school district's book-adoption guidelines. On his popular blog the Fischbowl, Fisch recruited more educators from outside the district to take part via videoconference.
  • experience came about because of student initiative:
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  • tracked down the author via email and invited him to chat in real time.
  • Parents, teachers, and interested school board members were able to participate, too, because they streamed the conference live.
  • Smith's class wiki gave teams an online space where they could collaboratively plan their presentations,
  • The live author interview was not a planned part of the project, but it used technology tools Smith and Fisch had previously tapped for other classroom events: Skype (a free videoconferencing application) and a webcam, Ustream for free live streaming and archiving, and Twitter to publicize the chat and to receive questions and comments in real time from remote listeners.
  • development to foster more student-centered learning.
Cate Tolnai

Professional Development and Communities of Practice - 4 views

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    SUMMARY: This resource is geared towards school and district leaders to better understand the necessity of CoPs for not only their teachers but also themselves. It provides simple strategies to infuse educational environments with rich resources that lead to growing PLCs and CoPs.
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    What a great resource for district leaders! The bullet points under "districts can" are clear and non-intimidating, the kind of statements superintendents should be able to make to their technology departments to make it happen. The action steps are very helpful, and provide concrete guidance on how to bring in technology to support professional learning in the district.
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    I like how this resource states"WHY" we need to support Professional Devlopment and CoP's and provides action steps for superintendents. A very valuable resource for school boards and upper management.
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    Thanks for sharing this Cate. I follow CoSN and am usually up on their stuff, but I had not seen this resource. I love the fact that it includes action steps for superintendents. Too often that level of leadership is left out, then people wonder why change is not really taking place.
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    This provides district administrators with concrete steps for building communities of practice that can help educators develop technical abilities. Suggestions include finding pockets of excellence and working with and benchmarking from other school districts.
Melissa Getz

Making Content Relevant Using Connectivism - 6 views

So glad you found this link b/c it has one of my favorite YouTube videos- the one about college students today. I also appreciate the sentiment in the blog because it reminds us that teachers still...

education edtech543 teaching

Daniel Oldham

The networked student model for construction of personal learning environments: Balanci... - 11 views

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    As students construct personal learning environments, teacher instruction and support is likely to be needed. PLE's must be constructed based on needs, and students may or may not be able to articulate what their learning needs are.
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    This study covers teacher and student PLEs and details the necessary components for bringing students into the 21st Century with differentiated digital resources.
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    I like the visuals for the models. It makes it very clear how to utilize digital resources and clearly explains the method,data and design of the model.
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    This article explores a Networked Student Model and a test case which seeks to understand how teachers can support a more learner-centered and autonomuos learning experience.
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    This article discusses the difficulties that are posed to instructors as the PLN grows for each student. It discusses the need for student autonomy but with instructor guidance. It shows how the instructor should be a foundation of the PLN but the student should be encouraged to utilize all the tools available.
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    The article also compares a networked teacher model to that of a networked student model so teachers can see how similar the two really are. Although the teacher acts as a guide by nurturing and encouraging students throughout the process, the student is the one who controls what is learned or explored. The students can activate their own learning or shut it off. Just like adults. Fascinating.
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    Today, students already have personal learning environments, but as teachers we have the ability to forge new pathways to learning by utilizing what kids already know and modeling collaboration and exploration.
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    Wow! What a cool article. I really enjoyed the picture of the Networked student. This article is like a how to for a teacher wanting to teach the 21st century student. It makes me wonder if our school system should provide a class on how to set up a method for each student to display their learning or their personal learning environment.
Megan Poindexter

Three generations of distance education pedagogy | Anderson | The International Review ... - 0 views

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    This article explores three different types of learning theories as applied to distance education or learning, a non-traiditonal means of learning where students are not physically present in the classroom for instruction. While the paper discusses the cognitive-behaviourist and social constructivist theories in this learning model, it also highlights the connectivism approach. It is made known in the text that the connectivism theory caters to the constant evolvement of the act of learning as it functions on the premise of building understanding by making meaningful connections between networks of information. It is to be appreciated that this text points out the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. When applied, this theory can be a struggle for students as the theory is extremely individualized and relies on the student to act as the "central connector" in their own learning, often leaving students weary from the energy exerted and sometimes confused by a lack of structured guidance and the responsibility to take control of their own learning.
Cassie Davenport

