This study investigated the use of an iterative design model with four instructional components (communication, interaction, reflection, and evaluation) in Personal Learning Environments (PLE) for professional development. The proposed model was used to measure the impact of social media as a delivery system for receiving and sharing information, exchanging ideas, and gauging knowledge acquisition.
Currently, investments in research and development in Africa are about 0.6% of the global total of R&D investment, significantly lower than other regions. One of the foremost strategies to address this knowledge imbalance would be the packaging of African knowledge products in such a way that they are available and accessible on the internet. There is no doubt that Africans are producing lots of knowledge in their informal conversation as in formal engagements of varying types. This knowledge is being produced daily in villages and urban spaces, by African government officials and businesses, by students and researchers. Traditional healers are also applying indigenous knowledge to offer cures for COVID-19. Thus, the problem from an African perspective is less that of knowledge production and more one of the gathering, packaging and dissemination of the knowledge.
This training present practical tools, platforms and strategies to effectively disseminate your research results to various stakeholders. It would help you make your research visible beyond academia and create more impact in society.
Currently, investments in research and development in Africa are about 0.6% of the global total of R&D investment, significantly lower than other regions. One of the foremost strategies to address this knowledge imbalance would be the packaging of African knowledge products in such a way that they are available and accessible on the internet. There is no doubt that Africans are producing lots of knowledge in their informal conversation as in formal engagements of varying types. This knowledge is being produced daily in villages and urban spaces, by African government officials and businesses, by students and researchers. Traditional healers are also applying indigenous knowledge to offer cures for COVID-19. Thus, the problem from an African perspective is less that of knowledge production and more one of the gathering, packaging and dissemination of the knowledge.
This training present practical tools, platforms and strategies to effectively disseminate your research results to various stakeholders. It would help you make your research visible beyond academia and create more impact in society.
Describes four levels of knowledge capture: eliciting from individuals, harvesting from communities, gathering from networks, and exploring cyberspace.
Knowledge Management for Collection Development: Transforming Institutional ...NASIG
Presenter: Julia Proctor
In an organization with a decentralized collection development structure, it can be difficult for selectors to find correct and/or detailed information at the point of need when engaging in collection development. Institutional knowledge that is possessed by individuals who have worked at the library for many years is not always easily shared with others due to the lack of an effective conduit. Simply knowing what is happening and what has happened with purchases, licensing, vendor negotiations, budget planning, and policy creation can be a challenge for those who have not been directly involved. This presentation will detail the presenter's experience in a new collections role at Penn State Libraries and her work gathering the information that exists on shared drives, in file cabinets, dark corners of the intranet, and in the brains of faculty and staff that have worked at the library for many years and making it available to selectors in a meaningful way. The presentation will discuss projects such as compiling information about annual ebook packages and ejournal backfiles as well as Penn State’s management of theses and dissertations. How those projects were identified and prioritized as well as the process for compiling that information and making it available will also be discussed. The presentation will conclude with a long-term plan for storing and presenting this kind of information so that knowledge continues to be shared across Penn State Libraries. Many libraries face challenges with regard to capturing institutional knowledge, and collection development is an area within libraries where historical information needs to be referenced frequently. This presentation will offer attendees some ideas for how to approach this issue as well as the benefit of the successes and failures the presenter experienced while attempting to address this challenge.
Illinois ResourceNet’s offers a workshop to help introduce nonprofit organizations to the principles of collaboration, the nature and type of collaborative and what it takes to work together in a sustainable manner. In particular, collaboratives play a vital role in Illinois ResourceNet’s commitment to building capacity in the nonprofit sector in Illinois to facilitate stronger federal grant development and submissions.
Lauri Alpern, an Illinois ResourceNet technical assistance provider will lead the workshop and will guide participants through the process of partnership development and completion of tasks in a group setting.
Waving Our Magic Wands: Harnessing the Power of Design ThinkingIowa Campus Compact
Design thinking is a method of problem solving with innovation and creativity. In this workshop you will learn how the design thinking process can be applied to your community engagement work. This methodology provides a transformative process for unifying and inspiring all partners to more innovative outcomes.
Lisa Bates
Lecturer and Extension Specialist
Department of Interior Design
Iowa State University
Susan Erickson
Program Coordinator
Community and Economic Development Extension and Outreach
Iowa State University
Transforming The Academic Library Services For Generation Y Using Knowledge M...tulipbiru64
Paper presented by Sharifah Fahimah Saiyed Yeop at the 4th PERPUN International Conference 2015: Information Revolution, 11-12th August 2015 at Avillion Legacy Hotel, Melaka.
