What’s In A Story?

Everyone loves a good story. Think of your favourite story. What is it? Why do you like it? Tell me more.

Image c/o Scholastic.ca

When asked this question in #eci831 last week, the first story teller I connected to as a child was  Robert Munsch. I fell in love with almost all his books, especially The Paper Bag Princess, Love You Forever & I Have To Go.  These books are great read aloud and audio books, since most stories were created as an oral tradition in during Robert Munsch’s daycare working days. I was fortunate to meet Munsch during my 2nd year of undergrad when he visited my Children’s Literature class at the University of Guelph. Although the audience was older than his usual reading groups, Robert was still able to keep these “kids” on the edge of their seat.

Alan Levine shared some interesting & useful resources for using new media for Digital Storytelling. In both his presentation (you may need to download Cooliris to view in Firefox or Safari) and 50 Way Wiki there are numerous tools to explore for effective online storytelling.

Here are a few examples of digital stories we shared & discussed:

Amazing stories of Open Ed

• 1 Minute Forest Gump

• Last Day Dream

• Tony vs. Paul (stop motion)

• The Pen Story

• Inspirational/Motivational Videos (Stories that Make you Cry)

• Free Hugs

• Scary Mary (remix)

How do you share your story online? Check out a few tools to support your digital story telling:

• Ahead
• Sketchfu
• VoiceStrip
• Voice Thread
• Jing Project – Screen Casting
• Prezi – for a creative alternative to Power Point
• Blabberrize
• Alan’s (MANY)  Story Tools

Networks Influence Learning

It’s know what you know, it’s who you know. Dave Cormier believes that “knowledge is something that can be negotiated and validated in a community of knowledge.” This means that the future of education may be more connected and less constructed. This idea both challenge and invigorates educators alike.

A couple weeks ago, Dave & Stephen discussed/bantered about a few key concepts about Connective Knowledge for CCK09 Week 4:

• Knowledge is the psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning.
• Connective learning is a process of creating new knowledge patterns.
• Networks influence how knowledge is shared.

The Online Ecosystem (Redux) by Jay Collier provides a good example of how online connections have become more integrated over the last few years in higher education:

In thinking about how networks influence learning and how integrative online environments impact knowledge-sharing, Dave presents two camps for education practice for online learning:

1) The Guild Model: designed with rules & regulations, peer learners, and methods to validate success; no restrictions & not a fully connected model

2) The Wild West Model: learning & knowing by being connected to a group of people who do the same types of things that you do, i.e. through Twitter, blogs, etc; knowledge exists in random locations; natural kind of learning

Both models of learning have value for the online education, however one method structures networks from the instructor, whereas the other connections are organically grown by the learner. There are many examples of learning technologies and numerous tools to support online initiatives, however it is important to establish methods to make connections and best practices in developing skills for effective learning. As online connections and environments evolve, this debate for how to best construct online learning continues.

At The Root of Connectivism

Connectivism is a pedagogy that I have latched onto for the realm of learning technologies. This is a new learning theory for the digital age, and is further defined by George Siemens as:

• Knowledge as constellation of connections
• Sense-making/way-finding
• Network (social/technological) as assistive cognitive agent
• Technology as externalization/extension

It’s not the tools that are relevant, but rather the connections made while learning.

Siemens made a guest appearance in the EC&I 831 course last week to discuss The Roots of Connectivism.

A few of the major points that I took away from George’s presentation include:

• Learning is networked at 3 levels:
  • Conceptual-Cognitive: least developed; when ideas & concepts are combined together
  • Neural: biological; memories being formed as a sequence of connections (encoding in the brain)
  • Social-external: social network analysis, often completed by sociologist; external tools and resources to connect learning

• Knowledge & learning as networked and emergent through:
  • Synchronicity – to understand how a student will learn is to understand & connect with their current knowledge & awareness
  • Amplification – participatory sense making & interaction with material creates learning at a deeper level
  • Resonance – why do students start to tune into learning a concept or new information? how do they connect with an association?

• Educators need to understand connections at a very basic level to best learn how to influence connections for learning
  • What connections are?
  • How they form?
  • What attributes/structure they exhibit at formation?
  • What various formations mean?

