In this final posting on personal learning networks I would like to proceed in another direction. I am currently in the final stages of writing a paper to graduate.My paper is about the effects of networked learning and personal learning networks in education.My blog postings have concentrated on personal learning networks and information was retrieved from internet sources and pioneers on these concepts.The direction of this posting is based off a book that I just read.The book is called The Magic of Thinking Bigby Dr. David Schwartz.
The reason I would like to use this book in relation to my discussion on personal learning networks is because of the some of the points (along with examples) Dr. Schwartz makes in the book.As we discussed personal learning networks allows a person a means to connect to subject matter experts to learn more on a given topic.Essentially, relates to the saying “It is not what you know but who you know”.One of the examples presented by Dr. Schwartz is located under the section knowledge is power- when you see it constructively (Schwartz, 1987, p.37).In this section Dr. Schwartz provides many examples.Albert Einstein used in one of these examples.Einstein was once asked the question how many feet are in a yard.Einstein’s reply was “I don’t know”.Einstein then posed a question back that stated “Why should I fill my brain with facts I can find in two minutes in any standard reference book?” (Schwartz, 1987, p.37)In another example Henry Ford (founder of the ford motor company) was asked a series of simple questions by the Chicago Tribune.These questions ranged from who was Benedict Arnold to when the Revolutionary War was fought?Henry Ford replied “I don’t know the answers to those questions but I can find a man in five minutes who does.” (Schwartz, 1987, p.37)In a last example two characters in the book was sitting down and watching a game show.There was a man on the game show that was very good at answering the questions on all subjects, a man who was storage of facts (think of a game show like Jeopardy).Towards the end of the game show one of the characters turns to the other and asked him “How much do you think I’d pay that guy to work for me.” After some discussion the character who asked the question says “not a cent of 300 hundred dollars.”Because that character believes that would be the cost of a good set of encyclopedias.This character believes that the man on the game show can only memorize facts and can’t think beyond that. (Schwartz, 1987, p.38).
Now what does this information have to do with personal learning networks.The point Dr. Schwartz is making with these examples is that it is more important to know how to think and not to spend too much mental capabilities on warehousing facts.Take a look at these examples mentioned above.In two cases we have Ford and Einstein who have achieved great success in their fields. These stories give insights into the type of thinkers/scholars that they were; these many were not man who know everything or were fact based.They were man of ideas and know how to think.Essentially, these men did not know everything but know who to go to for information.Ford said it best I don’t know the answers to those questions but I can find a man in five minutes who does.”
Being storage of facts is all well and fine but does that make you intelligent?Knowing how and where to retrieve information to benefit you is more important than being able to store information.Through my discussion on these topics I hope that I was able to demonstrate the importance of networked learning and personal learning networks in education.
“Am I using my mental ability to make history, or am I using it merely to record history made by others?” (Schwartz, 1987, p.38).
Schwartz, D. (1987). The magic of thinking big. New York: Fireside.
At this point in my posting on the Personal Learning Networks we have taken a look at various aspects of the concept.We have taken a look at personal learning networks in terms of education, the learner, and ways to evaluate sources of information.This posting will be dedicated to the impact of personal learning networks in schooling.This post will describe how schools, teachers, and classrooms are developing and implementing personal learning networks to support students learning.
Schools, teachers, and classrooms have been using personal learning networks for a long time, whether they knew it or not.Researching current events in the news or publishing work on the internet are forms of using the personal learning networks. (Davis, 2009) (Fisch, 2008).In the past teachers would consult subject matter experts, research from printed materials, face-to-face conversations, and attending workshops or staff developments. (Roland, 2009) (Anderson, 2008).Because of technological advancements teachers are able to connect to each other through the use of the internet.To successfully use a personal learning network in the classroom the teacher must first get comfortable with using it themselves. Sue Waters (2007) offers 4 ideas you must consider when beginning the early stages of develop a personal learning network:
What tools you use!
Who you connect with!
How you want to learn!
When you want to learn!
As a teacher begins to develop a personal learning network Sue Waters (2007) gives several points of advice to help a teacher become comfortable and at the same time be a contributor to the personal learning network spectrum:
Start slowly and find mentor(s) to help you.
