Connectivism

To be honest, I had not really thought too deeply about how much technology, specifically the internet, has positively affected my life. I still have traditional networks for information, but computers have enabled me to learn about any topic that captures my attention. The way I used to learn before the internet was mainly through books and public television. Now, I use my critical thinking skills that I have developed throughout my life and various sources of credible information to construct knowledge. When I think about how my type of learning relates to connectivism I cannot help but draw a comparison to schema theory; in that I always accommodate new knowledge with something I have learned or makes sense to me. For instance, the other day I was reading about new research on the effects of observation and quantum behavior of particles and I had to use an analogy because the concept was new and complex. The conjecture was that a particle will behave differently if it is observed in the future—or the future influences the past. Aside from all of the jargon and mathematics, I read from a few more sources and likened this new information to having somebody from the future tell you that you are going to do something specific. Once you know your “destiny,” Your behavior changes. The very act of the new information (which rests on particles being able to travel in bidirectional timespace) changes one’s behavior: fascinating. Of course, this has only been observed on an atomic scale….but I digress.

The tool I most rely on is the internet, but I do not approach any information as fact unless it can be verified. I think this is an important consideration with connectivism, that teachers must monitor the sources of information to which their students have access until the students are able to discriminate between what is valid and what is purely conjecture. In addition to the internet, I tend to use books and journals for access to reliable information. No matter how geeky I get, it seems that the written word in a book or journal is nice to have as a reference just as much as having access to it on the net.

The Motivation to Collaborate

Do people want to interact as part of a group? On a fundamental level (at least in a historical sense) people have learned that cooperation is sometimes necessary in order to achieve certain goals. Once you define said goals I believe it is necessary to understand a person's motivations for helping a collective group; e.g. is there coercion? what is the value of the individual in the sociocultural view? does the individual have a choice?

Rheingold suggests that there are certain reasons why someone would help or share with others that generally involve some reward or benefit for the individual; I agree with this statement. Whether it be survival or the chance to accumulate more wealth, individuals will work together not through a biological drive, but as a measure to receive reward,achieve recognition, or to avoid punishment. I think that this is especially prevalent in the shrinking world that has been created by the internet--the individual is being lost in the collective that is the World Wide Web. I would argue that collaboration in the sense of Wikipedia is an attempt for some to share their knowledge, but for others it is an attempt to be heard or recognized. Collaboration does not always produce positive results and it is imperative that interactions within the educational setting are appropriately monitored to ensure that positive and productive progress is being made towards predefined goals.

Tools for collaboration can be used effectively to support Constructivist learning and situated cognition provided that the interactions between members are facilitated by a knowledgeable person to model behaviors for students. Wikispaces, Glogster, and Google Docs are widely available and free tools that encourage active learning through collaboration. Members of a class or team can use the medium to create and share knowledge to solve problems while also providing feedback to each other, which is especially useful for building a sense of community that is not limited by time or location. An important aspect of online collaboration is that all of the material is dynamic and users can share videos or digital recordings and see a record of their progress. The instructor in this environment challenges students by asking questions, encouraging peer interaction, and providing appropriate tools for students to incorporate into their projects. Tools are important, but no matter how intuitive the technology a model needs to be in place for students to observe and reflect upon to build meaningful connections to the information that has been presented.

Constructive Discourse and Learning Theories

Open and honest debate is essential to scholarly inquiry. Though at times I wonder how some theories have become so widespread, I realize that knowledge acquisition is viewed differently based on historical context and the value placed on the individual. While Kerr and Kapp’s views most closely match my own it does not make them any more or less correct than the views of Downes. Behaviorism is not dead; in fact many components are integrated into educational technology and serve as a valuable method of instruction for all levels of student ability. Cognitivism provides a different and divergent way of explaining how we learn, but does not completely account for more complex processes like language acquisition and biology. In isolation, theory no matter how comprehensive, only serves to exclude other empirically-based points of view and stalls open dialogue that is crucial for deepening our understanding.

Perspective is a funny thing. The value we place on the individual in a learning context influences how we view education. Behaviorism was an important first step in developing our understanding and we do not want to abandon parts of the theories, nor do we want to blindly adopt theories of cognition without the understanding that certain tasks are best accomplished through rote learning and reinforcement. As our knowledge base increases and technology improves to a degree that we can develop our understanding of the multifaceted and complex relationship of the learner to the environment, we can better explain certain aspects of learning; however, a unified theory of learning would have to be comprised of parts of all schools of thought.

Regardless of the theory each has a place in the classroom; tools in your arsenal.

What does learning look like to you?

Questions about how individuals learn best reflect the time in which they were first asked. As technology evolves into ways that more accurately reflect the complexities of the human mind, we are better able to comprehend what constitutes real "learning." Behaviorists are concerned with measurable changes consistent with reinforcement, while Cognitivists rely on structured learning environments with a strong emphasis on biological systems of memory and recall. The most accurate, at least in the current day, are the Constructivists who believe that the student is central to instruction and that learning is an active process that requires input and feedback to develop proficiency. The purpose of educational technology is to develop tools and strategies to put theory into practice in practical ways.

