Connected Practice - A language tutor journey through digital and networked technologies - LLAS elearning symposium keynote

@BenGuilbaud
Connected practice:
A language tutor’s journey through
digital and networked technologies
Benoît Guilbaud
LLAS elearning symposium 2015, University of Southampton

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@BenGuilbaud

Benoît Guilbaud - LLAS elearning symposium 2015
Personal background
Teaching with technology
Conclusions
Connected practice
Case studies

Personal background
Conclusions
Case studies
Connected practice

Personal background
Conclusions
Teaching
practice
Professional
development
Case studies
Connected practice

Designing cartoons
Recording music
Creating websites
Playing games

Playful design, learning curve scaffolding,
failure management, motivation (gamification)
Document layout, word-processing
AV resource editing, exam recording
VLE, online learning
Designing cartoons
Recording music
Creating websites
Playing games

Teaching with tech
Pablog61
Walter Parenteau Moodle

Unit tutor
VLE
VLE unit
Unit students
Other tutors
Other students
Institution
Outside world
Guilbaud, 2012

Web 2.0 discussion forum (Ning)

• helps students acquire IT skills (alongside literacy & numeracy)
• develops digital literacy
• helps students familiarise themselves with tech tools
• uses media students know
• enhances motivation
• is fast, ubiquitous, efficient
‘Traditional’ teaching + tech…

• can be limited in time, size and scope
• is sometimes overly controlled and/or too passive
• tends to feel artificial
• does not take advantage of the affordances of web 2.0 technologies
• can lack real-world relevance
‘Traditional’ teaching + tech…

1 - Computer literacy - "general fluency and comfort in navigating
around and using a computer”
2 - Information literacy - ability to access, evaluate, sort, etc.
information online
3 - Multimedia literacy - interpret and create multimedia content
4 - Computer-mediated communication literacy - netiquette -
argumentation and persuasion with a variety of Internet media -
establish and manage online communications between groups of
people
Digital Literacy (Warchauer, 2003)

Personal background
Conclusions
Case studies
Connected practice
(Networked learning, Couros, 2011)

Constructivism
Based on Vygostky, 1978

Connectivism

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual
learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist
learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. […]
Principles of connectivism
Siemens, 2005

The connections created by a learner are more valuable than the
resulting knowledge.
What matters isn’t possessing information, it’s knowing how and
where to find information.
Learning with networks

Learner

Personal Learning Network (PLN)

It’s about helping students:
• make sustainable connections for future learning
• develop independent learning habits and critical thinking
• become creative, resourceful and adaptable
• join or develop local and global learning communities
• gain confidence in accessing, curating and sharing information
• participate!
What’s in it for us, then?

Learning in the open:
Web 2.0 discussion forums for translation
Guilbaud, 2012

Sharing part of the
homework on the forums
Commenting on one
another’s contributions
Weekly task

• Collect student feedback on use of OADs for peer-feedback
• Measure student engagement with OADs
• Evaluate impact on performance (contributions / marks)
• Gauge if interactions lead to deep, collaborative learning (Wheeler, 2012)
The study

Murphy’s collaboration
model (2004)

Download it, use it!
Guilbaud, 2012

Learning as a participatory process:
Collaborative vocabulary lists
Guilbaud, 2014

Traditional vocabulary teaching
(and maybe learning)

Better vocabulary learning

+
Google drive Quizlet

Google drive

Quizlet

• Increasing breadth of vocabulary
easily and systematically
• Active participants in their learning
process
• Collaboratively involved in content
design
• Engage with outward-facing
learning & OER production
• Reduces need for specialist
knowledge
• Keeps students engaged
outside of contact hours
• Increases class motivation
• Saves time
What’s in it for … ?
Students Tutors

• The future is Open
• All teachers and students are learners
• Networked learning and open learning are becoming prevalent
• Connectivist principles do not solely apply to MOOCs
• Small steps can be taken in everyday classroom teaching
• Education is about participation, not consumption
• Beyond formal education: life-long learning and civic engagement
Conclusions

Couros, A. (2010). Developing personal learning networks for open and social learning. In G. Veletsianos (Ed.), Emerging
technologies in distance education. Athabasca University Press.
Couros, A. (2011). Why networked learning matters. Presented at Education in a Changing Environment (ECE) 6th International
Conference, Creativity and Engagement in Higher Education, 6-8 July 2011, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Guilbaud, B., (2014). Bring your own vocabulary: Engaging students in vocabulary learning with mobile & collaborative
technologies. In: Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference 2014. Southampton, Grand Harbour Hotel, 9-
10th July 2014.
Guilbaud, B., (2012). Using Online Asynchronous Discussions for Peer-Feedback: a Case-Study. In: Langages – Cultures –
Sociétés : interrogations didactiques. Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle ‐ DILTEC, Paris 20, 21, 22 June 2012.
Murphy, E., 2004. Recognising and promoting collaboration in an online asynchronous discussion. In: British Journal of
Educational Technology, 35(4) pp.421–431.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. In: International Journal of Instructional Technology &
Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved from http://itdl.org/ journal/jan_05/article01.htm
Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Retrieved from: http://www.elearnspace.org/KnowingKnowledge_LowRes.pdf.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Warschauer, M. (2003). Technology and social inclusion: Rethinking the digital divide. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Wheeler, S., 2012. Digital Pedagogy: Content is a Tyrant, Context is King. In: NAACE 2012 Annual Conference, 9 March 2012,
Leicester, United Kingdom.
References

Any questions?
@BenGuilbaud

Connected Practice - A language tutor journey through digital and networked technologies - LLAS elearning symposium keynote

Connected Practice - A language tutor journey through digital and networked technologies - LLAS elearning symposium keynote

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