Online Communities of Practice in Practice | Connected Educators - 5 views

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    SUMMARY: I especially appreciate this resource as it points you in several exciting directions to online CoPs to help you as a consumer of informatioin understand what constitutes a CoPs. I was pleased to see that I already belong to a few of these CoPs and I am excited to look into the others.
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    Cate, This one makes you think. I am sure it will not be long before being hired as a teacher or administrator will include advanced skills with the computer and being connected. It probably happens now. CoPs will make it so much easier for teachers and administrators to glean the most popular trends and technological information.
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    A list of different communities of educators for professional learning.
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    This was a great find. This site connects educators with communities that suit their needs. Educators can pick their interests and connect with folks on the spot.
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    This was a great find. This site connects educators with communities that suit their needs. Educators can pick their interests and connect with folks on the spot. I really enjoyed viewing this resource!
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    First of all of course I love the name of this listing of CoP, "Online Communities of Practice in Practice". This listing is so interesting to me, I have for a long time collected from individuals blogs through feeds, but I haven't come across such a good listing of online communities. It was amazing to me as I begin to research these groups the number of educators in these networks. Of course each person is at their own level of involvement, but they are each harnessing the power of connecting in their own right, exactly how it works for them!
Megan Poindexter

Connectivism and Information Literacy: Moving From Learning Theory to Pedagogical Practice - 0 views

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    This text highlights the eight major principles of the connectivism theory and connects them to the Association of College and Research Libraries informational literacy standards. This source objectively evaluates the effects of connectivism when implemented for the purpose of teaching literacy standards. The big idea to be taken away is that as school librarians are embracing the digital media world, which is drastically altering student library experience, they are intuitively embracing connectivism, but would benefit from being more intentional about applying the theory. The theory applied to the library experience would involve the domains of information management, contacts, synchronous communication, and RSS. The goal would be that the conenctivism theory is applied so that students make personalized networks using the domains that maintain a dominance in secondary and post-secondary libraries.
Kelly Kenney

Website #10- Connectivism - 8 views

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    This is a pretty simple explanation of connectivism. Basically it is about adding nodes to your PLN which connects you to another resource.
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    I appreciate the simple explanation this article provides. "Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired." This aspect help solidify the idea that knowledge is not finite and gaining it is never over. Connectivism provides a way to help make sense of our knowledge potential in light of constant change in technology.
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    This is a great resource for Connectivism. I felt that this theory was more dense then PLNs and CoPs and many articles I looked at were difficult to follow. I like how the theory is broken down here and includes helpful videos. I will be using this resource to help with my creative expression project.
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    Thank you for sharing! I also found the simplicity of the explanation great in order to grasp the concept. By referring to Connectivism as to "a learning theory for a digital age" makes it easy to remember that it is a new theory (since the digital era is also relatively new.) That, in turn, may also affect the way we perceive the main principles of Connectivism (outline in the article): learning as a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources, learning residing in non-human appliances, and the need to maintain connections to facilitate continual learning, among others. Due to such an abundance of information in the digital era, the key point in the article for me was "the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital"! A skill is yet to be mastered!
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    While not really dealing with the theory, I thought the video demonstrating how Connectivism works was really well done. It was interesting to see the path a student might follow and how their web expands.
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    Usually when I see anything WIki that has to do with research I have the initial tendency to try to stay far away because in my undergrad years I was constantly reminded to pursue peer reviewed articles. What I really appreciate about this resource is how simple and basic it is on Connectivism. This wikispace provides all the "nuts and bolts" of Connectivism and is a great starting point for digging deeper into understanding its theory. Great find!
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    "Connectivism is a learning theory promoted by Stephen Downes and George Siemens." Learning occurs with connections in networks. This article believes that with connectivism we can move to a new age of learning. Learning can be more collaborative and global. With connectivism we see the use of networks with nodes and connections to elaborate on our learning.
thwilliams

Teachers and Community Members Practice TLC with PLCs - 3 views

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    This article provides readers the ability to consider their teaching practice and the impact PLN's (PLCs) can have on education. The article provides examples of working PLCs within different schools across the country.
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    I liked this source because PLCs are something that I am very familiar with at my current school. It is interesting to see how PLCs are making a difference at different schools, because they are certainly making a difference at mine!
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    First, I love edutopia. Second, I loved how it is directly related to PLN's and PLC's in education. Like Cassie, I too am familiar with PLC's at my current school. I definitely love how they allow collaboration. In my opinion, this is something that needs to be done in all districts. PLN's are very powerful!
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    In the article I liked the quote right in the beginning change doesn't need to come from heroic individuals. I have been a part of a PLC at my school for 3 years now and really enjoy the collaboration that I have among my colleagues. My school has seen a lot of innovation and positive change come from our PLCs.
Kelsey Ramirez

