Embracing Grass Roots PLN's for Change

 

Photo Credit: www.cru.org

Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are more than just a list of contacts sitting in your email account.  PLN's if administered correctly are a rich ecosystem of content curators, content consumers and collaborators for the good of the group. It is meant to be a purposely built network in which the users maintain, build and activate on each others ideas. The PLN  is the perfect environment in which to activate bottom up changes for positive grass roots impacts. 

Affordances of PLN's

Consider if you will this list of benefits that could be provide to your business if you choose to start a company based PLN:

• Increased Engagement and Ownership:  You employees will be empowered to identify their own needs,  explore solutions  and contribute to collective knowledge. 
• Tailored and Relevant Learning: Due to the construction of PLN's, now two groups are exactly alike.  And no two groups will see information and perspectives exactly the same.  PLN's ensure learning directly address personal and professional goals
• Faster Innovation: PLN's are constructed for employees on the front lines who interact with the processes on a daily basis. In a rapidly changing word, PLN's foster agility in change.
• Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement:  Creating change is not an overnight success.  The organization is a system, and as a system the organization needs practice to develop the  culture of how to change. 

By empowering your employees with PLN bottom up change practices, you are going to unlock a powerful engine for growth, innovation and lasting impact. 

The AI Crutch: Are New Teachers Leaning Too Hard on Bots for Lesson Plans? (Part 2)

 photo credit: www.theage.com.au

In the previous blog we went over three of the topics to consider when advising new educators on the use of Ai when choosing lesson plans. In that blog we discussed outdated approaches that could be used by Ai, context awareness of Ai, and the potential for reduced professional development for teachers. 

Diminished Critical Thinking and Evaluation Skills

New educators will need to develop a skeptical mindset when analyzing Ai outputs and critically examining the outputs. This could pose to be a challenging dilemma as this newest generation termed as "Digital Natives" have not known a non-digital world.  Their whole lives have been immersed in the digital age and may feel overly confident in Ai's ability to generate content as evident in the 2024 article from Dilara Can. (Click here for article) 

The illusion of Efficiency

The initial drafting of lesson plans through Ai may seem like a time savings at first.  however, when the need for rigorous examination of the lesson plans to ensure the right topics at the right levels in the right contexts are factored in, the illusion of efficiency starts to fall suspect. New educators overwhelmed in the first place, when the added task of verifying rigor and accuracy is applied to their workload, this leads to poorly executed lessons or stress when implementation does not go as planned. 

Ai as a Tool for Support 

The research and data is consistent and indicates that Ai tools should be viewed as supportive instruments to ENHANCE and supplement teachers work, not replace them. Geesje Van Den Berg and Elize du Plessis in their 2023 article (click here for article) recommend cation for new educators in saying, 

"it is crucial to approach these models with caution and critically evaluate their limitations and potential biases, understanding that they are tools to support teaching and learning. Lesson plans and related materials should be cautiously used and critiqued and adapted where needed"

As a district or project leader, you will be wise to recommend new educators delay their investigations into Ai generated content for the classroom. The new educators will however, need a community to ask question to in relative "judgment free" online forums. This new generation of educators are truly immersed in the digital communities as producers and curators of content, as a leader, embrace their digital proficiency and build on it. 

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, it take many communities and experiences to raise a proficient educator. 

The AI Crutch: Are New Teachers Leaning Too Hard on Bots for Lesson Plans? (Part 1)

 

photo credit: showme.missouri.edu 

As the advancements in Ai and Web 2.0 become more and more sophisticated, we must pause and reflect on what is right for our new educators who are new the the profession. No matter if the rookie educator is in the classroom or a corporate trainer, is Ai and Web 2.0 right for them?  Or, are we doing more harm than good? 

Much of the blog, CTRL+ALT+Learn,  has been devoted to the benefits of incorporating Web 2.0 and by extension Ai into pedagogy.   I must be transparent on my bias however.  I am not new to the game.  I have been a corporate trainer for leadership skills and I am a veteran teacher who has the testing data to back up my opinions and classroom strategies. My tool belt is full of tricks and strategies that are easily incorporated on the fly if something doesn't work in the classroom or in front of the PD group.  

Without touching on the legalities and pitfalls of creating "rogue" lesson plans not associated with an adopted curriculum/ textbook, what does the research data say about Ai/ Web 2.0 curated lesson plans?

This 2 part blog will look at 6 topics that mentors and rookie educators alike need to grapple with as we head into a new era in pedagogy: (Part 1) Pedological Bias, Context issues, Reduced Professional Development, (Part 2) Diminished Critical Thinking Skills, Time vs Quality, Ai as a Tool. 

