Social Network Learning

Visit this presentation website to learn how educators can use Web 2.0 tools to communicate and collaborate with peers and learn about some of the newest tools teachers are using to support their own professional learning goals. Contains links to a number of PLN resources.

I liked this article because it relates social media to both formal and informal learning. The first comment that intrigued me by Quinn, "The recognition that learning is 80% informal suggests that we need to support natural connections between people who can help one another". As teachers/trainers we should be trying to access all the tools in our tool belt to accomplish the greatest amount of learning. He goes on to say that social media can be a huge payoff in formal settings. By accessing informal learning methods of social media we can access 80% of the learning that is going to happen. It may even accelerate the learning experiences because drawing upon personal experiences allows the learner to apply it to other problems to solve. This leads to Quinn's assertion, "Having one place to go for additional resources around the topic, and to have that portal incorporated into the learning, anchors the learning in the real world, and provides scaffolding both in the task and to performance beyond the task."

Thanks Lora, this article really provides a rich summary of the topic. It would be interesting to try to document all of the informal learning that occurs in a day.... my brother helps me with my portfolio web site, I give my sister the answer to a health-related question, the list goes on and on. Just think how much could be accomplished with the addition of social media tools.

I somewhat facetiously posted in my class introduction that I would not be "tweetered". I felt it only fair that I should begin my study on a topic for which I have distrust. This article did present an interesting and creative use of Twitter. The applicationn provided the means to accurately record data by having subjects record actions in real time (by tweeting). This gives the observer more accurate information, as there is no need for the subject to recall and reconstruct occurrences from memory. This research was directed toward a broader end of understanding the role of informal learning, the authors called these "learnscapes" as opposed to classroom learning. The lingering impression for me is the creativity in which technology is being applied in support of the redefinition and understanding of learning. It's why I believe this is actually one of the most interesting times to be an educator.

Timothy, glad to see you start your study with Twitter :) I agree with you- this is an interesting application of Twitter for educational purposes. I can also see some possible spin offs that could be used in my institutional setting. We have students who are off campus all over the world during their last term of chiropractic school. Perhaps they could Twitter about what patient conditions they treat each day and post links to where they found information supporting evidence-based practice for those conditions.

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!

Check out this course described as a primer on the study of online social networks that is taught using a wiki and a Facebook group.

Learn more about how to effectively use Facebook as a learning tool. Most importantly, learn what Facebook isn't in terms of educational use.

Alec Couros

Great discussion on difference between PLEs and PLNs, scroll down about half way

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