Connectivism

My above mind map is interactive and requires viewers to click to explore further.

I learn through the networks I connect or create to obtain knowledge. The speed at which technology changes has made information time sensitive. Learning in this field can never end unless you wish to focus on a specific tool. The advantages educationally to sharing through networks provides necessary knowledge to evaluate, synthesize, and create learning opportunities for others. Determining value of the ever-increasing technological tools developed helps design appropriate purposes to guide and facilitate users.

Digital tools allow for a constructed repository of globally collected knowledge. The digital tools that best facilitate learning for me include: my iGoogle page, where I can direct and choose networks to feed my knowledge base; Walden, for researched based best practices and resources to expand my perspective; and Twitter for peer suggested tools/ideas/sites/blogs/etc. I wanted to include email as subscriptions to newsletters offers constant information shared but the value seems lost in the sheer amount of communication received through this avenue.

Connecting, communicating, and collaborating in this world and for the future is the most important skill for learners today and tomorrow. Technological tools have changed how I learn and how I teach. The questions I ask as well as how I seek out additional information to answer questions revolves around others as living resources instead of statically stored information. New knowledge, in my work experience, comes quickest through Twitter, listservs, and forums, to satisfy immediate needs. Research to support and enhance learning is best obtained through Walden and blogs that stretch perspectives.

Reference

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Published online at Lulu.com. Available at http://www.elearnspace.org/KnowingKnowledge_LowRes.pdf

Collaboration ~ 8845 Module 3

Have you watched the video of Howard Rheingold discussing the natural instinct of people to seek groups and collaborate? Technology provides tools for collaboration across time and space, as exemplified in Wikipedia.

“Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration”
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia? 

How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

In this video, Rheingold discussed the ways people use participatory media and collective action to collaborate. He concluded that Wikipedia is really an outgrowth of humankind’s natural desire to work together as a group. I believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia. As I work with others to spread Moodle (http://moodle.org) as a constructivist tool for learning collaboratively I found many connections to Howard Rheingold’s presentation on TED Talk. His idea of “new forms of cooperation create new forms of wealth” made me smile. I often encourage educators to create a course with another teacher as a form of curriculum mapping with a content repository of learning objects. This process begins without clear understanding as to a reason since teachers are used to independence and autonomy within their classroom walls. As I help gather and organize information within one shared course environment, connections surface between the two teachers. Realization starts to set in that they are each repeating the same work the other does in similar ways. The idea of divide and conquer grows, speeding up the course creation. Excitement ensues as collaboration and communication whether face to face or online grows. Albeit small in terms of a group being only two teachers, their continuation of discovery will entice others, such as Special Education teachers and Gifted Coordinators, to join as well as the walls to come down in their classrooms. The extension of this cooperative effort moves from being a peripheral, as Rheingold suggested, to central importance as others start to see the advantages gained and jump in to help construct. With teachers the catch phrase from Howard Rheingold rings true, “enrich yourself by enriching others.” Atomic Learning (http://www.atomiclearning.com/) takes this thought and makes it their own with, “embrace technology, empower yourself.” Howard Rheingold’s evolution of collaboration is rising to its prominence as is shown through the industry examples sharing codes he highlights as well as marketing indicators. Moving forward, Toyota (http://www.toyota.com/) promotes an advanced feature on a car in front of the general public with the open challenge to share what you would do with the same innovation, all to enrich others, thus enriching yourself.

I encourage follow up on Howard Rheingold by directing others to his work with the Institute for the Future on establishing a basis for an interdisciplinary study of cooperation and collective action at http://cooperationcommons.com. An extended version of Howard Rheingold’s presentation can be found at http://blip.tv/file/230580/

References

Atomic Learning – Education: Professional Development, Technology Integration and Software Training and Support Solutions - Atomic Learning. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.atomiclearning.com/

Moodle. Open-source community-based tools for learning. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://moodle.org/

Rheingold, Howard. (2011). Howard Rheingold on collaboration | Video on Ted.com. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Toyota. Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Accessories. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://www.toyota.com/?srchid=K610_p106544673

Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page