Risk of Pedagogical Bias and Outdated Approaches

Both the rookie educator and the mentor educator alike need to understand the context in which Ai are "trained" in order to offer responses to inquiry.  Ai at this moment is not creative as humans understand creativity.  Ai have to be "trained" on existing data. This data may be outdated, perpetuate myths (ie learning styles) and may not align with current best practices in education for the district/corporate entity. For example, a study in 2025 by Bodong Chen et al. (click here for article)  

"found that AI-generated content predominantly promotes teacher-centered classrooms with limited opportunities for student choice, goal-setting, and meaningful dialogue"

Lack of Contextual Awareness and Accuracy Issues

Ai does not understand who your learners are, the context in which you are requesting the plans, the adopted text book, or even the culture of the district/company you work for.  A study done in 2023 by  Jeff Goodman out of Appalachian State University (click here for article)  highlights the inaccuracies of Ai in creating science curriculum and the lessons not being suitable for grade level, student needs, and local curriculum standards. 

Potential for Reduced Teacher Professional Development

The struggle is real for new educators.  However, it is in that struggle that new educators must grapple with complexities of the craft. The act of lesson planning itself is a critical cognitive exercise that helps educators connect with the content deeply, while at the same time anticipate learner challenges to the instructional strategies. Kathleen Kennedy's article (click here for article) quantifies the potential for diminished teacher agency and the need for proper training. 

More Than Textbooks: Engaging Students with Blogs & Vlogs

 Reflecting on the Experience

As this 12 week blogging experience winds down, I pause to reflect on this experience and how blogging can be a benefit to the secondary and higher education classroom. The experience has been a journey to say the least. The journey did have its rewards tough. I once took a Microsoft Educator certification years before the pandemic, and in that set of courses it spoke of the benefits to discourse and discussion:  

"Group discussions build community, increase knowledge construction and sharing, and develop valuable communication skills for students. Unfortunately, traditional live discussions can also leave voices unheard. Traditional discussion can also create anxiety for students who need more time to consider responses or who struggle to participate in fast-paced, in-class discussions. Modifying group discussions to better meet the needs of all students increases engagement and breadth of contribution." www.learn.microsoft.com 2025 (click here for website) 

Key Take Aways

• Meet students where they are:  Whether you understand it or not, your students are already immersed in content creation and consumption, you might as well leverage their strengths. 
• Empower the Student Voice: Allow your students to move past being passive consumers of information. Give them a platform in which to authentically and safely share their ideas. 
• Motivation Through Authentic Audiences:  Unlike assignments only read by the teacher, blog and vlogs increase student motivation and the relevance of their work

While it is unlikely that a district will support an open forum blog such as the one you are reading, there are lots of classroom safe alternatives.  So, where do you start?

Start Small:  Start with a low stakes project that allows the student to acclimate themselves to the idea of blogs or vlogs.  Something that is 1 to 2 minutes long and can be posted on Canvas or Blackboard but still allows for other students to view each others work. 

• Scaffold the process
• Focus on Content over Production
• Ensure Safety and Digital Citizenship
• Feedback:  make sure you are responding and encouraging the students in a timely manner.  
• Facilitate don't Dictate
• Assess what you Expect 

Digital Citizenship Curriculum: A Reflection on Perspective

 Photo Credit: www.alternative.partnership.co.uk

Reflection

Kahyne and Bowyer in their 2019 article titled "Can media literacy increase digital engagement in politics?" (click here for article) bring up a great question to reflect on, can classroom level digital engagements lead to increased political engagements? 

It really does depend on the perspective in which we are teaching digital citizenship in the classroom. Are we teaching Web 2.0 in a positive light with emphasis on the benefits or are we making social media out to be the big bad wolf of the teen age world.  

Digital Citizenship Curriculum. 

The question of perspective really does warrant a bit of research.  How are we as teachers portraying social media to our students.  For the answer, lets look at a few of the titles associated with the accepted curriculum per the State of Florida via their third party vendor. (Click here for website) 

Here are a few of the curriculum topics per the web site CommonSense.Org.

• Digital Media and your Brain
• Social Media Digital Footprints
• Sexting and Relationships
• Responding to Online Hate Speech
• Being Aware of what you Share
• Big Big Data

This is the whole list of the required 8th grade curriculum.   Keeping in mind that this curriculum comes a year after Florida students take their state required Civics class in 7th grade. So essentially our Florida students are educated and encouraged to be Civically active in their community in 7th grade but in 8th grade when they start to want to dip their toes in the pool of online civic interactions, we in no uncertain terms go to great lengths to reinforce how horrible social media can be. 

In reflection of Kahyne and Bowyer's question of increased political engagements... the answer in the State of Florida maybe be a sad... no

Back to School, Back to the World: Google Earth for Global Learners A Teacher's Guide to Virtual Exploration

 

Photo Credit: icon-library.com

Post Summer Slump & the Promise of Google Earth

Since its inception in 1998, Google Earth has always been a spectacle of curiosity. With a new teaching year quickly coming up on teachers, maybe its time to revisit Google Earth to see what the most updated version can do for the secondary classroom.

Adventure Awaits: Subject-Specific Explorations with Google Earth

With the advent of the 1 to 1 classroom and in some classrooms the introduction of VR to the classroom tool belt its time to check out Google earth and its Virtual Adventures or Digital Field Trips. 

• Geography/Social Studies:

Virtual Expeditions: How to use Google Earth for virtual field trips to ancient civilizations (e.g., Rome, Machu Picchu), historical battlefields, or current event hot zones.