George left the class with a few questions to ponder:

• What are the implications for educators?
• How do we “teach differently” in networks than we do in a classroom?
• How should our priorities change in skill development?
• As the field of networked learning grows, where do we turn for guidance direction?

Educators need to assess learning objectives to help students develop in the changing digital world. Instruction is not just about knowledge comprehension, but will shift to focus on acquisition of information and learner networks. “Teaching differently” will be instructional practice that encourages learners to think critically and engage in complex activities for deeper learning experiences. Learners will be challenged to connect meaning and knowledge that is currently known, to that of their shifting paradigm.

As networked learning continues to change educational environments, educators must empower their students to adapt and grow with the technologies . It will be up to the educators of today to remain current and connected to practitioners and  innovators in education who are leading the way. Whether it is following a stream of ideas on Twitter, reading the latest literature/publications, continuing professional development, taking an open-source course, or sharing ideas with online colleagues, educators who stay socially connected will provide engaged learning opportunities.

My quest to be a “Network Sherpa” for learners continues….

What are you doing to help your Networked Student connect to their learning today?

Connectivism video created by Wendy Drexler’s high school students inspired from George Siemens’ CCK08 Class.

TEC VARIETY

Online learning requires motivation and engagement for success. Learners need to feel connected and empowered to support their involvement for online education. Curt Bonk explores motivation and retention in various e-learning environments. His latest publication, The World is Open, explores how technology is revolutionizing technology itself.

Here are a couple of other worthy finds from Curt that may be useful for your next your virtual learning environment planning:

1. Empowering Online Learning
2. Tech-Variety – guide for motivation and retention online

• Tone – how do learners describe themselves? set expectations & set goals?
• Encouragement – provide means to give feedback to learners
• Curiosity – online field trips, activities, remote sites, local correspondence, etc
• Variety – hands on, visual, reading integrated text, providing options
• Autonomy – choice, empowerment over learning, options, scaffold learning skills
• Relevance – meaningful activities that relate back to the content
• Interactivity – problem solving, case studies, working with a group, discussion threads, blogs and more!
• Engagement – drafts due for projects, check-ins, experience the process of learning
• Tension – role-play, alternative perspectives, controversy, e.g. devils advocate for positions
• Yielding products – post to the web, present a gallery of students’ best work, showcase, share with an audience beyond a teacher – experts, peers, etc.

Open, Connected & Social With EC&I 831

The next online, open education course I am involved with this semester is EC&I 831: Social Media & Open Education from the University of Regina with Dr. Alec Couros that meets only every Tuesday evening (8-10pm CST). I first learned about this course through a few online networks in the ed tech arena, and I thought it may be an interesting lens to review curriculum and content development for learning. Here’s the 5 minute elevator pitch for the course:

The Tuesday evening elluminate session provided the basic introduction to the course schedule and outline. I am looking forward to connecting to other students to further explore the role of the educator/learner in terms of media literacy, knowledge and social networks.

It was great to hear the parallels between my personal philosophy of education, and how it ties into the learning objectives of this course.  Dr. Couros’ believes that there are great strengths in learning relationships and connectiveness amongst students, rather than just the specific content or knowledge.  It will be interesting to see how this sentiment is interpretted by the various weekly session speakers and participants throughout the course of the semester.

Although this course is similar to CCK09, I think that EC&I 831 will challenge me to:

• get perspectives of social media education – history, ideas & development
• expand my social learning theories & applications
• experiment & play with NEW social learning & open educational tools/resources
• provide a critical lens for curriculum development with social media & open education
• build up my learning network – connect & enage with new online peers

Connecting to CCK09

Last night was the first meeting for the open course Connectivism & Connective Knowledge (CCK09) facilitated by George Siemens and Stephen Downes. Approximately 708 students have signed up for either credit or non-credit learning to share ideas around connected learning and knowledge at any given time. In the live elluminate room, there were about 50 or so active & engaged students ranging from a wide field of interests and professional backgrounds.

Photo c/o http://londonskyline.blogspot.com

I decided to join this course for a few reasons:

1. Connect with other like-minded individuals online.
2. Join a learning community interested in sharing ideas around connected knowledge and online learning.
3. To further explore the ideas around the pedagogy of connectivism – a term coined by George & utilized in an early research/pilot project at the University of Toronto.
4. Ponder some theories and developments for learning/performance technology to enhance my doctoral research & studies @ UNT.

