Ambition in Action Network Learning

Ambition in Action Presenters Paula Williams, WorkForce Development Stephan Ridgway, WorkForce Development

Ambition in Action Topics Social software background (read write web) /architecture of participation /paticipatory web User generated content /social networking (commoncraft flv) /rss/mashups feeds (share, mix & feed Connectivism,- a learning theory for the digital age /pedagogies /role of the educator in the networked world /boundaries of teacher/learner classroom/work/life blurred Getting Sydney Institute: A practical guide to network learning

Ambition in Action Read Write Web /social software background (The read write web) the architecture of participation, the participatory web /tools include blogs, wikis, social networking, podcasts, online video, and virtual worlds.

Ambition in Action Social Networking

Ambition in Action Share, Mix and Feed RSS and Web 2.0 Tools “The new era is also creating a realm of endless mix and match: Anyone with a browser can access vast stores of information, mash it up, and serve it in new ways, to a few people or a few hundred million.” – Erick Schonfeld, Om Malik, and Michael V. Copeland, The Next Net: 25 startups that are reinventing the webThe Next Net: 25 startups that are reinventing the web Image by by injuinju

Ambition in Action What is RSS /RSS is the connecting fabric of Web 2.0 services, providing the conduit for information flows between networked learning spaces. /Content syndication or the re-use of information from others on the network, often described as mashups /The ability to produce information rather than consume is what sets Web 2.0 services apart from the preceding phase of the web which comprises of static web pages linked by url’s. /RSS is intrinsically collaborative!

Ambition in Action Tagging – collaborative folksonomyfolksonomy

Ambition in Action Pedagogies in networked world Behaviourism which asserts that learning is a “black box” activity, in that we do not know what occurs inside the learner, focuses its efforts on managing external, observable behaviors, and finds much of its existence in objectivism. Cognitivism which spans a continuum from learning as information processing (a computer model) at one end, to learning as reasoning and thinking on the other, finds much of its identity in pragmatism. Constructivism Constructivism is a philosophical position that views knowledge as the outcome of experience mediated by one's own prior knowledge and the experience of others. Connectivism posits that knowledge is distributed across networks and the act of learning is largely one of forming a diverse network of connections and recognizing attendant patterns

Ambition in Action PropertyBehaviourismCognitivismConstructivismConnectivism How learning occurs Black box— observable behaviour main focus Structured, computational Social, meaning created by each learner (personal) Distributed within a network, social, technologically enhanced, recognizing and interpreting patterns Influencing factors Nature of reward, punishment, stimuli Existing schema, previous experiences Engagement, participation, social, cultural Diversity of network, strength of ties Role of memoryMemory is the hardwiring of repeated experiences— where reward and punishment are most influential Encoding, storage, retrieval Prior knowledge remixed to current context Adaptive patterns, representative of current state, existing in networks How transfer occurs Stimulus, response Duplicating knowledge constructs of “knower” SocializationConnecting to (adding) nodes Types of learning best explained Task ‐ based learning Reasoning, clear objectives, problem solving Social, vague (“ill defined”) Complex learning, rapid changing core, diverse knowledge sources Source - Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and Designers - George Siemens, 2008

Ambition in Action The role of the educator in a networked world /educator as network administrator - Clarence Fisher /educator as concierge - Curtis Bonk /educator as curator - George Siemens /teaching as a conversation- Marc Pesce “The ability to offload content creation, learner interaction, teaching, and skill develop to a network that exists beyond classroom walls”

Ambition in Action The educator continues to play a vital role in the process...but her/his role becomes one of assisting learners in creating networks that will enable the development of needed skills and will model the attitudes and skills needed to effectively participate in information abundant environments.

Ambition in Action Digital Literacies

Ambition in Action Getting started with connectivism/networked learning /Create a class blog/student blog roll /Use collaborative learning activities ie wikis /Engage in open conversations /Use and contribute to the resource pool /Develop learner's skills in participating in and contributing to networks /Reduce the centrality of one educator and shift the role of teaching to a network of external experts /Create a personalised learning environment

Ambition in Action Questions