Social Networks & Social Learning

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1/22/10

NOTE:
This will be my new virtual home. Why?

For those familiar with technology and blogging, you have been shaking your head at me for far too long -- and I don't blame you.
You know that (in addition to numerous other reasons), using something like WordPress to set up and run a blog is much more time efficient than running a website such as this one. With more things continually trying to make their way onto my job/time plate, I need -- no scratch that -- I have to do this.

RSS feeds are not supported on Calvin's personal websites. I have appreciated your patience in continually having to return/check-in here on this site, but it's time to move on to a better way of doing things.

I will keep this site up for reference sake -- as I've worked hard to obtain the information on the various topics located herein. Thankfully, some of this site has been helpful to other people.

Archives of my postings related to "Social Networks, Social Learning, & the Social Web" are listed below.
For up-to-date postings, I'll see you over at my new "Learning Ecosystems" blog!

1/15/10

3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology -- from Mashable.com

1/8/10

12/31/09

"A network of individuals knows more than a single individual." -- George Siemens
That's somewhat obvious. Sure, "wisdom of the crowds" (wikipedia) can quickly become "idiocy of the crowds" (youtube comments)...and experts do know more than novices (though a network of experts knows more than an individual expert). This is evident in the education field. Education employs more people than almost any other sector - 1 in 16 jobs in the US. Which means expertise is widely distributed and capturing great ideas about teaching practices can provide much value. Looking for a simple way to aggregate these ideas? Doug Belshaw used a simple Twitter hashtag approach, moving from idea to artifact in about one month. A .pdf of the project is available here.

Musings on how online networking knowledge mirrors our learning brain -- from Golden Swamp by Judy Breck

Open for Learning: The CMS and the Open Learning Network -- from ineducation.ca by Jon Mott and David Wiley
Abstract: The course management system (CMS) reinforces the status quo and hinders substantial teaching and learning innovation in higher education. It does so by imposing artificial time limits on learner access to course content and other learners, privileging the role of the instructor at the expense of the learner, and limiting the power of the network effect in the learning process. The open learning network (OLN)—a hybrid of the CMS and the personal learning environment (PLE)—is proposed as an alternative learning technology environment with the potential to leverage the affordances of the Web to dramatically improve learning.

Top Internet Trends 2010: A Guide To The Best Predictions From The Web - Part 1 -- from Robin Good

Top Internet Trends 2010: A Guide To The Best Predictions From The Web - Part 2 -- from Robin Good

12/28/09

Related item:

12/22/09

Related item:

12/17/09

Building a social learning environment -- from Social Media In Learning by Jane Hart
The series looks at three different ways of creating a social learning environment - for free or at low cost:

Part 1 - Using free public social media tools, October 2009

Part 2 - Using Google tools, November 2009

Part 3 - Using Elgg, an open source social engine, January 2010

12/16/09

Tips for Building a Personal Learning Network on Campus and Online -- from Faculty Focus by Maryellen Weimer

12/14/09

Note sharing sites - a challenge to academic experiences? -- from Ian Gardner

Will Learning Adopt the Linux Model for Development in the Future? -- from the Upside Learning blog

I came across this really interesting interview with Greg Kroah-Hartman – Linux Kernel Dev/Maintainer. In this interview, Greg talks about how the Linux project has accommodated the accelerating rate of change for the kernel. It was very interesting to draw parallels between some of what he says and learning.

“And then I send stuff off to Linus. So, Linus trusts 10 to 15 people, and I trust 10 to 15 people. And I’m one of the subsystem maintainers. So, it’s a big, giant web of trust helping this go on.”

Web of Trust’ Networks of trust are becoming very important to the way we create products/services where each individual on the network is a potential contributor. There are just such networks in the enterprise as well, and they play a big role in how tacit knowledge is transferred in the organization. Increasingly, social networking tools are available within the organization and analyzing these networks gives a good idea who the knowledge leaders in an organization are, and which individuals form their network. The ability to target and influence knowledge leaders will lead to similar effects on their networks as well.

