Reflection on Social Network Learning Course

We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience. - John Dewey

For the past 8 weeks, I have been taking a course called Social Network Learning. As a fairly new user of social networks for professional learning, I took the class hoping to gain insight about the ways in which I could use social media tools to engage learners, and discover strategies I could use to encourage students  to be more self-directed and purposeful seekers of knowledge. Throughout the course, I tried to tie my new learning to two things: 1) the demands of the Common Core State Standards; and 2) the communication and professional development needs of an administrators.

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For me, one of the most valuable aspects of the course was the scaffolding for self-directed learning. In many cases, there were different avenues for learners to both gain information and demonstrate their understanding. Although many of the tools we covered were familiar to me or were ones that I intuitively grasped, I think it’s fair to say I never would have engaged in a Twitter Chat if it hadn’t been required for this course. For me, the jury’s still out on whether that particular use of Twitter will be a valuable tool for my professional learning, but it was a great learning experience to realize what smart people are out there, and what they are talking about.

I always enjoy the reflective process, thinking about my own learning and growth, so I really appreciated the opportunity to revisit the structure and organization of my PLN. I also found it valuable to develop a list of criteria for evaluating content for curation. I found myself frustrated at times by the seemingly random numbers of things required - 15 criteria for curation, 3 webinars, 10 examples of student uses of social media, 4 new professional networks. I understood the purpose behind the assignment, but sometimes the numbers made the experience feel like just checking off boxes. In the classes I teach, I need to think carefully about the ways in which I have my students demonstrate their understanding, and whether quantity or quality, or some combination of the two, is needed in order to show mastery.

 It was nice to take a course that had the flexibility to allow me to tie my projects into what my own goals were, and I also appreciated the opportunity to learn from and with classroom educators. I feel like I grew as a learner in the course, which is really the most important thing!

So tonight I cooked a whole tilapia. Not sure why - maybe because we had whole wood-fired fish in Bucerias last month, and I absolutely loved it. Maybe because the husband is in Puerto Penasco this weekend eating fresh fish tacos, and I'm not. Maybe because the fish was $1.80, which makes it a pretty cheap experiment. Regardless, whole fish seemed like a good idea.

I've never cooked a whole fish before. So where did I start? YouTube, of course. Where else does one go to learn how to clean a fish? Of course, it turns out that when you buy a fish from the store it's already cleaned, but I didn't know that when I started. Von's did a nice job - their cleaning looked pretty much like YouTube's!

YouTube also started me out with scoring the fish and stuffing it. But then it was just too cumbersome to figure out ingredients and amounts, so I switched to google blog search. I didn't just want a recipe - I wanted descriptive language. Mission accomplished; I found a post that mentioned that vinegar is a good marinade component, since it mellows out the "fishiness" of perviously frozen fish.

So, why am I talking about cooking in my learning blog? As I switched between tools to find exactly what I was looking for in each stage of the process, it occurred to me that I was meeting Common Core State Standards, I gathered relevant information from multiple sources and integrated the information (Writing Anchor Standard 8), and I used appropriate tools strategically (Standard of Mathematical Practice #5). I exhibited the standards in an authentic performance assessment, with a pretty distinct criteria for success - Is it edible?

I would rank my fish experiment at low proficient. Taste was great, but getting the filets off wasn't very clean. Definitely not advanced - I should have taken the advice of another blog and broiled it for a minute at the end to get the crispy skin. But I feel empowered to try it again, which is the whole point in learning, right?

Guidelines for Revising Student and Teacher Social Media Policies

While some districts currently have social media policies, many of those policies were developed before there was any research about student use of social media for learning, and before the Common Core State Standards were released. The Speak Up 2012 National Findings note:

Within the wide assortment of emerging technologies that are enabling students to become digital learners, four stand out as having the largest impact so far on students’ self-efficacy as self-directed, independent learners. Mobile devices have transformed information gathering from a planned, discrete task to an anytime, anywhere endeavor. The availability of mobile devices in the hands of students has changed the logistics around Internet access and digital divide discussions as well. Social media has provided a contextual motivation and rationale for the ubiquitous access to the Internet. And online learning, both in school and at home, has provided a tangible representation to students and adults alike about a new way to approach learning (Project Tomorrow, 2013).

In order to ensure that your social media policy reflects current usage, trends and needs, consider the following steps as you update (or create) your policy.

