How to Create a Robust and Meaningful Personal Learning Network [PLN] This post describes how educators can develop a personal learning network that supports meaningful and relevant learning. The MOOC, Education Technology & Media, etmooc, is used here as a working example of how to develop a PLN. “My Personal Learning Network is the key to keeping me up-to-date with all the changes that are happening in education and how technology can best support and engage today’s students.” Brian Metcalfe: teacher, blogger at lifelonglearners.com A visual image of participants in an open, online course- etmooc, which shows the potential to find and create personal connections as part of one’s PLN. I wrote a post recently about how to develop a personal learning environment [PLE], the need and benefits of doing so, for educators in particular. What is a PLN? Twitter 6×6 (Photo credit: Steve Woolf) Logo for etmooc from etmooc.org In the etmooc we are primarily using Google+ Community , Blackboard Collaborate and Twitter to interact. Resources Like this: Like Loading...
PLN: Your Personal Learning Network Made Easy | Once a Teacher.... What is a PLN? If I had to define what a ‘Personal Learning Network’ is, I would keep it simple and broad: n. – the entire collection of people with whom you engage and exchange information, usually online. Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, have been around forever. PLNs have immense value! So, why bother thinking about your PLN? Here are some ways that educators are using their PLNs: - Professional development – learn from content-area specialists - Locate resources for your classroom, such as free websites and software - Get lesson plan ideas from master teachers - Learn about new technology and how to integrate it into your teaching - Find collaborative solutions - Find interesting links to education news Students can also reap the benefits of tapping into their PLNs. When you have a large group of people combing through vast amounts of information and collectively identifying the most useful, entertaining, or valuable parts, it only makes sense to tap into this collective knowledge!
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network - Getting Smart by Miriam Clifford “20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network” by Miriam Clifford first appeared on the InfomED blog. Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Take for example scientists; professional networks allow the scientific community to share discoveries much faster. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 10 Tips For Using PLN’s Keep the spirit of collaboration as your driving force. 10 Tools & Strategies for Establishing a Productive PLN Use Diigo, Evernote, Pocket, or Delicious to bookmark links.
What Does Google+ Mean for Education I became a Google+ user this week and I like it. From what I can tell it lets you do pretty much everything Facebook lets you do with some bonuses including being able to edit your status updates and comments and that you can select who the feed goes to via the circle(s) in which you share your updates. The circles I'm using are colleagues, co-workers, GTA, friends, family, volleyball. The status updates still don't have a feature which I really want: nesting of comments. Is that really so hard??? It does let you tag people in your status which I find useful. Another cool feature is hanging out. What if students were empowered to lead hang out discussions and if necessary the teacher could move from discussion to discussion. Top 3 things I like. 1-You can edit your posts 2-You can hit return without the comment posting itself 3-You can still tag people Top 3 things I love 1-You can select who sees your message. 4) Visit Larry Ferlazzo's round up of Google+ resources here.
40 Google Plus Tips for Newbies Ok, so at this point, we are all newbies at Google Plus, right? At least if you got in recently via a Google Plus invite. At this point I’ve spent a decent amount of time with it and have concluded that Google has finally made a positive mark in social networking. It’s still early, but there is a lot of excitement around Google+ by those who have jumped on early, and for good reason. 40 Google Plus Tips for Newbies Last Updated August 18th, 2011: Replaced tip #22 (old) with a fresh resource on changes on Google plus. July 20, 2011: Added a video in the advanced tips section informing readers how to share a link on Google Plus as their currently isn’t an easy way for website owners to offer that option for readers. *A word about updates to this post. [/unordered_list] [/toggle] Friends First thing you’ll likely want to do is add some friends right? Tip #1: Adding Friends from Suggestions. Tip #2: Adding Friends from Yahoo Mail. Tip #3: Adding Friends from Hotmail. Tip #4: Blocking Friends.
21 Reasons to Stop Saying "21st Century Teacher" This afternoon I saw a blog post titled 27 Ways To Be A 21st Century Teacher. 22 of the 27 items in that list could have been 50 years ago. And 24 of the 27 items are things that I did as a sixth grade student in 1990 (yes, I coded thanks to Logo Writer). Because of this I Tweeted the following in response to seeing the list; A couple of people asked me about this Tweet so please allow me to elaborate on why I'm tired of people saying "21st Century Teacher" as if it means something. 1. We live in the 21st Century. If you're teaching today, you're a 21st Century teacher. 2. Before you jump in with your angry comment, remember this is mostly tongue-in-cheek.
10 Techy Icebreakers for The 21st Century Teacher Here are some great icebreakers you can work on using technology : 1- Self PortraitHave your students draw themselves. After they have done this, collect the papers and hang them up for the whole class to see. Now have students try to guess who the artists was for each picture. Here are the web tools to do that : 2- Video/ audio introductions Encourage students to record a short video clip in which they introduce themselves to their peers. The teacher generates a list of words related to a topic to be taught. 5- Prior Knowledge check Giving multiple choice tests or true and false quizzes before introducing a topic or reading engages students, activates a student’s prior knowledge, and will encourage the sharing of information and resources. 6- Personalize it Teacher writes the topic to be taught on the board and then talks about how the topic relates to them by using a personal reference or story.
10 Creative Ways To Use Google Tools To Maximize Learning The following post was co-authored by EdTechTeacher’s Beth Holland & Tracy Sockalosky. When we think about the tools and resources that benefit all learners, certain key attributes come to mind: multiple modalities, scaffolding, communication, collaboration, and support. While there are hundreds of tools and devices available, we have found 10 strategies to maximize the learning possibilities through creative uses of All Things Google . 1. At its most basic level, Google Docs provides students with a foolproof means to access their work from any device. On a deeper level, working in shared Docs also creates an almost real-time feedback loop. Docs do not have to be used only for assessments. 2. Imagine having the ability to know your students’ comprehension level before they walk into class or immediately after you introduce a new concept. 3. What if your students could hear your thoughts as you read their work and provided input? 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Students may or may not take notes. 9. 10.