On the Ed Tech Radar - Online Moderation Learni.st

I've just had a very enjoyable time, looking through resources and exploring Learni.st, a powerful curatorial tool for educators. It is like "Pinterest for Educators", but the layout is cleaner and it has more sharing capability. Plus, it can become a very interesting way to encourage students' autonomy, giving them choice to go through the resources in a linear or non-linear way. The comment feature can also be used for threaded discussions on a certain topic. Added to all that, you can also have a collaborative board in which all the members share their resources.

What a digital treasure this is!

And here's a board you might find useful. It is about Online Moderation (loved the embed code!)





Join me in Learni.st to share, connect and innovate.

The Social Wild Web in 2 Minutes and Teachers' Learning Brains

I've produced this quick video as a Wrap up for the online course I am teaching, Web Tools for Educators at Casa Thomas Jefferson.

In the beginning of our online session, teachers are generally in a state of lethargy and disorientation. They are never sure if they should endure in the digital experience or quit. They sometimes have a feeling of being overwhelmed, at other times, at loss... I try to show them that this a common state when we face the new, when we leave our comfort zones, when we are learning, when we are challenged.

In neuroscience there's a common term to express the exact moment when our amygdala sense danger:

FLIGHT - FIGHT - FREEZE

We generally react in these three ways: we can just run away from the new experience as we feel threatened, we might decide to persist and move on against the initial moment of fear and helplessness, or we can just be in a lethargic state of no-action. 

My role as an online facilitator is to give participants the support they need for them to build up their self-confidence and move forward, fighting against their initial disorienting feeling of the non-linear digital world. Isn't that what we all try to do with our students, anyway? In this case, though, it is an even more important mission, for if they see the power of the Social Web in transforming their classrooms and beyond in truly student-centered learning hubs where interaction, collaboration, problem solving, creative thinking, fun-based learning is part of class routine, then my special assignment as an online facilitator is accomplished, and the impact of teachers' newly acquired digital skills is long-lasting and amplified in their local educational communities. 

That's why when they overcome the initial stage of getting their feet wet into learning how to participate in an online community, enhanced by numerous digital tools, they get into the experimentation level, evolving to many WOW moments throughout our 10-week online session and way beyond. 

Of course, there are those who always fly, and those who get stuck, freezing, no matter what you try to do  to give them the support they need. Educators must first re-learn to unlearn. Educators must be open to learning if they want to be part of education. However, what really makes a difference is letting our brains work in our favor, when we fight against the initial fear and sense of being in danger, for endangered professionals are the ones who are not open to movement, change and action.

by Fabrício Freire_WebTools4Educators

The Social Web is full of encounters, learning and networking. And every educator should be part of it in very meaningful ways, and that's why it is part of my job to introduce the educators who start the Web Tools for Educators course to get there in the SOCIAL WILD WEB!

Unmissable Social Learning Summit

Last weekend, I had the honor to present and participate in a wonderful whole-day web conference in which participants hopped from one virtual room to the next to learn more from what educators have been doing around the world. Snippets of social learning at its best! All very organized by social media whiz and educator Steve Hargadon.

Now, the recordings are available and you can watch the sessions whenever you feel you have 30 minutes to learn and make an impact on your teaching practice.

Recordings are available at http://www.classroom20.com/page/2012-recordings

What are you planning to watch?

mLearning - From Apes to Apps

Since the beginning of our existence, our main goal is connection, learning, survival, evolution. This is what we still pursue nowadays, meaningful connections, lifelong learning to become better human beings. Well, if it's not everyone's goals, at least these are mine, and I know a bunch of inspiring educators, like the Webheads, who pursue exactly that.

In my constant search for becoming a better professional, I'm now taking the Consultants-e mlearning course, which was made possible by the Binational Center I work for, Casa Thomas Jefferson, through a grant we've applied and won to use tablets to teach English to at-risk students in a program in partnership with the American Embassy, ACCESS.

We're in Week 2 of our online session, and it is always a pleasure to see Gavin Dudeney and Nicky Nockly in full steam, generous in their sharing and eager to connect in their facilitation.

