How are things shaping up in CCK08?
George Siemens on Sep 11th 2008
We’re almost through our first week of CCK08. And, how are things??
I’ll speak a bit from how I’ve seen things unfold. I’m overwhelmed. Email, Moodle, Google alerts, and live conversations have been abundant. But it has been most interesting to observe how different participants are engaging around content: Second Life communities, language translations, different aggregations, meetups, and more.
Part of the challenge this week has been to actually get into the discussion about connectivism. As can be expected in the first week of the course, we’re all trying to get oriented. In a sense, the question we’re asking this week – What is connectivism? – is what the course is hoping to have answered by the end. Many of the questions being asked now – how does connectivism differ from constructivism? In what sense is learning networked? What about power issues? Does connectivism have a suffiicent research base to even be seriously considered for implementation? – are not going to be resolved quickly. Many of these themes are the focus future weeks.
Some of the statements expressed in moodle forums and on blog comments will be addressed and hopefully balanced through discussion. For example, while we talk about the value of connections, we can’t do so without addressing two critical elements: content and context. Yet, we are also seeing some larger themes emerging already. The discussion of data/facts to support assertions of connectivism. Or the view that perhaps a learning theory is best evaluated by pragmatics of implementation. We’re seeing a developing clash (is that too strong a word?) of world views, much like we see in traditional sciences and social sciences. We’re also seeing power issues between learner and educator as well as a clash between the traditional notion of universities and emerging concept of distributed learning. As I noted on my elearnspace blog today, Sayre’s Law is important to consider: “In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the stakes at issue—that is why academic politics are so bitter.”
All in all, it’s been an exciting, and chaotic, start to the course. I’m looking forward to continuing our exploration and encourage reasonable expectations for what can be accomplished within only a few days. Let’s see if we individually have more complex and nuanced answers by December!
Filed in Uncategorized | 11 responses so far
Nellie Deutsch Sep 11th 2008 at 04:36 pm 1
George,
I believe our understanding is limited by the attitudes and emotions we attach to situations, words and ideas. You mention: “power issues with learner and educator… developing clash… [and] clash between the traditional notion of universities and emerging concept of distributed learning”. I wonder how our underlying attitudes and emotions influence our mindset as we attempt to decipher and relate to connectivism. Are we able to observe the phenomenon objectively? Can we evaluate things without getting caught up in clashes and power issues? How would we experience connectivism if we set our attitudes aside?
Jose Antonio Sep 11th 2008 at 08:37 pm 2
Hello George and Nellie,
Wow! In at least one place I am the second to comment. George, you said you were overwhelmed and so was I. It was difficult to keep up with the shere amount of introductions alone. I swam across a deluge of e-mails all the week through and only now, I have got to the discussion of Connectivism going on in some of the forums. Really interesting what is being said.
I totally agree with you Nellie. It is difficult, if not impossible to experience connectivism without our humaness, our biases.
Kind regards from Brazil
Jayne Little Sep 11th 2008 at 09:11 pm 3
Years ago I took a course, “Learning for Small Group development”. In the process of studying small group dynamics, we created one. Two facilitators, 8 people -> amazing connections/knowledge/skills from which I continue to benefit.
This course reminds me of that course’s structure. In the process of learning about connective knowledge and connectivism, we will actually experience and build. Instead of 8 people, it will be hundreds that we will interact with. There will be a few voices that are clearly the experts, but, others with whom individuals will connect to explore our own passions on the topic.
Quite fun, creative, and stimulating.
Thanks!
Claudia Pleguezuelos Sep 11th 2008 at 11:44 pm 4
Estimado George
Pienso que los cambios se están sucediendo muy rápido y nos cuesta bastante adaptarnos a ello. Todos de una u otra manera estamos inmersos en la web 2.0 y este curso está siendo una excelente oportunidad para conocer y practicar el uso de varias de sus herramientas. Esta misma experiencia nos da cuenta de que el conectivismo se está dando en la interacción silenciosa que tenemos con los objetos tecnológicos en que nos estamos apoyando, como así mismo en las redes de comunicación e intercambio que se están dando en la comunidad virtual de aprendizaje que entre todos estamos conformando.
Lisa Sep 12th 2008 at 03:26 am 5
Hi George,
I have a few (related) ideas that you might find useful, in connection with the comments some people have made about managing the volume of posts and keeping up with discussions.
Well done on devising and offering this great online resource
1. carry out some sort of weekly poll of the entire group, (maybe using Facebook?) with the results displayed online, asking which aspects of the discussions people have found most useful, interesting, thought-provoking etc etc. Maybe the results could be displayed as some sort of tagcloud, ie in Wordle, to show on one page the relative ’sizes’ of different aspects of the material?
2. Have a few central ‘buckets’ where people could drop links to resources etc that they’ve found via the course discussions. So one bucket might contain ‘mind mapping tools’, another ‘conferences upcoming around the world’ etc etc?
3. a blogroll of the participants, maybe with a few sub categories that people could opt into to make the list more manageable?
(Sorry if these thoughts have already been suggested, if so I’ve clearly not come across them amongst the large volume of postings!)
Anyway, keep up the good work, and I hope you managed to get your breakfast in the end
Rudi Rieko Sep 12th 2008 at 09:53 am 6
For me, this course is of interest and not credit, so my input may be limited due to a very busy schedule
I find learning through the social media is gaining ground and anything which can support this is worth reviewing…As an Instructional Technology Specialist and an online adjunct instructor, all information contributed is used for learning and sharing. This is how we grow intellectually. Because of the manner in which I learn…Connectivism seems to works. My thoughts are shared and bounced off others with their perception of the topic thrown back at me…This allows me to provide critical thought and roll around different ideas within my brain. The following is the “Blog” site for Rudi Rieko in case you don’t see me in here. May sound crazy with my techy background “but” I’m new to “blogging”…http://rudirieko.wordpress.com/
gsiemens Sep 12th 2008 at 10:45 am 7
Hi Lisa – good points. We are working on a blog list (we have one forum in Moodle devoted to this)…but we’ll have an rss list as well. How about tagging resources you find on del.cio.us with the cck08 tag? or, a wiki page can be created for gathering links as well…
George
Michael Chalk Sep 13th 2008 at 12:56 am 8
George i think it’s amazing that you’re attempting such a massive course, and i’m excited to be a part of it. Also heartening that the leader admits to feeling overwhelmed too ;-]
Am fascinated to see how things unfold.
Best of luck and kind regards,
michael
Jorge Crom Sep 13th 2008 at 06:10 pm 9
George, thanks for creating this opportunity and leading it with such oppenness.
I agree with Lisa, that while exploring and discovering new territories in content and context of this experience, building maps will help navigate the conquered territories. This would not cancel experimentation and would not avoid chaos whic is part of this rich collective voyage.
Kind regards from Argentina.
Jorge
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Frances Bell Sep 16th 2008 at 05:22 am 11
Lisa,
Interesting idea about the poll – but please do it in Moodle not Facebook (not another channel – pleeeaaase). I experimented with a Twitter rules thread and I, for one, am enjoying the shorter postings.