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=== Professional learning communities of teachers for collaboration and peer learning ===
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==== Accessing the global digital library (GDL) and developing personal digital libraries (PDLs) ====
Many professions have their own professional associations. These associations provide a forum for continuous interactions with fellow practitioners (peers) and allow methods of learning beyond the college or university. You would have learnt about [[wikipedia:Social_constructivism|social constructivism]] and peer learning. Teachers, as professionals too need to connect regularly to their peers, for sharing their experiences, practices as well as insights. They also need to be able to contact peers as well as mentors for seeking support.
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While professional communities and associations have been there for a long time, ICT have made possible ways of connecting and communicating with one another simpler and more accessible. On-line communities are often a good way of continuing interactions beyond the restrictions of meetings of physical time and space, and can provide for learning beyond workshops. On-line communities can be mailing forums or discussion groups and can be accessed either through your phone or computer. 
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The [http://ncte-india.org/ncte_new/pdf/NCFTE_2010.pdf National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education] (NCF-TE, 2010) talks envisions teacher education with the following key components: (i) collaborative networks for learning and sharing, (ii) continuous learning (iii) different paths and spaces for learning. It regards peer learning as an important component of Teacher Professional Development.
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Professional Learning Communities is a recent method for continuing professional development and by providing teachers with peer support, it can be a sustainable method of development. You will form a ICT based learning community of all your classmates, and use this network over the course to share your ideas, experiences and learnings, seek support and feedback of classmates for collaborative learning.
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==== Participation in online, email and mobile-based forums ====
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Since the internet is a network of computers, you can send messages (called 'emails' or simply 'mails') from your computer to others, who can access it on any computer connected to the internet.
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You may be using a 'free' (as in free of cost) email such as Gmail. You should know that your mails can be 'read' by the email provider Google. Your mails are 'machine read' by Google to show you advertisements based on the content of your mails. Your mails may also be 'tapped' by authorised and unauthorised entities as it passes over the internet. Hence you need to take the maximum care of your digital information and be careful of what you share digitally. 
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|'''Student activity time''' - You will need to create an email-id for yourself, this is like a digital post-box or digital address. You can create an email id using a Gmail on <nowiki>http://gmail.com</nowiki>. Login by providing your 'user id' and then 'your password'. Compose an email and send to another student whose id you know. You can send it to your classmate. Compose an email discussing some of the resources you saw on your topic and ask for your classmate to give suggestions and feedback on your resource. Copy your teacher's email id in the 'cc'.
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Receive emails in your 'inbox' from your classmates. Open and read them. 'Reply-to' the sender of the mail and give your comments on the mails from your classmates.
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Your teacher would have created a 'class group' mailing list. You can send a mail to this list id, which will go to all students, who are members of the list.
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|}
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=== Accessing the global digital library (GDL) and developing personal digital libraries (PDLs) ===
   
For making teaching more effective, a resource rich learning environment is necessary. However, in many cases, teachers only have the text book for their subject. The text book is intended primarily for the student and the teacher needs to access resources that are a super set of the topic as dealt in the text book, so that the teacher is well placed to teach the topic in a variety of ways, based on the learning contexts and needs of the students. Teachers must also be resourceful to address any doubts or questions that may arise in class or elsewhere on the topic.
 
For making teaching more effective, a resource rich learning environment is necessary. However, in many cases, teachers only have the text book for their subject. The text book is intended primarily for the student and the teacher needs to access resources that are a super set of the topic as dealt in the text book, so that the teacher is well placed to teach the topic in a variety of ways, based on the learning contexts and needs of the students. Teachers must also be resourceful to address any doubts or questions that may arise in class or elsewhere on the topic.
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# Features of a website: How useful a website is depends on how many different ways we can access the information and use it and view it. Can it be used by teachers, students, general public? The understanding of this will also help us determine how much we can use the content.
 
# Features of a website: How useful a website is depends on how many different ways we can access the information and use it and view it. Can it be used by teachers, students, general public? The understanding of this will also help us determine how much we can use the content.
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=== How to search for information[edit | edit source] ===
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==== How to search for information ====
 
The second aspect of using a website relates to how we search for information. What words we use, how we phrase the question for search are all important features in deciding the quality of search results. For example try these different searches - Giraffe, Evolution and Evolution of giraffe You will notice that the pages that come up are all different. What we also need to keep in mind is who the user is, what is the use etc. How we use the search terms determines what results see and how relevant they are.
 
The second aspect of using a website relates to how we search for information. What words we use, how we phrase the question for search are all important features in deciding the quality of search results. For example try these different searches - Giraffe, Evolution and Evolution of giraffe You will notice that the pages that come up are all different. What we also need to keep in mind is who the user is, what is the use etc. How we use the search terms determines what results see and how relevant they are.
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=== 7 Check list for evaluating a website[edit | edit source] ===
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==== Check list for evaluating a website ====
 
The following questions should be answered to evaluate a website:
 
The following questions should be answered to evaluate a website:
 
# Whose website? (check the 'About Us' link that is usually provided on a web site to get this information)
 
# Whose website? (check the 'About Us' link that is usually provided on a web site to get this information)
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# How to contact the website owner/manager?
 
