learning is socially constructed

Sometimes new teaching and learning tools need new theory. In one view the knowledge is an item to be passed on to others, their head is to be filled by tutor's input. In another view knowledge is created by the individual by discussing and sharing in social learning. “The most profound impact of the Internet… is its ability to support and expand the various aspects of social learning”. “Attention has moved from access to information towards access to other people”. “Web2.0 blurs the boundaries between the producers and consumers of content”. (Seely Brown, 2008)
John Seeley Brown ,amongst many ,commented on the use of students connecting  in his paper Minds on Fire (http://www.johnseelybrown.com/mindsonfire.pdf), saying in the future of colleges and Higher education is not to continue filling up courses with set papers and readings.That is why i have encouraged the  students to blog ,so that the individuals will be able to belong to an eco system that enable equal opportunities because they can find whatever makes sense to them.A  variety of perspectives can be shown on individual blogs that are joined together inside a see "wall" and the tools on the web will allow learners freedom to source or find , use and reinterpret knowledge in ways that make sense to them. "Compelling evidence for the importance of social interaction to learning comes from the landmark study by Richard J. Light, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, of students’ college/ university experience. Light discovered that one of the strongest determinants of students’ success in higher education— more important than the details of their instructors’ teaching styles—was their ability to form or participate in small study groups. Students who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own.6"
I like this piece of how group work theory research has been built up so i have copied it all so i don't loose it . I know its not proper referencing but plagiarism  ..Richard J. Light, Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001). For a summary of Light’s research, see Richard Light, “The College Experience: A Blue- print for Success,” <http://athome.harvard.edu/ programs/light/index.html>. An earlier, though more focused, contribution to our appreciation of the power of group study was provided by Uri Tre- isman more than twenty years ago. As a graduate student at UC-Berkeley in the late 1970s, Treisman worked on the poor performance of African- Americans and Latinos in undergraduate calculus classes. He discovered the problem was not these students’ lack of motivation or inadequate prepa- ration but rather their approach to studying. In contrast to Asian students, who, Treisman found, naturally formed “academic communities” in which they studied and learned together, African- Americans tended to separate their academic and social lives and studied completely on their own. Treisman developed a program that engaged these students in workshop-style study groups in which they collaborated on solving particularly challeng- ing calculus problems. The program was so suc- cessful that it was adopted by many other colleges. See Uri Treisman, “Studying Students Studying Calculus: A Look at the Lives of Minority Math- ematics Students in College,” College Mathematics Journal, vol. 23, no. 5 (November 1992), pp. 362–72, <http://math.sfsu.edu/hsu/workshops/treisman .html>.

finding a way

how to make a blog  the newbies are asked to make a blog and they are given a presentation from the librians about the usefulness of blogs as a tool for education . the blogs from all students are linked on one tutor's blog (mine) and the class Virtual Learning environment (VLE).

i consider the moodle (VLE at college) to be a hub , a central place where folks who are totally lost in the networks can go back to and see what the course has covered s far and the future sections or areas we will cover.

Effective use of ICT with campus based students

I read an interesting paper today  from esculate.ac.uk. I have read some of Anna Pincas before about older learners and ICT."  Information and communication technologies are increasingly used on campus often as optional ‘add-ons’ to face-to-face teaching (Saunders and Pincas 2003)  Now blended learning and multiple mode are being presented as the way forward in providing flexible and accessible learning for a widening audience. However, blended learning is more than merely mixing online learning with face-to-face methods. The term ‘blend’ indicates that there is a seamless transition between the different modes and it has been suggested that the learner should not feel any disruption as they move between the classroom and the Web."

This is a way of saying the tutor has the control over what they have to look for. In my experience with the first years on the 2+2 course a list of topics is all they need to find some excellent materials. It seems adults can develop critical evaluatrive skills through life experience.Altghough they feel like newbies to the web they do know what is good and adds to their topic.As  they redistribute their individual finds they create a well resourced course that gives an opportunity for all course members to see their choices and comment on them. 

Learners also need to understand the rationale for a blended course and there is evidence that a poorly blended course can cause confusion, especially for weaker/disadvantaged students (Hughes & Lewis, 2003).

