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Dennis OConnor

Googlios - 1 views

sites.google.com/...home

portfolios eportfolios resources google googlios

shared by Dennis OConnor on 15 Sep 11 - No Cached
  • Welcome to "Googlios" where free Google tools meet ePortfolios.   This site is intended to be a collection of resources for those interested in using ePortfolios in Education.  Watch the 2 minute Intro video here
  • Dennis OConnor on 15 Sep 11
     
    Many of the participants in the UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program use Google Sites to create their e-portfolios.  The portfolios are created and used throughout the program. During the practicum, when students become teachers by teaching in one of our graduate classes, they also refine and polish their portfolios. Ultimately the online portfolio becomes a job search tool that helps our graduates show a potential employer what they know. 
schreckkimberly

PLE Articles - 5 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

teacher and networked student

shared by schreckkimberly on 06 Jul 18 - No Cached
  • Students now have access to desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and game systems that connect them to free online tools that are always available.
    • dixieluna
      dixieluna on 06 Jul 18
       
      This is a shift in mindset for many teachers. Students have a a great resource (their cellphone) however, teachers/school do not allow students to use their phones. This would also require a certain amount of trust between the students and teacher.
    • ctinkham
      ctinkham on 06 Jul 18
       
      I allow cell phones at all times in my class (we just have a talk about what "within reason" means and how to use them in moderation) for exactly this reason---I have kids that prefer to type papers on their phones because it is faster for them. However, most of the other teachers in our school do not allow them out in class, so it's hard to be "that teacher" that throws off the routine for everyone else. Honestly, however, it's so much easier---I don't have to spend 5 minutes arguing with a kid about their phone.
  • Students engaging in networked learning have to learn to be more self-directed than in the typical classroom
    • dixieluna
      dixieluna on 06 Jul 18
       
      Some students have a difficult time being self-directed. Is it difficult for teachers to know when to step in and when to step back?
    • hinzmanna
      hinzmanna on 08 Jul 18
       
      I wonder the same thing, Dixie. I also wonder how much teacher direction is appropriate when setting up their PLE?
    • ctinkham
      ctinkham on 10 Jul 18
       
      or perhaps creating an exemplar for students, then maybe helping them get started, step by step, until they are a little more comfortable with the idea and process.
  • An eportfolio
    • dixieluna
      dixieluna on 06 Jul 18
       
      This is my "ah-ha" moment. As I began reading about Symbaloo, I was questioning the ways students would use this resource. I think it is a great and creative way to make an eportfolio.
    • ctinkham
      ctinkham on 10 Jul 18
       
      yes! A page in an e-portfolio or in an online resume to show interests or other resources.
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • This encourages students to apply their learning in different venues which creates a culture of lifelong learning.
    • dixieluna
      dixieluna on 06 Jul 18
       
      Isn't this one of our ultimate goals?
    • hinzmanna
      hinzmanna on 08 Jul 18
       
      Right? No matter what approach one takes, I believe this is always an ultimate goal.
  • Personal Learning Environments (PLE) are not to be confused with Learning Management Systems (LMS) that are implemented and maintained by institutions. Here's a chart that outlines the differences:
    • ctinkham
      ctinkham on 06 Jul 18
       
      "Ah-ha" moment for me: so a PLE (a term with which I was previously unfamiliar) is basically a collection of resources that is organized and available to everyone, and one that everyone can contribute to? Great idea, as opposed to a teacher providing everything for the student.
    • trudicabrera
      trudicabrera on 10 Jul 18
       
      I also think PLE's could be useful for small/large group projects as far as sharing resources. Group participants can share articles and they could use Diigo to share thoughts and ideas! I wish I knew about these things when I was in college!
  • Below is a video that shows how a 7th grade student uses Symbaloo as a PLE in her science class:
    • ctinkham
      ctinkham on 06 Jul 18
       
      am I missing a link? I'd like to see this
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness. Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness. Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
  • they liked the clean, visual interface of Symbaloo
    • marthaschwind
      marthaschwind on 10 Jul 18
       
      I think Symbaloo will be easy for all students to use.
    • trudicabrera
      trudicabrera on 10 Jul 18
       
      When I have used it in the past it has been easier for students to use on Chromebooks than iPads (atleast in my experience). I am excited to learn more about Symbaloo and hopefully learn some helpful tips/tricks to help better my usage of it in the classroom.
  • nstead of a teacher providing resources that everyone uses, students can utilize their PLE to acquire information using preferred apps and resources such as blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Ning or Delicious.
    • trudicabrera
      trudicabrera on 10 Jul 18
       
      I teach first grade and have used symbaloo previously, however I am not sure if my students would benefit from having their own PLE's via symbaloo. In the past I have logged into my symbaloo on their ipads so they can access the resources (kahoot, myOn, pbsKids, etc) I want them too. I need a major "make-over" to my symbaloo, it isn't very student friendly.
  • The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed  dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing
    • trudicabrera
      trudicabrera on 10 Jul 18
       
      I think this is extremely appealing to students, you can have the symbaloo page set as the home screen on computers and all of the websites/resources that are approved would be right at the disposal for the students.
    • schreckkimberly
      schreckkimberly on 14 Jul 18
       
      Truly an empowering and exciting way to guide students to collect information and demonstrate their learning. My kids ask to get on their symbaloo pages at home after school to show me what they are learning. If parents have access to the symbaloo pages too, they can actively be a part of their child's learning for that class.
  • A collection of resources related to a problem-based learning challenge
    • ljurich
      ljurich on 11 Jul 18
       
      Another idea generated for me! As each student team is working on a particular Orbis project, I'm thinking each project could have it's own symbaloo dashboard.
  • The notion of a PLE for students, grounding them intentionally in an environment of information tools and productive applications, is a great way to seek, develop, and structure that balanced approach.  
    • ljurich
      ljurich on 11 Jul 18
       
      This is great reminder that while students are technology natives, we have a responsibility to teach them positive, professional behaviors.
  • I encouraged students to use their accounts as an information dashboard for “professional” or school interests as well as personal passions.
    • ljurich
      ljurich on 11 Jul 18
       
      This has generated an idea for me to use Symbaloo in Orbis as a way for students to create individual portfolios showcasing evidence of their growth in the 3 key outcomes of Orbis: collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership.
  • Personal learning environments are beneficial because they support learning anywhere and allow learners to connect the diverse environments of school, home and play.
    • ljurich
      ljurich on 11 Jul 18
       
      I'm thinking about how valuable a resource like Symbaloo could be for students, especially as they contribute to it, for them to use it far beyond the scope of the classroom, after the class/course has ended.
    • schreckkimberly
      schreckkimberly on 14 Jul 18
       
      Agreed. This is how we continue to be learners as adults too. We all have our resources we regularly check in with to learn based on our interests and needs. Guiding students to learn to use technology in this way is truly opening the door to life-long learners.
  • are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students
    • schreckkimberly
      schreckkimberly on 14 Jul 18
       
      It is humbling and yet exciting to shift from the "sage at the stage" role to the "guide at the side". I feel that students will also feel a greater sense of support from teachers, whose job is to help them utilize tools to stretch their learning beyond what they alone can offer the student.
  • Study group resources
    • schreckkimberly
      schreckkimberly on 14 Jul 18
       
      I love that this is included as valuable-- sites that student groups can visit for peer collaboration. Important to remember that so many students are social learners and may acquire their deepest learning by collaborating with other students as opposed to individual exploration.
rhoadsb_

Article(s): Self- and Peer-Assessment Online - 0 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by rhoadsb_ on 14 Apr 19 - No Cached
  • The instructor must explain expectations clearly to them before they begin.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 14 Apr 19
       
      I think this is such an important piece of peer assessment. Students need to understand what they are doing and providing a model of it can certainly help.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 23 Apr 19
       
      I couldn't agree more. It is so important that everything is laid out clearly for the students before beginning anything.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      I too agree. This is a process and getting middle school students to do this constructively can be challenging.
  • Students can also benefit from using rubrics or checklists to guide their assessments
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 14 Apr 19
       
      Providing a rubric to students is a great way to help them peer assess, but it will definitely need to be written in student friendly specific language.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      I agree Kelley. This is an extremely important thing for student feedback and if done correctly will lead to better student performance
  • develop trust by forming them into small groups early in the semester and having them work in the same groups throughout the term
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 14 Apr 19
       
      Trust is such an important piece to giving peer feedback. Putting these groups together early and working on building those relationships prior to assessing will help the students give honest and constructive feedback.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      Sometimes I wonder at what age students will begin to take this seriously, and not just go through the motions.
  • ...77 more annotations...
  • In addition, students' motivation to learn increases when they have self-defined, and therefore relevant, learning goals.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 14 Apr 19
       
      This makes so much sense. If we have students develop goals for their courses and have them frequently reflect on those goals it would help increase their motivation.
  • Portfolio assessment emphasizes evaluation of students' progress, processes, and performance over time.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 14 Apr 19
       
      Using portfolios with students is great. Students have the opportunity to see their progress over time and can make adjustments as needed. I think adding a place where they can look at their goals in their portfolio would be beneficial too.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      Think this is something I am going to try next year in classes is to have students build an online portfolio for each of my power standards to show mastery
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      This is a great idea, but so very hard to maintain.
  • Represent a student's progress over time
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      I like this idea of progress over time. Especially in an online learning atmosphere it encourage time management, and not procrastination.
  • • Students will have a tendency to award everyone the same mark.
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      This is certainly a problem I run into with peer and group evals during projects. Students give everyone a 5/A in every category when it is patently false. Anyone have any solutions to solving that issue?
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      I have always had the same struggle. Feedback from each other just wasn't helpful most of the time.
  • provide quality feedback that can help students develop their writing and critical thinking skills.
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      In terms of very high level education he may be correct, but when talking about materials we work with he is both right and wrong. I think it is important to remember that we are also learning from our students as well, and they may the a voice that is different, but fits the tone/time/assignment better than what we traditionally expect.
    • Wendy Arch
      Wendy Arch on 19 Apr 19
       
