Sliced Bread

Have a look at edna if you have not already, ‘Australia’s free online network for educators’.

Covers multiple educational sectors and a range of topics. It provides workshops and easy to follow online advice for learners. I like it.

I’ve been lurking there for a month or so and as my confidence grows and I learn more, I’ll put it down as a site I want to return to more often. I wish my state DET portal ’felt’ as welcoming.

me.edu.au provides Australian education and training professionals with an online network and profile to:

• create your educational profile
• connect with educators who have similar interests
• share links, news, photos, ideas, opinions, blogs

I like the feel of this network so far, if that makes sense. It is open, easy to navigate, collaborative and inclusive. Potentially silly newbie questions I’ve asked have been answered with tolerance,, unlike other ‘technobabbleelitist’ sites I’ve encountered.

Just trying to make sense of why PLE (or PLN’s) diagrams are a useful concept for learners to understand. Tim’s ponderings got me thinking about something new to me. I think Scott Leslie summarised it best

A PLE is clearly not just a set of drawings, but the act of producing such a drawing, such a conceptualization, is an incredibly valuable one… for any learner, regardless of whether they conceive of it as a “PLE” or not. Knowing how you learn, and how you conceive of the structures and relationships that support your learning, is an important step to becoming a master learner.

Again as a total non techy person, just trying to learn something new, the shirt speaks sense  “PLE is People” – I like it.

above image “Alec Couros, PhD Thesis illustration, the Networked Teacher ” A PLE that reflects my current one.

Posted some starter definitions of learning styles at my Thought Provokers wiki.

1. The Definition of The Brain & Learning
2. The Definition of Constructivism
3. The Definition of Problem-Based Learning

Hope they are useful starting points to get teachers thinking.

Thanks to ASCD.