Social Media: Trends and Implications for Learning -- Dave Cormier and George Siemens
The recordings for all sessions, including December's, are available here. We are continuing the series in 2010 and will provide more information on dates soon.

12/3/09

Elluminate recording here

11/28/09

Directions in Education and Learning -- George Siemens at University of Oslo
"Our ability to know is defined by our involvement in networks."

11/25/09

Related item
Study: Inc. 500 CEOs Aggressively Use Social Media for Business -- from Inc. bBy Tamara Schweitzer
Fast-growing companies are particularly visible on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, according to a new study.

11/24/09

11/20/09

-- image from Michael Marlatt

11/19/09

Educational Networking: The Important Role Web 2.0 Will Play in Education -- social networking whitepaper from Elluminate by Steve Hargadon
...discusses social networking, Web 2.0, the emergence of educational networking, and its adoption for personal learning. The paper also looks at how the LearnCentral social learning network is providing a platform for professional development for educators on a global level.

11/17/09

Designing Social Interfaces: Overview and Practical Techniques -- from Smashing Magazine by Dmitry Fadeyev

11/16/09

Social Media FOR learning - Part 2 -- from Jane Hart

Connectivisim: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age -- from E-learning Practice & Research blog; and ultimately from George Siemens
The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe. Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. A real challenge for any learning theory is to actuate known knowledge at the point of application. When knowledge, however, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses [emphasis DSC].

Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. The field of education has been slow to recognize both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era.

11/12/09

11/9/09

Related item:
The K-12 Online Conference
...invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2009 conference theme is “Bridging the Divide.” This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote by classroom teacher and international educator Kim Cofino the week of November 30, 2009. The following two weeks, December 7-11 and December 14-17, over fifty presentations will be posted online to our conference blog and our conference Ning for participants to view, download, and discuss.

11/6/09

GoingOn Announces First Community Platform for Education at EDUCAUSE 2009 -- from B2E
The GoingOn Community Platform leverages social web technologies to create online communities for collaboration, learning and social knowledge management
November 4, 2009/San Francisco, CA – GoingOn provider of the first open source community platform for education, will showcase its cornerstone technology, The GoingOn Community Platform at EDUCAUSE 2009, November 3-6, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

11/5/09

Social Isolation and New Technology -- from PewResearch.org
How the Internet and Mobile Phones Impact Americans' Social Networks

Americans Are Lonelier, but Don't Blame the Internet, Report Says -- The Chronicle

10/30/09

Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego' -- from CNN.com by Breeanna Hare
If you harbor a bit of angst over Facebook friend requests gone unanswered, a surprise "defriending" or being deserted by your Twitter followers, you're not alone.

10/29/09

When You're not the Smartest Person in the Room -- by Dean Shareski

10/22/09

10/20/09

Technologically Externalized Knowledge and Learning -- from Connectivism by George Siemens
Introducing [something that I haven't named yet]
Here’s the basic concept: technological advances in how content is created and how individuals interact are at a sufficient stage to serve as a replacement to traditional classrooms. Enter Technologically Externalized Knowledge and Learning (TEKL). Or Connector. Or Learnometer. Or learnalyzer. Or Learnabler. Or future learning approach. I have no idea what to call it without evoking the cheesy Batman “pow” images and shark repellant from the 70’s. For know, I’ll stick with the acronym TEKL.

What is TEKL? TEKL is a physical, wearable device that captures our physical and virtual interactions and assist us in recognizing and forming knowledge connections based on our past interactions, our social network, and our current work or personal interest needs. The image below expresses the elements of TEKL and provides additional detail on the function of various agents.