      The prompts also impact the feedback. If students are given extremely vague prompts, they won't be able to give accurate or usable feedback. However, if the prompts are aligned and geared to a student level, then the feedback will be more usable.
  • MOOCs that are not for credit
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      What about grades not existing at all as Mr. Abbey has suggested?
  • own expectations.
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      Life long learners! I never do it, but I should students's their goals in the class, unit, assignment, etc. I always think it will be a great idea but never get around to practicing it.
  • .
    • zackkaz
      zackkaz on 15 Apr 19
       
      Just curious if there is any research over non collegiate/PD courses. I would like to see the effectiveness of this with HS/MS aged students. Just curious.
  • include establishing their own assessment criteria through consultation with teaching staff
    • robertsreads
      robertsreads on 16 Apr 19
       
      I am a big fan of having students help develop their own rubrics, especially at the high school level. It helps them to be thoughtful about what they need to learn, and it gives them much more skin in the game.
  • Address improvement, effort, and achievement
    • robertsreads
      robertsreads on 16 Apr 19
       
      This is one of my favorite parts of a portfolio. It really allows students to look back and see how much they have grown over a semester/year/their high school career. It makes the hard work worth it when a student sees that it is making a big difference.
  • When learners have experience in learning and navigating within a networked setting [if the review is completed in an open and online setting].
    • robertsreads
      robertsreads on 16 Apr 19
       
      At the high school level, we work very hard with students to develop the vocabulary for giving meaningful feedback. I like to have a list of prompts they can use to start, and also a list of things they can and should look for.
  • These students reported that their ability to self-assess depended on knowing what the teacher expected
    • robertsreads
      robertsreads on 16 Apr 19
       
      It is impossible for a student to know if they have done well, if the teacher has not explained the targets the student should be hitting. They must know what is expected of them before they can be expected to assess themselves.
  • Rather than assessing whether the student learned from the assignment or not, this method seems geared to identifying any ‘slackers’ or those who sit on the side lines through the entire project, with minimal contributions.
    • robertsreads
      robertsreads on 16 Apr 19
       
      This is one of the truest things I have ever read.No matter what the level, it is frustrating when one perceives some group members as not doing their best or not participating, especially if one's grade depends on said participation.
  • One way to begin the process of introducing students to self-assessment is to create student-teacher contracts. Contracts are written agreements between students and instructors, which commonly involve determining the number and type of assignments that are required for particular grades
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 17 Apr 19
       
      I like how this focuses on the student. Having some ownership and feedback from the instructor can be powerful. Plus contracts are relevant in the real world.
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      While I understand the premise, I struggle with classroom contracts. They are frivolous...they really mean nothing. It downplays real contracts which have implications.
  • Emphasize what students can do rather than what they cannot do
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 17 Apr 19
       
      Very important for student confidence. I have a tendency to focus on improvement with my students and not enough on what they are doing correct.
  • Group work can be more successful when students are involved in developing the assessment process.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 17 Apr 19
       
      What a great way to involve the students and see what criteria is important to them. They would become more active in the learning process and better results should follow.
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      No kidding! Think of all the time teachers spend outlining the essential criteria. We can put some of this in the students court, especially is it helps the success of teaching some soft skills, working as a team.
  • More often, however, students spoke of the tension between their own and the teacher’s expectations. … Over and over again, students rejected their own judgments of their work in favor of guessing how their teacher or professor would grade it.”
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 17 Apr 19
       
      How do you get students to overcome this?
  • How it works – each group member completes an evaluation on his or her team members which is then submitted to the instructor. The instructor usually takes the average of the peer evaluations, and shares this grade with each team member which serves as the student’s grade in the peer evaluation portion.
  • Forcing’ the individual student to assess their own behaviour, as opposed to others is more constructive – it supports the aim of developing collaboration skills, along with the knowledge component.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 17 Apr 19
       
      I agree. Most students are critical of their own work. They will be honest and upfront. The thing to be careful about is to make sure they explain themselves and not just give a grade. Self reflection is the highest form of accountability.
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think there is a lot of power in metacognition. Giving people the space to think about their thinking and evelaute their own choices...can lead to a lot of growth.
  • To help students develop realistic, short-term, attainable goals, instructors can use a framework like SMART goals outline shown in the popup window
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 17 Apr 19
       
      I think short-term goals are essential for students to track their success and stay focused on the goals. They should probably set new goals for every chapter/unit.
  • Students do not learn to monitor or assess their learning on their own; they need to be taught strategies for self monitoring and self assessment.
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 17 Apr 19
       
      The idea of students assessing and monitoring their own learning will be something totally new for most students. They will need help from teachers and some time to learn this process.
    • mrsmeganmorgan
      mrsmeganmorgan on 20 Apr 19
       
      I agree. Assessing and monitoring learning only happens when students are explicitily taught the skills. Often it may have to be done many times and situations before students do it on their own.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      This is an interesting topic and something I haven't tried with my students. I think as you both brought up would need some practice but agree it would be a powerful tool for self assessment
  • The student participates in the selection of portfolio content, the development of guidelines for selection, and the definition of criteria for judging merit
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 17 Apr 19
       
      I like to idea of the student determining what goes in their folders, it gives them some power over their own learner.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 23 Apr 19
       
      I agree, it always seems to be best for students when they feel like they have a say in what they are doing.
  • The instructor provides a sample writing or speaking assignment. As a group, students determine what should be assessed and how criteria for successful completion of the communication task should be defined.
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 17 Apr 19
       
      I think its a good idea for the students to see sample work and talk about how to assess it and criteria they think is need to successfully complete the assignment.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      A great idea. the samples and practice we can give students the better off they will be.
  • Represent a student's range of performance in reading, writing, speaking, and listening as well as cultural understanding
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 17 Apr 19
       
      Think its a good idea to have variety of things in the students portfolio so we can see the range of students work and also how much progress the student has made.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      this too is a good idea!
  • peer or in a small group
    • sjensen21
      sjensen21 on 17 Apr 19
       
      Conversations can help students solidify and internalize their thinking.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 23 Apr 19
       
      Exactly, that think-pair-share strategy or anything that gets students talking with other students can be really beneficial for them.
  • peer pressure
    • sjensen21
      sjensen21 on 17 Apr 19
       
      This is a very real issue. Students can feel pressure to elevate a friends grade out of a sense of loyalty.
    • alisauter
      alisauter on 23 Apr 19
       
      I see this as being less of a problem with students who don't visit campus at all. They may not know many peers.
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      Ali - Good point! This is a benefit of online courses vs. face to face. Most LMS's have a integrated tool that allows for peer assessment as well.
  • similar skill level
    • sjensen21
      sjensen21 on 17 Apr 19
       
      This may be difficult to determine especially early in a course.
  • very clear and explicit.
    • sjensen21
      sjensen21 on 17 Apr 19
       
      As in, using a rubric!
  • This is my preferred approach
    • sjensen21
      sjensen21 on 17 Apr 19
       
      I agree. It seems more balanced.
  • deliberate thought about what they are learning and how they are learning it.
    • kylelehman
      kylelehman on 18 Apr 19
       
      Again, I think self-assessment is key. As we move towards SBG, I have built in self-assessing on almost everyone on of my rubrics in order to see where a student thinks they are v where I think they are.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      I love the idea of self assessment and once students grab onto it I know they see its effects as well.
  • Students individually assess each other's contribution using a predetermined list of criteria. Grading is based on a predetermined process, but most commonly it is an average of the marks awarded by members of the group.
    • kylelehman
      kylelehman on 18 Apr 19
       
      I always struggle with peer grading. I feel as if the students are never "hard" enough on other students the way that I would be when I am grading as a teacher. With that said, I think that if you build in norms and go over things as a class so they can see how you would do it, it may help.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      I dont think I would use this exclusively but think peer evaluation is a good measuring stick of both the grader and gradee's understanding of the material
  • introduce students to the concepts and elements of assessment against specified criteria in the first weeks of class
    • kylelehman
      kylelehman on 18 Apr 19
       
      I think this is key for class and for students to be able to see what they are being assessed in. What is the secret? Don't we as educators want our students to do well? I have been in the process of making posters for each of my classes and units that I hang up when we start a new unit. These posters have the standards, main ideas, and key assessment strategies.
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think all too often we are so concerned with "covering the material" that we don't take the time to front load a unit (or the school year). If we want our students to be successful and feel good about their learning, we need to make sure students know what is required from the very beginning.
  • self-assessment as an opportunity for students to reflect on their own work
    • kylelehman
      kylelehman on 18 Apr 19
       
      Wow, I couldn't agree more. I don't want students to grade themselves because they won't grade themselves the same way that I will. However, I would direct them to self assess and use the same rubric the way that I would in order to build on the ideas that I am looking for and how they can better themselves.
  • I have mixed feelings about peer evaluations, leaning towards not using peer reviews as part of the assessment strategy. I wonder if the concept of peer evaluation is exclusive to higher education institutions
    • kylelehman
      kylelehman on 18 Apr 19
       
      I agree. I have tried full on peer assessing in high school before and it never really works the way I want them to
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      Agreed
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      I struggle with this concept. How do students know the qualities of effective persuasive writing, for instance?
  • Guided practice with assessment tools
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      Perhaps if I spent more time doing this, I would have had more success with student self and peer edits. It's interesting, though, that my daughters felt the same way about peer editing in their HS classes. They always felt they lacked any helpful input. In fact, they felt peers were marking things they completely disagreed with. I just don't know how to make peer editing of upper level writing better.
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      This has been my experience over 27 years in education as well.
  • There is strong support in constructivist theories for the peer review which is grounded in student-centered learning where students learn as much from the review process itself as from the final grade on an assignment.
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      Again, I am a skeptic with constructivist theory
  • hough at the conclusion of their research they determined that students involved in peer review perform better academically than peers graded only by their instructors
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      Well, that is good to know!
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think this is an important point! It doesn't really matter how we feel about it, research shows that peer review do better so it should be case closed, we should use it. I would like to know the corroboration of this by other studies.
  •   Learners have a developed set of communication skills.
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      makes sense
  • Use a Rubric
    • cathy84
      cathy84 on 18 Apr 19
       
      This was successful for me when grading group projects...especially performance-based projects like one-act play performance.
  • Such self assessment encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.
    • mpercy
      mpercy on 19 Apr 19
       
