#CritLit2010 Context – Power

In this referred post Streams of Content, Limited Attention: The Flow of Information through Social Media written by Danah:

“As we continue to move from a broadcast model of information to a networked one, we will continue to see reworkings of the information landscape. Some of what is unfolding is exciting, some is terrifying. The key is not be all utopian or dystopian about it, but to recognize what changes and what stays the same. The future of Web2.0 is about information flow and if you want to help people, help them reach that state. Y’all are setting the tone of the future of information. Keep it exciting and, please, recognize the power that you have!”

What power do networkers have when interacting with Web 2.0 tools? Is power important? Why?

Photo: From Flickr

#CritLit 2010 What syntax, pragmatics, context and semantics mean to me?

These are interesting points in Matthias’s post. I am not sure if I have fully understood your message here, relating to the wide jumps – I suppose you are referring to oftentimes different literacies and syntax (in and outside the course as proposed by different actors (learners & other networkers).
I appreciate your use of the words – traversing, jumps which match exactly what this course is all about. This reinforces the importance of syntax – the way in which words are arranged and form sentences and context – the words that come before and after a particular word or phrase and help to fix its meaning with the semantics (meaning). For me, I just integrate them in my connection (communication) (cognitively and socially), and so I seldom look into it with such details.

I suppose the juxtaposition of cognition, syntax, context, pragmatics, semantics, change, etc. would help when I draw them up in my mind as delineation. May be it is like driving a car (use of language), where one has to check the tyres, oil, lights, gear, accelerator and brakes (syntax – words in sequence), and the traffic condition (context), which type of car and technique should I use (pragmatics) and wayfind and sensemake (cognitively) in order to drive safely (meaningfully – the semantics).

Have I jump started? Or may be  driving in the wrong lane? May be I am driving a virtual one different from yours, but surely we are cooperating, not competing.

Photo: Flickr

Relating to Jenny’s post: Why is syntax particularly relevant for us as learners in the 21st century?

So would my analogy of driving a virtual car make sense? If I drive with the lights on, does it mean that I am driving at night, or in the day time when there was pouring rain, or that I have to signal that my car is on an emergency?  So the lights in my car would be like the words that I used, which could carry much meaning to myself and other drivers.  Similarly, when I am communicating and conversing with our peers and instructors, any words and sentences used in my post would signify my state of mind and emotions, and thus could be interpreted quite differently under different contexts.

Maria provides a great summary here on syntax

Syntax in linguistics (Wikipedia),“is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages.  (…) The term syntax is also used to refer directly to the rules and principles that govern the sentence structure of any individual language”.

Relating back to pragmatics, I love Ruth’s post here where she introduced Netvibes as a vehicle for virtual driving.  I enjoyed the ride….

Photo: Flickr

I would like to reflect on the resources listed here in the course wiki in further posts:

Optional Readings/References:

http://www.shirky.com/writings/ontology_overrated.html Shirky on ontology

http://www.adammathes.com/academic/computer-mediated-communication/folksonomies.html folksonomies

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BBwepkVurCI Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe – Reality TV Editing

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/future-of-search.html google blog talking about searching

http://www.slideshare.net/librarianinblack/information-overload-is-the-devil?src=embed Information Overload is the Devil – by a librarian

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.cfmUSA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/ UK ofcom media literacy

http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article540.html centre for media literacy

http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-and-Use-Basic-Statisticswikihow:statistics

John

#CritLit2010 Networked learning

In this Drexler, W. (2010) The networked student model for construction of personal learning environments: Balancing teacher control and student autonomy : a model for student construction of personal learning environment that balances teacher control with increased student autonomy.  This is a very interesting paper with lots of insights on the application of Web 2.0 and Personal Learning Environment

Here are my comments and questions in italics

In guided inquiry, the teacher provides the problem and directs the students to the materials for investigation (Colburn, 2000)

Under such guided inquiry, is a teacher-centered approach adopted?  Could people other than the teacher provide the problem?  How about the learner providing the problem?  Or the community of learners providing the problem?

The teacher is necessary to help the student navigate the breadth of content, apply the tools properly, and offer support in the form of digital literacy skills and subject matter expertise.

To what extent is the help of teacher necessary? Would this depend on prior experience and skills of the students?  What sort of digital literacy skills are important?

Principles of connectivism equate to fundamentals of learning in a networked world.  The design of the teacher-facilitated, student-created personal learning environment in this study adheres to constructivist and connectivist principles with the goal of developing a networked student who will take more responsibility for his or her learning while navigating an increasingly complex content base.

Five of 15 responses directly mentioned the teacher as still necessary, even if the student was prepared to take on more of the responsibility for learning.

What is the significance of having 33% of students mentioned that the teacher as still necessary?

What did the 67% of students think about the role of the teacher?

Achieving the delicate balance between teacher control and student autonomy is an ongoing challenge when facilitating student use of new technologies for self-regulated learning (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010).

Motivation, self direction, and technical aptitude are key considerations for implementing a networked student design.

My experience in networked learning also share similar considerations.

As the experience was related to 15 students in this case study, I am wondering how such networked learning experience would be translated in massive open online course (MOOC) in higher grades of K-12.

We have gained some insights into networked learning with CCK08, CCK09 and the current course of Critical Literacy 2010, and some of the research findings of CCK08 could be found below.

• The Ideals and reality of Participating in a MOOC
• Blogs and Forums as Communication and Learning Tools in a MOOC

As discussed in my other posts on Complexity Theory here, it could be difficult to predict the outcomes of networked learning in advance, but we might be able to understand the impact of complexity on emergent learning after the course experience.

I think Wendy’s research provides valuable direction on how one could develop and implement networked learning based on PLE. Thanks Wendy.

John