It's hardly easy to be softly hard: freedom and control in learning spaces
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- 2. It's hardly easy to be so0ly hard: freedom and control in learning spaces Terry Anderson Jon Dron
- 3. Agenda • The nature of technologies and pedagogies CollecAve • Reviewing GeneraAons of Distance EducaAon and Pedagogy net set • Aligning them with Groups, Sets and Nets Me group • Case study using Athabasca’s Landing Elgg installaAon
- 4. Overview: Genera.ons of distance learning pedagogies 1. Instruc(vist – Self Paced, indiv-‐ Individual Study, etc Hard closed idual 2. Social construc(vist – Groups, classes, etc group So0 3. Connec(vist – Networks, net MOOCs, etc open 4. Holist -‐ Sets and set Collec@ves
- 5. ProposiAon #1 The Next GeneraAon Learning Evolves From and With Past GeneraAons
- 6. Proposi.on #2 • Different Structures/Pedagogies/Technologies, with different affordances and degrees of hardness affect our use. We shape We shape our dwellings our tools and and a0erwards thereafter our dwellings our tools shape our shape us lives
- 7. Learning as Dance (Anderson, 2008) • Technology sets the beat and the Aming. • Pedagogy defines the moves.
- 8. Technologies • The orchestraAon of phenomena to some use (Arthur, 2009) • Assemblies of hard and so0 components • Pedagogies are among the so0 components of all learning technologies
- 9. technologies So5 Hard the adjacent possible path dependencies flexibility and freedom freedom from error CreaAvity Uniformity OrchestraAon of OrchestraAon of phenomena by humans phenomena embedded So5 is hard Hard is easy
- 10. 1. Behavioural/CogniAve Pedagogies InstrucAvist • “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, • tell ‘em • then tell ‘em what you told ‘em” Direct InstrucAon ISD
- 11. Enhanced by the “cogniAve revoluAon” • Chunking • CogniAve Load • Working Memory • MulAple RepresentaAons • Split-‐afenAon effect • Variability Effect • MulA-‐media effect – (Sorden, 2005) “learning as acquiring and using conceptual and cogni.ve structures” Greeno, Collins and Resnick, 1996
- 12. Behaviourist/CogniAvist – Knowledge As a Thing: • Logically coherent, exisAng independent of perspecAve • Largely context free • Capable of being transmifed • Assumes closed systems with discoverable relaAonships between inputs and outputs • Readily defined through learning objecAves
- 13. Technologies of Ist genera.on • CAI, Text books, Classic Correspondence Course Packages, One way Lectures, Video and Audio Broadcast Con.nuous adap.vity
- 14. Social Focus of Ist generaAon Individual Learner
- 15. Instruc.vist freedoms net set group • Loca(on • Subject where? what? • Time • Delegability when? choosing to choose • Pace • Technology how fast? using what (medium/tools)? • Sociability • Approach with whom (if anyone)? how (pedagogy, process)? noAonal levels of choice once a typical course is in progress 15
- 16. Hardness ear’s bed learning Papa B of individual
- 17. Future of Ist genera.on • OERU • Limitless, very low cost content • Challenges of accreditaAon • The (forever?) just around the corner, ‘learner adaptaAon’ technologies
- 18. Content: A bargain even at 80% off?? Interac.ve MIT courses MITX Announced Most of us like Free!
