Communities of Learning

I was able to participate in a webcast titled "Creating Learning Communities" and moderated by Alan November today. The discussion focused on using blogs, webcasts, Skyde, RSS feed, bloglines, etc. as tools to support instruction and to facilitate the development of viable learning communities. November argued that in order to provide genuinely meaningful instruction for today's young adults, teachers should utilize the mediums that support the meaningful communication that young people value and are currently using to share information with one another.
November presented a convincing argument for using the blog format for teaching and helping students construct a global perspective.

November also discussed the need to create a "code of ethics" for appropriate use of blogs and other formats, and suggested that teachers solicit the support of students in constructing class ethical codes, based on the presentation and discussion of actual scenarios related to inappropriate blogging content and activities. The webcast was very interesting and timely.

An archive of the webcast is available at EdTechConnect.


November Learning: Information Literacy Resources

"How many versions of the truth are you looking for? Too often students accept information that looks authentic as the truth and this is one of the dangers of Web site information. Since ANYONE can publish on the Internet, learning how to validate information is an important skill." --Alan November