Some of the highlights of the mlearning course so far:
- They've been making full use of MOODLE's flexibility in terms of design possibilities and interaction opportunities
- They've been doing what they preach, giving different options to take quizzes and do the activities. So, what they present about, talk or blog about is what you can see taking place in the course.
- The app to access MOODLE suggested by Gaving mTouch is a treat
- I loved the Sounds of you introductory activity, in which you were guided to share the sounds that talk a bit about you instead of the same old tell me a little bit more about you. This part was done as a task in which we had to fill out our profiles, generally an area in MOODLE that is blank (it makes much more sense as we can just click on the participants' names to remind ourselves who is who).
- My aha moment so far? Just found out about Wiffiti
A neat online application where you add tags and get a dynamic screen. Hum...I can imagine it being used with students tweeting straight to the screen about a certaing topic, or even using the Wiffiti webpage to add their thoughts on the topic.



Of course, these are just tidbits of a wealth of resources, discussions, activities that we've been experiencing. There's way more into it than I could write here, but I just wanted to keep all these precious online moments registered here.

More updates to this page coming soon as the course progresses and I keep on my ongoing opportunity search for professional development and evolution.

eLearning - Introducing Yourself

I´ve taken many online courses, and it strikes me that it is always the same old tell-me-something-about-you kind of forum. There are so many interesting ways to get started with a group online that I couldn´t possibly list it here. There is video, voicethread, slideshare,a blog post, intriguing questions, among others.

However, I want to share one with you that I thought worked nicely and it also gives a sense of online presence. You seem to be there, a real presence to your e-learners. When we are in an online setting, that´s what matters, connecting, being there to begin with.

What do you think? Is it an effective introduction? How would you make it different? How would you introduce yourself in an online course?

About Carla on Prezi

Facilitating Online 2009

Last year I tried, but was so full of projects, commitments that I could not really follow it. Now, I'll give my best. Though I have even more to do in terms of work, I think that the Online Session Facilitating Online is such a wonderful learning, networking opportunity that I can't help it, but to sign up again. And if I fail, I'll persist and keep insisting on taking it again, and again.

Well, a bit about me. I work as an EFL educator at a Binational Center in Brasilia, Brazil. I'm an EdTech Supervisor and am lucky to work with a wonderful EdTech team. I'm involved in teacher training, which I just love. I'm also in charge of the eLearning at Casa Thomas Jefferson. eLearning is an area my school has been investing on, and I'm learning tons. However, what really helped me get started in all this online world of explorations, networking and moderation was being part of the Community of Practice, the Webheads. These guys are my big source of inspiration and passion. Without them, I'd still be tied to my restricted physical educational space. More about me and the projects I'm involved in at BrazilBridges.

I do hope to learn tons from this online endeavor, the Facilitating Online 2009. I still have to figure out how I can effectively organize my time. Any suggestions are more than welcome!

Where I am From in Images4Education

family_oldphotos
Originally uploaded by carlaarena

I am from a Brazilian dream
thriving on the "Planalto Central"
in the middle of nowhere
Brasilia

I am from a Brazilian dream of
hard working souls who built in five bustling migrating years
on a plateau with twisted trees and low vegetation
Cerrado
Concrete, modernism

I am from a cultural mix of Brazilian North easterners
and Sicilians
running along the aisles of coffee plantations
eating polpette della nonna

I am from the sounds of my mom's sweet deep voice
following the tones of a guitar
The loud Italian table that seemed like a Sicilian battle

Loud laughs
Comforting laps
Integration and separation

I am from a dream of Carlo and Maria
the intensity of gestures
the Italian temper
the just
the sister connections never untied

I am who I am because of this dream.

______________________________________________________

We've finished Week 2 of our Images4Education session. It's ineffable. No words for the way the connections and tasks have evolved. As Cheryl Oakes says this session is a true example of open source learning in its best form.

Ning has proven to be a powerful connector, a distinct content starter, an incredible human network architect. The almost 400 participants are everywhere, and still you find them in the "aisles", actively engaged in a discussion, fomenting reflection, and adding value to their teaching practices through those connections.

I feel I'm part of something bigger, meaningful. I'm thankful to be working with a wonderful team and excited, generous educators from every corner of this vast world.

Learning has just started.