Here is my nonlinguistic representation of the concepts of personal learning networks (PLNs), communities of practice (CoPs), and connectivism.
3 Related Concepts... - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
The concepts of personal learning networks (PLNs), communities of practice (CoPs), and connectivism are three very similar concepts, yet they are not exactly the same. The haiku deck I created (above) displays a series of images and symbols that represent each of these related concepts.
PLNs - Rajagopal et. al (2011) define a personal learning network as “an egocentric, personally and intentionally created network of people set up by an individual specifically in the context of her professional activities.". People establish their PLNs in various ways - with people they regularly interact with in person, through online communities/email/networks, and with people they primarily communicate with via social media. PLNs are ways for people manage information, create content, and connect with others (Mott, 2010). Perez (2012) lists five main reasons educators need PLNs: access to the thinking of colleagues, access to timely information, ability to post questions and get responses, ability to collaborate with colleagues, and to be able to communicate about events. The images I used to represent this are a list of my Twitter connections (my primary PLN), an image of hands grasping wrists that shows support and networking, and images that show connected educators in various ways.
CoPs - Communities of practice differ from PLNs in that they are larger and are comprised of many individuals and the PLNs they bring with them to the community. CoPs are generally focused around a occupation, trade, or hobby and the merit of them, according to Wenger & Snyder (2000), is that people share their experiences and knowledge in free-flowing, creative ways that foster new approaches to solving problems. The images I chose to symbolize CoPs are groups of people who clearly have similar jobs and are working together, sharing ideas, creating, and solving problems. The image with the colorful wooden people represents the interconnectedness of PLNs and CoPs.
Connectivism - The newest proposed learning theory in the education world is connectivism which asserts that “knowledge and cognition are distributed across networks of people and technology, and learning is the process of connecting, growing, and navigating those networks” (Siemens and Tittenberger, 2009). This new idea has come about because today’s learners are different from learners of the past because they require a social aspect to successfully acquire knowledge (Tinmaz, 2012). Both PLNs and CoPs are integral parts of the idea of connectivism because they focus on personal connections that support learning, which is essentially the basis for the theory. The images I chose for connectivism are a drawing of a person plugged in because connectivism is newly created for the current generation of kids like this, groups of students learning together digitally, a diagram of the various digital media that support learning in this age, and a guidepost of social media platforms.
The concluding image is a hand holding the world which is made up of a puzzle. PLNs, CoPs, and connectivism are all parts of a puzzle that create the educational world that we are all currently working, and learning and working in.
References:
Mott, J. (2010). Envisioning the post-LMS era: The open learning network. Educause Quarterly, 33(1), 1-9.
Perez, L. (2012). Innovative Professional Development. Knowledge Quest,40(3), 20.
Rajagopal, K., Joosten-ten Brinke, D., Van Bruggen, J., & Sloep, P. (2011). Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them. First Monday, 17(1). doi:10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559
Siemens, G., & Tittenberger, P. (2009). Handbook of emerging technologies for learning. Manitoba, Canada: University of Manitoba.
Tinmaz, H. (2012). Social networking websites as an innovative framework for connectivism. Contemporary Educational Technology, 3(3), 234-245.
Wenger, E. C., & Snyder, W. M. (2000). Communities of practice: The organizational frontier. Harvard business review, 78(1), 139-146.
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