Fostering New Learning Communities, Nurturing Online Learning Ecosystems

June 19, 2009 #sloancsym #nlc San FranciscoSloan C International Symposium

on Emerging Technology Applications for Online Learning

http://newlearningcommunities.pbworks.comHolly Rae Bemis-Schurtz, M.A. @hollyrae

Susan Bussmann, Ph.D. @suceppibNew Mexico State University

We apply these concepts to foster experiential learning for K-20 educators.

Consider …

Clarity, focus, perspective, adaptation, evolution

Influential Concepts

Learning Ecosystems(Gutl & Chang)

Connectivism(Siemens & Downes)

Bioteaming(Thompson)

Overview• New Learning Contexts & Skills• Learning Ecosystem as a Model• Characteristics of New Learning

Communities (NLCs)• Organizational Biomimicry– One to many communications– Self organizing, collective leadership

• Developing NLCs• Nurturing & Supporting NLCs• Assessing NLCs

Scoble’s Social Media Starfishhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarefoot/1814873464/

Social Media Landscapehttp://www.fredcavazza.net/2008/06/09/social-media-landscape

/

The Conversation Prism

http://www.briansolis.com/2008/08/introducing-conversation-prism.html

What happens to learning in this context?

“Our learning and information acquisition is a mashup. We take pieces, add pieces, dialogue, reframe, rethink, connect, and ultimately, we end up with some type of pattern that symbolizes what’s happening ‘out there’ and what it means to us. And that pattern changes daily.

G. Siemens and P. Tittenberger. Handbook of emerging technologies for learning, March 2009.

Connectivism

• Affordance of tools• Contextual situated

learning• Social learning theory• Epistemological views• Embodied cognition

• New media theory• Systems theory• Network theory

‘A learning theory for a digital age’ from George Siemens (@gsiemens) & Stephen Downes (@downes).

Influenced by learning theories, social structures, and technologies, such as

In a nutshell…

• ‘knowledge and cognition are distributed across networks of people and technology is the process of connecting, growing, and navigating those networks'

• the knowledge of the network is bigger than any one node

Handbook of emerging technologies for learning, March 2009

http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/wikis/etl/index.php/Handbook_of_Emerging_Technologies_for_Learning

Learning is forming connections

Connectivism (George Siemens & Stephen Downes)

• Learning is connecting new experiences within our neural, conceptual and social networks– Depth and diversity of the connections is what

determines understanding – Frequency of exposure and integration with other

concepts can strengthen understanding– Connections can be strong or weak – different

networks serve different needs

• Expertise (the facility of using networks) is what is needed to learn in this new context

New Learning SkillsG. Siemens and P. Tittenberger. Handbook of emerging technologies for learning, March 2009. “New Learning, New Educators, New Skills”

Created with Wordle - http://www.wordle.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills

Soft Skills

Flickr Creative Commons Search for ‘early adopters’ or ‘power users’

Technology Fluency & Adeptness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hbemisschurtz/favorites/

WayfindingWayfinding encompasses all of the ways in which people and animals orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place• traditional navigation methods used by

indigenous peoples• in the context of architecture to refer to the user

experience of orientation and choosing a path within the built environment• the set of architectural and/or design elements

that aid orientation.From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayfinding

Sensemaking

Sensemaking is the ability or attempt to make sense of an ambiguous situation.

• creating situational awareness and understanding in situations of high complexity or uncertainty in order to make decisions.

• "a motivated, continuous effort to understand connections (which can be among people, places, and events) in order to anticipate their trajectories and act effectively" (Klein et al., 2006a).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SensemakingKlein, G., Moon, B. and Hoffman, R.F. (2006a). Making sense of sensemaking I: alternative perspectives.IEEE Intelligent Systems, 21(4), 70-73.

How do you support the development of personal learning skills?

