Weekly Report & Reflection blog post # 6

In this week’s session, we explored Evernote.  I have been a strong advocate for using this tool, as you are able to type notes, store documents, record audio, and capture images from multiple devices.  Speaking of devices, I have the Evernote app on my mobile device, a windows desktop version, and I am able to easily access my digital “filing cabinet” from anywhere using a browser.  I believe this is the strength of using Evernote; I am able to use any of my devices to capture my thoughts, add resources I have come across from Twitter, Pinterest, Feedly, or simply browsing on the Internet.  The best part of it all is that no matter what device I use, Evernote has the ability to synchronize my activity. 

There is a wealth of information online and it requires us to filter through it all.  Online bookmarking tools provide us with ways to organize, search, and synthesize the topics of interests to us.  Using online bookmarking allows me to stay on top of my professional field and the information I gather can be easily shared amongst my team.  Learning for me is a social activity; being able to collaborate with my colleagues digitally brings a lot of great discussion into our team meetings.

Social media provides us with a platform to create PLE’s where we are able to get inspired, share knowledge, engage in critical reflection, and curate content that allows us to develop personally and professionally.  The development of digital literacy allows us to work towards becoming good citizens in a digital realm.  Advancements in technology are making its way into the workplace.  As educators, we should be incorporating these technologies into teaching and learning to prepare our learners to use these technologies appropriately; in meaningful and respectful ways. 

So the question remains, how do we teach our leaners about digital citizenship where ethical use manifests itself when engaging in digital activities?  My recommendation to all educators would be to integrate technology into their practice and model netiquette rather than being submissive to digital exclusion.  The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework is a helpful guide that addresses the effective integration of technology into teaching and learning and resonated with me from my Feedly Reader.  Below is a little snippet about the framework:

We have to keep in mind that it is not about the technology we use; it is how we use technology efficiently and appropriately to create effective PLE’s.  To promote digital rights and responsibility, as educators we need to become more digital literate.  The more we learn about the advancements in technology and the more we use it, can help us understand and shed some light on the potential for teaching and learning as well as personal and professional development; then only can we steer our learners in becoming digital citizens. 

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #5

 

Week 5 has been a lot of fun especially because I was able to use tools within my PLE to engage in my learning for this course.  I have been using Twitter for a short while now and I also have the mobile app, which is a great way of staying connected.   People use it for various purposes, but it appears to have many benefits for education.  50 Plus Tips on How To Use Twitter in Your, a blog post I came across in my Feedly reader, shares several ways in which Twitter can be used in the classroom.  

http://siliconangle.com/files/2012/03/Using-Twitter-for-business-282x300.jpgn

It was great that our Professor created a hashtag for us to tweet ideas, insights, links and basically anything we have learned and experienced in this course to share with our peers. The important thing to note when using Twitter or any other social media tool for that matter, is that we are all digital citizens; we need to respect others' time and share something that's going to be value to them.    

I am a strong believer in collaborative and social learning; knowledge grows when it is shared with others.  It does not stop to amaze me how much information is on the web, and the rate at which information is being generated.  There is so much to filter from when having to do my own research.  The value I have found by using Twitter is that I have learned a great deal from the people I follow as they have shared some valuable resources that have influenced my work.

Twitter has come to play a unique role in my PLE/PLN as it has become a platform for my professional development.  I have access to the collective knowledge of my PLN.  Additionally, due to the fact that Twitter is an open and public space, it creates opportunities for others outside of my PLN to actively make insightful contributions.

Tool integration, what a great concept! I have just learned that we can “save our favorite” tweets to Diigo, a social bookmarking tool we learned about last week where we can highlight and annotate digital resources.  In the educational context, this can be very beneficial for both students and educators when engaging in research.  In addition to individually researching scholarly articles, we could be “tweeted” valuable information that could influence the purpose of our research.   These resources, if saved as a favorite on Twitter, can then be automatically bookmarked to our Diigo accounts.

I am looking forward to exploring more tools in the weeks to follow.  My initial concern about using various social media tools was “how do I manage it all”?  Thanks to Hootsuite, I will have a dashboard to manage my social media networks!

 

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #4

This week we have been exploring social bookmarking and content curation tools, which I believe, are great tools that allow us to sift through and reflect on topics that are of interest to us personally and professionally.   

As educators, we have always been curators of content.  We have read books, publications, and news on current events to collect information and organize it so that we can present it to our students in meaningful ways.  Content curation is a great “method to help you stay informed about your field and be more effective at your job” (Kantor, 2011).  

