Rodd Lucier, from the Clever Sheep blog, published a post titled Seven Degrees of Connectedness. The closing questions to Rodd’s post caught my eye:
Can [the framework] serve as an introduction to the concept of a personal learning network? Does it help you make sense of the wide range of relationships you’ve been building with online colleagues?
YES! The framework did make sense to me. It made so much sense, that I had the urge to create a visual out of Rodd’s list of stages. After a quick back and forth on Twitter with Rodd (you can read the storify conversation here), I decided to use Piktochart to create an infographic with Rodd’s framework, which he had developed with the assistance of Zoe Branigan-Pipe.
Take a look below… click on the image to view a larger version…. and join the conversation by leaving a comment here or on Rodd’s blog to answer the questions he originally posted:
Can [the framework] serve as an introduction to the concept of a personal learning network? Does it help you make sense of the wide range of relationships you’ve been building with online colleagues?
BTW, this is just another example of the possibilities to extend your work and of collaboration opportunities that open up, when authors, innovators and creators subscribe to the concept of Creative Commons, sharing and believe in the power of collaboration versus copyright, an”…it is my intellectual property…” attitude or “…my work will somehow be worth less, if I allow someone else to build upon it…” point of view.
If the power of collaboration and sharing as an educator is of interest to you, take a look at Alec Couros‘ blog post “The Story of an Idea“, Dean Shareski’s K12 Online keynote presentation appropriately titled “The Moral Imperative of Sharing” and several blog posts here on Langwitches linked from “What Do You Have to Lose?“.
Sylvia, Thank you so much for promoting the idea of sharing and collaborating. And for modelling the same in building a visual model of the Seven Degrees of Connectedness. 🙂
What at great infograpic. I want to make a great big poster to hang in the classrooms where we do summer training. Better yet, maybe use the same site to teach faculty members how to make pictographics that illustrate their own level of connectedness.!
Thanks for sharing. Just a couple of possible ideas/refinements – I think we need to change the language of the Lurker as it congers up the wrong image in many people new to PLN’s and technology in general. Some feel very put off if/when the term is used and I at the moment I don’t really have a better term but maybe our extended network does.
I also think we need to redraw the flow as a PLN is not really a linear process more an organic process that is built as skills and confidence grows and when work or life requires a new step to be taken outside the comfort zone.
Great food for thought.
Tony
Seven Degrees of Connectedness http://t.co/3vusQwAw
I feel like I am in the novice stage as I have a few blogs that I like to follow and leave comments on them here and there. However, I would love to move up the stages!
Awesome infographic.
I am in the novice stage….I have a Twitter and follow some educational people, but just read their posts, sometimes retweet. I also have a Google+ and a LinkedIn. I belong to specific subgroups in each of those, and have been in a few conversations. I would probably be in more if I had more time. I like Google+ a lot for that purpose, but have little time to read through new postings and respond.
I agree with Maria that I also am at the Novice stage. Sometimes on more curriculum specific sites, like AP Central I will be more open.
I agree as well. When the topic and/or the site is highly specialized (Scotusblog, a professor’s blog, an international news article, then I am willing and eager to controbute to a positive intellectual discussion. But I’ve seen Twitter cause too many problems for students in terms of bullying to be all that eager to jump in myself, I’m afraid.
I am not sure I am even a “Lurker”. I spend very little time looking at blogs, but I have on occasion.
I am DEFINITELY a lurker as well! I know that some people dwell in social networking sites with so much enthusiasm….but I just cannot make myself do it. I approach this kind of thing with nervousness. However, that said, I do really like to pull ideas off of pinterest!!!
Unfortunately, I don’t even qualify as a lurker. I do not have a twitter account or even a smart phone. I would like to become more connected with educators outside of my school.
I think I would qualify as a “lurker”, as negative as that sounds. I typically will read people’s posts online, but typically do not post on my own.
I do not have a Twitter account. I am interested in becoming more connected with others through the use of social media. I feel I am in the Novice stage. I would like to become more advanced to become more up to date with what is going on with others.
I feel as if I am in the Novice stage. I agree with previous posts that I look at a few blogs when I have time but often do not comment back a lot. I would enjoy having more time to be more connected
I am only a lurker. Up until today, I did not even have a twitter account. I don’t typically take the time to look at blogs on a consistent basis. I would love to be more connected to my colleagues in education.
Somewhere between a lurker and novice. Problem is having the time to work on the computer
Right now I am a lurker but getting closer to novice. I do want to advance but it will take time and effort on my part. I do belong to some groups through linked-in that I follow about educational topics.
