Personal learning networks learning through digital connections

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Arkansas Leadership Academy, 2012 1 Personal Learning Networks Learning Through Digital Connections Diana Peer, Master Principal Leader [email protected] Amanda Linn, Facilitator of Institutes [email protected] Arkansas ASCD Summer Conference June 10, 2012

Transcript of Personal learning networks learning through digital connections

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Arkansas Leadership Academy, 2012 1

Personal Learning Networks Learning Through Digital Connections

Diana Peer, Master Principal Leader

[email protected]

Amanda Linn, Facilitator of Institutes

[email protected]

Arkansas ASCD Summer ConferenceJune 10, 2012

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FCC CHAIRMAN GENACHOWSKI JOINS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION DUNCAN TO UNVEIL NEW

“DIGITAL TEXTBOOK PLAYBOOK” http://transition.fcc.gov/files/Digital_Textbook_Playbook.pdf

• A ROADMAP FOR EDUCATORS TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TEXTBOOKS

• ISSUES CHALLENGE TO STATES AND COMPANIES TO ENSURE EVERY K-12 STUDENT HAS A DIGITAL TEXTBOOK WITHIN FIVE YEARS.

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Where are you now? Where do you Where are you now? Where do you want to go? How will you get there?want to go? How will you get there?

Survey monkey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FDSQKFW

Image Credit http://21clc.wikispaces.com/PLN

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The Arkansas Leadership Academy curriculum for adult learners is structured around five performance areas…

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Creating and Living the Mission, Vision and Beliefs

Leading and Managing Change

Developing Deep Knowledge of Teaching and Learning

Building and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships

Building and Sustaining Accountability Systems

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While all academy institutes focus on developing skills and dispositions in the five performance areas

The primary focus of the Teacher Leadership Institute is Developing Deep Knowledge of Teaching and Learning

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Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.p21.org

21st Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems- Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Due to the diversity of learning environments represented in the Teacher Leadership Institute several models for teaching and learning are used to help teachers identify and organize information and resources

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Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.p21.org

Learning experiences designed by the academy focus on skills and dispositions needed by teachers in areas listed in the lower half of the model

to influence student learning experiences in the upper half of the model…

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Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.p21.org

to influence student learning experiences in the upper half of the model…

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The Arkansas Leadership Academy’s adult learning experiences have traditionally been designed in a constructivist manner

Constructivism is described as learning based on authentic and real-world situations.

Constructing new knowledge based on past experiences.

Learner responsibility is greater- they discover that there is not just one way to solve problems, but rather multiple ways to finding answers.

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Most learning content is selected by the academy and provided to participants via books, articles, video and more recently electronic resources such as websites and blogs representing best practice in teaching and learning for student and adult learners

Learning tools and strategies are employed to facilitate the construction of meaning by institute participants informed by the content provided

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Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.p21.org

The skills and dispositions needed in order for students to be successful as adults, requires educators to design learning that prepares students for an unknown future instead of training in discreet skill sets as has been the tradition

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This challenge requires that adult learning experiences prepare educators for an unknown future instead of training in discreet skill sets as has been the tradition

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Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.p21.org

21st Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems- Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Even though it has been the practice of the academy to provide the most current information regarding best practice in teaching and learning to educators, the increasing rate of information has become such that we must look to additional means of modeling continuous learning for educators

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In an attempt to address this issue, we are exploring

the theory of Connectivism via guiding educators to develop Personal Learning Networks

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known

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• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

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http://cck12.mooc.ca

Connectivism and Connective Knowledge is an open online course that over 12 weeks explores the concepts of connectivism and connective knowledge and explore their application as a framework for theories of teaching and learning. Participation is open to everyone and there are no fees or subscriptions required.

Connectivism and Connective Knowledge

Stephen Downes & George Siemens

http://www.elearnspace.org

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Questions Constructivism ConnectivismHow does learning occur? Social, meaning

created by each learner (personal)

Distributed within a network, social, technologically enhanced, recognizing and interpreting patterns

What factors influence learning?

Engagement, participation, social, cultural

Diversity of network

What is the role of memory? Prior knowledge remixed to current context

Adaptive patterns, representative of current state, existing in networks

How does transfer occur? Socialization Connecting to (adding nodes)

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Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, have been around forever. Originally, they were your family and friends, maybe other educators you worked with, but as the internet and web 2.0 tools have become nearly ubiquitous, PLNs can include tons of different communities

Personal Learning Networks…

Once a Teacher, http://onceateacher.wordpress.com

Basically, anyone that you interact with is apart of your PLN, whether they are social contacts, professional peers, or experts in their field. Most of the ‘learning’ takes place on-line now, because it is simple to find and connect with others with similar interests from around the world.

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Personal Learning Networks for Teacher Leaders…

Providing protected time during institute sessions to create connections- actual and electronic

Enhancing the collaborative practice of teacher leaders, many of whom are literally and professionally isolated from other teacher leaders, in addition to increasing their knowledge of teaching and learning

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"know-where" (the understanding of where to find the knowledge when it is needed) supplements "know-how" and "know-what“-the cornerstones of many theories of learning

By helping educators establish Personal Learning Networks, we are hoping to create a new breed of “know-where” educators…

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http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/home

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http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/home

Technology Use Audit

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Level 1: Literacy use - This is often “Teaching about technology”. This level of use often manifests itself as learning how to use technology etc. This is critical as there must be an aspect of this before we progress to the higher levels.

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Teaching of word processing techniques, discussing use of color in a presentation, writing formula in a spreadsheet etc.

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Level 2: Augmentative/Integrating use - This is often “Teaching with technology”. Does the use of technology reinforce, augment or substitute for a traditional teaching approach? The key question here is “Can we do this without technology?” If the answer is Yes, then this is augmentative or integrating.

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Using an email system to distribute class notes or materials, having students process mathematical formula or process on a smart boards, developing a presentation etc. Each of these can be achieved using traditional teaching approaches.

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Level 3: Transformative use - This is “Teaching through technology”. Here the activity or learning you are doing can only be completed by using the technology. The learning is focused is on learning by and developing skills in collaboration & communication, self-directed learning, higher order thinking and use of electronic information. Technology here is not the goal, rather learning is. At this level the use of technology is seamless and this level of learning could not happen without the technology.

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Students collaboratively researching a presentation topic and assembling the research in Google documents and then each student prepares a section of the presentation synchronously using the presentation tool in the Google apps suite. A teacher who holds a regular evening homework tutorial between 7pm and 7.30pm for students using a collaboration tool. etc.

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Links to help you get started

1. http://sixrevisions.com/tools/15-free-tools-for-web-based-collaboration/ for a link to 15 free tools.

2. The Educators PLN http://edupln.ning.com/video/a-screencast-on-how-to-1

3. The USDE Connected Educators Site at http://connectededucators.org/communities/?sort=alpha

4. http://www.classroom20.com/ Social network for Web 2.0 and social media technologies in the classroom – supportive of “beginners”Arkansas Leadership Academy, 2012 32

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Where are you now?

• What could a PLN contribute to your learning?

• What “nodes” have you found that interest you?

• What have you not yet found that you want to search for or create?

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Where are you now?

What are your NEXT STEPS?

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Reflection & Feedback

This “squares” with me

This is still “rolling around”

I’m ready to “go this direction” on thisArkansas Leadership Academy, 2012 36

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http://www.arkansasleadershipacademy.org/

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