Power – I had a dream! With acknowledgement to Martin Luther King

I have this dream of looking for full control of my learning some 30 years ago. I resisted unwarranted power exerted on me, especially when it related to my learning goals and strategies. I had started the journey in questioning the legitimacy of power and control exerted by the teachers for a long time. And I found that learning was in the control of the institution and the teachers back in the 70’s to 90’s. I was surprised to find that the only person who could assess and grant me a pass was the “lecturer or teacher”. I started to reflect why the educational system was structured like that, and that why learners were to serve the teacher, and not the other way round. However, without the deliberate efforts and patience of my respected teachers who guided me throughout the learning journey, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the educational system.  Now, I have got my questions answered. As a teacher, I realised the importance of sharing of power and empowerment of learners, in learning and assessment. It’s still not too late to support and inspire our fellow learners to achieve their goals and meet their needs. 

Further notes after posting: I just found such notes from Network Logic page 95,   http://www.demos.co.uk/files/networklogic.pdf  which echoed with my suggestions that:

Teachers are like the network leaders, they start with the deepest needs of their learners, and work back to establish the configuration of organisations, resources and capacities needed to meet them. 

“Network leaders start from the outside-in. They start with the deepest needs of their users, and work back to establish the configuration of organisations, resources and capacities needed to meet them. The task then is to find ways of persuading other organisations of the need to work together.”

 

Will connectivism provide part of the solution?  Time will tell.

Power in class and networks – implications of connectivism on k-12

Hi Tom, http://whereoldmeetsnow.edublogs.org/2008/10/29/control-issues-cck08/
I echoed with your views in that as an adult learner and professional teacher, I never like being told what to do, in a class without good reasons.  And especially if someone else is trying to control my teaching/learning without my consent.
Throughout my 23 years of teaching (and learning), I have encountered different challenges, especially when teaching teenagers (around sixteenth to nineteenth).  If the teenage learners are not ready to shoulder their responsibilities, then I would have to be patient in guiding them through in their learning journey.  This includes teaching them the concept of mutual respect, self awareness and control through various activities and critique.

In a classroom where student discipline is still important, it could be a chaos if everyone is talking with each other on irrelevant topics (mere chatting on trivial matters, giggling etc) at the same time.  Under such environment, the students could hardly concentrate in learning due to the noises and distractions, and no one could listen to the teacher’s instructions.  So everyone loses.  And what a waste of time and resources!  That is poor education and learning.

Setting of ground rules in the first few lessons (with the adequate sharing of power) with the learners is important.  A reminder of the ground rules in subsequent lessons will ensure learners are aware of their rights and responsibilities in a class.  Adequate and regular reviews of such ground rules would deem to be necessary if there are constant disruptions in class lessons.

In order to avoid the boredom of lecturing, I often use small group discussions (with Socratic questioning) and collaborative and relevant learning activities to reinforce the learning points.  This would then be followed by plenary discussion in which each group’s contribution is valued, shared and summarised.  This allows my students to share their ideas, debate and report in a constructive and responsible manner.  In this manner, power of learning is shared amongst the learners, and they would also see the power (of influencing) in a positive manner.

I see power associated with such action is not only legitimate, but necessary.  I would not relegate my power as a teacher in the classroom to ensure that the environment is conducive to learning.  And that’s how I maintain my integrity, accountability, and responsibility as a teacher.  What do you think?

Are all the above issues absent in digital connections?  I don’t think so.  As discussed in Network logic http://www.demos.co.uk/files/networklogic.pdf , networking as a process is emergent, with weak ties and new connections forming in an amorphous manner.

“They are all around us. We rely on them. We are threatened by them. We are part of them. Networks shape our world, but they can be confusing: no obvious leader or centre, no familiar structure and no easy diagram to describe them. Networks self-organise, morphing and changing as they react to interference or breakdown.

Networks are the language of our times, but our institutions are not programmed to understand them.

As individuals, we have taken advantage of the new connections: to earn, learn, trade and travel. But collectively we don’t understand their logic.”

Racism, sexism, sex, pornography, violence, hatred and evils are floating around in different connections in the virtual world.  Without adequate guidance from adults, are we sure that our teenage learners will not be attracted to those connections?  What are we going to do about it?  Can we police the evils?  How can we ensure that our coming generations are able to discern such evils in digital networking?