"Time Travel" with Timelapse: Showcase the Timelapse feature to observe environmental changes (e.g., urban growth, glacier melt) or historical shifts over decades.

• Science:

Ecosystem Exploration: Dive into diverse biomes and geological formations.

Environmental Impact: Visualize human impact on the environment from a global perspective.

• English/Literature:

Literary Journeys: Tracking character journeys in novels (e.g., Around the World in 80 Days, The Odyssey) or visualizing the settings of famous stories.

Setting the Scene: How Street View can immerse students in the atmosphere of a story's location.

• Mathematics:

Real-World Measurements: Using the ruler tool to calculate distances and areas, connecting geometry to real places.

Coordinate Games: Fun ways to practice latitude and longitude.

• Arts/Architecture:

Global Galleries: Touring famous architectural wonders or exploring art installations around the world.

Your Tool Kit for Success: Getting Started This Fall

Student-Led Projects:

Encourage students to build their own "stories" or "tours" using placemarks, custom paths, and embedded media (photos, videos, text).

Examples: "My Family's Heritage Journey," "A Tour of World Landmarks," "Mapping Our Local Ecosystem."

Collaborative Learning: Discuss how students can work together on shared Google Earth projects.

• Start Small: Don't feel overwhelmed; begin with one virtual field trip or a simple coordinate activity.

• Utilize Voyager: Point out Google Earth's Voyager feature for pre-made lessons and inspiration.

• Explore Google Earth Education Resources: Mention the availability of lesson plans and tutorials.

Share Your Success: Take the challenge! Try one out in the beginning of school! 

The Unofficial PD: Why Teachers Can't Get Enough of Pinterest

Photo Credit: www.gettingsmart.com

 Beginning teachers are flocking to Pinterest for classroom ideas...but why Pinterest? Pinterest is  a visual search engine that allows for users to quickly browse hundreds of pins at a glance.  Many times new teachers know what they want but struggle locating the resources in their district resources. 

Pinterest as a PLN (Professional Learning Network)

Above the realm of  Pinterest being a visual search engine, Pinterest is able to provide for the beginning teacher a hold harmless networking group that the teacher can freely ask question to and received advice from other veteran teachers. 

Downloader Beware

In a recent study by Sihua Hu (click her for article) the researchers found that early career teachers (ECT) are curating articles and lesson plans at very high rates.  However, the quality and rigor of the lesson plans had a tendency to be lower level cognitive engagements. "74% of the tasks curated in lesson plans, according to Blooms Taxonomy. fell into the Remember and Understand Categories." 

Leadership: The Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

 

Photo Credit: bemycareercoach.com

So you have bought into the collaborative learning and produsage idea, a plan has been made and your team is in the beginning stages of their journey into the world of social media (Web 2.0) learning. As a leader, you will need to know what this experience could look like on an individual level. 

Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

Sarah Prestridge in her 2019 article (click here for article) provides a general categorical  framework in which your new digital learning employees could fall into.  Keep in mind that these are generalizations of the characteristics that engaged users exhibit so that you as a leader can leverage their strengths and maximize the digital learning opportunities. If an employee falls outside the generalizations, they may need to be gently nudged or mentored into the right direction. 

• Info-consumer: Many employees consume corporate training materials (e.g., e-learning modules, policy documents, recorded webinars) passively. Understanding this group allows trainers to focus on clear, concise, and easily digestible content.

• Info-networker: Employees often use internal social platforms (like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or enterprise social networks) or professional platforms (like LinkedIn) to share industry news, ask questions, or discuss best practices with colleagues. Corporate training can leverage this by facilitating discussion forums, peer-to-peer learning groups, or mentorship programs.

• Self-seeking contributor: Some employees are proactive in sharing their expertise, contributing to internal wikis, creating how-to guides, or presenting on specific topics. Recognizing and encouraging these "internal experts" can foster a culture of knowledge sharing and self-generated content.

• Vocationalist: These are the highly engaged employees who actively seek out, contribute to, and champion continuous learning within the organization. They might lead training sessions, mentor new hires, or curate external resources. Identifying and empowering them can create powerful internal learning champions.

Pinterest: Post Campaign Thoughts

 

Photo Credit: www.mochee.com

Post Campaign Thoughts

After running a two week campaign to gauge user interactivity, a few things popped out at me that I was not expecting. 

As with any campaign, the content creator or business has to go where the potential clients are. According to Printiful.com in their 2025 article (click here for article) "As of April 2024, 69.4% of Pinterest users are women, while only 22.6% are men. The platform’s focus on visual content, DIY, fashion, beauty, and home decor continues to attract a predominantly female audience" With such a high rate of female users I decided to set two campaigns against each other; "Cocktails vs Mountain Getaways"

Strengths of Pinterest

According to Pinterest they are a visual search engine that provides the following strengths to content creators and businesses: 

• Drive Traffic: Pins linked to your website or blog can bring a significant amount of traffic.

• Increase Brand Awareness: Visually appealing Pins can introduce your brand to new audiences.