1. Gather stakeholders

• Think about the people who have a stake in helping to craft that vision. It starts with the teachers, as they are the ones who have to implement whatever the vision is. They are the front lines, so they have to have buy-in. Other stakeholders depend on your district structure and culture, but certainly include both site and district staff, curriculum, assessment and technology staff. But parents and students deserve a voice in this vision as well. How might you include them? 
• Survey your stakeholders to see what their perspectives are on these questions. Different stakeholder groups may see things very differently from each other. 

• Are we using technology to ensure that students are mastering rigorous curriculum skills? 

• Are we using technology to extend our ability to reach and support every student? 

• How should social media be used - one-way, two-way, use by students? (Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost, 2012)

2. Identify a Vision or Statement of Purpose for the Social Media Policy

• How might students optimally use social media for learning? 
• How might educators optimally use social media for instruction? 
• What role might social media play in professional learning and collaboration? 
• Sample language: 

• We believe that all students should have access to technology when they act in a responsible, efficient, courteous and legal manner. Responsible uses of technology are devoted to activities that support teaching and learning. (Montgomery School, 2011) 

• Internet access and other technologies available to students and teachers offer a multitude of global resources. Our goal is to use these services to enhance the educational development of our students. As part of 21st century learning, teachers and students will be using web-based tools such as blogs and microblogs, wikis, podcasts, and videocasts with appropriate supervision. These technologies improve student communication and collaboration skills, provide a real audience, and extend learning beyond the classroom walls while building digital citizenship skills. (Montgomery School, 2011) 

• School social media guidelines encourage employees and students to participate in social computing and strive to create an atmosphere of trust and individual accountability, keeping in mind that information produced by this school, our faculty, staff, students and their parents is a reflection on the entire School community. (Saugus USD, 2011) 

Explore policies that are consistent with your Vision or Statement of Purpose 

• Research state/federal law and discuss local norms to ensure legal compliance of policies. 
• Identify logical and appropriate consequences for violations; research how others have implemented such consequences 

Communicate expectations 

• Develop a plan to educate students, staff and administrators regarding appropriate online and social media conduct. 
• Ensure that students receive instruction annually in both the Social Media Policy and on social media use. 
• Provide explanations of specific appropriate behavior as well as consequences for inappropriate behavior in age-appropriate language. 

 

Plan for monitoring and revision 

• How will we know we are implementing our policy effectively? 
• How will we know if our policy meets student and teacher needs? 
• How will we revise our policy when it becomes necessary? 

References 

Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost (2012). Social media guiding questions. Retrieved from http://www.onthelineca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/TIP-SHEET-Social-Media-Guiding-Questions.pdf

Montgomery School. (2011). Responsible use of technology agreement: Grades 6-8. Retrieved from http://www.montgomeryschool.org/program/lower-school/ls-curriculum/technologylibrary/responsible-use-policy/index.aspx

Project Tomorrow (2013). From chalkboards to tablets: The emergence of the K-12 digital learner. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU12-Students.pdf

Saugus Unified School District (2011). School social media policy. Retrieved from http://community.saugususd.org/jklein/files/-1/2122/School%20Social%20Media%20Policy%20draft.pdf

The Evolution of my PLN

It seems that every class I take these days asks me to examine my Personal Learning Network (PLN) or Personal Learning Environment (PLE). Far from being annoying, this exercise gives me an opportunity to reflect on my own growth as leader of my own learning, and as a contributor to the larger educational community. Each time I review my PLN, I revisit the categories I group my learning experiences into, and think again about which need further growth and development.



One exciting thing I'm beginning to realize is how much overlap there is, particularly between my personal and professional connections and my online communities. Recently I've found that people I typically connect with in one particular setting are also involved in online communities that I am involved in. It wasn't until I went from being a lurker to a participant that I found out their involvement. Since these are people I like and respect, it makes it all the more fortuitous to connect with them in different communities and online spaces. 

As I look at diagrams created by others, I realize that I separate my "real-world" personal and professional connections from my online personal and professional connections. I'm not sure why that's the case - it might be my age, and a holdover from seeing online as not quite the same. This might be something I revisit the next time I update my PLN diagram, as those lines are becoming increasingly blurred. For example, I realize that I don't quite know if my Boise State cohort falls under online networks or professional connections, a clear sign that the two categories should be merged! One classmate's diagram struck me because it categorized PLN connections by the way she interacts with them, either as a consumer, an occasional contributor, or a leader. While it's a very different schema for organizing, it might be a more relevant way to do things given the overlaps in my categories. It might also be a better way to gauge my growth and learning, as I become more of a contributor in more networks. Another option to ponder the next time I do an update!