# How to contact the website owner/manager?
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==== 7.1 For teaching-learning resources - In addition to the above, the following points are to be considered[edit | edit source] ====
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==== For teaching-learning resources ====
 
# What is the website about?
 
# What is the website about?
 
# Is the information reliable - always check more than one website
 
# Is the information reliable - always check more than one website
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# How to use in class?
 
# How to use in class?
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=== 8 Steps in creating a personal resource folder[edit | edit source] ===
+
==== Professional learning communities of teachers for collaboration and peer learning ====
 +
Many professions have their own professional associations. These associations provide a forum for continuous interactions with fellow practitioners (peers) and allow methods of learning beyond the college or university. You would have learnt about [[wikipedia:Social_constructivism|social constructivism]] and peer learning. Teachers, as professionals too need to connect regularly to their peers, for sharing their experiences, practices as well as insights. They also need to be able to contact peers as well as mentors for seeking support.
 +
 
 +
While professional communities and associations have been there for a long time, ICT have made possible ways of connecting and communicating with one another simpler and more accessible. On-line communities are often a good way of continuing interactions beyond the restrictions of meetings of physical time and space, and can provide for learning beyond workshops. On-line communities can be mailing forums or discussion groups and can be accessed either through your phone or computer. 
 +
 
 +
The [http://ncte-india.org/ncte_new/pdf/NCFTE_2010.pdf National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education] (NCF-TE, 2010) talks envisions teacher education with the following key components: (i) collaborative networks for learning and sharing, (ii) continuous learning (iii) different paths and spaces for learning. It regards peer learning as an important component of Teacher Professional Development.
 +
 
 +
Professional Learning Communities is a recent method for continuing professional development and by providing teachers with peer support, it can be a sustainable method of development. You will form a ICT based learning community of all your classmates, and use this network over the course to share your ideas, experiences and learnings, seek support and feedback of classmates for collaborative learning.
 +
 
 +
==== Participation in online, email and mobile-based forums ====
 +
Since the internet is a network of computers, you can send messages (called 'emails' or simply 'mails') from your computer to others, who can access it on any computer connected to the internet.
 +
 
 +
You may be using a 'free' (as in free of cost) email such as Gmail. You should know that your mails can be 'read' by the email provider Google. Your mails are 'machine read' by Google to show you advertisements based on the content of your mails. Your mails may also be 'tapped' by authorised and unauthorised entities as it passes over the internet. Hence you need to take the maximum care of your digital information and be careful of what you share digitally. 
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|'''Student activity time''' - You will need to create an email-id for yourself, this is like a digital post-box or digital address. You can create an email id using a Gmail on <nowiki>http://gmail.com</nowiki>. Login by providing your 'user id' and then 'your password'. Compose an email and send to another student whose id you know. You can send it to your classmate. Compose an email discussing some of the resources you saw on your topic and ask for your classmate to give suggestions and feedback on your resource. Copy your teacher's email id in the 'cc'.
 +
Receive emails in your 'inbox' from your classmates. Open and read them. 'Reply-to' the sender of the mail and give your comments on the mails from your classmates.
 +
 
 +
Your teacher would have created a 'class group' mailing list. You can send a mail to this list id, which will go to all students, who are members of the list.
 +
 
 +
|}[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources <nowiki/>]
 +
==== Steps in creating a personal resource folder ====
 
There are several steps in creating a resource folder. The specific technology actions for each of these steps, is available under the relevant application in the Explore an application page.
 
There are several steps in creating a resource folder. The specific technology actions for each of these steps, is available under the relevant application in the Explore an application page.
 
# Make a folder on the computer by topic
 
# Make a folder on the computer by topic
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# Format the document
 
# Format the document
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=== Personal Digital Library ===
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==== Personal Digital Library ====
 
The set of resources downloaded in your folders for the given topic, along with your 'meta document' constitutes your personal digital library for the topic. You can build such libraries on any topic you are interested in, and build your own knowledge in a structured manner. Since the internet has resources on almost all topics, you have an opportunity to keep learning, that too on topics of your interest. The topic or area need not be only one of theoretical interest or only to build your knowledge. You can also work on building skills since there are likely to be videos available for helping you learn a new language, or even a skill like swimming. You can also share this personal digital library with your colleagues so that they can also benefit. When teachers share their personal digital libraries / resources from their library with their colleagues, cumulatively, it creates a resource rich environment. Try creating a personal digital library on a topic or issue you have always wanted to learn about.
 
The set of resources downloaded in your folders for the given topic, along with your 'meta document' constitutes your personal digital library for the topic. You can build such libraries on any topic you are interested in, and build your own knowledge in a structured manner. Since the internet has resources on almost all topics, you have an opportunity to keep learning, that too on topics of your interest. The topic or area need not be only one of theoretical interest or only to build your knowledge. You can also work on building skills since there are likely to be videos available for helping you learn a new language, or even a skill like swimming. You can also share this personal digital library with your colleagues so that they can also benefit. When teachers share their personal digital libraries / resources from their library with their colleagues, cumulatively, it creates a resource rich environment. Try creating a personal digital library on a topic or issue you have always wanted to learn about.
  

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