June 4, 2015 | 11am-12pm Pacific
Session Description:
We are launching a webinar series to provide a space for practitioners and researchers in both the leadership and network development areas to connect and learn from each other. Often these groups are not connected and we want to build awareness and even collaboration across the research – practice divide. We will focus on the intersection of leadership and network development. After clarifying the various ways in which leadership and networks intersect, we will consider the following questions: what does it mean for people in networks who see the need to be more intentional about developing leadership, and what does it mean for leadership development practitioners to design and deliver programs that better equip their participants to effectively utilize network strategies and tools.
This first webinar will start to explore the intersection between leadership and networks, and introduce a relational perspective of leadership. The three partnering organizations will discuss concrete examples and ideas from their work, and then participants will have a chance to ask questions.
Register for this first webinar with The Center for Creative Leadership, NYU/Wagner, and The Leadership Learning Community
Powerpoint show developed by Terry Anderson describing design-based research in the context of a wider presentation on distance education research generally and an introduction to CIDER.
Digital and Social Media with all the scholarly representations by so many scholars and netizens confuses us all a lot. This session tried to simplify the understanding of both in the simplest ways possible. And at the same time, discussed the scientific ways in which digital & social medis has evolved, developed and matured over their respective life spans!
Research problem:
What are appropriate objectives and strategies for social media marketing and which key indicators can be used to determine the ROI?
Research questions:
What is social media?
What is ROI and how is ROI measured in traditional marketing?
What is social media marketing?
What are social media marketing objectives and strategies and which (revenue and cost) indicators can be identified to determine the ROI of these strategies?
Author: Luc Helmink
A Teaching and Learning Conversation held at the University of Salford 12 October 2011.
Contributing were Chrissi Nerantze, Peter Whitton, Christine Smith, Lesley Robinson, Kathy Spencer and Joan Livesley
Describes four levels of knowledge capture: eliciting from individuals, harvesting from communities, gathering from networks, and exploring cyberspace.
Knowledge Management for Collection Development: Transforming Institutional ...NASIG
Presenter: Julia Proctor
In an organization with a decentralized collection development structure, it can be difficult for selectors to find correct and/or detailed information at the point of need when engaging in collection development. Institutional knowledge that is possessed by individuals who have worked at the library for many years is not always easily shared with others due to the lack of an effective conduit. Simply knowing what is happening and what has happened with purchases, licensing, vendor negotiations, budget planning, and policy creation can be a challenge for those who have not been directly involved. This presentation will detail the presenter's experience in a new collections role at Penn State Libraries and her work gathering the information that exists on shared drives, in file cabinets, dark corners of the intranet, and in the brains of faculty and staff that have worked at the library for many years and making it available to selectors in a meaningful way. The presentation will discuss projects such as compiling information about annual ebook packages and ejournal backfiles as well as Penn State’s management of theses and dissertations. How those projects were identified and prioritized as well as the process for compiling that information and making it available will also be discussed. The presentation will conclude with a long-term plan for storing and presenting this kind of information so that knowledge continues to be shared across Penn State Libraries. Many libraries face challenges with regard to capturing institutional knowledge, and collection development is an area within libraries where historical information needs to be referenced frequently. This presentation will offer attendees some ideas for how to approach this issue as well as the benefit of the successes and failures the presenter experienced while attempting to address this challenge.
Illinois ResourceNet’s offers a workshop to help introduce nonprofit organizations to the principles of collaboration, the nature and type of collaborative and what it takes to work together in a sustainable manner. In particular, collaboratives play a vital role in Illinois ResourceNet’s commitment to building capacity in the nonprofit sector in Illinois to facilitate stronger federal grant development and submissions.
Lauri Alpern, an Illinois ResourceNet technical assistance provider will lead the workshop and will guide participants through the process of partnership development and completion of tasks in a group setting.
Waving Our Magic Wands: Harnessing the Power of Design ThinkingIowa Campus Compact
Design thinking is a method of problem solving with innovation and creativity. In this workshop you will learn how the design thinking process can be applied to your community engagement work. This methodology provides a transformative process for unifying and inspiring all partners to more innovative outcomes.