Power of power

So, is connectivism still practical with K-12? http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1048

My reflection of the views from Ruth, Jon, Jo, Carlos, Sharon, David, Ariel, Ken, Wendy and Catherine could be summarised as follows: power of a teacher in class is necessary in K-12, especially when teaching those learners who are still at a developmental stage (K-8).  And that gradual sharing of power through negotiation is desirable when the learners become more mature.

So, I think connectivism still has a role to play, especially in the higher classes – grade 9 – 12 where students are ready to further develop their metacognition skills using information and communication technology (Web 2.0, search engines, mobiles, and internet etc).  However, teachers would need to consider the feelings and emotions associated with such e-connections with their learners.  And thus guide the learners in e-connecting with others or sources on the internet in a safe, and responsible manner.  Discussion of feelings and reflection of learning on the internet could be shared and reported to the class, where merits and demerits of the use of technology are thoroughly critiqued and evaluated.  This ensures that students appreciate the importance of mutual respects, trusts,  choice of selection, critical thinking, e-ethics, and the implications of such e-learning in a virtual learning environment.

Learning in an inhumane manner via “improper connectivism” destroy us as a human.  Because, we learn through our senses, emotions and feelings, and that make us a better person, not a better “machine”, which could be switched on or off.    And we have empathy in which no computer network or artefacts could ever learn.

At the end, I would like to quote Jenny’s comments on her post on power, authority and control

http://jennymackness.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/thinking-aloud-about-power-authority-and-control/

I’d be much more concerned about the influence he could have on my thinking, i.e. his knowledge power, and whether that influence was appropriate for my learning and development as a human being.”

Thank you so much for your inspiring post.  Great food for thought.
You are welcome to comment on my blog here on Power in class and networks:
http://suifaijohnmak.wordpress.coml

Power on fire!

This is my response to Lisa’s post Control by Personality http://lisahistory.wordpress.com/

I read the post with great interest.

“It seems to be the perception of power that is important”… “As with all effective aspects of learning, personality may be another overlooked element…”I echoed with your view and insights. 
As a teacher myself, I had never taken drastic actions without first consulting my learners (all adult learners).  I realised that a teacher’s integrity lies with “one’s walking the talk”.  So unfortunately, the spirit of networking has been greatly affected, and I don’t think that’s conducive to learning, especially for adult learners and teachers.  My comment is based on an incident, rather than based on a person.  And as I am not a learner looking for credits, I didn’t want my comments to affect others’ grading.  And I realise how upset people (co-learners and lurkers) are.
However, I think this is a revelation that a teacher’s “great knowledge and power” doesn’t come from inside of that person, but from outside.  And I learnt that respect can only be earned if a teacher is truly “compassionate, empathetic and knowledgeable to and engaging WITH the learners or teachers – peers”.  May be that’s the missing element in connectivism??  Is it?
No one likes to learn without emotions or feelings, otherwise we will become the computers, which could be switched on or off by others.  And I do not believe that computer can “learn” as much as human do, and as smart as human too. 
Do you think you and your students share such feelings or emotions towards power?  Is it the reason why connectivism is so “hard” to stay alive if people are just “connecting” without feelings?  Or are people really connected? I have seen such happenings often in organisations, and the result is…I would NOT be bent with power…., though anyone could play with it.  But it is like playing with fire.  It hurts.

Thanks for your inspiring post. 
Cheers.
You are welcome to comment on my blog http://suifaijohnmak.wordpress.com

Education and learning – on connectivism

My focus is on how education and learning with technology as enabler and networking could add value to my learning, and could also add value or contribute to the network, not just with connectivism. 

When it comes to my own learning, it is the “I” only.  When it comes to network learning, or Wisdom of the Crowd, “I” cannot represent the “voice of the crowd or crowd’s views”.  So, I said it is a useful theory in my context.  Your and other’s experience are very important for its justification as a valuable theory.

I am now considering these:

• education needs leadership (so there is educational leadership) (a vision and a mission)
• learning needs management (so there is learning management system or personal learning management system), at neural, conceptual and external – social, network levels

So, connectivism or network learning is part of that management.  But it requires leadership to make it happen.  And both management and leadership must go hand in hand to make “connectivism” happen in networks, institutions and the business world of learning.

What is more important is education (leadership) (the means) which could transform the educational infrastructure (the big picture).  And that learning (the process, and the experience you and I value) via networking will/has become a critical success factor for life based or life long learning.

How do you see education and learning under connectivism?

Is knowledge power in network learning?

May I quote this one which echoed my thoughts:

“By high school and college I learned that while I could not be popular, I could be useful.  Being useful by doing all the work earned me a certain level of leadership potential because I became visible to the kids who cared about a certain club.  My new strategey was to trade work for attention.  I still use that strategy more than I should, and I’m guessing there are a lot of men and women who do….

