To Web 2.0 and Beyond

A backchannel is a way for learners to communicate and talk during a learning session. Backchannel communication can also be viewed as informal learning.  I got my inspiration for this blog both from my reading on Conversations on the hashtag: Does conference twitter use promote professional discourse  by Dennen (2011) and CRS 6414 Blog , where informal and formal learning are discussed in a video. If you haven't checked it out, it was a great reflection on some of the course readings this week.    I am currently teaching Grade 2 students and they are at an age where they are young enough not to have a filter yet old enough to be bold with their sharing. I was reflecting on if my classroom has a version of a backchannel communication and what it would look like if I added backchannel communication to learning in my classroom. I was thinking that there are times when a version of backchannels or informal learning exist, I believe because of the nature of their age and...

Did you know employers aren't googling you to find a reason not to hire you, they are googling you to find a reason to hire you? Gone are the days of googling yourself, making sure that nothing "undesirable" pops up and avoiding anything that might cause context collapse (when people from different communities collide). And ahead of us, are the days of actively building your web presence to take control of your image.  So, what are employers looking for? They are looking to see which candidate has the best web presence (or reputation or brand online). Employers are asking:  "Do candidates have a professional website? Are they engaging with other professionals on social media? Grow Your Digital Footprint  Part of web presence is having a digital footprint (online activities, including social media use), which is created every time we use networked technology.  If you leave your digital footprint unattended however, it may not reflect what you want it t...

 After reading Lingel and Naaman's (2012) You Should Have Been There, Man: Live Music DIY Content and Online Communities , I have some thoughts to share!  The Study Lingel and Naaman (2012) wanted to find out motivations for and the practice of taking and sharing videos of live music concerts. DIY (do-it-yourself) videos have become popular and are used to document the Youtuber's experience at the concert and to share it with the world and fan communities. Youtube has become part of a notion called gift economies , meaning users post content and devote their time and energy in order to share without expectations of compensation; they are gifting their content. The study had 10 participants that were considered "DIY video producers" (found through Youtube); half of the participants filmed mainstream, large concert venues and the other half filmed Indie music in smaller venues with less of a following.  This study sought to find out three main questions:...

Replying to an email, while listening to one of your favourite Podcasts, in addition to checking twitter to see what's new, all while working on an assignment.  You are effectively multitasking, but... Did you reply to that email quickly? Are you understanding that podcast? Did you scroll through twitter to accomplish what you needed? And how is that assignment going?   The Multitasking Myth Along with the idea of the digital native, is the idea (or myth) that this new generation of digital natives is skilled in multitasking. Multitasking is the ability to process two or more tasks simultaneously.  I think multitasking is a skill people like to say they have, I always thought I was pretty good at multitasking. However, after some reflection on Kirschner and Bruyckere's "The myths of digital native and the multitasker," I am not sure I would describe myself as 'multitasker ' anymore.  Kirschner and Bruyckere argue that multitasking for a human is n...

  This week, I read the chapter, 'Networked Work' in  Raine and Wellman's (2012) Networked. If you didn't read this chapter or just did a quick skim, you are in the right place.  The chapter begins with a trip to the past, where workplaces were filled with workers (mainly men) sitting in their own offices, working 9-5 jobs, interacting face-to-face. Pens, papers and the occasional phone call were common and work itself never came home. Now, we flash forward to the workspace today, where networked work and organizations are commonplace.  Networked work in Networked Organizations Raine and Wellman (2012) identify 5 related trends:  With the rise in globalization of work, consumerism and travel, workers and companies are able to connect with more colleagues and customers  There has been a shift from atom work (work in material economy: mining, making, transporting) to bit work (selling, describing, analyzing through words and pictures). There has been a rise...

Blogging: the online equivalent to "Stand up, face the class and read your diary out loud please."  I used to think blogging was something similar to the concept above.  I always admired the courage it took to share and publish your own thoughts in a less formal setting for anyone to read. I never thought I had it in me, I never imagined I would be asked to blog, but here I am.  When it comes to blogging, I am pretty much a newbie. I have created websites for my post-graduate courses that included blog components, but these were structured and had specifications to content and format.  This is my first time creating a blog that is simply for the purpose of blogging.  Each time I write a blog post, I am fighting the urge to use formal language and cite sources and links with a 'References' section at the bottom (and for my first blog post, I did!).  For my first few posts, I was typing into a word document, then copying the text into my blog draft because I ...

    Flash back to 12 year old me, in grade 7, getting most of my information from Wikipedia for my school projects. I used Wikipedia throughout high school from what I can remember. Then when I got to university, Wikipedia became the 'big bag wolf' and we were told not to use it in our research or papers because it is not a reliable or credible source. This belief held true for the remainder of my education. Today, when I am teaching my young learners research skills, I specifically tell them not to go on or use Wikipedia for the same reasons I was told, except in grade 2 language, "anyone can contribute, so the information may not always be true or accurate." When students ask me why they shouldn't use the site, it's hard to argue with "but it's the first one that popped up, see it's at the top." They are not wrong, Wikipedia is at the top or upper right side on most searches.  I still use Wikipedia casually, and as long as students are not...

Have you ever heard of Diigo? Neither have I, but it didn't take much digging before discovering that it is a tool worth learning about. So, let’s begin exploring Diigo—the social bookmarking tool—together!  What is Diigo?      Diigo is a free research tool and a platform for knowledge sharing. You have the capability to bookmark, research and share information.  How do I access Diigo and what can Diigo do?       Diigo has a browser extension, called “Diigolet” that allows you to then highlight text on webpages and add sticky notes. When you return to the webpage, Diigo saves your previous highlighting (which can also be deleted at any time). You can drag the extension to your toolbar and click on it to have the Diigolet dialogue appear.       Through the browser extension, Diigolet allows you to bookmark and save to a ‘Read Later’ section. You can also access Diigo’s website through the dialogue box or visiting their webs...

     This may be the teacher in me, but I find myself in the habit of examining my biases. As an educator, examining biases and practicing self-reflection are important aspects of culturally responsive teaching—where educators adjust instruction in culturally and linguistically responsive ways in order to acknowledge and accommodate what learners bring into the learning environment. As an educator, when I design lessons and activities, I try to think about the biases I have and how my perspectives may affect my students. I need to make sure that the learning takes into consideration their academic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds and design learning that collects their prior knowledge about a topic and is relevant to them. I believe there is some value in applying culturally responsive practices to instructional design as well, so if your curious, check out 5 Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies .       I find self-reflection and examining pot...