Here are listed features and examples of virtual learning commons. Readers should feel free to recommend their own VLC sites as examples.from master's students as a class assignment
NEW:
The International Virtual Learning Commons Idea Bank at: https://sites.google.com/site/internationalvlcideas/?pageDeleted=%2Fphysical-learning-commons-plc
VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMONS Examples and Tours
Some more examples of emerging VLCs are at: SJSU Example virtual learning commons
Help Getting Started
To use the template, you need a Google Account.
From your Gmail account, click on "sites" in the top ribbon.
Click on " create" a site
Instead of choosing one of the suggested templates, search the above template using the word: VLCtemplate
Elements of the Virtual Learning Commons to Develop
As of 2011, the following core elements or portals have been developed by students at San Jose State University:
- The Information Center - the opening page not unlike the traditional school library website containing portal entries into the sites listed below and provides linkages to the OPAC, other libraries, items of interest, calendar, etc.
- The Reading Culture - the world of literacy including reading, writing, speaking, and listening
- The Knowledge Building Center - the place where the learning commons interfaces with the great learning experiences across departments, grade levels, and the faculty of the school
- The Experimental Learning Center - that is home base for school improvement and professional development; a place for experimentation, action research, specific initiatives
- School Culture - the living school yearbook of the school including, performances, sports, exhibits, clubs, and other notable activities.
A few Tips to Get Started:
Create the main web page/title screen. Select the software you will be using for the group VLC. I recommend Google Sites, the software this page is built upon; other possibilities are Weebly and any other software that does not require team members to know html and that is free. If your school is interested in Google Apps Education Edition, then you need to use Google Sites as your tool. Google Apps Education is safe and free and that is very appealing to schools and districts where fear rules the day. The advantage to Weebly or even Google Sites outside Google Apps Education is that your can use a wide variety of web 2.0 tools that are accepted by your school or district.
Features to include:
- An area for a parade of super learning experiences working though the learning commons.
- A place for tools, tutorials including those created by faculty and students
- Collaborative reading centers and initiatives in support of school improvement and the Common Core Standards
- The center of school culture
- The virtual school yearbook
- Professional development in the experimental learning center of the VLC
- Collaborative construction of all kinds of lists, projects, etc.
- Connections to all types of libraries and community agencies
- Connection to an OPAC that is collaborative
- Connections to databases and other resources where everyone is helping find and recommend the best
- Current events
- Activities that draw kids and adults to the VLC
- The center of the curriculum and teacher's learning activities and programs; courses, etc.
- Connections beyond the school to the community and on into the world
- Career information
- Connections to experts of all kinds
- School-wide projects
- etc.
- etc.
The following is being used by the San Jose State University students to start building their virtual learning commons. Perhaps you can use some of these characteristics and helps to build your own. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Here, collaborative and perhaps competitive teams will be developing ideas on the various features that could be in the virtual learning commons. Click on the various features to find the ideas that the teams are creating.B b 1nm
- Other Web 2.0 Tools: A place to explore various types of Web 2.0 tools not a part of the Google Apps family.
- Useful Articles and Lists of Web 2.0 Tools - post here great lists, articles and other helps for using Web 2.0 in education.
- Tours and Links to Existing Learning Commons
- Assignments: Turning assignments from classroom teacher dictates into conversations that include the teacher, students, specialists in the school, parents.
- Knowledge Building Centers: Creating Knowledge Building Centers (idea from Deb Wallace) that are major collaborative pathfinders for learning units that are repeated in the school over and over. These knowledge centers might have links created by everyone, tools, data sets, sample units and their effects over time, projects across the class/school/world, places to collaborate with experts; links to special collections at various libraries/museums/govt. agencies; student created tutorials/projects/interviews/data sets.
- Global Awareness Centers:
- Financial Literacy Centers:
- Health and Wellness/Obesity Collaborative Centers:
- Any other school wide effort to integrate themes into regular curricular efforts.
- Reading Community: Building a reading community through virtual book/movie/other media discussion clubs including writing and utilizing social networking such as Facebook and Twitter, wikis, blogs, nings.
- Student Productions: Encouraging the production of learner-created content whether for assignments or for fun and storing that content in a virtual school yearbook and museum. The center of fun and creativity.
- School Improvement: The center for school improvement or experimental learning center where trials, experiments, action research, professional learning communities are centered.
- The Big Think: A center for metacognitive reflection by both individuals and groups
- VLC Construction Tips: The use of various types of tools to create a learning commons nested in the cloud. For example: signing up for Google APS as a school; Netvibes, Pageflakes, etc. Also, think about design as a method of capturing attention and collaboration; for example, perhaps there are multiple "main" pages as direct entry points for learners, classroom teachers, teacher librarians, etc. rather than trying to direct traffic all through one central page.
- Collaborative Culture: Invitations to collaborate at every appropriate place
- Documenting Impact: Demonstration of what clients can expect from teacher librarians, teacher technologists and other specialists (idea from Deb Wallace, Harvard business School)
- ICt, Info. Lit, and 21st Cent. Skills: The integration of ICT and information literacy and 21st Century Learning Skills into learning activities designed to boost achievement.
- Geek Squad: The creation of a Geek Squad for the spread of technical assistance throughout the school.
What we have accomplished
: Lodge here your demonstrations of the VLCs you have constructed. |
