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These are the core texts for the entire unit. They underpin assignment one and two and are essential reading.

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Teaching Crowds: Learning and social media

Chapters 2, 3 and 5 are the most relevant to this unit, although the entire text is quite easy and interesting reading.

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Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom

Narratives of connected educators provide working examples of application of connected learning principles: interest driven; peer supported; academically oriented; production centred; openly networked. *** Dip in and out of this resource throughout the unit as you wish.

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Connected Learning - An agenda for research and design
The whole unit is informed by this report. Reading the entire report is highly recommended. Key sections of the report include: P6-9: introductory summary, P 12:The Framework P33-48: Why Connected Learning, P62-65:Spheres of learning, P70-78: Core principles & P78-81: Design principles.

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For those to whom blogging is a new adventure!

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Blog is the shortened form of 'web log' and so a blog can relate to any topic imaginable. This two page series explores the purposes of blogging and the process of setting up a blog for professional learning and reflection. It will be relevant for any professional, but has been particularly written with educators in mind. Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!
Samuel Zeller
A printable (PDF) version of this two page series, Blogs and Blogging for professional learning may be downloaded here.

Why blog?

A blog is a contemporary way to contribute to professional dialogue that occurs within the online context. Blogging allows for reflective practice to be shared publicly with other professionals, and the genre is useful for documenting a learning journey.

Blogs can form a rich element of one's professional digital footprint, and regularly blogging can lead to the development of a vibrant professional digital identity. Building a professional digital identity is a valuable way for educators (and all professionals) to demonstrate active engagement in contemporary social technologies and to maintain connections that enhance professional learning and career aspirations.

A blog serves also as a useful archive, capturing your professional growth and offering a digital space (domain) of your own, which may be used as a portfolio and record of high quality practice.

Although the video below features Matt Mullenweg speaking about his new venture, .blog, a lot of what he says is relevant for anyone interested in blogging on any platform or space.

Choose your blog space

If you are completely new to blogging, it is best to begin with a free blogging platform, so that you can experiment with different hosts and find the option that suits you and your style. In most cases you can transfer or simply build upon content developed on free platforms over to more flexible (paid) services should you choose to expand your blogging at a later time.

Free web-based blog hosts include WordPress.com, (please note WordPress.org is a paid self hosted option), Edublogs and Blogger. You might also consider Tumblr or Medium (although if you are developing a blog for assessment in a University course, these are far more limited and will probably not be suitable). Wix and Weebly are also platforms you might consider. These two options are more suited to websites that also feature a blogging function, whereas WordPress, Edublogs and Blogger are specifically designed for blogging.

Set up your blog

There are many options available to users when setting up a blog. If you are setting up a blog as part of your assessment for Uni (and even if you are not) here are some things that you need to keep in mind when choosing the style, layout and design of your blog.

*The blog must be one available on the open web at all times. Setting up a blog within a learning management system or intranet limits access to those who have the password, and possibly only to those within your place of employment. The blog must be freely accessible to all.

*Comments must be activated on every blog entry. This is ESSENTIAL if you are setting up your blog for assessment! Even if you are setting it up for personal, professional purposes, commenting is part of the blogging experience, and how you create community and gather feedback. Most blogging platforms enable you to MODERATE (check the comment) before publishing it if you are concerned that someone may leave an inappropriate comment (rare, but it does happen ).

*You are free to use a pseudonym. Protecting your identity is a personal choice. For a professional blog, a pseudonym may block connections being made (people will not know who is sharing all the great content, and will be less likely to get in touch with you). However, there are many reasons why people may choose not to use their own image and name online, and only you can make the choice.

*There is a difference between Posts and Pages - you are free to use either (or a combination of both!). Posts are time ordered entries, which readers can scroll through, presented in order from most recent to least recent. Posts are what blogs are generally formed of. Pages are stand alone entries that are usually connected to form a website. Here is a great explanation of the difference between the two with examples from WordPress.

*Create a hand-drawn blueprint for your blog to help you decide whether your blog will be all Posts, all Pages, or a combination of both. Look at examples online or from previous iterations of the course to see the ways in which previous students have set up their blogs in regard to Posts and Pages.

*When choosing your blog template, choose one that has a wide content bar which will give you plenty of space for images an tables. Some themes or templates have very narrow, newspaper like columns for your content, which may suit some bloggers, but which will make including multimedia, images, tables, diagrams etc much more awkward (hint: use the affordances of the blog to include information in different forms - no one likes to read long blocks of text on a screen!).

*Set aside plenty of time to choose your template/theme for your blog. It will take much longer than you think to find one that works for you. Once you've started, if you don't like what you've chosen, don't worry. In most cases you can change the template or theme and your content will be reformatted to fit the new look.