• Generate Leads/Sales: If you sell products, Product Pins and shoppable features can lead directly to purchases.

• Inspire Action: Since users are on Pinterest to do things, your content can directly influence their decisions.

• Evergreen Content: Unlike chronological social feeds, Pins have a long lifespan. They can be discovered weeks, months, or even years after they are published, making your content work for you over time.

The most surprising of the 5 Pinterest strengths was the "Evergreen" effect.  From the data analysis I saw that with in the 2 weeks that I ran the campaigns, there was very little drop off in engagements over the course for the 2 weeks.  This is a marked difference between Pinterest and the other social media platforms in which there is a large drop off in engagements over the same amount of time. 

Beyond Anecdotes: Part 3: Produser

 Photo Credit: https://thesocialcogs.wordpress.com

How does ADKAR, CER, NKA and PLC's all fit together?  In previous blogs we discussed these four topics in separation from each other. However, when thoughtfully and deliberately intertwined together, the organization can allow its employees to be "Produsers" of information which in turn will empower your organization to adapt to an ever changing business climate. 

What is a "Produser"?

Dr. Axel Bruns in his 2011 article (click here for article) identifies a growing trend of individuals who not only are using social media for entertainment proposes but who are also collecting, curating and often times brokering information for others to participate in. According to the article, Dr Bruns describes todays social media users as,  "no longer sufficient to describe participants in these collaborative endeavors simply as ‘users’; instead, they act in a hybrid role of user as well as producer, or for short, as produsers"

Why would employees WANT to be produsers for work?

Very soon, all of the employees you hire are going to be of the generation who have been produsers on social media through most of their formative years.  While it may be a foreign idea to some, most of your employees are already well versed in the culture.  The best ROI for training, is the training you don't have to spend any money on.  

With the ADKAR "bottom-up" and NKA exercises, you employees are going to be empowered to tackle the issues that are occurring in your organization right now.  No more waiting around for the HPT team to do 6 months of data analysis and then the ID team spends another 6 months designing "top-down" interventions.  As the PLC team tackles organizational dilemmas in real time with authentic conversation and data based resources the team will experience intrinsic and extrinsic motivators such as: autonomy, purpose, recognition, belonging and collaboration. 

Why would an organization WANT its employees to be produsers? 

There are 3 key reasons why an organization would want for their employees to consume and produce information for the company:

• Future-Proofing- In an article in Medium.com (click here for article) is is recognized that, "Employers face significant disruption from market forces and technology (like AI). They know they must invest in upskilling and reskilling to remain competitive and avoid future talent shortages" 
• Increased Productivity &Innovation- EF Corporate Learning, in a 2025 study, released a paper (click here for article) indicating that, "Well-trained employees are more competent, productive, and adaptable. Companies with strong learning cultures see higher productivity and creativity, leading to innovation"
• Reduction of "Tribal Knowledge" risk: By democratizing expert thinking and making it visible and shareable, PLC's using NKA reduces the risk associated with critical knowledge residing in only a few heads.

Beyond Anecdotes: Part 2

 Photo Credit: www.graduateprogram.org 

In the previous "Beyond Anecdotes" blog we started laying the foundational reasoning and framework for a corporate level "Bottom-Up" change plan that includes a very powerful synergy between CER. NKA (Networked Knowledge Activities) ADKAR and PLC (Professional Learning Communities). 

Why should an organization want to participate a bottom-up social media style change model?  What's the ROI on such a project? 

When organizations implement a "top-down" HPT process, they often identify instructional strategies as solutions for current problems. The Instructional Design Team then receives these recommendations and creates targeted instructional modules. This design process is inherently time-consuming and a one-way communication, even in optimal scenarios.

It is the nature of today's business environment for the organization to evolve.  Planned Top-down changes will always have a prevalent role in evolving organizations. 

Driving Bottom-up Change with ADKAR and PLC's.

Even the most logically brilliant decisions, backed by impeccable evidence, can falter if the human element of change is ignored. This is where Jeffery Hiatt's ADKAR model for bottom-up change management and the concept of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) become indispensable.

ADKAR stands for: 

• Awareness: Of the need for change.
• Desire: To participate in and support the change.
• Knowledge: On how to change.
• Ability: To implement required skills and behaviors.
• Reinforcement: To sustain the change.

Professional Learning Communities

While generally PLC's are reserved for academia, the concept is rich in data and success stories. In an non-academia organization PLC's are groups of cross department employees who meet regularly to share knowledge, best practices, and work collaboratively to improve organizational performance and individual capabilities. According to Lee Raine in his 2013 book Networked: The new social media operating system the definition of a PLC in a business setting is exactly the definition of a community in the world of social media: a community is "Networked individuals who can fashion their own complex identities depending on their passions, beliefs, lifestyles, professional associations, work interests, hobbies or any number of other personal characteristics"

In a world of social media communities, your employees already know how to be a contributing member of an online community on some level.  In the next segment of "Beyond Anecdotes", with the incorporation of the ADDIE model,  we will map out how to leverage your employees social media strengths to make your organization stronger and more resilient for when the "neat plans meet messy realities", 

Beyond Anecdotes: Catalyzing Corporate Change with Structured Thinking, Networked Intelligence, and Collaborative Learning

 Photo Credit: 20twentybuisnessgrowth.com

Andy Green in his article titled "Bottom-Up Change Management- How to Overcome the Kerplunk effect" (click here for article) makes a very insightful observation, "Top-down management, if used correctly can establish a clear vision for future direction. It can however, suffer from a path dependency, making it hard to adapt when neat plans meet messy reality. A hybrid approach of top-down and bottom-up can provide you with a more adaptable range of responses and build greater capacity for resilience." 

