Education: An ecology of connections George Siemens May 14, 2008 TLt Summit Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

CHANGE

Social and technological collisions

Perez, C. 2004 from 1971 Information/telecommunications from 1908 Oil/Automobile/Mass production from 1875 Steel/Electricity from 1829 Steam/Railways from 1771 Industrial Year Technological revolution

Technological Conceptual

Why change?

Class

Divine Right

Unfair system: Access Barriers

Resonance

But, these things take time

Tension points of education Open/Closed Amateur/Expert Foster/Command Network/Hierarchy

Open/Closed

Amateur/Expert

Foster/Command

Network/Hierarchy

Reduce barriers

Increased opportunities

Increased participation

Where are we now? Technological Conceptual Here Here Here

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

Complicated

To know the right answer

Complex

When we see complex as complicated…

Satisfied with false knowns

Creation of new frameworks, desire to simplify

When we iconosize concepts, we strip them of the opportunity to morph

When we iconosize concepts, we strip them of the opportunity to morph

Nothing is more pernicious in science than attempts to establish adherence to doctrines Radcliffe-Brown (1940)

Nothing is more pernicious in science than attempts to establish adherence to doctrines

Radcliffe-Brown (1940)

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

Technology as blessing and curse

Balance is the new extreme

Boundaries between people

But what happens to us?

What of community?

Fragmentation Information Identity Understanding

Information

Identity

Understanding

The more we become distributed, the more we yearn to centralize

But individual centralization

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

Learning as network formation and navigation Connection are sufficient

Networks occur within ecologies

Ecologies: environments that fosters and supports learning Chaotic Structured informality Adaptive Alive Diverse Emergent Self-organizing, individually directed

Chaotic

Structured informality

Adaptive

Alive

Diverse

Emergent

Self-organizing, individually directed

Education as ecology Classroom, courses, programs, system Beyond formal Beyond myopic view of learner

Classroom, courses, programs, system

Beyond formal

Beyond myopic view of learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

Instructor’s role

Educator as scaffolder? Accreditor? Network administrator Curator/concierge Product/process…content/interaction

Educator as scaffolder? Accreditor?

Network administrator

Curator/concierge

Product/process…content/interaction

Blend, spectrum Formal to informal Gradients of technology use Contextual

Formal to informal

Gradients of technology use

Contextual

EC & I 831 http://eci831.wikispaces.com/

http://eci831.wikispaces.com/

How are ideas vetted/validated? Source of validation: By experts? Amateurs? Unwashed masses? Method: By networks? Openness? Hierarchical?

Source of validation:

By experts? Amateurs? Unwashed masses?

Method:

By networks? Openness? Hierarchical?

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time) Complex and complicated What technology does to/for us Ecologies The person formerly known as teacher The Learner

Let’s have a revolution!! (but they take time)

Complex and complicated

What technology does to/for us

Ecologies

The person formerly known as teacher

The Learner

“ people have much more knowledge than appears to be present in the information to which they have been exposed” Landauer and Dumais (1997)

“ people have much more knowledge than appears to be present in the information to which they have been exposed”

Landauer and Dumais (1997)

Biggs SOLO

Learner’s role

Wayfinding Darken, R. 1996

On becoming…

Move to exploration

Websites and Newsletters www.elearnspace.org www.knowingknowledge.com www.connectivism.ca http:// ltc.umanitoba.ca/wordpress / gsiemens AT elearnspace DOT org

www.elearnspace.org

www.knowingknowledge.com

www.connectivism.ca

http:// ltc.umanitoba.ca/wordpress /

gsiemens AT elearnspace DOT org