Group items tagged

A Facebook group page was created and used as a mentoring tool for high school science students and university students. Facebook increased communication and engagement between mentors and mentees. Questions were asked and support was provided through the page.

Excellent literature review on community of practice. Case study of mentoring within a community of practice

The authors conducted a study of two groups of students (ages 13-17) with two mentors in a teacher education program at Brigham Young University. The study examined how interaction within the two study groups contributed to social construction of shared knowledge. Group A had social interactions previous to the six-week online project, while group B had no previous social interactions. The researchers examined a variety of data including email exchanges, chat room transcripts, electronic logs, and discussion board entries. The conclusions suggested the effectiveness of an online mentor whose role helps establish social interaction, a supportive climate for the exploration of ideas, consensual decision-making, and open discussion. The strength of the study involves using two groups for comparison, as well as a variety of authentic data resources. Limitations include whether results can be generalized and limited ability to analyze students' prior social interactions as factors in the results.

This article describes the process of growth of the community of practice of SEDA, the Staff and Educational Development Association. Members of the community went from being on the outskirts, learning from others but not bringing anything new to the table. Then, as they grew, they later became mentors and trainers to those around them. In particular, phrases like "element of selflessness" and "stewarding knowledge" best describe the feeling and attitude of the article.

This article describes the process of growth of the community of practice of SEDA, the Staff and Educational Development Association. Members of the community went from being on the outskirts, learning from others but not bringing anything new to the table. Then, as they grew, they later became mentors and trainers to those around them. In particular, phrases like "element of selflessness" and "stewarding knowledge" best describe the feeling and attitude of the article.

A mostly visual representation to explore connectivism as it occurs through an open learning system. Points brought up include learners making meaningful choices while exploring their personal interest in order to guide learning. And as participants engage in making connections, a natural result will be content development and eventually those more experienced students becoming mentors.

Great video that has a section about how our students are "different" than when we were in school. "They [Students] expect to learn from technology because that is what they are used to." As soon as ALL teachers realize and accept this fact, then we as teachers can be one step closer to helping our students achieve their FULL potential!

I like the idea of learners making meaningful choices. Anything that can guide students to make effective and relevant connections is a great resource. I also think teachers have a lot to learn about the way our students learn these days. The idea that students actually need to be a force in their own learning and that they expect instant gratification are concepts I have been seeing more frequently in my own classroom. Great resource!

This article provides an introduction and overview for personal learning environments and digital learning pedagogy.

Beth, good find I find that I very much agree with Markum in that one of the "best ways to make an impact on learners is to mentor them through project-based learning." Learning shouldn't be passive or a spectator sport. Students that are involved, hands on, through projects applying the materials that they are learning are more likely to master the concepts in my experience.

This article touches on one of the most important aspects of the discussions on personal learning environments. Students and educators have to be taught and mentored when it comes to internet usage and how to sift all of the information and resources that are available.Teachers who imagine they can just let the students lose and all will be well will have many unforeseen difficulties.

Mentor Mob is a way to organize websites. It allows you to put all the websites together that you want shown. It would be a great way to get the students involved in their learning because you could even have them build their own lists of websites to review or teach a concept, then build quizzes or homework questions around it. I am really excited to try this out.

The Labs are intended to engage middle- and high-school youth in mentor-led, interest-based, youth-centered, collaborative learning using digital and traditional media. Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums FY 2011 Deadline: August 15, 2011 Grant Amount: Planning and Design Grants: up to $100,000

This article describes the process of growth of the community of practice of SEDA, the Staff and Educational Development Association. Members of the community went from being on the outskirts, learning from others but not bringing anything new to the table. Then, as they grew, they later became mentors and trainers to those around them. In particular, phrases like "element of selflessness" and "stewarding knowledge" best describe the feeling and attitude of the article.

LRNG is an organization who works with cities and organizations to connect students' learning with career opportunities, and to prepare them for life and work in the modern economy, by providing guidance and access to local and national opportunities, peers, and mentors.

Crowley writes about how to effectively build a PLN, but goes much more in depth than just listing out three basic steps. She details why PLNs are so beneficial, especially to teachers. I appreciate that she covers the doubts and frustrations someone may have when establishing a PLN and offers ways to help someone from being overwhelmed.

