The dance of change— CCK08

Hardly a dancer myself on any traditional dance floor- lacking rhythm and coordination, neither fleet of foot nor graceful--

Yet a sometimes eager, always passioned participant in the dance of change as a catalyst who has attempted to defy resistance and continue to press forward in whatever small corner of the world I happen to inhabit—often without success. Unwilling to date to remain in any way satisfied with the status quo, George Siemens’ comments truly resonate with my experience:

“The dance of change between catalyst and counter pressures, leading ultimately to new affordances, can be difficult. A smoother or more rapid experience in the restructuring of education can hardly be expected.”

A few steps this week in fact—two forward- after co developing materials for a workshop for public school administrators immersing them for just a moment in 21st century tools for learning – and then 3 back -- to learn that the facilitator and participants of the workshop situated in a public school were unable to access more than half the resources provided, and for a time unable to even view the wiki on which the workshop materials were to be accessed. This workshop was an attempt at small scale innovation at an administrative level -- an attempt marred by resistance from IT departments who totally fail to understand the transformative potential of new technologies. This workshop, in its failure, clearly illustrates in its one small example the need for systemic change as George Siemens notes:

“Yet, in spite of small-scale innovation, new methods typically do not result in new spaces and structures of learning. As noted by David (1990), new innovations are adopted in the context of existing physical spaces. Changes of a more significant and profound nature need to be enacted at a system-wide level.”

Frustrating at best, I’ve been dancing in different K12 environments for many years. Most memorable are my early experiences when the large urban district in which I taught determined that pulling down a filter (that blocked sites of sports teams used to assist students in learning math and sites with primary source content --interviews with former slaves-- to help students understand the concept of slavery) was the only way to protect students from danger. Lack of access rather than teaching students responsible Internet use became the norm then and as illustrated by my dance with the workshop this week, continues to be the norm to this very day, at least in my part of the world. Consequently, Wendy’s statement resounded with me:

“The sober implication for schools is that existing systems are so entrenched in bureaucracies of current practice that they are not likely to change. Those of us who are trying to innovate from within are basically banging our heads against the wall.”

The dance- it must continue but I think with reasoned passion and suggested models such as that in the reading of George Siemens’ paper. Even though the paper referenced systemic change at the university level, it’s my sense that the ideas can be readily adapted for the k12 environment in which I live, and work, and learn.

George Siemens speaks of the importance of transforming learning spaces:
“Our ability to learn, grow, and adapt to change pressures is directly linked to the nature of our learning environments. Oblinger (2006) addressed the link between space design and opportunities for learning:

"Space - whether physical or virtual - can have an impact on learning. It can bring people together; it can encourage exploration, collaboration, and discussion. Or, space can carry an unspoken message of silence and disconnectedness. More and more we see the power of built pedagogy (the ability of space to define how one teaches) in colleges and universities. (para 1)”

Reconceptualizing learning spaces for k12 students-- designing for learning ecologies that enable networked learning and participatory pedagogies will help to ensure that learners are far better equipped to live and learn in today’s world. Today’s classrooms continue to support and enable delivery of content by the expert. Novice learners require some structure but as Lisa discusses George’s model, the same could apply at the k12 level.

“Structure is seen as necessary for beginners in a subject, to provide foundation, with exploration at the next level for the learner, and room for negotiation. It seems to reflect the approach of the English tutorial system, or graduate study (when grad students aren’t subject to serfdom, that it). This model would bring the perception of universities our culture can reclaim (centers of learning) together with new methods that take advantage of the latest technologies.”