Lisa Bates
Lecturer and Extension Specialist
Department of Interior Design
Iowa State University
Susan Erickson
Program Coordinator
Community and Economic Development Extension and Outreach
Iowa State University
Transforming The Academic Library Services For Generation Y Using Knowledge M...tulipbiru64
Paper presented by Sharifah Fahimah Saiyed Yeop at the 4th PERPUN International Conference 2015: Information Revolution, 11-12th August 2015 at Avillion Legacy Hotel, Melaka.
June 4, 2015 | 11am-12pm Pacific
Session Description:
We are launching a webinar series to provide a space for practitioners and researchers in both the leadership and network development areas to connect and learn from each other. Often these groups are not connected and we want to build awareness and even collaboration across the research – practice divide. We will focus on the intersection of leadership and network development. After clarifying the various ways in which leadership and networks intersect, we will consider the following questions: what does it mean for people in networks who see the need to be more intentional about developing leadership, and what does it mean for leadership development practitioners to design and deliver programs that better equip their participants to effectively utilize network strategies and tools.
This first webinar will start to explore the intersection between leadership and networks, and introduce a relational perspective of leadership. The three partnering organizations will discuss concrete examples and ideas from their work, and then participants will have a chance to ask questions.
Register for this first webinar with The Center for Creative Leadership, NYU/Wagner, and The Leadership Learning Community
Powerpoint show developed by Terry Anderson describing design-based research in the context of a wider presentation on distance education research generally and an introduction to CIDER.
Digital and Social Media with all the scholarly representations by so many scholars and netizens confuses us all a lot. This session tried to simplify the understanding of both in the simplest ways possible. And at the same time, discussed the scientific ways in which digital & social medis has evolved, developed and matured over their respective life spans!
Research problem:
What are appropriate objectives and strategies for social media marketing and which key indicators can be used to determine the ROI?
Research questions:
What is social media?
What is ROI and how is ROI measured in traditional marketing?
What is social media marketing?
What are social media marketing objectives and strategies and which (revenue and cost) indicators can be identified to determine the ROI of these strategies?
Author: Luc Helmink
A Teaching and Learning Conversation held at the University of Salford 12 October 2011.
Contributing were Chrissi Nerantze, Peter Whitton, Christine Smith, Lesley Robinson, Kathy Spencer and Joan Livesley
Introductory Psychology: Learning Part II (Operant)Brian Piper
lecture 19 from a college level introduction to psychology course taught Fall 2011 by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Willamette University, operant conditioning
How to Make Money Off the Social Media Skills You Take for GrantedAlexis Grant
Social media strategist Alexis Grant helps the Brazen Careerist community figure out how to make some cash by working as a social media consultant.
Also applicable:
How to Create a Freakin' Fabulous Social Media Strategy: http://alexisgrant.com/socialmediastrategy
How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business: http://bit.ly/smbizguide
Future skills and competences in the pulp and paper industry EuropeanPaper
By Steve Bainbridge, Cedefop. This was presented during the mid-term conference on future skills and competences in the pulp and paper industry, jointly organised by the European Paper Sector Social Partners, industriAll Europe and Confederation of European Paper Industries, in Vienna 22 February 2016. More at (link tbc). d
Incorporating social media in the classroom to support self-determined (heuta...Lisa Marie Blaschke
Social media has become more ubiquitous within higher education and can play an important role in helping students become more self-determined in their learning and in building and sustaining a personal learning network (PLN) throughout their studies and beyond. This lecture will provide a framework for defining and choosing social media for use in the classroom, based on using a heutagogical (self-determined learning) approach to course design. The lecture will also demo a variety of ways for incorporating social media such as Twitter, e-portfolios, mind-mapping, GoogleDocs, and Diigo within the classroom.
This workshop will inform participants about the mechanics as well as the advantages and disadvantages of professional learning networks (PLN), both as a scholar and in the classroom. A professional learning network (also known as a personalized learning network) includes technology-based tools and processes used by a social worker to stay up-to-date and share information about current news, practice knowledge and the latest research findings. Participants will learn how to establish and grow their own PLN, integrate PLNs into a classroom or curriculum, and appreciate how the theory of Connectivism (Siemens, 2005) informs the practice of PLNs.
Professional learning networks (PLN) include tech-based tools and processes used by social workers to stay current and share information about news, practice knowledge and research findings. Participants will learn how to establish their own PLN, integrate PLNs into a classroom, and appreciate how theory informs the practice of PLNs.
Presented at the 2017 Faculty Summer Institute
Research suggests that building a strong sense of connectedness in an online course promotes
student success, engages students, and retains students. This requires that you establish a strong
teaching presence within the course, and that you create structures for students to form a community.
