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The speed and manner with which we get and receive information is always changing and evolving and it seems as though everyone has access to this information. Now more than ever educators need to be sure to stay current and digitally literate in order to help our students navigate through all this information. Staying digitally connected as an educator is no longer an option, but a necessity.

I second Megan's comment. Not only is it necessary for us as teachers to be digitally connected, but we have to teach our students these skills because the same will be expected of them in their professions. Connectivism isn't just a educational sort of thing. It applies to all professions.

I absolutely agree with this article in the supposition that we need digitally literate educators to create digitally literate students. We often think that because students are born knowing how to use this technology (I know that's a bit of an exaggeration) that they know how to critically use it. They do not. While older teachers may know how to look at it critically but not know the actual tools that well. Teachers need to be connected to each other and their students to be their best in today's world.

I like that Siemens talks about how adding one more connection, or node, to a network amplifies the entire network and that some nodes become obsolete over time. However, he doesn't address how to filter the information or how to choose the nodes. But, this is a very short talk :)

This quote from the article: "A Personal Learning Network can be seen as one's gateway to continuous learning" is a true statement. Continuous learning is vital in life. This article has some remarkable points that make PLNs so important and an easier way to gain knowledge.

I think this article illustrated a number of valid points. This day and age only thrives with the means of PLN's. When we look in the past back to the 80's and 90's, it is very evident how we've evolved as a society. Back then, it was almost unheard of to have practical means of communication among those across the nation and across the world. We are so fortunate for the advancements of modern technology and networking.

This article built a strong case for belonging to a Personal Learning Network. It is imperative to keep up with today's resources and knowledge base. The small amount of time I used to build my PLN has proven to be so beneficial. I appreciated the final thoughts of the article to help guide me throughout this process. I am excited to strengthen my PLN and grow professionally this semester and beyond.

This article makes a case as to why Personal Learning Networks are an important part of continuing education. She describes this age as one of constant influx and change and therefore encourages people to use their PLN's to tackle new practices with a sense of creativity and innovation.

This is a great article to pass on to educators who want to know why a PLN is necessary and how connectivist theory makes it possible. Connectivism facilitates continuous learning, exchange of thoughts, and validates insights. Establishing networks allow teachers to tailor a professional development plan, and it doesn't need to take place at the faculty meeting or on teacher work days.

This elaborates on how chaos theory relates to all this, something I didn't really understand until I read this particular article. Additionally, it gives you an idea about the skills required in order to build a proper PLN... Here's a telling quote from the article... "In short, the concept of teams working shoulder to shoulder every day, literally and metaphorically standing by each other, talking over problems and challenges at their desks, is slowly being replaced by virtual teams who interact via social tools and platforms, use Webex for meetings, and update each other via enterprise social networks and WhatsApp. This is why the skill of being able to build one's Personal Learning Network is essential. It's time for everyone to take charge of their own professional development. One of the ways to keep on top of our game, and remain on the cutting edge of relevant skills and knowledge, is to be a part of communities of practices and to focus on building and maintaining our Personal Learning Networks with a deliberate intention to learn, share, and collaborate."

I really like this article. It is always good to read about the "why" behind our practices. The article explains that "A Personal Learning Network can be seen as one's gateway to continuous learning." This reminds me of the thinking behind connectivism, that connecting to a network of resources and people will help us become lifelong learners as we continuously connect to new resources and knowledge.

My favorite sources are ones that come from someone's personal experience, so I loves this one! It is great how it talks about tips for building a PLN and why they are important.

I love how she describes PLNs and why she believes they are so important to teachers. She explains every aspect of PLNs and even expresses her own feelings that sometimes expressed frustrations. PLNs are something that all teachers should be involved in. I loved reading this. Thank you for posting it.

This is a great resources about PLNs and how they can be utilized and created. The personal insight really makes PLN's more understandable and practical.

I also like how the author explains that at the beginning joining PLNs may be overwhelming and it is important to find the virtual places that feel most natural to you.

Brianna Crowley does a nice job of explaining what a professional learning network is as well as goes over the steps of how to set one up.

I like how Crowley defines a PLN as a "vibrant, ever-changing group of connections." It really emphasizes how powerful and important PLNs can be.

This is a great article which is short and to the point when describing a professional learning network. It describes three steps one takes as your relationships build into something more in your PLN. What I got most out of the article was the ending of the article, which stresses the importance of finding a network which energizes you, instead of overwhelms you.

I like articles like this because they have actionable items. I researched more theory based articles so this was a great change of pace. I like this quote this best "If your professional life feels stagnant and narrow, or your learning feels stale and predictable, perhaps it's time to step outside the door and seek people who can breathe new life into your professional growth." The exciting thing about learning from one another is the impact we can make on one another's career. Everyone want to feel energized and that's the great thing about sharing cool new tools with each other.

Here, author Brianna Crowley describes Professional Learning Networks as "vibrant, ever-changing groups of connections to which teachers go to both share and learn. These groups reflect our values, passions, and areas of expertise." This, in a nutshell, helped me understand what PLNs are right off the bat and helped me to recognize that connections, communities, and common goals are vital. PLNs should also, according to Crowley, be created with individuals that are trusted and have similar interests, which I feel is great advice.

One of the reasons I started my PLN on twitter years ago was because of a colleague. I never really 'got into' the PLN and have basically ignored it the last 5 years. This article is a reminder to me about WHY I have a PLN and reminds me that a PLN means something different for me than it does for anyone else.

