Module 4: Connectivism

When I moved overseas 6 years ago, my opportunities for professional development became quite scarce. Due to my geographic isolation and budgetary constraints, I found myself unable to attend professional conferences as I once had while living stateside. I turned to reading books, online articles, conversations with colleagues and an occasional class offered locally or online. My learning network looked like this:



I was feeling professionally isolated until one day when I found a particularly interesting podcast online. I began to subscribe to the weekly podcast called PD to Go. This podcast was primarily about using Smart Boards in the classroom. But each hour-long podcast also included highlights and tips about cutting edge technology. During one weeklong road trip during spring break, I listened to the podcasts that had been downloaded to my iPod and I took notes about all of the sites and technologies that sounded interesting to me. When I got home, I began joining and exploring the networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning and others. And so, the beginning of my digital learning network began. I chose people to follow on Twitter who are knowledgeable in the area of educational technology. I joined discussion boards, blogs and wikis. Now my learning is centered on my interests and allows me to explore to find the gaps in my own knowledge. I find myself grateful for social bookmarking sites like Delicious that allow me to save bookmarks and organize them for future use. I realize that each network has the potential to take me deeper into my interest and gives me the opportunity to see perspectives that I had never even considered. I am grateful for learning about Google Reader to help keep my massive network connections organized. I have moved from a one dimensional recipient of information to an interactive participant in a multidimensional interactive world. Here is what my network has evolved into over the last few years:



I have to admit that I am probably more of a lurker than a participant in many networks where I do not have an established relationship with the participants. That is probably just characteristic of me as a person and a learner. I would normally be the kind of learner who craves the face-to-face interactions and collaborative climate of getting to know my classmates in a traditional classroom, but the tools like Skype, Google Chat, Google Docs give me that immediate interaction that I enjoy. Because of the collaborative nature of these social networking technologies, it is not difficult to find answers to questions. I am comfortable asking “friends” within my networks or searching for answers on my own using search engines and tags in blogs and wikis. Though I know that I must use Google with caution, it is still my favorite search engine for finding the answers to questions. What a different experience education is at this time in my life as compared to my undergraduate days before computers, the internet and Web 2.0 technologies.

Module 3: Collaboration

I do believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. One can observe children (and even adults) who do not know each other, placed in a room together, who will naturally gravitate toward each other for social interaction. It does not necessarily mean that they will work cooperatively or interact appropriately, but it illustrates that by human nature we gravitate toward one another. According to James Fowler (2005), “Human beings frequently cooperate with genetically unrelated strangers whom they will never meet again, even when such cooperation is individually costly” (pg. 7047).
In his video Way-new Collaboration, Howard Rheingold made a strong case regarding the nature of and the natural evolution of collective knowledge in our society. With advances in technology and the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, the internet is no longer a one-way giver of information. The flow of information and constructed knowledge has the potential to flow two ways as well as to branch out into further tributaries. In true constructivist form, the Web 2.0 user takes the information and reconstructs the knowledge by making sense of it based upon his/her own experiences. This knowledge then flows back into collaborative spaces (like social networks, wikis, blogs, etc.) and is processed and reconstructed by another user with different experiences and different perspectives. However, in that process other users who are in the network of the original user take that knowledge and reconstruct it based upon their unique perspectives. It is quite probable that the original piece of information has become transformed into an entirely new piece of knowledge with the process ready to cycle on. As George Siemens (2006) says, “The end of a process is a product. Our internet-era knowledge is no longer suitable as a product-we can continue to revise, connect, and alter indefinitely” (pg. 53).

Fowler, James H. (2005). Altruistic punishment and the origin of cooperation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(19), 7047-7049. Retrieved January 10, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 836453451).

Siemens, George. (2006). Knowing knowledge. ISBN 978-1-4303-0230-8. A Creative Commons licensed version is available online at http://www.elearnspace.org/KnowingKnowledge_LowRes.pdf.

Cognitivism video

I just ran across this video which gives and interesting perspective on behaviorism vs. cognitivism. After watching this, my suspicions are confirmed that my teaching practices have been more influenced by the cognitivists than the behaviorists, but I am definitely not a purist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjFsI9hz3w

