I realize this is a bit outside the scope of being a "theory" based link, but I had to post it none the less. This is a creative use of Pinterest, a social networking site, to share PLN resources.
I am a huge fan of Pinterest so I thought I would check there first for more information on PLN's. I really had no prior knowledge of what PLN's were so I thought this was a great starting point. There are several websites about PLN's.
Pinterest is awesome, except for the fact that it is a total time sucker. At least I get some good ideas for my classroom and recipes for dinner from it. I also posted this link because it had quite a few websites that talked about PLN's. I'm new to PLN's but I am certainly learning a lot more about them this week.
I wondered if anyone would find something on Pinterest. One of the articles that I read mentions the idea of framing, or putting a personal interpretation on someone else's material. Pinterest is a classic example of this. Without framing, though, I don't think we would all see the value in what others pin.
"Only student who have a desire to learn will learn". We strive to make students life-long learners. This article defines the main characteristics of CoP as "The Domain", "The Community", and "The Practices". It gives examples of strengths and weaknesses, how it associates with the Constructivism Theory, and how to integrate with technology.
Debi, the initial quote really got my attention. I am more interested in getting my students interested in learning than almost anything else I do as a teacher. I think making them life-long learners through Communities of Practice might be the best way to get them to value learning over a lifetime.
The authors offer a brief look at connectivism in relation to distance and blended learning in higher education. They point out the the landscape is changing from a knowledge transmission to a knowledge acquisition system and that connectivist theory is a guide to help in this transition. They also offer a counterpoint in that the way a good number of online courses are conducted is in a knowledge delivery system that dissociates the learner. They point out the instructor interaction is mandatory to counteract the dissociation that can occur.
The authors of the paper postulate that traditional learning theories do not adequately cover the use of mobile technologies, particularly phones in a learning context. This paper looks at a class of native Arabic speaking students learning English as a second language through the use of mobile phones and facebook. They conclude that in this context, connectivism fully accounts for the interactions that their students naturally gravitated towards when interacting in english thus furthering their study of interest.
This gives the Department of Education's take on communities of practice. It describes their efforts and projects that support this form of learning in educational settings. Links to these projects are provided.
This link is to a DoE posting encouraging the use of communities of practice. The specific domain for this page is to encourage k-12 education to use CoPs with a particular target of ones offered by the DoE: Investing in Innovation, Promise Neighborhoods, and Race to the Top. It is encouraging to see the DoE support these efforts.
It is encouraging to see how the Dept of Edu, through the use of CoPs hopes to decrease the achievement gap. It is a worthy notion to hope that through collaboration, sharing and research across a vast diverse audience, a solution could be found.
I really like how the article points out that "A great part of the answer lies not only in the types of tools, programs, and strategies used to close the achievement gap, but also in how education researchers and practitioners share information with each other." Whether this is in person with our co-workers or via some PLN, this sharing of information is vital for success!
This article discusses the National Educatioal Technology Plan and references where it calls for teacher to become connected. It asks them to become part of learning communities both locally and other wise using communities of practice.
SUMMARY: The DOE gets behind CoPs as potential answer for achievement gap and underperforming teachers and leaders. Money, time, and resources were thrown at this initiative to see if online CoPs could become the missing link in the instructional shortcomings. Citing examples of success, one is drawn and intrigued to look further at the project as we are now 2 years later.
Finding and researching CoP sites I came across the Department of Education's answer on the Communities of Practice within education. The Department of Education has added the communities of practice within an initiative called the Investing in Innovation along with a series of other initiatives.
Discussion by one of the founders of connectivism, Stephen Downes. A thorough explanation of some cautions to be heeded by individuals within a network, like resisting the pull to jump to conclusions. Groups should be connected but not cave to any assumptions as those will naturally ebb and flow. Part of that flexibility is staying open to a diverse community in order to be open to information.
The idea of interpretation is to compile our own knowledge, not directly, but by how we gauge what is happening. Emergence is the result of this interpretation, but is not always correct! Social knowledge comes out of what we can term a community of practice. An example is given of the price of wheat being dependent upon the many wheat buyers that are part of that community.
This is a fabulous site for finding resources for students who need immediate help, especially in grammar. There are links to unit and lessons plans for a variety of works of literature, including recent ones. When I need something quickly, this is my favorite page to which I refer!
Play free online games for kids on PrimaryGames. Site features learning games, action games, puzzles, card games, virtual worlds, coloring pages, and more!
A color mixing game (sometimes you need to reload the page to make it work) that is interactive and fun. Players have to make secondary and intermediate color along with tints and shades.
This resource I came across provides resources for all types of social media. Within this specific page, the topic addresses the best practices for Twitter used in the classroom. It provides information on the use of Twitter within primary and secondary schools as well as higher education. Statistics are presented to show usage within the school amongst scholars and faculty. This site is also an interactive social media network system for questions and comments.
In this article, four panelists who are leaders of successful of successful community of practice (COP) education initiatives share their knowledge and experience on this topic and suggest best practices for online communities of educators. They suggest there is no one definition for a community of practice, rather, there exists a continuum. The panelists discuss the 90-9-1 rule- 90% of participants in an online community lurk, 9% occasionally contribute, and 1% are "rock stars".
In this article that focuses on social networking and learning, Ruth Reynard explores research conducted by The National School Boards Association (USA), in partnership with research firm Grunwald Associates and with the support of Microsoft, Newscorp, and Verizon, published a 2007. The research cited indicates that learning through social networks is mostly "unidirectional (posting messages, downloading media files, updating personal information) and students utilize it as "a self-reflective learning environment." However, the author points out that the researchers also found if instructional design is geared toward "the user controlling the tool rather than the tool dictating the user's activity," learning collaboratively can increase knowledge because the learner becomes actively engaged in the task, rather than passively approaching it.
I really like the message where it says that students become more actively engaged when they control the tool rather than the tool dictating the user's activity. The students then take control of their learning. They map the course they want to take.
this was very interesting - I found myself wondering how much of it was still relevant given its "age." Crazy that 2008 is "old" but social media has changed so much since then!
Since my life as an educator has always been about technology through digital imaging and design I wanted to find a CoP site that focused on technology. This resource supports technology as it is applied to communities of practice. I feel that it is a useful resource for educators within the technology sector.
Hi Greg! This is a great addition to the "why" behind developing a CoP. It's nice to have a resource that offers tools to assist the CoP. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Katelyn,
Yes, I had to find a technology CoP for technology's sake and in the area that I teach. I don't think I could be more enthusiastic about the field of technology. It's very empowering.