I had heard about Diigo, but had never used it.  I can definitely see some benefits for teaching and learning.  Not only is the tool great for gathering information about a specific topic, but you can annotate and add sticky notes, which can then be shared for group work purposes, in classrooms, and/or amongst your social communities.  Now that I have found value in using Diigo, I can add it to my personal learning environment: 

I was introduced to Scoop.it about 6 months ago and it is a great content curation tool and I can also access it via my mobile app.  What’s valuable about Scoop.it is that it provides you with a list of relevant information about a specific topic of interest.  It is up to “me”, to sift through the resources and “scoop” or identify valuable information.  When using curation tools, it is important to not only find quality in the information we find, but to make constructive contributions and add value that can be shared with others.  “Aha”, this constitutes being a valuable digital citizen.  “Content curation and content creation aren't competitive… Curate or create content, but get correlated to the topical content of your industry and meet the quality standards to become fit enough to survive the evolving World Wide Web” (Ahuja, 2012).

There are many tools that can be explored to help us find relevant information on our topics of interest.  I came across the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2013 in my Feedly news reader, which I would like to share.  I believe when exploring social bookmarking and curation tools, it enables us to enrich our use of technology, as well as our critical thinking and reflective practice skills to allow us to transform personally and professionally.  

As digital citizens, it is important for us to contribute valuable information to the “World Wide Web” and use technology effectively and appropriately that will allow us to live in a digital society that promotes learning, social interaction, laughter (entertainment), and innovation.  

Ahuja, B. (2012, October). If you can't be a creator, then be a curator. Retrieved fromhttp://searchenginewatch.com/article/2221068/If-You-Cant-Be-a-Creator-Then-Be-a-Curator

Kantor, B. (2011, October). Content Curation Primer. Retrieved fromhttp://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/

Weekly Report & Reflection Post #3

Content curation is the act of collecting and presenting digital content for specific topics.  In my personal learning environment, I had included Feedly, my news aggregator, in my Curation Tools category.

With the plethora of information on the web, I’m not sure of how anyone can manage the wealth of information that would help them keep up-to-date with their topics of interest.  With the shift to digital information, content curation tools, whether it be Pinterest, Feedly, or ScoopIt is almost a necessity.  I believe it is important to use such tools especially in the workplace to keep abreast of what is happening in our professional fields.  But it is not all about consuming the information; it is important for us to be able to critically reflect, individually or collaboratively, on information in order to make sound judgments and/or implement change.

In my workplace, information is stored in many places depending on the department we belong to.  A lot of non-formal and informal learning takes place in my organization and I’m sure in all organizations.  Additionally, people begin to develop their personal learning networks.  Wouldn’t it be great if people would share their knowledge, experiences and best practices and curate it for others to tap into and explore?

Additionally, I believe that it is important for students to develop skills in content curation.  For example, there are many ways in which RSS feeds can be used in the classroom.  One example I can refer to is how our Professor has used a reader to create a collection of all our Weblogs.  Another example of how RSS feeds can be used is to keep students and educators up-to-date in their fields by using an aggregator to collect current news items or innovations in their fields.

Content curation has really changed the way in which we consume information on the web or even how we interact with information that can be made readily available on our mobile devices.  There are a multitude of benefits in using RSS feeds for both students and educators that range from passively consuming content, to collaborating with others in our personal learning networks (PLN’s), to influencing innovation in our fields and contributing towards our professional and personal fulfillment.  

News aggregators and other forms of content curation are essential for everyone today especially as lifelong learning has become the norm in any field.  The more we become self-directed in our learning, the more important it will become to develop a skill as content curators.

As digital citizens we have to be cautious and provide credit to other’s for their work.  Not everything on the Internet is credible and reliable.  And when we share our knowledge and experiences, we are looking to add value.  

My Experience with RSS Feeds

Many sites are offering RSS feeds, which allow us to keep up-to-date on information that impacts us personally and professionally.  I have created a Feedly account, which is an RSS reader or what some people may refer to as a news aggregator.  An item of interest I would like to share with you from my reader is the use of Google Hangouts in the classroom. 

A Google hangout is a great way to connect students virtually for group work, office hours, or reviewing complex concepts.  

Personal Learning Environments

We have come to the end of session 2 for my course in Learning in Digital Contexts.  In this session we explored what it means to create personal learning environments (PLE).  In all honesty, I always thought about using social media tools to create personal learning networks (PLN).  I came to the realization that I had already created a personal learning environment upon completing a PLE diagram.

Datoo, S. (CC) 2013.

In Clint’s blog post, he quoted, “the tools, artefacts, processes, and physical connections that allow learners to control and manage their learning” (Couros, 2010, p. 125).  I strongly believe that learners should be able to derive long-term benefits from their investment in learning, no matter the context. 

Learners vary in age, culture, gender, nationality as well as in their drive and motivational (or other) factors that drive them back into continuing education.  Creating a learner-centred environment can tailor to the needs of my learners.  However, in larger classrooms, it is a challenge to personalize learning.  Technology has created many learning opportunities that can go beyond the classroom walls. 

