An Ideal Digital Learning Community...

To create a digital learning community I would need to make sure I had a niche that I could fill and some great ideas to get it started. I believe starting a digital learning community that grows would take: 

1. Amazing advertising through social media - joining sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat can make a difference. 

2. Allowing the joining process to be easy- everything on the website should be easy and easily accessible! 

3. A niche that hasn't been hit yet- can this be done? 

4. A place where people can have an open forum, share ideas and thoughts easily- connect with others around the world! 

5. An easy way to join, learn and grow- can students chart their progress and share with other students? This is the best way to learn! 

6. Attractiveness for teachers- this means something that is EASY to use- that connects students, parents and teachers in the fastest way possible in a FREE forum. 

7. Attractiveness for students- incentives, great graphics and exciting website design layout that is not only easy on the eyes, but is also something fun that connects students to teachers and other students and allows parents to look at it with ease and understand the meat of it. 

Five DLCs and what in the world this means...

First of all let me tell you what a DLC even is! A DLC is a digital learning community (a website) that allows people to join and share information, create an account that will connect them to others that are like minded and join a community of people that helps your needs, whether that be in the classroom for you or your students. 

I explored 5 different sites and also joined them, being a teacher right now has helped me figure out what my students would like also. I joined Khan Academy, because at this point of my educational career, it is my absolute favorite and makes the most sense to use in the classroom as well as it does a great job of keeping parents involved with their learning. Khan Academy allows students to watch videos of standards they are covering in class in interactive demos that they can share with their parents, use as homework practice and for general practice outside of the classroom. 

https://www.khanacademy.org/- This is the website I chose to join and for obvious reasons- it is a great resource for teachers as well as parents and students! 

http://openstudy.com/- This is a very cool website! You can study with others on an open forum! 

http://www.uopeople.org/- This is a non-profit university of learning! Enjoy going to classes without the hassle of spending any money! Good for your brain and your wallet! 

http://www.thefunkuniversity.com/- Online music lectures for learning bass! 

http://www.cosmolearning.com/- A free online learning source for teachers and students of homeschool. 

I believe that Khan academy does a great job of getting students intrigued as well as being a great resource for teachers. You also don't have to pay and it is run by donations, which makes this site so wonderful. I believe that all sites should be as accessible as Khan Academy and joining a DLC should also be optional to enjoy the benefits. 

Three MOST impressive character traits of an exemplary citizen within a digital learning community...

What is an impressive character trait of an exemplary citizen within a learning community and more importantly what are the three MOST impressive traits? 

ONE

One of the most important character traits of a teacher in a digital learning community is to promote and model digital citizenship and model responsibility- Teachers should model ethical practice when teaching, understand what it means to teach safe, ethical students who show behavior that is premeditated. 

TWO

Modeling digital age work and learning- what does it mean to model? Show students how important it is represent yourself in an upstanding way, to communicate relevant ideas and how to effectively support research and learning. 

THREE

Engage in professional growth and leadership- improving yourself and becoming a lifelong learner is so important for teachers to not only do, but to model for their students. Demonstrating visions and fostering a sense of renewal is the key to effectively using digital tools and resources. 

Creating a Blog...

Creating a blog can be super simple! I have created many different blogs that have helped me understand and connect myself with others.  This blog was so simple to create! All you need is a gmail account and you can sign up! I look forward to being a member of the TOOL digital learning community.