social learning

How to create your personal learning network (PLN)

On 08/23/2010, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, professional development, social learning / networks, by Daniel Christian

— original resource from David Hopkins (UK)

Sample graphic/slide:

Tagged with: blogging • personal learning networks (PLNs) • professional development • social learning • social networking • twitter

The open, social, participatory future of online learning

On 08/06/2010, in distance education, emerging technologies, future, future of higher education, online learning, participation, social learning / networks, by Daniel Christian

The open, social, participatory future of online learning — from The Chronicle by Marc Parry

Madison, Wis. — Educators from around the country are gathering here this week to trade ideas at the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning. One expert they’ll hear from is George Veletsianos, an assistant professor of instructional technology at the University of Texas at Austin who edited the new book Emerging Technologies in Distance Education. Wired Campus caught up with Mr. Veletsianos to get his take on the state of online education.

Tagged with: distance ed • emerging technologies • future • future of higher education • online learning • participation • social learning

Knotebooks — multimedia for physics and math

On 08/06/2010, in collaboration, mathematics, open courseware and systems, physics, social learning / networks, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

— original resource from Teachers as Technology Trailblazers by Kristen Nicole Swanson

Tagged with: collaboration • math • ocw • physics • social learning • web-based collaboration

Interesting site…and pump up the volume on this piece! :)

On 08/04/2010, in K-12 related, music, social learning / networks, tools, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: K-12 • music • social learning • social networking • tools

Tagged with: social learning • social networking

Flipboard for iPad — what if…?

On 07/21/2010, in convergence, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, personalized/customized learning, social learning / networks, social media, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
What if we had a “textbook” like this? One that targeted your social/learning network on a particular topic? Personalized…customized…and constantly up-to-date. Interesting…

(Quality may or may not be a concern…depending upon one’s social/learning network.)

Tagged with: convergence • customized learning • digital audio • digital video • personal learning networks (PLNs) • personalized learning • publishing • social learning • social networking

From DSC:
For those of you involved with creating learning labs, smart classrooms, group study areas, etc. — or for those who want to enable more efficient group collaboration within your classrooms — you need to check out Steelcase’s Media:Scape product line.

One of the pieces of this configuration that I love is that they have created an easy-to-use interface in a puck-like device. What I want to see happen is for students to pull up to a movable/reconfigurable table, connect their device, and click the puck to “play” their media for the class (without interrupting the flow of the class).

Also, one monitor on the “totem” can be used for one set of information/data — or even a remote speaker via videoconferencing for example — and the other monitor can be used for someone else’s data/desktop.

Here are some images for you:

Also see the Media:Scape ad/video:

This product line is also available through Custer Workplace Interiors.

Tagged with: blended learning • collaboration • corporate training / universities • educational technology • emerging technologies • hybrid learning • learning labs • learning spaces • library / librarians • smart classrooms • social learning • teaching & learning • virtual field trips • web-based collaboration

Connectivism in the Enterprise — G. Siemens

On 07/15/2010, in business, Canada, instructional design, learning theories, social learning / networks, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Connectivism in the Enterprise — G. Siemens (July 2010)

Organizations are today faced with continually evolving markets, rapid knowledge growth, competitive pressures from emerging countries, and increased complexity in business development and strategy execution. This climate requires an evaluation of how existing learning, knowledge management, and capacity building activities support organizations in fulfilling their mandate and vision.

Traditional course-based learning and development is not sufficiently agile, flexible, or context-driven to address the pressures facing the enterprise. Three primary concerns exist with course-based learning and instructional design…

Tagged with: business • Canada • Connectivism • instructional design • learning • learning theories • social learning • social networking • workplace

Blackboard and Follett Higher Education Group partner to integrate digital texts with online course experience

On 07/15/2010, in digital textbooks, innovation, interactivity, new business models, publishing, social learning / networks, by Daniel Christian

Blackboard and Follett Higher Education Group partner to integrate digital texts with online course experience
Blackboard Learn also to feature CafeScribe for social networking

ORLANDO, Fla., July 14, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —

Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) and Follett Higher Education Group today announced a partnership to give students the ability to purchase and use digital textbooks directly in Blackboard Learn(TM) with a free integration, available today, that brings interactive texts into the course experience.

