Connected Learning in Context LCN600 Week 3 Kay Oddone

Connected Learning in Context Who am I? What am I doing? Where does connected learning come from? Where is connected learning in the wild? Are you ready to experience connected learning?

Who am I? Teacher Teacher Librarian Student CONNECTED LEARNER!

What am I doing? PhD Candidate “How do teachers experience professional learning through personal learning networks?” So my research is about how teachers experience professional learning through personal learning networks. I have been developing my personal learning network since I joined Twitter in 2007, and I find them interesting because they allow people to learn anywhere, about anything, as long as they can connect with the right person, resource or information at the right time. I think that there might be fantastic potential for teachers who are time poor and who may not be able to access the professional learning relevant to their context easily. Now that we have access to social software, it is easier than ever to create connections with other teachers who might be at different schools in our city, or in our state, country or anywhere in the world. We can connect with researchers, academics, experts in different fields. An example – in my previous role at Bris. Cath Ed., I was the copyright advisor, and spent a lot of time learning about Creative Commons so I could run workshops on it for the staff creating resources – I had a question about CC, and I posted it on Twitter. Lawrence Lessig, who is a Harvard professor and a leading figure in the entire CC movement contacted me with a response – this would never have happened before social software enabled me to connect with people outside my immediate circles A PLN is professional in nature, but is personalised to the learner. A PLN is the network of connections we develop (online or offline but usually a blend of both). They are usually people – ‘knowledge holders’ – who in turn connect us to other learners. The connections may not always be people; sometimes they are a repository of information, such as a book, or a website, or a curated list; but somewhere, behind this, generally still remains a person or group of people. I am interested in how teachers think, feel and act while engaging with their PLN – so we can learn more about the ways that the PLN is useful or not useful, whether teachers find that it is a good way to engage with professional learning. A big part about this is that I need to have an understanding of the way that learning happens through networks and connected learning environments – and so I have spent a lot of time reading about connected learning, how it is understood and how it has developed.

Social Constructivism Where does connected learning come from? Social Constructivism Networked Learning Connectivism Connected Learning In researching my thesis, I have had to look more deeply at the theoretical foundations of PLNs. As connected learner-educators, it is important that you are familiar with the theory that underpins connected learning if you are going to understand why it is an effective way to engage learners and create an environment that allows learners to understand the value of creating connections across different contexts. A theory is really just a way of explaining how something happens – and these theories explain how learning happens within online networks. If you don’t understand how learning happens in these spaces, it is difficult to develop learning spaces that are authentic and effective. The foundation theory is social constructivism. Many of you will be familiar with constructivism and social constructivism. Constructivism suggests that learning does not occur when someone passively receives information, but happens when individuals actively construct their own understandings. Social constructivism based on the work of Lev Vygotsky, who said that yes, people actively construct their own understandings, but rather than this being an individual experience, knowledge is actively constructed by the individual through their interactions with each other and their environment. So if we agree that learning is a social process, then the theory of networked learning builds on this. Networked learning interprets social learning in light of the connections that technology allows us to make. Networked learning means that technology is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners, between learners and teachers; between a learning community and its learning resources. The most important part of this definition is the word connections; it is through connections between people and resources, mediated by technology, that networked learning occurs. Connectivism takes networked learning one step further. It is based on the idea that learning occurs in networked environments – but that the way this learning occurs is through the process of creating connections within the network. George Siemens, who, along with Stephen Downes, developed connectivism, suggests that although in the past we may have defined, categorised and packaged knowledge, massive change and growth in technology means that now knowledge is best understood as a flow. Knowledge changes so rapidly now, and is so abundant, that we can no longer contain it in books and documents; we must now access it as a stream, when and how we need it. So in connectivism, the potential to know (that is, make connections), is more important than what is currently known. Connected learning draws upon all of these understandings, and is another way to understand learning as it occurs within a networked and socially informed environment. Connected learning is also all about the connections, but it also emphasises how these connections can draw learning from across different contexts and disciplines – enabling more authentic, and engaging learning opportunities. The connected learning report that you will be deeply engaging with by Ito et al explains how connected learning may be interpreted through a pedagogical framework – how it might be used to inform the way we work with young people, and to inform the development of a connected learning environment which enables flexible, authentic, engaging learning, which connects different spheres of the learner’s existence and connects them with other learners, using social software. Although the Connected Learning Report focuses on the experiences of young people, the idea that learning can occur outside of traditional ‘learning spaces’ and can extend beyond the local to harness the connectivity and flexibility of virtual spaces also underpins the PLN, and this is why I have spent a lot of time researching it for my thesis.

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’ The PLN can be the driving force within your connected learning experience. It provides the way that you create the connections across different contexts and disciplines, which enable you to learn most effectively. Whereas once a pre-service degree set up a professional for a life-long career, nowadays the expectation is that learning is life-long; and that professionals continually update, refresh and renew their skills, knowledge and understandings. My PLN may be considered to be a connected learning environment. Draws together different contexts – my work colleagues (libraries, schools), researchers and academics in area of my study, fellow MOOC participants, ‘makers’ Interest powered – I am able to follow up and explore my own interests and what I specifically need to know Academically oriented – helps me learn every day! Production centred – I create blog posts, synthesise my thoughts and readings in tweets, design images and infographics create curated collections of content Shared purpose – I have connections with people who are in completely different fields (e.g. medicine, law) who share my interest in connected learning, advice from researchers writing completely different topics about methodology, librarians from different sectors offering information and resources still useful in my own context Openly networked – I share what I learn with others and publish my thoughts publicly via twitter, blog, G+ Everyone can participate – The only criteria I apply is ‘are you here for learning?’ eg. Block spammers, keep family, friends in separate accounts. Learning happens by doing – best learning is when I interact – yes, I read posts, tweets etc but the most useful stuff happens when I am actively connecting and sharing Challenge is constant – there are always new tools to learn, new connections to make, new ideas to think about Everything is interconnected – I move across different tools/parts of my network –if I see something in one that I know will be useful to someone on another tool I take it across.

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’

Where is connected learning ‘in the wild?’

Are you ready to experience connected learning? just because one follows a lot of people (on social media) doesn’t mean that they are engaging in worthwhile professional development the power of online PLNs comes through the interactions that occur – the connections that are created and the knowledge that is remixed, re-designed and re-imagined. Where do you start? Choose one tool – Facebook is good if you are already on there, but just be aware of the personal/professional balance. Twitter is a great one – 140 characters, no burden to publish big posts. Choose a few people to follow. Look at who they follow and choose a few more. Follow them (maybe that’s 15 people). When you do have something to share – like a fantastic lesson plan you have developed, something you have written for Uni – share it on your blog, and tweet it. You aren’t doing much more work than cutting and pasting, but you are being more open with your learning and you might create new connections. When you go to a PL day or conference – tweet a few of your thoughts. Follow the hashtag. Participate in a tweet chat. http://www.slideshare.net/secret/ExRe3gQ6gTOufh

Q&A Thank you! @kayoddone www.linkinglearning.com.au https://www.facebook.com/LinkLearnConnect/