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Don't let the academic sound of the title push you away from reading this article. The author, Bopelo Boitshwarelo, presents arguments: "This paper set out to propose a research framework that will aid in advancing the research agenda of connectivism, particularly developmental work. " It is very dense with lots of synthesis of research that has been done on Activity Theory, Connectivism, and Communities of Practice from 2000 - 2011, when it was published. If you need to do a content-based paper on activity theory, connectivism, or communities of practice, this has several references listed at the end that will help you find original sources of ideas.

Thanks Melissa, this is helpful. No doubt that many of us are going to benefit from this type of research in our own academic pursuits. As you said, this study is fairly dense. But I also found that it breaks things down in nice chunks. I liked the explanation that a learning community is "a group of people learning together through continuous dialogue."

The author, Bopelo Boitshwarelo, from University of Botswana, points out the interconnections of online communities of practice, design-based research, and activity theory. The author proposes designed-based research as a framework to advance connectivism. I found the first half of this article particularly helpful with definitions and key points synthesized from pioneers in the field of connectivism. Central ideas encompass the importance of learners connecting in a CoP both as providers and gleaners of information. Learning networks or communities of practice are complex and dynamic in nature, providing challenges to researchers and studying their effectiveness. The article provides food for thought about the complexities of the interconnections of these theories and the development of frameworks to monitor and assess learning success when putting them into practice.

This site outlines the three-pronged approach of the connected learning communities model, which includes professional learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice.

This article is fairly specific.  It helped understand the difference between a CoP and a PLN.  Primarily it talks about what learning is and how a PLN can help and how learning can come in a PLN.  It elaborates that a PLN is something that we have.  It is our connections that we make and, while not explicit, it emphasizes that we feel ownership in the PLN.

PLNs are a necessity. Even when we are learning in a formal situation, we take the information and go to apply it in our jobs. However, we typically do not have access to the original resources for information. This is where the PLN comes in. In many cases we may not know some or all of the members personally, but they are still a very valuable resource!

This article addresses setting up a PLN in the corporate workplace. When reading this article it reinforced the need to expose students during their formative years to this type of collaboration.

Just about my favorite scholar. She leads the Futures Initiative at the Graduate Center at CUNY and writes extensively about participatory learning, the history of technology and innovations in education, including personal learning networks. This website highlights her books, research and blog.

This article examines PLEs with a working definition of "a combination of social media-enabled systems, applications, and services which help learners to take control of their learning by aggregating, manipulating, and creating digital contents and learning artifacts, and sharing them with others." It advocates for an atmosphere of learning that is far different than the traditional sense; one that is driven by student-led activities and exploration.

This resource is an image that shows the comparison between professional development for teachers in the past and currently through the use of profession learning networks.

I love this as I am a very visual learner. A great graphic - focus on the support, learn, engage and measure, and as a teacher who works in an international school the concept of PD is truly global. Excellent. Thanks Alexis -PLN buddy.

Solid graphic and one that actually focuses on teachers. A lot of the resources I found used businesses or government bodies as examples, but this is obviously more pertinent. Nice find.

This article is written on the challenges people face by using the connectivist learning theory. It states that it will work for some students, but like all theories, not all students will benefit with this theory. Knowing your students and being flexible is key in having a successful class.

Here is a very complex study. Fortunately, the highlights tell us some important findings. This study went with the understanding that teachers have organically formed professional learning networks using the Internet, and report that they like them. This study focused on putting some data behind that, which it has provided. As a teacher, I found this quote very refreshing, about a researcher that "argued that top-down teacher PD in schools often aligns with hierarchical structures that de-skill teachers from their intellectual work by treating them as passive recipients of mandates. Even the term "professional development" conveys that teachers are "deficient and in need of developing and directing." In my own PLN, I have learned much more about teaching and learning from an 8th grade math teacher than I have in any of my administration-mandated social studies PD sessions.

I'll be honest, I did not read the entire study, but the highlights from this article and the abstract once again confirmed what I'm starting to realize. We are teaching in a way that is behind the times when it comes to the current ways students learn naturally. We are fighting their expectations trying to bottle them into the box that is traditional education.