The meeting last night was more around the structure of the course and expectations for the participants. The opening session introduced a myriad of methods for continual connection throughout the semester, and encouraged networking and collaboration amongst our online peers.

Although there are few structured sessions and a CCK09 schedule, this does not limit anyones means for connections beyond the confines of the course. I think it is amazing to see the connections of a few of our peers flourish immediately on Twitter, through sharing of the blogs and more.  I’m looking forward to connecting further and engaging with the numerous resources and ideas that everyone is bringing to the digital table

TO DO List:

(before next class – September 17, 4:00 pm CST “What is Connectivism”)

Readings

What connectivism is

What is the Unique Idea in Connectivism?

Optional Readings/References:

http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/connectivism/?p=101

Little Boxes, Glocalization and Networked Individualism (.pdf)

http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf

If you are interested in staying “connected” to CCK09, feel free to jump into the course as a non-credit student and/or use CCK09 tag to search on Twitter, Google Alerts, Diigo, Delicious and more! You are bound to connect to one of the members of the online learning community and perhaps take away an idea or two.

Hello to all my new online friends. Feel free to stay connected to me on this blog or via various ways I engage online –  HERE. See ya’ll on Thursday!

AACE Global U – Social Media Seminars

AACE Global U will be hosting a series of seminars around “Social Media: Trends and Implications for Learning.” I was able to listen to the archived seminar for July, however I hope to participate in a future monthly online seminar:

August 10, 2009, 9:00 PM Eastern USA
September 8, 2009: 3:00 PM Eastern USA
October 13, 2009: 9:00 PM Eastern USA
November 10, 2009: 3:00 PM Eastern USA
December 8, 2009: 9:00 PM Eastern USA

The seminar series, led by George Siemens and David Cormier, is without fee and will include live interactive sessions, in addition to discussions with guest speakers and participants. All sessions are co-sponsored by and will be archived in the Education & Information Technology Library (EdITLib). And you can join in the discussion on AACE Connect.

During these Elluminate sessions, the conversations will be active in the webinar and recorded for those who cannot participate at these specific times.  By using the #SMTI hash tag you can find conversations on Twitter, archives in blogs and resources in Delicious.

Here were a few key discussion pieces I found useful from the first social media seminar:

• Networking in Everyday Life by Bernard Hogan
• Examples of learning outcomes for social media & digital technology use in learning
• The Digital Melting Pot by Sharon Stoerger
• Open Educational Resources: Opportunities and Challenges in Higher Education paper
• Cover It Live
• Educating the Net Generation – EDUCAUSE
• wikiEducator
• FREE by Chris Anderson
• Does Technology Really Enhance the Quality of Teaching & Learning? by Tony Bates

Wiki Summer Camp

Thinking about using a wiki for your learning environment? If so, you might want to head to PBWorks Summer Camp. This interactive, online forum is a great professional development opportunity for educators who wish to engage in discussion, complete assignments, watch virtual presentations and learn from other wiki mentors some best practices in the wiki-world.

Here is the PBWorks camp syllabus:

Week One: June 22-26

How to set up your wiki:

• Wiki Structure
• What lesson plans to wikify and how
• Upload files – like your syllabus- and make it accessible from the front page
• Important features used for this course
  • Folders
  • Tagging
  • Tables
• Beginner tips from our Mentors!

Register for this week’s webinar on June 23rd at 10:00PST: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/497735667

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Week Two: June 29- July 3

Interactive Media and How to use it: Review the media options on our educator site

• Chat rooms – when they work and when not to use them
• Videos – tips on video recording software for teachers, and how to quickly embedd videos on your wiki page
• Images
• What video and image services are there for educators to use for free

Round Table Chat with Kristine and the PBwiki Mentors

• Hear from Mentors and find out where they struggled and where they succeeded with interactive media on their wiki.
• What to be aware of when using photos, video and podcasts (aka – no personal photos on a public wiki!)
• Learn step by step how to use the interactive media features.

