Still pushing through the CCK08 woods
I don’t know if some others have felt the same way that I have about this course but I am still sifting through the content, still going here and there with random and no particular direction. I have done quite a bit of reading, listening, and traveling from one link to another. I still feel like I should be completing something or at least posting my thoughts but my thoughts are still very scattered and really “just forming”. I tell myself that it is OK if I don’t post or participate but I still have that feeling of not doing my part. Again, I tell myself to get over it. I really have not had anything to contribute yet as I am still “in the woods”. I admit to a little impatience as we discuss theories and definitions as I am probably too much of a practical person. I want to discuss what might or might not work in our classrooms. Looking at all this with one eye on the needs of elementary students is quite a challenge.
So I thought I might contribute some of my thoughts as an elementary teacher who strives to impart that feeling of learning that she has experienced from being connected on the web to her students. I have been blogging with (mostly elementary students) since 2002. I remember the first day I arrived at the university getting ready to start a new job – a colleague introduced me to blogs. I thought wow, that has possibilities. I wonder how I could make use of it in a classroom. That started an incredible journey. Blogging is empowering to students. Writing begins to matter to them. The outside connecting audience is one of the motivating factors. I can recall many moments that have been real “aha” moments for students. These “aha” moments are connected with Things You Really Need to Learn. () (Thanks Stephen for this worthy list.)
It has always struck me as odd that we seldom spend time with students, particularly those at the elementary level, talking about how they learn. It’s always what they are to learn. So I have worked at helping elementary students reflect about their own learning and to share what works for them in their learning with each other. They need practice in this area and a blog is a perfect place to do that.
Another thing I’ve been doing is taking numerous side trips down participant’s blogs. They are fascinating and all the different perspectives are so interesting. There is so much information available that I get lost on the trails - good trails though!
Then today when I read “New Schemas for Mapping Pedagogies and Technologies” I thought - ahhhh we are getting closer to the classroom applications. Grainne Conole discusses the implications of Web 2.0 for education provided a thoughtful analysis on the different learning theories and how we might need new ways of thinking about how to map different pedagogies to the use of tools. Then he focused on the learning principles for a particular learning situation that were mapped against four key characteristics of learning – thinking and reflection, conversation and interaction, experience and activity, & evidence and demonstration. Now I need to do some more thinking on all this and what the implications are for learning.
I still have so much to learn but one thing I will keep doing is thinking about the possibilities.
Tags: Add new tag, CCK08
October 20th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
looking forward for more information about this. thanks for sharing. Eugene
October 21st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Anne
I enjoyed reading about your woodland journey. I think the course is stimulating a lot of reflection over all sorts of landscapes. I imagine that CCK08 will be an important part of your on-going support for teachers and students.
Keith
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 am
[…] I am looking forward to Shel’s ‘Diary of a wanna-be Connectivist’. I think Anne’s post from the woodlands would be of great interest to Shel. Once again I think Phillida would have […]
October 24th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Anne, thanks for sharing these thoughts with us. I had a ‘that’s me!’ moment reading your blog as it resonates strongly with my experience in CCK08. I’ve done quite a bit reading too, but really many of the pieces open other paths to follow that within the time constraints are difficult to pursue. So, I’m left with a niggling pressure to make up my mind about certain points, to fix myself as confidently as I need to be, on a point on the continuum of thought on connectivism.
One of the issues for me is that, and I’m referring to the discussion session between George, Stephen and others on Wednesday night [22nd October] for example, I often find both, or differing perspectives attractive. So while agreeing that ‘we’ can’t/shouldn’t tell learners what they’re going to learn, and it should be about learning what you want, my work role involves instructionally designing [sorry for terms here!] or attempting to create environments and solutions that will help participants get to a certain outcome. And of course, like most formal learning, this may not be their choice of subject/content as individuals at all, but is something that has been decided by others, Human Resources, Learning and Development etc. So like you, I feel it will be interesting to see how we move towards some of the practicalities here, practicalities constrained by work roles I’m afraid. Learning to learn is crucial and in number of e-learning courses I’ve created in the past, I would frequently try and include a resource that would invite and tempt learners to reflect on their way of learning, what’s actually happening at this point during their learning and how they might evolve their own learning strategy going forward. Small potatoes I know, but a gesture I suppose.
Thanks again for a great post, really enjoyed, and for the link to Stephen Downes ‘Things you Really Need to Learn’,
Shel
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Thanks for sharing these important insights on how to reach kids. Sometimes that is really the hardest part of any educator’s job.
Matt
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Shel,
Thank you for responding and sharing your thoughts. What you are doing is not small potatoes, we just have to continue to be creative and make those attempts that are outside the box. Change will come. I find this course very interesting and I am enjoying just letting myself learn in my own way at my own pace at this particular time. Do you have a blog? I would enjoy adding it to my daily reads!
Best,
Anne
November 13th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Keith,
I think you are absolutely right, CCK08 will be an important part of my on-going support for teachers and students. Thanks for your nice comment.
Best,
Anne
November 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Matt,
The hardest and the most important part! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Best,
Anne