Network- Book In recent years there has been a growing public fascination with the complex "connectedness" of modern society. This connectedness is found in many incarnations: in the rapid growth of the Internet and the Web, in the ease with which global communication now takes place, and in the ability of news and information as well as epidemics and financial crises to spread around the world with surprising speed and intensity. These are phenomena that involve networks, incentives, and the aggregate behavior of groups of people; they are based on the links that connect us and the ways in which each of our decisions can have subtle consequences for the outcomes of everyone else. Networks, Crowds, and Markets combines different scientific perspectives in its approach to understanding networks and behavior. The book is based on an inter-disciplinary course that we teach at Cornell. You can download a complete pre-publication draft of Networks, Crowds, and Markets here.
Networks-Intro Scott B. Weingart Part 1 of n: An Introduction This piece builds on a bunch of my recent blog posts that have mentioned networks. Some Warnings A network is a fantastic tool in the digital humanist’s toolbox—one of many—and it’s no exaggeration to say pretty much any data can be studied via network analysis. The danger here is two-fold. When you’re given your first hammer, everything looks like a nail. The Basics Nothing worth discovering has ever been found in safe waters. Anyone with a lot of time and a vicious interest in networks should stop reading right now, and instead pick up copies of Networks, Crowds, and Markets[] and Networks: An Introduction[]. Those of you with slightly less time, but somehow enough to read my rambling blog (there are apparently a few of you out there), so good of you to join me. Networks The word “network” originally meant just that: “a net-like arrangement of threads, wires, etc.” A simple network representation from wikipedia.org The Stuff The Relationships
Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips By Dr. Mark Wagner I often begin my workshop on personal learning networks (PLN) for educators by asking these questions: Who is in your learning network? Who do you learn from on a regular basis? Who do you turn to for your own professional development? Some educators are lucky enough to learn from their coworkers or colleagues at their site. I usually ask these questions at conferences, which are frequently only annual events – and rare treats for many educators. Learning to Network and Networking to Learn 1. 2. 3. 4. Networking Tools and Anecdotes The four tips above are the core activities of building a personal learning network, and they can be applied using various tools to connect with others online. 5. 6. 7. 8. Final Thoughts These final two tips will help keep your initial frustrations in perspective, and help you avoid the temptation to focus on unimportant metrics as you grow your network. 9. 10. Note: I’ve also been writing about this topic for some time.
Connectivism & The PLN One of the principles of connectivism is that you share. You offer your knowledge, skills, abilities, talents, materials, resources to someone else, free of charge. For nothing in return, you give it away. Now, a true capitalist would smell something fishy in this idea. As a matter of fact, it would not be unusual to hear something like, “There’s something rotten in the state of Denmark.” We sell things. So, let me say up front, I’m a capitalist, and a consumer. Having said that, I do draw your attention to another option, entirely viable, and entirely up to you. I want to give an example of what being connected to you, my unseen and unknown friend(s) out there in Digital Wonderland, what your connection means to me. Connectivism is Sharing - freely 1. So, what can I do when I don’t know what to do? In the case of my management concerns, an excellent presentation was given at IATEFL 2011 in Brighton. Let me emphasize that I got all of this for nothing. Aggregate: Collect a resource.