The Age of Connection and the Connected Learner

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The Age of Connection and the Connected Learner

• presented by
• Anne Bartlett-Bragg

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Learning in the Information Age

• Learning dominated by
• Access
• Information masses of it
• Google
• Delivery
• Distribution
• Focused on learning as an end product or
  acquisition model
• Some great examples remember Froguts??
• Brilliant use for hard to teach or hard to test
  abstract concepts
• Practice skills
• Interact or examine concepts, models or theories

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Renovating learning with technology

• Adding technology to existing subjects / courses
• Converting materials to digital formats
• Adding computers to classrooms

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Enhancing learning processes with technology

• Learner Management Systems (LMS)
• Enrolments, timetabling, student records
• Student / lecturer communication
• Asynchronous discussion boards
• Lectures notes, PowerPoint slides
• Do these processes really enhance the learning
  experience?

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Learning in the Age of Connection

• Learning dominated by
• Always on continuous computing
• Laptops, handhelds, mobile phones
• Invisible, portable information fields
• Wireless networks
• Constant connectivity
• Increased levels of collaboration beyond the
  classroom

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Social Software

• Software that supports group interaction
• Software that lets people rendezvous, connect or
  collaborateresults in the creation of shared
  interactive spaces.
• Includes 1 or more of the following
• Support for conversational interaction between
  individuals or groups (eg. IM or asynchronous
  discussion forums)
• Support for the development of personalised
  social networks new connections knowledge
  sharing - RSS

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Social Software Applications

• IM
• Chat
• Weblogs
• Wikis
• RSS aggregation eg. Bloglines
• Social bookmarking - eg. Del.ici.ious
• Social sharing services eg. Flickr

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Lets go exploring..

• Wiki wikispaces.org
• Social sharing services eg. Flickr
• LTUG weblog
• Skype
• RSS aggregation eg. Bloglines
• Social bookmarking - eg. Del.icio.us
• ELGG Digital Dialogues

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Social Software Implications for Learning

• New learning theories
• Connectivism
• Learning is a process of connecting
• Maintaining connections
• Ability to see connections between ideas
  concepts
• Managing information
• George Siemens (2005)

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Social Software Implications for Institutions

• Radically re-conceptualise the learning culture
• Changes the essence of what it means to
  communicate and learn
• Customisable Learning Landscapes
• Eg. ELGG hybrid web-logging, e-Portfolios, and
  social networking

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Social Software Implications for Educators

• Opportunity to enrich the learning experience
• Landscape Architects or Designers
• Trusted source
• guiding,
• advising on technology options,
• facilitating network contacts,
• Empowering learners to identify customise their
  personal landscape

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Social Software The Challenges Issues

• Connectivity / access
• Critical literacy
• Digital literacy
• Institutional IT policies
• Our (as educators) perceptions of teaching
  learning

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The future

• If you dont know where you are going,
• then it doesnt matter which road you take,
• does it?
• Cheshire Cat
• Alice in Wonderland