The document discusses using new technological tools for professional networking and lifelong learning. It provides guidance on incorporating tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and virtual environments into one's professional learning network (PLN). Specific recommendations are given for getting started with Twitter and Facebook. Potential objections to using new tools are addressed, and additional resources are suggested for exploring immersive environments like Second Life. Throughout, the presenter encourages attendees to expand their tool usage for collaboration, community, creativity, and communication.

1. Scott Merrick
scottmerrickdotnet
Resistance is Futile
VTC Conference, November 11, 2010
Professional Networking
for Lifelong Learning

2. Common Foundations:
Our schools are what they should be.
Preserving traditional schools = Serving students responsibly.
Technological tools are available that were available so a
single decade ago.
We understand and make best use of these new tools in our
teaching practice and in our own learning?
scottmerrickdotnet
Do you agree or disagree?

3. New Tools are for:
Collaboration
Community
Creativity
Communication
and they’re all in the cloud
scottmerrickdotnet

4. Incorporating New Tools:
• Steps to build your PLN:
scottmerrickdotnet

5. Try this:
Begin with Twitter
Educators on Twitter Googledoc
25 Important Guides and Apps for
Teachers
Twitter4Teachers
and, of course, Twitter!
scottmerrickdotnet
And here’s a bonus download for you: Mastering Twitter .pdf

6. What’s the big deal about
Facebook?
• http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

7. Try this:
“Educize”your Facebook
Read “Establishing a PLN on Fb”
Look at “Best Practices for
Educators Using Facebook”
Read “Social Media in Education:
The Power of Facebook”
scottmerrickdotnet

8. Are your charges “students” or are they “learners?”
• (David Warlick’s blog post on the topic)
An important ?:
scottmerrickdotnet

9. Want more? Try these:
Blogger.com
Blog posts at Classroom20.com (48,801 members)
Huffpost Education
The Bloggers Hut in Second Life (requires override)
The ReadWriteWeb
scottmerrickdotnet

10. What’s the big deal about
Immersive Environments?
• KZero Q3 slideshow about the current state of 3D worlds

11. Common Foundations:
I hardly have time for my “first life.” Why would I want a
Second Life?
Immersion is for a bath or a swimming pool, not for a
classroom.
I can’t get to these things in my school.
I get it.
I don’t get it.
Do you agree or disagree?
scottmerrickdotnet

12. Incorporating New Tools:
• Steps toward your 3D
immersive experience:
scottmerrickdotnet

13. Try these:
Second Life
Virtual Environments Education Videos
Open Simulator
ReactionGrid
VenueGen
scottmerrickdotnet

14. and these:
ISTE Special Interest Group for Virtual
Environments (SIGVE)
SIGVE walkthrough at ISTE 2010 in Denver, CO
scottmerrickdotnet

15. What have YOU learned today?
microblogging?
Google Apps?
Ning?
social
bookmarking?
whiteboards?
chat?
screencasting?
Glogster?
Plurk?
YouTube?
Flickr?
RSS?
VOIP?
what...?