Heli on Connectivism

I enjoyed greatly to participate in CCK-Ellumination about our own research ideas. Here comes my slide – Leila was so kind and told about this in twitter already and I noticed that I have to put it here .

I also found blogs of other participants and added to my blogrol CCK08-09 if they weren’t already there.

I greatly enjoy the definings of residents or visitors in the web, given by TALL blog (Online education with the University of Oxford). It is not about academic or technological skills, it is about culture and motivation. I am not a digital native, I am an immigrant but I love the openness of web culture and I am motivated to participate online. I am an online teacher with no classroom teaching. So, am I a resident in the web?

The resident is an individual who lives a part of her life online. The web supports the projection of her identity and facilitates relationships. She has an persona online which she regularly maintains. This persona is normally primarily in a social networking sites but it is also likely to be in evidence in blogs or comments, via image sharing services etc   She will  use the web to socialise and to express herself. She is likely to see the web as a worthwhile place to put forward an opinion. In fact the resident considers that a certain portion of their social life is lived out online. The web has become a crucial aspect of how to present oneself and how to remain part of networks of friends or colleagues.

The Visitor is an individual who uses the web as a tool in an organised manner whenever the need arises. They may research a specific subject. They may choose to use a voice chat tool if they have friends or family abroad.  They always have an appropriate and focused need to use the web but don’t ‘reside’ there. They are sceptical of services that offer them the ability to put their identity online as don’t feel the need to express themselves by participating in online culture in the same manner as a Resident.

I am definitely a resident in my professional life as a teacher and developer. I have a permanent blog in Finnish and a network around it. I participate in Finnish networks of social media and follow happenings also globally. I have an identity as an online teacher, it is a part of me. But I am not a resident in my private life, I only follow my daughter and her friends in FB but I don’t tell about myself there. I recieved some congratulations on my birthday, it was nice of course.

I am open in professional questions, I allow others to learn about my mistakes and I don’t worry about criticism. It is voluntary to read my blog. I have no spam or nuisance in Finnish, we have a language  that nobody can follow My teaching materials are open to colleagues but the learning environment of my institute is closed, I cannot change it. My blog is open and I have nothing against open teaching. Freedom is important to me, I hate schedules and orders..

I am a visitor in Twitter , I haven’t found my role there, only follow CCK09 via Google Reader. I am a visitor in FB, I like to see videos that my networked colleagues put there but I am not active myself. I have goals and I select my tools, I do not live in the web all the time. My focus is in learning and educational culture, not in technology.

Transparency is related to openness. Openness is most often related to content. Transparency involves making our learning explicit through forums, blogs, presentations, podcasts, and videos. Throughout CCK09, George Siemens made the statement that “when you are transparent in your learning, you are teaching others”. He continues: Most people, however, are uncomfortable taking the risk of posting half-baked ideas publicly. Trust and personal sense of security is important for learners. Learning is an act of vulnerability.

Yes it is, I could say. When I began blogging two years ago I was vulnerable and I had stopped if I got strong critique but I recieved positive comments and continued. Now I do not bother myself with this vulnerability question, I analyse happenings and ask feedback if I need. Sometimes I ponder why it is so hard to build connections in for instance CCK09? All my friends are from CCK08 or real life, only Frances that I began to follow this year and some outside the course but links found there. This is normal network life, isn’t it?

This is my first step in second CCK09-travel. I always try to find my way, not George’s or Stephen’s or others’. I already know some students and I am convinced that I’ll get ideas from them .. so I must have my mind open. But I have to know what there is in my mind that influences me, I cannot be quite open. I have to ask myself about

• my knowledge building, my habits and ways in constructing my mind
• my values, do I have any so important that they direct my thinking and feeling
• what do I already know about human learning and knowledge? What is closed and what is open in my mind?

These are heavy questions, I feel tired at the beginning of the job. Last week I found some good sources that I have studied in 1990’s and I wonder why I have stopped thinking during last years, have I? I believe that basic questions in knowledge acquisition do not change, not all of them, not totally. I read again a Finnish dissertation about “Knowledge in Interactive Practice Disciplines” (A. Sarvimäki, University of Helsinki 1988). I am not interested in all knowledge, only knowledge used in  education or other interpersonal, interactive disciplines (theory-in-practice). Pragmatism is my choice: what is working in practice and why is it effective and so on. Argyris and Schön: Knowledge in Action is in my bookshelf. Knowing in practice is more demanding/difficult that knowing in theory.