Developmentally appropriate participatory pedagogies could transform learning IF, at least in the United States we can move from the current NCLB model of paper/pencil multiple choice standardized testing. I’d add to George’s statement

“Multiple interacting elements occurring on tension fault lines, such as open versus closed systems, expertise versus amateur content creation, networks and ecologies versus hierarchies and bounded classroom structures, create a climate where it becomes difficult to accurately explore or consider future directions.”

an additional tension fault line of NCLB testing versus authentic assessment for learning, as it seems to me that this systemic change is also critical for any consideration of transformation to learning ecologies that enable participatory learning. In concurring with Janet

“These powerful opportunities risk being trumped by the governance of our infrastructure. There must be a way to move forward with a sense of due care and positive engagement, not just by learners but also by the systems and communities which enable them.”

I’m wondering if one possible way to move forward with due care is to continue our dances in our personal situations and also make sure we broadcast to government agencies such models proposed by George Siemens or Peters?

As Keith noted Peters also proposed a model:

“I want to take a different tack and suggest a form of the university that does not break entirely with the founding historical discourses and their single unifying ideas but preserves them, adapts them to new conditions, reinvents and redefines them as an imaginative basis for resistance against the narrowing of thought (Michael Peters, 2007, p.21).”

Could this also apply to American public education? With the advent of the new technologies and views on social learning, can’t reinventing and redefining public education can only be in the best interests of all our children.

And I’m wondering if we can’t enlist foundations such as MacArthur with resources to sustain the dance as they seem to be moving in a similar direction--

“Rather than thinking of public education as a burden that schools must shoulder on their own, what would it mean to think of public education as a responsibility of a more distributed network of people and institutions? And rather than assuming that education is primarily about preparing for jobs and careers, what would it mean to think of education as a process of guiding kids’ participation in public life more generally, a public life that includes social, recreational, and civic engagement? And finally, what would it mean to enlist help in this endeavor from an engaged and diverse set of publics that are broader than what we tradition¬ally think of as educational and civic institutions?”

What type of marathon is needed to effect this change with models and supporting research? What will it take to reach the point where we are four steps forward and meeting minimal resistance? I sure would like the opportunity to kick off my shoes—or do I need some endurance training?

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CCK08

Connected learning-- playing with boundaries CCK08

(Thanks to K12online07 and Darren Kuropatwa for the phrase “playing with boundaries”)

For over 13 years, the view from my kitchen window overlooked one of my perennial beds and a vast wooded area. The browns and rusts of autumn would give way to bare branches coated in ice and snow followed by the greening of the woods with the coming of spring and summer. So blessed with such a vista--- Suddenly pink flags in a line not far into the woods and later noisy machinery tearing down trees to make way for a home for new neighbors and with that a need to attend to boundaries. To one who had grown to love the expanse, this attention to boundaries, set by law with steel corner boundary pins, was disruptive, unnerving— such a contradiction to what seems are increasingly blurred boundaries in many aspects of our globalized society as William H. Dutton writes:

“Across many arenas, the Internet is becoming not only a new source of information, but also a platform for networking individuals in new Internet enabled groups that can challenge the influence of other, more established, bases of institutional authority.

Networked individuals’ can move across, undermine and go beyond the boundaries of existing institutions.

The ability the Internet affords individuals to network within and beyond various institutional arenas in ways that can enhance and reinforce the ‘communicative power’ of ‘networked individuals’ is key.

An intriguing avenue to explore could be to seek to hold Internet users more accountable through the development of innovative approaches to using the … Internet enabled networks to regulate itself…. These are typified by self-governing processes developed for successful novel online applications where users participate in establishing and monitoring governance rules.”

And Manuel Castells contends in the Afterword of Network Logic

“Finally, in this network society, power continues to be the fundamental structuring force of its shape and direction. But power does not reside in institutions, not even in the state or in large corporations. It is located in the networks that structure society.

This is why to counter networks of power and their connections, alternative networks need to be introduced: networks that disrupt certain connections and establish new ones…”

With the many power/control “boundaries” of society blurring and new technologies pushing the “playing with boundaries” out into new grounds in business and politics, constantly focusing on a power shift, George Siemens notes:

“The individual has far more control over what they access/read, contribute/write, and who they dialogue with that ever before. This does not translate into a brave new world. But it does suggest a foundational change that educators need to be aware of.”