      This is a great accomplishment for any teacher!
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      no joke, I feel that this can happen when students see them working towards a goal that isn't "just for the teacher"
  • Students may be reluctant to make judgements regarding their peers.
    • mpercy
      mpercy on 19 Apr 19
       
      This would go back to the culture in the classroom. Students would need to feel safe about expressing their thoughts about others' work and also receiving feedback about their own work.
  • students assess their own contribution
    • mpercy
      mpercy on 19 Apr 19
       
      Is there any risk of privacy laws when allowing peer assessment? I don't share the grade of one student with any other student. Would peer assessment violate this? If it does, self-assessment would be a better option.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      Interesting question never thought of it that way......would be interesting to look at research
  • it requires a specific set of learning conditions to be present in order for it to work as intended.
    • mpercy
      mpercy on 19 Apr 19
       
      How often would we see these learning conditions be present in our classrooms and peer grading considered effective?
  • the learner will benefit far more by completing a self evaluation
    • mpercy
      mpercy on 19 Apr 19
       
      I like the use of self evaluation if you can get students to take it seriously. I am a little wary of peer evaluation because I don't think all students will use constructive criticism.
  • it helps them control the classroom better by reinforcing their power and expertise,
    • Wendy Arch
      Wendy Arch on 19 Apr 19
       
      Or is it because it allows them to know whether or not students are getting the material? Yes, some teachers are power hungry and on constant power trips with grades, but if we aren't readily and regularly assessing and providing feedback, how do we know for ourselves whether or not students are learning?
  • Every time I did get a comment, no peer ever wrote more than three sentences. And why should they? Comments were anonymous so the hardest part of the evaluative obligation lacked adequate incentive and accountabilit
    • Wendy Arch
      Wendy Arch on 19 Apr 19
       
      Using different online tools such as Turnitin.com allows students to remain anonymous to peers but teachers can see who reviewed whom and what kind of feedback they left. This could provide more incentive to provide better quality feedback. If students know teachers will look back through what they wrote, then they might be more conscientious about it.
  • Students that fell into this group were physically and cognitively lazy, not contributing to the process as required. This phenomenon was referenced in several other research studies within the paper.
    • Wendy Arch
      Wendy Arch on 19 Apr 19
       
      This isn't just a feedback issue though -- this is a systemic issue throughout education. The "loafers and others" will do the bare minimum on any assignment, so to use that as a reason to not use peer feedback is a moot point.
  • help reduce the ‘free rider’ problem
    • mrsmeganmorgan
      mrsmeganmorgan on 20 Apr 19
       
      I think the more we can do to decrease the free rider situation the better.
    • chriskyhl
      chriskyhl on 24 Apr 19
       
      Totally agree! Find this is true even with adults in other classes I have taken in the past
  • 4) When learners are mature, self-directed and motivated.
    • mrsmeganmorgan
      mrsmeganmorgan on 20 Apr 19
       
      This is an interesting statement when we start to think about this in K-12 situation. Can we describe the typical student in those terms?
  • They also recommend that teachers share expectations for assignments and define quality. Showing students examples of effective and ineffective pieces of work can help to make those definitions real and relevant.
    • mrsmeganmorgan
      mrsmeganmorgan on 20 Apr 19
       
      This especially important when it is linked with the findings in paragraph five. Student need this information.
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      I agree. This aligns nicely with what was said in the previous article..."Why and When Peer Grading is Effective for Online Learning"...It can also be very effective in small, closed online classes where students are at similar skill level and receive instruction and guidance in how to grade within the process.
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      This also ties in closely with our lesson on modeling. For many students it helps them to understand what a teacher is looking for and what "great work" looks like. Likewise, it is also helpful to show students examples of work that doesn't meet the requirements.
  • 3 main grading strategie
    • mrsmeganmorgan
      mrsmeganmorgan on 20 Apr 19
       
      I am really frustrated with the following section. It's like they equate grades with learning. This completely ignores the learning process.
  • hen students are involved in developing the assessment process.
    • nealjulie
      nealjulie on 21 Apr 19
       
      I agree with this statement. The power is in students evaluating their own work.
  • strive for a more advanced and deeper understanding of the subject matter, skills and processes
    • nealjulie
      nealjulie on 21 Apr 19
       
      This is what teachers really want to strive for, a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
  • passive learner to active leaner
    • nealjulie
      nealjulie on 21 Apr 19
       
      I like this statement too, we want students to be active learners.
  • inst if students ‘gang up’ against one group member
    • nealjulie
      nealjulie on 21 Apr 19
       
      Yikes! I hope a teacher could control this!
  • Self evaluation has a risk of being perceived as a process of presenting inflated grades and being unreliable
    • nealjulie
      nealjulie on 21 Apr 19
       
      I could see this happening. That's why things need to be laid out and other uses of evaluation should be in place as well.
  • Encourages student involvement and responsibility.
    • alisauter
      alisauter on 23 Apr 19
       
      If this isn't "required" I don't see many students wanting to do this. It is a struggle in F2F classes. Maybe in an online setting it would be better for some?
  • Students may have little exposure to different forms of assessment and so may lack the necessary skills and judgements to effectively manage self and peer assessments
    • alisauter
      alisauter on 23 Apr 19
       
      This is such a mountain to climb, but if more F2F classes do this, then perhaps it will be easier in online classes and vice versa.
  • Students must feel comfortable and trust one another in order to provide honest and constructive feedback.
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      Climate and culture is important when asking students to engage in peer assessment.
  • here may also be a perception amongst students that the academic is ‘shirking’ their responsibilities by having students undertaking peer assessments.
    • alisauter
      alisauter on 23 Apr 19
       
      We have had this perception with Blended and Flipped learning with some of our students and parents. We quickly learned that educating the stakeholders is important.
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      You're absolutely right! Students and parents alike feel that it is the teacher's job to deliver the content and the teacher's job to assess student work. Helping both parties understand the WHY is so important!
  • practice session
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      Modeling and practicing feedback is critical. Otherwise it is very easy for people to provide very surface level feedback that doesn't give the learner much to go on in regards to improving. The learner gets frustrated because the information isn't usefule and the person providing the feedback because they don't see any changes.
  • When operating successfully can reduce a lecturer's marking load.
    • alisauter
      alisauter on 23 Apr 19
       
      It does, but obviously from the Disadvantages below, it doesn't. What is the balance?
  • It can also be very effective in small, closed online classes where students are at similar skill level and receive instruction and guidance in how to grade within the process.
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think that providing instruction and guidance in how to peer grade is key to ensuring that peer grading has meaning to the person receiving the grade.
  • rubric not only helps the facilitator score the assignment but it and can greatly increase the quality and effort put into assignments by giving students a clear expectations with knowledge that must be demonstrated.
    • Deborah Cleveland
      Deborah Cleveland on 23 Apr 19
       
      Rubrics can set expectations for assignments and define quality.
  • informs the teacher about students' thoughts on their progress,
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think this piece is also really important. As a teacher it's easy to look at only the stuff student's submit, without knowing what they think about their own progress.
  • Allow for assessment of process and product
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 23 Apr 19
       
      I think the process is almost more important than the final product in everything that you do. I like that this mentions the process, and the product.
    • mschutjer
      mschutjer on 27 Apr 19
       
      All are great ideas and good practice
  • be aware of their learning
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 23 Apr 19
       
      Monitoring your own learning is the most important skill that we can help students learn.
  • goal of learning more
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      I feel we need to change our culture from that of earning good grades to one of learning. We will spend our whole lives learning, unlearning, and relearning. To be successful at anything we need to learn the skill of self-assessment - am I doing what I need to be doing? The world is ever-changing and we need to figure out how to make it (and ourselves) better. We can help young people do this by helping them learn to self-assess in school.
  • assessing their progress towards those goals
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      We have talked about using a portfolio to conduct student-led conferences with parents and teachers. Our current PT conference protocol is out-dated in this day of emails and online gradebooks. I think it would be awesome for students to choose student work that shows their progress toward course goals.
  • the lack of necessary skills
    • barbkfoster
      barbkfoster on 23 Apr 19
       
      Is this a valid concern? How can my struggling students provide feedback to peers if they lack the necessary skills? How can a struggling writer give useful feedback to a peer who is a better writer?-- Just playing devil's advocate ;) Still a good question to think about in order to justify the use of peer assessment.
  • One of the ways in which students internalize the characteristics of quality work is by evaluating the work of their peers.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 30 Apr 19
       
      Peer evaluation is a great way for students to cognitively grasp the material.
  • Goal setting is essential because students can evaluate their progress more clearly when they have targets against which to measure their performance.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 30 Apr 19
       
      Goal setting is one our standards and greatly enhances student motivation to achieve on the fitness tests.
  • Portfolios are purposeful, organized, systematic collections of student work that tell the story of a student's efforts, progress, and achievement in specific areas.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 30 Apr 19
       
      We are currently having our PE students create an ePortfolio in Canvas that will follow them K-12 and serve as a final artifact for them as a senior.
  • Engage students in establishing ongoing learning goals
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 30 Apr 19
       
      This is one of the main objectives with the ePortfolio, as it will guide our students down a path of personalized learning to achieve their goals.
LaRae Arment

PLE Articles - 2 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by LaRae Arment on 14 Jun 17 - No Cached
  • The concept of PLE is not a way to replace classroom learning, but to enhance it.
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      I think this is important to point out at the beginning. At first, personalized learning (I believe) makes the teacher feel irrelevant. That's not true, but it seems like it.
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      I think this is good to point out. These skills aren't often turned over to the kids, so they must be explicitly taught. I think self-reflection is probably the best way to instill this in students.
    • heidimeyer
      heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
       
      Teaching students how to self-manage is critical. I wonder how successful this is with younger elementary students.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Jun 17
       
      I was wondering the same thing, Heidi, about how this would work for elementary students. I know we want this to be as student focused as possible, but I wonder if at first PLEs are modeled with students creating a basic one that has resources they have used before and are the same as the ones the teacher modeled and as students begin to work more with it, they can add their own resources. I slow work in progress.
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      This is a major shift - it is a change in the culture of the school and the classroom as well for the individual. We have to support this transition.
    • efabscha
      efabscha on 17 Jun 17
       