10/17/09

What is SoLEARN? -- from Jane Hart

SoLearn is our social learning environment - ie a place for individuals to come together and share resources, ideas and experiences for formal courses or for informal learning and working. SoLearn is powered by Elgg, the leading open source social engine. Our customised installation of Elgg at SoLearn provides a number of social media tools that we believe are key for personal and group learning and working: It includes the following functionality

Social networking - to establish and build online relationships with others

Social bookmarking - storing and sharing links to web resources

File-sharing - to create, store and/or share files in all formats: pictures, videos, presentations, documents, etc

Communication - to connect with others both in real time and asynchronously via email

Collaboration - synchronously or asynchronously to work together and co-create documents,

Blogging - to read, comment on and write blog posts

Podcasting - to share and listen to audio (MP3) files

RSS feeds - to subscribe to and read blog and web news feeds

Micro-blogging - to send, receive and reply to short messages with others

Tagging content - to bind related content together from across the site

10/7/09

50 Best Social Networks for Online Students -- from onlineschool.net

10/02/09

The New Glogster Edu Is Live -- from Free Technology for Teachers
Glogster, a great multimedia collage building platform that I've written about in the past, has officially launched the live version of Glogster Edu. The new Glogster Edu eliminates all of the problems that teachers previously encountered when trying to use Glogster in the their classrooms. The new Glogster Edu is hosted separately from the commerical version of Glogster thereby eliminating links to Glogs (multimedia collages) containing questionable content hosted the commercial version of Glogster. Glogster Edu provides teachers with a virtual classroom space in which they can manage the accounts of up to 200 students. Glogster Edu has also partnered with VoiceThread to allow users to include VoiceThread content in their Glogs.

9/28/09

Social Learning Models -- from Jane Hart
When I help organisations understand how to incorporate social media into their formal e-learning content to create formal social learning, I explain this can be done in 3 different ways as shown in this slide from a presentation I use:

9/24/09

Related item:
Beth Kanter Keynote: The Networked Nonprofit -- from New Media Consortium by Alan Levine
Online social networks and social media are beginning to have a dramatic impact on the way that nonprofits do their work beyond marketing, communications and fundraising. As nonprofits adopt social media and become social organizations, we're beginning to see more transparent, open, and porous institutions. Nonprofits are working in the clouds with crowds in new and innovative ways, inspired by the possibilities of new tools. There is social change happening behind the firewall as well as in the board room -- all linked to the use of these new tools.

9/21/09

Networked Individualism and Disruptive Technology -- from TechTicker by Mike Bogle
I just finished reading Barry Wellman’s article on “Little Boxes, Glocalization, and Networked Individualism” and have a thought I’d like to explore with respect to parallels between the article and change conflicts in education.

9/11/09

Which Social Sites Do People Use Most for Sharing Content on the Internet -- from Digital Inspiration by Amit

8/24/09

How Students, Professors, and Colleges Are, and Should Be, Using Social Media -- from The Chronicle by Marc Beja

8/17/09

Related item:
Video Conferencing -- from WebConferencingCouncil.com
Video conferencing is a tool that is now being used frequently in the workplace. Helping to connect people quickly and easily, video conferencing offers employers and employees the opportunity to communicate more efficiently and directly, saving time and money. By learning to use and operate a video conferencing system, you can really improve the way you work and what you achieve. So if you want to increase your job skills or those of your employees, you may be interested in learning a little about video conferencing.

What is Video Conferencing?
Video conferencing is a simple but effective way to connect people who are in different physical locations. It is very similar to a phone call, only it allows you to see, hear, and exchange data with a person (or persons) all at one time. Through the use of video, audio, and computer technology, video conferencing allows two or more people to see and talk to one another without having to meet in the same physical space. Video conferencing works particularly well in connecting small and large groups of people located all over the world.

Types of Video Conferencing
There are two main types of video conferencing...

7/30/09

Related item from Learning Trends by Elliott Masie:

"Platforms for Collaboration" - Innovation Article.
Here is an article that focuses on three types of Collaboration Platforms: Exploration, Experimentation and Execution. As organizations leverage collaboration, how do their objectives shape the format and style of the process. Written by By Satish Nambisan, from RPI, for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, it will worth a read.

