Thanks to everyone who helped me demonstrate the power of personal learning networks for my presentation yesterday. Your comments, tips and advice were THE essential part of my presentation because I wanted to demonstrate a personal learning network in action to show how it extends our learning and reflection beyond what is normally achieved during traditional professional development and enables us to share our learning with global educators.
The aim of this post is to show how I used your comments in my presentation, explain the main points covered plus to provide links to help others get started setting up their own personal learning network.
As Graham Wegner highlights “it is hard to explain and sell what an online PLN is to educators without diving and experiencing it themselves”. This is why I felt my best chance was demonstrating a PLN in action by using the network to help create the presentation.
My presentation involved a Keynote presentation composed of information collected from 27 reader’s comments to questions on Personal Learning networks blended with visiting web sites to show a range of different online tools. The title for my presentation and this post is from Ines concluding comment ” As I’ve been told myself in my first days: “You must listen to the wisdom of the network””. Thanks Ines!
I only had 30 minutes so the main points I tried to emphasize were:
Face to face interactions within workplaces provides limited opportunities to exchange ideas and thoughts.
Your Personal learning networks increases opportunities to help each other and is available anytime, anywhere, whenever connecting you to a global network.
If you are planning to integrate online tools into your classroom it is important that you use these tools first for your personal learning to gain greater understanding of how to use them effectively and to realize their importance for empowering personal learning.
It does take time “to get” the value of some online tools and it is important to engage with using them using an open mind. “Not getting” the benefits of a tool often relate to not using it effectively.
Global Nature of PLNs
I started by demonstrating the global nature of PLNs by showing a World map with the names and locations of readers who left comments.
A quicker method would have been to use a Frappr map but didn’t want people just to add their names and not answer the questions on PLNs.
Importance of PLNs
Next I showed a Wordle of commenters’ responses to “Why is your personal learning network important to you?” to emphasize the key reasons why educators use PLNs. Thanks Jane Lowe for providing me with the idea to use a Wordle.
Tools Used in PLNs
I then discussed tools people use to create their PLN by showing a diagram I had created using commenters responses to “Which tools are the most important part of your personal learning network?.” It was created by counting the number of readers who recommended a tool; the size and number indicates the relative popularity of each online tool.
Online tools written in white text were sites mentioned by one reader only. RSS aggregator refers to use of RSS readers like Google Reader and Bloglines.
Which tools people use in their PLN are very individual that is why they are personal . The benefit of the diagram was it meant I was able to discuss and show a wide range of web sites that they could consider including in their PLN.
Most readers included online bookmarking sites as an important tool in their PLN however some readers included both del.icio.us and diigo in their list - I’m assuming because they use each differently?
I was surprised to see Facebook included and would love to hear more from readers as to why they value Facebook so highly in their PLNs.
Setting Up Your PLN
Finally I talked about the tools for getting starting with setting up a PLN. I did this by counting the number of readers “tips on how to get started setting up their own Personal learning network” and listed them in order of popularity.
Start reading blogs - You could use this list of top Edubloggers to find some blogs you would like to subscribe to. Alternatively check through this list to find blogs.
Subscribe to RSS feeds using Feed Readers - understanding RSS and using it’s power to make your life easier is an essential part of using these tools. Read this post to learn more about RSS and setting up a feed reader.
During my presentation I also showed my twitter network and asked my twitter network provide links to help educators get your PLN started. Here are the links:
23 Things Program - There is a 23 Things program starting on 21 July. This type of program is really good for learning about a range of online tools. Link supplied by Katherine Greenhill.
FINAL THOUGHT
It isn’t possible to capture all the information contained in readers responses to my question so I strongly recommend you read:
I’d really love your help to demonstrate the importance of personal learning networks so I’m hoping you will help me with my presentation by sharing your thoughts.
The Background
I’m doing a presentation for Educational Computing Association of Western Australia (ECAWA) State Conference next Friday to overview the ways educators can use online tools to forge personal learning networks related to our areas of interest. Time is limited and I’ve only 30 minutes to talk on the topic.
