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

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Considering learners access to information creates multiple opportunities for exploration, the teacher’s role has shifted to one of guidance through structure and experiences with tools and strategies in online learning environments. Online facilitators must provide clear expectations and requirements. Use of syllabi to offer direction, rubrics to highlight details, grading scales to express achievement, and modeling to encourage reflection are recommended.  Assessment details should be posted in advance of occurrence.  The teacher’s presence in terms of feedback is extremely important as it “contribute(s) to a learning environment that is supportive and encourages interactivity” (Durrington, Berryhill, and Swafford. 2006. p. 191).

Students are able to develop an online community by working collaborative on projects using tools such as wikis and blogs.  Skype and other instant messaging tools allow students to network within their digital environment.  The need to network synchronously is becoming more important in education.  As Simonson et al. (as cited in Durrington, Berryhill, and Swafford, 2006) notes, students’ “life situations make it necessary for them to take online courses” (p. 190).  Podcasts and vodcasts have enabled students to download course content and listen to or view it on their own time.  This provides another means to learn, and integrate studies in a manner that suggests learning to be a daily engagement and ongoing part of life.  Via the tools mentioned above, students are perhaps now living the lifelong learning paradigm.

References

Anderson, T. (Ed.). (2008). The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190-193. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from the Academic Search Premier database. Accession Number: 19754742.

Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITForum.

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Both instructors and learners must take responsibility for achieving this goal. Occasionally, you may run across a student who does not like to work in groups or collaborate with peers. He or she may even request to work on a project alone rather than in a cooperative group.

As an instructor, there are several issues to consider:

• How should participation in a collaborative learning community be assessed? How do the varying levels of skill and knowledge students bring to a course affect the instructor's "fair and equitable assessment" of learning?
• If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, what should the other members of the learning community do? What role should the instructor play? What impact would this have on his or her assessment plan? 

 Each student takes on a different role (Palloff and Pratt, 2007) with group work. Forcing them into a role they are uncomfortable with may cause discourse, rather than allowing them to focus on their talent. Some are comfortable taking the lead on projects, while others are comfortable with supporting the group through research and/or technological assistance. It goes back to elementary school where students learned what goes into a successful project by being each of the roles involved in the creation. Everyone needs an opportunity to have their ideas heard and to feel they have a contribution to share in project development. This promotes a sense of ownership and pride in the work involved and a responsibility toward others in doing a team job toward appreciation overall. 

Assessment of collaborative efforts should provide opportunities for reflection. A community learning environment can be difficult to assess due to the varying skill levels of students and the nature of communication issues in an online learning environment. Development of rubrics from such assisting sites as Rubistar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/) for both facilitator and learner are of great benefit.  Teachers can define expectations without setting limits and students can evaluate their work as well as the work of their peers.  Opportunities to “rate” themselves as well as team mates offers a learning experience on top of the target content.  Reflections as observations have an impact on future educational endeavors.  Having students rate themselves with the teacher using a rubric together as well as rate team mates privately to the teacher opens a view into an individuals celebrations and frustrations with collaborative learning.  This allows for the facilitator to reflect and observe to provide a continually positive learning experience for future educational endeavors.

Opportunities for sharing are an integral part of an online learning community. Expectations can be set by the teacher, again with a rubric, but chances for learners to assess each others contributions builds value to the conversations. In posting with guidance from a rubric students could be allowed to decide whether or not a classmates submission warranted their time online or not.  Assigning points based on the rubric is one way, but a bit of whimsy in choice goes a long way to encourage younger learners.  “Way Cool” could mean the inspiration and information shared goes above and beyond the norm or expected, with “Cool” being better than just meeting the requirements, then “Okay” says you did the assigned requirement, below that can be excluded as not rated due to lack of assessable material (not worth the effort or total lack of effort).  The motivation receiving a “Way Cool” from peers seems greater than points or a grade from the teacher.  This student-centered learning works well for learners, with an understanding for those struggling, or exceeding to be considered appropriately when peer assessing.  A sense of community and inclusion becomes built through the encouragement and trust of classmates to help each other succeed.  These relationships need avenues of communication and collaboration to grow as well as consistent interaction and feedback. Group feedback becomes expected, but a non-group member providing commentary evokes a feeling of having a guest everyone is excited to listen to. Peers can assess each other in a collaborative manner to assist the teacher and the teacher needs to realize that not all assessment should be a grade. For these reasons the building of online learning communities needs to be equally encouraged by all sides of a learning environment.  The ideas of assessment need to be expanded.

Reference

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.