May+22


 * Sharing**
 * Visit the Edmodo group, review the shared links and comment on as many that interest you. What concepts or topics would you like to share in class?


 * Reading**
 * For our next class, Tuesday, May 29, you should have read through //Chapter 5 (Social Has A Shape: Why Networks Matter)//. For each of the new chapters (Chapter 3, 4 and5), share 1 topic, passage or resource to Edmodo . When we return to class on 5/29, we will have in-depth discussions about Chapters 3-5.

// While there is no particular date these assignments are due, please work to complete them by our next class meeting on May 29. As you work through the assignments, please don't hesitate to contact me. //
 * New Technology**
 * 1) Using paper (and your camera phone) //**or**// a tool such as the Google Draw tool (in Google Docs/Drive), create a map of your current personal learning network (PLN) - digital and analog. Ask yourself the questions: //When I want/need to learn something, where do I go? What people, tools, etc. do I use to learn?// The examples below should help. Once you have created a diagram of your current PLN, post it to your personal wiki page linked in the navigation on the left under **Our Wiki Pages**. Depending on what type of computer you are using, this may be challenging. You can try to find how to do this using Google. If you prefer, we can wait for class on May 29 to post PLNs and discuss.
 * Read the article in Wikipedia.
 * Creating a PLN (discovered by Shelley)
 * Example 1 2


 * Last week we set up our Google Reader and Google Blog. Take some time to customize your blog and populate your RSS reader with feeds. What are your personal and professional interests? By May 29, you should have a minimum of 15 feeds in your RSS reader. You should also have posted one blog post (topic can be found on the May 17 page). Visit the other blogs of your classmates, read the posts and **comment** on 2 or 3. Here is a great post on commenting: How to write a great blog comment.
 * So far in class, we have been using various tools to assemble a network - a personal learning network (PLN) centered around our professional and personal interests. As you think about putting your network together, you may want to set answering these questions as an ulltimate goal. (via Will Richardson)
 * 1) Can you identify the fifty smartest or most accomplished people who share your passion or interests, regardless of where you reside?
 * 2) How many of these people are currently in your professional/personal networks?
 * 3) How many of these people have you been able to engage actively in an initiative related to your shared passions or interests?
 * 4) To how many of these people would you feel comfortable reaching out and mobilizing in a new initiative related to your shared passions and interests?
 * 5) For these fifty people, how effectively are you using social media to increase your mutual awareness of each other's activities?
 * As you grow your network, you may find these links useful in searching for new feeds and content.
 * Blogs by Subject
 * Google Blog Search
 * Google News Search
 * Johns Hopkins Nursing Blogs
 * The Health Care Blog
 * You may also wish to add the health care resources shared in Chapter 2 to your RSS reader.


 * Last class we started working with Twitter. Keep developing your Twitter network. Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about the power of Twitter. We'll talk more about your experiences with Twitter in class on May 29.
 * Twitter in Plain English
 * Twitter Search in Plain English
 * How to Speak Twitter
 * 100 Ways to Use Twitter in Education, by degree of difficulty
 * Tweet Deck - a tool for managing Twitter
 * paper.li - another way to manage Twitter
 * Educational Hashtags
 * Health Care Hashtags


 * You may remember from the //Net Smart//book references to a study that characterized online activity into two domains:
 * Hanging Out - friendship driven participation - socializing and playing online
 * Geeking Out - niche driven participation - creating, connecting online around niche interests

Watch this video to learn more: media type="youtube" key="xuV7zcXigAI" height="282" width="504" align="center"


 * One thing Ito speak to is the perception that "hanging out" tools such as Facebook are frivolous because they are "just social." Actually, Facebook can be a great educational resource for "geeking out": 100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in the Classroom. If you don't already have one, create an account on [|Facebook]. You don't have to only use Facebook for connecting with friends. You can use it to connect with organizations and other educational groups. Here are some people/groups I follow: (search for these groups in Facebook and then click the LIKE button and watch their feeds appear in your Facebook stream). We'll talk more about this on Tuesday, but get started.
 * Cool Cat Teacher
 * EmergingEdTech Fan Page
 * Education Week
 * Education Nation
 * ISTE
 * Edudemic
 * and any other topic, business, or organization you can find.


 * How do you organize the large amount of information you encounter on the web? Answer: Using social bookmarking tools. Read this article:[| 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking] We are going to use Diigo as our social bookmarking tool. Visit the Diigosite to create an account. View/read the following resources to learn more about Diigo and social bookmarking:
 * Social Bookmarking - Making the Web Work for YouVideo
 * Diigo in the Classroom
 * Student Learning with Diigo

Visit the Diigo MEDU 603 - PLN group and click on the blue "Apply to join this group" button on the right side of the page. After you install the Diigo toolbar on your computer (and we'll do this on the Moravian computers as well on May 29), you can now share specific bookmarks with our group.

//Do your best to work through the various tools this week. Feel free to contact me or post questions for help on Edmodo if you need help with anything. If you can help a classmate with a question, please do. We will spend a good part of the next week ensuring that everyone is comfortable with these tools and managing their PLN well. Here is a checklist for the week.//
 * Checklist of assignments for Tuesday, May 29**
 * Six (6) general sharing items posted to Edmodo.
 * Chapters 3, 4 and 5 in //Net Smarts//. Posting "added value" items to Edmodo.
 * Diagram of personal learning network (PLN) as outlined above. Uploading to your personal wiki page (linked to the left) is optional. We will review the process on 5/29.
 * Your RSS reader is the core of your PLN. Collect a minimum fifteen (15) feeds in your Google Reader that are personal to you.
 * Post to your blog describing what you have discovered through your reader and Twitter related to your personal and professional interests. Describe any new learning that has occurred (possibly including ideas from //Net Smarts//) and how your new learning might change or enrich something about your learning passions. Here is a [| rubric] you can use as a guide. REFLECTION is key. Good writing is important, too. Length is whatever works best for you and the story you want to tell. Visit the blogs of your classmates and post comments or critiques on 2 or 3 similar to how you are using Edmodo. You may approach this assignment through the lens that Rheingold shares in Chapter 3: blogger as //filter, connector, critic// or //advocate.// Reflect on which approach you choose. (This is the same assignment posted for 5/22. You only need to have 1 blog post for May 29.)
 * Continue to expand your network using your Twitter account to search for people and organizations (i.e. @medu603) and topics (i.e. #edchat).
 * Create an account on Facebook and follow professional organizations or personal interests.
 * Create an account on the social bookmarking service Diigo. After watching the videos, install the Diigo Toolbar on your computer, join the MEDU603 - PLN group and practice saving and sharing bookmarks.

** Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 29 - 5:00-8:00 PM**