As part of this course I opted to include two commentaries as part of my learning.
This week’s considered the question, “Can online learning communities foster PD?” ou can read my commentary here if you would like.
In addition, I came across this excellent hour long webinar on the value of online PD moderated by Michelle Davis from educationweek.org
So, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks searching out information on aggregators. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had downloaded Google Reader to my phone during a previous course in order to follow classmates’ blogs but otherwise I hadn’t really used an aggregator before.
In a recent discussion thread posted in my ETEC 590 class I asked people what they used as part of their PLNs and if they had aggregator preferences what were they.
I had a universal response on Tweetdeck. It seems that anyone who uses Twitter, organizes their incoming tweets using Tweetdeck. So, here’s what I discovered.
Tweetdeck is great – for computers – not so for phones, tables, etc. Essentially, when Twitter bought Tweetdeck they decided to focus their energies on creating a better mobile version of Twitter and so canned the mobile version of Tweetdeck. Thankfully Tweetdeck options for home are still available, and according to some reviews, better than ever. icopilot1 has been kind enough to give a video walk-through of the new Tweetdeck.
So, I signed up, which was super easy and I set up a few columns using hashtags such as #edtech, #bced, #cdned, and #alted. Tweetdeck automatically includes other columns like timeline what you would see if you stick with just twitter), interactions (tweets whenever your #name appears), and activities (basically whatever anyone else that you follow does i.e. “#jimsmith followed #becool”. Personally I find activities and interactions a little unnecessary. After a couple of days I deleted them to make way for more columns on subjects of interest to me.
So what do I think? Well, in three words or less – I LOVE IT! At first it is a little overwhelming. I felt like a trader sitting down to my computer with my morning coffee but I absolutely see the value of staying up to date, adding favourites to the ones I want to get back to. It is a great way to get a lot of information without committing an incredible amount of time.
There seems to be only one other giant alternative to Tweetdeck for home and that is Hootsuite. It does have a mobile option as well. Steve Dotto has a great Youtube ssummary of Hootsuite here. It has LOTS of capabilities and would definitely be worth checking out if you want to have multiple people using the same account. It also has collaboration options with: Facebook, WordPress, Google, LinkedIn etc. All I can say is do your homework. I personally DID NOT want an aggregator with imposed relationship with Facebook or Instagram or other tools like that. So, that said, I opted for Tweetdeck.
As for the lack of Tweetdeck for my smartphone – I haven’t resolved that yet. I have been using the Twitter app on my android and so far that is enough for me. I can’t miss something that I never tried.
Others who are accustomed to Tweetdeck seem pretty devastated by it’s demise. However there are lots of other options available. You just have to look around and do the research. Many of the existing products may be linked to other social media providers like: Facebook, Instagram, There are other options out there like: Tweetcaster (all mobile options, free but includes banner ads, get rid of ads for $4.99), Twitterific (iOS), Plume (android and costs $4.99 but looks awesome), Tweetbot (iOS equivalent to Plume – $2.99).
As I said, for now I am sticking with twitter’s mobile version but I am really interested in Plume.
There is still much work to do…Now I’m on to a means of replacing my Google Reader and how to find bloggers worth connecting with on a regular basis. More to follow.
I never understood the importance of #hashtags on twitter. Seriously! But…
Now I get it! Thanks to a bunch of really great videos and articles.
Here is a great video by Beacon SEO that explains the hashtag – in just 4 minutes.
Basically a hashtag (#) makes whatever term you put after it searchable by others.(Just remember – no spaces – where ever the space starts your link to the hashtag ends).
So how can a hashtag help me? Well for instance, what if I send out a tweet about the BCAEA conference. “Learning so much at the BCAEA conference” for example. Those who follow me on twitter will see my tweet but others in the twitterverse will not.
So, what if I want more people to find my tweet and/or what if I want to know what others are saying about the BC Alternate Educator Association conference? In that case, I absolutely MUST put a hashtag in front of any term in my tweet that I want my followers and anyone else to see.
So, if my tweet said something like: “Learning so much at the #BCAEA ! #bced” – now my tweet can be found by two groups of people – those searching info on BCAEA, and those wanting to know what’s going on in BC education.
So, the moral of the story is – USE HASHTAGS! But use them wisely. You have to keep in mind you are working with 140 characters, so the longer your hashtags the fewer your word count can be.
I also found a couple of really useful sites that have compiled extensive lists of existing and commonly used hashtags for education. Check them out – 300 educational hashtags and Educational hashtags to follow.