*Another thing to preview when deciding on your blog template or theme is the menu style. Some offer only a static menu, while others offer a fly-out or drop-down option. Fly-out or drop-down menus make it much easier to organise your pages, as you can have main pages and sub-pages (known as Parent and Child pages). Make sure your menu is easy to see and use - it is how your readers will navigate your blog. If it is too much trouble, most won't bother and will go somewhere else!

*Table editing can be tricky in blogs. In many cases the built in table option is clunky, and may look ugly. If you find that this is the case (or if there is no table editing option at all) a good tip is to create the table in Word or PowerPoint (I like PowerPoint best). If you use Word, simply screenshot the table. If you use PowerPoint, choose Save As and then from the drop down for file-type, choose .jpg or .png (image files). It will ask you if you want to save just the current slide as an image or all of the slides. I prefer PowerPoint because you can make the table quite large, and saving the table as an image rather than taking a screen shot usually creates a clearer picture. You can always scale an image down once you insert it in your blog, but dragging a smaller image to make it larger usually results in loss of clarity. Test and see!

*When initially setting up a blog, consider naming the url with a meaningful name that relates to the content. Try to find a name that describes what your blog is about (so that people know whether they might be interested from the web address) but is not too narrow (so that you can continue to maintain the same blog even if your professional interests morph and change. For example, this blog, www.linkinglearning.com.au has seen me through my role as an educator, librarian, PhD student and now University lecturer - it is always about learning, but what I am learning and how often changes, so my blog changes with me!

The second page of this series focuses on the content of your blog. It explores the writing style of a blog (or 'how to blog') as well as advice on including images and multimedia. Also included on the second page is a printable PDF version of all of this content.
*The information on these pages has been adapted from the work of Dr Mandy Lupton, and used with permission.*
Enjoy your blogging journey!

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Blog is the shortened form of 'web log' and so a blog can relate to any topic imaginable. This two page series explores the purposes of blogging and the process of setting up a blog for professional learning and reflection. It will be relevant for any professional, but has been particularly written with educators in mind.

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Understanding Connected Learning Part One

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Understanding Connected Learning Part One

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We have moved from the information age, to the connected age, says President and CEO of Educause, Diana Oblinger (2013). The connected age is enabled by technology that is designed for user contribution - the systems which allow for " the architecture of participation "(O'Reilly, 2004). In the connected age, where information resides is not important; it is the connection we can make to the information, and to each other, and the value of these connections that are vital (Oblinger, 2013).

The word connection, from Latin connectere, where con means 'together' and nectere to 'bind' (Oxford dictionary) defines a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else. Technology which has been architecturally designed to promote participation has led to a massive explosion of content, as the barriers for entry continue to decrease, and access to the internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous. This very blog is evidence of the ability of the everyday person to publish to the world, thus adding to the content accessible to users of the internet.

This abundance of information hasn't just been transferred to the internet from another source; there is no fabled library of Alexandria that housed it all previously. It has been created as a result of the is the very nature of the internet - a network where information and expertise can be shared via multiple streams in multiple formats, that has enabled this explosion of content.

New media has ushered in a participatory culture, which responds to the technologies that enable average consumers to access, create, remix, redesign and redistribute content in new and increasingly different ways (Jenkins, 2009).

The quality of the content produced is variable - as Blank observes, the ability for anyone with internet access to publish does not guarantee the ability to produce content that is of interest or value to a wider audience (2013). However this in itself produces a need for re-examination of educational approaches; when masses of information are highly accessible, and hugely varying in validity, reliability and quality, and when we have the potential to connect directly to expertise and information from all over the globe, researchers are realising that the models of education and theories of learning devised in times of information scarcity may no longer apply in the same way.

Living in an age of abundant and rapidly changing information, to which we have ubiquitous access, must change the way we understand knowledge and learning (Weinberger, 2011). In an environment of rapid change, knowledge is more accurately conceived as a 'flow', and learning as the process of creating the pipes along which this knowledge can flow (Downes, 2012; Siemens, 2006). Thus, learning may be considered to be more than simply knowledge acquisition - it may be seen as a continual network forming process (Siemens, 2006), where connections are made between nodes in the act of remixing information to create new understandings.

The notion of connected learning is one way that has been suggested to respond to the increasing complexity, interconnectedness and pace of change in our times (Kumpulainen & Sefton-Green, 2012). One interpretation of the term connected learning is seen in the Connected Learning Framework devised by Mimi Ito and her colleagues (2013). This view of connected learning understands learning to be lifelong, and embedded in the world of work, civic engagement and social participation of the learner (Ito et al., 2013). The connected learning framework creates education which is closer to "a many-to-many network of co-learning enthusiasts rather than a roomful of students and a one-to-many teacher" p.116, (Weeks, 2012). This conception of learning aligns with social learning theory (Wenger, 1998), which suggests that learning is a social phenomenon, occurring within the context of our lived experience and participation in the world.