The PLP Model: Research based professional learning - 6 views

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    The article discussed "connected learning communities" and how it is relevant in the digital age. There are three components (professional learning communities (PLCs), personal learning network (PLNs), and communities of practice (CoPs)) with these communities and different theories, experience and knowledge, effectiveness, anticipates growth or decline, challenges and dilemmas, and use of technology within each component.
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    This article describes three types of connected learning communities. These include professional learning communities (PLCs), personal learning networks (PLNs), and communities of practice (CoPs). All three are used in schools across the world now and serve different but very similar purposes.
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    This article defines professional learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice. The learning theories supporting each are described, as well as the impact technology has had on each. While the article focuses on how each can effect professional development for practicing teachers, the ideas within could be generalized to almost any profession.
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    Summary: This article identifies a three pronged approach to teacher professional development: PLC, PLN and CoP. These three types of learning communities are explored by connecting each type of learning community to a learning theory or theories and / or how the use of technology also improves learning communities. Support is provided by citing studies and literature most relevant to community learning in the digital age.
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    This work addresses the importance of technology throughout personal learning communities, personal learning networks and communities of practice and describes its importance to connected learning. Technology is an amplifier and enabler of connected learning as it addresses the challenge of time by allowing 24/7 interactions. Technology has allowed the exponential growth of PLN's as it enables finding, synthesizing and evaluating information. Technology also increases the potential for learning across communities which can then be translated to practice helping improve education.
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    This was a great article to see the different ways in which any professionals can gain and share knowledge with one another. I enjoyed reading how each is connected to learning theories. It is interesting that the common theme is how they rely or depend on technology. I can attest to the importance of technology for the learning communities and networks that I am involved in. Technology makes these types of professional development possible to some people who, without technology, would not be able to partake. Most of the time technology is a wonderful thing. It truly makes you wonder what we did without it :)
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    I agree that technology has helped PLN and PLC's to grow. Technology allows us to collaborate with people all over the work rather than people who just work in our building.
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    This article summarizes key differences and similarities among different connected learning communities utilized by educators including, PLCs, PLNs, and CoPs. Within the article, each learning community is described in terms of its organizational structure, purpose, and effectiveness. This research based article discusses the learning theories that are applied within each of the learning communities to support their descriptions and findings.
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    PLN's occur in many ways. With the growth of technology they are becoming much more popular. Many of them are engaging through blogs and other forms of social media. With these becoming more and more popular connections are constantly being made. Creating PLNs and bringing back resources and other information to our PLNs is extremely popular. Personal learning networks are happening because of connections being made with others.
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    This article looks into the theories that support the theory or idea of personal learning networks. It touches the effectiveness of teacher professional development in terms of PLNs. It discusses technology in terms of PLNs and also the challenges and dilemmas of PLNs.
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    The PLP (Powerful Learning Practice) model looked at three different learning connected learning communities to discuss what each one is, the effects on teacher professional development, challenges and use of technology to name a few. Personal learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice were the three that were discussed. I like how in this article, Connectivism is tied into PLN's which demonstrates how these concepts of PLN's, CoP's, and Connectivism are interrelated. Within PLN's and CoP's, members are concerned about the content and "what they do" as well as interact amongst the group to achieve a higher purpose.
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    This article is fantastic as it encompasses all that we are studying right now! Each aspect was broken down very well and explained completely. I also appreciated that the authors talked about the anticipated growth, use of technology and value of a PLN, for instance. This is a great reference to refer back to later.
courtneykaul

Pedagogical Foundations for Personal Learning - 4 views

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    This slide show outlines and describes the shift from virtual learning environments to personal learning environments. It includes multiple infographics that contribute to understanding.
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    It was interesting to look through this slideshow Courtney. I work as an online high school teacher and most of my job is done through an LMS. Learning about these PLNs though has me looking for ways to make sure my students are making connections.
Melodie Worthington

