The PLE Microblogging Alphabet on Cirip 

(in square brackets are included different web 2.0 tools and applications used on the platform)

by Gabriela Grosseck (@Gabriela, @ggrosseck),

Carmen Holotescu (@cami13, @cami13)

A = ambient intimacy (ask for help, arguing, aggregating thoughts) [authorStream / Adobe files]

B = backchannel (blogging / writing in 140 characters, brainstorming) [Blip.fm]

C = connect with friends, collaboration, communication channel (see Grosseck’s SlideShare presentation Letter C) [CIRIP, capzles]

D = discover, disseminate ideas, discussions [deezer / dotSUB / diagrammr / dipity]

E = explore (providing) experiences, (meeting) experts, exchange opinions, social_echo chamber! [eOK / email]

F = follow the people that matter, fun (enjoyable way to learn), find interesting people/subjects [Flickr (photos/albums]

G = generate, genuinely multi-lingual (write content in any language you want), groups, gather interests, gossips [groups / Glogster]

H = hyperlinking (to support digital media, multimedia objects) [hashtags]

I = information sharing, interactions, (in)formal environment / learning beyond imagination

J = just-in time [Jabber]

K = knowledge, know-how, key-events

L = learning through conversations, liberty of speech/thoughts [LiveVideo / LiveStreaming / Links]

M = microblogging, multimedia, mobile, metacognition, monitoring everything [MyVideo / Mindomo, Mindmeister]

N = (social)networking, news [notaLand]

O = observe, organize/organizational, open(ess), optimism, online [OpenOffice Files]

P = (social) presence, practice C-R skills, private and public, participation [Photopeach/Prezi/Picassa Albums]

Q = query, quizz, questions [quiz/Polls / qIK]

R = resources, researching, reflecting, resolving, record, REAL TIME WEB [RSS feeds]

S = share your thoughts/ideas/feelings, search, surveying, spontaneous, social objects [SlideShare / ScreenR, ScreenCastle, ScreenJelly / Seesmic / SMS]

T = tracking community/ideas/tags, trivia, teamwork, traffic [Twitter / Trilulilu / Twingly / TagCloud]

U = understanding, ubiquitous, up to date, URL [users]

V = voice, vibrating, virus of change [Voicethread / Vocaroo / Vimeo]

W = What’s happening?, worth to invest time, will to be involved, the world, the way to connect/interact, to be there [Widgets]

X = xeonophobia, Xanadu of “C” World

Y = Yes You Can! Ying-Yang of social media, year-around [YouTube, Yahoo Messenger]

Z = zirconium of social networking sites

PLE on Cirip

On Cirip each member can build not only a PLE, but also a PLN which can include:

1. connection / communication with the followed users;
2. groups they participate in, according to the topics of interest;
3. site/blog/network/search feeds;        
4. social networks providing educational objects which can be included in messages.

Thus Cirip.eu can be considered a social network of PLEs.

Characteristics of a PLE on Cirip: continuos, persistent, relevant, connecting / integrating, mobile, scalable, open to OERs, fiable, distributed, universal.

PLE represented as a Mindmeister mindmap, integrated in a note published in the group for learning designs

Multimedia Objects embedded 

Cirip integrates a wide range of Web2.0 applications and social networks organized around educational resources, many of them in Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009, compiled by Jane Hart from Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies. The Cirip platform also features in this top.

The integration of Web2.0 applications and social networks is realized in order to encourage, organize and simplify their usage by the members (teachers, trainers, students and other learners); we can say Cirip offers an openness to OERs (Open Educational Resources). Thus, the multimedia objects become part of the conversation/communication flow of the platform, and of the members' microblogs/portfolios.

Mindomo mindmap integrated in a note published in the group for learning designs

Cirip as a social network

Cirip is a profile-centric network. Furthermore, Cirip is a social network around multimedia objects, thus an object-centric network:

• objects are part of the communication-conversation flow of the platform;
• objects connect Cirip with other social networking / Web2.0 applications organized around educational objects;
• objects         can be reused, validated, created or recreated individually or collaboratively - we can say Cirip offers an opening to Open         Educational Resources – OERs;
• meta-objects meaning objects of learning design - LD can         be created; the objects         of learning design         specify learning scenarios, best practices for integrating new technologies (Cirip in particular) in education;
• by extension, public or private groups can be considered as social         objects.

Check articles on Cirip published at scribd.com/ggrosseck, scribd.com/cami13