In 2008, the M3 project set out to explore the potential of the VLE, Moodle, a Microblogging tool, (Twitter) and the MUVE, Second Life, with three different groups of users within the educational community and compare integrated use of these tools and environments. A key aim was to investigate effective ways of embedding synchronous online tools, which are already establishing themselves as effective for social networking, and exploring the use of others that offer a 3-dimensional opportunity for learning. A Twitter plug-in for Moodle was to be one key deliverable of the project.
great article, and an interesting quote from it "It's counter-intuitive, but the wisest crowds are the ones made up of individuals who are thinking about their own needs, not the needs of the group."
Terry Anderson with a recap of 3 generations of learning theory, nets, sets, groups, and a final section on Athabasca Landing built using Elgg to allow social learning and connection.
"Barnes & Noble continues to makes inroads into the education, um, space. It just announced that it has teamed up with Blackboard, the Web site/software suite that is used in colleges all over the U.S."