Answer: What is the name of the DLC joined and the reason why the DLC was the most intriguing? What traits made the DLCs explored more noticeable or impressive than the others? What is the DLC like? What can Digital Citizens do to make the process of joining a DLC more appealing to and easier for students?
The purpose of Participate Lesson 2 was to help users see the benefits of joining a Digital Learning Community (DLC). The lesson began by introducing users to social bookmarking and social bookmarking tools such as Delicious, Diigo, Google Bookmarks, and Symbaloo. I'm a HUGE fan of using Symbaloo Learning Paths for activities such as virtual field trips and webquests, but I decided to try Diigo because of its annotation features. I have started a list of bookmarks for great DLCs using Diigo (shared below), and I hope to add to this list throughout the school year.
To view my Diigo bookmarks, please click here.
Please note that the link shared above does share brief descriptions of the links, but it does not allow you to view my private comments and highlights embedded on the pages themselves -- a really cool feature. See screenshot below.
After exploring several DLCs, I chose to join Classroom2.0 as my first DLC. It was the most intriguing because it includes groups and forums for a multitude of different interests, not just one specific category. It is a community of communities, so to speak. Through Classroom 2.0, I have access to groups/discussions that fit my general subject area (science), the specific subjects that I teach (biology, anatomy), the students that I teach (gifted), and my personal areas of interest (screencasting, Google Apps for Education, etc).
Though I must admit that the layout of the site is a little dated, I was impressed by the fact that Classroom 2.0 has over 80,000 members in 200 countries. I also appreciated the fact that all members must be approved by site administrators before being able to join or post. This helps prevent spammers from imposing on users of the site, and it makes me feel that the information shared on the site is a little more reliable and secure.
The site is easy to use. Users can easily browse or search forums to find discussions that interest them. Users can do the same with groups and with users. I was able to easily locate Classroom2.0 users that are in my area of the state that I could connect and share with. I also quickly located a series of videos on YouTube that are great foundations lessons for my classes.
I believe to make joining a DLC more appealing to and easier for students, teachers must convey that they are digital citizens themselves and that even as "experts" in their respective fields they are members of DLCs. Teachers must describe and model how being part of a DLC helps them grow as learners and refine their skills, but also how it allows them to share their own knowledge with others.
Digital citizens could also promote interest in joining DLCs by involving students in the process. Instead of traditional lecture and or teacher-guided activities where materials are provided, students should be given open-ended tasks that require inquiry and exploration. Assign or help them select a topic, but allow/require students to find their own communities where reliable information and resources are available. (This of course should occur after students are familiarized with areas digital citizenship such as internet safety and appropriate use of information).
By allowing (or requiring) students to seek information beyond the classroom or school walls, I believe they will see that there is a world of people and a wealth of information concerned with topics that interest them. Involving them in DLCs directly or indirectly will help them see the benefits of joining one and give them the confidence they need to contribute to one.
The purpose of Participate Lesson 2 was to help users see the benefits of joining a Digital Learning Community (DLC). The lesson began by introducing users to social bookmarking and social bookmarking tools such as Delicious, Diigo, Google Bookmarks, and Symbaloo. I'm a HUGE fan of using Symbaloo Learning Paths for activities such as virtual field trips and webquests, but I decided to try Diigo because of its annotation features. I have started a list of bookmarks for great DLCs using Diigo (shared below), and I hope to add to this list throughout the school year.
To view my Diigo bookmarks, please click here.
Please note that the link shared above does share brief descriptions of the links, but it does not allow you to view my private comments and highlights embedded on the pages themselves -- a really cool feature. See screenshot below.
After exploring several DLCs, I chose to join Classroom2.0 as my first DLC. It was the most intriguing because it includes groups and forums for a multitude of different interests, not just one specific category. It is a community of communities, so to speak. Through Classroom 2.0, I have access to groups/discussions that fit my general subject area (science), the specific subjects that I teach (biology, anatomy), the students that I teach (gifted), and my personal areas of interest (screencasting, Google Apps for Education, etc).
Though I must admit that the layout of the site is a little dated, I was impressed by the fact that Classroom 2.0 has over 80,000 members in 200 countries. I also appreciated the fact that all members must be approved by site administrators before being able to join or post. This helps prevent spammers from imposing on users of the site, and it makes me feel that the information shared on the site is a little more reliable and secure.
The site is easy to use. Users can easily browse or search forums to find discussions that interest them. Users can do the same with groups and with users. I was able to easily locate Classroom2.0 users that are in my area of the state that I could connect and share with. I also quickly located a series of videos on YouTube that are great foundations lessons for my classes.
Application
I believe to make joining a DLC more appealing to and easier for students, teachers must convey that they are digital citizens themselves and that even as "experts" in their respective fields they are members of DLCs. Teachers must describe and model how being part of a DLC helps them grow as learners and refine their skills, but also how it allows them to share their own knowledge with others.Digital citizens could also promote interest in joining DLCs by involving students in the process. Instead of traditional lecture and or teacher-guided activities where materials are provided, students should be given open-ended tasks that require inquiry and exploration. Assign or help them select a topic, but allow/require students to find their own communities where reliable information and resources are available. (This of course should occur after students are familiarized with areas digital citizenship such as internet safety and appropriate use of information).
By allowing (or requiring) students to seek information beyond the classroom or school walls, I believe they will see that there is a world of people and a wealth of information concerned with topics that interest them. Involving them in DLCs directly or indirectly will help them see the benefits of joining one and give them the confidence they need to contribute to one.
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