Terry Anderson and Jon Dron presentation from Networked Learning 2012

1. 1

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