What if we could empower our organization to make more rigorous decisions, embrace the power of collective intelligence, and foster continuous learning as a cornerstone for change so that when "neat plans meat messy reality" our teams are equipped and ready to meet the challenge? 

This post and subsequent posts will lay the ground work for a powerful synergy: Integrating Claim-Evidence- Reasoning (CER) framework with Vanessa Dennen's cutting edge research on Networked Knowledge Activities, Jeffery Hiatt's ADKAR bottom-up change model, and the collaborative power of Professional Learning Communities (PLC). These ideas and integrations will be expanded upon in future posts. 

CER: The Cornerstone of Strategic Clarity

CER allows organizations the framework to construct compelling arguments and make robust decisions

• Claim: Your assertion, a proposed solution, a strategic direction, or a new initiative. It answers the crucial question: "What do we believe or propose?"
• Evidence: The objective data, verifiable facts, observations, research findings, or proven examples that unequivocally support your claim. This is where rigor replaces rhetoric.
• Reasoning: The logical explanation that bridges your evidence to your claim. It articulates how and why the evidence leads you to your conclusion, providing the critical link between data and actionable insight.

Amplifying CER with Networked Knowledge Activities

The research by Vanessa Dennen et al. (2020) (click here for article) offers insights originally designed for analysis of social media platforms, but these principles apply directly to fostering knowledge flows in organizations. 

• Seeking & Sharing: Proactively searching for information. 
• Curating: Organizing disparate pieces of information into coherent, actionable understanding.
• Brokering: Rigorously evaluating the quality, relevance, and credibility of information. And disseminating insights across internal and external networks.
• Creating and Negotiating : Engaging in dialogue to challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives, and co-create new knowledge.

Be on the look out for another foundational post when we discuss the addition of ADKAR and PLC's to this bottom-up change approach

Unlock Understanding: How CER Becomes a Powerful Networked Knowledge Activity

 

Photo Credit: Extern.com

Do your students immediately go for what they perceive as the "right answer" on assessments without logically thinking through and articulating the why and how? If so, you are not alone. Students often have to be taught and modeled critical thinking skills that allow them to dive deeper into subject matter.  Of all of the instructional strategies available to educators these days, which strategy can best deliver such a dynamic learning experience? 

CER (Claim Evidence Reasoning) 

At its core, CER is a framework that helps students construct explanations or arguments.

• Claim: This is a statement that answers a question or proposes a solution to a problem. It's what the student believes to be true.
• Evidence: This is the data, observations, or information that supports the claim. It's the "proof" that backs up their statement.
• Reasoning: This is the crucial link that explains how the evidence supports the claim. It often involves scientific principles, theories, or logical connections.

Think of it like building a strong case in court: you make your assertion (claim), present your exhibits (evidence), and then explain to the jury why those exhibits prove your assertion (reasoning).

A recent study by Winona Diola et al (click here for article) looked at the ability of learners to write an argumentative discussion both before and after the CER activity. The study found that,"Overall..CER activities effectively promote reasoning skills...(and) higher-order thinking skills among learners". 

Super Charging CER with NKA (Networking Knowledge Activities)

From Individual Task to Connected Learning: CER as a NKA

Imagine a learning environment where students don't just submit their CER, but actively connect their work with their peers, building a shared web of understanding. That's the essence of a Networked Knowledge Activity.

Vanessa Dennen in her 2019 article (click here for article) sets up a 6 stage map of networking activities that students can follow to deepen and supercharge the CER experience:  

Individually:

    Collect: save a copy of or links for later use

    Curate: Organize the collection into a more purposeful format

    Share:  Make the curated collection available online

Group Level

    Broker:  The act of connecting online and offline groups.  This can be accomplished on the internal                         group level or it can be completed as a "Gallery Walk" activity in which groups can browse                     curated collections. 

 CER Level

    Negotiate: A collaborative process in which learners work together to agree upon the meaning and                         basis of the claim based on both the curated materials and brokered materials. 

    Construct:  Based on the outcome of the knowledge negotiation, the group will create a CER to be                         shared with others; typically in a Gallery Walk fashion.

By taking CER beyond the individual assignment and transforming it into a Networked Knowledge Activity, you empower your students to not only master the content but also to develop invaluable skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. It's about moving from isolated understanding to a shared, dynamic web of knowledge where every student's contribution strengthens the whole.

How might you start transforming your CER assignments into NKAs in your classroom?

Mind Maps: Pixels or Paper? The Great Debate Unfolds!

