Comments on: I Can’t Make Educational History – But We Can: “Networked Learning” Class Update

By: integrating_technology - Matt Clausen on Diigo

integrating_technology - Matt Clausen on Diigo — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:51:51 +0000

[...] Networked Learning Class Trying to Make 21st C. Educational History | Beyond School [...]

By: Post #3 for my Summer CI 401 class « Cycling Through Ed Tech

Post #3 for my Summer CI 401 class « Cycling Through Ed Tech — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:40:13 +0000

[...] Clay Burell [...]

By: Edupunk? at Students 2.0

Edupunk? at Students 2.0 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:18:00 +0000

[...] Classroom is a great example of online DIY education, and not to mention Clay Burell’s Personal Learning Network classroom. Packaging us up into one little label isn’t [...]

By: Clay Burell

Clay Burell — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:23:22 +0000

@SCOTT: Borrow away, friend. (And let me confess I have only read about that manifesto, and have only the foggiest notion of what it is. Link?
As for your “two futures for two types of student” idea, and your suggestion that it’s up to the student to choose the original path or the robotic sheep path (the worker bee, whatever) – that touches on the most depressing aspect of teaching: we don’t get to choose our students. And a teacher is only good when his/her students are. I wonder how many students of Socrates or Buddha were a waste of those teachers’ energy?
But I also love the note of optimism in your final metaphor: plant the seeds, and realize the teacher may never know if they sprout and grow – because it may take years. I told my students today (for the tenth time, because unfamiliar truths have to be repeated until they sink in) they might not realize the value of the skills they learn this semester only when they’ve long left me and gone to college. And that’s true.

@SUZIE: Suzie, I’m going crazy waiting for your book to arrive. If the ideas in it are of the calibre of the ideas in your comment, I’m in for quite a bit of inspiration. But you have inspired me so much already since our interview last summer. I’ll stop there, because your comment speaks for itself. Social entrepreneurialism is something I’m going to have to remember when I teach a similar class next year. Beautiful idea.

@DIANE: I didn’t mean to suggest that all who chose not to take the students into their network had issues with human relationships with them. I totally respect anybody’s decisions regarding how they design their own (adult) PLN. It was a few comments from people who specifically acknowledged they had issues with it that I found interesting.

Again (and Dean talks about this in an upcoming podcast) – this networked learning must be natural for it to work. And that means relationships have to form out of shared interest.

As for the reciprocity and inclusion of the edu-Twitterverse (ug), it’s an interesting issue – and really just a variation of the good-old-boy/girl network of the blogosphere, isn’t it? Which is itself an extension of the cliques of the office or schoolhouse. I don’t get it either.
But I think I’m learning that the more you give, the more connections you get.

Thanks all, for the extensions and learnings, as usual.

By: Clay Burell

Clay Burell — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:59:07 +0000

Stephanie, it’s so nice to see you here. It’s even nicer to have you in the class. Like I told you there, you’re a natural. This class can’t push education forward without you, either.
And the nice thing about that world that is interested is, they’re all nice people, they all understand that this is still education for you, and so they don’t expect you to seem like you “know it all” (and if you notice, most of us who write on our own weblogs know we don’t know it all, either. Anybody who thinks that they know it all really knows very little at all.
Thanks for coming by. You’re always welcome to comment here. Conversations in these comment threads are where I get many ideas, and learn and improve.
And also have fun

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:57:07 +0000

I knew since the beginning that the PLN class that is going to be different than any other classes that I’ve taken so far, but I didn’t know it would mean so much to other educators around the world. I had no idea how much other people were interested in our projects until now.

In the beginning, like I do in all the other classes, I tried to keep up with my homework and classwork, which turned out to be a great thing because now I know what this is all about. I was confused with the projects at first, but now I do believe that our class can add something to the ‘educational world’. I never thought of doing these type of stuff at school because school has always been.. just school; it’s all the same around the world. However, breaking the general idea of school and learning from variety of sources other than just teachers really is something different and quite interesting. Talking and asking people from the other side of the globe, chatting through skype in class…These aspects prove that there’s so much to learn “beyond school” (i wondered why you often say BEYOND school, and now i get i )

By: » What is “Sustainably Digital?” Sustainably Digital

» What is “Sustainably Digital?” Sustainably Digital — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:25:44 +0000

[...] I Can’t Make Educational History- But We Can (from Beyond-School) : The class described might be a little beyond my technological means (it’s a 1:1 school), but I’m constantly impressed with the things Clay Burell is attempting with his students. My hope is that efforts like his will show the power of full, fearless integration. We need more positive examples like this to convince the naysayers. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fsustainablydigital.edublogs.org%2F2008%2F01%2F29%2Fwhat-is-sustainably-digital%2F’; addthis_title = ‘What+is+%26%238220%3BSustainably+Digital%3F%26%238221%3B’; addthis_pub = ”; [...]