networked possibilities
alec couros - micds - may 2008

I am part of all that I have met.
tennyson (1842)

old world networks
and new social affordances

network visualizations
illuminate our connections

technical affordances
expand our possibilities

open thinking engagement connectivism
immersion multiliteracies experiential
access social learning
web 2.0 sharing democratic media
creativity influences conversations
copyleft authenticity
open
collaborative constructivism
freedom
small tools,
collective constructionism
loosely joined
student-centred transparency

Access to
high quality
multimedia.
‣Google Video, Youtube, Blip.tv,
Viddler.
‣Archive.org,
Creative
Commons, CCMixter, United
Streaming, TED Talks.
‣Ustream, Seesmic, Stickam.
‣Skype,iChat, WizIQ, Elluminate,
Adobe Connect.

Easy publication
to a wide
audience.
‣Blogger, Wordpress, Edublogs.
‣Wikispaces, PBWiki, Wet Paint.
‣Google Video, Youtube, Blip.tv,
Viddler.
‣Ustream, Seesmic, Stickam.
‣Lulu,
Scribd, Creative
Commons

Choice of
content
licenses.
‣Full Copyright
‣Copyleft and Public Domain
‣Creative Commons (share alike,
attribution, non commercial)
‣Against DRM
‣Practical Modifiability
‣Related Rights
‣Access Control Prohibition

Greater access
to tools and
connectivity.
‣Free and open source software,
greater bandwidth, wireless
access, free services, and
reduced hardware costs have
contributed to greater access.

Instantaneous
connections to
people.
‣Instantmessaging and video
conferencing.
‣Existingsocial networks or
create your own.
‣Web conferencing tools.
‣Presence notification and
microblogging.
‣txting

Tools for debate,
challenge, and
engagement.
‣Access to text and multimedia
publication allows individuals to
read, create, remix, mashup,
and respond to cultural, political,
and economic events.
‣Mainstream media is attempting
to respond to democratic media
by creating feedback
mechanisms (e.g., surveys,
contests, interaction)

Sharing of and
creating new
culture.
‣The World is Flat (Friedman).
‣A number of flat classroom
projects been initiated to make
classroom walls transparent,
while bridging communication
among students.
‣Tools necessary exist and are
relatively easy to use. Practice is
the most difficult to change.

Simulations and
3D virtual
environments.
‣Second Life, Edusim, and other
3D environments allow for the
exploration of simulated worlds.
‣Individuals can communicate
and collaborate with each other,
and interact with objects in each
virtual world.

Time/Place
Shifted Personal
Learning
‣Tools exist today for individuals
to learn outside of the constraints
of time and place.
‣Through RSS tools and tagging,
individuals can aggregate
personally relevant information.
‣Availability
of laptops, wifi, and
unfettered access is especially
important for this transformation.

Giving Voice
and Creating
Audience
‣Individuals are using the tools of
the Internet to (re)claim their
voices, find a niche, and build
audiences/markets that never
existed.
‣Analysisand critique of types of
these phenomena include: Cult
of the Amateur, The Long Tail,
and Here Comes Everybody.

Potential for
Mobile Learning
‣Mobile technologies are
becoming more sophisticated,
allowing more capacity and
bandwidth.
‣The Apple iPhone and Nokia
N95 have pushed the boundaries
of smart phones.
‣Handheld devices will soon
bridge the gap through Internet
telephony.

Specialized
Search and
Analysis
‣New search mechanisms have
evolved to help uncover patterns
in the expanse of information.
‣Search visualization, natural
language processing,
personalization, custom
searches, vertical search, social
input, human input, and semantic
search are some of the
developing areas.

case of eci831
open, connected, social

Check
these out ...
Current to future understanding
of technology in the teaching,
learning, and in general society.

Blog
Wiki
Tweet
Connect
Gather
Synthesize
Personalize
Create
Remix
Share
Repeat

Implications for teaching
and learning?

Are you
connected?

Contact:
alec.couros@uregina.ca
http://educationaltechnology.ca
http://couros.wikispaces.com/micds
skype: aleccouros
twitter/delicious: courosa