Sad to say that I don’t have a Twitter account. I guess it’s because I get disgusted when socially with a group of people,or sitting at lunch with them, they are ignoring the people in front of them, and rather on twitter or other social media. Although, I think Twitter has advantages and I would be willing to use it for professional reasons. Therefore, I’m willing to someday have a twitter account.
I am between a lurker and a novice. I feel that having a young family at home and getting through all of the planning, etc, for teaching, I try not to spend much time searching for ideas, let alone adding comments, making my own blogs, etc. I do, however, collaborate with other teachers on a daily basis and find that I am a go to person for those ideas. I think it will change as my children grow.
I have never used Twitter. To be honest, I have avoided it because there are so many things now that I have to “check in” on.. personal email, school email, Pinterest, Instagram and other social networking sites, PDE website, etc that one more communication tool seems like more than I have time to fit in. In addition, I agree with others that being so “connected” in so many ways, taints social situations as people seem to feel that “checking in” anytime is ok.
After reviewing the graphic, I realize that I am an emerging novice. I agree with many of the posts that finding the time to explore this social connectedness is a challenge. Now that our district has confirmed the implementation of a 1-to-1 model with each student receiving a Surface Pro, I believe the instructional paradigm is shifting. Instead of blocking email on Google and blocking Twitter, they may allow us to encourage our students to use these tools for educational purposes and connecting with a global audience.
•Which stage do you consider yourself to be on professionally?
I consider myself to be a collaborator. I typicaaly use technology to communicate and work with other colleagues on projects.
•What skills or steps will you need to take to move on to the next stage?
I need to network and put myself out there professionally. I need to take time out to use technology to learn and communicate.
•Where will you find resources to help you take next steps?
I will utilize the resources learned in this training.
After reviewing the Seven Degrees of Connectedness graphic, I realize that I am at the Lurker Level. That just means I have a lot of room for improvement. I would like to try to find an area that I am comfortable with so that I can start contributing by making comments and contributions for others to evaluate for themselves. I think that resources I have picked up from the eduplanet course on The Globally Connected Educator will help me, such as twitter.
I definitely qualify as a “lurker”. I have an interest in reading posts of colleagues but typically do not post or blog myself.
I would most likely be a lurker… which sounds really creepy! haha. I really enjoy reading and exploring posts. I really need to work my way up the ladder of connectedness!
I believe I am teetering between a ‘lurker’ and a ‘novice’. I often browse what others are doing, but only rarely comment or post my own things. It makes my teenagers nervous to know I recently made a twitter account!
I’m definitely a novice. I’m not sure which blogs to read or which people to follow. I don’t have a problem contributing, and I’d love to share classroom project ideas. But I need to find a good starting point. I think my next step is to connect with others who teach AP European History, because I will begin that class next year.
I definitely feel that I am a novice (at best). I would love to become more comfortable with social networking and collaboration. It is an area that I find very intimidating. I can utilize professional development opportunities and our district’s technology coaches to become more comfortable with the tools we have learned about.
@Katelyn… you are already taking the most important step: You are reading and getting into the conversation by leaving comments (on this blog for examples). I appreciate your comments, which go beyond a “Thank you for sharing”. You are adding value by sharing specific examples and ideas.
Most times I’m a lurker and sometimes I’m a novice. I enjoy reading educational posts and even scroll down to see others responses, but post comments minimally. I know being more connected can only help me be a better educator, I guess I just need to take the time to get moving.
I would consider myself between a novice and lurker. I have participated in blogs and discussions but I don’t have a Twitter Account. I think it would be more useful for me to spend more time in professional discussions through blogs and feeds.
I am not sure I am even a “Lurker”. I spend very little time looking at blogs, but I have on occasion. I enjoy reading educational posts and even scroll down to see others responses, but post comments minimally.
Read more at: http://langwitches.org/blog/2012/06/07/seven-degrees-of-connectedness/
I am a lurker. I read other’s ideas, but don’t comment.
I would say I’m definitely a “Lurker”. I spend very little time looking at blogs, but I have on occasion. I enjoy reading educational posts and appreciate ideas I receive from others.
I am at the “lurker” stage and lack the connections. This is a whole new idea for me and will take me time to maneuver through and figure out how to incorporate it into my teaching in a positive, meaningful way.
So I guess I thought I was more “advanced” in this area, but turns out, I am more on the “insider” level. I have had twitter for 4 years and never use it. I feel like I am always working on something else and I don’t have time to play with twitter- especially after having a child last year.
I am always searching blogs and leaving messages to certain teachers. I follow many teachers on TPT and connect to their blog regularly. With this said, I STILL NEED TO CREATE A BLOG OF MY OWN! I wish I could hire someone to sit with me and do it with me…I am so intimidated by that!
I am an insider. Wish I was more.