By the time I hit the working world I had tried lots of strategies.  It wasn’t until I studied group process that I realized that groups have patterns, and if you can predict the patterns of the group you can be in the right place at the right time.  That sort of knowledge is power. 

I also learned about how ruthless groups can be to members who are innovative (deviant) or perceived as weak.  Different behaviors will be interpreted differently depending on the stage of the group’s development.  That’s what we are here to learn.  No matter what strategies you currently use, this one will only add value and save time.”  What is this one to you?

Are you in a group or in a network?  Or are you in both? What stage of group’s or network’s development are you in? 

How do you interpret this? Is this view reflective of what happens in the business world (in a group),and/or in a network?  Or is it dangerous, foolish or simply not worth it, because….it may be going against the organisation’s mission or network’s ideal?  Wow…. caution! alert!!!

What’s your experience?

 

Connectivism as a learning theory – a revisit

I noted that some of our co-learners have new insights into connectivism. You are welcome to share them here.

For me, whether connectivism is a new learning theory is now of secondary importance.  I don’t think it’s necessary to prove to anyone why it is a new learning theory, as this had already been done by George, Stephen and others on various occasions.  And I think it is unwise to debate on the principles which are emergent, as have been said by George and Stephen, what is “correct” today may not be “correct” by tomorrow, due to changes in context, ecology and technology, and the chaotic and complexity nature of knowledge and learning.

And I think it’s equally not necessary to write another set of convincing papers to defend connectivism, because connectivism is about emergent knowledge, process and people’s thoughts. 

If people still believe it, it’s their choice.  If people don’t like it, it’s still their choice.  So, if you like it, great to have a try! And see if it works

What’s most important I think, is rather to

(a) practise and reflect (as a learner) and model and demonstrate (as a teacher) (as shared by Stephen), and then share our findings, observations and understanding, as a feedback to this theory and its application

(b) share our distributed knowledge and experience amongst participants (Stephen and George, and various bloggers, forum participants), and continue with this journey on network learning (as shared by George and Stephen throughout their presentations)

(c) try the skills at local level (Stephen), with pilots if you want to (views shared by various bloggers), and remember the butterfly effect (Stephen and George), everyone’s contribution throughout the network could make a big difference (everyone – networkers, lurkers, not only those in this course)

(d) connect, connect and connect, grow and develop the networks and ecology (at neural, conceptual and external – social levels) and find your ways – patterning, wayfinding and sensemaking (George, Stephen, and you)

Finally, this theory on connectivism is different from all other theories in that everyones’ voices and connections are welcome, because it is all emergent (what I think).  Though I think there are still a lot of refinements needed - such as the pschological aspects, the social, economical and educational implications. Overall, I still think it’s a very useful theory to base on.

How about your ideas and views?

Role of learners – A response to Mike

Hi Mike, http://techticker.net/2008/10/22/the-role-of-the-educator-and-institution-in-a-changing-educational-landscape/
Thanks for your valuable insights.  I agree with you that educators are still students and still learners.  I have posted my full response on the role of learners on my blog:http://suifaijohnmak.wordpress.com 
My concern is that due to occasional confusion and conflicts of roles for learners, co-learners or even the teachers, there could be “internal friction” generated amongst network learners upon interaction or connection.  Such practice is apparent in our CCK08 course, especially in the forum.  If we are to adopt this practice in our classroom situation, I am not sure if such role conflicts or confusion would appear or not.  And I am interested in knowing how that could be resolved.
Also, I think this is one of the major areas of concerns in the practice of connectivism, when each of us defines our own boundary based on our needs and interest.  Also, not everyone is sharing the same or similar “values” in the interaction or connection, mainly due to the autonomy and diversity of perspectives and opinions as promoted or inherent in networking. At times, I could see people arguing in those cases or posts in the forum, and not valuing each others’ opinions.  And I wonder if this is viewed as a “best practice” when students in Universities or Colleges, or even K-12 classes are employing such practice.  One could claim that debates are important, but I am really concerned about the emotional outbursts (or the passions) which could impact the learning and the ecology.
Do you see this an issue?
You are welcome to visit and comment on my blog.
Cheers.
John