This paper not only defines a PLN and the value that can be brought to teachers through participation, but it also reviews three popular PLNs: Classroom 2.0, Edmodo, and The Educator's PLN. Lastly, it discusses design aspects that facilitate communication, sharing, and learning.

I like this article because it gives teachers like myself, a practical application of PLNs. I've heard of Edmodo and looked into using it, but not the other two (Classroom 2.0 and The Educator's PLN) resources that are discussed in the article. However, as I was researching PLNs I did come across the PLN website. I'm sure I could have found some useful information on it, but I was looking for articles that explain the theories. This is a website I need to look into further. Thank you for adding this as a resource. #EDTechSN

In this video interview of Professor of Educational Technology, Alec Couros, he speaks to the importance of connections and connected learning. He mentions George Siemens asking the question, "What endures?" He points out that basically what it comes down to is the relationships formed as a result of the tools used. It's not about the number of connections, but the quality and meaningfulness of the connections. He also speaks to the importance of contributing to others' learning and making it visible.

Thanks for sharing this Kim! The discussion of connectionism in relation to identifying, "What endures?" is very interesting. This highlights the importance of growth through the formation and maintenance of connections.

This is a very detailed, somewhat technical, article about how Web 2.0 tools can reach a variety of different learners in different situations. For example, learners with different cognitive abilities and learning styles can be reached within the same network. I found the table that compares and contrasts constructivism and connectivism particularly helpful in this article (p. 107-108).

Hi, I looked at the table and also found it helpful. It was very detailed, more so than some tables I saw in other articles as I was researching. One thing I haven't seen yet in discussions of connectivist learning is accessibility. So maybe this information moves in that direction.

I really appreciated the visual tables. It was nice to have a clear picture of the differences between constructivism and connectivism.

This interesting article about PLNs talks about the teaching strategy that says we are in a write/read culture and PLNs are a way of allowing students to be published on the web. He says that by allowing students to publish to the web even when their work is lacking, exposes them to other posts that are better and clearer than theirs. This will encourage them and give them more incentive to improve their own work. It is a good theory.

ePals is for classroom teachers to create and participate in a variety of projects. This is a great site that connects teachers with other teachers from around the world to use social networking and create global learning environments.

This article discusses how several teachers at Cumberland schools are using Edmodo. One English teacher is using it to host debate among students. The article also discusses how this social network can help parents become more involved as well.

This article focuses on what the authors call a 'personal learning space', which includes weblogs, portfolios and social networking. It exams groups dynamics and trust, privacy, and the information life cycle.

Vicki Davis equates the student PLN to a virtual locker. The content in the virtual locker changes as students shift from one project to another. Whether it is an RSS feed or Twitter following, the students are developing networks to acquire the information. PLN allow student learning to become more self-directed. The article addresses the challenges for educators face as PLNs become more prevalent in the classroom.

Great article! It is encouraging to see that like educators, students can also utilize PLNs in a meaningful way. Definitely going to check out iGoogle!

Coming from a higher ed perspective I found this really interesting. I used an RSS feed for a 200 level undergrad blended format class and received terrible reviews on the use of the tool. I found this interesting and am still trying to understand what went wrong. I am moving toward the use of Twitter now but found loved this visual image of the locker!

This article discusses how LMSs have become the norm for higher education, but identified limitations of the LMS and how learners are demanding a modification that gives students more control and interaction using web tools such as social networking sites to create PLNs to support their learning. Students want to create their own PLNs to manage information, create content, and connect with others. These approaches "represent a shift away from the model in which students consume information through independent channels such as the library, a textbook, or an LMS, moving instead to a model where students draw connections from a growing matrix of resources that they select and organize", emphasizing the personal aspect of PLNs.

This article comes with a downloadable PDF that shows visuals of PLNs. It gives examples on what a PLN is and how to create your own. It also provides a list of experiences that will be available to someone who creates a PLN based on their needs.