Steve Wheeler created a slide share presentation on Learning Management Systems and the personal learning environment: A bridge in the cloud? This presentation compares LMS’s with PLE’s.  Steve mentions that LMS’s are good for secure organization, storage and delivery of content, but it’s not good for opening up content or personalized learning”.  This slide share presentation was created in 2010.  Educators are beginning to open up learning by integrated social media and Web 2 tools into education and are leveraging LMS's to do so.  LMS’s are also providing ways to create personalized learning.  For example, the educational institution I work at uses the Desire2Learn LMS.  We can embed twitter feeds and make Google docs available as a resource or allow students to collaborate from within the LMS…this to me is integrated and seamless learning where students are not required to go from site to site to retrieve information and collaborate.  Furthermore, this LMS allows us to personalize learning by using release conditions.  If students receive below 70% on a quiz, instructors can provide more resources to help students master their learning.  This is just one example of using release conditions to create personalized learning paths. 

Instructors and instructional designers however, design how they make use of an LMS.  So I can see how Steve Wheeler also mentions that "institutions that use LMS are in danger of turning the Web back into a funnel" (Wheeler, 2010). How technology is being used is defined by educators, it could used as simply as sharing a bunch of PowerPoint presentations, and that too, without voice over!  If educators cannot use LMS’s for their purpose, which is learning, they should not be using it at all as they are not adding any value to student success.

Personalized learning is what PLE’s are all about.  There are so many tools that allow us to create our own PLE’s that is geared towards our personal learning styles.  Graham mentions that PLE “recognizes the role of the individual in organising their own learning.  Moreover, the pressures of a PLE are based on the idea that learning will take place in different contexts and situations and will not be provided by a single learning provider (Attwell, 2007). Learning management systems provide an array of tools, which allow for communication, collaboration, reflective practice and 24/7 access to information of which can be delivered in text or multimedia formats.  Together with social media and Web 2 tools, LMS’s in my opinion can be truly powerful.

Attwell, G. (2007). The Personal Learning Environments: the furture of eLearning? eLearning Papers, 2(1), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.elearningeuropa.info/files/media/media11561.pdf

Lalonde, C. (2012, August 10). Twitter, PLEs, and PLNs [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://clintlalonde.net/2012/08/10/twitter-ples-and-plns/

Creating a Positive Digital Footprint

I am passionate about innovation in teaching and learning that is enhanced through the use of technology.  I am currently pursuing my undergrad in Adult Education through Brock University.  I have enrolled into a course on Learning in Digital Contexts and this blog was created to reflect on my learning. 

Students starting College and Universities today are accustomed to using technology to communicate and connect using various social media and Web 2 technologies.  Many educational institutions are leveraging such technology to engage students in their learning.  In my full-time position at Centennial College, I have the privilege of attending many technology conferences all of which include social media in education, blended, online and mobile learning. 

The internet has made it so easy to get all kinds of information at our fingertips.  However, it is almost impossible to be able to surf the net anonymously, privately and securely.  You may get a pop up or flashing images, or go to a site without having to log in, all of which may contain “cookies” to keep tabs on you.  We also have to be careful with webmail.  Any emails sent can be saved to the cache that hackers can easily get a hold of such as, social security numbers, age, address, unlisted phone numbers etc. 

Upon performing a search on myself, I found my twitter and Facebook profiles and posts, description of presentations I did at conferences, my work contact information, and many pictures most of which were not uploaded by me.  So whether or not I want a digital footprint, I already have one!  In a nutshell, a digital footprint is any text, pictures, and other media that can be traced back to an individual. Our digital footprint can include pictures we have posted on Flickr, wall posts we have made on Facebook, videos uploaded on Youtube and much more. 

 If I want to use technology, I will have a digital footprint, but it is important to be careful and have a positive one.

To maintain a positive digital footprint, I would bring respect as well as my ethics and morals to the forefront when engaging online.  I would use social media and other Web 2 technologies as a forum for learning, sharing and networking.  If learners become accustomed to using such tools for learning, they may begin to use these tools appropriately.  Recruiters look to the web to get to know potential employees; I have yet to create my Linkedin profile and for me, I believe that’s a good start in creating a positive digital footprint.  It just hit me, creating this blog is another mechanism for me to create a positive digital footprint as I am able to be reflective of learning, share my knowledge and passion for what I do professionally. 

Our behavior online is reflective of our online etiquette (a.k.a netiquette) as well as our digital profile.  It is imperative for educators and students alike to understand how to use technology tools appropriately to become honorable digital citizens.  “But more than a teaching solution, digital citizenship is a way of life” (Ribble, 2011).  Technology is ingrained in everything we do from work and school to our personal lives.  We should all learn to use it wisely.

References

Ribble, Mike. (2011). Digital Citizenship in Schools, 2nd Edition. International Society for Technology in Education.