7/29/09

Related item (and quote below) is from the "Click of the Month" from The Futurist:
THE WORLD MIND NETWORK

Lest you still think social networking on the Web is a waste of your time, here is an opportunity to deploy the real world-changing tools of the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Among the projects established by World Mind Network members are a forum for improving science education co-moderated by Nobel laureate Peter Doherty (1996, Physiology or Medicine) and an interactive blog on the world economic crisis co-hosted by another Nobelist, Edmund Phelps (2006, Economics).

Music and literature also offer ripe opportunities for social networking on the site, including poetry challenges to fit the 140- character limitations of Twitter (though I confess I thought I'd never see a tweet as lovely as a tree.)

"We're not against those things. We do them sometimes. But we have also discovered that the capacity of these tools to build community, to do research, to enlighten, educate, and inform, and to effect humanitarian aid is almost unexplored."

7/15/09

Related item:
Addressing problems of faculty resistance -- from elearnspace by George Siemens
James Morrison tackles the topic encouraging faculty to expand their range of instructional strategies and increase utilization of technology in the process. A great discussion follows the original post. Obviously, you don’t need technology to be a provide a great learning experience. Creative, engaging, and participatory learning is an educational mindset, not something that requires blogs, wikis, Second Life, and podcasts. What technology does, however, is expand the range of options for interaction. Classroom walls give way to global connections. Single educator models are replaced with distributed networks. A bit utopian? Perhaps. But, once control shifts to a network of learners, the prospect arises for the creativity that exists in open source software and with application developers (i.e. iPhone, Facebook) can be applied to education.

7/14/09

Choosing the Right Social Bookmarking Widget for your Website -- from Digital Inspiration - Technology Blog by Amit Agarwal

7/6/09

Connectivism and Connective Knowledge 2009 -- Mike Bogle at TechTicker

The long and the short of it is that CCK08 was an incredible experience. The subject matter was fascinating; the cohort size and diversity was staggering; the nature, scope and scale of the distributed frameworks was incredible; and the sheer volume of information and discussion was titanic. My appreciation for and perspective of online learning and open education was inextricably altered, and my thirst for additional knowledge on the matter unquenchable. By the end of the session I had more questions and research topics than I’d started with, and importantly I’d developed relationships and friendships with some incredible people.

LinkedIn Guide for Knowledge Workers -- from eLearning Technology by Tony Karrer

Tools of The Trade: Technologies of the Professional Networked Learning Collaborative -- from Education Innovation by Robert Jacobs

From George Siemens...
In June, through LearnTrends, we hosted an event on Social and Networked Learning. The recordings are now available (thanks to Scott Skibell of SkillCasting). Topics include: What is social networked learning? ROI, Organizational Challenges, and Moving Beyond Networks.

6/24/09

Learning Networks -- from Long Tail Learners
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection is a great example of the rise of social networks as professional learning communities. Social networking is not just about sharing your latest thoughts, it’s about developing a network of peers who help you learn faster and become better at what you do.

Want to friend the feds? -- from NetworkWorld.com
10 social media sites where you can interact with the U.S. government

6/23/09

AACE University Social Media Seminar Series: Social Media: Trends and Implications for Learning
When: Second Tuesday of each month, 2 pm, CST
Cost: No Fee
Faculty: George Siemens - Associate Director, Learning Technologies Centre, Univ. of Manitoba
David Cormier - Web Projects Lead, Univ. of Prince Edward Island, Canada

6/16/09

Related item
Business Impact of Social and Informal Learning -- from Informal Learning Blog by Jay Cross

6/10/09

The Power of Sharing -- from the human network by Mark Pesce

6/8/09

The PLC becomes the Professional Networked Learning Collaborative

From Leveraging The “Networked” Teacher: The Professional Networked Learning Collaborative -- from Education Innovation by Robert Jacobs

Harnessing the Power of Social Networks in Teaching & Learning - Couros -- from Dr. Z.

