Connectivism - An Approach to Learning for the 21st Century

I talk a lot about Connectivism in the context of modernising learning, a theory developed by George Siemens and you can find out more in his article “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age”.

Connectivism is a learning theory that provides an interesting alterative to the Constructivist model  that I think best describes the model that, in my experience, is most often use in FE where:

• Learning is an active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge
• Instruction is a a process of supporting that construction rather than communicating knowledge (Duffy & Cunningham - later / Bruner 1964 / Driscoll 1994)

Connectivism ties in well with Vygotsky’s social constructivist learning theory which recognises the social nature of learning. This theory suggests an individual's learning takes place because of their interactions in a group and there are many ways that this is facilitated using todays technologies. You'll find a good summary here. Siemens though, suggests learning is determined by context. Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where.

When knowledge, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the needs is a vital skill and it's an understanding of where to find knowledge that is needed. That might be from a selection of  educational resources, within a database somewhere, through accessing personal networks or peers. He calls it Connectivism and so it’s understanding where and how to make the appropriate connections that enable us to learn that are more important than our current state of knowing. In other words - to quote Siemens:

"The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe."

Today I found a good video created by some students studying connectivism that describes (a la Common Craft mode) the concept really well and I think ties in the role of new social media very nicely. Worth a look if you have 5 minutes for some CPD.

Blogging: tips and tricks to make it easier

In my opinion Blogs are an underrated source of information as well as having huge potential to enhance learning and enable more reflective learning practices.

A Blog is a website that can be edited online really designed as an online journal or diary. I consider it as a vehicle for articulating personal accounts & opinion and reflective in nature although a Blog can also be used to disseminate information very effectively. Characteristically Blogs present postings in chronological order; they are searchable using keyword tags; they can incorporate a wide range of rich media from a wide variety of sources; they have a comment facility which enables communication; they can be accessed by a url but also through RSS feeds which individuals use to "subscribe" to a Blog. This is my work Blog.

image from flickr by Rosaura Ochoa licensed through Creative Commons

Learning with Blogs
In terms of learning, well chosen Blogs can provide an insight into topics that is different to text books. For example, some authors who blog will use less formal language, provide authentic accounts of their experience and document thoughts and opinions that can add value and help learners to better assimilate complex information. Many Blogs are relatively informal with much written, usually in the first person from a range of different perspectives which can be really helpful.

Blogs also offer possibilities of communicating with other interested individuals situated anywhere in the world. Articulating their thoughts and understanding of a topic in a Blog also helps learners to assimilate information and form their own conclusions about topics they are studying. Reading and commenting on others postings / peer review / working collaboratively / keeping online journal to record activities and progress towards their own goals / sharing with peers can all contribute to a richer learning experience and can provide an authentic account of a learner's "learning journey".


My best tip for making Blogs easier to read
I suffer quite readily from information overload and so for me it's important to have a way to organise the  way I find information. There has been a fundamental  change to the way we use the web since the introduction of "pull" technology. So rather than googling everything we can now "subscribe " to pages on the internet using RSS feeds. By subscribing to a site you elect to receive new information from particular sources periodically which effectively saves you going out to look for it. Blogs are designed to work with RSS feeds. Most email clients have a facility to organise all RSS feeds but my preferred method is to use a RSS reader. I use Google reader so all the feeds I subscribe to are kept together and I can check it when I have time rather than receiving lots of email alerts. You still need to be discerning about who you do subscribe to though.

My best tip for making Blogs easier to write
Take a deep breath and just get going. It's quite a challenge committing pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and publishing something for others to read. If you like, you can keep your Blog entirely private so that no one else can see it. It's interesting to write up what you think and the thinking processes involved.  Having never kept a diary, it wasn't until I started Blogging that I realised just what a powerful mechanism for reflection it is. I recommend that you try it yourself to fully appreciate how challenging it is, the impact it can have, the challenges faced by your own learners and the level and type of support that might be required.

Here's an interesting video on YouTube with  Seth Godin and Tom Peters, discussing the value of blogging. They are both enthusiastic advocates of the benefits of Blogging in terms of personal, intellectual and emotional outlook and I broadly agree about the personal benefits of summarising a topic and writing down your own thoughts on it - It's described as meta-cognition.
So if you haven't tried it yet maybe now's the time to try.

some useful references

JISC Legal – Web2.0 – Liability & Law
http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Web2/index.htm

Web 2.0 and social software: An introduction (JISC Publication)
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/web2socialsoftwarev1.aspx

TechDis – Web2Access
 http://www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=20_9

A Study on the Effective Use of Social Software by Further and Higher Education in the UK to Support Student Learning and Engagement.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/projects/effective-use-of-social-software-in-education-finalreport.pdf 

JISC review of Mobile and Wireless Technologies

A review of Mobile and Wireless Technology commissioned by JISC to review the literature on the use of mobile and wireless technologies for learning and teaching in UK further and higher education has been published in a variety of interesting formats.

If you've never tried using QR codes to access web pages - now's your chance. Download any free QR reader onto your mobile device (BeeTagg, ScanLife, RedLaser app) you may well have one preinstalled on your phone so check for that. Scan the QR code below and you'll automatically be taken to the website (mind boggling!). There you'll find the report as a website, pdf, issuu magazine, ebook and kindle versions.

RSC Online - Storyfied

RSCtv Live - Tune in on Tuesdays

RSCtv Live is our lunchtime interactive webinar service delivered online direct to your desktop. With the launch of a new RSC Scotland service, we thought it would be useful to give you the opportunity to meet the RSC Scotland team over the next few weeks.