What is a PLN? - 12 views

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    A short, engaging YouTube video on defining Personal Learning Networks.
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    This is one of the videos I watched on YouTube as well, Melodie! It does such a great job demonstrating a large amount of information about PLNs in a very short time frame. I thought there were two really critical points made in this video. First, Lalande makes it clear that a PLN does not necessarily have to be online, but it is the digital interaction does make a PLN special. I also liked the way he presented all of the options for interaction (i.e. a lurker or sharer) as well as the networking tool options, such as Twitter or YouTube. Thanks for sharing!
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    I thought the video did a very good job of describing a PLN in a very efficient manner but matter of fact way. It was simplistic, yet allowed the view to comprehend the extensive nature of a PLN. The most important part of the video in my mind is when it talks about it is something you can choose to participate when you want and pick and choose things that are best suited for you!
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    Melodie, thank you for sharing this video. Youtube has such great resources, what a great way to explain PLNs to colleagues. I especially appreciate how it specifically described the network as the one you get involved in when, where and how you want to. I appreciate how he describes how you can be heavily invested or not, but that you will gain a larger benefit if you leave the "lurker" phase and invest more.
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    Love having short snippets/videos that describe a topic in brief. Sometimes, a topic can become so cumbersome so quick. This was an informative video, short, and to the point. Thanks for posting!
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    I really enjoy the simplicity of this video while at the same time the depth of understanding it gives in such a brief period of time. For me this video really drives home the effectiveness technology can have in presenting potentially overwhelming information in a very easy to understand manner.
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    In my opinion, the key words of this video are "what", because you choose what to share, "where" and "when" to do it. It is brief but powerful. Thanks Melodie for sharing it!
Hannah Clark

7 things you should know about personal learning environments - 6 views

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    I wanted to know more about the difference between a personal learning network and a personal learning environment. This article does a great job of breaking down the differences even though they obviously work hand in hand.
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    I agree with you that this was a great source to see the difference between PLEs and PLNs. I think it was set out in a straight forward way that was easy to read and figure out.
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    I liked this source because a majority use PLEs and PLNs as synonyms, and while they are closely related; they do have differences. The article was relatively short and a great resource for outlining the differences between the PLEs and PLNs.
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    What I love about this source is the section that discusses why PLEs are significant - I love how it talks about how it is student-driven. It is up to the learner to be in charge of their own learning path and provides authentic learning opportunities. With the creation of 2.0 tools, educators are able to differentiate to different learners with the creations of these tools and pairing students that are in the same skill-set or have similar interests for them to learn information and assist in making connections.
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    I like this source and how it explains PLEs, why they are important, who they are for, and even the downsides to them. It makes it an easy read and easy to find the information you are looking for. I also like how it includes a case study to align with the information that is given.
thwilliams

Looking at Connectivism as a New Learning Theory - OnlineUniversities.com - 6 views

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    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.
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    Great share! I love the video of the student and how connectivism is being used as a learning theory. It also talks about the strategies one needs to be a learner within this theory.
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    Thanks for sharing! I really like how this article is organized and discusses the implications of connectivism. I also found it interesting how the article emphasizes knowing where to look or find things as more important than knowing the actual "facts." Knowing where and how to look is essential in being a life-long learner and professional development.
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    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.
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    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.
Jill Miller

Connected Learning Infographic | Connected Learning - 5 views

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    I like this infographic for several reasons: 1) it's an infographic, and 2) it's Creative Commons Attribution licensed, which means anyone can use it, change, it, share it, or make it even better, as long as attribution is given! One of the key points made here is that connectivism allows for cross-generational learning, challenging the notion that learning can only be acquired through transmission from our elders.
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    At first I thought this visual was very overwhelming and chaotic, but as I looked at the individual parts that make up the whole I gleaned a lot of new information about the way personal learning networks work. The visual also made it very distinct that not only cross-generational learning occurs, but also cross-cultural learning. I feel this is important because learning across cultures can be highly beneficial in showing various points of view. Great source!
Kelsey Ramirez

Connectivism: a network theory for teaching and learning in a connected world - 11 views