A Professional Learning Network does not need to be a stress inducing task. A PLN should be a changing group of connections that people can join to connect with like minded people who share values, passions, and areas of expertise. When used in education, it connects teachers all across the world and gives it's members with different perspectives on education. PLNs often use technology to drive the connections. When creating or joining a PLN, there are three steps to think about. The first step is to find the professionals. This means that you need to find professional people who share an interest and value with yourself. Once you have found those people, follow them on social media or their blogs to stay connected with them. The second step is to find your niche group. A niche in a PLN is a place where people gather around similar interests or experiences. The final step is to find your PLN buddies and mentors. These are people you have really connected with and who help to expand your thinking. The best part about a PLN is that it is driven by you. You have the ability to adapt your PLN to fit you and your needs. 

As a teacher who is new to PLN and using it as a forum to learn and share ideas, I thought it was a great article to help connect the new user. Like any connection, time and effort are needed to make the relationship work. This article was precise in effective ways to build a community and sustain a PLN. Thanks for sharing.

Describes the value of PLN's as well as the support it provides in learning. Ways in which educators use PLN's are identified as professional development, resource sharing, mentoring, technology integration strategies.

This provides some simple reasons to develop a PLN. I love that it encourages busy teachers to create a PLN by letting them know that it will make their work easier! This page also includes a "how to", but the "why" part is a terrific resource on its own.

This gives you 10 reasons on how to jump start your Personal Learning Network. Great tips for a beginner like myself.

Communities of Practice and Social Learning Theory related to First Year Experience type programs in Higher Ed.

This website talked about 5 key resources needed for educators to being and grow their own personal PLNs. http://ning.com offers podcast downloads, discussion forums, videos, relevant blogs, videos and more resources. Powerful Learning Practice is a professional development opportunity that teacher can attend. It offers hands-on applications and the know-how to build and use technology within the classroom. Webinars are conferences people can attend online to join discussions and offer insight to like educators. EdChat is something we can join now on twitter using the hashtag #EdChat every Tuesday. Game based-learning tutorials and talk can be found on http://edweb.net where mentors and people who've successful implemented these practices in their classrooms can offer advice and help.

Those are 5 really good resources. Thanks for sharing.

The video from the Digital Media and Learning Research Lab examines how education has changed from supplying curriculum to connecting people with the right peer or mentor that can help engage and develop them. Schools, universities, and professionals no longer control learning and hand it out. Instead, they should arrange learning so that the right people are able to come together for learning. Networks and connectivity are tearing down borders in education.

I enjoyed this video. I'm always intrigued by the anthropological view learning theories, I like Mimi Ito's point that students have to find ways to support their interests based upon what they want to do with their lives and the adventation of the internet has opened them to a world of experts that learners may not have otherwise had access to. Further, because of technology, like-minded learners are able to connect and foster collaborative and involved learning.

Interesting article here. There's a hand signal you can use to help students remember the power and importance of PLNs. This could be helpful to teach younger students the "why" they have to be learning these skills in order to make learning meaningful. Student- Thumb; rest of the team depends on them for resources and help. Mentor- Index finger; helps organize and keep the group on task. Expert- Ring finger; ensures accuracy. Advisor- Longest finger; pinpoints needs and identifies necessary changes. Peer- Pinky finger; shares thoughts, communicates frustrations and celebrates when things are successful. Watch the video here: http://videos.videopress.com/lzULinmO/collegeunboundpersonallearningnetwork-hd1_fmt1.ogv

Love it! The hand metaphor is great.. It actually helped me to better understand PLNs myself. "Just as the hand's function is to grasp, hold, and manipulate, making it essential to daily tasks, so is the student support team essential for the same reasons."

I really like this Ryan! Not only is the picture intriguing but the metaphor is great for understanding as well as teaching about PLNs. Good find!

This brief 2011 USA Today article describes the experience of a school librarian helping students to create their own PLNs.

In this study, the role of a PLN using Twitter in a teacher preparation program. Teachers who were already using Twitter found that the power of Twitter as a PLN came not from the sharing of resources, but from the collaboration and conversations of other educators. Many new teachers were initially hesitant to use Twitter as a PLN, but with virtual mentors and an explanation as to the power of a PLN, new educators were more likely to use it as a powerful tool to develop their teaching practice.

I found this study particularly interesting as recently read a blog post by Etienne and Bev Wenger about whether or not colleges are utilizing the ideas of community of practice in their teacher prep programs. The findings of the study are not particularly surprising, teachers are hesitant to use Twitter but find the collaboration worthwhile. Both control groups were graduate students, I would be interested to find out if this is being implemented in any capacity at the undergrad level.

This study discusses the concept of using PLNs during teacher preparation programs. It discusses how newer teachers are more hesitant to use social media like Twitter and do not understand how valuable the tool can be. The studies findings emphasizes how PLNs promote professional development and allow for instant feedback through conversations and collaboration. The study also discusses how some teachers are hesitant at first, which I think is common thread for new and veteran teachers.