Connectivism

[Ian Carmichael]

I've been a long-term subscriber to IRRODL - and their current issue deals with some great-sounding topics germane to connected learning and discourse. Here are the titles of the papers

Interconnecting networks of practice for professional learning

Julie Mackey, Terry Evans

The challenges to connectivist learning on open online networks: Le...

Rita Kop

Emergent learning and learning ecologies in Web 2.0

Roy Williams, Regina Karousou, Jenny Mackness

EduCamp Colombia: Social networked learning for teacher training

Diego Ernesto Leal Fonseca

Three generations of distance education pedagogy

Terry Anderson, Jon Dron

Connectivism: Its place in theory-informed research and innovation ...

Frances Bell

Frameworks for understanding the nature of interactions, networking...

Grainne Conole, Rebecca Galley, Juliette Culver

Dialogue and connectivism: A new approach to understanding and prom...

Andrew Ravenscroft

Proposing an integrated research framework for connectivism: Utilis...
Bopelo Boitshwarelo

 

RRODL? The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Worth tuning into from time to time.

[Skip Zilla]

Ian, thanks for links to articles about connectivist thinking. Here's a related TEDtalk by George Siemens which got my attention last year and continues to energize my thinking:

 

[Ian Carmichael]

Thanks, Skip - any man with a classical Mac in the background has to be worth paying attention to!

[Daniel Bassill]

I think you'll like what George Siemens writes about. He's been a resource for me for several years.  That has led to some interaction. He wrote ablog articleabout the Tutor/Mentor Connection last fall that helped me connect with a group in the UK.

[Connie Weber]

Ian,

OMG... gasp...  you have found a wealth of important resources; I am completely overwhelmed, in awe of all there is to learn...   Thank you so much!!!  Any particular favorite in the bunch?

[Ian Carmichael]

Aha, Connie,

I just passed the message on! I haven't a favourite, because I haven't read the issue (but see Laura, above.) I do however commend IRRODL as a generally impressive and important source of on-line, distance, and so occassionally social media learning.

[Laura Gibbs]

The article I decided to read first was: "Three generations of distance education pedagogy" by
Terry Anderson & Jon Dron - http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/890

It reviews three general pedagogical strategies - cognitive-behaviorist, social constructivist, and connectivist pedagogy - with a detailed, highly structured discussion of each one in turn; here's a summary chart: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewFile/890/1663/7430

Overall, they are arguing for the continuing emergence of new pedagogies, esp. as enabled by new technologies, but the idea is not to shed the old pedagogies (even if we do shed the old technologies, like snail mail) - instead, "high-quality distance education exploits all three generations as determined by the learning content, context, and learning expectations."

At my school we do no evaluation of the online courses except for the standard student evaluation done for all courses (almost useless, and widely ignored by both administration and faculty). This article could provide a really great basis for evaluating online courses, esp. if it took the form of a self-evaluation, where faculty looked to see in what ways their online pedagogy is drawing on these different pedagogies.

Probably the most useful section is on connectivist pedagogy (including many ref. to Siemens of course) - the newest phenomenon, largely enabled by very new technologies. I personally struggle with ways to implement connectivist pedagogy in my teaching exactly because of the assumption which the authors state here: "Connectivist Pedagogy [...] begins with the assumption that learners have access to powerful networks and, as importantly, are literate and confident enough to exploit these networks in completing learning tasks."

I can't say that the article rocked my world, but it is a very thorough reference work!

[Connie Weber]

Ian,

I want to thank you again for this batch of references. I am going through each article, trying to get a handle on what people are calling "connectivism," working on understanding the patterns they've discerned.

It's interesting to see an era being described right as we live it, actually, right as we pioneer our way along in it...