My new challenge to develop a PLN!!

The first two subjects of my Masters of Education have forced me to step outside my comfort zone and learn new web 2.0 skills.  Firstly I had to establish my own website and then I had to help create and participate in an academic blog!  These were challenges that I cautiously undertook, unsure if my basic computer skills would be enough to complete the required tasks.  But after 9 months of study I am proud to say that I have succeeded in both, and had fun learning and participating with these new web tools.

Where to now??? 

The closing comments from my week 11 online lecture inspired me to get serious about continuing my web 2.0 journey.  These are the words of wisdom:

 This unit has been all about how the relationship between young people, media and popular culture is changing, and how education needs to respond.  It would be a shame if no change occurred as a result of your involvement in this unit.

Michael was right, it would be a shame if no change occurred as a result of my completing this unit – I need to not only continue my learning journey but also to establish professional networks where I can gather and share my information more efficiently.  My next step is to follow Michael’s advice and decide on an initiative that I could realistically implement.   The solutions to this is a PLN.  

My understating of what Professional Learning Networks (PLN) are is this -  it is the people I learn from and share information with, the people that I interact with form my PLN.  They can be peers, professionals, experts or social contacts.  Most of the interaction within my PLN takes place on line now because it is the simplest way to find and share information.  My PLN includes lots different communities like Facebook, blogs, and Twitter.   

5 Ways to Begin Building Your Personal Learning Network  

When I was trying to decide how to establish my PLN I came across a blog called the Innovative Educator it had a great post that was titled ‘5 ways to begin building your Personal Learning Network’ (perfect just what I needed to get me started).  

Number 1 -  Join a professional social network. 

I already belonged to the professional social network within Education Queensland’s the Learning Place
‘Digital teachers are empowered by their personal educational networks. They acknowledge themselves as learners on a journey that is exciting, challenging and connected’.

(quote and image from the Learning Place)

I have always used the Learning Place as invaluable resource when searching for information and classroom tips.

In order to extend my network I have now joined the School Libraries Association of Queensland (SLAQ), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)  as well as an international group of educators on a ning site which is dedicated to the support of a ‘Personal Learning Networks for Educators’, this site is called The Educators PLN .  The Educators PLN has excellent links and articles on a range of topics such as Project based learning, Twitter, Social Media, Tutorials and Links to TED talks. 

Number 2- Pick 5 Blogs you find interesting and start reading them.  

My five blogs are:- 

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/

Provides online resources and reflects on education issues and new research findings.  This site is like the bible for me as develop in my role as a Teacher Librarian.  

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/

Provides lots of great ideas for how to integrate technology into the classroom. 

http://studentslearn.wordpress.com/

Blog posts are used to share research and highlight the ways in which school libraries support teaching and learning in schools. 

http://campusrc.edublogs.org/

A TL’s post sharing what has been happening in her library.   

http://skerricks.blogspot.com/

A TL’s online tool record and share the tools she uses.  

Number 3 - Set up an iGoogle account and subscribe to the blogs you selected in Google Reader.                                        

I must confess that have so far skipped step three of this program – sorry – it is still on my 'to do list’. 

4- - Join the microblogging phenomena by reading Tweets at Twitter

The biggest change in developing my PLN has been the way in which  I manage and communicate with  people, which is where Twitter can help.  Twitter provides instant updates in mini blogs, where posts are limited to 140 characters.  Most of the resources from Twitter are in the form of links to websites, e-books, blogs, or activities.

At first I found Twitter very overwhelming, there was a lot going on!! I was on information overload!!   I found a great description of Twitter where it is described as a ‘big noisy teacher’s lounge where everyone is talking (texting) at once’ and that was exactly what it felt like. 

I have been told by more experienced users of Twitter that the easiest way to fully maximize the benefits of Twitter is to switch to TweetDeck because it has the ability to show everything you want to see at once, in an organized column format.  So this is another thing I have added to my ‘to do list’.    

5- Become a part of the conversation and start commenting on the what you read.  

This assignment has made me realise how important it is to comment on blogs.  Previously I had been a passive participant who read, enjoyed and used the information I found but did not let the writer know how beneficial their post had been to me.  I now understand that a successful PLN needs to be a two way street and that is not ok to just take the information.  It is important that I actively participate by leaving feedback, sharing my knowledge, and helping others when I can.   

A PLN is only as good as the people who participate in it!

While I still have I few thing on my ‘to do list’ I feel an enormous sense accomplishment in what I have achieved so far.  I am looking forward to sharing my new found skills with my student and peers and to continuing my web 2.0 journey. 

 

If you are thinking f establishing your own PLN – this is a great clip that will help
Enjoy :-)

Why educators should consider creating and participating in a personal learning network.

 

It's Happening Now!

This section of the blog post is in response to the journal article Mobile Goes Mainstream written by Kurt Eisele-Dyrli. This online article details many example of how schools in America are implementing mobile media in the classroom, and the effects that it is having on students, teachers and the education system. The article also backs up its arguments by using not only evidence provided by schools, but also results from surveys, academic reports and interviews with experts in the area of ICT. While, this is an American article, it relates directly to Australian schools as mobile learning is becoming more and more common with the increase of technology in classrooms.