Thoughts on Theories-Module #2

While reading about the different learning theories I have found it difficult to say that behaviorism or cognitivism is “better” than the other. I read about behaviorism and I reflected upon my experiences with students…that rote, repetitive practice of multiplication tables will help most children remember the facts. We played quiz games, flashcard games and computer games to reinforce the facts. But then the word “most” begins to haunt me because then I remember Ty (and many others) who just couldn’t memorize his facts. Ty needed to use mnemonic clues like “eight times eight fell on the floor, I picked it up and it was sixty four.” He needed to see a chart to see the patterns with the numbers. He needed to use objects to visualize groups of objects to understand the concept that multiplication is just a quicker way to add groups of objects. Once he was given more concrete information, he was able to begin to memorize and remember facts, maybe not as quickly as others, but he could retrieve the information given time. He was able to thrive by using cognitive strategies to build knowledge.
I agree with Karl Kapp when he stated in his January 2, 1997 blog post, “What we need is to take the best from each philosophy and use it wisely to create solid educational experiences for our learners.” He has expressed what I believe to be the most critical component of learning theory…the individual learners. Each student comes to us with his/her own set of needs, own prior knowledge, own particularly wiring in their brains. How could we even begin to assume that each learner needs the exact same thing? If I am serving dinner to a group, I must take into consideration that one guest is lactose intolerant, another is allergic to eggs, one is vegetarian and one is diabetic. I cannot design one meal for all. I need to provide a menu of items that addresses the particular dietary needs of all. I do not think that one learning theory is absolute and can meet the needs of every student. In his blog post on January 1, 2007, Bill Kerr states, “It seems to me that each _ism is offering something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right.” What an effective educator or instructional designer does is choose from a menu of items to meet the needs of the learner.
The challenge for the educator is to understand the individual learner’s needs while also understanding the external influences that will impact the desired outcome of student learning. The impact of technology on our world has educational leaders scrambling to prepare our students in a world that is changing so quickly, where the jobs that our students will be doing in the future might not even be created yet. This is why educational reform has no quick fix and no one learning theory can be the answer.

Metaphors of Educators-Blog Post #1

According to Seimens (2008), today’s students have grown up immersed in a digital world , which has bred an expectation by students that their education is “participative, engaging, and active…”(pg.6). With this expectation comes the realization that educators will need to change their ways of teaching so as to meet these “habits of millennials” (pg. 6-7).

When you walk into a school and gather a group of educators together, it is quite probable that one will be faced with a group of people whose philosophies, beliefs, and practices about learning theory are spread across the spectrum. One can observe both effective and ineffective practitioners that represent any theory. Each group would be able to present strong arguments as to why their practice is best. In my opinion, each of the Metaphors of Educators…master artist, network administrator, concierge, and curator have qualities that I could potentially embrace in a digital classroom.
Brown’s educator as a master artist is an intriguing thought. This educator’s role is to guide students to learn from examining exemplary qualities in other students’ work. Blogs would be an effective tool used by these educators. While this model has its merits in promoting creativity and allowing the learner to create his own meaning, I wonder if the educator’s role is too neutral. Especially from the point of view of an early child educator, I know that some children need very explicit instruction.
The educator as a network administrator by Clarence Fisher focuses less on the teacher who is the expert in content and more as the teacher who helps students make connections and form networks to find information. I think that this is a relevant model given the nature of our digital world. Why should students be forced to memorize massive amounts of information when computers and the World Wide Web provide for almost instantaneous retrieval? Guiding students to understand how to find information and how to evaluate the sources are relevant skills in the 21st century. Here is a link to a teacher blog that has been highly influenced by Fisher and illustrates the power of networking.
I see Bonk’s model of the educator as a concierge much like that of a tour guide. The educator tells the students information about places to go. Sometimes he might take them there and sometimes he might let them explore on their own. The important role of the 21st century educator is to know about the opportunities that are available and to give the students the tools to be able to explore effectively. As long as the educator strikes the right balance of guidance and independent exploration by the student, this model could be powerful.
I feel that I can connect with the Curator model most because it is learner-centered. It takes the learners needs into consideration and acknowledges that there must be balance between the freedom to explore and create, but at the same time learning experiences are carefully orchestrated by the teacher. My beliefs tend to always reflect a balanced approach because I understand that each individual learner is unique and one-size-fits-all is rarely an effective model. While the gifted student may be able to be successful with the freedom to create and explore independently with little guidance, the ADHD or learning disabled students need more support, structure, modeling and explicit instruction.
I think that the important idea to take away from this discussion is that the nature of the developing technologies is moving us from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered instructional model. Rather than the teacher being the center of the learning experience, the learner will manage his/her own learning to a certain extent. I think because I come from an elementary background and this discussion might be more geared toward secondary and post-secondary settings, I don’t think that overlooking the importance of explicit instruction for those who need it. Not all kids can just magically make those connections independently. I found a short presentation on Teacher Tube called Pay Attention, which poses a strong argument as to why the roles for educators need to shift dramatically.

I’m not going to say that my metaphor is better; however I might try the metaphor of the Educator as a Conductor. The conductor is intimately familiar with each instrument. He/she knows each of the special qualities that they posses, their strengths and weaknesses. He/she knows which instruments work best together. When they should work together and when they are best alone. The conductor also knows the strengths and weaknesses of the musician and places them where they need to be based on performance. So the conductor orchestrates the situation so that the desired outcome takes place. There are times when the musicians must read the “script” and there are times when improvisation is appropriate. The Conductor is up there with the orchestra, but he is facilitating and guiding the musicians. The musicians are doing all of the work and the conductor is there as a coordinator who leads the musicians with their instruments.


Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf

New at Blogging

Over the last few years I have been investigating many exciting Web 2.0 tools that are out there. I experimented using a wiki in my classroom. I use Facebook to keep in touch with my friends and family. Most recently I discovered Ning and have begun building social networks for both the personal and professional sides of my life. I have set up Ning for the teachers at my school with the intent of infusing a new paradigm for professional development in our school. I have also set up a Ning network for my own family so we don't intermingle our private family communication with our friends on Facebook. I must admit, I have read lots of blogs, but this will be my first attempt at blogging.