Module 4 Blog Posting

My network has changed the way I learn by giving me a personal panel of experts upon whom I can rely for availability, expertise and up-to-date knowledge in my field. Being able to access those people in my network also gives me access to the experts in their networks because invariably they will point me in the direction of someone who knows or has more experience than they if they cannot answer my questions. This increases my knowledge base as well as my own network. Knowing "who" Siemens (2006) is most important in building personal networks. Knowing who the experts are and having access to them either directly or indirectly gives me a kind of comfort that I am not left to my own devices about something of which I am unsure. I may look up something, or read about it, but for real "knowing" I want someone with some experience in it who knows and has dealt with it in some form.

The digital tools which best facilitate learning for me are still the Internet, blogs and wikis of those whom I can access in real time and any time. I like on-line demonstrations, and those podcasts that talk you through a process while giving you visuals. Those sandbox tools which allow me to practice before going "live" let me learn a procedure or process at my own pace without everyone seeing and commenting on my errors are the ones that I prefer.

When I have questions, I ask those who, in my opinion, are likely to know. These may be my students, colleagues; former(retired) colleagues, other friends or even my daughter. I may look up information on the Internet or get a "how to" book. I will inquire of my personal classmates both former and current or I may ask the class instructor for clarification if it is a formal class. I keep inquiring until I am satisfied that I am in the know about this elusive topic.

Resources:

Siemens,G. (2006) Knowing Knowledge. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://lulu.com/

Stephen's Web, a connectivism blog. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?journal=Connectivism%20Blog

Siemens,G.(2010) Connectivism;networked and social learning. Retrieved April 25,2010 from http://www.connectivism.ca/

Collaboration

Module 3 Blog Posting:



From families to communities, from the school playground to the adult corporation, we humans do have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group” as Rheingold suggests. Working together seems to help us do more than we could alone, be more than we could be alone and have more than we could have alone. The idea of collaborating to achieve a common goal is as old as man and will probably go on into the unforeseeable future. Humans like to have other humans agree with them, disagree with them, but not ignore them. The interaction is what is important. The interaction is what makes one’s idea grow and go in new directions developing as it grows into something that is sometimes bigger, better and more useful than the original idea from a single person. How often have we asked our learning community members to give us feedback about our ideas? How often have we asked colleagues their opinions about our ideas on projects? Even the question, “What do you think about…?” has made the questioner think more deeply about the idea, change a perspective about the idea, and allowed the questioner to see a new point of view that enriches his thinking.
We all have probably had the experience of trying something we were unfamiliar with doing, only to ask a friend about it and to have them show us a better, faster, newer way of getting better results. How does technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles? I often think of the story Stone Soup where collaboration and cooperation brought about changes in attitudes as well as hunger status. Technology which allows such collaboration and cooperation can only enhance the human condition making it better for all involved. The very constructivist act of making the soup based on perceived need, lends itself to a sharing of ideas and resources. Technology tools like wikis and blogs and online document editing are just a few of the ways this collaboration takes place now. Who knows where it will lead in the future?

Resources:
Howard Rheingold on Collaboration
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
Stone Soup, Retrieved April 14, 2010 from http://www.extremelinux.info/stonesoup/stonesoup.html

Image from http://www.stonesoupky.org/StoneSoup-book,jpg