Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011

Since few years ago, the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies @C4LPT conducts a survey on tools and apps for learning and ranks them according to the votes. On 13 November 2011 it published 5th annual survey of learning tools. 

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011

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As for the past two years, Twitter is number one, then YouTube, Google Docs, Blogging tools, sharing tools and social bookmarking tools. This is quite what I was expecting according to my experience. Especially, Twitter has got its popularity as a connecting and networking tool used very widely in scientific events like conferences and also in online communities to keep following the activities more easily.

What Wordle could say about your writing and thinking?!

I just created a "word cloud" by Wordle from my blog today and found this:



It highlights what I am more thinking and writing about in my blog. Here is a fancy analysis of this Wordle: "Learning" is my big concern as it shows in the picture. Just right underneath it is saying that I am researching and enjoying kind of "Open" ( education & learning ) mediated by  " Technology"  and various "Social" ( media) in a “Networked” way by joining " free education" and focusing on "Informal" (learning). 

That's true; however, there is a big "conference" there as well which, perhaps shouldn't be that big (just because of some posts about different conferences!). The other bigger ones are “social” and “online” which make sense and are my concerns too but, I am wondering how small “theories” or learning theories is! Maybe the smallest one!  It makes me a bit more think about it.

The highlighted terms show my focus and the scope of my dissertation research somehow. 

This post was just for fun but, it is also worth mentioning that even a fun tool like Wordle can tell us something about our thinking and its directions. I think it is useful sometimes we put our text into Wordle to get some ideas. 

A 'Networked Student' in 21st Centruy, #PLENk2010

  In this video you can see how a 'connected student' in the 21st century learn and make his/her own learning networks. A student of 'Connectivism'  basically without a specific textbook or assigned lectur hours by teacher. Connectivist approach assumes that learning occures by making different social connections using tecgnology and tools and creating 'personal learning environment'. Using different social media and collaborative tools, a networked student is able to find relevant contents on the web, organize them in the way needed, reproduce and share them by social bookmarking tools like Delicious and Diigo and getting feedback from different people.

100 Inspiring Ways to Use Social Media In the Classroom

Social media may have started out as a fun way to connect with friends, but it has evolved to become a powerful tool for education and business. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter and tools such as Skype are connecting students to learning opportunities in new and exciting ways. Whether you teach an elementary class, a traditional college class, or at an online university, you will find inspirational ways to incorporate social media in your classroom with this list.

A video by Dr. Skip Ward about MOOC and #PLENK2010

Above is a video of one of the #PLENK2010 participants, Dr. Skip Ward, commented on my previous post about MOOC ( Massive Open Online Course).

As he expalins, how such an example of a learning experience is successful because of  forming a huge virtual community of learners. In fact, PLENK2010 brings together a diverse group of people wiht different aspects of expertise, tied together and participants come together to share their experiences and knowledge. It is grounded in Connectivist approach which sees learning as networked and connective.


Skip also created a Ning group " Moving Social Media into the Classroom"  .