      Heidi, I am also wondering the same thing. Do they have certain ages where personalized learning works best?
    • jhenning40
      jhenning40 on 20 Jun 17
       
      ckeninger, I think your idea of a modeled and guided first round is essential. That would help them see and understand the process before trying a "true" PLE.
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      YES! Digital citizenship and message etiquette cross curricular ideas!!
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      Great uses for teaching media etiquette!
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      But you do have to wonder about those kids who are not engaged and responsible... will a PLE make school harder? Or will you feel like you still invest lots of individual attention to kids who need it?
  • The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed  dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      That seems like a good way to let groups do research on their own but still with some facilitation. Throwing lots of resources on there, teaching them how to use them and skills required (as they come up), and then turn them loose.
    • heidimeyer
      heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
       
      Wow! This is my first time learning about Symbaloo. What a great tool that allows students to quickly access what they need.
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      We set up a Symbaloo for my daughter's college search to keep all the websites handy for both of us. In a way, I felt like it was the same of just having bookmarks in a folder, but it looked cool.
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I think it is a great tool if you learn to use it. I have helped people create it, but so many go to the same page every time they log in and then google everything as needed. It could be a great way to focus students and avoid surfing.
    • katieconnolly20
      katieconnolly20 on 17 Jun 17
       
      I also have never used symbaloo but find it to be very appealing. I think in the upper grade levels students would get a lot of use out of it. A question I have is how can it be successfully utilized in lower elementary classrooms? I think I could add sites that we use on computers but a lot of these sites require reading and my students are just learning how to read. Any ideas?
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      I am unfamiliar with Symbaloo, but can see how it would be benefical to my students as an organization tool. I also see it as a time saver for students that are researching.
  • ...37 more annotations...
  • I only wish that students could edit the webmix in their own accounts (and if they can, I haven’t discovered how yet), but that is really a minor wrinkle for us at this point; I also wish I could publish the webmix with a public URL accessible to non-Symbaloo users.
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      These seem like the types of things I was going to have them do with this. Maybe not, but at the very least these are things to look into as I explore this resources.
  • A PLE is the method students use to organize their self-directed online learning, including the tools they employ to gather information, conduct research, and present their findings.    As the name implies, PLEs give learners a high degree of control over their work by allowing them to customize the learning experience and connect to others, including experts in the field.
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      That's a great definition, so I marked it. It sort of encompasses what it is and why it's important, in addition to providing some ideas.
    • heidimeyer
      heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
       
      Love this definition!
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      saving this definition to share with my students this fall....
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I think something like this is helpful to get everyone on the same page.
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      This is a great definition, as others have posted... but I just continue to see pros and cons to all this self-directed online learning for so many of our kids. Good for many... not the best fit for many others.
  • our work must increasingly attend to supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      Nice! As an instructional coach, I've constantly been saying "the person talking is the person learning" (for two years!) in order to have the teachers understand that if they talk for the entire period (i.e. are the holder of all knowledge, content, and skills), all the students are getting is short term learning and dependence on the teacher. I feel like this is the same idea.
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      Indeed, working with students to become not only savvy consumers of media and information ("fake news?"), but working with students to sharpen the skill of organization of said information is key to their navigating an increasingly complex information-world.
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I agree - however I don't know how many of my colleagues do. This all goes back to being student centered and student driven.
  • ou can provide a tile linking to a web page describing a number  of exploratory activities a student will need to engage in, but make the path for accomplishing these activities (e.g., the numbers and types of tiles used) up to the student.
    • arieux1
      arieux1 on 14 Jun 17
       
      Now that's a good idea!
  • teachers’ provision of the right balance between structured lessons and autonomy; let’s never forget it is an ongoing balancing act.
    • heidimeyer
      heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
       
      I love this and want to strive for this but this also terrifies me. I'm in the "awareness" stage of learning about PL. My concerns are, How will I truly balance this? Is it the right balance?
    • jhenning40
      jhenning40 on 20 Jun 17
       
      I'm also concerned about balance for each individual student. Some students will naturally blossom with independent learning, but others will need more consistent help until they have the skills or confidence to do more independent work (hopefully only at first, I anticipate some will need continuous support)
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      I love opening a highlighted section to make a comment...and there's more than just ME thinking about the "perfect balance." It means I'm not alone in being anxious about it. Part of me believes that, like SBG and common core, students will adapt and this will become second nature to them if we present it in a positive manner like we do know what's best for them- because we do. :)
  • as an instructor, you can make a webmix quite interactive.
    • heidimeyer
      heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
       
      I like that the instructor can still play a role in students' Symbaloo. The examples given are a great way to engage students.
  • Learning Management Systems (LMS)
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Jun 17
       
      There is great information describing the differences between LMS and PLE but what is a specifc example of a LMS? Would this be like our school library reference page that has specific links that students use for the states projects year after year?
  • Teachers are challenged to provide the appropriate balance between structured lessons and learner autonomy in order to facilitate self-directed learning
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Jun 17
       
      Where is this balance? Is there is a suggested ratio of teacher input/lesson to student directed learning? Does it depend on the age of the student?
    • katieconnolly20
      katieconnolly20 on 17 Jun 17
       
      These are great questions. I have found myself wondering the same thing. For me, allowing my students to be their own learners and not depend on me is a hard concept for me to grasp. I am a kindergarten teacher. It make me question at what age is this all appropriate and how can I set up my students to be able to be successful learners on their own. Many of my students are not responsible enough to handle facilitating their own learning. Does anyone have ideas on how I can prepare them for this?
    • eswartzendruber
      eswartzendruber on 17 Jun 17
       
      I agree. I keep reading that there's a balance or strategies, but I'm unsure of what those are.
    • jhenning40
      jhenning40 on 20 Jun 17
       
      I also wonder: does it have to be an equal balance? What I mean is does the process start with a more teacher-heavy interaction, where the teacher frontloads, teaches strategies, and models; once students have that background knowledge, does the balance shift to student-centered? The balance may not always be equal, but on the whole both groups play an equal part -- just something I"m curious about as I think about how I might create this type of learning in my own class.
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      Agreed. The balance between human contact and online learning. Life skills learned through working and playing with each other cannot take a backseat to online skill progress.
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      I agree with the balance. From experience with our students and using online programs. Communication and soft skills are some of those skills that can't be learned online.
  • The gallery view allows you to preview webmixes before adding them to your Symbaloo dashboard.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Jun 17
       
      Wow! I didn't know you could search for webmixes and then add them to your dashboard. I wonder if other teachers have created webmixes for their students to reference. A teacher could make a webmix to share with students on their personal dashboards to get them started. What a great example of the collaboration of online tools.
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      It would be nice if there are already created webmixes out there to help get a start in learning how to utilize Symbaloo.
  • on.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Jun 17
       
      Wow! There are a lot of components to the Networked Student in the image below. My concern is ensuring students have the foundation for these components before they start PL. Practicing digital responsibility is an important piece. When we provide students with technology, we are giving them access to a lot of information and responsibilty. This can be positive or negative.
  • chart
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      Ah ha! I was just wondering whether NTN's "Echo" system would be my students' PLE...nope. I'm curious to keep reading to see how Echo can blend with a PLE for my PBL students next year...
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      Also...I'm saving these images throughout the class to my Pinterest Board for further reference!
  • social media platform
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      Could a Google Classroom or Google Hangout that students create be considered a PLE?
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      I also wondered this as I was reading the article. I use Google classroom but more as an information board for student organization.
  • learner controlled
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      In this way, PLEs seem to mirror one defining component of PL: learned controlled. But, I would assume the "facilitator" (teacher) would also have access....
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I think as we learn about how to be the facilitators in courses like this, we also need to think about how we will train our students to be this type of learner.
  • Netvibes
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      Okay - I've never heard of Netvibes...I'll check it out as a possibility for my pbl students this fall.
  • the aggregato
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      catchy name: the aggregator!
  • A collection of resources related to a problem-based learning challenge
    • julie_carroll
      julie_carroll on 16 Jun 17
       
      And here is the "fit" for New Tech...we will definitely be offering Symbaloo as a PLE option for our PBL students!
  • These tools provide a medium for students to create their own learning space that is more natural and unique to their interests and learning styles
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      The only problem is when a student doesn't want to use the tech - rare, but it happens.
    • katieconnolly20
      katieconnolly20 on 17 Jun 17
       
      Do you have this happen in your classroom? How do you handle this situation if so?
  • The development of PLEs represents a shift in focus from teacher centered classrooms to more learner centered classrooms.
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I think this is difficult because it shifts not only the center, but the ownership and control. The fear is what might happen if the teacher gives up control or the teacher giving up their pet project or unit that they enjoy. It is hard not to be selfish sometimes when you invest so much of yourself into something.
    • efabscha
      efabscha on 17 Jun 17
       
      I truly wonder what this might look like for teachers. Would there be way more preparation or maybe less preparation is needed? The thought makes me nervous!
    • katieconnolly20
      katieconnolly20 on 17 Jun 17
       
      I agree! I feel that as students take charge of their own learning, it will mean less work for us as teachers. I am also curious of what this looks like. As a kindergarten teacher, I feel that there will need to front load what personalized learning looks like. I will still need to make sure my students are being responsible learners.
    • annabrousard
      annabrousard on 19 Jun 17
       
      In DMPS we are moving to schools for rigor which is all about creating student centered classrooms so I wonder if this will be something that DMPS looks into as well.
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      I feel like it would create MORE work, but in a different way. You have to always be aware of what all of your kids are working on and touch base and provide supports as needed. Less in control of their learning, means you're less in control of what you'll be expected to do each day.
  • begin developing their Symbaloo webmixes
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I see myself having a menu for students to put in their own webmix and then having additions as we go along.
    • efabscha
      efabscha on 17 Jun 17
       
      What types of sources would you require students to put in their menu?
  •  I also encourage you to check out the videos and blog posts at SymbalooEDU
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      These are really helpful
  • grounding them intentionally in an environment of information tools and productive applications
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I like the line 'productive applications' - I think this connects back to training our students to be successful in the PLE
  • An eportfolio
    • trgriffin1
      trgriffin1 on 16 Jun 17
       
      I plan to use Google Sites for the portfolio in my course, but I see Symbaloo as their dashboard/launchpad. We will use Moodle, an online textbook, and myriad online resources.
    • efabscha
      efabscha on 17 Jun 17
       
