Rethinking teaching: Networks and social connections George Siemens May 1, 2008 Pacific Northwest Higher Education Teaching & Learning Conference Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Hype?

Web 2.0 Millenials Open Education Resources Blogs Wikis Second Life Virtual Worlds Twitter Wikipedia YouTube uStream Podcasts flickr Skype Diigo Blogger Google Docs LMS Learning 2.0

Distributed learning Learner-centered Authentic Teaching Accountability Standards Online learning Hybrid learning Blended learning Globalization Digital literacy Digital divide

Reality?

Explosion

Information

An exabyte? How Big? Five exabytes of information is equivalent in size to the information contained in 37,000 new libraries the size of the Library of Congress book collections. UC Berkeley

Five exabytes of information is equivalent in size to the information contained in 37,000 new libraries the size of the Library of Congress book collections.

UC Berkeley

In 2007 the digital universe equalled 281bn gigabytes of data, or about 45gb for every person on Earth International Data Corporation

In 2007 the digital universe equalled 281bn gigabytes of data, or about 45gb for every person on Earth

International Data Corporation

It took two centuries to fill the shelves of the Library of Congress with more than 57 million manuscripts, 29 million books and periodicals, 12 million photographs, and more. Now, the world generates an equivalent amount of digital information nearly 100 times each day. Internet Innovation Alliance

It took two centuries to fill the shelves of the Library of Congress with more than 57 million manuscripts, 29 million books and periodicals, 12 million photographs, and more. Now, the world generates an equivalent amount of digital information nearly 100 times each day.

Internet Innovation Alliance

Increased: Complexity and Access

Time: 1990-2001 Cost?: $3 Billion

Time: 1990-2001

Cost?: $3 Billion

Map your DNA Cost?: $1000 “ You can discover your origins, learn what the latest genetic findings may mean for you, and connect genetically with friends, family, and others across the globe.”

Map your DNA

Cost?: $1000

“ You can discover your origins, learn what the latest genetic findings may mean for you, and connect genetically with friends, family, and others across the globe.”

Getting to 25% Electricity =46 years Telephones =35 years Televisions =26 years Broadband=6 years McKinsey

Electricity =46 years

Telephones =35 years

Televisions =26 years

Broadband=6 years

McKinsey

IP traffic will nearly double every two years through 2011. Total IP traffic will nearly quintuple in the five-year period from 2006-2011. Cisco’s “The Exabyte Era” 2007

IP traffic will nearly double every two years through 2011. Total IP traffic will nearly quintuple in the five-year period from 2006-2011.

Cisco’s “The Exabyte Era” 2007

Internet's current network architecture will reach the limits of its capacity by 2010 AT & T

Internet's current network architecture will reach the limits of its capacity by 2010

AT & T

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Social theories of learning

Vygotsky Socio-cultural

Leontiev Action has not meaning in itself but in relation to others

“ The information required by individuals for functioning in society and for the survival of society itself is not carried in our biotic genes but in our societal institutions” Tolman

“ The information required by individuals for functioning in society and for the survival of society itself is not carried in our biotic genes but in our societal institutions”

Tolman

Bandura “ Socially interdependent effort” Triad: Cognitive, biological, environmental

“ Socially interdependent effort”

Triad: Cognitive, biological, environmental

Relationship of Activity Individual Society Tools

Activity

Individual

Society

Tools

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

The tool is the thing...

Gibson: affordances “Action possibilities”

Extending ourselves: Technological advances

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Let’s get fragmented

Pieces

Distribution

Cognition

Sensemaking All meanings are created in the public domain...in collective situations and actions Wittgenstein (Toulmin)

All meanings are created in the public domain...in collective situations and actions

Wittgenstein (Toulmin)

Knowledge

Creation

Learning

Duality of fragmentation Ease of customization, adaptation, individualization Pressure of building realities outside of solid frameworks

Ease of customization, adaptation, individualization

Pressure of building realities outside of solid frameworks

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Connectivism

What do we mean when we say “Network Learning”?

1. Technical infrastructure

1. Technical infrastructure

2. Network structure

2. Network structure

3. Distributed cognition, knowledge, and learning

3. Distributed cognition, knowledge, and learning

4. Network skills

4. Network skills

5. Systemic views of networked learning, knowledge, and education

5. Systemic views of networked learning, knowledge, and education

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Who does what? Who speaks? How? Who has control?

Who speaks? How?

Who has control?

Information is participation

Dilbert

Human face to murder Jill Leovy: Homicide Report http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/homicidereport/

Jill Leovy: Homicide Report

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/homicidereport/

History Commons http://www.cooperativeresearch.org

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org

Open Educational Resources

What are we really facing? Social views of learning Tools? Distributed. Everything. Learning networks Control And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

What are we really facing?

Social views of learning

Tools?

Distributed. Everything.

Learning networks

Control

And into the abyss of chaos we shall teach

Our reality Tremendous growth of information and complexity Our social nature Tools to extend ourselves Networks to filter, make sense, think, learn Shifting control: Thinning class walls

Tremendous growth of information and complexity

Our social nature

Tools to extend ourselves

Networks to filter, make sense, think, learn

Shifting control: Thinning class walls

On becoming...

Different teachers

Not only domain-specific knowledge

But connections

And new literacies

Literate/competent with networks

Literate with information Finding Evaluating Filtering Sharing Re-creating Collaborating

Finding

Evaluating

Filtering

Sharing

Re-creating

Collaborating

Literate with identity

Literate with process/tools Media Context Tool selection Process selection

Media

Context

Tool selection

Process selection

From knowing something to connecting to something

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