Living, Learning, Communicating in an Immediate World ADETA, October 2007 George Siemens

For the most part, educational futurism is a mixture of trendiness, bad psychology, and technological impressionability Carl Bereiter

For the most part, educational futurism is a mixture of trendiness, bad psychology, and technological impressionability

Carl Bereiter

Mixed messages Networks and tools Access and impact Granovetter meets Gibson Students and employees Their World Our need Our response?

Networks and tools

Access and impact

Granovetter meets Gibson

Students and employees

Their World

Our need

Our response?

1. Networks & Tools

Learning Neural network Conceptual network Physical network People Content

Neural network

Conceptual network

Physical network

People

Content

What do networks do? Understanding yields understanding Nodes increase opportunities for more connections (history, multi-faceted understanding of disciplines)

Understanding yields understanding

Nodes increase opportunities for more connections (history, multi-faceted understanding of disciplines)

...the tools we use, when learning, shape and very largely determine what and how we can learn Kieran Egan

...the tools we use, when learning, shape and very largely determine what and how we can learn

Kieran Egan

Immediately? Access: OER, Find: Connect: Communicate: Mobile

Access: OER,

Find:

Connect:

Communicate: Mobile

Immediately? Locate: Collaborate: wikis Create: Share: Presently

Locate:

Collaborate: wikis

Create:

Share: Presently

Immediately? Plan: Publish: blogs Interact: two-way dialogue & Tie it together:

Plan:

Publish: blogs

Interact: two-way dialogue &

Tie it together:

We shape our tools and then our tools shape us McLuhan

We shape our tools and then our tools shape us

McLuhan

What have tools done? Opened access Distributed control Raised noise Immediacy Symmetry of effect everything gets impacted (information)

Opened access

Distributed control

Raised noise

Immediacy

Symmetry of effect

everything gets impacted (information)

Rhetoric of the electrical sublime long-standing, naive, and utopian expectations Carey & Quirk

long-standing, naive, and utopian expectations

Carey & Quirk

2. Access and Impact

Education’s future will be shaped in developing countries China: HE enrolment doubled, 2000 – 2003 16 million. Exceeds US India: by 2010, 40% of all HE education will be distance Carnegie Foundation (2006)

China: HE enrolment doubled, 2000 – 2003

16 million. Exceeds US

India: by 2010,

40% of all HE education

will be distance

Carnegie Foundation (2006)

Access 70+% level in many countries (Net) Mobile/PDA (21%) web access – doubled in 2003-2005-2007 88% have mobile Steep decline after age 55 Oxford Internet Institute

70+% level in many countries (Net)

Mobile/PDA (21%) web access – doubled in 2003-2005-2007

88% have mobile

Steep decline after age 55

Oxford Internet Institute

IT Ownership 73% own laptops 91% have high speed 86% mobile phone Net Generation age group is more highly engaged than older students in technologies that enable socializing ECAR Study (2007)

73% own laptops

91% have high speed

86% mobile phone

Net Generation age group is more highly engaged than older students in technologies that enable socializing

ECAR Study (2007)

We live in a society in which the “channels for distribution of change” are carried with us as part of daily life. Sharples, Taylor, Vavoula

We live in a society in which the “channels for distribution of change” are carried with us as part of daily life.

Sharples, Taylor, Vavoula

Mobile computing, portable devices, and ubiquitous broadband mean that we have access to people, information, and data wherever we may be Horizon Report (2007)

Mobile computing, portable devices, and ubiquitous broadband mean that we have access to people, information, and data wherever we may be

Horizon Report (2007)

What is the impact of immediate? Control shift Weakened filter Can you spare $4 billion? Real is fake

Control shift

Weakened filter

Can you spare $4 billion?

Real is fake

3. Granovetter meets Gibson

Weak ties Empirical evidence that the stronger the tie connecting two individuals, the more similar they are, in various ways Mark Granovetter (1973)

Empirical evidence that the stronger the tie connecting two individuals, the more similar they are, in various ways

Mark Granovetter (1973)

Weak ties provide people with access to information and resources beyond those available in their own social circle; but strong ties have greater motivation to be of assistance and are typically more easily available. Mark Granovetter (1983)

Weak ties provide people with access to information and resources beyond those available in their own social circle; but strong ties have greater motivation to be of assistance and are typically more easily available.

