This video presents an overview of how educators can use PLNs to improve their professional practice.

This video uses the nine dots puzzle and Etcha-sketch to describe how connectivism and social networking correlate.

This video is a concise overview of what communities of practice are in K-12 education the form of a PowToon. Brought to you by the Institute of Excellence in Early Care and Education.

This paper explores how social networks can be leveraged to enhance PLNs. The authors discuss the relationship between teacher learning and experiences with PLNs. They also discuss PLN frameworks and their potential for providing collaborative experiences among teachers and administrators.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of PK-12 teachers using PLNs for professional growth. The research questions focus on how P-12 teachers describe their PLNs, what teachers learn from PLNs and how they believe PLN activities affect their teaching, and how teachers perceive their participation in PLNs affect their students' learning.

This article reviews three PLN platforms: Edmodo, Classroom 2.0, and The Educator's PLN. They describe how teachers use the PLNs for learning, sharing, and communicating.

This article examines two communities of practice within a post-secondary online course. One CoP was an on-campus cohort formed by the instructors and instructional designers, the other was an online cohort in which the CoPs were selected by students in the program. This explored the role of teacher leadership in the "school ecology".

This paper examines the role of group learning at the university level to prepare students for interacting in CoP in the workplace. Researchers utilized Hoadley and Kilner's "C4P" framework to create an IT consultant scenario. The resulting reflections placed an emphasis on purpose, context, content, communication, and leadership.

This article examines how communities of practice can enhance research in higher education. They seek to gain greater understanding of what individuals gain from their membership, how CoP enhance personal research, and how CoP can be integrated into higher education.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of students in post-secondary online courses through the lens of connectivism. This mixed methods study was framed around Downes' four properties of connectivism. The results showed that the principles of connectivism encouraged positive online learning experiences.

This article is a discussion of the authors' experiences and best practice recommendations for implementing connectivist principles in massive open online course (MOOC) environments. The four key principles of connectivism are explored in the context of online courses emphasizing the potential for networking and collaboration.

This article addresses the issues concerning the effectiveness of online learning and 21st century skills in higher education. While Web 2.0 proponents suggest that online learning environments encourage connections between students that are unique to 21st century learning environments, those opposing suggest that online interactions lack the substance and rigor needed for higher education. Incorporating the principles of connectivism as best practice can encourage high quality online learning experiences.

Since we're getting started with a few social media platforms this week, here are a few more that are out there.