Social Networking Technologies for Teaching and Learning Transformation May 27, 2009 Dakar, Senegal

Review of Day One

Information and Society’s Institutions

Institutions mirror information McNeely & Wolverton

Universities map reality Frank & Gabler

Universities map reality

What happens when the primary elements of education change?

The gatekeepers Institutions Curriculum designers, educators Assume to know what learners will need later

Institutions

Curriculum designers, educators

Assume to know what learners will need later

We fundamentally relate to information differently

Not created by select few Learn lesson from news, media, music industry

Learn lesson from news, media, music industry

Not controlled by select few Learn lessons from PR, marketing, and politics

Learn lessons from PR, marketing, and politics

What are information trends? Intuitive Growth Fluidity Impact on authority Impact on certainty Technology

Intuitive

Growth

Fluidity

Impact on authority

Impact on certainty

Technology

Big changes change big institutions

Participatory sense making Our world makes sense through our interaction with information and others ....(and in turn, their interactions with information and others) De Jaegher, Di Paolo, 2007

Our world makes sense through our interaction with information and others

....(and in turn, their interactions with information and others)

Requires new approaches to making sense of abundance “ Significant attainments become lost in the mass of the inconsequential” Vannevar Bush, 1945

“ Significant attainments become lost in the mass of the inconsequential”

Vannevar Bush, 1945

Associative trails between information

Associative trails between people

“ All the knowledge is in the connections ” David Rumelhart

“ All the knowledge is in the connections ”

David Rumelhart

Information becomes knowledge through connections

Undiscovered public knowledge When connections are weak…not more research, but better connections Undiscovered public knowledge systems of information that are similar but distinct or not normally connected (Don Swanson)

When connections are weak…not more research, but better connections

Undiscovered public knowledge

systems of information that are similar but distinct or not normally connected

(Don Swanson)

By design, today’s institutions & systems serve to handle information of a different nature

“ What we have here is a transition from a stable , settled world of knowledge produced by authority/authors, to a world of instability , flux, of knowledge produced by the individual...” Institute of Education, London, 2007

“ What we have here is a transition from a stable , settled world of knowledge produced by authority/authors, to a world of instability , flux, of knowledge produced by the individual...”

Institute of Education, London, 2007

Emergence and tradition

Social Learning

“ The major responsibility of education is to arm every single person for the vital combat for lucidity” Morin, p 12, 13, 1999 New challenge: sensemaking & wayfinding in abundance

“ The major responsibility of education is to arm every single person for the vital combat for lucidity”

Morin, p 12, 13, 1999

New challenge: sensemaking & wayfinding in abundance

What is our mind like? Black box Computer Social, cultural Modular Ecology…and a network

Black box

Computer

Social, cultural

Modular

Ecology…and a network

“ What aspects of learning are obscured by one theory may be illuminated by another” (Driscoll)

“ What aspects of learning are obscured by one theory may be illuminated by another”

(Driscoll)

Behaviourism Concept: Learning is a change in behaviour…mind is a black box Figures: Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, Skinner B.F. Skinner

Concept: Learning is a change in behaviour…mind is a black box

Figures: Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, Skinner

Cognitivism Concept: information processing, metacognition, thought process, knowledge is organized Figures: Bruner, Ausubel, Gagne, Piaget, Vygotsky

Concept: information processing, metacognition, thought process, knowledge is organized

Figures: Bruner, Ausubel, Gagne, Piaget, Vygotsky

Cognitivism Motivation Attribution ARCS Attention Relevance Confidence Satisfaction

Motivation

Attribution

ARCS

Attention

Relevance

Confidence

Satisfaction

Constructivism Multiple camps: cognition, interaction, context Broad influence: Dewey, Von Glasersfeld, Kuhn “ Knowledge constructed by learners as they attempt to make sense of their experiences” (Driscoll)

Multiple camps: cognition, interaction, context

Broad influence: Dewey, Von Glasersfeld, Kuhn

“ Knowledge constructed by learners as they attempt to make sense of their experiences” (Driscoll)

Piaget Piaget: Process of development Stages of development “ I think that all structures are constructed and that the fundamental feature is the course of this construction: Nothing is given at the start, except some limiting points on which all the rest is based. The structures are neither given in advance in the human mind nor in the external world, as we perceive or organize it.”

Piaget:

Process of development

Stages of development

Social Constructivism Vygotsky Language Social and cultural context

Vygotsky

Language

Social and cultural context

Constructionism Concept: people learn through making things – “creative experimentation” Learning vs. Teaching “ find ways in which the technology enables children to use knowledge” Seymour Papert

Concept: people learn through making things – “creative experimentation”

Learning vs. Teaching

“ find ways in which the technology enables children to use knowledge”

Seymour Papert

Connectionism Concept: Learning - neural networks, not symbol processing Figures: Early: Thorndike (behaviourist) More recently modular models of learning (Minsky), Bechtel, Abrahamsen, Pinker, Churchland, Hebb

Concept: Learning - neural networks, not symbol processing

Figures:

Early: Thorndike (behaviourist)

More recently modular models of learning (Minsky), Bechtel, Abrahamsen, Pinker, Churchland, Hebb

Situated Learning Concept: “learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs” Figures: Lave, Wenger

Concept: “learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs”

Figures: Lave, Wenger

Activity Theory Concept: “More than ever there is a need for an approach that can dialectically link the individual and the social structure” “ Transcending Context” Figures: Leont’ev (based on Vygotsky) Engeström (in current iteration – expansive learning)

Concept: “More than ever there is a need for an approach that can dialectically link the individual and the social structure”

“ Transcending Context”

Figures: Leont’ev (based on Vygotsky)

Engeström (in current iteration – expansive learning)

