SIMON PHIPPS

In the last few posts i have spoken about the ' we ' of the internet: collaboration, cooperation, co-creation, networks. Now i want to talk about the ' me ' of the internet. The rise of narcissistic personality disorder has risen analogous with the rise of obesity . The trolls of social media sites like twitter are gaining more and more media attention, even putting off potential buyers of twitter. Cyber bullying has become a major problem. Whilst it is great to emphasise the incredible things that we can achieve through the internet, it is important for us not to ignore the potential dangers. I believe that the web acts as an amplifier . It amplifies the best and worst parts of humanity. Our ability to care is shown dramatically through the sharp increase in crowd funding , made possible through the web, allowing millions of people, in small ways, to make a tangible difference . But the same can be said of those less desirable trait...

Last week i wrote about Personal Learning Environments (PLE's). Part of a personal learning environment is a Personal Learning Network (PLN). A Personal Learning Network is exactly how it sounds. It is a network of people around you that help you to learn. It is developed primarily through the use of web2.0 tools . A Personal Learning Network has several important functions: Filtering Mitchell Kapor once wrote "Getting information off the internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant", so vast is it's reserves of information. There is a lot of mis-information on the internet, and a lot of bad advice. Sometimes it can be hard to tell what is true, what is useful; and what is untrue, what is unhelpful. A Personal Learning Network acts as a filter for the mass information of the internet. Essentially you have a group of people interested in similar things to you, who are reading content and only sharing the parts that they f...

Last week we spoke about web2.0 tools . Essentially this means that we are no longer subject to what the media wants to tell us, or what our local library or book store has in stock for our learning and development needs.  We can become curators of our own content, and of the tools that allow us to view, engage with, and shape that content.  We become creators of our own digital landscapes , finding the tools that work for us.  This what a personal learning environment is. It is a conscious look at how we aggregate the information that we receive - it is the "20" that we looked at in the 70:20:10 model .  This covers the physical tools we use: PC's, laptops, tablets, smart phones, smart watches etc. - as well as the digital tools themselves: content, social sharing, creation etc. As disciples , those who learn, I think that it is important for us to engage with and think about our own Personal Learni...

The internet is the defining catalyst for entry into the n etwork era , so great is its impact on our lives.  It has changed so much of our way of being, but perhaps one of the greatest changes it has made is in the field of learning . The ability to gain access to almost any piece of information we know - from almost anywhere. Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the changes in website languages that increased collaboration with other users, rather than users just being passive observers of content. As well as web pages, this also includes many web 2.0 tools that have been created with the express idea to enhance learning. These include blog authoring tools, social collaboration tools, content curation tools and many more. Every year, one of my favorite bloggers ( Jane Hart ) creates a list of the top 100 tools for learning , as voted by her readers.  Between now and the next blog post, i highly recommend taking a look at the list. Which tools a...