Sometimes that awareness arises unexpectedly:

“It has taken years of acclimatizing our youth to stale artificial environments, piles of propaganda convincing them that what goes on inside these environments is of immense importance, and a steady hand of discipline should they ever start to question it.“

And yet--

“Apparently, several students standing in the back cranked up their iPods as I started to lecture and never turned them off, sometimes even breaking out into dance….The students were undoubtedly engaged, just not with me“ Wesch quoted by Joost

In other instances, colleagues publish hoping to increase awareness as Will Richardson does in Footprints in the Digital Age in Educational Leadership: ASCD

“Our students must be nomadic, flexible, mobile learners who depend not so much on what they can recall as on their ability to connect with people and resources and edit content on their desktops, or, even more likely, on pocket-size devices they carry around with them. Our teachers have to be colearners in this process, modeling their own use of connections and networks and understanding the practical pedagogical implications of these technologies and online social learning spaces.”

Shouldn’t we all be aware and hopefully “playing with boundaries” – the classroom walls, teacher as “sage on the stage”, and the traditional classroom management of desks in rows and teacher made rules. And doesn’t deeper understanding of connected learning give us reason? Suggesting we play with the boundaries-- exploring connected learning even in K12 (North American centric—yet another imposed boundary), examining the knowledge in the connections and the networks and modeling that understanding with and for students (is that a flat classroom?), designing a learning environment that supports the building of community, rather than compliance. Aren’t these also interconnected?

Many toyed with those boundaries as they sought to push, re establish or even extinguish what they see as the current practice.

Not wanting to play with current boundaries:

“I still believe that Connectivism will require to much power to be lost by the Teacher in terms of legal responsibilities.“ --Where Old Meets Now

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for my students that they do not have control over their own learning. My Answer at this time is NO. They are 12 years old, to them the power is on because they can plug something into the wall and it works… They have no conceptual understanding of much of anything other than their own limited space…" --Where Old Meets Now

Pushing back:

"Lisa Lane writes, "I think I have a right to personal empowerment by virtue of my being able to take control when necessary, or to relinquish it when required." Is this true? If one cannot take control, does this person no longer have a right to personal empowerment? Do rights depend on capacities? Or to ask the same question from the opposite question: do we exert control by virtue of our nature, our personality - or do we exert control by virtue of our actions?" --Stephen questioning Lisa

"One of the most striking images I have of my visit to South Africa was of the walls that are everywhere. But nowhere were people less safe. Huddling together with people of your own kind, keeping those you fear at bay with fences and security and police, makes you less safe. You have the illusion of control - but it’s only an illusion." --Stephen Downes

“This can be a positive force or a disruption in the classroom and the university, depending on how prepared we are to harness these Internet enabled learning networks.” --Dutton

“What would schools be like, I imagine, if we learned to use our conversational adult voice within its four walls. It might immediately remind us that we are keeping company with kids, not lecturing at them. It might also suggest to them that they might speak to us in the same way. After all, our way of talking, arguing, persuading, and thinking aloud are, however unintentional, models for those we share the space with. How might we, in short, create for the young settings in which they learn how to join us in the adult world? This would include modeling themselves on the varied styles of adulthood we offer, while also inventing their own ones—suitable to their ages, the generation they are growing up in, and their own unique personalities.” --Bridging Differences

"I guess what I am saying is that some students are not confident in themself to learn autonomously or of an age where they know how to go about it. Therefore some structure and scaffolding is necessary to guide them into developing life-long autonomous learning skills. Rather than the teacher having the 'power' it is about empowering students to learn". --Ruth Duggan

"I think every child is a walking power grid. They will make their connections, do what you will as a “teacher.” If you are the most attractive connection around, they will be attracted to you, will want to connect to your source of information, will grow from and with you. But if you try to constrict and insulate them, to keep them from connecting to anything or anyone but the way YOU want, the spark will jump the gap and connections will be made in all sorts of unexpected (to you) and perhaps unpleasantly shocking ways." --Ariel

"So sometimes power, authority and control will be to do with what we say and at others about what we do, and the way in which we exert power, authority and control will be constantly changing according to the circumstances and context." --Jenny

Playing with boundaries:

“Ethical behaviour cannot be imposed. It can be enforced, but cannot be produced through the use of force.