Reflection on the role of learners in networks – Connectivism in practice

When I reflected on what has happened in our CCK08, http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=668&action=article, where interaction and contribution of readers and learners were encouraged,  what I realised was a cautionary approach in the interaction between co-learners.  Whenever someone is trying to adopt a teaching approach, there would be a “tension” developed mainly because the co-learner has not been prepared or able to accept the “teacher-learner” or “expert – learner” role.  The learners might be preferring to adopt a “peer to peer” or “learner to co-learner” approach in learning on some occasions.  This seems also is the case in blogs, when the readers or co-learners were responding or commenting on each others’ blogs.  I have already noted numerous feedback from the blogs.  See my discussion in the forum on the different roles one may have in a network:  http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=956  Also, see Frances Bell’s comments on group and network discussion in  http://eduspaces.net/francesbell/weblog/485692.html and the forum discussion on groups and networks posted by Ailsa Haxell on passion vs reason. http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=956, where there were interesting and heated debates on passion and reason amongst teachers, learners and co-learners.  And the follow up discussion and debate via the blog by Terry Anderson:  http://terrya.edublogs.org/2008/10/20/more-on-groups-versus-networks-and-collectives/

Is such role conflict an issue in your teaching or learning?

If there are such role conflicts in networking or web 2.0 applications, what do you think will be some better ways to resolve them?

A shift in learning and teaching paradigm

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Hi Jenny, http://jennymackness.wordpress.com/
Thanks for your insights.  I agree with you that trainee teachers would find this very hard, since they might be pressured by their master teacher trainer to demonstrate competency in teaching rather than learning (i.e. just helping the learner to learn).  I had been in that situation on a few occasions, when I took the teacher training programs.  It was really stressful on those occasions, and could even be confusing if one is exposed to different learning theories and practices.  But once a teacher has gained some confidence and practice in the basic teaching techniques, there is no reason why one could not proceed to  the next stage, and develop more advanced skills in inspiring the learners in acquiring the metacognition skills.  Besides, this would assist the learners to choose their learning options, and thus improve their learning progressively.  This could be achieved if learners are proactive in the formal and informal learning through blogs, wikis, forum discussion etc.  These could also augment the formal lesson (if the teaching is still institutionally based), whereas assessment could be done more effectively.  I could see such changes happening in a number of institutions, when I browsed through the blogs and wikis.  See http://construction10.wikispaces.com/Assignments 

Such an approach is also suggested by Tom Whyte http://whereoldmeetsnow.edublogs.org/2008/10/16/groups-into-networks-new-curriculum-needed-cck08/

The process of moving the students forward from a group setting to a network will be required, so will an educator familiar with both.  For this process to properly occur, curriculum will need to be specifically designed and implemented, taking into account, emerging technologies and student safety within an online environment. 

Terry Anderson’s further emphasises the needs of exposing students to groups, networks and collectives in learning. http://terrya.edublogs.org/2008/10/20/more-on-groups-versus-networks-and-collectives/

Being able to differentiate amongst the three and insuring that learners have experience of learning in all three contexts is an important function of the teachers’ role in formal education.

So, an exposure of students to a networking environment is preparing them for a life based and life long education.

I have also found a trend in moving into online and distance education when learners are no longer satisfied with the traditional classroom delivery.  See

Online and Distance Education, Serious Games, Simulations, Mobile Learning

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.  http://mlearners.com/

Do you see this as a trend for adult education?

So I think this is not only a shift in learning paradigm, it could even be a shift in teaching paradigm, in that both teachers and learners have their voices, in the teaching and learning process, especially in networking.   This is already happening in this CCK08 course, and also in a number of University courses.  See Michael Wesch’s class. http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2008/10/a-vision-of-students-today-what-teachers-must-do/

Time and cases will tell whether this is the case.   More researches would be necessary to validate these “hypothesis” and claims.
Do you think there is a shift in teaching paradigm?  Do you think there is a need of Connectivism as a “new” “teaching theory”?   See Downes’ Educational Theory http://lnx.funteaching.it/moodle/file.php/1/Learning%20Networks%20and%20Connective%20Knowledge%20Stephen%20Downes/ANetworkPedagogy.html

What are your observations so far?

Some websites for you- on education, learning and connectivism

Here are some websites that you may find interest:

On-line education database

http://oedb.org/library/features/top-100-education-blogs

Wiki

http://t4tl.wikispaces.com/

On Connectivism

http://t4tl.wikispaces.com/Connectivism+

 On Web 2.0

Videos from Classroom 2.0: Koofers.com Demo Video (~4 minutes)

http://www.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=617683525163&oid=2259602350

Enjoy your favourite websites.  Have you found something that interest you?  You are welcome to share them with me.