The framework considers learning to be a flexible, networked enterprise, that happens through participation in culture and community. It takes advantage of the affordances of new media to amplify existing capacity, and acknowledges that learning does not take place exclusively in the restricted spaces of formal education, but is situated in a matrix of context (Kumpulainen & Sefton-Green, 2012).

The development of the framework for Connected Learning was inspired by the observation that there was a significant gap between students' experience of formal education, their personal interests and their peer culture (Ito et al., 2013). The framework draws these together. It seeks to find ways students' personal interests and participation in peer culture can be connected to an academic or civic orientation.

Drawing a student's various contexts of existence together in order to create a more authentic, meaningful and ultimately more powerful learning existence is not a new concept. Jane Addams found some success with what she termed socialised learning when she and Ellen Gates Starr built Hull House in Chicago in 1889 (Nam, 2013). She observed that recently arrived immigrants, women and the poor were either unable to access or disengaged from formal schooling, and it had little in common with their lived experience. Recognising that learning was not limited to the classroom and a fixed curriculum, Hull created a community where learning about culture, life skills and local issues occurred naturally and collaboratively (Nam, 2013).

Both Addams and Ito et al. were inspired to develop new ways of enabling individuals to access learning as the structures of formal learning were not meeting their needs. Learners, whether recently arrived immigrants in 1889 or disengaged teenagers in the 21st century were not able to find meaning in models of schooling which have only changed 'around the edges' in over 200 years (Davidson & Goldberg, 2010).

Networked learning is a theory that underpins a lot of the understandings present in the framework of connected learning. In fact, Jones goes so far as to equate networked learning and connected learning, suggesting that while connected learning may specifically apply to young people, networked learning is more usually identified in higher education (2015). Age groupings aside, the framework of connected learning and the explanations provided by networked learning complement each other.

Just as connected learning is not new, and may occur offline as seen in the Hull House example, learning through networks is not a new occurrence either (Duguid, 2005). Despite this, the development of the theory of networked learning, and the frameworks explicated in the Connected Learning report have been hastened by developments in digital technology, which has enabled the expansion of networks to permeate our entire social structure (Castells, 2000). New media amplifies opportunities to connect. Technology now makes it possible for people to work together regardless of time and space (Weeks, 2012). Individuals today have increasing accessibility to knowledge and connections, as well as a multiplicity of spaces for engagement and self-expression online. All of this enables diversity and capacity building not possible before. (Ito et al., 2013).

Networked Learning has been defined as:

learning in which information and communications technology (ICT) is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners, between learners and tutors; between a learning community and its learning resources p.453,(Goodyear, Jones, Asensio, Hodgson, & Steeples, 2005)

From this definition, it can be seen that the key term is connections, and the focus is on interaction between people and resources, mediated by technology. In its earliest usage during the 1980's, networked learning could be considered synonymous with online learning, as technology limited most learning to accessing static resources via a computer network (Carvalho and Goodyear, 2014).

From the early 2000's, with the advent of Web 2.0, this theory of learning has grown in relevance, as online services began offering two-way communication. The video below is now eight years old, yet still captures the understanding of how this transition to Web 2.0 transformed the potential for networked and connected learning. The range of possibilities for online connections between people and media resources increased (van Dijck, 2013). Thus, the richest examples of networked learning now include interaction with on-line materials and with other people (Carvalho and Goodyear, 2014).

The theory of networked learning is closely linked to the concepts of PLEs and PLNs. Jones (2015) suggests that networked learning is the phenomenon, and the learning network is where this phenomenon can be observed. If we take the understanding of indirect design, (the model by Goodyear is included in the paper attached), which finds that learning cannot be directly designed, but only designed for, then it is possible to see how important further investigation of PLNs is. The study of the tasks, spaces, tools and organisations of successful PLNs will illuminate how best to create an environment where effective networked learning may take place (Jones, 2015).

Therefore, for those of us interested in connected, networked or social learning, mediated by the tools and technologies of the online world, this theory is key. Having only just scratched the surface, I will continue to read more, and I will share my learning along the way, as I hope to contribute value to my own personal learning network.

References:

Blank, G. (2013). Who creates content? Information, Communication & Society, 16(4), 590-612. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2013.777758

Davidson, C. N., & Goldberg, D. T. (2010). The future of learning institutions in a digital age. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and Connective Knowledge. Canada: Stephen Downes.

Goodyear, P., Jones, C., Asensio, M., Hodgson, V., & Steeples, C. (2005). Networked learning in higher education: students' expectations and experiences. Higher Education, 50(3), 473-508. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6364-y

Ito, Mizuko, Kris Gutiérrez, Sonia Livingstone, Bill Penuel, Jean Rhodes, Katie Salen, Juliet Schor, Julian Sefton-Green, S. Craig Watkins. (2013).Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design. Irvine, CA: Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. http://dmlhub.net/wp-content/uploads/files/Connected_Learning_report.pdf

Jenkins, H. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press.

