Making Connections
Take a look at this short video. So I saw this video on Twitter yesterday (thanks to Alec Couros and Steve Ransom). It really spoke to me. Connections are so important. Watch the video again and look at the different emotions on the faces of the folks. Now take the idea of connecting and turn it virtual. The point is social networking is less about networking and more about social. Twitter isn't the only way that happens. The point is, we can't go through our professional careers alone. So take a risk like the folks in the video. Go out and hug the bear.
The role of Twitter in Personal Learning Networks
My Masters thesis (the full title is The Twitter experience : the role of Twitter in the formation and maintenance of personal learning networks) is now public in the DSpace archives at Royal Roads University. Here is the abstract: This qualitative phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with seven educators in K-12 and higher education examines the role that the microblogging service Twitter plays in the formation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLN) among educators. A double hermeneutic data analysis shows that Twitter plays a role in the formation and development of PLNs by allowing educators to; engage in consistent and sustained dialogue with their PLN, access the collective knowledge of their PLN, amplify and promote more complex thoughts and ideas to a large audience, and expand their PLN using features unique to Twitter. First, to the 7 participants in the study, thank you for your time, your voices and your stories.
Collection of eLearning Tools | A&H: Technology Enhanced Learning
Learning is becoming: dynamic, real-time, social, mobile, local, fluid, peer to peer, gamified. The future will require more resilience. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler. Teachers are filters for the current information tsunami. “The problem is not really information overload, but filter failure.” – Clay Shirky. Tools like the ones below are redefining the relationships between us and data/information, teachers and learners, work and play and enabling the re-imagination of education as interactive / online / accessible / ubiquitous. Over 2,000 tools for learning and working in education and the workplace LINK20 Must-Have Educational Resources For All Teachers LINKScreenr web-based screen recorder LINKSculptris is a 3D sculpting software LINK12 Tech Tools That Will Transform The Way You Teach!
Dear Email, it’s over: A breakup letter for the Digital Age
Dear Email, We made it through the holidays together, but I think we both know that our relationship just isn’t working. As hard as this is to say—it’s over—we have to break up. First let me just say, E, I will always have feelings for you, and you know you’ll always have a special place in my heart. It was such an exciting time. Once I graduated, you even helped me get my first job. Then things started to change between us. Also—and I know I said I forgave you for this—but remember the time you sent me that really bad virus and I lost everything on my computer? These days, at work and at home, you’ve become really hard to control. There are some things about you I can never change. Although you’re not harming trees, you’re costly in other ways. You should also know that I become involved with someone new. I know this is painful for you. I wish you all the best. Sincerely, Andrea A version of this letter first appeared on the author’s blog Brie Moon.
The best Presentation on Social Learning and the New Role for Educators | Trends in eLearning & mLearning
I’m fascinated by the impact Social Media has had on just about everything we do, including how we learn and how we share knowledge with our peers. It’s no exaggeration to say that we are now learning something new all the time, from just about anywhere there’s a connection, and through just about any mobile device. I can’t think of a better time in history to be alive than now. Some people may call this Social Learning, or Informal Learning, I just call it Learning. Last week I was on SlideShare.net looking for a good presentation on Social Learning that would inspire me and I came across this one by TribalCafe and I was extremely impressed with it. There is one slide in particular that caught my eye, entitled ‘The New Role in Education.’ Social Media changes everything for Educators, it’s a revolution that takes us from being passive content consumers, who sit on the sidelines, to being passionate producers of information we share with our learners.
STEM 4 Kids
The social capital of accreditation in higher education (#change11)
[Image retrieved from 25 January 2012] Following from this week’s post “The selfish giant and the unlocking of the gates of higher education” and the discussions that followed from it; I realised that there is more to the issue of accreditation than is often on the table (whether a banquet table at one of the elite universities, or a kitchen table in a far-off place of which the World Bank and those responsible for university rankings have not heard of). This discussion arises from discussions around the “Unlocking the gates”. How and why leading universities are opening access to their courses”, one of the readings in this week’s MOOC. I don’t dispute that some open courseware experiences and moocs are on the same and often higher standard than accredited courses at higher education institutions. So why does accreditation (still) matter to thousands of students registering for accredited courses and programmes? Like this:
Teachers Should Use Social Networks to Inform, Not Socialize
On the question of students, teachers, and social networking, CNN's Schools of Thought blog posed this question on Jan. 20: Do you think there are more benefits or downsides to this kind of communication? As a public high school teacher, it's a question I have pondered often. How do schools make sure communication between students and teachers stays appropriate without placing outright bans on many useful, instant forms of communication? The easy approach would be for school boards to ban all communication outside of school between teachers and students. In addition to my teaching duties, I also coach tennis. Facebook provides another side of this conversation. When it comes to communication, the gray areas now far outnumber the black-and-white ones. My district has yet to implement an official policy on this issue, but I feel a neighboring district got it right. Brad Boeker has taught high school English for 21years. EducationEducation/Teaching & Learningsocial networking