Only behaviour that is freely chosen can become ethical behaviour, because only such behaviour can be relied upon even in the absence of constraint or force. Only such behaviour will survive the breakdown of social order. Only such behaviour will permit the rebuilding of a society in the event of disaster.
Such behaviour is not created by power, regulation or force, it is taught, and such behaviour is not taught by telling, it is taught by modeling and demonstrating ethical (read: ‘reasonable’) behaviour.” --Stephen Downes

“Reciprocity is key to the power of networks, the alchemy of mutual give and take over time turning to a golden trust…is the essence of CCK08. I believe unequivocally that a space of flows flourishes when ego is subsumed in collective flourishing.“ --Keith

"In other words, if you try to influence them (K-12 students) by letting them go and try new ways of learning, they will reward you ten times what you have given them, because you have respected their freedom to learn and share. And they (and you) will enjoy learning." --Sui Fai John Mak

“The power to do something else, to communicate using alternate means, to simply not use the Moodle forums, was always in the hands of the students - if they cooperated with each other.” --Jenny

David Warlick in his K12 Online 08 presentation contends that value rises from the community not the authority – the wisdom of the community.

"• Lead from outside in
• Mobilize disparate supplies of energy
• Foster trust and empower others to act
• Help people grow out of their comfort zone (my personal favorite)
• Lead learners, not all-knowers
• Nurture other leaders
This is great advice for teachers who strive to facilitate students' development of their own personal learning environments." --Teachweb2

"As with most aspects of life, teaching requires a delicate balance of freedom and control. Perhaps structure is a better word than control. (While I know teachers who are extremely controlling, I don't personally think you have to be that way to be a good teacher.) At the same time, our students have not been given the freedom to control their educational destiny. You can't impose all that structure and just take it away. But, what if children were taught as early as preschool that they would be responsible for the learning process. How might our schools look different? How might power shift to the learner? Who might be left behind? Who would float to the top?" --Wendy Drexler

A week on the periphery, reading entries and pulling snippets of thought, thinking deeply about playing with boundaries, reflecting on where I’ve been:

• From a practice that gradually moved from “telling” within four walls to active learning with connections outside the classroom via email collaborative projects and videoconferencing (technology of that time)
  
• From an authoritarian classroom based upon compliance to one with student generated rules setting the foundation for the creation of a community
  
• From initially those many years ago feeling that I had to be an expert to modeling for students how to learn and find out what we didn’t know

I spent more time than I’d like to admit in what I’d now call “traditional teaching”. Only after years of additional, independent reading, and a student pushing me onto the Internet by actually creating a Cleveland Freenet account for me so we could communicate over the summer did I consider “playing with the traditional boundaries” of control.

Key moments that forced me to reconsider the boundaries I had set in my classroom:

1. The Cleveland Freenet Account
   
2. Engaging “at risk” urban high school students in ATT Learning Circles collaborative projects and finding an engagement in learning and writing previously not evident at all
   
3. Hours of professional development all focused on integrating technology into learning
   
4. Implementing a component of a large Technology Challenge Grant – extending my own personal network
   
5. Leaving the classroom to become a resource teacher in the Educational Technology Office and then realizing it wasn’t the technology that changed my classroom but the pedagogy
   
6. John Steinbeck’s poem (in this post)
   
7. Watching an incredible community develop in a class of students when I asked them to create the rules of our classroom, after reading Alfie Kohn’s Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community
   
8. Observing a 1rst grade classroom in which the teacher had created a community where students helped each other; she’d say: Oh, Mary dropped all her crayons and immediately students would jump to help
   
9. Observing a lunchroom of rowdy middle school aged children, who when a teacher walked under the clock on the wall, immediately were quiet.
   