Use the same username across tools
Share as much as you take
Ask as much as you answer
Try new TOOLS before you decide they're not worth the time
Comment on other people's blogs
Lifelong learning is the key!
The idea is to of these steps presented by Sue Waters is for teachers to become familiar with a personal learning network and how to use it to support learning.Successfully using a personal learning network in the classroom and becoming familiar with the how to use it the teacher can direct students on how they would like the student to use it in.For example, when Vicki Davis (2009) uses a personal learning network in her classroom “its content changes based on the student's current course work. When [Davis] assign[s] them a term paper, the students comb the Web to sign up for information that will feed into their personalized Web page to construct a PLN for that topic. When they get a new project, they assemble another page.”
Motivation is a factor that seems to influence educator’s uses of a personal learning network in the classroom.Authors mentioned taking ownership of learning, pursuing individual goals and being highly motivating. (Epcke & Meech, 2008) (McCollum, 2009).Epcke and Meech (2008) state "Personal Learning Networks are systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes providing support for learners to:
set their own learning goals
manage their learning; managing both content and process
communicate with others in the process of learning
and thereby achieve learning goals"
Providing this motivational factor when using personal learning network teachers set students up to be proficient lifelong learners (McCollum, 2009).
After teachers have gone through the process of figuring out what a personal learning network is and how to use it, and the motivational factors to using it, teachers must consider what can students get from using a personal learning network besides that fact that it is a 21st century learning strategy.Will Richardson (2008) provides these factors for using a personal learning network.In addition Richardson looks at this list not only in and educational sense but other factors as well including professionally, and a citizenship standpoint.
Networked–They’ll need an “outboard brain.”
More collaborative–They are going to need to work closely with people to co-create information.
More globally aware–Those collaborators may be anywhere in the world.
Less dependent on paper–Right now, we are still paper training our kids.
More active–In just about every sense of the word. Physically. Socially. Politically.
Fluent in creating and consuming hypertext–Basic reading and writing skills will not suffice.
More connected–To their communities, to their environments, to the world.
Editors of information–Something we should have been teaching them all along but is even more important now.
Each point presented by Richardson has a correlation between personal learning networks and the student, which will be demonstrated by going through each point.
Networked – They’ll need an “outboard brain,” is quite simply a student’s ability to store sources of knowledge, however, not within their own brain.Clive Thompson (2007) discusses how the storage of facts and information in his head are blurred between being connected to the grid and the uses of various search engines to retrieve answers.Being connected helps in the storage of information for retrieval to the learner.
More collaborative is perhaps one of the biggest adjustments to meet the needs of learners today.Collaborative learning provides peer to peer teaching and learning and to help evaluate information on importance or relevance.
More globally aware allows for learners to collaborate and learn not only from the students in their class but also around to world.Making learning authentic provides another element to learning that enriches the student’s experiences.
Less dependent on paper means that both teachers and students have to understand that research is not only done in books and assignments are not only completed on paper.There is an array of tools available to both teachers and students that allows for extensive research without opening a book and the ability to turn in assignments where the teacher does not have to physically go to each student and collect a sheet of paper.
More active and more connected are two points that the reviewer will cover together.These are both important because students should be domestically and globally active and aware of what is going on in the world around them.The hope is molding better and smarter citizens.
Fluent in creating and consuming hypertext is the ability of reading and understanding the wealth of information available electronically but being able to add to this information with thoughtful and innovative ideas.
The last point of editors of information is the ability to evaluate information and being able to check the validity of it as well.Not all information is good information and not all good information is the information needed to support and point.Students have to find a medium in there when searching information.
These 8 items presented above are essential when considering what a student can receive when using a personal learning network.It does not allow for learning to stop once you leave the classroom but to become lifelong learners in and out of the classroom.Teachers must remember that most learning is informal. (Cross, 2009).Most learning is informal means that most learning happens outside the controlled environment of a classroom.Once implementing the use of a personal learning network into the classroom teacher should not expect student not to use it outside of the classroom.On the contrary teachers should welcome the use of students using their personal learning network outside the classroom.
Anderson, C. (2008). Building your own personal learning network on vimeo. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from http://vimeo.com/2299158
Epcke, J., & Meech, S. (2008, November 16). Personal learning networks: The power of the human network. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from creatingapln.wikispaces.com/
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