Assignment: Class 3

Fist of all, let me apologize for getting this up a little late.  I had a crazy schedule this week.  It should calm down after tonight.  I really enjoyed reading all of your posts from last week.  It is clear to me that you are making the connection between the learning theory of Lave and Wenger and your PLN. I would like you to read each others' posts and leave a thoughtful comment for each class member on their post.

While there are still a few tools that I will be discussing in the future, your basic PLN tools should be set.  I have included a survey on the class blog to gather your information in one place. Now, I guess it's time to begin to use the tools in an attempt at deeper learning.

Let's begin with your blog.  As I mentioned in class, I want you to reflect on some possible ideas that you would like to pursue for the remainder of the course.  Hopefully, you will find a topic driven by your passion.  Write a blog post of at least 200 words reflecting on some possible topics and any questions you might have around the topic.  We will discuss these topics in class on Monday.  You do not have to decide right away, but you should be close. . .As you are doing some research on the Internet, remember to bookmark anything you find on Diigo.  Don't forget to share to the Learning and Technology Group (and if you haven't joined the group, please do so ASAP). You should also begin looking for some Diigo users to add to your network.  My network would be a good place to start. I wouldn't follow anyone who doesn't have a picture associated with her/his account.

You should have Tweetdeck installed on your computer by now.  There should be at least four to five columns with #usdedu as one of the columns as well as any topic of interest that you found on cybraryman's edchat page. It is officially time for you to start tweeting.  Use the hastag #usdedu in your tweets so that your peers and I can follow your progress.  You will also use any other appropriate hashtag that applies to the information you are sharing. Start to add others to your network by following them. If you have questions about this, we can discuss further in class on Monday.  I am not going to give you a specific number of tweets, but I will be monitoring your participation.

Begin to find your voice.  This means that you are not only writing/reflecting on your blog, but you are reading other blogs and looking for opportunities to comment on topics that interest you.

In summary, I want you to:

       read
                       tweet

                                                           bookmark

                                                                                                    write

                                                                                                                               comment

Repeat

This Week's Question: What is one thing that you have learned without formal teaching?  How did you learn it?

Assignment: Class 2

I hope you are getting more comfortable with your PLN tools this week.  I know that it can be a bit overwhelming, but I really appreciated everyone's willingness to dive right in (including Dr. Lattimer ;-)

I  do not expect you all to be experts with the tools by any means, but I do hope that you are consciously trying to use them.  I would really like to see you begin to tweet with the hashtag #usdedu so that we can start to hopefully inspire others to join us in the information sharing around technology, learning, and education.  I would also like to see you begin to utilize Diigo as a tool to bookmark and/or annotate any "interesting" sites that you may come across. . .All this is to say that I really want to to begin to give some serious consideration as to what passion you would like to pursue this semester.  You do not have to have a decision by Monday, but I hope that you can rule some areas out and have a few that you would like to discuss with the class.

As I am unsure of whether or not you will all receive the books in enough time to read, I want to have you read some websites that discuss the learning theory of Lave and Wenger.  I would like you to read from Wenger himself as well as a brief synopsis inFed.  I would also like you to find one other source that may disagree with their concept of situated learning or communities of practice.  Once you have read the pages, I would like you to not only reflect on the theory, but I would also like you to consider its application in your PLN. . .  This should be around 500 words and published as a blog post with an appropriate title.  I would also like you to share your finding/links to our Diigo group, Learning and Technology.

Lastly, I want you to discuss any participation you had with either your fledgling PLN or use of any of the PLN tools. . .

Please answer the following question in the comments section.

Question:  Which PLN tool are you most excited about & why?

Assignment: Class One

So, we overcame heat, the west parking death march, lack of Internet on my laptop and a classroom that is way too large for six students to have a successful first class.  I am exited about the rest of the semester and what we will be able to teach each other. I purposefully wanted to keep the workload light for the first class.
Your assignment for the first week is to order or download the books, sign up for as many tools as you can.  As a minimum, I would like for you to be able to create your blog and share the address with me.  I have created a page on this blog with links and videos to help those who feel comfortable enough to get started ( PLN Tools).  We will spend the entire time of our next session on ensuring you feel comfortable with the tools.
I also asked that you find at least three web-based articles on how to create a PLN. You can either go a Google search or search within Diigo. . . I would like you to list and discuss these articles in a blog post, titled "How to Create a PLN: What I Learned."  We will share your results with the class. . .
Please leave a comment on this blog post to let me know that you have read and understand the expectations before next class.  I would also like for you to leave the address of your blog.  Email me with any questions.
jeff

p.s.  I changed the way the syllabus is displayed on the blog.  I'll show you how I did it in class.

Welcome to EDUC 578

It is with excitement and a little bit of anxiety that I welcome you to your new journey that is EDUC 578. The course is called Learning and Technology, which I am sure that you are all well aware of by this point.  In order to grasp the course, I think it is a good idea to dissect the two main words of the course.  I am very interested in the concept of how anyone learns, where learning occurs, and the context that best provides any learning opportunity.  My real area of expertise is more toward the technology aspect of the title.  I have been a technology resource teacher for the San Diego County Office of Education's Juvenile Court and Community Schools for the past three and a half years.  I have been a teacher for around 15 years and an adjunct professor of education at California State University San Marcos since 2005.  This is my first semester at USD and I am very excited.

Upward by Ayat83 on Flikr

My goal for this course is to consider all aspects of learning, both personally, and for your students.  I see technology as a medium of instruction as well as a driving force behind most school reform.  I am less concerned about specific technology tools than I am about how to utilize technology to enhance learning and instructions.  The tools that will be in the classroom in ten or even five years have probably not even been invented yet. This is why it is more important to get a broader picture of the concept of technology integration in schools without limiting ourselves to current technology.  

A lot of what we are going to focus on is you as a learner utilizing technology and then you as a leader either integrating or facilitating technology in education.  I believe that if you can be introspective about how you learn and the roll technology can play in your learning and personal and professional growth, you will be better equipped to evaluate the use of technology in schools and lead others in this brave new world.  

The anxiety comes from never having taught this course before.  I have completely redesigned the course so the collective weight of it's success or failure lies primarily on my shoulders.  I welcome the challenge as I welcome all of you to a new adventure.

peace,

jeffery heil