10. Having students teach me what I didn’t know about technology and then in turn teach their classmates

From these and other instances, it became increasingly clear to me that very young children (I had always taught middle or high school aged), given the opportunity and experiences that modeled and demonstrated, could engage in independent, meaningful learning in a community in which compliance was not the primary focus. That high school students also responded to a “flatter” classroom that did not always specify exactly how to, where to, or how it must look (a bit harder there for they were not accustomed to teachers relinquishing that control).

And now with a deeper understanding of connected learning, thinking on where my practice is headed with the thoughtful, new and exciting pedagogies inherent in emerging technologies, might these illustrations indicate my direction? I’m wondering if very young children don’t benefit from participation in a community, from connected learning that is developmentally appropriate as evidenced here and here? I’m wondering if elementary and middle aged students learning can’t be connected and learning enhanced with an authentic audience as evidenced here and here? I’m wondering if as youngsters increase in age, the measure of connectedness and community can’t spiral appropriately? Perhaps as high school students, developing expert voices (exemplary student project) for a worldwide audience or collecting class resources via delicious can push the boundaries to more engaged, networked learning?

Pushing back, nudging those who disagree yet helped me clarify and synthesize this concept-- I’m thinking though that the playing with boundaries has only just begun as new technologies enable educators to transform practice – in ways we may not yet fathom-- Playing, connecting, learning, pushing, playing some more -- are you willing?

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CCK08

Challenges, gardens, and growing CCK08

Intuition, gut feeling—have guided me throughout my professional life as an educator. Often, I was acutely aware that I lacked a sophisticated level of thinking or knowledge of theory or philosophy to support my actions. I was one of those teachers to whom Downes referred; I was about process and doing. I was and am frequently surprised when reading and research validated(s) those feelings.

Although her context was somewhat different, Barbara Ganley eloquently asks and answers my question:

“Why, then, am I worried about all of this? Because it’s too easy to stay in places I like and listen to people I admire and leave it at that. It’s too easy to slip into smugness, to be self-congratulatory.”

So late now in my life, challenging myself to understand more deeply, I’ve moved out of my comfort zone into the transparency of connectedness and connected learning seeking that knowledge. That I’ve found colleagues who have articulated this challenge of uncomfortableness (and I totally recognize that they are in a different place on this journey), I thank you-- for you’ve contributed to my moving forward.

“I think we’re all still learning how to be connected, …and where our comfort level begins to stray into uncomfortable territory.” –Fleep

“If I decide to participate publicly in a class with 2000 students enrolled, a “massively open online course”, what is the price? …the “price is transparency”. I suspect that’s a clue to my hesitation. …do you worry that someone else will have already posted every thought you have and so why should you bother? What is the CCK08 course costing you?” –Wendy

Wendy, I suspect increasing transparency is the price for me, although I’ve not been worried that others will already have posted; I have hesitated as I read complex writings by learners who are far more expert than I- What silliness on my part— the connected learning in this course, the beauty is —that “one size does not fit all” –that our varied experiences contribute to our varied understandings –that connecting these understandings to where I now am can lead to better connections and deeper connected learning. And it’s been through colleagues in this course that I’ve come to realize that so much more fully:

“One might think that the disagreements in our individual responses to the theory of connectivism might be due to the fact we've read different things, or that we've read things differently; but I now suspect that our diverse understandings are directly the result of our varied 'prior experiences'. After all, we have to 'connect' these new ideas, to existing understandings.” --The Clever Sheep

“What I'm able to connect with first will depend on my existing conditions and context. A node that's right next to me and I can clearly relate to will enable me to make a conceptual leap in understanding, which will then facilitate another, and another until eventually I've come to realise a far greater understanding of the subject that I possibly could have without the nodes present. You might say they act as a roadmap for learning perhaps.” --Mike Bogle

Keith’s closing sentence of his “Grounded Post” really resonated with me:

“I think the course is like my garden … blossoming through difference and sameness.”

