Networking Online for Professional Development Marian Thacher

How has the Web changed in the last 5 years? Easy to create a Web site Anyone can have a blog Comment on each other’s blog posts, photos, videos, bookmarks “Watch” what other people are doing, thinking, reading, talking about Your network now includes “strangers”! (and strangers are not so strange)

What is a Social Networking Site? A Web site that allows users to connect, communicate and/or share information with each other By Moonjazz,

Examples of Social Networking Lists Blogs, Miniblogs, MicroblogsBlogsMiniblogsMicroblogs Delicious, DiigoDeliciousDiigo Facebook, MySpace. LinkedIn Google Groups, Ning Flickr, YouTube, TeacherTube RSS, Google Reader LibraryThing, Shelfari From premiardeigo,

Your Personal Learning Network Think about how you learn new things –? Think about how you learned things 10 yrs ago –? Any differences?

Your Personal Learning Network 235 million searches a day on Google 75% of people go to information directly from their search results, NOT from the home page of a site

Your Personal Learning Network Example of Stephen Downes –Saw references several years ago –Followed him on Twitter and Facebook –Received interesting links and references –Went to his blog and signed up for his newsletter –Posted on my blog about him and he responded –Now he is definitely in my PLN, and he notes that he actually came up with the concept!

Your Personal Learning Network “Information has always been a conversation, it’s just that most of us weren’t part of it, until the Internet.” --Steve Hargadon

David Warlick’s PLN

My PLN 10 Years ago Teacher Coordinator Presenter Mom Lesson Plans Reports Work- shops Articles Class Activities Parenting Students Supervisors Friends Colleagues Prof. Groups Journals Books Web Pages Conferences Classes Site Workshops

My PLN Now Web site Reports Work- shops Articles Blogs Grand- parenting Supervisors Friends Colleagues Prof. Groups Journals Books Web Pages Conferences Classes Site Workshops Administrator Presenter Blogger Grandma Blogs Social Networks Listservs Podcasts Aggregators Twitter Online Network

Viral Professional Development We learn on our own with support from each other You don’t need a large training staff – just a few enthusiastic early adopters Build a network! Share everything – tape it, blog it, tag it, post it Celebrate and get the word out up and down the food chain

Viral Professional Development Jennifer Jones, Injenuity.com A viral post on viral PD

Lists, or Listservs PROs Easy to access Comes to you (push) Access to a wider community Get answers to your questions CONs Too much Not all of interest Public in ways you might not realize

Lists, or Listservs NIFL lists (ESL, Family Literacy, Tech, Assessment) Adult Numeracy Network National Literacy Advocacy Tech Mentor Network Start your own? Ask OTAN

Blogs What is a blog? Go to the WikiWiki

Wikis What is a wiki? Go to the wikiwiki /cogdog/ /

Can you use these? Are you blogging? Are you using a wiki? How might you use either for professional development?

Bookmarking and Tagging How you save sites now Bookmarking Tagging Tag clouds Go to the wikiwiki (my Delicious account)(my diigo account)

When I say Social Networking… What’s the first thing that comes to mind?

“Traditional” Social Networking MySpace – OBT example Facebook – Becoming very popular with “older” users –500 groups related to ESL! Yahoo Groups From mattkeefe -

New Social Networking A list of social network sites for educationlist English teachers in MexicoMexico Classroom 2.0 CATESOL State Swap 2009 Go to the wikiwiki

Sharing Media Flickr YouTube TeacherTube Ustream Go to the wikiwiki

Sharing Books Shelfari LibraryThing From Phil Moore -

Keeping up with your network Aggregators, Feeds My Yahoo Google Reader Jaiku, Friendfeed, SocialThing Go to the wikiwiki

GO FORTH AND CONNECT!