Mark Granovetter (1983)

Weak ties weak ties of communication weak ties of information (content is not understanding)

weak ties of communication

weak ties of information

(content is not understanding)

Gibson’s Affordances Action potential Preconditions for activity Agent, object, interaction Affordance is a property of this interaction

Action potential

Preconditions for activity

Agent, object, interaction

Affordance is a property of this interaction

Nature of ties is an affordance of the medium object, actor, activity Parent/child (twitter, IM) Friends Colleague Some one you’ve never met f2f

Nature of ties is an affordance of the medium

object, actor, activity

Parent/child (twitter, IM)

Friends

Colleague

Some one you’ve never met f2f

A new medium does not add something; it changes everything. Neil Postman

A new medium does not add something; it changes everything.

Neil Postman

4. Students and employees

This isn't the MTV generation we're talking about this is the everything, all-the-time generation Tim Blackmore

This isn't the MTV generation we're talking about this is the everything, all-the-time generation

Tim Blackmore

Millennials

Coddled, narcissistic praise junkies US Navy

Coddled, narcissistic praise junkies

US Navy

Engagement

Participative web: user-created content OECD

Participative web: user-created content

OECD

Capturing Capturing what used to be transitory Mobile phones Justin.TV Their lives are being captured and shared

Capturing what used to be transitory

Mobile phones

Justin.TV

Their lives are being captured and shared

Their view of IT in courses 60% - improved my learning 40% - more engaged when IT is used 73% - more prompt feedback 58% - helps me better communicate with classmates 59% - better control of course activities ECAR Study (2007)

60% - improved my learning

40% - more engaged when IT is used

73% - more prompt feedback

58% - helps me better communicate with classmates

59% - better control of course activities

ECAR Study (2007)

5. Their World

What type of world will our students inherit? Complex Information saturated Conflict-riddled Self-destructing Hopeful Democratic Innovation Equality

Complex

Information saturated

Conflict-riddled

Self-destructing

Hopeful

Democratic

Innovation

Equality

Need for advanced learning 2 of every 3 new/replacement jobs require PSE Canadian Council of Learning (2006)

2 of every 3 new/replacement jobs require PSE

Canadian Council of Learning (2006)

6. Our Need

Understanding requires time, depth, sustained attention Takes 10 years to become a master Howard Gardner

Understanding requires time, depth, sustained attention

Takes 10 years to become a master

Howard Gardner

Complex tasks require greater engagement and focus than weak attention ties permit

Complex tasks require

greater engagement and

focus

than weak attention ties permit

Ubiquitous computing and wireless connectivity, embedded in physical environments, will turn physical places into aware contexts – environments that recognize people, information, and activities, and respond appropriately. Map of Future Forces Affecting Education (2006)

Ubiquitous computing and wireless connectivity, embedded in physical environments, will turn physical places into aware contexts – environments that recognize people, information, and activities, and respond appropriately.

Map of Future Forces Affecting Education (2006)

Digital literacy Information literacy 21 st century skills Harvard curriculum Play, performance, networking, distributed cognition (Jenkins)

Digital literacy

Information literacy

21 st century skills

Harvard curriculum

Play, performance, networking, distributed cognition

(Jenkins)

Depth... Slow Learning Geetha Narayanan Deep smarts Deep understanding

Slow Learning

Geetha Narayanan

Deep smarts

Deep understanding

Disciplines of Understanding Reflection Review Connections Socialization Explication Slow, deep, immersive Multi-faceted

Reflection

Review

Connections

Socialization

Explication

Slow, deep, immersive

Multi-faceted

7. Our response?

How have these changes impacted education?

Stages Adopt tools and methods Adapt practices Adjust policies

Adopt tools and methods

Adapt practices

Adjust policies

Exist in the spaces they exist, understand their culture

Exist in the spaces they exist, understand their culture

What shall we change? Libraries Classrooms Policies Schools Accreditation Experts Curriculum Change toward understanding. NOT Educator peer-pressure

Libraries

Classrooms

Policies

Schools

Accreditation

Experts

Curriculum

www.elearnspace.org www.connectivism.ca www.knowingknowledge.com http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/wordpress

www.elearnspace.org

www.connectivism.ca

www.knowingknowledge.com

http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/wordpress