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    Breakdown of the theory of Connectivism, distinctions between groups and networks and learning about the history & application of Connectivism in education
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    This article is packed with concise information about connectivism. The eight bulleted points about connectivism really did a great job of summarizing the main points that Siemens makes about learning in a digital age. This was a great find. The embedded multimedia added to this site giving a great overview of this learning theory.
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    I think this article provided a succinct description about what connectivism is and the two main proponents of this theory, Stephen Downes and George Siemens. The background information and basic principles are helpful in further understanding the concept of connectivism, and there are many additional resources providing within the article to help the reader learn more, as well.
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    A valuable synthesis and outline of connectivism. I agree, the detailed summation is easily understood and simplified for practical application.
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    What I really liked about this article is the idea that teachers who use connectivist principles for their own learning can model that behavior for students to do the same.
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    a. In this short article, Bell provides an overview of connectivism as a theory for the new era of education. Statistics of increases of internet access in homes and us in higher education set the stage to making connectivism a legitimate player in education today. Bell then breaks down connectivism as a theory and identifies it as the successor to classic educational theories such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. The article ends with some suggestions for educators looking to apply this theory.
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    This article talks about the importance of networks and the difference between a group emphasis and a network emphasis. The author discusses the importance of information running through a network of human and non-humans. He additionally outlines Siemen's principles of Connectivism. Further, he discusses the implications for using the principles of Connectivism by educators and within higher education.
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    Kelsey, thanks for sharing. I found the article relevant to my own practice as a higher ed librarian, where we are increasingly encouraging students to be producers of information and to participate in the scholarly conversation.
normanpeckham

Educreations - 0 views

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    Educreations is a community where anyone can teach what they know and learn what they don't. Our software turns any iPad or web browser into a recordable, interactive whiteboard, making it easy for teachers and experts to create engaging video lessons and share them on the web. Students can replay these lessons any time, any place, on any connected device. We're on a mission to dramatically improve student achievement by extending the reach of great teaching.
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    Educreations is a community where anyone can teach what they know and learn what they don't. Educreations software turns any iPad or web browser into a recordable, interactive whiteboard, making it easy for teachers and experts to create engaging video lessons and share them on the web. Students can also use Educreations to create videos.
anonymous

Guideline on Censorship: Don't Let it Become an Issue in Your Schools - 0 views

  • Teachers should be encouraged to think through a rationale for any book to be read to or by the entire class. For primary teachers, who may read aloud many picture books to their classes each week, a written rationale is not practical. However, teachers should be prepared to explain their choices, stating why the book was chosen and what the objectives are in terms of the problems, needs, or interests of their individual class.
  • Obviously, the teacher should be thoroughly familiar with all assigned selections. In short, professional responsibility means not only selecting print and nonprint materials, but also possessing a willingness and ability to defend the choices made.
  • Appropriateness Factors to be considered in assessing the appropriateness of books are children's interests, the age level and/or maturity of children in relation to the book being considered, and the content, format and illustration.
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  • Breadth of Coverage Books may present problems of stereotyping with respect to sex and to race. Religion, politics, and questions of morality or patriotism are issues about which there are considerable differences of opinion. The importance of such books may lie mainly, or only, in their historical viewpoint and should be presented as such to children who read them. Teachers and librarians should be aware of these considerations and should make every effort to provide materials which present alternate points of view. Historically there have always been those who have recognized the offensiveness of these materials. Children, like adults exposed to new ideas, can accept or reject them, based on input from all viewpoints. All opinions require protection under the First Amendment.
  • IF and AFTER censorship problems arise (and before a formal complaint procedure is initiated), here are some approaches and considerations: Be sure to inform your principal of any complaint, and how you plan to handle it. Urge your principal to read or view the material objected to. Afterwards, share with him/her your reasons for using the material with children. Also, try to get a school board member and a local minister, rabbi, or priest to read or look at the material. If a parent complains about material, insisting on an immediate discussion about it, defer such a discussion; make an appointment with him/her for a later time. At the same time, assure the parent that you have a concern for the child's interest. Neither you nor the parent should be in the position of discussing material without careful consideration beforehand of the factors that are to be discussed. Do not defend materials on the spur of the moment. Apart from being unfair to all concerned, and particularly to children, it is your professional duty to present your views thoughtfully and with consideration. Reread or review the material in question, even though you may already be familiar with it. Identify its strengths. Put down in writing why you believe it is proper and useful in your teaching program. Collect reviews of the material from such publications as Language Arts, English Journal, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and other professional publications. There may be three to five parents, other than the complaining parents, who may be particularly supportive of your teaching objectives. Request that they read or view the material being questioned and invite their written reactions, addressed to you and your principal
Jennifer Sevy

Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds - 0 views

shared by Jennifer Sevy on 13 Oct 10 - Cached
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    Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
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    Site to make word "art". I have used this in the revision process for writers who are redundant in their word choice; the more frequently a word is entered, the larger it appears on the finished project. Students can copy and paste their document into the website for this effect.
Dane Hartman

Make Beliefs Comix - 0 views

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    Make Beliefs Comix allows you to easily create your own comic strip.
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