I like this very practical article on developing a PLN. It's a good one to share with colleagues to introduce them to the idea in a short, concise way with very doable steps.

This article makes it easy for readers to gain a quick understanding of PLN, why they are important, and how to get started. This is an excellent resource to share with colleagues.

In identifying the role of social networking in reference to connectivism the author identifies that among the entire population that uses the internet some 75% are are members of social networking sites. "The role of Web 2.0 technologies is to provide a network of people who connect to each other wherever and whenever they need information." states Tinmaz. Thus, when people are in need of information they have access to an abundance of resources. This had led to the passive acquisition of knowledge by students to trying to create an active and engaged student populous in constructing their own knowledge. Part of this is the connections students build through online social networks. These networks allow for students to follow the flow of information and stay current in the changing information on a day to day basis. One of the new concepts is called a "hub" which is a main center for information distribution. Those people or places who serve as hubs help disseminate information throughout to other students. These social networks allow for easy access and the streaming of information on a constant basis to all people involved. This connectivity to learning allows for all students and others to remain involved in connecting their learning.

I like this article because it directly associates social networks, connectivism, and education. This quote from the article does a good job describing how: "The Connectivist theory has demonstrated that on a connected network, learners increase their capacities, performances, and levels of knowledge while creating and reforming the information. In that sense, social networking websites comprising already linked members in their innate technologies have a superior potential to enrich learners' current knowledge, skills, and abilities."

The main idea of this article is to explain how and why he and George Seimens offer MOOCs to the world. Downes believes that all learning is about connections made among the learners, just we are the neurological connections that our brains make every second. He does not believe knowledge is acquired or transmitted, but rather experienced. One of his most telling statements is his belief that the process of taking the course is more important than what people may happen to learn from it--which is at the heart of what he believes connectivism is.

I was very excited to find this article! In it, Stephen Downes, Canadian Education Technology Research Specialist, describes his and George Siemens,' Associate Director, Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute, free course, 'Connectivism and Connective Knowledge' -- or CCK11. It is a twelve week course of readings and online seminars, where learners are invited to read selected materials and study the content with a connectivist's approach. Downes says, "What is important about a connectivist course, after all, is not the course content. Oh, sure, there is some content -- you can't have a conversation without it -- but the content isn't the important thing. It serves merely as a catalyst, a mechanism for getting our projects, discussions and interactions off the ground. It may be useful to some people, but it isn't the end product, and goodness knows we don't want people memorizing it." I want to register for the next one!

This is a blog post from Steven Downes about the courses on connectivism he offered with George Siemens. It offers a good argument for taking the connectivist approach to learning and explains what connectivism is. It offers an explanation for connectivist teaching and learning falling into the 4 major activities of aggregation, remixing, repurposing, and feeding forward. He stresses that connectivism is a pedagogy based on the realization that knowledge is not something you can solidify into a single perfect product to pass along because different people/communities will always interpret/learn from it differently.

George Siemens and Stephen Downes provide online courses call 'Connectivism and Connective Knowledge' to over 2,000 educators on the philosophy of teaching and learning they instill in their learners. http://cck11.mooc.ca is a twelve week course that is free for those who register. They disclose attributes to connectivist teaching and learning. Aggregation provides a starting point. Remixing draws connections to others. Repurposing is practicing the concepts learned, not just repeating them with route memorization techniques. Feeding forward consists of sharing with others and being able to collaborate on others' projects to use them as your own.

What I find really cool about this is that the content of the course is not what is important, but rather the fact that they are connecting and networking. The networking is more powerful than the content is what seems to be the focus.

I found this quote interesting, "So what a connectivist course becomes is a community of educators attempting to learn how it is that they learn, with the objective of allowing them to be able to help other people learn." I like that there is no distinction between the "teacher" and the "student". Instead, everyone is seen as both learner and educator. However, I have some concerns about how this works with middle school or high school students. Are they mature enough to really take on that role and stay on task? How do you ensure the respect and authority in the class when you are putting yourself on nearly an equal foot with the students? Kids are so used to a traditional direct instruction class they they often get confused or rebel against anything different.

This is one of the resources listed in the video I posted earlier. It is an introduction to the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course. It explains how the core aspects of connectivism are built into the course and gives a description of each aspect.

This article introduces the term connectivism as a "network-based pedagogy" Through the article the author makes references to a course that he will be providing. Overall though there is some really good information about connectivism from both the teacher and learner perspectives.

Along with George Siemens, Stephen Downs is one of the intellectual leaders of connectivism, which he describes in this article. One of the things I really like about this article is the fact that it is written for a wide audience via an outlet like The Huffington Post, rather than an exclusively academic audience.

I enjoyed this article because it identified 4 connectivist "activities." They are aggregation, remixing, repurposing, and feeding forward. It explains these concepts clearly while also giving a succinct overview of connectivism, and their relationship to connectivism.

This article provided me with a clearer understanding of the Connectivist approach and the four activities that surround it--aggregation, remixing, re-purposing, and feeding forward. It was interesting to read under the Aggregation portion that Siemens and Downes have to tell participants to pick and choose what they read for the course. We are still very pre-conditioned to want to read and study everything that is handed to us and regurgitate it back. There is something about Connectivism that bothers me. It seems a little "loosey goosey" at times. I like the idea of people being able to gather and share ideas and make meaning from them, but I wonder if one can become a true expert in something by just solely using this approach.