The best analogy that I can use for Theories of Learning is the story of the Six Blind Men and an Elephant. Depending on where each person stands in relation to the elephant is how they interpret what the animal looks like. While no one person is able to completely describe the elephant, each accurately describes what he "sees" based on his schema. Whether or not they are correct individually is moot--what matters is that together they form a more or less complete picture based on a frame of reference. In isolation learning theories do little more than attempt to explain a phenomenon; however, when used in conjunction with effective pedagogy and technology form the palette from which the teacher can create knowledge. In the future we may completely change how we view learning based on improved technology...and that is alright, because it is how we develop our understanding based on our collective accumulation of knowledge and research.

The Digital Divide

Living in a rural community provides many challenges as well as opportunities. In my county we have a high number of students with special needs (English language learners) and those who are economically disadvantaged. While there can be no strong argument against using technology, many of these students either do not have a computer at home or internet access. What use is having a vast number of resources on the internet if only half of our student population can access it from home? An informal survey of my students gave credence to the Digital Divide: out of my nearly seventy students, only about 20 had computers, while 10 had access to high speed internet. Conversely, each student in my class had either their own personal cell phone or had access to one in their home. Forget all of the high speed hardware heavy computers that are advertized, most users only need very basic devices to connect to the internet and perform every day productivity tasks. For our communities, and in a broader sense people who are disadvantaged throughout the world, our emphasis should be on providing access to mobile devices and wireless networks. I recently read about a program provided by UNESCO to bring literacy to women in Pakistan. The simplicity and low cost is what really struck me—a modest investment in a cell phone and SMS created an opportunity for a population that may not ever have the luxury of attending school.

As a current and future leader in educational technology, I can ensure equal access by making sound decisions about the types of technology we use in the classroom. Rather than purchase proprietary operating systems and expensive site licenses, we can opt for an open-source alternative. Grants may provide some resources, but must be approached cautiously as the long term cost may outweigh the short term benefits. Additionally, I can strongly advocate for the integration of mobile devices into our curriculum as both the functionality and price are ideal for students of all ages and grade levels. Part of this advocacy may include developing a curriculum for pilot program that uses mobile devices in a classroom setting.

The Digital Divide exists throughout the modern world and it is unrealistic to expect access to the internet and other resources will be equal; however, schools can make better use of their resources by developing technology plans that utilize the free open-source resources that are available and saving the bulk of their technology budgets to create programs to introduce mobile computing to students.

Red Queens?

The movie rental business is what could be referred to as a “Red Queen.” Competition to control the market share has produced myriad innovations, including: in home delivery, video on demand, streaming video, and hybrid models. For instance, I was required to view a movie for on of my courses and within one day I was able to obtain a copy, view it, and then mail it back to Netflix. The low comparative price and convenience of Netflix has made it one of the best innovations for home entertainment in the past few years. Additionally, many television shows are also available to be viewed and for a small price, less than a cable subscription, one can watch programs from HBO, Showtime, or Starz whenever they would like.

Video on demand is the next wave for the VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray rhyme. As the popularity of mobile devices grows, so to does the need to develop the technology to make one’s media catalog portable as well. Even though free alternatives in the form of YouTube and Hulu among others are available, video on demand is of higher quality and has a larger selection of content. The vast storage capability of home computers and mobile devices makes the need to store data on a CD or DVD impractical.

I find myself watching movies that I would not otherwise go to see in the theater (or want to be seen renting at a video store), because of all the options available through Netflix and the internet. In a sense, Netflix and video on demand has rekindled my love of movies and with the ability to provide feedback, has recommended movies based on my preferences that I may not have seen otherwise. I see the next wave of technology along this vein as the competition becomes more intense as a service that allows users to watch movies the moment they are released in the theaters, effectively making movie going an experience rather than a necessity.

Disruptive Tech: SL and its Potential as a Learning Medium

How do we reinvent the landscape of education? We limit ourselves as educators by relying on textbooks and other static technologies. To fully realize the learning power of collaboration and immersive environments educators at all levels can harness the disruptive technology inherent in Second Life (SL). Not only does SL enable a student to experience learning in exotic locales, it also provides a learning medium that is perfectly suited for connectivist pedagogy (Thomas, 2010). With a small investment of resources an interested educator could create a learning space for students throughout the world, thus opening their sphere of influence and developing cross-cultural exchanges.

Though not specifically created for education, SL is a world where individuals can effectively “live” beyond their physical self. Someone who has a disability that limits his or her movement in real life (IRL) can visit places in vivid detail that may otherwise be out of reach; or enable a person with hearing impairment to communicate without the need of an interpreter or any special applications. Artists and designers can create works of art and sell their wares in SL’s virtual economy. One can even have a job in SL and transfer their earnings IRL and make a decent living doing so. In the decade or so that SL has been in existence it has established a new frontier for virtual worlds and helped to create a place for Residents to shape in whatever way they choose (Linden Research, n.d.).

Second Life is not a perfect platform for education and much of its content is tailored towards adult audiences, though a separate “grid” exists for teens. Also, the educator who chooses to use SL has to have a fair amount of technical knowledge and SL is not nearly as stable as it needs to be for daily instructional events. Despite some of the drawbacks, SL is setting the standard for the way instructional design may look in the future and altering the way we think about developing the necessary skills for students to be successful in the Digital Age. SL still has a few years before it is outmoded by a more reliable platform combined with the functionality of realistic 3D technology.


References

Linden Research, Inc. (n.d.). About Linden Lab. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from, http://lindenlab.com/about

Thomas, H. (2010). Learning spaces, learning environments and the dis‘placement’ of learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 502-511. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00974.x.