During the presentation I’m planning to share this post to show how web tools can extend our learning and reflection beyond what is normally achieved during traditional professional development and enables us to share our learning with global educators.
The Questions
So can you please leave a comment or write your own blog post to let me know:
Your name, what you do, what part of the World you are based (to demonstrate the global aspect) and, if applicable, your main web site
What do you think are the 3 most important aspects on personal learning networks I should cover?
Why is your personal learning network important to you? Which tools are the most important part of your personal learning network, and why?
Can you provide examples of how your personal learning network has enhanced student learning within your classroom?
Your tips for educators on how to get started setting up their own Personal learning network.
If you are based in Western Australia and interested in networking with other educators interested in ICT in the classrooms - please join us at the ECAWA conference next Thursday July 17 and Friday July 18, 2008.
Great news!!! I’ve been asked by Robin Ellis and Darren Draper to talk about blogging with educators participating in Open PD.
Slight problem! Minor really — hardily worth mentioning but it’s at 5.00 am tomorrow morning my time (their local time of 5-6 pm US Eastern Time Zone on Wednesday April 9).
Time for a confession — I’m not good at waking up in the morning. I never hear the alarm go off when it wakes up my hubby. So I’m enlisting hubby’s help to make sure I’m awake on time. He’s not 100 % reliable at this either forgetting or, worse still, waking me way too early to find out what time I want to be woken up. Image by VanitasPhotography.
So I’m thinking perhaps I could also get you to help out in two ways?
Anyone and everyone are welcome. Ustream and Skype (here is the link so you can join the session) to encourage global participation. I always gain so much from attending these Open PD session.
2. Share Your Blogging Experience & Tips For New Bloggers
I like to stress that the most important aspect of blogging, and where the true learning happens, is in the conversations. So I’m hoping you will write a comment on this post or write your post (which links to this post) so I can show them how blogging conversations work.
So can you please tell us about:
Where you blog and how long you have been blogging for?
Why you blog? How does it benefit you or your work?
How blogging has helped your students and how long have you been blogging with students (if applicable)
Why you feel blogging is important
What are the 3 most important tips you would share with a new blogger?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for helping out :). Open PD will be talking about blogging for the next two weeks (April 9 & 16) so there is plenty of time for you to add your thoughts to be part of this conversation.
I must have been living in a vacuum because I never realised there was sooooooo many online tools for image generation. Actually I was totally overwhelmed with the quantity of image generators available which makes me wonder how the participants of the 23 Things program felt. Enjoyment at road testing a few or overwhelmed by too many options?
And my mind is too busy thinking about holidays to focus on work on a Sunday night! (Make A Birthday Cake)
And the good news is Kathryn, in the Thing 14: Image Generator post, was also nice enough to provide a link to Generator Blog which posts about these type of online tools. So I will get a regular update on image generators that could save me time creating images - and provide me with a bit of fun time!
FINAL THOUGHT
The 23 Things program has been adopted by over 100 libraries worldwide and was adapted from the Learning 2.0 program developed by Helen Blowers as an online self-discovery program that encourages the exploration of web 2.0 tools and new technologies.
You can read more about Murdoch University’s 23 Program here. I like the way Murdoch University has included weekly workshops for “walk throughs” of weekly tasks and set up a mentoring network to support participants.
“Nonprofit staff hear us talking about online tools, and what they hear is “more work.” Their reaction so often is, “This is complicated, I don’t have time to learn it or use it, and really it doesn’t help me help my clients/ customers/ program participants.”
We need to help them understand *why* this stuff is useful, and *how* it can support their day-to-day work - maybe even help them get their jobs done more effectively and efficiently.
I believe people have/are trying it with educators. So I am pondering how this program would go with educators? I know most educators I work with would have similar thoughts highlighted by Michele Martin.
Well I don’t know about everyone else but I am one of those people that can take a long time “to get” the benefit of a Web 2.0 tool — I really have to see the “what’s in it for me” to be engaged enough to want to use.