It's an chance to find out more about us, to ask us some questions and provide feedback that will enable us to understand how best we can support you.

20th Sept 12:30 - 1:15 - Fionnuala Carmichael, RSC Scotland Manager
27th Sept 12:30 - 1:15 - Margaret McKay, Advisor: Access & Inclusion
4th Oct 12:30 - 1:15 - Celeste McLaughlin, Advisor: Staff Development
11th Oct 12:30 - 1:15 - Joan Walker, Advisor: Learning & Teaching and Depute Manager
25th Oct 12:30 - 1:15 - Mark Clark, Advisor: Technology & Infrastructure
1st Nov 12:30 - 1:15 - Grainne Hamilton, Advisor: e-Assessment
8th Nov 12:30 - 1:15 - Theresa Duffy, Advisor: Higher Education

Go to our events page to book your place.

InfoGraphics – Information Visual.ly

An “Infographic” is a visual representation of a set of data, facts, statistics, and images. David Nicolas and Ian Rowlands (from UCL) talk about the Google Generation having viewing ability rather than reading ability and Wim Veen from Delft University talks about the Homo Zappien learning iconic literacy before word literacy. Maybe it’s worth considering using this concept more to engage learners.

So I was excited about a new online service Visual.ly during the summer. This is a site that helps folk with limited artistic talent to create “infographics”(information + graphics). The program requires users to upload data, and it generates a pretty JPG with charts, graphs, and icons - no PhotoShop skills required and it’s free to use.

As well as helping you to design your own infographic you can share and use professionally designed infographics from the Visual.ly site which can be embedded in online resources using embed codes generated by the site. Here’s an nice example:

via

It’s worth taking a look at Ollie Bray's blog where he showcases the use of infographics in a series of 5 postings which really illustrate the impact of infographics used in the context of learning & teaching. Ollie is currently seconded to Learning & Teaching Scotland (LTS).

http://olliebray.typepad.com/olliebraycom/infographics/

JISC RSC Scotland Service

As of 1 August 2011 the JISC RSC Scotland is in operation as a single service across Scotland. The team here assure you of our determination to provide services from our single Scottish centre to as high a standard as you have enjoyed from the two JISC RSCs during the past ten years.

Service delivery has always been based on consultation with supported learning providers, of which a partnership approach is a distinctive feature. The JISC RSC Scotland team recognises the importance of establishing and sustaining productive relationships with key contacts in each provider, including senior and middle managers, network staff, lecturers, staff development officers, learning support and learning resources staff. In the coming weeks we will be in contact with all our supported providers to discuss how we can deliver support and services that meet your individual needs.

I look forward to continuing to provide valued service to the college sector and supported smaller HE institutions throughout Scotland.

An the winner is ……

At the JISC RSC Scotland S&W Future Focus conference, iTech awards were presented for case studies we felt really represented the best of the "Best of the West" series that we have recorded with our local institutions. With nearly 50 case studies (available on our website), the competition was tough and selecting winners presented a challenge for our steering group judges. The four categories were: Technology & Business Systems, Learning and Teaching, Access & Inclusion and Learner Services.

We’ve created an online magazine (below) to show off our winners so take a look and think about how you could be a contender next year. Do get in touch if you’d like some support from the team here who’ll help you to produce a case study of how you’re making the most of technology in your own institution.

Open publication - Free publishing - More awards

NLN service announcement

Information is now available about the future of the National Learning Network materials service, widely used by colleges in the UK:

1. Will the National Learning Network (NLN) materials service continue to operate for the foreseeable future? YES.
LSIS have worked with Xtensis, who developed the service under the contract with JANET(UK), to ensure its continued operation for the next two years. The site will be run by LSIS from July 22nd. Xtensis has kindly granted a free license to use the software that delivers the site, so it will look and perform the same as it does now. The current service is funded until summer 2011. From that point it will be taken over by LSIS.
An LSIS survey in December last year confirmed that:
practitioners continue to value the materials themselves and the service; a large body of learning in college and other provider VLEs contains embedded links to the site that would have to be reworked if the site closed.
2. How will it work?
Exactly the same as it does now: the NLN materials will continue to be available at www.nln.ac.uk. all existing links to links to the site - Learner URLs, VLE links and Noodle links - will continue to work as now. individual Learning Objects (LOs) and Permanent Collections will still be available for download.
3. What will change?
There will no longer be: registration and/login the facility to create collections Users who want to create new collections or store any pre-existing collections associated with their login can copy them across to a new service provided by Xtensis, called XtLearn.
4. What happens now?
The site will be run by Xtensis until summer, when there will be a formal handover to LSIS. Work has already started on the new version of the site. Some users may be contacted over the next few months and asked to test it out ahead of the official launch in July.
5. What next?
Some of the materials no longer work, either technically because they were based on redundant technology, or in terms of their content (old-fashioned, outdated practice etc). The LSIS survey identified a wish by users to see them brought up to scratch. It also identified members of the community who would be willing to join or lead such developments. LSIS will work with partners to facilitate these developments as far as is practicable.
LSIS
10 June 2011

Future Focus Conference – “storified”

My colleague Celeste McLaughlin has used Storify to aggregate the Tweet backchannel which gives a flavour of keynote presentations and breakout focus sessions from our conference last week. More information on iTech winners soon.