Kumpulainen, K., & Sefton-Green, J. (2012). What Is Connected Learning and How to Research It? International Journal of Learning and Media, 4(2), 7-18. doi:10.1162/IJLM_a_00091

Nam, C. (2013). When New Media Meet the Strong Web of Connected Learning Environments: A New Vision of Progressive Education in the Digital Age. International Journal of Progressive Education, 9(2), 21.

O'Reilly, T. (2004, 06/04). The Architecture of Participation. Retrieved from http://archive.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/articles/architecture_of_participation.html

Oblinger, D. G. (2013). Higher Education in the Connected Age. Educause Review, March/April 2013, 4-6.

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. United States: George Siemens.

Weeks, A. (2012). Participation Power. In H. Rheingold (Ed.), Net Smart (pp. 111-145): MIT Press.

Weinberger, D. (2011). Too big to know : rethinking knowledge now that the facts aren't the facts, experts are everywhere, and the smartest person in the room is the room. New York: Basic Books.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, U.K;New York, N.Y;: Cambridge University Press.

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Understanding Connected Learning - Part One

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We have moved from the information age, to the connected age, says President and CEO of Educause, Diana Oblinger (2013). The connected age is enabled by technology that is designed for user contribution - the systems which allow for " the architecture of participation "(O'Reilly, 2004).

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Podcast by Laura Gogia

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Podcast (tihe_podcast):

Laura Gogia shares about connected learning on this week's Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Quotes from the episode

The most important part of [connected learning] is helping others understand the connections between all the different aspects of their life.
-Laura Gogia

It's not a tool-first [mentality] ... it's which tool matches up with what I'm trying to achieve.
-Laura Gogia

Assessment becomes about documenting [the] process of learning.
-Laura Gogia

Resources Mentioned

Bonni mistakenly attributed this Twitter analysis tool to being introduced by Robert Talbert on the TIHE Slack channel, but it was actually Ken Bauer who shared it.

Recommendations

Bonni

Laura

Are You Enjoying the Show?

Rate/review the show. Please consider rating or leaving a review for the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast on whatever service you use to listen to it on ( iTunes, Stitcher, etc.). It is the best way to help others discover the show.

Give feedback. As always, I welcome suggestions for future topics or guests.

Subscribe. If you have yet to subscribe to the weekly update, you can receive a single email each week with the show notes (including all the links we talk about on the episode), as well as an article on either teaching or productivity.

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Connected Learning for the Curious - Teaching in Higher Ed

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Laura Gogia shares about connected learning on this week's Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Quotes from the episode The most important part of [connected learning] is helping others understand the connections between all the different aspects of their life. -Laura Gogia It's not a tool-first [mentality] ...

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A remix of a great podcast by Laura Gogia on Connected Learning.

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A collaborative statement on connected learning. Do you agree? Disagree? Want to create your own?

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A summary and infographic: theories of connected learning.

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A summary and infographic: theories of connected learning.

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The simplest way to define a theory is that it is a way of explaining how something works, or why something happens the way that it does.

To understand connected learning, and to create effective connected learning environments, we need to understand how learning happens. Several wise people (their names are listed in the reference list at the end of the infographic) have developed explanations, or theories, as to how learning happens. These theories are very extensive, because learning is complex, and happens in different ways according to the context, the individual and the circumstances.

What I present below is an infographic where I have attempted to capture the 'gist' of the theories. It is intended to provide a very quick overview - introduction, reminder, prompt - of how we have come to understand connected learning, and its theoretical foundations.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, suggestions and feedback; and please share if you feel this infographic is useful!

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The simplest way to define a theory is that it is a way of explaining how something works, or why something happens the way that it does. To understand connected learning, and to create effective connected learning environments, we need to understand how learning happens.

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Digital selves
by Bonnie Stewart

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"Together we are better": Professional learning networks for teachers

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Chapter 2 of Breaking out of isolation: Becoming a connected school leader edited by Cook et al.

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Chapter 2 of Breaking out of isolation: Becoming a connected school leader edited by Cook et al.

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Finding your professional learning network

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Connectivism: A theory for the digital age by George Siemens

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Green posts. If QUT login is required this is noted on the post.

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Chapter One of Social Media: Communication Sharing and Visibility by Graham Meikle

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Chapter One of Social Media: Communication Sharing and Visibility by Graham Meikle

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What are social media?

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Chapter 2 of Personal Learning Networks by Richardson and Mancabelli

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Chapter 2 of Personal Learning Networks by Richardson and Mancabelli

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Becoming a networked learner
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Chapter One of The Connected Educator by Nussbaum-Beach and Hall 

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Chapter One of The Connected Educator by Nussbaum-Beach and Hall 

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Defining the connected educator
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