"He is doing what I am trying to do in my classes. He is using the web as a all around source for information and research as well as a place for his students to publish and submit their work. I was struck when he said that his students published on the web and instead of them submitting papers or putting their links on a wiki (which is what I tend to do), he has them use a social bookmarking site like del.icio.us to tag their work so that he can retrieve it."

6/5/09

Time Magazine Explains Twitter -- from Mashable! by Adam Ostrow

20 Developers to Follow on Twitter -- from Mashable! by Ben Parr

6/1/09

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Join PBS Teachers and Classroom 2.0 Tuesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET for "Summertime and Your Personal Learning Network," with technology integration specialists Bob Sprankle, Alice Barr and Cheryl Oakes.

In this webinar, our guests will discuss the value of online collaboration and provide guidance for those interested in joining or creating a professional development community during the summer months. They will share their own experiences of expanding their knowledge and improving their practice through online conferences, social networks, and other collaborative technologies. In addition, they will demonstrate tools and best practices to promote technology integration in K-12 classrooms.

To Join This Webinar, Click the Link: Online at Elluminate Live!
Please note: If you are having problems with the above link, please cut and paste the link below into your browser bar. https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008350&password=M.8F821313A796D6BF881CE659E65849

5/28/09

Could Google Wave Redefine Email and Web Communication? -- from Mashable! by Ben Parr
Google promised to deliver something spectacular on the second day of the Google I/O conference, and they did not disappoint. Google has just announced Google Wave, a new in-browser communication and collaboration tool that is already being hailed by some as the next evolution of email. Yes, Google Wave is potentially that disruptive.

Here's how it works: In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the web. They can insert a reply or edit the wave directly. It's concurrent rich-text editing, where you see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave. That means Google Wave is just as well suited for quick messages as for persistent content — it allows for both collaboration and communication. You can also use "playback" to rewind the wave and see how it evolved.

From DSC:
Can't you just hear the engines roaring on the racetrack?! The pace is pushing 200 miles per hour now.

Social Networking Technologies for Teaching and Learning Transformation -- from George Siemens

5/21/09

Related items from George Siemens
"I finally got around to capturing a few thoughts on CCK08. I've posted an overview of the course (as well as an earlier rudimentary attempt from 2002) on my connectivism blog: Socialization as information objects. Now, to get ready for CCK09..."

"Videos of two presentations I recently delivered in Iowa and New York: Iowa State University's ComETS symposium: The impact of connectivism and networked learning and Empire State College's CDL conference: Social and Connected Learning."

5/2/09

5/1/09

4/29/09

My e-Learning Talk at Wawasan Open University (WOU) -- from ZaidLearn by Zaid Ali Alsagoff

Related item:
Institute for The Future explores future of video: People of the Screen -- from Smart Mobs by Howard Rheingold
Institute for the Future recently held a conference on the future of video. I was one of the participants, along with one of my inspirations, Mike Wesch, and other very interesting people. They have edited the video and have invited the public to remix, add their own video comments at the People of the Screen website: Are we becoming people of the screen? Are YOU?

Check out how they are using this site in their research...

4/24/09

Lots to learn -- from edustir by Ron Bronson

I’ve always prided myself on an extensive circle of people that I could talk to, bounce projects off of and get valuable advice from when I needed it. But this blog — and yes, Twitter — have really helped me cement a much larger network without really having to go anywhere else or do anything different than I was doing before. Well, except now instead of just talking to the people who are close to me — or coworkers — I’m sharing information and learning from a much wider audience.

4/23/09

Along these same lines, also see loopt:

My thanks to Mr. Ken Neville, Walt Disney Imagineering, for these links

4/22/09

Related item from DSC:
Is this the wave of the future for conferences?

4/20/09

togetherlearn.com is now online.

Professional Learning Communities: 10 Conditions to Achieve "Group Flow" -- from Education Innovation by Robert Jacobs

Social Experience : eLearning Technology -- from Tony Karrer and Dave White
Interesting image from post by Dave White – Eventedness that relates to our social experience with different tools. It looks at how each technology relates to feeling of being present with others and whether that presence is felt beyond a specific limit of an event.