The integration streamlines the way that instructors assign texts and the ease with which students can access and use them. It also provides access to Follett’s CafeScribe(R), an e-textbook and social networking platform that gives students and instructors the ability to read, highlight, annotate, share notes, and form campus and worldwide study groups among a range of CafeScribe features that make digital texts more interactive.

Tagged with: digital textbooks • interactivity • new publishing models • publishing • social learning • social networking

Why you should be using social bookmarking tools — from Faculty Focus

On 07/14/2010, in social learning / networks, tools, by Daniel Christian

Why you should be using social bookmarking tools — from Faculty Focus, by John Orlando, PhD in Faculty Development

Still storing your bookmarks on your browser? That is soooooooooo 2007. It’s time to get with the program and start using social bookmarking. Social bookmarking is a “two-for” — it will save you time and provide a way for students to collaborate on their research.

Bookmarks were originally saved on a browser, which creates a couple of problems. One, your bookmarks are not available if you are on another computer. Two, these bookmarks cannot be searched. New bookmarks are simply thrown into the bottom of the list, which becomes unmanageable once you accumulate a lot of sites.

Social bookmarking has changed all that. Tools such as Delicious and Diigo allow users to store their bookmarks on a password protected website that can be accessed from any computer on the Internet. Better yet, users can add searchable tags that make sorting and finding bookmarks a breeze. If I want to find that interesting website on social media in education, I type “education” into my Delicious system, and then can sort by the subcategory of “social media” within that tag, which brings me to exactly what I want.

Both Diigo and Delicious allow users to form groups that let all members to share their bookmarks. I can create a group in Delicious that is just open to my students. When they find a good website, they are instructed to share it with others in the class. They are also required to provide a short description of each site in the bookmark, including why it is of value. This forces students to think about and articulate the value of different sites in comparison to one another.

From DSC:
What would be nice here is to have a group that exists beyond a particular course. Current students could contribute bookmarks to that group, but they could also review the bookmarks of students who had already taken this course.

Also, I’m taking this more seriously because everytime my system gets upgraded, I forget to save my bookmarks file and I end up losing all of my previous bookmarks.

Tagged with: social learning • social networking • tools

Moving the social networked learning (the Landing) forward

On 07/12/2010, in instructional design, leadership, pedagogy, social learning / networks, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Moving the social networked learning (the Landing) forward — George Siemens

To foster these types of interactions, programs need to think about social networking tools at a higher level than an individual course (for obvious reasons – a course is a short-term construct whereas social spaces have greater permanence). Designers, deans, and faculty should plan for social interaction at the program-level: design for social interaction between courses much in the same way that social interaction (in Moodle) is often designed into courses).

Most learners tend to the social. They seek interactions, connectedness. Sometimes, however, these interactions require a bit of social lubrication. To this end, a program director (or designer) should plan to include social events and activities in their Landing group: planned conversations, Q & A, recorded tutorials, live interactions (in Elluminate or on Skype), treasure hunts, etc.

Social connectedness needs nurturing. While we are still at the early stages or research on this, my bias is that successful uses of the Landing at a program level will be determined by fostering intentional and planned social activities. But this isn’t really anything new, is it? Any successful community has regular social events and activities – concerts, festivals, and community suppers. Finding out how to best lubricate social interactions is an important area of research.

Tagged with: instructional design • leadership • pedagogy • social learning • social networking • strategy

CaféScribe.com

On 06/29/2010, in digital learning, digital textbooks, elearning, higher education, publishing, social learning / networks, student-related, tools, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

…

What is an eBook?
An eBook is a print book that has been converted to an electronic format and made available for reading on your computer.

What is the difference between an eBook and a CaféScribe Digital Textbook?
The CaféScribe digital textbook is an eBook with multiple features, supporting multiple functionality that other eBooks do not have. For example, annotating and note sharing are two of the features found in CaféScribe digital textbooks but are not part of other eBooks.

— from http://support.cafescribe.com/Content/etextbook/etextbook_faq.htm

Follett has released an enhanced search and social networking update to its CaféScribe digital textbook platform.

CaféScribe is a Web-based system for finding and purchasing textbooks in digital format. After creating an account, the user can browse titles by various criteria, purchase selections through the online store or participating campus bookstore, and organize texts with provided thumbnail and listing tools. The latest version includes expanded search options for people or groups, plus support for sharing of notes, ideas, and documents between students, instructors, and the CaféScribe community.