Twitter Chats - A New Way to Learn

I participated in my first two Twitter Chats this past week. Although I've been on Twitter for quite a while, this format was new to me.  I spent about the first 20 minutes just lurking, trying to follow the conversation. I was using Tweetdeck, and it was challenging to have all of the tweets just fall in as they occurred. I was a little overwhelmed trying to follow along, but I did jump in and contribute after a while. I tried to be sure to reply to the two people who replied to my tweets. There were 4 moderators, who were very good at replying to people and tweeting/retweeting the questions so that folks didn’t miss it. I thought they did a great job of keeping the conversation going.

The second chat I participated in was even more chaotic than the first - I think that the moderators in this chat functioned more as participants, more interested in sharing their expertise than in moderating the conversation. It was during this second chat that I recognized the skills of the moderators in the first chat! I imagine it is challenging to get moderators who are passionate about a topic and want to share, but who also have the skills to turn it into a conversation in a complex medium.

The day after one of these chats, I was on a conference call with some colleagues spread throughout the state. Before the meeting, one noted that she had seen me in the twitter chat, and another said I must be passionate about the topic since I participated so much. What went through my head is that neither of them had posted anything, and I had no idea they were on the chat! Each noted that they were not big fans of the twitter chat format, but followed that particular chat because many statewide “voices” participate. Oddly, that's exactly the conclusion I had come to.

I find the format of Twitter Chats challenging - it's like being in a crowded room where most people are interested in shouting out answers to questions, and sometimes they turn to each other to respond. I wonder what the ratio is for participant to lurker in many of the chats.

#CAedchat shared this video about how to be a Twitter Chatter - I think it has some really helpful tips for both lurkers and participants!

I'm a Curator!

I've got to say, I've fallen in love with Scoop.it. I think I've finally found a tool that lets me organize resources, and as long as I tag things properly I should be able to find them again! I had been using tags in Google Reader for this task, but with its demise I've been struggling, and unhappy with the tagging schema of Feed.ly.

But in starting to do a better job of curating content, I'm finding that there's a lot of poor curation out there. After doing some research on what the experts have to say, and adding my own twist based on what I think works best for K-12 students, here's my list of helpful hints for content curation.

Plan 

• Your curated content should be organized in a way that makes the most sense for students. Depending on the number of resources you expect to provide and the grade level of your students, consider organizing by unit, by subject area, or by broad theme. If a resource doesn’t fit your well-planned topics, it’s probably not a good choice for your students. 
• Make sure that the resources match student needs. Consider academic content standards, student reading levels and interest levels, and language. 

Evaluate & Select 

• Choose the best possible content in your topics. Just because a resource has the same topic doesn’t mean it’s what you should use! Select only the best in your topic collections, which are the best fit for your students. 
• Make sure the resources model ethical online behavior. Images should be cited, ideas should be referenced, and original work should be included. 
• Make sure the topic collection contains resources representing a variety of mediums, including scholarly text, video, images, and other multimedia. Most topics should have both narrative and informational content, from both conventional and social media sources. 
• Ensure your curated topic tells a story by bringing together different perspectives. It should knit together “several works in a way that may lead to greater appreciation, understanding and insight” (Harris-Roxas, 2012). 
• Keep the topic timely. Outdated resources should be removed, and more current resources need to be added regularly. Note: this doesn’t mean all resources need to be less than 6 months old! The British Museum’s King Tut exhibit is timely regardless of when it was updated. 

Organize & Annotate 

• Provide context for the resources you’ve selected. If there is a particular section you want students to focus on, say so. If the resource provides background information, be clear that’s what it’s for. If two resources provide contradictory information, reference that so students can start to make critical judgements. 
• Tag your resources to make them more easily searchable. Consider setting up a tag collection with students, so that they have ownership of the tags and the organization makes sense to them as well. 
• Make sure your resources are all well labeled. Sometimes “scooping” or “pinning” a resource captures something meaningless as the title - clean it up so that the title actually matches the content. 

Connect & Share 

• Join groups or follow people that regularly post reviewed resources in your chosen topic areas. Use expertise in the cloud to help you find high-quality resources that match your topics and audience. 
• Keep the conversation open. Comments by students and/or colleagues on resources add a timely element, and may help to further contextualize the content.