Week Five: Finding Nemo. . .or at Least your Voice Online!

Here we are at week five.  When I reflect back on last year's class, it seems so vastly different from the current class.  Part of it is me, part of it is you, and part of it is simply the passage of time and the blending of us.  I find this comforting.  Others might find this troubling.  Either way, the learning is not the same.  I think this is an argument for learning being a shared experience. . .

Tonight, I want to discuss the concept of a CoP (Community of Practice).  I am curious as to how you all feel about this and how it affects your beliefs about your learning.  Can a "visitor" also be an active member of a CoP?  How long is it appropriate to be a "lurker?"  What does learning look like?  Where does learning occur?  Is "book" learning different from the other ways in which we learn?

I also want to examine your passions and begin to find the direction your learning will take this semester.  What topics do you want to curate?  What CoPs do you want to join?  This is when we begin to discuss educational/leadership chats and their roll in your network. . .

It's time for you begin tweeting more. . .and commenting on things you find and read, and sharing, and archiving/curating content. . .and . . .blogging about your experiences . . .

Have you thought about your classroom visit?  What types of schools would you like to see?  We can discuss everyone's connections.

Lastly, I want you to begin to formulate some ideas for your 20% project. . .in fact I want you to blog some ideas and I, and your peers, will give you some feedback.

Week Four: Tribal Discoveries. . .

Tonight, we will discuss both the book Tribes by Seth Godin and your experiences with the audiobook. I wanted to model for you the tool Storify, which allows you to create a story or timeline using social media. Hopefully, you can create one yourself based on the tweets from your peers. . .We will also finish the discussion of the tools that you will be using in this course, specifically, Google Drive,Google+, Pinterest, Scoop.it, as well as take a look at Dropbox, Evernote, and some other awesome free tools.

Week Three: Do You Visit Around Here Often?

Photo by Zoe Heil

Well, you have made it three weeks . . .actually only 15 days, but it feels like three weeks, right?  At this point you should be getting familiar with all of your new web tools. I don't expect you to love them all, but I will give you enough that hopefully, a few will stick with you in your research, your MA and beyond. We will spend the majority of the evening finishing the orientation to more web tools. I don't want to rush this process too much in order to keep everyone's affective filter low. . .

You had two blog assignments due before class:  Visitor & Resident Theory and Learning in  New Media Environments.  Not only were you to have your posts on your blogs, but you should be reading and commenting on your peers' blogs as well.  We will discuss this process in class tonight.

Question:  What is the PLN tool that you are most excited about and why?  (Click on the word comment at the bottom of the post and leave your response.

Welcome to EDUC 578

My daughter Zoe learning on her iPhone

I can't believe a year has passed since I last taught this course.  Last year was my first year of teaching both this course and for USD.  I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with SOLES students again around this topic.  I am fascinated with learning in general and specifically, how technology can assist the learning of anyone.  I am definitely much more of a techie than an expert on learning theory, so we will take a hands-on and self-reflective approach to this topic.

My goal for this course is to consider all aspects of learning, both personally, and for your students.  I see technology as a medium of instruction as well as a driving force behind most school reform.  I am less concerned about specific technology tools than I am about how to utilize technology to enhance learning and instruction.  The tools that will be in the classroom in ten or even five years have probably not even been invented yet. This is why it is more important to get a broader picture of the concept of technology integration in schools without limiting ourselves to current technology.

To this point, you will be creating a personal learning network (PLN) and utilizing a variety of web-based tools to investigate your learning.  I don't think I have ever taught the same course twice.  For me, each class I teach is uniquely composed of the learners in the class, so by necessity, each class has its own personality and expertise.  I will do my best to get to know each of you as learners and construct our experience this semester accordingly.

I look forward to learning with you.

peace,

jeffery heil