Homework week two: (This should take 1.5 hours)

• Create a video and upload it to your wiki.  Use one of the suggested tools

-or-

• Create a survey/poll and upload it to your wiki. Use one of the suggested tools
• Link to your video/poll on your camper page.
• Ask a question, or join the conversation on our site for educators

Register for this week’s webinar on June 30th at 10:00PST: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/913182851

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Week Three: July 6 -10

Security features in PBwiki 2.0 — keep your work private!

• User Permission levels and how to make changes
• Folders & Folder security
• Page level security

Demonstration of the PBwiki Security Features

• The most important webinar of all — learn how to set security controls BEFORE your students join the wiki.

Homework week three: This should take 20 minutes

• Create a new homework Week Three page & place it in the Week Three folder.
• Go to the page on PBwiki Permission levels.  Read over the PBwiki permission levels and answer the questions. Respond to the questions on your week three homework page.
• Go to the page on Folder Security.  Watch the three short videos and respond to the questions about folder security.  Respond to the questions on your week three homework page.
• Go to the page on Page Security.   Watch the short videos and respond to the questions about page level security. Respond to the questions on your week three homework page.

Register for this week’s webinar on July 7th at 10:00PST: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/333808003

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Week Four: July 13 – 17

Three ways to invite your students — including the BRAND NEW Classroom Accounts

• Request Access
• Upload email address
• Automatically create accounts without email address (for students under 13)
• How to introduce your wiki to students so it works
  • Parent permission forms
  • FAQ page
  • Sandbox
• What to expect when your students take over
  • Wiki management

Live Discussion on inviting students and the suprising results

Homework week four: this should take 30 minutes

• Set your notification setting in my.pbwiki.com to make sure you receive notifications of student changes
• Upload your student email address, or print out your student accounts
• Determine what invite menthod works for your class and discuss it on the forum

Register for this week’s webinar on July 14th at 10:00PST: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/983510451

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Final:  Webinar Wrap up on July 21st

• Review and new features for educators.

No Homework — Just new features for your workspace!

Register for this week’s webinar on July 21st at 10:00PST: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/756888211

Sounds intriguing? Then sign up HERE.

LMS/LCMS Review

There are many Learning Management Systems (LMS) software that are available to purchase or as open-source content to best support online learning environments. I am currently exploring a few different options for a piece I am researching/writing about. I welcome any contributions to this topic: experience, recommendations, research, reviews, etc.

One of the first few LMS systems I used as a student was Blackboard. Often higher education institutions prefer to purchase commercial software for a university-wide learning platform. Other platforms include: WebCT, Angel, PeopleSoft (now owned by Oracle), Confluence, etc. These domains assure assistance and ‘security’ for the university, however how do faculty, staff & students optimize these learning environments.

In my later years of work & education, I have been introduced to open-source LMS platforms like Moodle. There seems to be a bit more flexibility in sharing information, opening up the classroom broadly and engaging learning.

Other LMS/LCMS platforms to review:

• Inquisiq
• SyberWorks
• ClickCourse
• Other from this Product List: http://www.edutools.info/item_list.jsp?pj=4=

Here are a few reviews & articles for various LMS:

• A critical examination of Blackboard’s e-learning environment by Stephanie J. Coopman
• LMS Review Update
• WebCT & Blackboard Resources for Educators
• LMS Selection Presentation by Tony Karrer, eLearning Technology Blog
• Learning Management Systems 360 Report by the eLearning Guild
• 382 Tips for on the Selection of an LMS or LCMS by the eLearning Guild
• E-Learning Readiness Assessment Questions by Karl M. Kapp
• Creating Your E-Learning Strategy by Pam Pervenanze, LearnSource- Connecting Companies with Quality Learning Solutions and Pinneast, CeleXx’s Performance Media Group
• LMS Selection by E-Learning Engineer

I am interested in expanding this list for both commercial and open-source LMS/LCMS platforms. Please share any that you have liked (or disliked), and why.

Webheads in Action

Looking to engage with other communities of practice online?  Then be sure to check out the Webheads in Action Online Convergence 2009 happening NOW and this weekend (May 22-24, 2009).

The Webheads are a world-wide, cross-cultural, and vibrant online-community of educators with an open enrollment for anyone who wants to join.

I am going to tune into a bit on UStream, check out the traffic on Twitter (hashtag WiAOC) & then call it a day.

Happy Weekend to all!