Here is my creative expression of Connectivism, Personal Learning Networks, and Communities of Practice. I used Glogster to make a collage of images that I think represent the three concepts. I tried to leave enough space to show that these are three separate concepts, but also allow them to flow together to show how they overlap.
I started in the upper left-hand corner with Connectivism. According to Education 2020, Connectivism is a learning theory for a digital age, that takes place in a rapidly changing social world. Learning takes place through connections within networks and transfer occurs by connecting to and adding nodes that grow personal networks. I tried to show this through the computer, phone, and hands making connections through digital means and flowing into the middle with the notes, lightbulb and idea.
Next, in the middle of my collage, I wanted to represent a Community of Practice. A Community of Practice is not just an interest group. "It involves a shared practice: ways of doing things that are shared to some significant extent among members" (Bates, 2014). I tried to show this by using the brain, idea, and megaphone. When someone is part of a Community of Practice, they don't just get an idea and sit on it. They share it with the community and it affects the community.
This blends into the next part of the collage, in the lower left-hand corner. The megaphone represents a Community of Practice sharing information and acting on it. It also represent the collaboration of a Personal Learning Network. This network can be the way that communities develop their long-term goals. Tom Whitby states, "A PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources." I chose the picture of the world to represent the collaboration among educators that can be reached world-wide. It breaks down the walls of only collaborating with individuals in your school or district. This opens the eyes of educators everywhere. In order to be an active participate in the CoP or PLN you must be connected. I tried to make the second lightbulb close to both the Connectivism section of the collage and the PLN section to represent that even though they are all separate concepts, they flow and mesh together.
References:
Bates, T. (2014, October 1). The role of communities of practice in a digital age. In Online learning and distance education resources. Retrieved from http://www.tonybates.ca/2014/10/01/the-role- of-communities-of-practice-in-a-digital-age/
Education 2020. (2016). Connectivism. retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://education- 2020.wikispaces.com/Connectivism
Whitby, T. (2013, November 18). Hod do I get a pln?. In Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/hos-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI like the creative aspect of your Glogster. I thought you did a great job finding a few symbols for each topic. I think your description of how everything blends together makes sense, but the visual of symbols is hard to see the connections. I had a hard time showing how these concepts relate to each other even though in my head I knew exactly what I was thinking! :) My favorite symbol you used was the world. It's important for educators to get out of their school/city/state and see what else the globe has to offer!
Hi Amy, I never knew what a Glogster was until now. I like the images you chose to describe what each mean to you, as well as how they are connected. In particular, I like the megaphone and globe. The megaphone really emphasizes the sharing portion, since everyone should be able to hear what is coming out of a megaphone. And the globe is something I forget sometimes when I interact on the web. It is amazing what you can learn, share and do regardless of your location. I have experienced that living in three different countries in the past few years.
ReplyDeleteHey Amy,
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose to find images that don't actually relate to the sites or apps themselves. It almost brings a non-tech, real-world thought process to the technology based theories. You can see from your explanations exactly how those images relate back to the theories based on the source quotes you've included.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI used Glogster as well for my visual. It was my first time using it and one of my frustrations was that I couldn't figure out how to draw free hand to make connections between graphics. Did you have this issue too? I like your megaphone the best and your comment that "when someone is part of a Community of Practice, they don't just get an idea and sit on it. They share it with the community and it affects the community." I think this is so true and it reminds me of when people may be dealing with a rare complex heath issue and trying to cope. There are huge benefits in sharing because it can improve other's quality of life and make them feel less alone at the same time. It's a wonderful thing that people can connect with others all over the world in this digital age.
Katie
I did have an issue making a connection between the graphics. I also found it a little frustrating that you only had a limited amount of graphics to choose from.
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