Another cool site I discovered recently is hashtags.org
This site allows you to search on a particular topic and see who is talking about that topic. To the right is a sample of a topic I knew would effectively demonstrate how the site works. The first shot shows the break down by hour of the number of tweets that have gone out on the chosen search term, in this case #doma (Defense of Marriage Act). As you can see below, tweets started picking up right at the time that the Supreme Court announced their ruling that DOMA was unconstitutional.
The site also lists people who are using that same hashtag in their posts so you can check out what others have to say about your selected topic.
You can sign up and gain more access but really it is not necessary if you are just looking to find others who are tweeting about a topic of interest to you.
Lastly, here are a couple of super helpful twitter guides to get you started and tweeting like a pro in no time.
Adams, D. 150+ Ultimate round-up of helpful twitter and
O’Neil’s The complete guide to twitter.
Stay tuned for my next topic – AGGREGATORS…Yikes!
My twitter profile
Steven Anderson, a prolific tweeter, educator, speaker, and advocate of web 2.0 in education, wrote an article in Teacher Librarian titled “The twitter toolbox for educators“. In it he mentions a couple of great ideas for creating your own twitter presence.
Here are his Must Do’s:
1. Create a username that is short, and represents YOU. It will become your “brand” so choose wisely.
2. Put real thought into your profile. Be sure to include what you do and what you care about. Your profile is the one thing people will read when they decide whether or not they want to follow you, so do think it through carefully. In addition: I would suggest asking friends who know you well to create a profile for you. Sometimes we don’t see ourselves as well as others.
3. Post a picture of yourself. No one wants to follow someone who hasn’t bothered to post a picture. It also helps create a personal presence. (I would suggest avoiding pictures of your family and kids. This is just my two cents, if you are using your account for professional connections I just wouldn’t do it!)
4. Organize those you are following into lists. Remember, if we can benefit from the lists made by others, than they should be able to do the same. It’s important in the world of networking to create and share, rather than simply consuming the efforts of others.
So, be sure to take the time to look closely at your twitter profile and be sure that your picture, profile, and username are a true reflection of who you are and how you want others to see you.
p.s. If you want to follow Steven on twitter his user name is @web20classroom
Okay, so maybe I’m not quite at the tweeting stage but I am up and live on twitter. Richardson himself says that it is pretty typical for people starting out to simply consume information on social media but he also notes the importance of not sitting back for too long – it is a PLNetwork after all, and networks require give and take.
Despite having been limited to laying on my back or standing for the past week I have made some progress with my PLN; I have been laying on my couch working on creating a twitter presence.
For those unsure what twitter is here is quick 2 minute video – Twitter in Plain English.
First thing was first, I had to update my twitteraddress and name. Richardson recommends using your real name in various PLNs. 1. He thinks it makes it easier for people to find you, and 2. You appear more trustworthy when you use your real name. Makes sense.
So here is my twitter address: @smyers4alted
I then set out to find a handful of people to follow on twitter that fit into the areas I wanted to focus on in building my PLN as posted in my previous post.
Please check out my Google doc which outlines who I am currently following on Twitter. Please feel free to add to the document with any recommendations you may have; but please use a a different font colour so I do not miss any of your great additions.
Once you have created a twitter account here are a few tips to help you find people to follow:
Lastly, here are a few useful links to help you get started with finding people on twitter:
10 ways to find people on twitter.
50 educational people worth following on twitter
Twitter and Canadian Educators…or should I say “Edutweeters”, yep, I said it.
Good luck.
Stay tuned for more on managing your tweets.
Thanks.
p.s. Don’t forget to take a moment to add to the Google doc above if you can. It will be greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately I have been down for the count since my last post as a result of one bulging and one herniated disc in my lower back. I have to say through the agony, and tears, and hospital stays, I’ve certainly learned a thing or two about myself and the importance of having solid learning networks in place for ALL areas of your life, not just your professional one.
Essentially, I have spent the last several weeks talking to local doctors, searching google and youtube, chatting with other people with the same ailment in online discussion forums, skyping family members across North America who practice alternative medicine, and reading article after article on disc herniation recovery.
Anyway, I won’t belabour this further but I will say as a Vancouver resident who is without a GP, and in overall good health I have just now discovered the incredible shortfalls of relying on one source for information (in this case, information on recovery).I think it was Downes who said, “Once you know, you can’t not know.” That is so true! And now that I know, I am better off for it.
Much like my PLN for professional development, I find that I am at the center of my learning (in this case, healing). And like my PLN for pro d, I find that with a larger, more diverse group of people to communicate and connect with, I have hope that things will get better. And at its most basic level that is what a PLN will do for us.
Stay tuned, I am still unable to sit but I am able to stand for longer periods of time and I have discovered that my stove and its conveniently placed hood fan make an excellent place to work when I’m able.
