Looking Forward and Thinking Back

A Dilemma (2008) by Julie Manzerova on Flickr

Wow!  November... Where has the time gone?  Hard to believe we are already looking at selecting classes for the Winter semester.  This weekend feels like a perfect time to think back on lessons learned, ideas tried, and my successes and failures.   It is also a perfect time to begin to look forward to concepts yet to be learned and to projects to be completed.  Looking back, it would probably take me MANY blog posts to cover everything I have learned over the past few weeks.  Here are some of the highlights:

Class One - Introduction to the Course

• Google+ - Why haven't I been using this before, and how can I get staff and students to use this?
• We as a network will determine the learning experience.  How will I make my learning visible? (blogs, Twitter, Google+)  How will I contribute to the learning of others? (responding to posts, sharing articles and tools, writing about my own learning experiences)
• What's a MOOC?  EC&I 831 is a MOOC?

Class Two - Preparing for an Open Boundary Course

• Blogging isn't too bad... I sure like reading what others have to say.
• Part of being a good blogger is reading and responding to blog posts ofothers
• It is hard to keep up with all posts (But the blog hub sure helps!)

Class Three - Virtual Learning Communities

• Tagboard is a great way to keep up with #eci831 tweets
• Online relationships can be very real and very deep - they can even be enhanced by technology 
• Like any relationship, digital relationships develop over time and must be nurtured
• We have trajectories in communities and can move to different parts of the community

Class Four - Introduction to Blogging

• When students blog for a global audience there is a big improvement in the quality of work
• Common blogging mistakes include failing to link; failing to connect; distracting theme colours and fonts; and focusing too much on the readers
• Workflow should be about working smarter not harder (ie: Flipboard, RSS, Feed.ly)
• An About Page helps readers connect with you
• Linking is important
• Blogging isn't about publishing - it is about social learning
• Blogging is a great way to make learning visible

Class Five - How Higher Education Will Change

• What we know isn't as important as how we can learn new things
• We shouldn't use technology for the sake of comfort
• Everything being done today is being done in networks
• Technological and economic pressures change institutions

Class Six - Networked/Connected Learning

• It is important for a person to declare their digital identity
• We are living in a participatory culture - this requires us to have an ability to nurture our networks
• Networked learning requires critical thinking skills in order to sift through information to find the truths
• We need to use our online presence to grow and shape our world, and to inspire others to do the same
•  We need to look at ways to safely thin the walls for our students

Class Seven - The Maker Movement for Teachers

• Sylvia Martinez, author of Invent to Learn, is an engaging speaker - I should finish the book!
• The Maker Movement s about constructing knowledge through experiences
• Projects are about the end product, but project based learning is about the process
• Proponents of the Maker Movement view the internet as a place to get things done (create, collaborate, etc.)
• The three game changes of the Maker Movement are Fabrication, Physical Computing, and Programming
• "Kids won't BE engineers... They are engineers"
• Putting yourself outside of your comfort level can make you a better teacher

Class Eight - Introduction to Digital Citizenship

• Digital Citizenship is different from cyber safety.  Digital Citizenship addresses the broader concept of how to prepare students to interact in a society full of technology
• The appropriateness of content is relative and changes over time. 
• The concept of intellectual property is being blurred in the digital age.  We must make students aware of copyright and copyleft issues.  If we are going to teach students about using copyleft resources, we should also show them how to identify their creations as copyleft
•   Once something is posted - it is difficult (if not impossible) to be completely erased.  Is there a way for our kids to be forgiven for their digital sins?
• Teachers can play a role in introducing students to the world of activism

Looking Forward

• Building a PLN takes a long time!
• I don't need to be as exclusive in my selection of who to follow on Twitter.  Lists can help me organize the people I choose to follow
• Commenting on the posts of others is good, but I need to do better at providing links to thought-provoking articles for others
• I have read a lot, but not all of this has been visible - I can use LiveBinders to organize some of these resources and write short reflections.  This binder could then be shared with others.
• There is always something new to learn
• Learning (and applying this learning to practice) can be uncomfortable, but fun

What are some of the key learnings you have gained over the past eight weeks of EC&I 831?  What things are you considering as you move forward?