Learning Commons Episode 5- A New Venture/Adventure

SUMMARY: A new collaborative site for educations – www.lcommons.org – is described. Ways to use its tools, resources, group areas are introduced to foster and develop a dynamic learning commons. Participation is encouraged.


The Shifting Landscape 

Let me quickly recap my blog posts so far:

This winter, I reviewed curriculum-related software on a variety of platforms. Many have innovative features and I invited readers to share their experiences. All of us are trying to keep up with the shifting landscape of the web, apps, social networks, feeds, etc.

Then later in the year, I reached out to a number of jurisdictions across Canada to find out how technology was being used to support teachers. It proved difficult to compare and analyze the many different approaches, challenges, and levels of implementation in each province.

And this summer, I examined ancient and contemporary libraries and became particularly excited about the contributions of the school library community in creating the “Learning Commons.” I remain convinced that the concept of the Learning Commons is catching on as an innovative way to structure schools for 21st century learning.

A New Adventure

While it is interesting to dispute and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of software for educators, and how to use existing applications in different educational contexts and jurisdictions, I would like to share the hands-on adventure that I have been on.

When I’m not blogging, I've been lending my educational experience to a Toronto-based company with whom I had worked at Ontario’s Ministry of Education.  One of their current development projects is to develop an online social application that helps educators improve teaching and learning for a specific jurisdiction.  The software promises such essential features as matching resources to outcomes, assessment, collaborating to share best practice in teaching outcomes and assessment, giving feedback, and organizing results into meaningful curriculum material.

A Sample Page from my Library on www.lcommons.org

In my effort to get feedback about the feasibility of the software to help the educational community, I asked my developer friends the question: “How might teachers use this software to foster the development of a Learning Commons”.

After a short philosophical debate, the developers challenged me to answer my own question.

With that, they made a version of the software mentioned above and have invited me over the past few months to work, explore, play with it. Mutually, we moulded it to fit emerging ideas around the learning commons. And after some tweaks, I am excited to see trends emerging, with the features that will create real potential in a social application.

Of course, a social application is not much fun with just one – and so, with gracious permission of the hosts, I’m opening up an invitation to you, as educators and champions of learning alike, to participate in this community and see what we could build together.

So, how does this site relate to the Learning Commons?

That is the exciting question which I can't answer – not now, at least, and certainly not by myself.

You will see, once inside, that the application exhibits a lot of traits of a social network -  it allows for groups to be formed and diverse files to be uploaded and shared. There is an ability for each group to provide blogs and wikis. Members can join chat and discussion areas. However, there are also new tools for teachers to be able to create, add, and collate their content easily and effectively. More tools will be developed to match the growing needs and value of the application.

This is no ancient library! But as I have been trying to show in the last few posts, a library is more than the building that houses it or the collection it stores - it provides a culture of and for learning. And a social network isn't just about the software and features that it runs on. Libraries, networks, groups and schools can now harness the power of technology to build a learning commons for all.

So how do you participate?

If you are an adult educator or in-service/pre-service teacher in a school, school board, university, college or place of learning, anywhere on the globe, you are invited to join. The registration is open.

The site is called www.lcommons.org. You will need a username and password to access - which you can setup by following the registration link below the sign in.

I look forward to hearing what you think and see what you might do for YOUR learning commons.