(-:
So, I sat down with my original list of people/areas I want to connect with, and compared it to the list of web tools that have been recommended by a host of people, including Will Richardson.
I have concluded that there are a handful of tools I will use to get and stay connected. Those tools are: microblogs, blogs, wikis, social bookmarking tools, podcasts, and webinars.
After reading pages and pages of how to create a PLN, I came away with two strong messages. 1. Each person’s PLN is unique to them, and 2. Start small so as to not get overwhelmed. So, that said, I am going to ensure that I take the time to think through my PLN choices carefully to ensure that whatever I create is both manageable and sustainable.
That said, there is a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to cover it in so below is a list of how I will spend the next nine weeks setting up my PLN.
Week 5-7. Twitter/RSS /Aggregator. During these three weeks I will be focused on setting up a Twitter account and finding relevant tweeters to follow. As well as looking for bloggers who are talking regularly about issues that matter to me. In order to subscribe to their blogs, I will need an RSS aggregator as well. As I mentioned in my last post, Google Reader is folding at the end of this month so I will need to do some research and determine the best tool for this. (I have been looking at desktop home page options and web-based options as well. I have not come to any definitive conclusions at this point).
Week 8. Week eight will be spent working on my second Commentary which I believe will have something to do with Facebook and the pros and cons of using it as a professional networking tool. (I have to confess, right now I am dead set against the idea of using Facebook as a PLN tool. As a teacher, I feel like there are aspects of my life that I simply want to be just for me – and Facebook is one of them. Not that I am on Facebook that often, but I do have an existing account and it is a social networking tool that I use solely for family and friends, and I want to keep it that way. At least for now.)
Week 9. Podcasts. I really do not have any experience with podcasts so this will be new to me. Although I do have an iTunes account and have seen the iTunes U option so I at least have a place to start from.
Week 10. Social Bookmarking. Will Richardson noted that he had wanted to go with Delicious but at the time he was going to publication Delicious was in jeopardy, so he went with Diigo. I already have a delicious account but am interested in some of the additional features that Diigo offers like highlighting and sticky notes. So, I may be changing my choice of social bookmarking. Truth be told, I have really only been using the bookmarking aspect of delicious, and not bothered with the social aspect of the tool at all. That needs to change. I need to make connections with others who have found great sites and resources in areas of interest to me.
Week 11. Webinars. As far as professional development goes, webinars sound like a great way to connect in a pseudo-f2f environment. I like the idea of it, but much like podcasts, I have no experience, beyond meeting up for live chats in my MET courses.
Week 12-13. This time will be spent creating my Assessment Rubric to be used to evaluate my PLN presentation, finalizing my PLN presentation, and writing my final reflection. Busy, busy, busy!
Let the PLNing begin!
Chapter 2 of Richardson’s book on PLNs offers up tips for “jumping in” to the world of PLNs. He recommends five specific web 2.0 tools to initiate connections: 1. Twitter, 2. Blogger , 3. Google Reader, 4. Diigo, and 5. Facebook.
Richardson’s suggestions got me looking for other recommendations on the best 2.0 tools for the task. While many recommended the same tools as Richardson, others offered even more possibilities. Both Lisette Casey, and Lisa Nielsen, aka the Innovative Educator recommend joining a professional social network like Edublogger or Classroom 2.0. Like Richardson, Nielsen stresses the need to use a tool like Google Reader to follow a handful of bloggers.
The problem I have discovered is that Google Reader is shutting down July, 2013. So, I will need to seek out some alternatives to manage my deluge of incoming information. From what I have read so far, some viable options are: Netvibes, the Old Reader, Feedly, and Pageflakes. I will keep you posted on this.
Sue Waters, better known as The Edublogger, has created a valuable wiki for those about to take on the challenge of creating a PLN. She offers step by step tips on setting up a twitter account, starting a blog, subscribing to blogs, using social bookmarking tools (like Diigo mentioned above), and joining an ning (which turns out is what sites like Classroom 2.0 and Edublogger are apparently!)
Both Eric Patnoudes and Kate Klingensmith recommend attending webinars (web 2.0 Live or Edtech Talk Live) and backchanneling conferences as means of building your PLN. I confess, I had no idea what backchanneling was. I thought it meant sneaking in the back door of conferences I couldn’t afford. In a way it kind of does. Read more about it HERE.
Finally, Katie Morrow’s slideshare offers up all of the above, as well as teleconference tools like Skype, and podcasting (iTtunes U or Education Podcast Network). Something I had not even considered!
What I have discovered over the last few days is that PLNs are as unique and personal as the people that are creating them. There is no “one size fits all” model of PLNs.