I am definitely not even a Lurker. I think it is great for those who enjoy using social media but I am not a fan of it. No surprise that I do not have a Twitter account,
I am certainly a novice. I did make a twitter account in the summer for personal reasons, although I’ve never used it. At this point, I’m not even sure I will remember my twittter name. To become an avid user, I think it will be important for me to learn the language!
The stages I am at depend upon which types of social networks. I use my professional networks at stage 5 and 7 and my social networks at stage 6. Since my subject area is technology I think I am at an advanced level with these tools and just will continue to use them in the ways I do and think of even more.
I feel as if I move through these stages sometimes. I use Twitter and Facebook to share and collaborate with other educators. I also have a website through my school and I have a school Instagram account where I post for parents to stay up-to-the-minute with our classroom learning activities. I use Skype with pen pals. I guess I am an insider. I didn’t know about wiki spaces until this learning path and I don’t use Pinterest much.
I consider myself to be novice. I don’t do much online collaboration. I read a few blogs, and share some things through facebook with other colleagues.
I would consider myself as an insider. I would like to develop more and feel more comfortable using these resources for professional purposes than just personal. I wish there was more time in the day to fit all this in as certain aspects could really improve my teaching. Understanding the different media types the students use really goes far in the classroom.
I am definitely a novice. I tend to read and respond every once in a while. I think it would be hard for me to move up beyond a stage 3, unless I have become very comfortable with a group.
I use my social networking primarily for personal relationships. Therefore I would place myself in the ‘novice’ category for professional use. In order to increase my steps, I would like to use Skype to bring experts into the classroom. I would also like to use Google Docs to collaborate in a project. The resources are available in my school.
I consider myself to be at a stage 2: novice. I am definitely a beginner but have taken small steps to move forward. I read blog posts, comment, and have created accounts to get started. I plan to keep broadening my connections and taking it further by commenting more often and communicating daily if possible. I’d love to skype with other educators and create a twitter account for my classroom.
I would consider myself at the 1st stage, lurker. I am not extremely comfortable using this mode of communication, but I can see its usefulness and have seen some cool ides. I will need to continue exploring uses of twitter to become more comfortable and hope to soon consider myself a novice!
I consider myself a novice with twitter. I would love to use it to collaborate with other special educators. I plan to work on this over the summer.
I am definitely a lurker. I read other blogs but usually don’t comment.
I consider myself a part of the novice stage. I am an avid social networker, both reading and leaving comments. I also follow a few select blogs and want to dabble in other networking sites. However, I feel like I stick with the social networking platforms that I am most familiar with and am afraid to branch out from those. The biggest issue keeping me from the next stage, insider, is really that leap into unknown territory. I’d like to first start with Twitter. To me, Twitter seems very disorganized and unappealing to the eye because of the retweets. It’s also a challenge to feel like I need to find the time to really “play” and discover how other social networking platforms work.
This was a very insightful blog on 7 degrees of connectedness. The gradiations regarding the levels of involvement are quite distinct.
I would label myself as a novice. Professionally I wouldn’t mind becoming more advanced; however, I don’t agree with how much these avenues have made people dependent on them for communication in general…people are losing the art of actually having a conversation and I find that worrisome. This learning pathway has been very informative and includes the skills I would need to advance my connections.
I am definitely a lurker. I have read posts and blogs but have never commented.
I’d like to say I function at the Friend level but probably live at the Colleague or Collaborator level. I think opportunity changes the level.
I am somewhere between the novice and the insider. I love looking a blogs and collaborating with others, but I am not yet taking the lead on this. I would like to do so when I am more comfortable with seeing what others offer.
The infographic made me realize how truly behind I am. If the infographic represented a traditional model, I would be at stage 7. However, I am only at the novice stage. I think I need more acceptance and buy in from my school district to move forward. So much of what we do follows and traditional model and that consumes my time.
I am definitely in the lurker stage. I do find many good ideas on blogs, but maybe because of my age, taking the next step and blogging myself hasn’t happened. I have on occasion replied to blogs but that never really struck up a conversation with other educators. I can certainly move to the next step by looking at more blog posts and commenting more.
I would consider myself a novice. I read quite a few blogs and comment, I participate in social media, but I do not have a blog myself. Honestly, I have always felt discouraged. There are so many restrictions about websites and social media in our schools, that I typically feel like I’m doing something “wrong” when I am using any of them.
If I had to classify myself in any category it would have to be a lurker. I do not belong to any social media accounts. I am can be very leery at times of the internet because not all sites are secure and sometimes what you see or post can be misinterpreted.
I’m a lurker. I like to search for new ideas, but rely on my regular sites for ideas and strategies. I am leery of using social media in the classroom because of how things can be restricted or misinterpreted.