According to Eisele-Dyrli, there has been a change in perception regarding the use of mobile technologies for educational purposes. The article details the results of Speak Up 2010, a research project completed by the education organisation, Project Tomorrow. Interestingly, it found that the number of students who use smartphones has tripled since 2006. However, maybe this isn’t so extraordinary because smart technology has been on the increase for several years, this increased student use is a natural progression. Eisele-Dyrli (2011) argues that for many people, the shift toward embracing mobile technology in learning has had a feeling of inevitability.

Additionally, the report also found that 67 percent of parents said they would purchase a mobile device for their child to use for schoolwork if the school allowed it, and 61 percent said they liked the idea of students using mobile devices to access online textbooks (Project Tomorrow, 2011). The article uses these findings in its argument, and this demonstrates that the public are becoming more comfortable with the idea of using devices formerly thought of as entertainment, and seeing that with the correct application, they can have profound effect on the education of children.

With many schools banning mobile phones at school, it may come as a surprise that schools are now encouraging the use to mobile technology. According to research for the article, one American school’s board voted unanimously to allow students to use their smartphones in class for online research, assignment work, and for other educational purposes. It was up to the discretion of the classroom teacher to what extent smartphones were used. This may challenge some policies by many schools. For example, the Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students by Brisbane State High school regards the use of mobile phones and other hand held devices as unacceptable behaviour. One particular spokes person for a school detailed by Eisele-Dyrli (2011) suggested that:

“We realized that for us to continue helping students develop 21st-century skills, to help them learn how to access information in the way they will in the future, we were not going to be able to have the budget or capacity to add devices as rapidly as we wish we could.”

The school then decided to roll over their ban on mobile phones, and allow their use in the classroom. This would then offset the cost of buying new technology, when students already had it at their fingertips. The spokesperson said that they wanted to allow the students to use the technology that they had to enhance their education.

Mobile learning and technology is a reality in education. In the article, a spokesman for Blackboard, a learning platform developer, said that “Mobile technology in schools is not going to happen--it is happening.” Essentially, software developers have seen the increase of technology on schools from afar, so the sustained use of mobile learning by schools comes as no surprise.

Mobile technologies are not adaptable to the classroom, without the content being specific to education areas. For example, applications available on apple product such as iPods and iPhones are as valuable to students and teachers as the physical technological tools as well. For example, Google Earth, Google Maps, atlas applications, and other features of mobile technology are important classroom specific work. Dr. Patricia Wallace (2010) suggests that because of their special features, from cameras and camcorders to GPS capabilities, mobiles and iPods can be used in innovative ways, both in the classroom and outside of it. This idea backs up Eisele-Dyrli’s argument that mobile phones and other devices have and important place in classrooms and the education system, but their content must be usable and reflect the needs of students.

Eisele-Dyrli’s Mobile Goes Mainstream also discusses the positive benefits that mobile media in the classroom has on behaviour management. He discusses that teacher will be able to conduct immediate and ongoing assessment. Teachers are able to ask questions throughout class, with students answering on their devices while they worked or as they heard a lesson, enabling the teacher to adjust instruction based on this constant assessment. There are many applications like this available, for example Class Dojo (from an American company). This programme allows teachers to monitor behaviours throughout the school day and assign or remove points from students regarding their behaviour (see video below). Applications like this that are available to teachers further underline Eisele-Dyrli’s ideas that mobile learning has an extremely important place in the lives of educators.

Overall, this journal article was extremely insightful and highly relevant to Australian education, as much as American education. The ideas presented by the author are ones that many teachers in Australia are coming across as many classrooms are now using mobile media such as laptops and hand held devices. Eisele-Dyrli closes his argument by stating that instruction needs to be put first. As helpful as these tools are, they need to be used in conjunction is appropriate instruction methods. If teachers cannot incorporate technology such as this into their programme, students will not be able to demonstrate success in using it appropriately. This article has been successful in presenting a positive argument for the use of mobile media in education and provides much evidence to underpin its ideas. Mobile media is an ever evolving facet of education and one, if harnessed correctly, can be of major benefit to teachers, students and other stakeholders.

Class Dojo

References

Brisbane State High School. (no date). Responsible behaviour plan for students. Accesses 10/10/11 from

http://www.brisbaneshs.eq.edu.au/sites/default/files/bshs/PolicyDocuments/responsibleBehaviourPlan.pdf

Eisele-Dyrli, K. (2011) Mobile goes maintream. Accessed 10/10/11 from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/mobile-goes-mainstream/page/0/3

Project Tomorrow. (2010) Congressional briefing. Accessed 11/10/11 from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html

Wallace, P. (2010) M-Learning: promises, perils, and challenges for K-12 education. Accessed 17/10/11 from http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/Journals/Winter2011/Wallace