Here are examples of tools and how long it has taken me from being introduced to a tool and then actually start using them effectively:
Twitter- 2 months
Podcasting - 3 months
Wiki - 5 months
Ning - 5 months
Delicious - 7 months
FlickR - 8 months
Blogging - 12 months
Now considering most see me as innovative and a prolific user of Web 2.0 technologies — I think how long it taken someone like me to adopt new tools should be considered when introducing these tools to educators who have never been exposed to any of them!
If we look at the whole Ning thing — why did it take me so long “to get it?” Well considering I understood RSS I was not seeing the forest for the trees — I was not subscribing to the feeds from the Ning Forum, Blogs or Latest Activity. This meant there was no way I could effectively manage the information that was being generated by these sites nor was I able to effectively respond to discussions because I was totally unaware that these discussions were taking place.
Whatever online resources and tools we develop our first rule should always be to make it very clear how to:
participate
use
navigate
This is equally important to the experienced and inexperienced — we should not assume what is required is obvious!
What is required should be in your face! So there is no missing the obvious!
My thoughts are those that have got the “Ning Thing” are probably managing the feeds from the sites using Feed Readers like Google Reader, Bloglines or dare I say it NetVibes (ROFL).
Or alternatively realise the benefit of this community such as:
Ease of use for the less tech savy
Ability to easy manage discussions, embed videos and create blog posts
Over It
What can I say–well there would be a number of reasons. And would love to hear those from my readers. One reason why I was Over Ning initially was I never got it to begin with. However I can understand the feeling of too much Ning because I belong to 7 Ning communities but am only managing 3 of them effectively (on my to-do-list to rectify this with the other communities. And I can totally relate to the whole time issue!
And as Web 2.0 savy people like Patrick point out “being connected to a network that you create based on your needs and passions is far greater than one that is created for you”
Final Thoughts
Well ultimately, at the end of the day, it is not about us techy savy ones but the individuals that we are trying to get started on their journey. So I would really love Graham to convert the comment on my post to be created into your own post, with pictures, because you have, as always, explained it so well especially your closing sentence “We just don’t want educators sitting on their hands in their classrooms saying, “Everything I and my students need for learning is in this room. No need to go anywhere.”
Doh moment! Really think that I have done a disservice to lecturers in my own organisation. I have been using wikis but now realise that a Ning community, based on what I have gained from etools and tips for educators community, would better service their needs in terms of empowering their learning outside of professional development sessions!
The guidelines for the session were make it interactive, hands on and designed for people new to use of video. I decided to go all out with this session into unchartered waters –by setting up a Ning community (etools and Tips for Educators) for use during the presentation (here are the reasons why!).
Well I survived the session and hopefully so did most the participants. If you want to check out what an interactive session with +60 participants looks like here are the links:
Now I have to focus on Friday’s presentation (this Friday!) on why we should be using social networking with our students [image from NSW Learnscope].
Been doing a lot of thinking! Once again I will be using a virtual classroom but this time it will be Abode Connect and most of the participants will be in a conference room — I will not be able to see them and only a few will be able to chat with me.
So here is what I am thinking – they desire that absolute best I can give them! So it has to be:
Interactive
Engaging
Not overwhelming as many of the participants are new to the concept of social networking
But I will be using other people as my eyes and eyes (lets hope they have Eagles eyes and can hear like a dog)!
So I have come up with some ideas of how to make it interactive, and would love to hear from you if you have seen a virtual presenter handle a large audience that they can’t see or hear.
Here are some of my ideas but not sure of the how (any suggestions welcome!)
Would like to get them to answer a few multiple choice questions - could we give each table pieces of different coloured card that they could hold up? And then my eyes can tell me the approximate answers?
Would like each table to write some questions down — should I get my eyes and ears to run and grab these answers? And then what? Quickly read a few or post them into the chat area?
And if you were going to talk about social networking and why educators should use it for their personal learning and with their students what would you talk about? — being mindful you don’t want to overwhelm them!