      When students create an eportfolio is this something that can be shared with parents as well? Does it follow them all through school?
  • support learning anywhere
    • eswartzendruber
      eswartzendruber on 17 Jun 17
       
      This is a huge benefit considering one of our biggest goals of teaching is to make students lifelong learners. However, what happens when students don't have access to resources outside of school?
    • annabrousard
      annabrousard on 19 Jun 17
       
      This is a really great idea so that the learning does not stop just because the school day does.
    • rmeyer1130
      rmeyer1130 on 28 Jun 17
       
      Of course, it also makes the gap bigger between children who have support and resources at home, and those students who do not.
  • strategies in place to guide and support these learners
    • eswartzendruber
      eswartzendruber on 17 Jun 17
       
      What are these strategies? As a 4th grade teacher, I have a handful of students who struggle to work independently and trust themselves while taking control of their learning.
    • annabrousard
      annabrousard on 19 Jun 17
       
      I also would like to see some strategies to help with these students.
    • jhenning40
      jhenning40 on 20 Jun 17
       
      I agree some strategies would be helpful. I can anticipate that many students will need some frontloading or strategies in order to be successful with their first PLE.
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      Agreed! I would love some ideas as well.
  • Symbaloo
    • eswartzendruber
      eswartzendruber on 17 Jun 17
       
      As an elementary teacher, I think Symbaloo allows for more management. When meeting with students regarding their PL, we can find/add websites to Symbaloo together especially if they can't edit the "webmix" in their own accounts.
  • photo collages
  • Some instructors empower students to use their own mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a means to create PLEs.
  • Symbaloo,
  • tiles
  • It’s easy to use
  • Students can extend their learning into questions to parents, email conversations, Facebook posts or even twitter hashtags.
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      Great ideas for book sharing instead of journaling! This helps in reference to my PLP for this course.
  • set usage parameters
  • so that they can collaborate and discover information
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      LOVE this idea for collaboration and opportunity to teach each other!
  • she explains, are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      This is scary and exciting all at once! I can't help but wonder what teachers who have been in the trade for 25+ years must think about this.
  • webmixes
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      I hope I get a better idea of what a "webmix" is as I start the tour of Symbaloo; can't find a definition so I'm guessing it is a term used with this database.
  • select group of individuals (via email).
    • nthurm
      nthurm on 21 Jun 17
       
      This would be good for class sharing that you don't necessarily want others to have access to.
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      Great to know!
  • collaborating and sharing with others
    • LaRae Arment
      LaRae Arment on 05 Jul 17
       
      Collaboration is key for students to get the experience of working with others especially if it is a situation that they are not in a regular education classroom environment.
  • heidimeyer on 15 Jun 17
     
    "PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness"
bkoller86

PLE Articles - 2 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by bkoller86 on 13 Jul 16 - No Cached
  • These tools provide a medium for students to create their own learning space that is more natural and unique to their interests and learning styles.
    • djarends
      djarends on 13 Jul 16
       
      I like this idea with special education students. I think to have a place where they can find resources to help them is a great idea. I have provided many resources, but since they are not easily available or at least the students feel they are not, the students do not use them. I also like that they choose which ones will be helpful to them.  I can't wait to try this.
  • teachers must learn to effectively incorporate these social media based initiatives into their lessons.
    • djarends
      djarends on 13 Jul 16
       
      A concern for me. I have grown greatly in my skills with technology, but it still takes me time to learn the skills and how to implement into my classroom on top of all the new initiatives that the district is adding to our plates. I'm diving in but concerned. 
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 14 Jul 16
       
      I agree! It seems as I master something new in the area of technology, something bigger and better takes its place. Hard to keep up with technology in the education world.
    • kbolinger
      kbolinger on 16 Jul 16
       
      It is hard to keep up, and it takes time to implement anything new into a classroom, even with students that are pretty techie. In my experience with younger students, most of them need a lot of instruction and guided practice before they feel comfortable working independently.
  • Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
    • djarends
      djarends on 13 Jul 16
       
      This is true of all learning resources.We need to teach students how to use the tools we give them or allow them to find. Knowing this will allow me to prepare a lesson(s) on how to use PLEs. 
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • I’ll continue to collect feedback from students on how this learning tool is working for them and how they are using it for themselves as well as within their groups
    • djarends
      djarends on 13 Jul 16
       
      I like how the author collects feedback on the usefulness of the tool. I have done this many times. As I approach Symbaloo, I will remember to ask students for things that worked for them and concerns. 
    • bkoller86
      bkoller86 on 17 Jul 16
       
      I would be interested in how many students use Symbaloo on future projects that doesn't require its use. 
  • I’ve been slow to use tools and develop skills for managing online resource, such as the use of vehicles like Symbaloo, Evernote, or Diigo
    • djarends
      djarends on 14 Jul 16
       
      That is me! I have used Evernotes with students and like it. I have loved using Diigo. I plan on teaching students how to use it. I'm excited to try Symbaloo. Next step, figure out how to implement.
  • The concept of PLE is not a way to replace classroom learning, but to enhance it.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 14 Jul 16
       
      As a higher level Spanish teacher, every year I am trying to incorporate a system or resources that can allow students to go to a deeper and higher level of their language learning. Some students want to go on to minor and become more fluent, while others just want the credit. I'm hoping that a PLE can reach those students to dig deeper to become more fluent and culturally aware!
  • It’s easy to use A learner can pull information that’s personally useful to him/her Learners can personalize tiles to make them easy to spot Learners can add to, and draw from, a community of webmixes Interactivity + personalization = fun Instructional uses for Symbaloo include using Symbaloo to help learners create: A personal learning environment (PLE) with personal knowledge management (PKM) tools An eportfolio A collection of resources related to a problem-based learning challenge
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 14 Jul 16
       
      I have created quite a few symbaloos and knew it was a cool tool but never knew how to incorporate those into my classes for students to use - I'm super excited to know how to set this up so that they can access my webpage see what they need to do on a daily/weekly basis and then have resources right there to help them do what they need to do. Can't wait to try for fall:)! 
  • you can create tiles that link to challenges, quiz questions, polls, discussion forums, chat pages, and other types of content and media that will facilitate more student involvement and creativity. You can provide a tile linking to a web page describing a number  of exploratory activities a student will need to engage in, but make the path for accomplishing these activities (e.g., the numbers and types of tiles used) up to the student.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 14 Jul 16
       
      Love the idea of creating a path for students... could there be a digital checklist also? Teacher could guide students for all class Kahoot game or other challenges. Students can also add a presentation/doc tile to prove their learning - love that, also. Great for project based, research and problem solving activities.  
    • bkoller86
      bkoller86 on 17 Jul 16
       
      I like the idea of the students having the resources to take responsibility of the learning, and they can review and learn at their own pace. It is like a one stop shop.
  • students had to subscribe to news feeds and blogs, discern the value of social bookmarks, and set up the aggregator to manage all the Internet resources.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 14 Jul 16
       
      I am very unfamiliar with how to use news feeds and blogs with students - this would be something I would need an inservice for and how it can be put into a language classroom...
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 15 Jul 16
       
      Me too! I would need training on how to implement in the classroom.
  • Many students in the first class that tried Symbaloo today commented that they liked the clean, visual interface of Symbaloo and the ease of adding content; they also liked that they could customize the “tiles” they were adding and that their webmixes loaded quickly.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 14 Jul 16
       
      I can see my students setting up their own symbaloo (I can have them add my webmix to their account!) based on their skills needed to practice or go beyond for Spanish (vocabulary, grammar, culture, then speaking, writing, listening acts, readings)
  • students could demonstrate their learning through their PLE by creating blogs, wikispaces, prezi presentations and photo collages as final projects; thereby diversifying instruction. Some instructors empower students to use their own mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a means to create PLEs.
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 14 Jul 16
       
      in some cases will students become more proficient than their instructors, especially in the case of technology?
  • The notion of a PLE for students, grounding them intentionally in an environment of information tools and productive applications, is a great way to seek, develop, and structure that balanced approach.
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 14 Jul 16
       
      I am inspired by PLEs and what's happening with them in education. I worry about schools who are not 1:1 with technology and/or students who don't have personal devices of their own.
  • Teachers, she explains, are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students, and our work must increasingly attend to supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners.
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 14 Jul 16
       
      Teacher's are not experts in all areas. In PLEs they serve as facilitators. I love my ah-ha moments when I learn something new from a student.
    • kbolinger
      kbolinger on 16 Jul 16
       
      The teacher's role in student learning looks very different in a PLE, which might be hard for teachers to adjust to.
  • The employ of PLEs in the classroom can go horribly wrong if teachers fail to prepare students and set usage parameters.
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 14 Jul 16
       
      Or if students do not have the skills to manage their PLEs.
    • kbolinger
      kbolinger on 16 Jul 16
       
      I imagine there would need to be some prior (and ongoing) instruction for students in regards to internet safety and online ethics. My 3rd graders, who are probably much less connected with social media sites than older students, have had issues keeping their focus on the task at hand. Having access to online tools is great, but it can also be very distracting for my students. It is just too tempting for them to visit YouTube or another "fun" website rather than focusing on the task at hand. This is definitely a management issue that I have faced in the past couple of years.
  • The Symbaloo interface looks a bit like a high-tech Scrabble board with movable “tiles” on it. These tiles give you access to Web pages or other webmixes.
    • Denise Tatoian
      Denise Tatoian on 15 Jul 16
       
      Works great with elementary students. I have seen them in action creating webmixes.
  • The social media platform that supports PLEs creates a perfect space for peer collaboration and sharing information.
    • kkoller
      kkoller on 15 Jul 16
       
      I like this concept of PLE because it allows students to take ownership of their learning. It allows them to go as in depth as they want, and students are able to collaborate on their learning. I see this type of environment being very successful in an upper elementary to high school level classrooms. I worry, however, about lower elementary. I feel as educators we should take those early years to teach the skills needed to prepare students for this type of learning environment. Also to make it clear that learning can happen without technology. Technology is great tool for students to use and a great motivator, but I worry about the hands on experience and building of knowledge through the outside world. 
  • ersonal learning environments are beneficial because they support learning anywhere and allow learners to connect the diverse environments of school, home and play
    • kkoller
      kkoller on 15 Jul 16
       