4/17/09

Relevant items from George Siemens:

Items from George Siemens:

Providing Learning in Social Networks
I haven't had time to listen to the audio - I'll do that on my commute today. His slides provide an overview of the talk: learning networks, PLEs, openness, serialized feeds, etc. Networks - as prominent as they are now - are still at the early stages of impact on education. It's quite difficult (if not impossible) to overstate the transformative influence network-thinking will have on learning in the future.

Social learning with emerging technologies

The Impact of Connectivism and Networked Learning

Chief Learning Officer has published an article on Leveraging Human Networks to Accelerate Learning: "Networks connect diverse people quickly and easily...Networks can withstand stress and adapt quickly to change...Networks contain a small number of people that have proportionately more influence over the network than others." I'm concerned about this article and about recent emphasis on the strictly social network dimension to learning. It's an incomplete view. Social and external networks show us how people are connected. But they don't tell us how and why they learn. What goes on cognitively? Why do different people experience different levels of learning even though they have similar connections? How does distributed and networked intelligence differ from a social network? For a leader to know that people learn well when properly connected is an important start. To address situations that require "intervention", redirection of efforts, and the achievement of planned outcomes requires a far deeper understanding of networks than is evident when only considering social/external networks. I'll write more on this on my connectivism site. Hopefully we can address this inadequacy in the upcoming conference Jay Cross has organized (April 21 & 22, 2009). Luis Suarez and I will be discussing "learning in an era of networked intelligence.

[Stephen Downes] Providing Learning in Social Networks
...his slides provide an overview of the talk: learning networks, PLEs, openness, serialized feeds, etc. Networks - as prominent as they are now - are still at the early stages of impact on education. It's quite difficult (if not impossible) to overstate the transformative influence network-thinking will have on learning in the future.

4/16/09

Ning: 1,000,000 Social Networks and Counting -- from Mashable! by Jennifer Van Grove

Related article:
A Learning Theory for 21st-Century Students -- from Innovate Online by Marie Sontag
The affordances of today's digital technologies have significantly changed the way students learn. Arguing that current learning theories have failed to address this new reality, Marie Sontag proposes a new theory, social-connectedness and cognitive-connectedness schemata (SCCS) theory, that integrates key elements of other theories with gaming elements in a structure designed to facilitate engagement of students' social- and cognitive-connectedness schemata. The results of a pilot study using an instructional design model based on SCCS theory showed that students learning in an environment shaped according to these principles developed higher levels of expertise and greater learning transfer.

4/14/09

Data Visualizations: 5 Beautiful Social Media Videos -- from Mashable! by Stan Schroeder

4/9/09

Related posting:
Introducing the Collaboration Curve -- from Harvard Business Publishing, by John Hagel, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison

4/3/09

New Webinar: Overcoming the Top 10 Objections to Social Learning -- from Engaged Learning by Kevin

Related quote from this article:

To sum this up - don’t discount your social and virtual network. Reach out as much as possible. Be of value to them as you can. And, when you need it, they will be of value to you.

3/31/09

Related posting:
Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing Roles for Educators and Designers -- presented to the ITForum for Discussion on January 27, 2008, by George Siemens

3/30/09

Blogphilosophy: Ten reasons why sharing what you learn/research will add to your life's quality -- from Ignatia Webs

Earn your Master of Arts Degree in Social Media -- from Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal

3/27/09

Economic Downturn Limits Conference Travel -- from The Chronicle of Higher Education by Jeffrey Young
The recession is having a big impact, with attendance down at many academic and professional meetings, and next year is expected to be even worse. Attendance is down at many academic and professional conferences in higher education this year, and next year’s numbers are expected to be far worse, as campus budgets take further beatings. With many colleges limiting travel to professors or administrators who are speaking at events they’re attending, will anyone be left in the audience?

3/26/09