Group items tagged

I really liked this article. Online learning can be so overwhelming because of the amount of information available. Tagging is a great way to organize your discussions by topic, which save a huge amount of time. I could visualize using this when you are using a social network for a class, and you discuss various topics. Tagging would allow you to keep track of each topic separately.

This excellent article examined the manner in which students of the 18th century enlightenment constructed a virtual reconstruction of various discussion venues in 18th century London. Having completed such a project allowed the students to gain insight into the manner in which social networking has been with us for quite some time and has been responsible for revolutionary associations. The authors suggest that the current climate of social networks may stimulate a similar dynamism in that the previous coffee shops, chocolate shops, pubs and taverns where great ideas were exchanged are now being replaced by chatrooms, Wikis and social websites, such as Facebook or Twitter.

As a teacher of English to non-natives I was curious to see if there were any existing social networks for language learners. I found this one, called KanTalk, that uses Skype to allow people to connect and practice their English. Users can select a topic and they will be directed to a page with a relevant video clip from YouTube, a few discussion questions, a short reading text and a few vocabulary words. When they are ready to practice speaking, they can choose a partner from a list of registered users and invite them to chat on Skype. If the partner accepts, the two can then use the discussion questions as prompts for a conversation. The users can also record themselves speaking and listen to/comment on other learners recordings. Learners can form and join groups based on interests, culture, exams or any other criteria they choose. KanTalk seems to be a clever way to add a social network framework to an existing technology for educational purposes

Very interesting concept, I love how the platform makes learning connections not only through its portal but by utilizing Skype. I heard today that there are more people that have Skype accounts than gmail accounts. I'm using Skype a lot more in my work lately, how about you?

That is a very cool site an idea! I may have to check that one out because I am moving to Germany soon, maybe our family could benefit from this site to learn German!

This article was written by one of co-authors of the article Eric posted Personal Learning Environments: Challenging the dominant design of educational systems. The key points of this article is that a PLE is made up of more than just software. While it has tools - these could be considered more of problem solvers or strategies. Some of the typical problems that these tools solve are discourse monitoring, micropattern spotting, creating and mixing media and indicating presence of other participants in your personal learning network. In comparison with an LMS which can be static this environment actually can function as an ecosystem. While I have already started on my PLE in bubbl.us, this article is making me rethink how I categorized according to tools. Perhaps, I should be thinking more about how the social network is functioning and what tools best fit the culture of the social network. How do members of the network choose to solve their problems or implement their strategies for their own PLEs?

Hmm very interesting Kae! I would love to see you take a stab at categorizing your PLE in this way, and see what you're able to come up with in the analysis. I noticed that Jamey (I think!) categorized her PLE by purpose (social, learning, entertainment, etc.), and this seemed to provide a useful sorting mechanism, as well, especially when you overlay the SNKC color coding on top. You could see where she spent her time contributing, lurking, etc. You might find some good insights using your approach, as well. Good luck!

Open source social network.

Widgetbox is a great way to make widgets that help create linkages between the nodes in your social networks.

A take-off on Pinterest, eduClipper is one of the newest entries to the 'educational social network' foray and seems like a worthwhile place to pull in some hard-to-find information. Created by Adam Bellow of eduTecher.net (great site, worth following!), it's a never-ending stream of clearly laid out educational information. It's extremely similar to Pinterest but I actually have found numerous infographics that aren't seen on Pinterest. The infographics themselves are a bit less mainstream (Pinterest) and a lot more niche (eduClipper).

This article in the First Coast News is about how the Lee County School District is limiting teachers use of Facebook with current students. It is a very interesting take on how to use a social network site and learning.

This article reviews and synthesizes current practices and thoughts on how Web 2.0 allows for participatory/networked learning. It references Gee 2004's affinity spaces, Jenkins et al. 2006's participatory culture and Wenger 1998's communities of practices. I found the author's components of Web 2.0 spaces to be useful especially for whenever I may need to explain the essentials of a social network. These components were listed as presence, modification, user-generated content and social participation. I also found the author's use of the DJ metaphor to explain re-appropriation and remixing of content to be helpful.

Available through library at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1793740&show=abstract