I’d been out in my gardens, though it’s not spring here, but fall— so instead of blossoming, there’s fading with that similar difference and sameness. The course and the garden do share that connectedness. And for me, not only that connectedness, but also connections to my ferns that are fast fading and the mint in the veggie garden which is blooming in places I’d not suspected. There it was— distributed, rhizomes, nodes, growing, making connections. I looked at these plants and the readings with new perspective and understandings. Some seven years ago, a friend shared a node of a fern plant that I lovingly planted on the shady side of our home. This year I actually had to decide whether to enlarge the bed or pull out some of the many new nodes (I enlarged the bed), taking time to notice clearly for the first time how the fern grew. The small mint had been carefully planted in the veggie garden two years ago. It has distributed itself from one end of the fence to the other across the back, connected, still growing.

As with me, I’ve connected with new nodes and am growing, having passed through new seasons of my life, though some more dormant than others. This weeks’ major course concepts now somewhat more clear (and I anticipate further learning as I continue to reach out to nodes of various networks) because of the connections.

One view --that knowledge is obtained from the network.

Another that knowledge is produced by a network (downes) --that

“connective knowledge is knowledge OF the connections that exist in the world. It is knowledge about how such connections are created, and what impact, or effect, such a system of connections has. It is knowledge about how we see such connections, how we observe them, and how we observe their results. …connectivism is a new type of knowledge, but it is not independent of other types of knowledge. We need to be able to see connections, and we need to be able to count them, in order to talk about them” --Downes

And lastly the view that:

“curriculum is not driven by predefined inputs from experts; it is constructed and negotiated in real time by the contributions of those engaged in the learning process. This community acts as the curriculum, spontaneously shaping, constructing, and reconstructing itself and the subject of its learning in the same way that the rhizome responds to changing environmental conditions

In a sense, the rhizomatic viewpoint returns the concept of knowledge to its earliest roots. Suggesting that a distributed negotiation of knowledge can allow a community of people to legitimize the work they are doing among themselves and for each member of the group, the rhizomatic model dispenses with the need for external validation of knowledge, either by an expert or by a constructed curriculum. Knowledge can again be judged by the old standards of "I can" and "I recognize." If a given bit of information is recognized as useful to the community or proves itself able to do something, it can be counted as knowledge. The community, then, has the power to create knowledge within a given context and leave that knowledge as a new node connected to the rest of the network.” --Cormier

Each of these suggests to me, if I’ve understood correctly--distributed, diverse, autonomous, connected, open learning which I find particularly appealing and applicable to my practice. When Downes suggested the pedagogy that flows from these concepts --of teacher demonstration and modeling with student practice and reflection, it totally resonated with me! I’ve done that! Another clear connection –my experiences in national board certification late in my classroom journey had assisted me in concluding much the same--- And when he continued:

“Learning, in other words, occurs in communities, where the practice of learning is the participation in the community. A learning activity is, in essence, a conversation undertaken between the learner and other members of the community. This conversation, in the web 2.0 era, consists not only of words but of images, video, multimedia and more. This conversation forms a rich tapestry of resources, dynamic and interconnected, created not only by experts but by all members of the community, including learners.” --Downes

my level of excitement rose and I made the connections to the learning and work I’ve been and will be doing (I am so very honored and humbled) with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach regarding online communities of practice! I do believe the word tapestry truly paints a picture that represents Downes’ thoughts; I’d rather though refer to changing “landscapes” that flow with the seasons, with the growth of new nodes for the ferns and the mint, that nurtured by expert and novice participation, connect to new networks and yet unknown possibilities for growth--