Knowledge is divided in “knowing that” = propositional, declarative, language and concepts, models. Knowledge is “knowing how” = procedural, how to do, what are the phases and so on. How about “emergent knowledge”, where does it come, how is it possible? The contextual nature of practical problems … what does it mean? A dynamic aspect is needed:  Skill in reading situations and flexing in interactions…

I am pleased with three epistemic styles: rational, empirical and metaphorical.  When I am rational I conceptualize and think in logical-illogical ways. When I gather empiria, I perceive (and sometimes misperceive). Most interesting is the metaphorical style: that’s why  I have to use pictures, symbols, which are universal or  idiosyncratic. For instance my photo about destabilizing in my previous post, Jenny recognized it at once and Ailsa remembers my images in CCK08. There is silent knowledge (Polanyi) and intuition in expertice.

How in the world we can construct any new theory of human learning? What is a theory actually? If I forget or leave that open how can I define criteria for good practice in my CCK09 studies? Too difficult, I must go out and walk ..

I will destabilize my participating as you can see:

my way

On a beautiful Saturday I am coming to the end of the European Project EDINET - started here (in this blog) in January 22nd. I had dreams about deep understanding about engineering students and teachers.. I always have dreams .. but what did I learn? I had one excellent discussion with my son, he spoke honestly and I learnt that ICT-students learn many languages for programming. I also had one trip to Bern for further planning, it was good place to learn to me.

But the Edinet project, what did I learn? I have analysed students answers (N=128, from seven universities in seven countries). I am convinced that it is wise to open laboratories to foreign students and it happened. It is great. And more: the implementation and pedagogical principles are OK. For deeper understanding I should work more, and really collaborate with engineering teachers and laboratory workers. I participated only the last part of the project and did what I could (oh, how clever). Pedagogical principles seem very good but they work on a general level.

I was happy to begin  and I am happy to stop. I will return from Europe to global level. I have dreams again…

I like to take photos and play with them.  I had a nice Sunday constructing my final work in Power Point dias beginning from photos and then writing some thoughts with my vocabulary. If someone can follow, I’ll be happy. Here it comes:

cck08 (pdf)

I have studied psychology more than educational or societal sciences and psychological knowledge is my focus. It should take more space in connectivism.. or should it? I have worked in adult education all my live (and it is long) and I have seen the problems people meet in this changing world. And I’ve met those problems myself.

In this “final with images” I tell about my thoughts and experiences more than our course. I cannot influence Stephen or George or Connectivism, but I can influence myself, so analysing myself makes sense. And a survey is coming about the whole course, I will take part in it.

Thanks to facilitators, this has been an adventure. I should have had more time to it but we will continue..?

This week I have two times classroom teaching, normally only online teaching (working, facilitating). I notice that I have alienated from classrooms, I wonder why adult people must be in a classroom at a certain time. The other period begun at 8:00 o’clock(or it should, only one was present at that time, and me if course).

While working as online teacher I am totally free. I prefer asynchronous methods – adult students need freedom like me. No alarm clocks no time hunting, no hurry to any place, no voice using. But most students say that meetings in classrooms are important and it is necessary to see each other. I meet them online. Is this a guestion of learning, changing habits or is it in personality? I am introvert and need my own pace, I like slow working and peaceful thinking (or I am simply lazy). Some teachers don’t want to leave classrooms because they want to be in front of their pupils. (Institution stays, we have buildings and curriculums, this is not a psychological case at all).

Anyway, my first teaching period is over and I liked it. Students were experienced teachers who wanted to develop their online teaching, materials and pedagogy. We met in a computer class- I had prepared links to Second Life and we discussed about possibilities in using it, and problems of course. Then I showed my Finnish blog that focuses on online teaching, I have got an community around it. It was useful to me and to others because there took the space, I was one of participants and I had experiences to share and I wanted to share. Not bad, not at all. But it was not nice to wake up early and be at their school 8:00 am.

Tomorrow I have a group of young adults who have begun studies in educational sciences. Their program consists of  three classroom periods and this is the last one. I have last two hours. My online course begun in June, there are many assigments, questionnaires for refreshing their own thoughts, poems, aforisms, and recommedations about scientific books of course. Some case (material in internet) and optional assigments (movies, novels) and self assessment in the end. Students write a learning diary (blog) continually.

25% have done all and they liked the freedom: I forced them to build up their assigments, I gave only material to use (and freedom to use almost what ever). In the beginning they were embarrased, but after studyind they are very content. They have understood why they have to choose. I followed their blogs and answered at once if they had questions. Sometimes I felt that support was needed and so I gave it.

My subject is educational and developmental psychology. I think that becoming conscious about oneself (a little) is the focus. They practice reading and writing and correct citations, and that is OK but I hope that they connect their experiences and observations  with readings. I do not like copies of any kind.