      Could this open the window of opportunity for students to work with other students in another district on the same concept? Another district in their state, another state, or even country? 
  • The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed  dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing to the 7th period students today.
    • kkoller
      kkoller on 15 Jul 16
       
      I love this concept because it allows the teachers to give the students a starting point, but plenty of opportunity to organize it and add to it. Students could use this for projects to organize their findings. They wouldn't have to sit there and search through their history. I like the fact that students can access it from any computer. 
    • bkoller86
      bkoller86 on 17 Jul 16
       
      I could definitely see students using this as a way to visually organize their sources them find on a project. 
  • While it’s easy to create webmixes, you also might want to explore the Symbaloo gallery to find webmixes the Symbaloo community has create
    • kkoller
      kkoller on 15 Jul 16
       
      Symbaloo would be great for students. But how about teachers??? Couldn't we all use this to organize all those sites, blogs, etc. we use on a daily basis? Also couldn't we use this to connect to other teachers who are also trying to adapt their classrooms to this new way of learning? 
  • Students now have access to desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and game systems that connect them to free online tools that are always available
    • kbolinger
      kbolinger on 16 Jul 16
       
      It is important to remember that, while many schools are working in a 1:1 environment, there are still many other schools that have limited access to technology. I would imagine that personalized learning would be much less challenging when there is ample access to technology, as well as professional development for teachers.
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness.
    • bkoller86
      bkoller86 on 17 Jul 16
       
      I wonder how you handle classes with a large range of student responsibility and awareness in regards of use of PLEs. I would think it would take a large amount of student training. 
marydermit

PLE Articles - 2 views

moodlesw.aeapdonline.org/...view.php

shared by marydermit on 16 Jul 15 - No Cached
  • PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness. Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 16 Jul 15
       
      This is the part that I get stuck on.  Many students are either not mature enough for this yet or have been so put off by school that they think there is no educational topic that interests them.  In a more one-on-one environment, like my alt school, I can usually find something to interest them and get them going.  However, in a traditional school setting, where I see students only for an hour each day for only 60 days, and so many of them, it's hard to work with each student one-on-one to get them motivated.  I think all the comments that the whole school would have to shift (rather than just one classroom) makes sense because the students would have to learn how to deal with this new level of responsibility.  60 hours with one teacher just won't get that accomplished, no matter how phenomenal the teacher is.
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I definitely agree with you on this. Since I teach freshmen, I feel like a lot of time is teaching them just how to be good citizens (at school, at home, in the community, and in the world)! I only see them for 45 minutes each day, but I do see them all year. I would really like to implement a more personalized learning environment for them, but I know it's going to be an up-hill climb all of the way!
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      Last comment by Alissa Hansen.
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      This would be a challenge for me as well, since I only have my 6th graders for 9 weeks per school year, and my 7th and 8th graders for 7 weeks per school year! 
    • Lisa Hackman
      Lisa Hackman on 17 Jul 15
       
      Being a teacher in an alternative program, most of my students just want to be done with school as quick as possible. They are so tired of playing the game of school. I must admit, unfortunately, that I may feed that "get-done-with-school-as-soon-as-possible" mentality by pushing students to stay on track or get ahead of the game. However, if the student becomes the driver in their own learning then maybe they will be more motivated. As educators, we need to tap into the "What's in if for me?" mindset that many students have. Find an interest of the students and build their learning environment around that interest. Much easier said than done.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 18 Jul 15
       
      I agree with this. I also think that parents need to be aware of what teachers are doing as well. A high school teacher at my former school put everything on Twitter and one parent did not want her 15 year old daughter to have a Twitter account. Something to always think about and be ready to have alternative ways to do assignments or simply make it a requirement.
  • professionalism is far more about the effective manipulation– access, evaluation, & applicatio
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 16 Jul 15
       
      This seems to be a recurring theme as well.  Getting students ready for the "real world" isn't so much about making sure they know lots of details about every subject area, but making sure they could find and understand any detail in any subject area that they will need.  The goal of education seems less about passing on information as teaching students how to organize and understand the over-abundance of it.  How then do we balance this with the extreme focus on core-curriculum?  Finding a balance is the challenge.
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      Yes, it seems there needs to be instruction on how to gather/organize the information and reliable sources, and then instruction on using it.  While the end result is positive, it will take time to jump start students in their own PLE.
  • Symbaloo has created a version of the platform specifically for educators
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 16 Jul 15
       
      We got introduced to Symbaloo at school this year, although I might check into the EDU version.  I got logged in and played for a few minutes, but never had the time to develop something usable because as a district we were on to something different.  I like that our district provides us with many topics and learning opportunities, but I wish that I had more time to focus on one thing.  I think this is probably what it's like for students.  They get exposed to so much, but they need help organizing it and time to explore.  
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      Yes, Symballoo seems like more than one day of PD.  I haven't started my own yet, but I think it will take time to get a handle on the lingo as well as using the tools within the website.
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 17 Jul 15
       
      I agree as teachers we would need to be taught or have time to explore this site and learn how to exactly model it appropriately to our grade level. I would love to see how other teachers use this and model it in their classrooms too. 
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      I can relate to this feeling, whenever I attend a conference, I learn so much that I need a day or two afterwards to just process and create the new games and activities that I've found, but it is always straight back to teaching. 
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 18 Jul 15
       
      Some teacher as my school went to a conference this year and actually talked administration into another professional development day where they could just process all of their information.  It was pretty cool.
  • ...37 more annotations...
  • Some instructors empower students to use their own mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a means to create PLEs.
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      We have 1-on-1 technology in our district, which is ideal for PLEs.  However, when the student forgets the laptop or has no power left in the battery, the smartphone comes in handy.  It is tougher to monitor the smartphone.
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      Autonomy is a great concern for me.  With collaboration being stressed in CCS, will students be able to conquer this skill without the use of technology?  At some point, some issues have to be discussed face-to-face, and there is a separate skill set for that environment.
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      I like the idea of Symballoo--kind of like a favorites list and bookmarks in my Google account.  What will take time for me is learning all the lingo attached to Symballoo!
    • lisalillian311
      lisalillian311 on 16 Jul 15
       
      What is aggregator?
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I have always been a support of helpful tech resources that students are interested in, which is why I am always trying to learn more about different Apps and tools and explore them myself. Once I play around a bit, I usually introduce it to my students. Sometimes the resources are new, sometimes not, but there are so many wonderful tools out there. I visit Richard Byrne's site once a day! Currently, our language arts department has Chromebook carts for each classroom and the district is allocating more and more to different departments. They are wonderful to have, but students will get bored very quickly if they are only being used for tech sake. I LOVE the idea of having students create a Symbaloo. In fact, my plan is to have them begin one at the start of the school year and then they can add to it as we move through different units. This would have been particularly helpful during our research unit.  I also like the idea of "empower"ing students to use their phones and other mobile devices, but we do have a pretty strict policy on phone usage at our school. Sometimes students' phones work much more efficiently than the Chromebooks. (Alissa Hansen)
    • spfantz
      spfantz on 17 Jul 15
       
      I think my students would love deciding which medium to use. I also have a lot of artistic students who would chose to create a paper/pencil project similar in format to a prezi presentation or blog with pictures.
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      Choice can be such a motivator for students, we all have our strengths and weaknesses! 
    • emilyzelenovich
      emilyzelenovich on 18 Jul 15
       
      This is something I also worry about with the students I teach. While I appreciate their willingness to use technology and the creativity it lends itself to, I worry about their ability to solve problems and communicate effectively face to face. How do you ensure they are learning these essential skills as well when things are so individualized? 
    • Jessica Athen
      Jessica Athen on 18 Jul 15
       
      This made me think about how difficult it is to have a PLE in a traditional classroom setting. We have 1:1 technology in our district, but students are extremely limited in what websites and programs they can use (You Tube, all social media, etc is blocked for students.) We also do not allow students to use tablets or smartphones in the classroom, with some teachers wanting to enact a school wide ban on smart phones and tablets so that they are not allowed in school at all. I am so excited to be learning about all of the opportunities PLEs offer students, but I also think there are many changes that will have to be made before we can start moving in this direction.
  • The vast array of options and sense of autonomy that lies at the very heart of personal learning environments can also be a huge inhibitor.
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I also worry about autonomy, as I teach freshmen English and 14 and 15 year olds do not have a "high level of self-management and awareness," at least not many. Like any classroom, however, guidelines need to be firmly in place and I think autonomy would need to be frontloaded before jumping into a PLE. I do think students would do very well in this type of environment. In fact, I often have students telling me about different resources they go to on a daily basis...whether it's to get advice, read a review, write a review, or even write a short story! The possibilities are endless, but I do think structure needs to be in place. At least to begin with. I start the year with my freshmen discussing and reading/watching material regarding civility, we made a code of civility in each class, and then we blog about our practicing of it throughout the year. I would like to implement a PLE in much the same manner. (Alissa Hansen)
  • The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed  dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing to the 7th period students
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I do think that using a Symbaloo is a great idea to manage resources, and it looks like something my students would enjoy working with. However, my school has really moved towards using Google Classroom and teachers having Google sites, which I spend a lot of time and energy on with both. I think too many tech items can be a cognitive overload for students and teachers alike. I think if I am to use something like Symbaloo, I would need to eliminate at least Classroom or Sites and maybe even some of the other many sites that I have students use (Newsela, NoRedInk, Kahoot, etc.). It's just hard for me, especially with the site that I have created because I have spent so much time on it over the past three years. I just don't think students would benefit from having to click around to a lot of different resources, especially if they are teacher-created. (Alissa Hansen)
    • ascallon
      ascallon on 17 Jul 15
       
      I like the idea of a daily log in for updates.  I think this would work in the Green Belt classroom for relaying information as students don't attend the same schedule each day.
  • Teachers are challenged to provide the appropriate balance between structured lessons and learner autonomy in order to facilitate self-directed learning.
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      Great quote on the benefits of PLE, but getting students who are not "ready" or mature enough to handle this type of self-direction will struggle. A challenge for teachers indeed! I think the classroom (physical environment) setup is the first thing that needs to be changed in order to prepare students for this type of autonomy. What do the rest of you think? (Alissa Hansen)
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I guess I should also state that I do not think students are getting enough opportunities to be autonomous, which is why they struggle and fear it when they are given the opportunity. (Alissa Hansen)
  • A personal learning environment (PLE) with personal knowledge management (PKM) tools An eportfolio A collection of resources related to a problem-based learning challenge Study group resources
    • alissahansen
      alissahansen on 16 Jul 15
       