Just in this writing, my connectedness has grown and my view of the changing landscape has altered-- As more leaves fall here and the ferns brown and collapse in preparation for sleep only to grow in the spring, I eagerly anticipate the growth I’ll experience through the nodes I’ll connect to in the weeks to come with this new spring of my learning--
Photo credit
CCK08

Powerful modeling, metaphors and connections CCK08

Upon quelling my initial panic (thank you Anne!), I began to approach this new learning opportunity with less trepidation finding that attention to the powerful model of the course itself, adoption/adaption of the metaphors that surfaced in various responses, and discovering new connections -- resulted in a landscape that was not entirely foreign and thus not so forbidding to me.

Stephen Downes (“That’s Week One in the Record Books”) comment at the end of the week really resonated with me as those were my thoughts as I began:

“I want to move slowly, certainly, through the basic ideas, not arguing for them so much as letting the idea make their own case for themselves. We’ll see. This is a fun and extraordinarily fascinating process, yet not without its challenges.”

I began to attend to the model the course itself so powerfully illustrates as I examined the suggested readings and collected passages that I knew I’d want to access again. Pasting these down here to help me with future connections:

"Hence, in connectivism, there is no real concept of transferring knowledge, making knowledge, or building knowledge. Rather, the activities we undertake when we conduct practices in order to learn are more like growing or developing ourselves and our society in certain (connected) ways.

This implies a pedagogy that (a) seeks to describe 'successful' networks (as identified by their properties, which I have characterized as diversity, autonomy, openness, and connectivity) and (b) seeks to describe the practices that lead to such networks, both in the individual and in society (which I have characterized as modeling and demonstration (on the part of a teacher) and practice and reflection (on the part of a learner))." Stephen Downes (Important to me as I’m feeling here is where George and Stephen’s course design both model and demonstrate key properties of connectivism-- diversity, autonomy, openness, and connectivity )

"Connectivism finds its roots in the climate of abundance, rapid change, diverse information sources and perspectives, and the critical need to find a way to filter and make sense of the chaos." George Siemens

"Instead of knowledge residing only in the mind of an individual, knowledge resides in a distributed manner across a network. Instead of approaching learning as schematic formation structures, learning is the act of recognizing patterns shaped by complex networks.

Previous conceptions of learning rested heavily on information and knowledge acquisition. The fundamental need of learning in our society has changed. Due to rapid growth of knowledge, the act of learning has shifted from acquisition to assimilation, from understanding of individual elements to comprehending an entire space and, thereby, understanding how elements connect.

Making sense of this complex conversation requires a shift to alternative models of management. It is at this stage that technology is beginning to play its greatest role; one that will continue to grow in prominence as knowledge grows in complexity. Learning, augmented by technology, permits the assimilation and expression of knowledge elements in a manner that enables understanding not possible without technology." George Siemens

The course model led me to the responses that suggested value in using metaphors to describe connectivism and learning. I’ve personally found that metaphors have been very worthwhile in my learning and this week was no exception. Some metaphors offered for consideration by course colleagues (and new connections) helped me as I attempt to wrap my brain around the concepts this week:

“Just enjoying a walk in the wood, one, two, many times and go where you see something you like. With the passing of time you will know that wood in your own way.” Andreas Formiconi

“I am not so comfortable with a fixed definition. Furthermore, I think its most interesting aspects are not only being a theory of learning, but offering a whole new view for much more. And all of these aspects have in common that they can be illustrated by the neural metaphor.” Matthias Melcher

“If you’re connecting it to existing knowledge, isn’t that sort of like a new branch growing from an existing tree? I’m not sure it’s clear here, but from Downes’ other writing, I think this is more about it growing internally, driven by the learner, rather than constructed externally. I admit I struggle with this metaphor though, and I’m not sure I quite get what he’s saying. I don’t think Downes would deny that learning can be work, but he would likely characterize that work as growing rather than building.” Christy Tucker

“And I think that’s why the metaphors matter–the metaphor we use to understand learning influences the language with which we talk about learning, teaching, and education.

