Making the Shift Happen: Part 1

Part 1: Envisioning the Future

Participants will explore the future of networked learning, building an understanding of how our current model of education may be changing faster than we think. How are people learning collaboratively, through networked communities, even at great distances? What can we learn about the future of education from these unique, very specialized groups?

Project Idea 1: Participants will develop a selection of visuals highlighting the key concepts from this section which could be used to share with colleagues or admin.

9:00-9:10

Collaborative Notes: Questions/Concerns
Introductions & Warm-up

Warm-up

In your table groups, discuss this quote by Dean Shareski (found in the Great Quotes about Education and Change Flickr Pool):

Looking up stuff

9:10 – 9:20

Connections Activity

9:20 – 9:50 Jigsaw Part 1: How is education changing?

In groups, please read and discuss the appropriate article. What are the big ideas/key points that you can take away from this reading?

  1. Coincidence or Connection? by Chris Betcher
  2. World Without Walls: Learning Well With Others by Will Richardson
  3. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age by George Siemens
  4. Brave New World of Digital Intimacy by Clive Thompson
  5. Dawn of the New Literacies, ASCD
  6. Michael Wesh: It’s a Pull, Pull World, THE Journal
  7. The Long Tail, in a nutshell by Chris Anderson
  8. The World Is Open, Q&A with author Curtis Bonk
  9. The Future of Reading and Writing is Collaborative by Heather Chaplin
  10. Mrs Emery Connects by Veronica Emery
  11. Rigor Redefined
  12. K12 Horizon Report 2010
  13. Minds on Fire: Open Education, The Long Tail, and Learning 2.0 by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler
  14. Living and Learning with New Media
  15. The SAMR Model by Maggie Hos-McGrain

9:50 -10:20 Jigsaw Part 2: What does networked learning look like?

Each person in the group selects a hobby they have always been interested in learning.
As a group, use any resources at your disposal to learn how to do each person’s hobby. As you’re researching think about:

  • Is anyone else in the world interested in this same hobby? Is there a community of learners collaborating and communicating about this hobby?
  • Is this something you could learn on your own in your current host country?
  • Can you learn without an “in person” teacher?
  • What’s different about the way you could learn your hobby through these connections than the way we learn in schools today?
  • Could/should/would this type of experience have an impact on the educational system we have today?

Examples of networked learning in action: Spontaneous Online Learning Communities

10:20 – 10:30

Where Good Ideas Come From (no peeking!)