It’s designed to appeal to users who want to create networks around specific interests or have limited technical skills
So members can let me know what information relating to video in e-learning they would most like to find out about
So experienced members can share their tips such as their favorite video sharing sites, how they create online videos, how they create screencasts and how they convert video formats
As a site for session participants to embed videos during the live session
To demonstrate how an online community’s knowledge gain is greater than a person working individually. Collectively a community will always help each other more effectively than I will ever hope to achieve
To showcase why communities are important for personal learning
While my initial reason for using Ning relates to my live online session, Ning is a social networking site so the site is not about me, or I, but is about US. This group is open and WE, not I, invite you to join.
While initially we’ll be discussing video good practices however we plan to keep this site going and expand it to include other cool tools for e-learning for education and training.
Help US show other educators how to effectively learn in a community!
To Join eTools and Tips Community
If you’re already a member of Ning (the platform we used to create the community), you just have to go to etools and tips community and then sign in.
Mine is a “how to” session on video, for one hour, and I have to keep in mind these sessions are aimed towards beginners. Oh did I mention they have also requested we make them interactive.
Let me clarify first that I have been using a virtual classroom (Elluminate) now for almost 2 years with my online aquaculture students. And time spent using it makes me feel that my training wheels, are getting bigger not smaller! Why? The more you learn, the more you realise you need to know!
One of the main tips I give beginners on videos is to check first with video sharing sites - there may already be videos created that are suitable. This is much more effective use of time than creating videos. And I show easy it is to embed videos in web sites by getting them to do it!
So since Michele Martin has modeled the effective use of Ning to me, I am pondering do I make my session REALLY interactive, engaging and MODEL the use of tools by setting up a Ning community specifically for the online session?
The idea is during part of the session I can send them to some video sharing sites, get them to find a video they like and get them to embed their videos into a web site (using Ning) with their comments on why they liked the video. Obviously I will encourage them to join the Ning community well in advance of the online session, and will also invite them to post their questions they most want answered about video to the Ning Forum.
So my concerns are:
Will this be too overwhelming for the type of people who will attend my session (participants will range from beginners to highly skilled practitioners)?
Is it worth taking the risk?
Is there a better option?
Do you think I am biting off more that I can chew?
Will I offend the 2007 E-learning Networks by hosting the forum outside of EDNA (uses Moodle)
The other week I received an email to a presentation for school teachers on e-learning, which I agreed without hesitation, at no cost, because:
Funnily enough it is the high school my oldest son attends (emotional attachment)
I am responsible for auspicing their aquaculture program at the school i.e the teacher delivers VET qualifications at the school and I keep an eye on how it is delivered and assessed (work attachment)
Assumed that the presentation was on topic that I have presented on a million times (no preparation required)
Admittedly I keep making the same mistake, saying YES, before realising the true extent of what is involved. Well, guess what they are not interested in my standard presentations, they are interested in the elearning leadership project I am currently doing. The school is trying to get elearning happening more, and they want me to give advice to the teachers responsible for inspiring (leading) other teachers to uptake elearning.
At this point the word BUGGER, springs to mind for two reasons:
My training wheels are definitely displayed prominently when it comes to leadership and faciliating professional development. Yes - I know a bit about the use of technology and mobile devices with students, teaching aquaculture to students, and faciliating online courses but I am NEW to faciliating professional development.
Last time I checked I was a TAFE lecturer (i.e. vocational education and training). My continued work with students is invaluable when delivering professional development to other TAFE lecturers because it gives me credibility (relate to their situation and students). But from my work with school teachers in our aquaculture program this credibility is not transferable to school teachers. I know LIKE relates better to LIKE.
So I decided the best solution was to ask for tips from people involved with inspiring school teachers to uptake elearning at their schools.
Here is where I am at so far:
Brian C. Smith (Mobile Minded) nicely agreed to do Skype interview, at 11.30 pm, his time on how they get teachers involved. I am currently in the process of creating a video from this interview - watch this space!
