What do great online discussions look like?

Here’s what I’ve noticed in asynchronous discussion forums …
If there’s one thing that sums it up, it’s that online discussions are about dialogue, not monologue.  People need to get out of “presentation mode” and connect with the other people in the discussion.  Here’s how great facilitators & learners do it …
They address people by name in their course.  They [...]

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Why do we build houses with roofs in virtual worlds?

(or, why do we do things the way we’ve always done it even though there’s a better way?)
Of all the things I do in Second Life, there are two things that stand out for me.  I love talking with the people I meet.  It’s a very social place for me.  And I love to build [...]

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Participatory media doesn’t necessarily make us participatory educators

“As educators and learners, we need to be aware of our own practices, simultaneously teaching and learning ‘with’ and ‘against’ social media. Simply embracing new technologies or taking for granted the pedagogical assumptions behind the new ‘Youniversity’ is not enough.” ~ Ulises Mejias, How does social media educate?
Ay, there’s the rub.

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We interrupt regular programming for …

… a spamologue from Ze Frank

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Why it’s important to get out of our silos

“When you have the opportunity to learn what someone else in another group does what you do differently … GO.”
~ Ron Burt, in his great presentation to Nesta on social networks (quicktime)
Does the same thing apply to learning?  Do we need to get out of our silos?  Outside the divisions that create courses?  Departments?  Divisions?  [...]

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I would fail miserably

I have to admit, I’m not unhappy at the thought.
Learning Research Quiz

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Where do the pictures for this blog come from?

A friend asked.  I thought I’d share the answer with everyone since you might find it handy, too.  Most of the photos on this site are creative commons licensed photos that I find by searching FlickrCC, a fantastic tool created by Peter Shanks.  The site also comes in handy for finding images to use in [...]

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The Web Comes to You

I have a friend who loves to ask people to choose between one thing or another. He’ll say something like, you can have email or IM but not both. Which would you choose? I love it because it forces you to distill what’s most important to you. These days, the one [...]

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Learning at the Sobeys checkout

After I write this blog post, I’ll probably go to Sobeys, the local grocery store, to stock up on tofu sausages and Moon Mist ice cream for the week. Although I work in the city, there are three local campuses within driving distance of the grocery store in the small community where I live. [...]

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Podcast discussion groups

I’ve always struggled a bit with how to use podcasting in education. That’s because podcasting is basically a one-way medium. It helps you talk at your students but not with your students. On the other hand, the best uses of technology for learning are usually two-way, so that students have as much [...]

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