Consider the EcosystemA network of living and nonliving things

• Energy and water cycles continuously

• Producers generate for Primary. Secondary, & Tertiary Consumers

• Decomposers recycle and compost for a healthy foundation

Illustration by Sabine Deviche (ASU) http://askabiologist.asu.edu/research/ecosystems/index.html

Learning Ecosystem as a Model

Gutl & Chang, 2008• a comprehensive review of the ecosystem

model as used to describe highly dynamic learning environments that change organically and often

• a model to identify perspectives, relationships, approaches and implementations

• assists in identifying pedagogical, cognitive, social, organizational, and technological aspects

Characteristics

• Open and flexible to allow for student's self direction

• Support the individual learner and the community in a natural learning process

• Network of learning agents and sources dynamically changes according to situations and context

(Gutl & Chang, 2008)

from David Armano (@armano)

Our working definitionA learning ecosystem is…

a framework for understanding new learning environments that incorporate a variety of

tools (ie: course management systems, Web 2.0 applications) and

multiple touch points (web, client, mobile) that aims to make transparent to the members of the learning community various

channels (relationships, pathways, protocols) for learning.

So we’ve tried…

To establish a framework which shows our ecosystem.

The next few slides show this over time.

Each is only a snapshot of a dynamic system~ a moment in time.

External Communities

Recomposition

Production

Primary Consumption

Ambient Consumption

Current Events & Trends

Widgets &

RSS

Facilita

tion a

nd

Asse

ssment

Level of

learn

er

invest

ment/

aka

“r

isk”

Learner Activity

Touch Points Method Examples

•Lurking•Browsing/Surfing•Reading•Socializing

•Custom Search Engines•Shared RSS Feeds•Social Networks•Blogs•Wikis

•Integrating presence of learning community in places where students already spend their time•Places on web that are course related but not main course, •Usually optional, not graded, low-risk participation.

•Use of Group feature in popular social networks (Facebook, MySpace)•Customized iGoogle Gadgets

•Sharing•Reflecting•Voting

•Social Bookmarking•Lifestreaming•Micromedia•Tumbleblogs•Polling and Surveying Tools

•Facilitate ways for students to share updates on what they are doing, seeing, reading, and thinking about. •Usually optional, not graded, still pretty low-risk.

•Course tag on Delicious, Twitter•Use of simple polls widgets

•Writing•Editing•Conferencing

•Blogs•Wikis•Instant Messaging•Voice Conferencing

•Learners take their conversation about what they are learning outside of the “classroom.” •Type of investment and “risk” starts to increase. Complexity, collaboration, increased communication…•Grading, payment, rubrics

•Shared Resource Lists and Best Practices on a PBWiki•Meeting on Skype to discuss projects and or assist peers•Journal entries, basic Q & A discussion posts•Community blogging

•Course Requirements•Webconference•Quizzes, Exams, Assessments•Discsussions•Portfolios•Building Models

•Course/Learning Magagement System•Webconferencing System•Blogs•Wiki

•Explorations for your learners to practice skills and demonstrate mastery of concepts•These are highest risk methods. Grades, payment are at risk. •Criteria, rubrics

•Levels of courses in Moodle•Advanced use of discussion (debate, role-play, etc.)•Students present group projects in synchronous sessions in Adobe Connect•Creating blog, wiki, etc.

Recomposers

Producers

Primary Consumers

Ambient Consumers

Parra, Bemis-Schurtz, Bussmann (NM TIE & iNACOL VSS, 2008)

Learn

er

Resp

onsi

bili

ty

Learner as Recomposer

Learner as Producer

Learner as Connector

Learner as Lurker

Relationship to Requirements

Collaboration & Interaction

Tools

Learnstreaming Tools

Content Creation &

Dissemination Tools

Learning & Content

Management Tools

•Learning/Course Management System•Webconferencing System•VOIP Instant Messaging Tool•Robust Wiki

•Blogs•Micromedia•Robust Wikis•Voice Discussion Tools

•Multimedia Creation Tools•Social Bookmarking Tools•Content Sharing Tools•Custom Search Tools

•Lifestreaming Tools•Analytic Tools•RSS Feed Aggregators•Social Networks

LearningEcosystem Tools

Examples of NMSU & RETALearning Ecosystems

• Used at various levels, K-20 to foster experiential learning for educators

• Shared quickly for reference ;-)