The last 75 % of my students have done only some simple tasks or nothing. I they are present I should help them, and how? I ask students to tell each other what they have found and I tell how I see ’sensemaking in psychology’. What is my role as a teacher? I want to meet the students, really. They tell in their blogs feedback about meetings, they tell what touched and why (serious things cannot be said aloud at once).

I respect my students and trust that they can study and want to study. If some cancel, it is not my problem – they have something that is more important, they cannot take to time. I want to encourage, I must be sensible to unsure … I must be myself and now I have to go to sleep that I am not tired tomorrov.

Now I have found the marking scheme for this CCK08 course. I am wondering how to consider the situation. I feel myself as a young Canadian university student Someone said in Moodle (was it Stephen after forcing us..) that this course is NOT ordinary and so we dare to say what we want and unsubscribe if we want. But after reading those markinf schemes – and knowing that Sia have recieved an assessment of paper 1 – I am just wondering.

Does it make sense to assess all participants in similar schemes? Why? I never do so in my online courses to adults, I write feedback individually. I have worked in different universities more than 30 years, how should I become assessed and by whom? I had my conversation with my boss last week (so called developmental discussion) and he accepted my own assessment about goals and achievements. This is how I see myself:

I want to be an online teacher of high quality and I see that I have to understand human learning deeply. I have to be able to work in networks because I cannot be an expert alone. I have to develop my online pedagogy all the time. How could I assess this all?

The only simple criteria for me is to use English; I am doing it. But it is not interesting at Canadian university which uses English all the time. The other area in which I see empowerment in myself is online pedagogy. i have listened both Stephen’s and George’s analyses about this course and I could have done the same myself (I mean it).

I have got an experience about networking and some good presentations of it. I must have learned something and I have become more conscious of the necessity of networking. And I know how difficult it is to network in this course when you come from Finland, this is an important experience. Who regulates the world clock, for instance?

But how about learning? I do not have any feeling of proceeding, not yet. I like Lisa Lane’s picture 18.9. where the new part is “web-based activity makes the most sense through the connectivist lens” . I could not write my position on connectivism in the way required, I gathered all possible associations about learning. I am asking about connections between them: this is my second beginning in this course.

I am not sure if I use concept maps or APA citations and I am not sure how I continue here but I will continue studying human learning – I am sure about it.

I have twice listened to Stephens skype presentation 12.10. (the link was in Daily) – he describes this course: openly planned, open content and open delivery. I am an online teacher myself and I am keen on these questions. Perhaps I learn here mostly about online teaching – facilitating.

This course illustrates connectivism: its principles have to live here, we should see them, enjoy them.

• Diversity is great and it is accepted and supported.
• Autonomy is supported or demanded: self direction have to practice again and again, it’s not easy.
• Openness is true
• Emergency of knowledge is happening. We live in it and try to grasp opportunities. Not easy, not at all.

Stephen told his listeners ( where they in Germany or.. it doesn’t matter) that we have settled down and found our places and we are not so worried anymore. But perhaps worrying goes deeper in this phase:

For instance I am asking myself that do I ever understand “network knowledge ” – distributed knowledge???

When I began this post I imagined to plan an open assessment to my own learning / development during this course, but now I seems too far – a dream… if I do not comprehend the basics, how could I assess any development?

Time will tell. And perhaps you?

I was too tired yesterday to participate the Ellumination session about “this course, what is happening”, but I tried to listen to it a day after: voice is going around and I couldn’t follow but I saw the chat writings. I am very Interested in the topic because Iam an online teacher myself. It is easy to me to follow what is happening (and I know that I can’t follow everything, no need to it).

I suppose that the Elluminate discussion was dealing with the great change in teaching culture (learning is not changing as much as teaching). Some people still wait for rules and guidance and more moderators or facilitators. They don’t like chaos feelings. Some say that “this is not chaos, I am learning (Sia) and forwards: learnings is chaos, learning is making order to chaos. The forums are self-moderating by a group of learners controlling their learning. This is an exciting adventure.

Do we have assessment methods for our learning? – that was asked.  I have to think about it, because I am working in Adult Teacher Education and we have developed a lot of self assessment inquiries. How to become conscious about your thinking and acting: that is the question. It is not only cognitions or social behavior, it goes deeper in human mind.  I take the challenge to find self assessment methods (not scales ..?)

I agree with people who wanted “three more hours per day “or “six hours” or more. “I definetly feel like a fish” – but I want to analyse the water around. “Serendipity is good!” Let’s go on enjoying this course. Good night, Europe!