- 19. Shameless Plug and Giveaways! Issues in Distance EducaAon Series hfp://aupress.ca
- 20. 2nd GeneraAon DE Social ConstrucAvist Pedagogy
- 21. Construc.vist Learning is: “learning is a con.nual conversa.on with the external world and its artefacts, with oneself and with other learners and teachers” (Sharples, Taylor & Vavoula, 2007) • “Learning is located in contexts and relationships rather than merely in the minds of individuals” Greenhow, Robelia & Hughes (2009), Kathy Sierra hXp://www.speedofcrea.vity.org/
- 22. Group as the Social Unit of Social ConstrucAvist Pedagogy
- 23. Why Groups? • “Students who learn in small groups generally demonstrate greater academic achievement, express more favorable altudes toward learning, and persist … • small-‐group learning may have parAcularly large effects on the academic achievement of members of underrepresented groups and the learning-‐related altudes of women…” • Springer; Stanne, & Donovan, (1999) P.42
- 24. Problems with Groups • RestricAons in Ame, space, pace, & relaAonship -‐ NOT OPEN • Overly confined by leader expectaAon and insAtuAonal & curriculum control • Usually Isolated from the authenAc world of pracAce • “low tolerance of internal difference, sexist and ethicized regulaAon, high demand for obedience to its norms and $ exclusionary pracAces.” Cousin & Deepwell 2005 • “Pathological politeness” and fear of debate • Group think (Baron, 2005) • Poor preparaAon for Lifelong Learning beyond the course • Unscalable
- 25. Group model • Membership and exclusion, closed • Hierarchies of control • Focus on collaboraAon and shared purpose • teachers: guides group 25
- 26. Social construc.vist freedoms net set group • Loca(on • Subject where? what? • Time • Delegability when? choosing to choose • Pace • Technology how fast? using what (medium/tools)? • Sociability • Approach with whom (if anyone)? how (pedagogy, process)? noAonal levels of choice once a typical course is in progress 26
- 27. Baby Bear’s bed? • Trust both opens and constrains • Typically a structured process • But… • OpportuniAes for negoAaAon of control • Shi0ing boundaries • Diversity valorized • Big issue: gelng it just right for everyone (assessment?)
- 28. 3rd GeneraAon Connec(vist Pedagogy • Learning is building capacity -‐ networks of informaAon, contacts and resources that can be applied to real problems.
- 29. ConnecAvist Knowledge is A Process • Emergent • Distributed and diverse • ChaoAc • Fragmented • Non sequenAal • Contextualized
- 30. What is Connected Knowledge? • Knowledge is defined by its creaAon through acAviAes – Accessing informaAon – EvaluaAng, filtering – Conveying ideas – Reformalng, mashing – Analyzing, – CollaboraAng (Barth 2004)
- 31. Networks add diversity to learning “People who live in the intersecAon of social worlds are at higher risk of having good ideas” Burt, 2005, p. 90
- 32. Networks Celebrate and SAmulate CogniAve Diversity Arises when from: • different types of informaAon and knowledge perspecAves • different ways of viewing the world or a specific problem interpretaAons • different ways of categorizing a problem or parAAoning perspecAves • heurisAcs yielding different ways of generaAng soluAons to problems • predicAve models -‐ different ways of inferring causes and effects (Fisher, L. (2009)
- 33. The net model • bofom-‐up, open • inclusive • focus on individual and connecAons • teachers: role models and co-‐travellers net 33
- 34. net set Connec.vist freedoms group • Loca(on • Subject where? what? • Time • Delegability when? choosing to choose • Pace • Technology how fast? using what (medium/tools)? • Sociability • Approach with whom (if anyone)? how (pedagogy, process)? noAonal levels of choice once a typical ‘course’ is in progress 34
- 35. Mama Bear’s bed • Limitless assembly • Limitless choice • Limitless dialogue • But too so0?
- 36. But do learning networks really work?? • Network ghost towns • Build it and they may come, but not likely • When is the last Ame you checked into your Friendster account?
