Group items tagged

The recent generations have been bathed in connecting technology from birth, says futurist Don Tapscott, and as a result the world is transforming into one that is far more open and transparent. In this inspiring talk, he lists the four core principles that show how this open world can be a far better place.

video for syposium discussion - The digital native debate

Wanted to highlight this from Rebecca to make a point about broadening concepts of NGL. It's about making connections with technologies and without. Often this is interpreted as people creating information for others, or consuming information created by others. Wearable technologies - especially of the type talked about by Rebecca - provide connections to information in a way previously much more difficult. But they can also be used to scaffold learning. e.g. the "learning to run 5Km" app that Rebecca talks about in her previous post. Suggesting a possible way to break out of the LMS and social media into a very different type of network learning.

Abstract This paper is a critical review of some recent literature around the 'literacies of the digital' in schools and higher education. It discusses the question: 'what does the conjoining of the terms "digital" and "literacy" add to our understanding of teaching and learning in higher education'? It explores the continuing role of critical literacy in relation to the idea that digital literacies are transformative for pedagogy in this sector.

Review Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli have created an essential book for educators, students, and anyone concerned about the future of education. Personal Learning Networks provides the perspectives and the processes we need to use personal learning networks to become educated, empowered and ready for the global economy. --Jason Ohler, Professor Emeritus, Educational Technology, University of Alaska, Juneau This book presents an innovative, comprehensive strategy for reinventing education to meet the needs of 21st century students and society. Much more than familiar rhetoric on what is wrong with education, the authors provide a compelling vision for education as it could and should be and a road map to help get us there. Mancabelli & Will Richardson have provided us with a step-by-step guide to create globally-connected classrooms, implement powerful project-based curriculum, and introduce our students to tools and technologies with transformative potential. --Angela Maiers, President of Maiers Educational Services, Clive, Iowa This book is chock-full of useful information and highlights numerous practitioners who are walking the walk. A fantastic resource for administrators, teachers, policymakers, and others who are trying to lead their organizations into the digital, global world in which we now live. --Scott McLeod, Director at UCEA Center for Advanced Study of Technical Leadership in Education, Ames, Iowa

Or perhaps an explanation of why genius never really existed. It's all about the connections. @gsiemens tweeted this article with the comment "The essence of networked learning "one entity helping to inspire another" Am thinking seriously of setting this as one of the core readings in the coming week or two. Mainly trying to really challenge the common conception that learning is all in your head and not in the connections.

PhD students article summarising critical theories.

Journal article that makes suggestions and gives examples of how technology can be used to design transformative learning experiences. In this article, the author argues that technology use in education has focused on combating instructional problems and inefficiencies. While technology use for such purposes is viable and important, the author proposes that practitioners and researchers in this field utilize emerging technologies as a means to provide opportunities for personally relevant and meaningful transformation. The author discusses strategies for providing such opportunities and presents examples of potentially transformative learning activities and environments. The article concludes with caveats regarding the pursuit of transformation in technologyenhanced learning environments.

Alec Courous has been an open educator (on outcome/user of netgl) for quite some time. This post summarises how that experience has been abstracted into a framework (a set of principles/guidelines) for teaching an open course. This has some significant connection to Assignment 2.

I came across this piece looking for connectivism at TED after reading the Downes piece. I remembered a talk I watched last semester that spoke of connectivism historically - as something very old, not necessarily connected to the digital revolution. This was such a provocative piece, though, I thought I would share it, and will post more reflections on my blog. Lisa

Notes and slides from a presentation entitled "Beyond the LMS" may have some interesting perspectives for those thinking about the need for "walled gardens" in high school (and elsewhere). There's a response to this that I'll share next. Audrey Watters - the author of this presentation - provides an interesting and through provoking perspective on all things educational technology. A useful alternative to some of the more common, but less critical perspectives.

Heutagogy arises from andragogy which in turn is an re-framing of pedagogy for adult learners. This paper links heutagogy and some of the tech associated with NGL and provides some advice about how to design courses based on this combination.

One of the critiques of MOOCs that perhaps can be applied to broader ideas of NGL - or at least need to be considered. In particular this links to the under-developed aspect of NGL in this course - global learning.

A post from Charm that explains DBR - including link to a video of Barab - and ending with a collection of 8 questions to ask about a problem. I recommend applying these to your problem.

Had to share this. Not just because some of these may be helpful but also because of the final app. So many teachers and schools are insisting that students keep their phones off or silent and well away from them during class. This app works best if the student has it with them. What do you think Bec?

The topic of this post is not directly related to NGL. What I think is relevant/important is the quote an over focus on the individual and insufficient focus on their interactions and the need to engage in those interactions Which I think is a perspective/problem that resonates with NGL. NGL at some level is about encouraging, enabling, and thinking about the interactions - the connections. As you are thinking about your DBR projects, consider how, if, and what your project is doing about the interactions between the people and objects within your particular context. For a concrete example, I'll turn to a particular bandwagon of mine. A couple of people have "as teacher" roles that involve helping teachers use digital technologies effectively. Often the problem here is framed as digital literacy. The individual teacher doesn't know enough about technology to fix the problem. The common solution is to do some form of Professional Development so that the individual can develop the knowledge. Which for me, brings back the quote. - "focus on the individual and insufficient focus on their interactions" A NGL solution to this problem would - I think - focus more (but not entirely) on the interactions.

Another article from Dron and Anderson extending some of the earlier work. Abstract follows. Is explicitly intended to help "design learning activities that make most effective use of the technologies" This paper presents two conceptual models that we have developed for understanding ways that social media can support learning. One model relates to the "social" aspect of social media, describing the different ways that people can learn with and from each other, in one or more of three social forms: groups, networks and sets. The other model relates to the 'media' side of social media, describing how technologies are constructed and the roles that people play in creating and enacting them, treating them in terms of softness and hardness. The two models are complementary: neither provides a complete picture but, in combination, they help to explain how and why different uses of social media may succeed or fail and, as importantly, are intended to help us design learning activities that make most effective use of the technologies. We offer some suggestions as to how media used to support different social forms can be softened and hardened for different kinds of learning applications.

This paper presents two conceptual models that we have developed for understanding ways that social media can support learning. One model relates to the "social" aspect of social media, describing the different ways that people can learn with and from each other, in one or more of three social forms: groups, networks and sets. The other model relates to the 'media' side of social media, describing how technologies are constructed and the roles that people play in creating and enacting them, treating them in terms of softness and hardness. The two models are complementary: neither provides a complete picture but, in combination, they help to explain how and why different uses of social media may succeed or fail and, as importantly, are intended to help us design learning activities that make most effective use of the technologies. We offer some suggestions as to how media used to support different social forms can be softened and hardened for different kinds of learning applications.

PDF of paper presented at ACEC 2014 which appears to be of relevance to some of you. Abstract follows. This paper goes beyond the commonly held concerns of Internet safety, such as cyberbullying. Instead, it explores the ethical dilemmas we face as teachers when using social media, in particular social networks, in the classroom. We believe old ideas of respect and culture of care for children and young people need to be reconstructed around new media. This paper draws on the authors' experience in teaching with, and researching students' use of, social media in the classroom. In this paper we explore the ethical issues of consent, traceability, and public/private boundaries. We tackle the complex issue of the rights around virtual identities of the students followed by a discussion on the ethics of engaging students in public performance of curriculum and their lives. Finally we discuss the ethical dilemma involved in recognising and responding to illicit activity. While we reflect on our own response to these dilemmas and propose a dialogic process as the way forward, we also return to the argument that these ethical choices are dilemmas in which most, if not all, options are unpalatable or impracticable