Podcasting and Vodcasting for Improved Achievement

http://pvia.pbworks.com

• 3rd grade Educator Teams implement podcasting in classrooms

• Mentors (RETA Instructors)

Facilitated by @suceppib @hollyrae & Bethany Bovard (@tektrekker)

Online Teaching & Learning Opportunities Program

http://otlo.pbworks.com/eLearning-Ecosystem

• Secondary educators develop OTL environments for distance delivery

• Multi-year program

Facilitated by @suceppib & Julia Parra (@desertjul)

NMSU Division of Student Success

• Students and staff learn to access and share support online

• Very much in ‘beta’ ;-)

Facilitated by @hollyrae with Laura Grant (@laurapresently) & Phillip Johnson (@phlipper3000)

Online Teaching & Learning Graduate Certificate Program

http://extended.nmsu.edu

• 15 credit graduate program• Prepares learner for OTL

Facilitated by @suceppib, @tektrekker & Julia Parra (@desertjul)

So…

• What happens to the community when it spans across all of these contexts?

• How does this influence our pedagogy?

Characteristics of New Learning Communities

• Personal learning skills are integral• Conversation is not just in one

system/tool/place• Communities overlap between networks• Connections (the stuff of learning) are

made organically• Highly dynamic, Influenced by a wider

social experience and...

Organizational Biomimicry•Looking at ‘power users’ & ‘power’ communities of natural ecosystems•Ken Thompson (The Bioteaming Manifesto)•Traits of successful bioteams• Pheromone

messaging• Collective leadership

These are new communication styles for humans!

One to Many Communications

Thompson (2008) – Did ants invent the perfect mobile messaging system?http://www.bioteams.com/2008/04/30/did_ants_invent.html

Collective Leadership

Thompson (2008) Why penguins have no commanding officerhttp://www.nesta.org.uk/why-penguins-have-no-commanding-officer/

This is a tremendous shift!

• Successful bioteams are highly dependent on members’ beliefs and values

• One to many communication methods are new to humans

• Each users experience is unique and personal responsibility is substantially increased

So what strategies can we use to develop, nurture and evaluate our new learning communities?

Developing NLCs• Begin with needs & comfort level assessment• Choose core elements (tools) purposefully with

learners in mind• Make the ecosystem explicit– Maps– Categories– Tools– Philosophy

• Design so that you are facilitating interaction– open ended and self directed activities– act as concierge, connector, atelier, curator

Developing NLCs (ctd.)• Establish reasonable expectations

– Consider learner risk– Encourage voluntary participation

• Provide a synchronous orientation to the ecosystem

• Utilize audio/video tools frequently to support knowledge of the ecosystem

• Establish protocols for utilizing channels (ie: engaging a colleague or instructor via Skype)

Supporting NLCs

• Foster metacognitive awareness of the ecosystem, tools, touch points, channels with continued support– Consider ‘Bio-score Calculator’

(http://www.bioteams.com/flash/IsYourGroupaBioteam.html)

• Assist students in developing an idea of their own personal learning network

• Identify your own strategies for wayfinding, make transparent for your students

• Encourage social sensemaking throughout the experience

Assessing NLCs

• Consider Ken Thompson’s ORGANICS (for assessing self organizing within a group)

• Evaluate growth in student’s– self assessment of use of PLN(s)– concept maps of PLN(s) over time

• Utilize summative assessments that are outcomes based (such as a portfolio)

• Utilize formative assessment (such as learnstreaming)

Learnstreaming*Use of these types of tools to develop

holistic and formative understandings about what is happening in the learning community

• Lifestreaming (Plaxo, FriendFeed)• Analytic Tools (Lijit, Google Analytics)• RSS Aggregators• ‘Friendships’ in social networks

*this is experimental, be cautious

Let’s engage in somesensemaking.

hollyrae@nmsu.edusuceppib@nmsu.edu

Resources continue to grow…http://newlearningcommunities.pbworks.com * http://delicious.com/hollyrae/connectivism * http://delicious.com/hollyrae/ecosystem * http://delicious.com/hollyrae/bioteams