      I am really looking forward to starting this with students. It's like a one-stop shop for their individual needs. One of the biggest setbacks I have faced in recent years was trying out a multitude of tech resources and although some were helpful, clicking around all over the place was overwhelming! (Alissa Hansen)
    • spfantz
      spfantz on 17 Jul 15
       
      I was devistated when google removed igoogle, and I think this could definitely take its place. I agree that students will appreciate the convenience of this site.
    • Lisa Hackman
      Lisa Hackman on 17 Jul 15
       
      Alissa, I get overwhelmed with the amount of resources and tools available. I often don't know where to start, so I opt not to. Thankfully, I'm taking this class and I have the opportunity to investigate and use some PLE tools like Diigo and Symbaloo, things I've never heard of until now!
  • method students use to organize their self-directed online learning
    • spfantz
      spfantz on 17 Jul 15
       
      I think this would be very powerful and I would love to create something like this, personally. I think my accellerated students would thrive, but worry that my lower level students would struggle due to a lack of confidence in themselves and lack of self-awareness. I wonder if there are certain organizational PLE templates that would work better for certain learning styles? Or perhaps a template would defeat the pourpose.....
  • attend to supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners
    • spfantz
      spfantz on 17 Jul 15
       
      I love the idea of supporting students individually, I just struggle to envision being able to support all my students adequately within my classroom. I feel like it would be easy to digress with a student over their PLE, but feel it could be difficult to find the time.
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 17 Jul 15
       
      I sooo agree!!!! I would love to watch how an expert teacher teaches in a PLE classroom! I love the concept and the idea I am just struggling to make it work in the classroom.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 15
       
      I like this concept, I think it is easier to do in a classroom that is content specific.  I can see where it would be more difficult if a teacher was responsible for teaching multiple content areas.  At the same time, that teacher doesn't have to be the the information source for all the students, time is just the factor.  
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 18 Jul 15
       
      That's interesting.  I think PLEs would be easier to manage in multiple content areas because they would have to be working on their own thing.  The environment is really suited for it.
  • subscribe to news feeds and blogs, discern the value of social bookmarks, and set up the aggregator to manage all the Internet resources.
    • spfantz
      spfantz on 17 Jul 15
       
      Subscribing to news feeds and blogs would be a great technique to compare and contrast views related to the students' topics of interest. This could be difficult for the teacher to monitor, digo might be a great way to track this!
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 17 Jul 15
       
      This is what I am trying to develop in my preschool class room where the students are in charge of their own learning, and I am more of a resource. What I struggle with is classroom management, I feel like all of the students are demanding my attention and I can't help everyone. 
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      Sometimes it is hard to fathom the classroom management of a PLE of 12-22 students, which is what I currently have, let alone 30+ like many districts have.  
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 20 Jul 15
       
      Having your students be more independent is wonderful.  This past year I did less large group instruction and more small groups.  I taught my kindergarten students "Ask 3 before me".  They had to ask 3 people for help or what we were doing before coming to me.  When they came to me, especially when i was working with my small group, I asked them "did you ask 3 before me?".  If they didn't, they would just turn around and go find something.  This is a start for having your students become more independent.  BY creating a PLE for young students, they feel more in control of their learning too.  If you, the teacher, set it up and give them access to a variety of things to do, they will enjoy what they are doing and feel they are making "their own choices".  
  • Personal learning environments are beneficial because they support learning anywhere and allow learners to connect the diverse environments of school, home and play. Students can extend their learning into questions to parents, email conversations, Facebook posts or even twitter hashtags.
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 17 Jul 15
       
      I don't want to sound negative in my post here because I really am all for personalized learning. I wonder how we can get administration on board with us. I struggle with old school administration who tell me as a teacher that I can not use my phone during the day, that I can not use facebook, and about passed out when they realized that parents text me, questions and changes in their child's schedule. I did have a secret facebook page and it was wonderful I would use it to include parents with our studies. 
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 17 Jul 15
       
      Good point. I agree with your post. It is hard to get some administrators going along with this new idea of personalized learning. Even at my other school I taught at Facebook and some other social networking sites were blocked. I like the idea of having a Facebook page with parents and students to keep parents informed with stuff going on at school, and also a way for students to post and communicate with parents and classmates. I think these social websites are necessary in schools, but the big question is how do we get teachers and administration to go for it? 
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 15
       
      Our District has blocked a lot of the social sites as well, it comes from the upper levels of administration and not our building admin.  I think they tend to be out of touch with the possibilities and fear the unknown.   It would be great to use Facebook for connecting with parents and students.  The alternative given to us is Canvas in which parents have access to teachers.  But it isn't as easy or convenient as Facebook.  That is certainly one site I wish we could use at work.   I do like the idea of personalized learning environments, especially the concept of students seeking knowledge that is useful for them!  This appears to be the best way to create life-long learners!
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      Facebook is blocked at my school as well, which is a shame since it'd be a way to create an immersion like setting in my Spanish classroom.  If I see something cool on the site that related to class, such as photos from a friend's time in Panama with the Peace Corps, I turn the wifi off on my phone so that Facebook will work, and just walk around the class showing kids, which is risky, I know.  I'm sure there is a cord that I could connect from my phone to SmartBoard to make this more feasible.  I should probably get a separate teacher facebook page for things like this.  Some of the articles that pop up in my feed from magazines like Women's Health are not school appropriate!  
  • Students engaging in networked learning have to learn to be more self-directed than in the typical classroom… they are required to take a more active role in the learning process
    • jroffman
      jroffman on 17 Jul 15
       
      by teaching students how to be self learners and how to be active in the learning process I think that as kids and adults these students will want to be life long learners and not someone who only does it because they have to. Or worse yet lets everyone else do it for them. I love the independence PLE classrooms create
    • Jessica Athen
      Jessica Athen on 18 Jul 15
       
      I see so many students who do not understand how to play an active role in their learning because they have been conditioned to rely on the teacher. Many students get very anxious and really don't know what to do when they are asked to complete self-directed activities. I think PLE will provide students with the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning, which will help them throughout their lives.
  • Personal Learning Environments (PLE) are not to be confused with Learning Management Systems (LMS) that are implemented and maintained by institutions.
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 17 Jul 15
       
      This is very important! I see the (LMS) approach in our school and in many other schools. I feel like it wouldn't be hard to confuse (LMS and PLE) these different approaches, because they seem so different. The chart gave a good outline of how different they are compared to each other. 
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 15
       
      The chart is helpful in understanding the differences.  The LMS could also be a tool in a student's PLE.  
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      Agreed, charts and lists make learning so much easier than paragraphs, at least for me. 
  • continue to collect feedback from students on how this learning tool is working for them and how they are using it for themselves as well as within their groups–I’m excited to see what will happen.  I may also informally introduce Symbaloo to some of last year’s Media 21 students and get their feedback on how they think Symbaloo compares to Netvibes and what their preferences are as students.   In the meantime, I’ve created
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 17 Jul 15
       
      I like the idea of getting student feedback on technology and the use of different resources. You can really learn student interest and their honest opinions through surveys or different forms of feedback. 
  • It’s easy to use A learner can pull information that’s personally useful to him/her Learners can personalize tiles to make them easy to spot Learners can add to, and draw from, a community of webmixes Interactivity + personalization = fun
    • Alison Ruebel
      Alison Ruebel on 17 Jul 15
       
      These look like awesome reasons why Symbaloo is a great learning tool for students. I can definitely see this resource being used in grades k-12. Although, for example, I teach 1st grade and I can see my students loving this, but they will need lots of guidance and modeling of how to set it up and use it to help them become independent with it. I can see once it's set up it would be awesome for students to have all of their favorite resources and sites all in one place! 
    • ascallon
      ascallon on 17 Jul 15
       
      I like the idea of having research available at one spot.  So many times when I ask a student where he/she found the information, it cannot be located.  I want to see projects with more detail.  
    • ascallon
      ascallon on 17 Jul 15
       
      I have a concern about distractions.  Students tend to use their phones and computers more for entertainment and chatting with friends over research and presentation.  
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      Agreed, a high school I taught at did not have locks on lockers, meaning kids brought their phones to class so that they wouldn't be stolen. Preventing snapchatting was difficult for me!  
    • marydermit
      marydermit on 22 Jul 15
       
      I have experienced the same issues with my high schools students.  I may take a different approach based on one of the side articles that stated, "students are still learning while they are wasting time because they will see consequences are for late work."
  • “learning by doing” and “student as worker,”
    • ascallon
      ascallon on 17 Jul 15
       
      I would like to have some strategies to help students having an understanding of the shift in learning for them to become more involved in their learning.  How do I motivate them to go beyond bookwork to exploring topics?
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 18 Jul 15
       
      When you find the answer, please fill me in too!
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 20 Jul 15
       
      I feel this is a big struggle right now in our district.  Teachers are wanting their students to dig deep into a topic or their work.  Students are given choices but still only surface the top of the water, doing the bare minimum, when we want them to dive in and go to the bottom.  In my classroom, my students have a writing journal.  We write in this "special" journal once a week.  At the beginning of the year, I give them ideas to write about.  Some write while others will simply draw a picture because they don't know how to write.  By the middle of the year, every is writing something, whether it is a complete sentences or a few words.  I will give them a few choices to choose from or they can write about something they want to.  BY the end of the year, they know to take out their journals and write about anything they want.  I want my students to take control of their own learning and reflect back on their work over the year so by having this year long journal, they can see their progression and how they took control over their writing.  
  • Many students in the first class that tried Symbaloo today commented that they liked the clean, visual interface of Symbaloo and the ease of adding content; they also liked that they could customize the “tiles” they were adding and that their webmixes loaded quickly.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 15
       
      With my limited experience with Symbaloo, I agree with the fact that it does seem easy add and customize content.  I think my students would find this to be a helpful tool.  I also like the idea of encouraging students to use it for tracking both personal and school related information.  
  • learning toward facilitation of students’ “active role in the learning process” and teachers’ provision of the right balance between structured lessons and autonomy; let’s never forget it is an ongoing balancing act.
    • Kristina Dvorak
      Kristina Dvorak on 17 Jul 15
       