In this session, you will learn strategies to make your online course more personal and techniques to
build faculty and student presence in your online course.
Personal Digital Inquiry: Connecting Learning in Ways That MatterJulie Coiro
Julie Coiro Paper for Symposium Session Presented at CPH 2019 Conference on Literacy in Copenhagen, Denmark The 18th Nordic Literacy Conference & The 21st European Conference on Literacy
As the proliferation of digital technologies and access to information continues to invite different ways of thinking, learning today is influenced by the ever-evolving, interconnected complex systems. While these systems have the potential to expand the ecologies of teaching and learning, many students and teachers have yet to tap into their richness. This session explores how connectivism and networked learning might be used to enhance the teaching and learning of first-year writing. I seek to demonstrate how personal technology, Open Educational Resources, and cloud-based computing could be integrated into the curriculum to cultivate interactive, self-directed learning. I will also consider the teacher’s role in facilitating the networked learning process, helping students to situate themselves within the complex relationships of technologies and discourse communities. I hope this creates an open forum to discuss the embedded rhetorics in technology, as well as to explore methodologies for research in the realm of connectivism.
Personal learning environments brenton dass 201225820Brenton Dass
I was truly inspired by the works of many if the collaborators when we were asked to compile this presentation in one of the modules for first semester I didnt hesitate to make use of their excellent depictions of a personal learning network
This is the presentation I gave to my committee following my IRB approval. It is a defense of my study, and was conducted to get my committee's feedback prior to beginning my study.
Self determined learning: Creating personal learning environments for lifelon...Lisa Blaschke
We live in a networked world that gives us a multitude of opportunities for creating, connecting, collaborating, and networking, allowing us to build multi-faceted learning environments of exploration and inquiry. Self-determined learning, or heutagogy, is one pedagogical approach that be can applied for taking advantage of these opportunities across all levels of schooling – starting from pre-school and kindergarten to post-secondary education and lifelong learning. Combined with technology, self-determined learning becomes a powerful means of creating personal learning environments that support lifelong learning. During this session, we will look at ways in which a self-determined learning approach has been applied across all learning communities and discuss how the approach can be used in practice, from the early years through formal education to lifelong learning.
Self-determined learning: Creating personal learning environments for lifelon...Lisa Marie Blaschke
We live in a networked world that gives us a multitude of opportunities for creating, connecting, collaborating, and networking, allowing us to build multi-faceted learning environments of exploration and inquiry. Self-determined learning, or heutagogy, is one pedagogical approach that be can applied for taking advantage of these opportunities across all levels of schooling – starting from pre-school and kindergarten to post-secondary education and lifelong learning. Combined with technology, self-determined learning becomes a powerful means of creating personal learning environments that support lifelong learning. During this session, we will look at ways in which a self-determined learning approach has been applied across all learning communities and discuss how the approach can be used in practice, from the early years through formal education to lifelong learning.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Social Learning Theory and Social Media: Exploring Personal Learning Environments for Professional Development
1. Social learning theory and social media: Exploring informal
Personal Learning Environments (PLE) for professional
development (using an iterative design model)
Alexis Smith Macklin, PhD, The Senator John Heinz History Center,
asmacklin@heinzhistorycenter.org
IACIS 2013 International Conference
San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 2-5, 2013
2. What is a Personal Learning Environment?
• Mash-up of distributed services
designed to track interactions
• Generally built on Web 2.0 tools
• Learner-driven
3. The Facilitator
(the learner; the network; an expert)
The Learner
(YOU)
The Network
(like-minded people; a professional community)
4. The Learner I want to learn how to
crochet . . .
1. Set a learning goal
2. Look for information (an
expert/facilitator) to help gain
knowledge or insight to support
the learning goal
3. Find a community (the
network) to hone my skills, share
my expertise, gain more insight,
refine the learning goals
7. After many failed attempts – and returns to YouTube videos for more
explanation – I finally accomplished the goal and posted the end result
on Instagram
Feedback from
the network
8. Research Question
Does an iterative design model for a PLE, using
social media as a delivery system and social
learning theory as a conceptual framework,
motivate self-selected participants to
• receive and share information,
• exchange ideas, and
• gauge knowledge acquisition?