I came across Skip Via’s podcast about PLNs which sums this past week’s reading perfectly. So I will leave you with this as I begin to allign my list of PLN needs (posted last day) with the web 2.0 tools at my disposal.
A line in Richardson’s book has resonated with me over the past several days. In Chapter 3: Becoming a Networked Learner, he says, “Once we start connecting, it’s all about the quality of the connections you make, not the quantity” (p.35). He goes on to discuss the importance of being selective as we develop our PLNs ; he also talks about the need to connect with people who offer diverse perspectives and from different “nodes” (A term often used by George Siemens’ with respect to Connectivism which I will be speaking of in my upcoming Commentary).
This line has stuck with me and I have spent the last few days reflecting on who and what to include in my PLN. I am not looking to create a network so vast that it renders me debilitated. I know I do not want to become so overwhelmed by a PLN that consumes or buries me in trying to “keep up”. That said, I have narrowed down the focus areas or areas of passion that I will become the framework of my PLN.
1. Alternative education. First and foremost, my identity as a teacher is grounded in my practice, and for the past 15+ years, despite stints in other areas, I am, and continue to be, a high school alternative school educator.
2. Personalized learning, situated learning, active learning – learning theories and models to make learning meaningful for my students.
3. Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, Self-regulation, etc. These areas of study are imperative in my day-to-day teaching.
4. Current events in education – locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. I think it is imperative to be aware of what is happening in the field of education around the world.
5. Free educational technology tools that can enhance the teaching and learning landscape.
These five areas will be the basis from which I will begin to build my PLN. I will start to seek out people that I can believe and people I can trust in these fields. As Richardson states, “If you have the ability to grow your connections by choosing trustworthy and believable people to interact with in the first place, that network can help you edit and vet the new connections you make” (p. 27).
In chapter 1 of Richardson’s book on PLNs he expands on what David Wiley identifies as the six significant shifts happening as a result of our now uber connected/networked world. Wiley (2008) identifies the following as the most significant shifts:
1. Analog to digital.
2. Tethered to mobile.
3. Isolated to connected.
4. Generic to personal.
5. Consumption to creation.
6. Closed systems to open systems.
Most of these points are probably not new to any of us and yet they are critical to the way we approach our teaching.Two in particular stand out to me as particularly pertinent as a teacher in the 21st century.
There is no denying that our kids are mobile. Of the 50 students in my own classroom, 46 have cell phones, and of those, 20 are smart phones. Those with smartphones name it as their primary source for both communication and information. This aligns with the recent 2012 Pew Internet Study which found that 78% of teens between the ages of 12-17 have cell phones, and 37% of those are smartphones.
How do we accommodate for this shift? Do we even need to? I think so. Absolutely! In my classroom I have 4 computers that are tethered to a wall; this setup does not facilitate collaboration nor does it allow for equal access to information.What it means is that four students at a time have unlimited access to information while the rest stand in line. Why is that when so many of my students have smartphones? Because, despite having wireless in our school, our school district is hesitant to open up the wireless to students. WHY?
I recently wrote a paper for ETEC 511 that was published in part in the BCTF journal Teacher, as well as in full in The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives peer reviewed quarterly. The paper focuses on the unfounded fears and weak justifications school districts give for banning cell phones in school. It also offers counter-arguments as to why we should learn to work with mobile technologies rather than reject them. Below you can find a link to the full paper.
Wiley’s sixth point also strikes a chord with respect to learning and teaching in a networked world. It is this point that has brought me to my research of PLNs. The reality is the world is beyond our classroom walls. We are no longer the experts in the room. If a student has a question or wonders about something she can simply “google” it and the world opens up before her. Students can learn to play instruments, join a live chat room and learn another language, or even register for a MOOC. (Also, FYI Here is a link to an extensive list of MOOCs)
This to me is the scariest thing for teachers, and at the same time it should be the most exciting. We are no longer REQUIRED to know it all. With the rate at which information is replicating it is not even possible for us to know it all. Instead, we need to shift our thinking and our teaching. We also need to stop believing that teachers are no longer needed and that the internet is destroying our profession. Unless of course we resist these changes and continue to operate from the archaic “sage on the stage” model of teaching.
With networks, no one needs to teach alone. We no longer have to close our classroom doors and hope we can meet the needs of every student in front of us. In a blog post titled, “Never teach alone” George Siemens (2012) writes, “There is simply no compelling reason to teach alone. If you’re teaching intro to psychology, find a fellow prof at a different university and teach together. If you’re teaching math for grade 8 students, find another math teacher and share teaching. The educators and the students all benefit.” He’s right! And with a well organized and well connected PLN this will be a much more realistic possibility. Well said George!