how informal learning networks can transform education
DESCRIPTION
Keynote presentation for ASI 2010, York University, Toronto, Ontario - August 2010.Mashup of several presentations. More info available at http://couros.wikispaces.com/asi2010TRANSCRIPT
How Informal Learning Networks Can Transform Education
ASI 2010 - Toronto Ontario - August 2010 - Dr. Alec Couros
#asi2010
me
The Blur
“Web 2.0 tools exist that might allow academics to reflect and reimagine what they do as scholars. Such tools might
positively affect -- even transform - research, teaching, and service responsibilities - only if scholars choose to build
serious academic lives online, presenting semi-public selves and becoming invested in and connected to the work of their peers and students.” (Greenhow, Robella, & Hughes, 2009)
journey(short version)
“given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”
(Linusʼ Law, Raymond 1997)
“Open source software communities are one of the most
successful -- and least understood -- examples of high performance collaboration and
community building on the Internet today.”
(Kim, 2003)
“A key to transformation is for the teaching profession to establish innovation networks that capture the spirit and culture of hackers -
the passion, the can-do, collective sharing.”
(Hargreaves, 2003)
open / connected
• philosophical stance
• power & control
• access
• design attributes
- privacy/publics
- transparency
- accountability
open(ness)(short version)
open source software
open contentopen access publication
open accreditation
open education
open access coursesopen teaching
free software
open educational resources
open(ness)(short version)
connected(ness)(short version)
• pedagogical & pragmatic stance
• knowledge exchange, curating, wayfinding, crowdsourcing, collaboration, problem solving
• personal learning network/environment (PLN/PLE)
shift
“Tell me ... what it is I am educating and what sort of world we live in, and I will tell you what I
am aiming at.”(Garforth, 1962)
Knowledge
• what is k?
• how is k acquired?
• how do we know what we know?
• why do we know what we know?
• what do humans know?
• who controls k?
• how is k controlled?
Questions
Free/Open Content“describes any kind of creative work in a format that explicitly allows copying and
modifying of its information by anyone, not exclusively by a closed organization, firm, or
individual.” (Wikipedia)
Media
connected reality
Stats as of March 17/10 via Mashable
personalization
parents as pirates
the reality?
Networks
“Understanding how networks work is one of the most important
literacies of the 21st century.”(Rheingold, 2010)
• redefine communities, friends, citizenship, identity, presence, privacy, publics, geography.
• enable learning, communication, sharing, collaboration, community.
• networks form around shared interests & objects.
social networks
the utility of networks
(re)shaping collaboration
divide
issues
Inappropriate Content
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/searchspy
“Some of the comments on Youtube make you weep for the future of humanity, just for the spelling alone, never mind the obscenity and naked hatred.”
(Lev Grossman)@leverus
Verifiability
Identity
“You are not Facebookʼs customer. you are the product
that they sell to real customers - advertisers. Forget this at your
peril.”(Greenberg, 2010, via tweet)
Privacy/Ethics
Kyle Doyle is not going to work today, f*** it, I’m still
trashed. SICKIE WOO
Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the
utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose
and hating the work
literacies
“...the set of abilities and skills where aural, visual, & digital overlap. These include the ability to understand the
power of images & sounds, to recognize & use that power, to manipulate &
transform them pervasively, & to easily adapt to new forms.”
(New Media Consortium, 2005, on ʻnew literaciesʼ)
- new media are texts
- information is abundant
- surge of multimodal/multimedia expression
- authorship increasingly complex
- social contexts collapsing
- potential audience expanding
- social connections important
- technology tends to be deterministic
- digital reputation management vital to citizenry
- wayfinding, sensemaking, curation, participation, production vital to literacy
assumptions(short version)
pay attention to ...
•Properties: persistence, replicability, searchability, scalability, (de)locatability.
•Dynamics: invisible audiences, collapsed contexts, blurring of public & private spaces @zephoria
danah boyd
1. coding competence(the ability to decode texts)
(Adapted from Four Resources Model, Freebody & Luke, 1990)
2. semantic competence(the ability to make meaning)
(Adapted from Four Resources Model, Freebody & Luke, 1990)
3. pragmatic competence(functional literacy)
(Adapted from Four Resources Model, Freebody & Luke, 1990)
Professional Identities
http://mediagirl.org/node/1535
4. critical competence(ability to select, analyze & participate in texts)
(Adapted from Four Resources Model, Freebody & Luke, 1990)
finding inspiration
@kathycassidy
Example #1 - Connecting to Experts
Example #2: Publishing in the Open
ps22chorus.blogspot.com
Example #3: Use of Public Content
@christianlong
Example #4: Educator as ...
Example #5: Portfolios
Example #6: Social Reading
Example #7: Global Mentoring
Example #8: Real-time Feedback
Example #9: PD Anytime/Anywhere
Example #10: Remix/Mashup/Repurpose
• Learning networks redefine how knowledge is created, distributed & managed.
• Informal educator networks are becoming increasingly important and will redefine teaching, learning, and ProD.
• The future of learning is open, connected, & social.
The Big Ideas
web: couros.catwitter: courosagoogle: couros
Donʼt limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in
another time. ~Tagore