      This is a good reminder.  Students need to take on a more active role, but there is always a good balance.  It probably shouldn't be all one way or all another way.  
    • principalchris
      principalchris on 20 Jul 15
       
      How true!  It will be difficult for some students to lead their own learning.  They have been passive for so long it will be a shock to their systems.
  • a number of tiles to get you started,
    • edamisch
      edamisch on 17 Jul 15
       
      So like the apps that come with an iphone. 
    • principalchris
      principalchris on 20 Jul 15
       
      Just set up my account and can't wait to see what else I can add.  This is a great time saver.
  • teachers must pursue training and be knowledgeable of how to utilize PLEs to enhance learning and ensure that students are using this e-learning tool in a meaningful way.
    • Lisa Hackman
      Lisa Hackman on 17 Jul 15
       
      I believe this is where the transformation must start, with good, consistent professional development. The key here is ensuring students are using the technology, whether that be a tablet, laptop, or smartphone, appropriately for learning.
    • marydermit
      marydermit on 22 Jul 15
       
      I very much agree the process must start with PD.  PD needs to be personalized. From a baby boomer perspective we need mini PD sessions for technology applications.  Otherwise I think there will be resistance from this age group because of limited tech skills. 
  • I could stand to be more savvy in my own organizing of online learning and networking: I’ve been slow to use tools and develop skills for managing online resource
    • Lisa Hackman
      Lisa Hackman on 17 Jul 15
       
      I can so relate to this comment. Finding time to explore and become comfortable with the vast array of tools avaiable is my biggest challenge. I get so caught up in the day-to-day management of 10+ students attending the alternative program (I am the only adult in the room with the students), I don't often have time to explore what's out there. Even when my admin and tech people pass along a list of resources, it is overwhelming to me. Much of my time is spent tracking down students, following up with parents, and documenting the events of the day.
    • Jessica Athen
      Jessica Athen on 18 Jul 15
       
      I also feel overwhelmed by all of the technology that I "should" be learning about and using with my students. We spend a lot of PD time on technology and incorporating it into our classrooms, but I feel like we just get a quick overview of whatever program they want us to use at that time, and then we never really get time to explore it and develop ways to incorporate it into our teaching.
    • jenniferlb
      jenniferlb on 19 Jul 15
       
      I'm with you! There are so many cool resources and tech tools I want to learn and use...but actually finding the time to explore and implement is another story!
  • Teachers, she explains, are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students
    • Lisa Hackman
      Lisa Hackman on 17 Jul 15
       
      As a teacher in a one-room alternative program, I KNOW this to be true. I feel like the jack-of-all trades, master of none on many days. I see myself more as a manager and facilitator of their learning than the direct source.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 18 Jul 15
       
      I always think this after I watch the history channel. I learn so much from the history channel and it is so much more interesting than listening to a lecture.
    • moodyh
      moodyh on 18 Jul 15
       
      I am in a one-teacher room as well, and while I try to keep up, there is now way to know it all.  Even in the traditional classroom where I teach personal finance, I feel unable to keep up with it all.  But it is hard to let go of the reigns when you have taught that way and everyone else around you teaches that way.
  • I encouraged students to use their accounts as an information dashboard for “professional” or school interests as well as personal passions.
    • Jessica Athen
      Jessica Athen on 18 Jul 15
       
      I really like the idea of showing students how to use this technology and their learning for both "professional and personal use." I think when you tell students that it is "ok" for them to use technology this way, they learn more because they aren't compartmentalizing their usage of this technology as only for school, which means that they are more likely to use the program and play around with it, which will increase their learning opportunities.
  • This encourages students to apply their learning in different venues which creates a culture of lifelong learning.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 18 Jul 15
       
      This is exactly what educators are going for, to create life long learners. Using PLEs will create that. I am so excited to incorporate this in my classroom and help others do the same.
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 19 Jul 15
       
      I completely agree with you that we want students to become life-long learners! When students leave school, we want students to be able to do seek out their own research, contacts, and resources to solve everyday problems. If students are never presented with opportunities to direct and manage their own learning, they will not be as successful. Giving students permission to learn about and engage with things they are passionate about can only lead to positive educational outcomes (with appropriate supports of course)!
  • For example, you can create tiles that link to challenges, quiz questions, polls, discussion forums, chat pages, and other types of content and media that will facilitate more student involvement and creativity.
    • dwefel
      dwefel on 18 Jul 15
       
      This sounds fun. I am looking forward to set up an account. I think kids would really like this. It is nice to have one place for everything.
  • students still needed some kind of information dashboard to manage all of their information streams for the upcoming project.
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 19 Jul 15
       
      I think it is a great idea to have a place for students to "store" the information they need to research and interact with their content. My students have used symbaloo in computer class and it has taken away a lot of the management concerns. Students know where to go to find the tools they need to keep progressing with their learning!
    • principalchris
      principalchris on 20 Jul 15
       
      What a great idea!  When that notebook with all the notes is missing, it could be stored and used during class instead of searching or pretending to search.  Maybe we could teach them responsibility again!
  • PLEs give learners a high degree of control over their work by allowing them to customize the learning experience and connect to others, including experts in the field
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 19 Jul 15
       
      This is exactly what we want - students to have a high degree of control over their work! By allowing them to customize the learning experience and connect with others, including experts, students are getting real-life experience that will help them solve the problems they face in their everyday lives. A PLE can help students organize this self-directed learning. Students will likely know what they want to learn but organizing that learning is often what students need support in. PLEs are helpful in providing students with tools they need to gather information, conduct research, and present their findings!
  • personalized learning that allows students to direct and manage their own learning experience while pursuing educational goals
    • jillnovotny
      jillnovotny on 19 Jul 15
       
      In my opinion, this is exactly what we want students to be able to do! By supporting students in their academic endeavors, students learn to view teachers as guides or facilitators rather than "the one who knows all." In thinking about what we want students to be able to do when they leave school, we want students to be able to do seek out their own research, contacts, and resources to solve everyday problems. If students are never presented with opportunities to direct and manage their own learning, they will not be as successful!
    • marydermit
      marydermit on 22 Jul 15
       
      You are right!  If students do not get to practice this skills by doing then they will struggle when they enter the workforce. 
  • The development of PLEs represents a shift in focus from teacher centered classrooms to more learner centered classrooms. As such, teachers must learn to effectively incorporate these social media based initiatives into their lessons.
    • jenniferlb
      jenniferlb on 19 Jul 15
       
      This sounds absolutely ideal. The challenge we as educators face with students using their own technology during instruction and competing for their attention has steadily increased over recent years. How cool would it be if it were used to enhance their learning rather than get in the way of it!
    • katie50009
      katie50009 on 21 Jul 15
       
      I do have some concerns that a lot of the PLE is based on on-line learning. Students use technology constantly, but I have also seen them get frustrated with technology and on-line learning when it seems hard to navigate or they are not receiving adequate feedback.
  • The Symbaloo interface looks a bit like a high-tech Scrabble board with movable “tiles” on it. These tiles give you access to Web pages or other webmixes.
    • jenniferlb
      jenniferlb on 19 Jul 15
       
      As someone completely new to this type of program, I really like the looks of it.  It appears friendly and seems to lend itself to some really great things.
  • What I do like about Symbaloo is that if I make any updates to this webmix, students receive the updates as well!
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 20 Jul 15
       
      This is really handy for parents as well.  I send them the link and they can access my web mix at home.  When I make an update, I alert parents via my shutterfly site.  Parents can go to my web mix and have their child show them games we are playing that reinforces our learning goals.  It is also nice because parents don't have to download anything or search for hours on something educational for their child to do because it is already done for them.
  • Because Symbaloo is web-based, you can access your favorite webmixes from different computers.
    • nwhipple
      nwhipple on 20 Jul 15
       
      This is so great because I can share this with parents and their child can access my game page at home.  If parents allow screen time at home, I feel that by providing this web mix to them to access will only benefit their child and help them learn and reinforce our learning in the classroom.  
  • The concept of PLE is not a way to replace classroom learning, but to enhance it.
    • principalchris
      principalchris on 20 Jul 15
       
      This is the comment many teachers were hoping to read.  I understand the hesitation to give students control of the learning environment, but is it working by controlling them?
    • marydermit
      marydermit on 22 Jul 15
       
      PLE research shows there are less behavior issues because kids get to learn based on their interests promoting intrinsic motivation to learn.  I think it would be great to teach in a PLE.  
  • Personal learning environments (PLE) are a new approach to personalized learning that allows students to direct and manage their own learning experience while pursuing educational goals. The idea for PLEs was born from the emergence of Web 2.0 tools and the ubiquity of technology in today’s society. Students now have access to desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and game systems that connect them to free online tools that are always available. These tools provide a medium for students to create their own learning space that is more natural and unique to their interests and learning styles.
    • katie50009
      katie50009 on 21 Jul 15
       
      One of the key phrases here is "learning goals." I think we have to also explore how to help students define and establish learning goals for themselves. I am not sure they are always able to do this--at least in a way that is pushing and challenging what they already know or are able to do.
  • The social media platform that supports PLEs creates a perfect space for peer collaboration and sharing information.
    • katie50009
      katie50009 on 21 Jul 15
       
      I must remember that baby steps can get use to PLE for more students. It is overwhelming to think about changing the traditional model of education so many are used to until I read this line and take a deep breath. The sharing and conducting of "research" students are doing in individual leassons or units is a stgep in the right direction.
  • o horribly wrong if teachers fail to prepare students and set usage parameters.
    • katie50009
      katie50009 on 21 Jul 15
       
      I feel so much better reading this. I experienced this first hand. I thought my students were ready for the responsibility I was handing over; I thought I had set the "right" parameters, but, alas, the learning was not as rich as it could have been. In many cases, it turned out to be a huge waste of time. I still feel guilty about it. I guess the positive is that I am still trying to learn more about implementing PLE's effectively.
    • marydermit
      marydermit on 22 Jul 15
       
      Yes, it is a positive because you learned from the experience.  Now you know what worked and what needs to be revised.  
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