 

Photo Credit: Raphaela Brandner (meisertask.com)

Ever since the advent of BYOD and eventually district provided WMD's (Wireless Mobile Devices) the debate and research about paper based versus digital based instructional has been a hot topic. Lets take a look at the debate from a context of mind mapping. 

Mind Maps 

What has not been a debate is the effectiveness of Mind Maps. In Paul Farrand's 2002 study on mind maps (click here for article) he found that mind maps have some of the highest efficacy rates of all of the instructional strategies for learners who have emerged into formal operational development. Farrand did note however that, "before mind maps are generally adopted as a study technique, consideration has to be given towards ways of improving motivation among users." With the advent of digital social media (knowledge sharing) and the robust ways in which to motivate learners in the digital age (Click here for Blog about digital badges), what is exactly is the debate for paper based assignments?

The debate: Pixels or Paper

The research data is not as clear cut as one might think in the debate of digital assignments vs paper based. Giuseppe Marano et. al. studied the the neuroscience behind handwriting vs typing assignments.  In the article (click for article)  the researchers found that, "Handwriting involves the complex coordination of fine motor skills... the act of writing stimulates the brain to connect motor activates with cognitive process.  Conversely, Typing relies on finger movements over a keyboard (and) does not demand sensory-motor integration."

However, as Farrand noted, motivation to do paper based mind mapping is low.  For a learner to map out concepts requires a high level of organizing and structuring knowledge as well as high levels of critical thinking and problem solving skills is a daunting task. 

Conclusion

The research for the benefits of Mind Maps for learners is clear: it works.  The neuroscience on handwritten vs digital interactions is also very clear but motivation to do such things is also clearly low.  if you are on a short timeline and need to use a handwritten Mind Map, then by all means, use it.  However, if you have the time to do BOTH handwritten brainstorming and digital, consider the advantages of the digital Mind Maps integrated after the handwritten "rough drafts" have been made.

Advantages of Digital Mind Maps:

• Flexibility and Editability: Digital tools allow for easy editing, rearrangement, expansion, and collapsing of information, which is more challenging with paper. This can save time and effort, especially for students who want to refine their maps.
• Collaboration: Many digital mind mapping tools facilitate collaborative work, which can be beneficial for group projects in the classroom.
• Rich Media Integration: Digital mind maps can easily incorporate images, links, and other multimedia elements, potentially making them more engaging and comprehensive.
• Accessibility: Cloud-based digital mind maps can be accessed from various devices and locations.
• Pre-made Templates: Digital tools often offer templates, which can be helpful for students who struggle with the initial setup or prefer a structured approach

The Social Media Expert Illusion: How to Spot the Real Deal

 photo credit: U.S. Air Force illustration by Airman 1st Class Devin N. Boye (Flickr)

You have just come across the best lesson plan or eLearning module ever, but how can you tell if the author is legit?  I mean, it could just be some ones dog barking at the screen, with the advent of pseudo names on social media, anyone can have an online alter ego. 

The Challenge of Authenticity

George Shaw in his 2022 article published in the Health Care section of MDPI (Click here for article) took a look at tweets pertaining to diet, diabetes, exercise and obesity(DDEO).  He found that in an average year there were 1.7 million tweets that referred to DDEO.  17% of which did not have any correct or even factual information listed in the tweet, and only 29% of the remaining had any factual information associated with the tweet. 

Guide Posts to determine Authenticity

With the sheer volume of information on the internet and social media such as Reddit allowing for pseudo names for its users, how to we in the modern era determine who is real and who are trolls? 

here are a few things to look for when evaluating the authenticity of a social media presence;

1. Content Analysis: Does the content have relevance and depth.  is the content original? Is the content accurate in your estimation and is there evidence presented in the form of peer reviewed journals?  Is the content consistent? Is the social media presence using the proper tone and terminology for their field?  

2. Engagement and Community Interaction: Is the engagement thoughtful and builds community.  Does the influencer have a high status ranking (caution rank can be bought) Do others in the community validate the presences point of view.

3 Profile and Background Information: Does their profile convey their expertise? Are there external links to additional work they have done? How old is the account and are they active a lot in the community? 

4.Networking Analysis: Who do they follow and who is following them back?  Are they mentioned a lot?  Are they represented in a lot of tags? 

This is in no way an exhaustive list of things to look for when verifying a social media presence but merely some things to consider the next time you think maybe the person on the other side of the social media screen might be a dog barking at a computer. 

Level Up Your Summer: Discover New Tools for Teachers & ISD Pros!

 

Photo Credit: Bennet K Kireker (Flickr)

So, you are on summer break or you are in between projects and you have a little time to kill and a nice bottle of wine to enjoy.  Let's pour a glass together and explore some of the lesser known social media sites and how these sites can be used in your professional life.

Flickr: Beyond Just Photos

Most social media savvy teachers and ISD professionals know FLICKR as merely a photo-sharing site.  But it has become so much more since it inception in 2004. 