- 37. Fear of open spaces • “The property of knowledge as as a body of vefed works comes directly from the properAes of paper …. There is lifle to none of the permanence, stability and community fealty that a body of knowledge requires and implies. The Internet is what you get when everyone is a curator and everything is linked” – David Weinberger P. 45
- 39. choice != control it’s not just about networks
- 40. Set model #nlc2012 • cooperaAon, anonymity • focus on filtering and selecAon • tags and categorisaAon • teachers: analyzers, curators and publishers • AnalyAcs • CollecAves set 40
- 41. Sustaining Aes Making Aes Social interest sites, Wikipedia, Ad hoc networks Google Search, TwiOer, Knowledge diffusion Pinterest, etc Social capital Social presence CooperaAon Emergence Sharing Shi0ing net set Serendipity Contextual Interest -‐orientaAon MOOCs, blogs, Sense-‐making LinkedIn, social group CollecAve intelligence IntenAonal discovery networks, etc CollaboraAon Structure Roles classes, tutorial groups, Membership learning management IntenAon and purpose systems, etc Hierarchies The classical ‘class’ model
- 42. 4th generaAon of learning pedagogy • reducing choices to only those choices that learners want or need to make
- 43. GeneraAons of distance learning pedagogies 1. Instruc(vist – Self Paced, indiv-‐ Individual Study, etc Hard closed idual 2. Social construc(vist – Groups, classes, etc group So0 3. Connec(vist – Networks, net MOOCs, etc open 4. Holist -‐ Sets and set Collec@ves
- 44. net set Holist freedoms group • Loca(on • Subject where? what? • Time • Delegability when? choosing to choose • Pace • Technology how fast? using what (medium/tools)? • Sociability • Approach with whom (if anyone)? how (pedagogy, process)? noAonal levels of choice once a typical ‘course’ is in progress 44
- 45. How holist? re ru ctu • plenty ra st I nf • openness (resources, people) • so0 and malleable systems tu re • feedback loops ruc St • sAgmergy, social navigaAon • sociability • adapAve hypermedia • collaboraAve filtering • learning and process analyAcs • Hard when wanted, so0 when not 45
- 46. The collec.ve • Emergent structure collecAve • Individual behaviours aggregated net set • The crowd becomes an acAve agent that advises, filters, suggests or group shapes
- 47. Collec.ves
- 48. Some concerns Deliberate aXack ConfirmaAon bias The Mafhew Effect Filter bubbles PreferenAal afachment Mob stupidity Cold start problems ValorisaAon of narcissism Mismatched social forms So0 is hard Lost in social space Blind leading blind Loss of narraAve Making landscapes for emergent pedagogy Context separaAon Control of privacy
- 49. So0-‐to-‐hard In pracAce… GeneraAons 1-‐3 (and 4) Sets, nets and groups
- 50. The Landing Placorm 1,424 plugins available, our installaAon using about 90 Fairly strong development team, plofed roadmap 50
- 51. What is the Landing? • Walled Garden with Windows • A Private space for AU • A user controlled creaAve space • BouAque social system • Networking, blogging, photos, microblogging, polls, calendars, groups and more • DifferenAaAng and merging work, from school, from fun
- 52. A sod space 24
- 53. Mul.ple ra.onales collecAve Sustaining .es Coopera.on Making .es Sharing Ad hoc networks Serendipity Knowledge diffusion net set Interest -‐orienta.on Social capital Sense-‐making Social presence Collec.ve intelligence Inten.onal discovery group Courses CommiXees Research groups Study groups Centres and departments 53 67
- 54. group net set Where to look first
- 55. Popular ac.vi.es Wiki photosub-‐ wiki page Blog posts (4135) Discussion topics bookmarks Files (4023) Wire posts (2335)
- 56. Hard spaces “Opening up small spaces within what exists” Tara Fenwick
- 57. Filling gaps with people
- 58. Stretching tools
- 59. Filling gaps the Landing way
- 60. New Users Added per week Currently: 3250 users
- 61. Landing Groups • 271 Groups • Average of 10.79 members each
- 62. Sets, groups, nets (in that order) 100 75 50 25 0 blogs wikis bookmarks photos public Set Net Group 62 80
- 63. • hfps://landing.athabascau.ca • terrya@athabascau.ca • jond@athabascau.ca