9. Communication
Interaction
Reflection
Evaluation
Facilitator
Network
Learner
Facilitator
Learner
Network
Learner
Facilitator
Sets initial learning goals
Establishes initial framework
for information intake and exchange
Curates information
Initiates discussion
Identifies contextual, social, and
task support for engaging in the
network
Provides feedback and
guidance
Network
Identifies shared learning
goals of the group
Adapts framework
for information intake and
exchange to specific needs of the
group; engages in group discussion
Curates additional information
Facilitator
Network Synthesizes and analyzes information
Sets benchmarks for success
Identifies contextual, social,
and task support for
shared goals
Provides
feedback and
guidance
Learner
Personalizes learning goals and benchmarks for
success, while interacting with the group
Organizes information to support personal learning
goals; curates goal specific information
Identifies contextual, social, and task support
needed to accomplish personal and
shared learning goals
Evaluates progress
10. The Design of a PLE
• Promote motivational strategies (Deci & Ryan,
2000)
• Enable self-direction, reflection, knowledge-
building, and autonomy by providing options
and choice (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010)
• Provide enough guidance and support to
achieve the determined goals (Jonassen,
1999; Wolters & Rosenthal, 2000)
11. Social Learning Theory –
the quick version
• Goal Setting
• Self-efficacy
• Collaborative learning
• Motivation
14. Self-selected Content
The teachers’ content included these topics:
• Finding primary source materials and activities for my students
• Creating themes for primary source use and inquiry based
learning
• Aligning activities to state standards
• Assessing learning outcomes
The volunteers wanted:
• The oral history process – more than just the interview
• Setting goals for your project and selecting the people to
interview
• Selecting a setting and equipment
• Developing a project management system
• Conducting background research
15. What they told me . . .
“It’s hard to remember to participate.”
“I don’t know what’s required of me.”
“I’m not comfortable sharing that much
information online.”
“I don’t know who has access to this blog. I
don’t want to put myself out there.”
16. Next Steps
• Spend more time training participants to use
Web 2.0 tools for learning
• Spend more time creating a sense of
community and building trust
• Create more incentives to motivate and
sustain interest long-term
17. Unraveling the secrets of the PLE . . .
Thank you!
For questions and
copies of my paper and
presentation:
asmacklin@heinzhistorycenter.org
Editor's Notes
An informal way of supporting these groups is through Personal Learning Environments (PLE), which are “mash ups” of distributed services designed to track the activity of a community and connections with others to share and edit content (Casquero, Portillo, Ovelar, Benito, & Romo, 2010). The difference between the PLE and other online learning environments is that the learners are co-constructing the system including choosing what information resources to use, what content to produce, and how to disseminate it (Wilson, 2008). These learning environments are generally built on externally hosted Web 2.0 tools and support collective information and knowledge management.
In this proposed model the facilitator initiates the learning process. This might be an expert in the field, a teacher, the community itself, or an individual learner who is interested in gathering relevant materials on a given topic and initiating a discussion about what was found. The learner and the network respond to the initial information intake – and, voila – we are learning! For example . . .
I wanted to learn how to crochet.
I turned first to You Tube to find the experts who could demonstrate the process. With more than 10 million hits – I need an expert who can help me narrow down the choices . . . What are my real learning goals – I want to make a granny square. Google, through my initiation, has actually become the facilitator for my learning process narrowing down choices with relevancy ranking . . . Cause you know I’m not going beyond the first page to find what I’m looking for – before I move on to the next search. In this case – I realized quickly that the returns where too many – and I really wanted to learn how to do a granny square.
Full disclosure – this is actually a photograph of my friend Kimberly’s end result – mine wasn’t this good. This is an example of a simple PLE. The PLE is intended to be an informal learning experience in that the learner sets his or her own goals and objectives, and directs the outcomes accordingly (Cofer, 2000). In the context of professional development, informal learning is used to describe learning independent of an instructor-led program, books and manuals, or mandated curriculum. Marasick and Watkins (2001) describe the process as learning that grows out of everyday encounters in a given context, which is often intentional but not highly structured. This may be a workplace challenge, a problem that needs a solution, or some personal information need to be fulfilled. The actions to resolve the need are what constitute the learning process. A simple context, therefore, may only involve one person, whereas more complex situations will benefit from having interactions with others who might have more experience, a different perspective, or more expertise to provide additional insight.
This study of personal learning environments and social media is based on the following assumptions: that knowledge is socially constructed (Bandura, 1977; Vygotsky, 1978; 1986); that people use social media to share their ideas about real-world situations and topics of interest, and that it has the potential to be a powerful learning tool (Greenhow & Robelia, 2009); that motivation to learn is found in learning experiences that are shared, meaningful and relevant (Lave & Wenger, 1991); and that learning is an iterative process of testing and refining ideas (Dewey, 1938; Lesh, 2002). Figure 1 demonstrates how those assumptions might be manifested in the instructional design for the PLE using social learning theory and social media tools to deliver, organize, and assess Information exchange in the learning process. Most other models of PLEs that I looked at where hierarchical and linear . . . But that wasn’t my lived experience. So, I wanted something that reflected the iterative approach that I took to learn how to make those lovely granny squares.
