Seven Degrees of Connectedness... the Infographic While I haven't had time to respond to all the comments I received on the framework I posted yesterday, I did engage in a short conversation with Sylvia Tolisano about turning the Seven Degrees of Connectness into an infographic. After following Sylvia's work online for a few years, I count myself lucky for having the opportunity to meet her first hand at Educon 2.3. After sharing an idea, and engaging in a short conversation, Sylvia produced the infographic that follows. Digital Portfolios Best Practices Infographic Today's students are the most accomplished and the most connected. Back in the day, no one needed a resume until they were out of school. Now, even middle schoolers are being asked to submit completed resumes to apply for summer programs. This is why an up to date, professional portfolio is now a necessity for students. A portfolio's goal is to showcase your talents, skills, projects and recognitions. When you are building a portfolio, each item needs to have proper details. Set yourself up for success. See also: How to Build a Student Portfolio Infographic
Why and How to create successful Personal Learning Networks Back in the 1950s and 60s, when you needed to make a photocopy at work or place a long-distance call to your counterpart in another city, you couldn’t walk up to the photocopy machine or telephone and do it yourself. A “trained” operator had to do it for you. Today, if there is a particular workplace challenge to overcome, you no longer have to wait for training. By leveraging your personal learning network to get the information you need, you can become instantly productive. The idea behind a Personal Learning Network has its roots in a learning theory, called the Theory of Connectivism, advanced by George Siemens back in 2005. According to Siemens’ Theory of Connectivism, continuous learning in the workplace can most effectively happen when employees personally reach out, beyond the formal classroom setting, and create informal structures within their environment to support their ongoing learning needs. PLNs simplified Why is developing a PLN important? Barriers to workplace learning
10 Reasons Every Teacher Needs A Professional Learning Network - 10 Reasons Every Teacher Needs A Professional Learning Network by TeachThought Staff What’s a professional learning network? According to Marc-André Lalande, “a Personal Learning Network is a way of describing the group of people that you connect with to learn their ideas, their questions, their reflections, and their references. Your PLN is not limited to online interactions, but it is that online, global interactive part that really makes it special. As for this graphic? Let us know in the comments if you have other suggestions! 1. Consider: OER Commons Resources 2. Consider: 23 Ways To Use The iPad In PBL 3. Consider: 52 Education Blogs You Should Follow 4. Consider: An example like clarifying the difference between ‘doing projects’ and PBL 5. Consider: Project-Based Learning in your classroom 6. Consider: Why Learning Through Social Networks Is The Future 7. Consider: 50 Ideas For Using Skype In The Classroom 8. 9. Consider: The most popular twitter hashtags in education 10.
Develop your PLN There’s a lot of information out there about PLNs, but sometimes you just want a simple guide to get you started. Here it is. This infographic gives a very brief, four step guide to initiating a PLN. Of course, a PLN is not something that you can develop in an afternoon, but by following the steps in this guide, you can make a start, and you know what they say, a journey of a thousand steps… There’s a printable PDF version also if you want to post this in your classroom, library or elsewhere (click the link, or the infographic image below). Below the infographic are links to the other PLN posts I’ve written, so if you want to delve deeper, it’s easy to find them. Creating and maintaining a PLN can be so rewarding – and don’t forget to add me to your network – I’d love to learn with you! Other posts on PLNs that I have written include: PLNs: Theory and Practice Supercharge your PLN – Part One, Part Two and Part Three The Symphonic Magic of the PLN Personalised Learning through the PLN