2. #SMOOC2014
Webinar Rules of the Road
Interacting During the Webinar
• Feel free to use the chat
• Feel free to tweet using #SMOOC2014
If You Need Help
• TAs will help in the chat
During the Q&A
• Raise your (virtual) hand if you want to speak. We’ll call
on you and enable your audio.
• Type questions for the speakers into the chat. Start with a
Q: to indicate it’s a question for the speakers.
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About the MOOC
• Co-designed by graduate students in the Instructional
Systems Program at Florida State University
• This week’s module design team is:
• Meichelle Long
• Maipeng Wei
• Owen WIlliams
• Xinhao Xu
• Weinan Zhao
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Topics Covered in Webinar
• The relationship between professional development and
PLNs
• The 4 Cs of PLNs
• Examples of PLNs
• PLN building strategies
• PLNs and your students
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POLL: You and Your PLN
Have you been developing a PLN?
A. Yes, purposefully
B. Yes, but mostly by accident
C. No, but I would like to
D. No, and I’m not sure I need one
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Vote here!
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Professional Development
What kinds of PD have you engaged
in recently?
For many individuals, PD is something
they ATTEND, but not something they
CREATE or INITIATE
How do you define PD? And does that
form of PD meet all of your
professional growth or learning needs?
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Everyday life (A PLN Starting Point)
• When you have a problem to solve, where do you seek an answer?
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Learning with online networks/resources
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Dimensions of Online PD
Adapted from Dennen & Myers (2013)
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Online Professional Development
The online world is a PD treasure trove:
§ Information
§ Resources
§ Networking
§ Camaraderie
§ Advice
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The 4 Cs of Online PD
Colleagues Communication
CollaborationContribution
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What happens when you cultivate the 4 Cs?
You create a Personal Learning Network (PLN)
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Colleagues
Who do you want your
online colleagues to be?
• May replicate regular work networks
• May develop new networks
Online PD Network
Online
Peers
Experts
Local
Peers
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Communication
How will you interact with the network?
• Lurk?
• Follow?
• Ask questions?
• Provide advice?
• Provide support?
• Socialize?
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Collaboration
• Can you solve problems with(in) your network?
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Contributions
• KEY ISSUE: RECIPROCITY
How Might You Contribute?
• Rate what you’ve used
• Comment on what you’ve used
• Guide new participants
• Share what you’ve found
• Share what you’ve created
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Overview of the 4 Cs
• Colleagues
• Follow others
• Do things to encourage
others to follow you
• Don’t limit yourself
• Communication
• Don’t be invisible
• Follow the norms
• Collaboration
• Seek opportunities to help
others – whether big or
small
• Ask for help as you need it
• Contribution
• Empower yourself – you
have something worth
sharing!
• Share your experiences
• Share what you create
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One
of Us
What should be in your PLN?
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Vanessa’s PLN
• Context
• University professor, research university
• Content area: Instructional Systems
• Needs
• Connections with colleagues
• Keep current with journals
• Keep current with technology trends
• Keep current with profession
• Time
• Varies widely
• Have the most time when teaching a class on Web 2.0 & Learning/
Performance each summer
• Can struggle to keep up mid-semester or when traveling
• May procrastinate by checking out certain parts of PLN
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Key Tools and Interactions
Follow
journals,
organization,
events,
leaders,
knowledge
sharers
Tweet with
classes, at
conferences
Follow
practitioners,
former
students,
former
employers
Follow group
discussions
Follow
leaders,
knowledge
sharers,
colleagues
Comment
Share via my
own blogs
Collect items
of personal
interest.
Collect topic-
focused
items with
collaborators
.
Share slides,
documents,
videos.
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Meichelle’s PLN
• Context
• IT Director, Media Director, Teacher
• Content area: Instructional Technology, Teaching
• Needs
• Connections with colleagues
• Keep current with professional development
• Keep current with technology trends
• Keep current with profession
• Time
• Varies widely
• Symbaloo= Daily use (screenshot next slide)
• Schedule Tweets & keep them impersonal
• There is a definite hierarchy based on ROI
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Key Tools and Interactions
Follow
colleagues,
groups,
organizations,
start-ups,
innovators
Tweet with
students,
teachers,
colleagues
Follow industry
experts,
colleagues,
friends that I
trust
Follow groups,
and
organizations,
some vendors
Create boards
about EduTech,
teacher tools
and tech tips
Follow Tech
Gadgets,
Infographics, &
tech
companies
Write blogs
about teacher
tech tools, &
books in our
media
collection
Follow
educators,
administrators
and software
developers
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Twitter & LinkedIn (Best ROI for time.)
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Creating your PLN
• There’s so much out there … how do you begin?
• Consider the following dimensions:
NEED TOOL TIME / LEVEL OF
INVESTMENT
• Knowledge
• Resources
• Community
• Advice
• Attention
Is it interactive?
Can you
archive?
How much time
and energy do
you have to
cultivate the
network? To
build trust?
Engage in
reciprocity?
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Getting Started
• Find people/feeds to follow
• Professional organizations
• Publications
• Local colleagues
• Leaders (of various kinds)
• Follow the paths before you
• Once you find a good person to follow, see who they follow
• Check recommendations from tools
• Participate in events
• Conference social media platforms
• Twitter chats / hashtags
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Getting Started
• Spread your contact information
• Complete your profile(s)
• Connect your networks*
• Include info in email signature
• Include info on slides/documents
*there may be instances in which you purposefully don’t connect
networks, and that’s OK
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Getting Started
• Do it when you have time
• To learn the tool(s)
• To keep up with feeds
• Lurk a little
• Learn the norms for connecting, sharing, interacting
• Leave your mark
• Share what you can
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POLL – Do your students need PLNs?
Do you see any ways in which PLNs could help your
students?
A. Yes, and this is something I focus on
B. Yes, and I will start helping them develop PLNs
C. I’m not sure
D. No, it’s not appropriate for my
context (no students, young
students, etc.)
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Vote here!
30. #SMOOC2014
Students / Colleagues and PLNs
• How might you introduce them to the concept of PLNs?
• What strategies might you use to help them develop
PLNs?
• How could you support them as they develop a PLN?
• Share your ideas in the chat!
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Wrap Up
• Think about how a network could help you perform your
job better
• Think about what you have to contribute to a network
• Keep sharing on this topic … in the discussion forum, on
Twitter, on Facebook
• We can’t wait to see your projects!
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THANKS FOR JOINING US!
Time for Questions
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