These are my notes on the inaugural Elggradio podcast: A Conversation with George Siemens 11/08/2005 available at http://elgg.net/elggradio/weblog/1814.html. These are notes only and do not reproduce the discussion word for word. They are a gloss on and interpretation of what I take to be the main points and may not accurately reflect what was said. I will be very happy to edit these in the light of comments and other views.
DT. With all the new technologies and approaches emerging; wikis, eportfolios, blogs, rss etc - how do you feel they will integrate into more traditional learning set-ups? Or will they, can they?
GS. What do wikis, blogs etc. do differently to traditional forms of education? Blogs and wikis are a reaction to (a response to or reflection of) important shifts and changes taking place in society that are impacting on education. These changes involve increased openness, decentralisation of information resources, a reduction in hierarchical structures and thinking, and the development of a network perspective. The tools aren’t dictating the underlying change. These tools will become intergrated into education because they do reflect underlying social changes.
DT. It is often said that technology should not dictate learning practice. However, with pedagogy not able to keep pace with technology could this just be an excuse from those that do not like or want to try out new approaches and accept that society has changed - whereas most learning practice has not?
GS. Technology does impact on learning design and practice. It is a tool but it is reactive to social changes, and more rapidly than educational design is. Tools are extensions of us but their use does adjust and alter who we are as people. E.g. film was first used as another way of doing stage drama, but now movies are very different to stage drama made possible by the functionality of new technology once this is understood. We start with a new technology by doing what we used to do but we can do new things when we understand the functions and possibilities of the new technology. When we get new tools we are able to start doing new things, not just the old ones.
DT. Technology is changing so fast how do people keep up? It is hard for technically minded people that are interested. What about the others?
GS. Not everyone will be like us – people who enjoy developing the technology and using it in innovative ways. The technology moves fast and for non-adopters the barrier to using the technology gets bigger. They won’t become like us so they can use it. So technology will have to develop and hide its complexity under a simple user interface that allows individuals to do what they want.
DT. Thinking about open learning environments like Elgg, do you think it is a good idea to introduce guidelines, some structure to the networks learners may create or is this process best left to the learners? In other words should learners find out what works for them without interference from instructors and/or system designers?
GS. Learning is a network generating process (See Connectivism: learning as network creation). When new information is encountered it becomes a node in a personal learning network. How does this fit in? Depends on what is already in the individual’s learning network. It might not fit in very well (cognitive dissidence) or some new elements may fit in very well and accelerate learning significantly. In these cases one piece of information produces significantly more knowledge than it self – an ‘aha!’ moment. Our current teaching design can obstruct this exploratory process. We don’t create the student’s learning, we create the ecology of learning and the student produces the learning. There are different modes of learning:
- Some learning needs an information transmission model, clear structure etc.
- Knowledge acquisition – new ideas and approaches
- Connectivist – making networks and assigning meaning and context in line with experience and interests.
In these last 2 modes of learning the learner should be given more control. Instruction design needs to enable these modes of learning, not stifle them by imposing the transmission mode of learning inappropriately.
DT. I notice you publish papers on your own site as does Stephen Downes - do you think academic journals have a future?
GS. Yes for much of the market, but blogs and podcasting are becoming a new method of publication. This is the rise of the individual and the tools whereby everyone can have a voice. The standard formal journal process for publishing means jumping through a number of hoops set up by institutions, publishers, anonymous peer review, etc. In this process the forms of dialogue and negotiation that lead to the ‘authorised’ version are hidden from the readership. In blogs rubbish can be published easily but 1000s will look at it and vet it. Some authors will develop a dialogue with an informed readership based upon respect. The process of evaluation is now a function of the informal network. This duplicates some of the functions of the formal method but shifts control to individuals and the network rather than an organisation. Ideas are challenged in a public forum, not behind the scenes where we miss the information and richness of that discussion. The discussion can often be of more or equal value to the article itself. This is invisible in the informal public evaluation of articles. New technologies transform the learning process and will afford a new medium which will afford new opportunities in learning processes. It is necessary to understand the multiple affordances and richness of the social dialogues and interactions made possible with this new approach. The old ‘publication of authenticated knowledge’ mindset does not fit onto blogs etc. It is a new methodology based on a new ideology of how information is shared and presented to others. We need to expose our processes of knowing for others to input into it and take from it. George has created a group blog, wiki and other resources to develop a dialogue on connectivism and “….to foster discussion on how our thinking, learning, and organizational activities are impacted through technology and societal changes”.
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