Biological views of learning “ It appears that complex and distributed systems of neurons are implicated in learning, with some systems centrally involved with the development and representation of a memory trace, and others peripherally involved in the expression of learned behaviour” (Donegan & Thompson)

“ It appears that complex and distributed systems of neurons are implicated in learning, with some systems centrally involved with the development and representation of a memory trace, and others peripherally involved in the expression of learned behaviour”

(Donegan & Thompson)

Biological views of learning Brain-based learning approaches Neural architecture & neuroscience Emotions “ Consciousness turns out to consist of a maelstrom of events distributed across the brain.” (Time Magazine)

Brain-based learning approaches

Neural architecture & neuroscience

Emotions

“ Consciousness turns out to consist of a maelstrom of events distributed across the brain.” (Time Magazine)

“ To the neuroscientist, learning is a whole-person/whole-brain activity what confounds received organizations” Theodore Marchese

“ To the neuroscientist, learning is a whole-person/whole-brain activity what confounds received organizations”

Theodore Marchese

Learning in relationship to knowledge and mind Distributed Hutchins – Not “in skull” Spivey et. al. – “not always inside brain” Bereiter – “knowing outside the mind” Externalization – Wittgenstein, Vygotsky Socialization – Papert, Piaget, Bruner, Bandura Ethical/moral obligations…structures – Freire, Illich, Papert, Dewey

Distributed

Hutchins – Not “in skull”

Spivey et. al. – “not always inside brain”

Bereiter – “knowing outside the mind”

Externalization – Wittgenstein, Vygotsky

Socialization – Papert, Piaget, Bruner, Bandura

Ethical/moral obligations…structures – Freire, Illich, Papert, Dewey

Cognition and mind as social phenomenon: Mind/self created through social participation Practices/tools/language are social constructions Power fashions practices/tools Garrison, 1995, p. 737

Cognition and mind as social phenomenon:

Mind/self created through social participation

Practices/tools/language are social constructions

Power fashions practices/tools

Garrison, 1995, p. 737

“ The intelligences…are distributed …across minds, persons, and the symbolic and physical environments” Roy Pea

“ The intelligences…are distributed …across minds, persons, and the symbolic and physical environments”

Roy Pea

Fifth Estate: Reshaping “ communicative powers of individuals and groups” W. H. Dutton, Oxford, 2007

Fifth Estate:

Reshaping “ communicative powers of individuals and groups”

W. H. Dutton, Oxford, 2007

Complexification of knowledge reduces individual capacity to apprehend its unity

Complexification of knowledge reduces individual capacity to apprehend its unity

“ The major responsibility of education is to arm every single person for the vital combat of lucidity ” ...New problem: access to info, skills to organize info Morin, p 12, 13, 1999

“ The major responsibility of education is to arm every single person for the vital combat of lucidity ”

...New problem: access to info, skills to organize info

Morin, p 12, 13, 1999

New media adds new opportunities for connections/relations, enacting latent ties Haythornthwaite, 2002

New media adds new opportunities for connections/relations, enacting latent ties

Haythornthwaite, 2002

“ Gossip, people-curiosity, and small talk...are in essence the human version of social grooming ” Zufekci, 2008

“ Gossip, people-curiosity, and small talk...are in essence the human version of social grooming ”

Zufekci, 2008

Individual knowledge possible due to social practices of engagement Tsoukas, 1996

Individual knowledge possible due to social practices of engagement

Tsoukas, 1996

Participatory Pedagogies (Collis & Moonen, 2008) (Askins, 2008) (Harvard Law School, 2008)

Participatory Pedagogies

(Collis & Moonen, 2008)

(Askins, 2008)

(Harvard Law School, 2008)

Networked Learning

Co-evolution of individual and related network Lazer, 2000

Co-evolution of individual and related network

Lazer, 2000

Stages of development: networks in education

1. Physical infrastructure

2. Merging with other fields

3. Theoretical and transformative views of learning, cognition, knowledge

4. Popularization of networks

5. Integrated learning/knowledge/education networks

Depth and diversity of connections determines understanding Frequency of exposure Integration with existing ideas/concepts Strong and Weak Ties Determining understanding

Depth and diversity of connections determines understanding

Frequency of exposure

Integration with existing ideas/concepts

Strong and Weak Ties

How attributes of connections reflect learning

The primacy of the connection

Framework of Emerging Technologies

What do different technologies do?

1. Access

2. Presence

3. Expression

4. Creation

5. Interaction/co-creation

6. Aggregate our fragmentation

Thinking about tomorrow

Where are we going?

Given the changes in how we interact with content and each other, how should we change the educational process?

Given the changes in how we interact with content and each other, how should we change the educational process?

Open Teaching Alec Couros Stephen Downes Leigh Blackall David Wiley

Learning design?

Thin walls

“ by creating space and place, we create ourselves ” Cannatella, 2007, p. 632

“ by creating space and place, we create ourselves ”

Cannatella, 2007, p. 632

Spaces are themselves agents for change. Changed spaces will change practice (JISC, 2006)

Spaces are themselves agents for change. Changed spaces will change practice

(JISC, 2006)

Away from hierarchies and classrooms

To

Networks and ecologies...

Schools as a single node in networks of learning

Bigger shift than that from a Ptolmeic to Copernican view of the solar system… Self-organization is the way the relevant sciences are heading. Carl Bereiter (2002)

Bigger shift than that from a Ptolmeic to Copernican view of the solar system…

Self-organization is the way the relevant sciences are heading.

Carl Bereiter (2002)

Architecture of participation powered by network effects

Architecture of participation powered by network effects

“ Roads no longer merely lead to places; they are places” John Brinckerhoff Jackson

“ Roads no longer merely lead to places; they are places”

John Brinckerhoff Jackson

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