This Weeks Overview

Connectivism Wordle

Important Ideas for The Week – What about the kids?  It’s just a course?

The readings this week got me thinking about the future, what will it look like for these kids I’m teaching.  So I think this idea of slowly changing the way we work so that we can better understand things like Transmedia Navigation is really important.  We won’t figure out how we can best equip young students with the right skills for this kind of participation until we understand it ourselves.  We won’t understand it ourselves unless we participate.  Hence why I am involved in the course.  So I wrote a post on the blog where I wear the hat of Primary School Teacher to generate some discussion over there.

Stephen’s remark that things that are most course like – for example everyone descending on the course at the same time – feel the least natural.  This really resonates and yet I don’t feel really connected to the idea of Personal Learning Networks either.  The great thing about a course is that everyone does come together at the same time, it is also a pain.

From my internet I want the extremes either the pushing the envelope thinking or the connection to the mundane everyday of everyone else.  So I think one of the reasons that I’m really paying attention this time is that I receive a regular email from Dave Pollard and I always find him to be a good anchor.   He provides the pushing the envelope thinking so if he’s listening I’m listening along also, and he is listening.  My next step is to find someone who I can connect with who is providing the mundane Aussie perspective – connectivism in everyday life.  I think that with a theory like this it’s what you do everyday a little bit that will be where the rubber meets the road.  This is not simple and it’s not just about Twitter.

Question of The Week

• In the broader social context how can we construct an environment that motivates a variety of users to contribute so that any idea of ‘truth‘ is at least somewhat representative of the community in which it is being analysed?

‘In a world that is not predictable, improvisation and innovation are more than desirable, they are essential.’ My reading of Wenger helped me understand the potential of the read/write web for fostering innovation.

“Metrics for such innovations are tricky, since social practices evolve slowly and surround us continuously, and thus become our frame of reference. It is not until we are abruptly forced to put them aside that we become aware of how much they have been shaping our lives.” (link) John Seely Brown,I think Wenger is about realistically providing an authentic environment where the natural processes of learning and innovation are augmented. Imagine if we made no space for innovation in learning. There would be only one answer, one way of learning. How much real learning would occur? On the other hand if we choose only to focus on innovation it would be difficult to know what was important to us, how we should start.

In my previous post I discussed the difference between collaboration and cooperation. Noting the subtleties in authority, autonomy and control. Wenger goes further and addresses the dualistic nature of these and many other aspects of learning design so that the community designer can approach learning design with a clear mind and open eyes. These provide a frame of reference for creating a balance where learning is understood from the perspective of the people involved, their relationships to each other, the relationship of the community to other communities, the place of all participants in the world and possibly most importantly the relationship of these parts to practice.

The complications of building learning communities are the complications of being in relationships, building businesses and just generally being a person in the world. We are always fighting the greater of two evils or looking for a way to have our cake and eat it to. By recognising the innately human task of learning and innovation we can support the people and therefore the practice and often save ourselves a dollar in the long term.

Even though Wengers language can be a little esoteric I found his approach very practical in it’s essence.

• Things change – we can attempt to plan for it but we can’t control it, don’t fight it, capitalise on it
• We don’t work in isolation – the linkages are what helps us grow and achieve, support them and they’ll support you
• We need a boundary to work towards – a clear vision helps us identify with the community we are part of, make it clear but not dictatorial
• Fostering innovation can economically and usefully be used manage practice and learning as part of the wider human experience – create processes that make this natural and ongoing

The potential of the read/write web to blur the boundary between producer and consumer may provide us with an opportunity to help learners and learning designers understand their roles as they overlap and intertwine.

I sit squarely at the intersection of designer and learner. I participate in various communities and have many many online learning experiences. The challenge for me is defining where those boundaries lie, where my questions intersect the questions of the communities I engage with and how I can develop a sense of the overall path of my learning so that I can support others in their learning. I wonder how other people are responding to a learning landscape where change is constant?

People like learning from models but… not just any models. They’re a choosey lot.

• If you want people to engage in the learning experience your offering you should ask what your learners want, you should demonstrate the highest standards for your profession and you should provide ample reason for them to trust you professionally and personally.

Online application – What do you do with different level of experience in your online community? What do you do if you can’t gather enough people together around a common learning experience?

Learning on my own

An individual is only going to be motivated to learn in a group if they believe that it will be quicker than trial and error.

• You can help them understand the value of the learning if you set clear parameters for the learning.
• You need to put thought into how what your teaching in a group context is going to be applied by the learner in their context

Online application – How do you ensure that you give the right cues for how to apply the learning in your own setting?

Comparing myself to others

Individuals sometimes make goals for their learning by comparing themselves to others.

• By providing opportunities for both experts and other learners to demonstrate their knowledge you provide the maximum opportunity for new learners to contribute.
• Another strategy may be to provide opportunities to practice in small groups to test their competence.

Online application – How do you help people find the appropriate person/s for social comparison online? How do you provide opportunities for novices to see the work of experts and other novices as well as practice participation in less threatening environments?

Making judgements

Individuals have a sweet spot where they can learn new ideas outside their pre-conceived goals for learning.

• By providing a safe, genuine, respectful environment individuals are more likely to disclose information that is valuable in determining where the sweet spot is.
• This type of environment also provides the opportunity for the individuals participating to test out new ideas to see if they are useful.

Online application – How do you provide a safe environment online without applying so much control that individuals don’t feel that they can test new ideas?

Self disclosure

Individuals learn through personal stories.

• Sharing of educator and participant stories should be encouraged.
• No-one individual in the group should monopolize the time.

Online application – How do you ensure that the individuals sharing provides contributions appropriate to the medium? Eg some personal disclosure but more focus on learning outcomes.

Self-monitoring

Individuals may either contribute too much or too little depending on their ability to determine the appropriate action for the group.

• Provide information about the value of the learning taking place to make it really obvious to those who may take longer to ascertain the value of the learning
• Provide clear criteria for assessing whether learning is going on

Online application – When developing online learning communities how much focus should be given to helping the learner assess whether learning is going on?

Feedback

Adults can learn from feedback. Feedback is best received when you have broken down any barriers between you and the receiver by developing a trusting relationship.

• Make sure you’ve built trust through disclosure and collaboration first.
• Don’t be judgeMENTAL.
• Keep it confidential.

Online application – How do you avoid hurt feelings and misunderstandings when it comes to giving feedback online? What if you’re the right person to give the feedback in the online community but you haven’t spent time building the relationship, is it still appropriate?

Learning conversations

Discussion and collaboration can provide rich experiences for learning.

• Distribute the air-time equally between the mentors and the learners
• Provide opportunities for all levels of participants to provide supporting evidence for their feedback & link it back to practice
• Questioning skills are also very important to facilitate maximum learning in these conversations

Online application – Can you provide a framework to assist the learners and mentors to improve the quality of their conversations?

Group Dynamics

People can be strongly influenced by belonging to a group. Mostly this works for the growth of the whole. Sometimes it can get out of hand and people can lose their sense of self and responsibility.

• Encourage ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours type relationships’. They stimulate individuals to work toward the group goals.
• Give opportunities for individuals to share the leadership roles
• Build cohesiveness. Use names, create an expectation of sharing, discuss goals, shared activities.
• Encourage free discussion and debate.

Online application – In an online community how do you engage outsiders to keep the ideas fresh without alienating those who feel strongly attached to the group?

From a review of an article by Saunders, S. (1999). “The Social Psychology of Adult Learning” in J. Athanasou (ed.). The Psychology of Adult Learning, Sydney: Social Science Press.