• Visual resources: Do you have a couple of projects or slide decks that are in need of some visual gestalt?  Flickr has resources galore!  Many of the media pictures come with Creative Commons licenses that allow for free use
• Collaborative Storytelling: Create your own albums as you sift through the mountains of pictures available to you in the Flickr files. 

Cluster: your Private Group Sharing Space

Its summer break, you are on vacation and you have tons of picture to share with friends and family.  But, you don't want to post to a public social media account,  What do you do? 

• Secure Collaboration: This app specializes in creating secure and private groups in order to share pictures, videos, and messages
• Event Specific Sharing:  This app allows for event specific sharing with identified collaborators!  

MERLOT: The Educators Treasure Trove

You may need another bottle of wine for this one, you are going to be here a while! This site by far has the most vast collection of learning materials and professional development. You can find:

• Curated Learning Materials that can be filtered by grade level. Everything from flash card makers to interactive historical simulations to authoring apps.  
• Professional Development:  Want to learn a new skill but don't want or have the time to go back to college? MERLOT has micro trainings just for you. 

The Badge Effect: Sparking Grassroots Learning for Real Change

 Photo Credit: www.priorlearning.ie

So, you have a workplace that needs a change management plan.  You don't want the run of the mill, "Change because I said so" approach.  You have lots of time and you would really enjoy the employees and teams interacting to see what transpires. What are your options?

"Bottom Up" Change Management

Bottom up change management plans are exactly what they sound like.  The focus is on employee involvement, grassroots participation and empowering individuals at all levels to contribute to the change.

In a recent blog post by Adam C. on his blog Adams Home Stretch titled "My Hot Take on Optional Challenges is Cooling Off" he contemplates how to "sell" a client on creating optional challenges in a corporate Top Down change module and how hard it would be to justify the ROI. 

This blog entry will look at the other side of Adam C's article; how to take one of the more popular Bottom-Up change models and incorporate optional challenges for employees based on a badging system in order to grow the employees knowledge base before the bottom up change meetings take place.

Knowledge is Power. Badges are Lightning in a Bottle

Whether it be Hiatt's ADKAR model, Gilbert's 6 box, Lewin's Force Field, or Kaizen's CMM, they all start with the employee being educated and aware of the potential issues within the system. 

So, how does an employer motivate their team to WANT to learn?  Dr. Jeni Cross in her Tedx Talk suggests that the most powerful motivator for employees is: Social Norms.  Badges are a perfect way in which to tangible represent a change in or drive of social norms.  When we integrate one of the most popular eLearning platforms like Linkedin and provide a framework of optional challenges from Theresa Hortsman's research (click here for article) we get a 3 pathway drive to employee learning that can be extrinsically incentivized by the employer. 

Pathway Sample:

Pathway 1: The Knowledge Explorer

• Entry Level Badge- Curiosity Catalyst
• Mid- Level Badge- Interdisciplinary Investigator
• Capstone Badge- Learning Landscape Architect

Pathway 2: The Collaborative Contributor

• Entry level Badge- Discussion Dynamo
• Mid Level Badge- Knowledge Sharer
• Capstone Badge- Community Catalyst

Pathway 3- The Applied Professional 

• Entry Level Badge - Skill Sharpening Specialist 
• Mid Level Badge- Problem-Solving Pro
• Capstone Badge- Impact Innovator

#HPT #ADKAR #Gilbert6box #Change_Model #badges #gamifiedbadges #Bottom_up_change_management #HPTISPI 

Got Badges?: Your Students' Next Obsession (And Learning Tool)

 Photo Credit: Octalysisgroup.com 

At some point we have all been there in our elementary experience.  We got the gold star on a homework assignment, we got a "smell good" sticker on an assignment that we tried extra hard on.  Badges and stickers for a job well done are not a new concept. Benny Bornfield in his peer reviewed article in FirstMonday , (click here for article) acknowledges that even going back to the times of Napoleon, people have been driven by the honor of receiving badges or ribbons for heroic deeds.  

Why are badges so effective? 

I ran across a TedX talk by Jeni Cross (Click here for link) In which she speaks about the big three myths of behavior change.  She identifies that people really have no idea what motivates them.  The data and the science is clear.  So, What does motivate people?  According to Jeni, Social Norms are the best motivators of humans!  Badges play very nicely into social norms!  As students watch the name boards fill up with gold stars, the social norms kick in. 

How do I bring badges into the classroom? 

Unlike literally everything else we have to teach students as they enter our classroom, badges are already ingrained into their lives.  Apps and social media have been using badges for years to obtain and retain users through social norms and an ecosystem that values the badges.

Theresa Hortsman,  in her 2020 article listed in Emerald Insight (click here for article) examines 8 hallmarks of a successful Badging design:

• 1. Badges should be nested together to create clear learning pathways for learners (Barron, 2006; Hickey et al., 2014). 

  S2. Badges should give learners opportunities to build connections between badge criteria based on the proximity of badges to each other (Barron, 2006; Lakoff, 2008). 

  S3. The badge system as a whole should serve as a framework for creating a complex (re)combination of program activities that align with: 

  (1) program goals for community building; and 

  (2) engagement with disciplinary knowledge and practice, indicating significant milestones for learners. 