The literature and my own personal experience leads me to believe that the design of any PLE should include the following. In theory, this should lead to self-regulation in the learning process as it pertains to a learner’s control over his or her own learning process, including directing cognition and motivation to achieve a learning goal. What’s missing in the design is building a sense of community . . . This will be important to come back to when I talk about my results.
Noted theorists – Bandura, Schunk, Zimmerman, Vygotsky – determined that self-regulated learning requires that the learner have a sense of his or her own ability, be able to reflect on the learning process, evaluate his or her own progress, and be motivationally and behaviorally active participants in that process. So, I worked with these big themes to see if I could come up with a model that would work – in a short period of time and on a very limited budget.
This proposed model looks at the interconnectedness of four instructional design components – that would – in theory – create a successful PLE using social learning theory. Goal setting through communicating an information need; information curation through interacting with a network of learners; scaffolding and creating learning support systems through reflection and synthesis of information; and assessment through testing and evaluating new ideas and receiving feedback and guidance.
MalinkaIvanova does a great job of demonstrating how social media is used to gather information, communicate ideas, and create new content. I found her work late in my writing of this paper, but will refer back to it in my revisions. She talks about the Web 2.0 tools as the “start pages” designed to provide a personalized place on the Internet where learners can mash up data, information and knowledge – any time – any where. In my study – the start pages are the dedicated blogs I used to initiate discussions and posting of content.
This study evolved out of an immediate need to support teacher enrichment activities and volunteer training – in a way that was cost effective (i.e. free) and easy to access. The teachers and the volunteers participated in 90 minute workshop to introduce them to relevant content and social media delivery systems. Invitations to the workshops were shared with the museum’s database of more than 2,500 teachers and more than 600 volunteers. From that pool, 48 teachers signed up for the workshop on primary source use, and 20 volunteers signed up for the workshop on conducting oral histories. The workshops concluded with the participants identifying additional topics they would like to explore that were not addressed, or not addressed fully, during the 90 minute introductory session. Based on feedback received, the facilitator organized two PLEs to cover the following topics over four and six weeks respectively.Boththe teachers and the volunteers set learning goals for themselves; identified areas of interest and self-assessed their current level of comfort in with the various tasks associated with the selected content. They seemed to be very motivated . . . Until the online content was presented and they were expected to join in the discussion.
And they wouldn’t interact. They were reading the content and email me directly – but they were not engaging as a community. When I polled them to find out why – I got the following responses. This was disappointing because they all seemed to be excited about participating – until it was time to do so. The short answer to my research question is that the PLE does not support engagement and exchanges of ideas – unless, perhaps, there are more incentives to do so. Kush, Williamson, and Argote (2012) found that without incentive to participate, people will soon forget that they committed to the group and the learning experience. As Dabbagh and Kitsantas (2012) indicated, motivation is a critical factor for engaging participants in the PLE. In this study, self-selection to the group was not enough of a motivator; learners seemed to also require external rewards for their contributions in order to participate even at a perfunctory level. Researchers who study motivational strategies indicate that learning activities should be designed to be intrinsically interesting so that learners can assign value to that activity to motivate them until the task is completed (Ryan & Deci, 2000). The learning process, therefore, must initiate activities that result in a goal that the learner feels is valuable. The PLE is completely optional, so there is no course to complete. This lack of structure was confusing and uncomfortable for most of the participants. Without a sense of structure, Valtonen, Kacklin, Dillon, Vesisendaho, Kukkonen and Hietanen (2012) found that people are less motivated to participate. There is also the issue of not having personalized the learning goals (Zimmerman, 2000). In this case, the participants expected that the facilitator would provide the content and direct the outcomes. They had a great deal of personal discomfort being responsible for their own learning. A result of their study showed personal connection with others was essential for meaningful interactions using social media as part of the learning environment. Ala-Mutka, Punie, and Ferrari (2009) confirm that trust and prior interaction is a factor in how much information is shared in an online learning experience. They noted that restricted environments such as invited blogs and learning management systems like Blackboard increase participants comfort level for sharing and disseminating knowledge.