The Web of Identity: Identity Formation in Online Learning

As learners interact in online networks of learning, how do they come to know one another? Building on the work of Goffman (1959) and Foucault (1988), the Web of Identity (WoI) model shows how online learners may use dramaturgical strategies to create and negotiate their personal identities in a continuous flux of presentation and interpretation. Philosophically, the model is highly social constructionist and places a great emphasis on relational dialogue. For practitioners, the implications include finding ways to aid learners to improve their use and translation of WoI strategies. Such skill, theoretically, should help them to enact their unique personalities, lessen their sense of fragmentation, increase their sense of belonging, and gauge authenticity of others. The researchers will then discuss some preliminary research projects on identity in networked learning and future research in the field.

When: Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 11am-12pm Mountain Time (Canada)
*Local times for the CIDER sessions are provided on our website:
http://cider.athabascau.ca/CIDERSessions/

Where: Online via Elluminate at:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.8B71B60F2931D029AC3837DC06B70D

Pre-Configuration:
Please make sure your Mac or PC is equipped with a microphone and speakers, so that you can use the audio functionality built into the web conferencing software. Please note that it is extremely important that you get your system set up prior to the start of the event. Information on installing the necessary software and configuring your PC is available at http://www.elluminate.com/support/ in the "First Time Users" section.

CIDER sessions are brought to you by the Centre for Distance Education, Athabasca University - Canada's Open University and leader in professional online education.

CIDER is a Community Partner of Elluminate - http://www.elluminate.com/ - who proudly sponsors our web conferencing needs. To sign up for a free, no obligation three-user version of Elluminate, please visit http://www.getvroom.com

The Knowledge Sharing Place

Join Tina and Barbara of LiveBinders along with Dean Mantz as they visit with educators about 21st Century learning issues. This month we visit with Toby Price, Assistant Principal of Richland Upper Elementary School in Richland, MS. Toby will be talking about "21st Century Educational Leadership".

Incentive for being open

Nobody who would have bought your book is not buying it because they can find it for free.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qkyt1wXNlI]

#CCK11: What is learning and teaching?

What is learning and teaching?

Beyond Dewey's (1909) training and thought and logical considerations, creating opportunities for learners to explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005) would seem to cover what learning is for me.  Classifying all performance verbs in terms of these "six facets of understanding" (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005), and then affording learners to develop these six facets over a period of time provide the experience for individuals to learn.

Also, learners (through the guidance of others, including teachers) need to recognize and adapt both intended and unintended learning outcomes in a way that serves some future benefit.

Teachers and learners need to co-create the "educative experience" (Dewey, 1938) by reflecting (critically and with devotion) on the types of connections that exist throughout PLNs as well as the attributes that make up the boundary nodes they entail.  This connective perspective is precisely what is needed in order for learning to occur.

OER University

The first week of this seminar, leading up to an 8-hour meeting at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand (streamed), is intended to generate discussion and input on the context, problem, concept, partners, and objectives of an OER University. The second week will provide an opportunity for summary, follow-on discussions, and recommendations.


Live video stream from Otago Polytechnic meeting, sponsored by UNESCO
February 22, noon (PT) 20:00 GMT - February 23, 04:00 GMT

Reading Comprehension 2.0

Explores how the use of digital resources and free web 2.0 tools can improve reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and other related literacy skills.

Jessica Fries-Gaither is an education resource specialist in the College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. She serves as project director for the NSF-funded Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears and is also involved with the Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (also funded by NSF).

Wayne Mackintosh on an Open Educational Resources University

Steve Hargadon interviews Wayne Mackintosh about WikiEducator and the formation of an OER University. Wayne Mackintosh talks about WikiEducator and the formation of an OER University.

Fri February 11, 2011, 11:00-12:00, US/Pacific(GMT-08:00).

Webinar: What’s ELF and BELF and does it matter?

The role English plays as an international business lingua franca has attracted the interest of some of the world’s top researchers in linguistics. How is successful communication achieved when many or all of the people involved aren’t native English speakers? And what implications does this have for the kind of English we should be teaching in our business English classes?

In the next of BESIG’s successful series of webinars, the world’s top authorities on ELF will be meeting ‘virtually’ to hammer it out. In this online discussion you can come and find out what they’re thinking and join in the debate.

Jennifer Jenkins, who set everyone talking with her ground breaking research into ELF phonology will be a panelist, along with Mark Powell, our favourite author and ‘lean English’ ELF skeptic. Internet willing, Barbara Seidlhofer, leader of the VOICE (Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English) project and the world’s foremost authority on the lexico-grammar of ELF, will also be there in a discussion chaired by Vicki Hollett. And other key figures will be stopping by, such as Almut Koester,Susanne Ehrenreich, Jeremy Comfort, Ian McMaster, Robin Walker and many more.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9pCIujugM&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

Open Content Licensing for Educators

Open content licensing for educators is a free online workshop designed for educators who want to learn more about open education resources, copyright, and creative commons licenses.

The course materials were developed as a collaborative project by volunteers from the OER Foundation, WikiEducator, the OpenCourseWare Consortium and Creative Commons. The course will provide prerequisite knowledge required by educators to legally remix open education materials and help institutions to take informed decisions about open content licenses.

We acknowledge and thank UNESCO for their financial support for the inaugural presentation of this free workshop scheduled for 21 - 25 March 2011.

Thesis Seminar

On Thursday I will provide an orientation class to Nancy, and pre-service, English language educator, on the technologies that will be used this semester for Thesis Seminar. The class is open to English language learner interested in improving writing skills.