Sent email to Darren Draper (Drapes Take) and he created a fanastic video for me. Honestly it was SO FUNNY I had tears running down my face. Darren, forget the blogging, you should be a podcaster. TAKE the time to WATCH THIS VIDEO and encourage others to watch as well! This video desires a SNOW DAY!
Can You Help Me?
Now I don’t want to cause an International incident and I know that other Aussies will realise that I only have interviews by Americans. WHY? Well, I know that Graham is probably really tired from Melbourne (so worried about asking), Jason is snowed under, have not had time to contact anyone else because they only gave me the final details on Friday and the presentation is this Monday afternoon.
But my work on elearning leadership is ongoing!
I would love to hear from ANYONE (e.g. school teachers, instructional technology specialist, TAFE lecturers, librarians etc) who is INVOLVED with inspiring others to uptake elearning!
If you want to do an interview, or create a video - fantastic - but I understand time issues - and comments below would be EXCELLENT! Before Monday = even better!
You can check out my personal progress on elearning leadership HERE - remember this is a work in PROGRESS (and I will be adding everyones tips and advice to my leadership site).
Here is my questions:
What are your TIPS?
How do you get OTHERS TO BUY IN? To go the extra steps and actually use what they have learnt outside of professional development workshops.
What professional development workshops do you find works the best when your participants have limited technology skills?
My friend Phillip worries that I do not get out enough, so I convinced him to let me visit and watch him facilitate professional development for his Learnscope project (titled iTubes YouTubes) at AMES at West Coast TAFE (they offer English for Migrant courses). He was a bit concerned as to whether I would actually gain from being at his session, I wasn’t because my aim was to pick up tips for improving how I facilitate professional development. I believe that it is important to actually get out and see how other individuals, Colleges and organisations facilitate their professional development so that you get ideas for how you can improve what you do.
The first thing I learnt was someone has stolen half of St Mary’s Cathedral! When did this happen? Obviously no-one blog about this, or I am subscribing to the wrong blogs, as I missed this important news (perhaps that is what TV is for?).
The focus of their project is to explore the use Elluminate for facilitating PD, encourage communication between participants using tools like Google Talk, explore and create online videos. This is what I gained from Phillip:
He will be running his sessions both face-to-face (for those able to attend) and using a virtual classroom i.e. Elluminate (mainly for those located in regional areas). I am really keen to see how he goes with using Elluminate for teaching people how to create online videos because it opens up lots of potential
Showing participants how to use Google Talk is really a good idea
All links and information for his project are located on one place, their AMES project blog
He guides his participants through a task, lets them do the task, then takes them completely out of the task and makes them go back in by themselves (without telling them how - to force them to remember the steps or refer to their notes). E.g. Walked them through how to sign in to their blog and then got them to write a blog. He followed with a few other activities such as download and use Google Talk. Then told them shut down all windows and asked them to locate their blog and write a post on how the potential of Google Talk. By doing this he was trying to move them towards being able to do it on their own without him as support
Last year he ran 10 weekly workshops. Feedback from his participants was weekly sessions were too much because each week they had homework and it did not give adequate time to get the work done. At Challenger TAFE, our Web 2.0 project was once fortnightly and participants commented they lost the skills and momentum so would prefer it to be weekly
Reward system - last year he used Mars bars etc as rewards for work well done. Participants told me this encourage them to work towards getting the Mars bar
Any participant who did not have a headset already was given one to take home - this is one less barrier to get a lecturer to use great tools like Elluminate and Google Talk
I also learnt technology things but I will not blog about them here, as the post is already long enough
Most importantly I liked the idea of the food platter that encouraged everyone to stand around and talk. We normally do sandwiches but this platter was really good.
Thanks Philip and the participants for letting me attend I had a really great time and learnt lots. Sorry I forgot to ask permission from the participants to use the group photo so Phillip can you let me know if it is ok?
. The benefit of the diagram was it meant I was able to discuss and show a wide range of web sites that they could consider including in their PLN.
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