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This blog post takes a detailed look at connectivism and breaks down the impact the theory has on learning. The author notes the change in thinking and learning and how the brain is being rewired because of technology.

I simply enjoy how easy of a read this source is. Articles are so boring and make it hard for me to concentrate while I'm reading and this sources is still giving valuable information, but offers an easy to read layout and language.

This is a blog entry, which can make me skeptical of the quality of the information. With digital use, our brain is rewired. If this isn't reason enough that we should not be teaching like it is 1980, I don't know what is.

This article was originally published in the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. It reviews three resources Edmodo, The Educator's PLN and Classroom 2.0. The article begins by describing what a PLN is and talks about the social media connections and the tools that are used to aggregate all the information. It also discusses some of the difficulties associated with PLN's including information overload, figuring out the social norms and learning to use the tools. The article goes on to describe and compare the three PLN platforms. The article even highlights the types of topics that are discussed on PLN's.

This blogger shared ideas on how as an educator you can embrace the learning theory of Connectivism. She states that connectivism revolves around creating online networks of learning. Through these networks, knowledge is shared. She states that Web 2.0 tools encourage this learning theory by default. Just by using Facebook, Twitter, creating digital portfolios and blogs to discuss and share education, you are on the right path to discovering the benefits Connectivism.

Learning can now occur anytime, with anyone, with a wide variety of technology, and in a variety of locations. This new learning landscape directly challenges the notion of "classroom" and suggests that new learning spaces are required to meet the needs of today's learners and the learning opportunities before them.

This article supports the argument that connectivism, which is often used as a guiding pedagogy for MOOCs, does not meet the criteria of a true learning theory. As such, connectivism should be abandoned as a pedagogical tool for Web 2.0 environments and replaced with a valid learning theory, specifically the Vygotskian cultural psychology. MOOC future pedagogy would, thus, consist of two initial principles: 1) the visualization of objects and 2) sustained dialogue and joint activity.

Hi Jennifer, I came across a similar article as well. What I do like about the idea of connectivism is that we are trying to reimagine learning processes and education and trying to make sense of it within the digital world. But it will be interesting to watch how this debate progresses over the next few years.

A personal learning environment (PLE) describes the components that make up the educational platforms that a learner uses to achieve educational goals. While an LMS is considered course-centric, a PLE is, thus, learner-centric. An open network learning environment (ONLE) can help bridge the gap between a PLE and LMS. ONLEs encourage social networking collaboration. This article demonstrates that online courses that are built within various Web 2.0 resources drive students to create unique PLEs within ONLEs, and ultimately to become "global digital citizens."

In this article Nicole Cooke, a Reference and Instruction Librarian encourages fellow librarians to keep abreast of the latest technology and the most current ways of seeking information so that they are prepared to help satisfy the needs of today's library patrons. She suggests that librarians prepare themselves for the evolving library patron by participating in professional development activities. In particular, Cooke advocates that librarians seek out the current educational opportunities that are available through various Web 2.0 applications. Cooke then moves on to describe how librarians can incorporate new learning opportunities into their day to day functions through the use of social media platforms such as blogs and wikis. Cooke ends the article by talking about personal learning networks and how librarians should take advantage of social media platforms to form connections with others in the field for professional growth.

I think this is a great article. I agree that anyone who is in education has to stay "savvy." I especially liked the comment "Maintaining competence and learning new skills must be at the top of every professional's "To Do" list. It is an ethical responsibility, to be sure, but also one that is pragmatic and critical for career success. [...] Continuing professional education is no longer an option, it is a requirement of professional practice. "

I am glad to see you posted a link to a PLN for librarians. I think understanding PLNs purpose and framework comes easier when it is viewed from a particular perspective (i.e. Librarians). I do think PLNs are particularly useful in the digital age with some much information and professional development resources readily available.

This article gives an overview of what Connectivism is and how learning happens in the digital age. Siemans describes the basic principles of how learning is a network of information sources referred to as "nodes." It doesn't describe how learning occurs within but how learners connect with the networked world of people and information.

This Edutopia article explains what a PLN is, how they develop through thought, that PLNs are collaborative, what PLNs can do for you, and how to build a PLN. The article brings up three deterrents of PLNs for educators: PLN is a mindset, there is an overwhelming amount of techno-babble, and requires more digital literacy than a Google search. A good quote from this article is, "We must remember that lifelong learning requires effort." The article ends with a list of resources on PLNs.

Edutopia's article defines PLN and provides concrete ways for educators to establish one. While it addresses the barriers for mass adoption of PLN, the focus is to highlight the collaborative nature of PLN. It is this collaboration that allows for personal and professional growth.

This is yet another great and practical article. I especially like how the author outlined how we can each develop a PLN in 20 min/ day and gave some great suggestions for what we should do with those 20 minutes. 20 min/day feels very doable, even to someone new to PLNs or social media.

This article focused on the theory and gives good if not great detail on the reasonings for the theory of connectivism. It stresses the importance of the individual driving the learning, the digital ages importance, and the idea of interaction for learning.

I appreciate the example that John Brown lays out in his paper "Growing Up Digital". He speaks about the Xerox company sending in anthropologists to study how tech reps fix broken machines. They learned it is all about the communication and storytelling, never do reps use the manual. After developing an online presence for tech reps (CoP) to communicate, Xerox saves $100 million a year while the learning curve of the reps has grown by 300%. This is a great case study to get a better understanding of a CoP analyzed and at work today.

The Mobile Learning infoKit is a developing resource from JISC infoNet launched at ALT-C 2011 alongside the new JISC publication Emerging Practice in a Digital Age

This was a great and very informative post regarding technology integration and 21st century learning.

Although it's slightly dated, Marc Prensky has a great discussion about the purpose games have in our lives and in the digital world.

This is my plan for a positive digital footprint.

Discovery Education Techbook™ is a digital textbook replacement that provides unrivaled content that helps teachers transition to the exciting world of digital resources. Techbook™ ignites curiosity and enhances learning via a powerful, simple-to-use program that substantially lowers district costs and can be used across any device or platform.

Provides social studies teachers with a resource where they can quickly access and use digital tools to help them with the teaching of their subject matter. The resources are arranged into categories: websites, iPad apps, Android apps, and Chrome apps.

February 18, 2016 Here is a handy cheat sheet we have been working on during the last few days. This is basically a collection of some of the best apps and web tools to use for each of the six thinking levels in Bloom's digital taxonomy.