So what language would we use if our central metaphor for learning was “growing” rather than “building”? Would we say we nurture instead of scaffold? Connect instead of bridge? Feed instead of support? Deeper roots instead of a solid foundation?
What metaphor for learning makes the most sense to you? How does it affect the language you use when you talk about learning?” Christy Tucker

The neural metaphor makes sense to me; I love the walk in the woods! And the “growing” metaphor strikes a real chord with me. In response to Christy, from one who has frequently, yes often, used “construct” and “scaffold”, I agree the metaphor matters. I know that “growing” really appeals to the amateur gardener in me and I’m feeling that “growing” gets to the core of how I see learning. In addition, “nurturing” speaks to what I see as a more human side of learning (as opposed to the current state of testing and how it impacts youngsters in the US). Nurturing-- I like that. Dewey’s:

"What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual loses his own soul."

– that speaks to nurturing-- Hmmm, is this the making of connections? connections to that with which I’m familiar and growing my constructivist leanings to adapt/evolve/develop understandings more appropriate to the “.. the climate of abundance, rapid change, diverse information sources and perspectives, and the critical need to find a way to filter and make sense of the chaos.” (Siemens, cited above) I’m wondering if “cultivate” rather than “support” might be a beneficial extension of the “growing” metaphor? Would that language create connections for you?

In addition to the connections established by the metaphors, Antonio Fini articulated what I had begun to realize, that, albeit not in the scope nor magnitude of many, I have become immersed in some networks and been connected in these last four years. I’ve read, and followed links and engaged in conversation – connections that have nurtured and cultivated growth/learning.

And as Alan Levine notes:

“there is the interesting part to chew on. I have to acknowledge I work on a base of many things I have stuffed into my memory; it does not always come from the cloud. So it cannot be all connectivism all the time. There is some foundation the ability to connect rides on.”

Perhaps, (extending the growing metaphor again) there needs some time for “composting” this abundant information – might this organic process yield richer connections and ideas for deeper understanding and learning in the weeks to come?

Photo Credit

CCK08

Embarking upon a new and exciting learning adventure

I am intrigued by the tension I always feel when I embark on a new kind of learning adventure. There is always a part of me that pulls back, uncertain, questioning the risk taking that always occurs with any good learning. And on the other hand, I’m ready to jump in, to learn something new, anticipating that incredible high of new insights and perspectives that will impact my ever evolving philosophy of learning. I’ve come to appreciate the tension more as I age and am thankful, that for me, the urge to jump in and learn something more always triumphs.

From my first online course in 1998 that involved readings and submitting papers (The Online Classroom with Dr. Eileen Cotton) to my work in MOOM (Moving out of the Middle with Concord Consortium) where we were immersed in inquiry based facilitation of online courses to my current participation in a “rather large open online course” with 1600 participants to experience connective learning under the facilitation of George Siemens and Steven Downes (Connectivism & Connective Knowledge), the excitement, the tension are palpable.

George Siemens has struck a chord with me when he posts on narratives of coherence for I anticipate this will be a challenge for me as I attempt to make sense of this new learning landscape. He says:

“I’m personally quite interested to see how the concept of a narrative of coherence will unfold in this course. We all face information abundance. We all face the reality that we will always be missing some key pieces of information. A common concern voiced by many of the active participants: how do we assimilate/makesense of this information?!? There’s just too much of it.

Part of the solution is to rely on one’s learning network to filter out nonsense and to draw attention to key ideas. This is particularly effective when we can “plug in” to a network with high levels of diversity and with people we quickly begin to trust.”

But I’ve jumped in again, with an introduction on the course Moodle, and this post --sensing some pretty special opportunities and possibilities for extending learning and deepening understanding-- disregarding the nagging “what have I got myself into this time”, “how can I manage the flood of information”. It’s just time to let the learning begin!!

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CCK08