In addition to a counterintuitive organizational scheme, integrated commercial systems have a built-in pedagogy, evident in the easiest-to-use, most accessible features. The focus on presentation (written documents to read), complemented by basic “discussion” input from students, is based on traditional lecture, review, and test pedagogy. This orientation is very different from the development of knowledge through a constructivist, learner-centered, or inquiry-based approach, which a number of faculty use successfully in the classroom. In constructivist pedagogy, the instructor’s role is to provide a rich learning environment, which often includes extensive social interaction, self-assessment, and independent projects. These techniques are better supported by Web 2.0 applications or by learning management systems that encourage such pedagogy at the novice level. The more a CMS promotes traditional pedagogy, the more likely it will limit faculty creativity—and flexibility and creativity are the foundations of academic freedom and good teaching.

Source: EDUCAUSE Quarterly

I would like to share my own experiences with a course I taught this fall in which educational social tools were used.

Source: Virtual Canuck

E-Learning 2.0 is based on tools that combine ease of content creation, web delivery, and integrated collaboration. Creation of content can occur by anyone as part of their day-to-day work. In essence, the expectation of E-Learning 2.0 is that sharing and learning becomes an organic action that is directed and driven by the worker. Learning is a combination of access to content, which often derives from the work of peers or SMEs, as well as access to peers through social computing models. In fact, many people cite the social or network effect as having the greatest opportunity for impact on learning.

Source: Learning Circuits

iAlja: What makes Twitters Tweet?

Twitter is the ultimate social network - anywhere, anytime.

To build a special connection between forum members and strengthen the forum community

Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech - If you ain’t a feed, I don’t read

If you don’t blog but have some significant ideas, learning, teaching to share, I likely may not know about your or even follow your work. Which is to say that my RSS aggregator has become the primary means by which I learn.

Distance education could be so much more than it currently is - so much more than it currently is at SCSU. There are so many great tools to enhance social interaction and learning - and I think we need to have these things incorporated into course management systems. What are we waiting for?

Source: Life as I Know It

In other words, in a world with Wikipedia, blogs, social networking, etc. - not to mention in a world of Google as the interface to knowledge - what new skills, techniques and tools do we need?

In looking at similar skills but with a slant towards the skills that knowledge workers need, I might rephrase them into the following list…

Source: eLearning Technology

Conferencing on the Cheap With Web 2.0. This slide presentation looks at mashing up a series of web 2.0 applicationss to facilitate an online conference. The results seem pretty good.

Source: UK - ELearning

I have just created College 2.0. a Ning social network to discuss Online Learning, CMS, PLE, Web2.0 and Open Learrning for Highered. We welcome University students, faculty, alumni, and administrators to join the College 2.0 Network network.

Find and Stay in Touch with New Friends.
Features of the College 2.0 Network include:

1- Discussion Forum with RSS:
Start and tag a discussion.
Add discussion posts and reply to those posts.
Click through the personal profile pages of other members engaged in the discussion.
View all discussions across your social network.
2- Member “chatterwall” for others to leave chatters.
3- Member Profile Page with photo
4- Member Blog with RSS:
Create blog posts with photos, files, and moods.
Manage blog posts and moderate comments.
5- Access the Network’s Blog Posts (from all members) via RSS
6- Easy access to all your friends in the network
7- Networking. Its easy to make new friends
8- Photo Sharing
9- Video Sharing