Learning Community – Page 7

Collaboration, EC&I831, Learning Community, PLE

Learn to Share(ski)

February 15, 2010February 13, 2011 Laura Pasquini

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would post a little bit of technology love and sharing. Last Fall, Dean Shareski joined Alec Couros‘ #eci831 class to discuss The Power of Sharing.

Photo by excomedia

Online movement on the internet is very personal and quite social. When you share ideas and resources it is possible to initiate new connections and develop your online personal learning environment (PLE). Much of this online, social learning creates collaborations, connections and interactions to enhance an education experience.

As web 2.0 and social media continues to develop and thrive online, this leaves users with little reason not to share. Most applications are collaborative and creative in nature, which require users to become active participants in the conversation.

Image from blog post: The Use of Social Media in Higher Education for Communication and Marketing:A Guide for Professionals in Higher Education by Rachel Reuben

Benefits of online sharing & shared learning:

immersion into all things ‘like that’
interactive web experience
publish first and then filter work
online & immediate feedback
share knowledge & resources easy
connection is another means to learning
efficient research
modelling from others online
development collaboration skills
variations on an article, concept or idea
pay it forward – share what you know and what you do
power of connecting people
moving toward search & learn
networks CAN replace Google
encourages filtering information

“Sharing, and sharing online specifically, is not in additions to the work of being an educator. It is the work.” Ewan McIntosh

CCK09, Learning Community, Learning Technologies

Visitor or Resident?

November 14, 2009May 31, 2019 Laura Pasquini

“Transparency is related to openness. Openness is most often related to content. Transparency, in contrast, involves making our learning explicit through forums, blogs, presentations, podcasts, and videos.” ~ George Siemens, Week 8: Openness and Transparency

Participation in #CCK09, the entire course thrives on learners and educators who are open and transparent in the learning process. David White joined the #CCK09 class to discuss his ideas on how Visitor and Resident learners impact the online educational environment [session recording].

Visitors & Residents: Original Blog Post & Presentation

Image c/o original V TV series

Much of this conversation was initiated with the JISC funded Isthmus project which was designed to bridge the gap between institutions and online learning, specifically how learners are utilizing technology. Instead of using the terms ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’ (coined by Marc Prensky in Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants 2001 publication), White sees learners as being a Visitor or Resident in their motivation for online education. Here is a quick Visitor vs. Resident comparison chart I created based on his presentation:

Visitor vs. Resident

In thinking about my own experience, as an online learner, I seem to fall in the ‘Resident’ category. I am very transparent and open online, and I am comfortable sharing my learning experiences and social experiences digitally. Although I am a resident, I can recognize a few visitor experiences from time to time, i.e. learning new tools, online resources and expanding my personal learning environment perimeters.

In thinking of the Visitor vs. Resident comparison, it is critical to think of it as a continuum rather that distinct categories. Students should not be labelled definitely into these categories since it is fluid. Each learner may have boundaries and limitations, however possess a willingness to be an open, online learner. As an educator, it is critical to create a learning environment online that provides structure and purpose online, while allowing learners to expand their creativity and knowledge as they see fit.

CCK09, EC&I831, Learning Community, Open Education

Is Your Education Open?

November 4, 2009November 4, 2009 Laura Pasquini

The term “open education” means different things to different people. There are many interpretations as to what open education and content means for learning. Often the financial costs, learning environments, accreditation and the role of the faculty are a few key issues that arise when discussed amongst educators.

I thought it was suitable to explore this topic, since I am currently enrolled in 2 open education courses, EC & I 831 & CCK 09 as a non-credit student. My goal in joining these open content courses was to collaborate with other learners, share resources, & establish on-going connections beyond the scope of the course, i.e. stay connected to people in the #edtech field for information-sharing and learning support. My participation in #eci831 & #cck09 has greatly enhanced my knowledge and research for my doctorate work at UNT, and I value the introductions to various topics, presenters, and peers.

Last week, Jon Mott joined #eci831 to discuss his experiences in open education. Here are the slides:

A few key take-away points, resources & quotes include:

Great Talk: David Wiley’s recent keynote on Open Education
openness allows for connection, personalizing and creation: allowance to share resources, ideas & knowledge
ability to move from passive consumption to sharing & collaborating amongst our connections
Creative Commons is a valuable entity that allows content to be shared & accessed
“Literacy is moving from being knowledgeable to knowledge-able.” ~Jon Mott
MIT Open CourseWare project is a solid model that offers free content for approximately 2000 courses
Open Courseware Consortium is a great database for other open education content
Other examples where education is open = Education Channel of YouTube, iTunes U, and OER Commons
academic institutions vary their stance on content sharing, open education, etc
help students and instructors to understand the difference between “open” and “closed” education
need to seek sustainable models for open courseware and education
debates and questions continue about openness in education, with regards to Learning Management Systems (LMS), credentialing, faculty role, archeticture of courses, etc.
open education is more of a social & cultural issue, now that the technology is becoming rapidly available and accessible for learners/educators

The final thoughts prompted questions on how open education will impact our learners & how education will change in the future. More discussion about open education will continue tomorrow evening when Alan Levine joins #cck09 to share some of his thoughts around Openness & Transparency. Join in & share your two cents.

Learning Community, Networked Practice, PLE, PLN

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) & Personal Learning Networks (PLNs)

October 23, 2009May 31, 2019 Laura Pasquini

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) & Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are a forced to be reckoned with as technology becomes more accessible and user-friendly.

pler

On October 13-16, 2009, the online symposium on learning-centric technology shared ideas on how PLEs & PLNs are impacting the educational technology field. Here’s a bit more from the symposium organizer’s George Siemens & Stephen Downes:

The interest in Personal Learning Environments has grown with the emergence of Web2.0 technologies. Learning technologists can see how PLEs can help learners to organize their own personal learning, rather than that formal education institutions control the technologies that are being used and the way in which they are being used. Speakers will include developers and researchers of PLEs. All events will be hosted in Elluminate and recorded for archives. A discussion forum will be hosted in Moodle for asynchronous interactions.

Although I was working during the scheduled speakers, I managed to read posted materials and listen to the one of the recorded sessions . There are a wealth of great experiences & ideas archived online, and I hope to listen/learn more in the upcoming weeks. Many of these speakers are leaders and pioneers in the PLE & PLN learning field.

For those of you interested and engaged in contributing your own educational experience with personal learning environments/networks, might I suggest you also check out the Call For Chapters for an upcoming eBook by Athabasca University and the National Research Council of Canada.