Here is one for the glossary on my e learning course .when is blended learning not blended learning?
"There also needs to be much more discussion on the much touted term ‘blended learning’. The term is often used to describe mixed mode delivery where a course mixes face-to-face with some online delivery (usually of content). The term ‘blended’ implies a seamless transition between the different modes so that online work would be a continuation of face-to-face, and vice versa, and not an adjunct or optional extra. Examples of this more sophisticated approach to campus-based online learning are not easy to find: only 2 out 8 presentations of blended learning at the second seminar would fall under such a proper definition of blended learning"Pincas 2010

It is not the technology but the experience

The purpose of using technology in the classroom is based on sound pedagogy in that i believe by co-creating deep learning and meaningful links the students can belong to a real experience. By  creating an effective and engaging learning environment they improve their identity as scholars and achievers. as the year goes on and they find ways to generating meaningful learning experiences and promoting high student satisfaction.

 The student is able to focus on the course itself and the medium of delivery becomes almost   inconsequential as the materials are posted first to blogs , then redistributed to far book pages and e mails. the first years have warmed to  to this process of sharing finding stuff from all over and posting in a collage of interesting subjects.to me it makes sound pedagogical use of the tools available in order to engage and immerse the student in the learning experience. It also creates learning groups, activities and situations that put the students in charge of their own learning. These groups make social activities and fun times so the personal and academic parts in students are catered for.All of this takes place within a supportive and safe environment, allowing them to construct their own understanding of the subject material.

. Measuring quality in the online world is elusive (Oblinger, Barone & Hawkins, 2001) and complex (Alley & Jansak, 2001).I believe the students should be the one to measure the quality of their blogs and on line experiences.

TH PURPOSE OF AN ON LINE COMMUNITY

http://www.fullcirc.com/resources/online-community-toolkit/online-community-purpose-checklist/

I love Nancy White's blog. She works for open university and is keen to crete open resources that all can use for free.this list helped me to reflect why  i have helped students to set up blogs in a college where there is very little connectivity. The students are expected to collaborate to complete research but they live far apart. They are new to blogging but this cohort obviously like to use them.
I must ask if i can research with them to find out why they think it is useful to blog.

Rhizomatic learning

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 I watched a youtube this week from educators around the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_uo0lhH-2I&feature=youtu.be       Rhizomatic learning is a way of thinking about learning in a community. the nodes learners or web sites create the knowledge by joining together. 

 A rhizome, sometimes called a creeping rootstalk, is a stem of a plant that sends out roots and shoots as it spreads.  A rhizome has no beginning or end… like the learning process. 

Dave Cormier wrote his first article on the topic ‘rhizomatic education: community as curriculum’ in an article I wrote in 2008.

"The whole idea of rhizomatic learning is to acknowledge that learners come from different contexts, that they need different things, and that presuming you know what those things are is like believing in magic. It is a commitment to multiple paths. ". I’m going to try and create some context for a conversation about rhizomatic learning by offering four questions about education… and explaining how i’ve tried to answer them with this theory.

• Why do we teach?
• What does successful learning look like?
• What does a successful learner look like?
• How do we structure successful learning?

Why do we teach?different learning theories say we put the knowledge into people's heads then test them to see if it is there. Another learning theory says we co-construct meaning but the teacher always has the power and control. in the digital age we should expect our students to know more than we do at the end of their search for connections that make sense to them at their level.
 I teach to try and organize people’s learning journeys… to create a context for them to learn in.A successful learner would be one that can learn how to learn, learn useful materials from bogus flimsy stuff. The successful learner would be able to way find by them selves and develop the discipline needed to find and collate knowledge for different purposes.They would learn for life not just to pass this one assignment.

To structure learning for all to go at there own pace and level the module booklet would have to have a guide to reading areas and perhaps some high level papers to set the standard. Tutorials should be on line aND IN CLASS TIME SO THE LEARNER CAN ACCESS HELP AS THEY NEED IT.

knowledge synthesis on a course using blogs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8avYQ5ZqM0

This youtube shows the stages the learners could take to ensure they get the best out of using their blogs alongside the class teaching. The task for learners is to collaborate to make a presentation about a topic using good references and collections of materials that have the focus of ICT and children,Class and Children, ethnicity and children or Specific educational needs and children.
My observation is some learners  go ahead and find their subject area and post some excellent materials and others share and post materials for other groups. The amount of learning materials has tripled by asking the students to find their own learning artefacts and they are doing a brilliant job.