 Good morning, class. Let's begin today's lesson. Please silence your cell phones and close your laptops. Today's lesson on writing a research paper will remind us all that Wikipedia should never be used as a reliable source of information. Excuse me, Professor. I have a question. Yes, of course. I understand that we should be focused on today's lesson, and that cell phones and laptops can be a distraction in the classroom. But I wonder if maybe there's a way to do both. How so? Well, I get all of my information from the web. I have my favorite blogs that I follow, all of my Twitter feeds. I get all of the latest headlines sent to me through a news app on my phone. And when I find something interesting, I repost it and share it with my followers. So you're saying that your mobile devices connect you to a world of learners that extend far beyond this room, and that you have access to a universe of information sources? Maybe some of that information could help out in today's lesson. Yeah, exactly. In today's networked environment, we can learn from individuals and groups from just about anywhere. We really are living in a global community. Yes, but isn't there a lot of misinformation online and anonymous users who we don't know? True, but lately I've been working on being a better digital citizen. I've been gaining critical thinking abilities to ask good questions about information sources, which has made me more aware of the fact that I need to protect my own online identity. Being more well informed about the information I use every day has also helped me collaborate with people online. I've been contributing to social spaces to share my ideas and opinions. Me too. I made this YouTube video about personal privacy online and how to create and share social identities. I shared it on Facebook and it got over 100 likes. I've also heard from other learners in my network who saw it on my LinkedIn page and found it really valuable and insightful. Sounds like some of the goals we've been trying to accomplish in this course. Exactly. I've been learning so much in this course, but I've also been learning from friends and peers online. I've been from a team of instructors and also hundreds of learners from around the world. Sounds great and everything, but you can't apply that in this course. I have my own assignments that you'll need to complete. I'll definitely complete all of the assignments for your class, but as a lifelong learner, I'm always learning and I gain so much from the people I've met recently in online communities and in the MOOC. The work I've done in the meta-letteracy MOOC has enhanced my learning in this course and has taught me to be an empowered independent thinker who can work well with others. I'm glad you're learning so much, but these newfangled technologies are just a distraction in a course like this, where we really need to be focused and learn research methods. I went to the movies the other night and the entire experience was ruined by someone texting. Oh, I completely understand. There are definitely a lot of inappropriate uses of technology. I have this friend who takes way too many selfies. But, you know, I found that there is actually a lot of overlap in what we've been talking about in this course and what I've been learning in open online spaces. There are so many ways to be socially connected today and I've learned from others in this connected world. I've also found that I've been teaching others in these spaces. Right. I've been teaching my friends about emerging technologies that I've learned about. And I've been completing peer assessments in the MOOC, so I've been giving feedback to other students based on the contributions they've been making in the course. As a meta-literal learner, I'm a communicator, a translator, a producer, a collaborator, and a teacher. I thought you said there was a team of teachers in the MOOC. What are they doing while you're doing all of the grading? Oh, they're actively involved as well. We are all learners and teachers and producers, collaborators, communicators, authors, and researchers. We all learn from each other and teach each other in an open social environment. We've also learned to look critically at open sources such as Wikipedia without discounting the potential value of resources that are developed by a community of authors and editors. By doing so, we are better informed with an improved understanding of the range of sources available in today's evolving information environment. We also contributed to these spaces as informed digital citizens. I mean, it's great that we get into a circle once in a while in this class, but in the MOOC, I'm also connected to a circle of learners in a collaborative social network. We interact at different times throughout the day and from locations from around the world. Interesting parallel to our classroom circle. I do try to break up the lecture once in a while. Well, I must admit, this conversation has really taken over today's lesson plan, but it has also contributed to it in really important ways. I had no idea you learned so much on your own and with others. I'm starting to see the value of this approach. I guess I'm still a little annoyed that someone ruined my night out at the movies by texting. Well, thanks so much for listening. This dialogue has been really great. Thank you. We don't have much time left, but maybe we should turn on all of our mobile devices and laptops and take a look at some of the resources you mentioned. Great idea. Where do we begin? Let's take a look at the MOOC. If you're using your cell phone or iPad, download the course error app, and if you're on your laptop, just go to courseerror.org. Sounds great. I think I can find that on my phone. Then, once you have the app, or if you're in the course error homepage, find the search bar and type in meta-literacy empowering yourself in a connected world. Okay, I think I found it. Yes, that's it. Okay, what's next? Well class, today's lesson is about being a digital citizen.