  Badge criteria: 

  C1. Badge criteria should contain the attributes of Gameful Design (Deterding, 2011). 

  C2. Badge criteria should serve as metacognitive cues, prompting learners to reflect upon their own learning and see possible future identities (National Research Council, 2000). 

  C3. Badge criteria should incorporate activities and tasks that are intrinsically motivating (Hecker, 2010; Blair, 2011). 

  C4. Community, program and learning values are represented in how the criteria are composed (Deterding, 2011). 

  C5. Blends disciplinary-specific content knowledge with non-disciplinary-specific

• Can an Ai do this for me?

  • As teachers, we really do not give artificial intelligence enough credit for the creativity it can display.  Here was my original prompt: 

  • 
    

  • I need design badge names for my high school biology classroom.  Please use the following criteria (Theresa Hortsman's article) to create fun and engaging badges

  • 
    

  The Ai proceeded to ask me a series of questions about which Biology standards I was interested in and which state the standards came from.   Not only did the Ai organize the badges by standard with catchy badge names but it also designed pathways based on Hortsmans criteria in which the student could navigate each topic for "higher" badge rankings!  

Heredity and Reproduction (Genetics, DNA, RNA, Cell Cycle) (SC.912.L.16.x)

• Focus: DNA, protein synthesis, genetics, meiosis, mitosis.
  • The "Genetic Genius" Badge: For mastery of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics.
  • The "DNA Decoder" Badge: For understanding DNA structure, replication, transcription, and translation.
  • The "Mitosis Mastermind" Badge: For demonstrating understanding of the cell cycle and asexual reproduction.
  • The "Meiosis Maven" Badge: For grasping the complexities of sexual reproduction and genetic variation.
  • The "Heredity Investigator" Badge: For analyzing genetic crosses and inheritance patterns.

Pathway 2: The Biological Systems Engineer (Cells, Heredity, and Organisms)

This pathway delves into the fundamental building blocks and processes of life, encouraging students to see the intricate engineering within living systems. Proximity here means connecting micro-level understanding to macro-level function. Community can be fostered through collaborative model building or genetic problem-solving.

• Entry-Level Badge: "Cellular Champion"

  • Criteria C1 (Gameful Design): Awarded for identifying and describing the function of all major organelles in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. (Challenge, clear goal)
  • Criteria C2 (Metacognitive Cue): "I now understand the basic units of life. This knowledge is fundamental to understanding all living things!"
  • Criteria C3 (Intrinsic Motivation): Visualizing and understanding the "machines" within cells can be inherently fascinating.
  • Criteria C4 (Values): Emphasizes foundational knowledge and precision.
  • Criteria C5 (Blend): Cell Biology (disciplinary) + Attention to Detail/Categorization (non-disciplinary).

• Mid-Level Badge: "Macromolecule Maestro" (Builds on "Cellular Champion")

  • Criteria C1 (Gameful Design): Awarded for correctly identifying the four major types of macromolecules, their monomers, and their primary functions within cells. (Collection, pattern recognition)
  • Criteria C2 (Metacognitive Cue): "I've learned the chemical building blocks that make cells work. I'm connecting chemistry to biology!"
  • Criteria C3 (Intrinsic Motivation): Seeing the molecular basis for life provides a deeper level of understanding.
  • Criteria C4 (Values): Promotes analytical thinking about molecular structure and function.
  • Criteria C5 (Blend): Biochemistry (disciplinary) + Pattern Recognition (non-disciplinary).

• Advanced Badge: "DNA Decoder" (Builds on "Macromolecule Maestro" and "Cellular Champion")

  • Criteria C1 (Gameful Design): Awarded for accurately modeling DNA replication, transcription, and translation, explaining the central dogma of biology. (Complex problem-solving, construction)
  • Criteria C2 (Metacognitive Cue): "I've cracked the code of life! I can now explain how genetic information is stored and expressed, which is key to understanding heredity."
  • Criteria C3 (Intrinsic Motivation): The satisfaction of assembling a complex process and understanding how information flows.
  • Criteria C4 (Values): Fosters logical sequencing and comprehension of complex biological processes.
  • Criteria C5 (Blend): Molecular Genetics (disciplinary) + Systems Thinking/Modeling (non-disciplinary).

• Capstone Badge: "Genetic Genius" (Builds on "DNA Decoder")

  • Criteria C1 (Gameful Design): Awarded for successfully solving a complex genetic cross problem (e.g., dihybrid, incomplete dominance, sex-linkage) and interpreting the results. (Puzzle-solving, challenge)
  • Criteria C2 (Metacognitive Cue): "I can now predict inheritance patterns and understand genetic variation. My understanding of heredity is strong!"
  • Criteria C3 (Intrinsic Motivation): The satisfaction of correctly solving a challenging problem and applying abstract principles to real-world scenarios.
  • Criteria C4 (Values): Encourages precision, analytical reasoning, and problem-solving.
  • Criteria C5 (Blend): Mendelian & Non-Mendelian Genetics (disciplinary) + Logical Deduction/Problem-Solving (non-disciplinary).