Presenting Mahara.

Preparing my presentation on our use of Mahara for Wednesday's LLAS conference at Coventry University Language Centre. The biggest challenge of this pilot project this year has been arriving at shared understanding of the purpose of an e-portfolio, particularly for staff. Perhaps just a reflection of the newness of the concepts involved. The biggest joy has been sitting down with students as they wonder why we are asking them to go through this process and seeing how they really get it. Mahara has been generally well received by students once they know it is their tool, they can create their own web pages and all their content is, by default, visible only to them. They have created some brilliant pages, all the while spending time refelcting on their learning. I hope they are brave enough to be honest about their formal learning and experiences so that we can learn from them. What a great learning opportunity for their teachers.

Learning in lines

I was once accused, by someone who didn't really know me at all, of being afraid of complexity. The memory of this accusation still makes me wince :( It is true that I like the messages I deliver in teaching to be clear and relevant, unmuddied by the detail until it becomes necessary and relevant, but I love complexity, it is the very stuff of being human.

Lanier (You are not a gadget) warns of the de-humanising of human interaction when mediated by technology, and I feel he makes some very well observed points informed by many years as a tech insider. Learning games created in digital language have to enforce choices made of 0 or 1, to interact with them you have to "play the game". However, fortunately as humans we can overcome that limitation. There are many attempts, too often succesful, to reduce learning to a series of steps out of a desire to create a teaching model that it is believed can be duplicated and distributed. Usually these are driven by the desire to reduce cost and (if I am to give in to a cynical element of my personality) to decrease the importance of the relationships needed for great learning experiences. Reducing learning and teaching to numbers, rankings and other pernicious, mechanistic devices for measurement does not enhance or in any way contribute to raising the quality of learning, only creating false judgements that miss the most important personal interactions that underlie transformative learning. The effects of such numerical judgements can be devastating for the self esteem and therefore learning potential of those who are subject to them, be they teachers or students. They encapsulate a learning theory that is linear,  x + y =z, read this + do as I say = you will get a good grade. I agree completely with Steve Wheeler's distrust of the reductionist faux theories that often dominate training and education as described here: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/convenient-untruth.html


Human beings are complex largely social animals, we love to observe and experiment, find the boundaries, push beyond them, fall over and learn. When, as a parent, did you say to your child "oh no, I can't read you the story you gave me, not until you have read the other 5 that come before it on our reading list?" I doubt it happened - indeed I really hope it didn't! Why would you wish to put humans into boxes, categorised and limited by your false expectations? We do not learn in lines, we learn organically sending out rhizomes to those around us, seeking truths and life enhancing insights, finding ways of healing our pains in the world around us. This complex relationship between sensory input and our world is too complex for us to unpick, much less chart or define. As a teacher we are privileged to sometimes be around when magic happens as a result or not of our best hunch, and we witness individual learning, let us not fool ourselves into thinking we are responsible. Without engaging with and accepting the complexity of education, we have no right to call ourselves educators, we are simply reductionist bean counters. (Image from http://bbpress.matbury.com/2012/02/week-2-no-child-left-behind-act/)

this week's exciting news...

<embed wmode="opaque" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=201111102352" FlashVars="backgroundColor=0x3F92BC&textColor=0xF5F0F5&config=http%3A%2F%2Fglobaleducation.ning.com%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dmedium%26username%3D2bp1worcra532" width="206" height="174" bgColor="#3F92BC" scale="noscale" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"> </embed><br /><small><a href="http://globaleducation.ning.com">Visit <em>The Global Education Collaborative</em></a></small><br />

From curation to creation

I have invested some time in learning and using scoop.it over the past few months. My topics have increased, as have the follows, so that's all good. Recently, prompted by a contact @sensor, who I got to know through another part of my pln, @timbuckteeth, I have also revisited pearltrees. At first I found the interface tricky but with interaction and support from @sensor I am getting it. Suddenly, as I explored a penny dropped... The more I curated the more I saw links and was moved to create. This is true of language acquisition too - the greater the exposure the more likely you are to have the tools to create your own language to express own thoughts.

Seems to me that it is time to revisit this http://education.ed.pacificu.edu/aacu/workshop/reconcept2b.html
as part of the virtual exchange project this year. It can also be one of my objectives in the #change11 mooc as the result will be more comprehensive when shared and developed collaboratively.

Note to self: Why do I have my best ideas when I'm really busy ??

#change11 MOOC

Just as I thought I was starting to see light at the end of a long summer tunnel, the #change11 MOOC is getting underway. The programme is interesting https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?authkey=CPSOtI4C&key=0AsQEdp4A5UZOdGJaSkpKNGJyekR5OXh0QXRSRVFEWnc&hl=en&authkey=CPSOtI4C#gid=0 but I need to get selective if I am not to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material. A quite few moments are scheduled this week to draw up my priorities and goals. Tonght I have read and viewed some introductory material, little and often seems to be the best appraoch for now.

Finding your tribe

One of the most enjoyable and inspiring books I have read this year has been Sir Ken Robinson's "Out of our Minds"  and my reflections on this year's ALT-C conference #altc2011 have brought me back to Sir Ken's explanation of our existence as "suspended in webs of significance". In our quest for ever deeper understanding of our specialised field he points to the danger of our losing sight of the bigger picture, and the importance of maintaining open networks that support collaboration and innovation. At the conference Seb made it clear that ALT's doors are open to all who wish to share their insights into the use of technology in teaching and learning, whatever their professional context: published authors, lauded innovators, movers and shakers mixed with web developers, administrators, lecturers and e-learning advisors. The mix is becoming increasingly international and interactions more public through the use of social networking and web 2.0 tools. This broadening of access will raise wider awareness of the bigger questions in our area of technology use and can only help to inform decision making.
From a personal perspective I realised that I found my "tribe" at ALT-C this year,  or at least one of the tribes that make up a rather complex identity as a linguist, teacher, teacher educator and learning technologist. (not to forget -  mum, wife, homemaker, kitchen sink philosopher, lapsed gym bunny etc etc) and that will be a source of support and inspiration as we start another busy year. @amcunningham's words on managing our digital identity, Sandra Fitton-Wilde's frank exposure of technology resistance amongst some learner groups are just some examples of the insights that will feed directly into my activities. Thanks ALT-C for charging my batteries :)

ALT-C 2011

Opportunities to meet with others who share similar challenges and experiences, be they new friends or existing acquantances, are always enriching. They are also stressful and demanding - you travel miles, get out of your comfort zone and juggle competing demands on your time in an already busy life. However, I have realised today just how the kindness and simple courtesy of those around you makes everything easier. I know from my experience last year that the alt-c is a busy conference bringing together people who are experts in their field, what has impressed me is how friendly everyone is. Whether it is a helping hand with your luggage, a door held open, a cheerful "I'll show you the way" - these simple things provide the glue that makes ALT not just a community but the best of communities in which to make great connections to help face your challenges.