7 Degrees of MOOC

In one of the opening sessions for #ETMOOC, Alec Couros hinted at the ubiquity of network connections when he shared the link to The Oracle of Bacon.  That site, based on the Six Degrees of Separation, highlights the interconnectedness of the acting community.

I prefer to consider the range of connections within what many educators now refer to as the 'PLN' or personal learning network.  In recent months, I've done a fair bit of thinking about how educators in the online world experience at least Seven Degrees of Connectedness.

The 7 Degrees Infographic was collaboratively developed in an attempt to qualify the wide range of relationships we experience online.  My original blog post later led to this K-12 Online Conference presentation that goes into more detail about the tools and connections many are now familiar with.

Knowing that ETMOOC participants are engaging in many and varied experiences with co-learners, I'd be interested to know whether or not these stages resonate with participants.  For those new to blogging, tweeting and sharing online, it might be even more enlightening to revisit this infographic at the end of the course.


HOT OFF THE PRESSES: My colleagues on the eastern side of the planet have just released Twitter: A Cultural Guidebook which is based on the 7 Degrees of Connectedness.  What's more, it's a free download.

K12Online: 7 Degrees of Connectedness

This week the K-12 Online Conference kicks into high gear with video presentations that cross four strands.  If you know of any teachers who could use some mid-semester encouragement or motivation, please point them to the conference.

My presentation is based on 7 Degrees of Connectedness, and will go live in the "Getting Started" strand on Wednesday.  This video was produced with the support of a few of my online colleagues whose stories weave in and out of the narrative.  In short, my talk invites educators to foster authentic relationships by connecting with others through a range of social media tools.

What is it for you that leads you to pay closer attention to the learners in your network? Do you feel close to those colleagues you interact with, even if you've never met? Are you more attuned to those people whose voices are amplified because you met at a conference; exchanged stories; shared a meal? As our connections grow with online colleagues, we may find ourselves in qualitatively distinct relationships with co-learners. By sharing our ideas alongside details of our personal lives, we have a tendency to become more and more familiar to one another. Augment these connections with voices and imagery, and it can lead to deeper and more fulfilling connections. In this presentation Rodd Lucier (AKA The Clever Sheep), invites you to walk along with a few of his colleagues who join him in reflecting on how modern tools are impacting our online relationships. The concept of '7 Degrees of Connectedness' is introduced as one way to qualify the relationships we foster with online colleagues.
Presenter: Rodd Lucier Location: Komoka, Ontario, Canada