Learner as Navigator

Today’s learner is like a GPS, the name we commonly call a navigation device that receives signals from the Global Positioning System to direct us from point A to point B. GPS gadgets, such as those mounted on a car dashboard, rely on their connection with a network of satellites to provide real-time information to the traveler. Similarly, 21st century learners are increasingly reliant on external sources, or their cumulative collection of “satellites,” to formulate an informed position. For both the GPS device and the learner, the key to knowledge is in the network. George Siemens, in his learning theory of connectivism identifies and expands on the idea that knowledge is the function of a network. He asserts that in today’s world the network itself becomes the learning, or that learning is the process of making connections. In his article, Connectivism: A learning Theory for the Digital Age, Siemens claims that “The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe.”

Going back to the GPS analogy, the information that is needed from a GPS changes regularly; the start and end points may differ with every trip, and roads may change. Therefore, it is much more effective for a GPS to rely on established real-time networks, than to store driving instructions in a database. Today’s learner is faced with a similar situation. Traditional practices of memorizing content are more difficult to rationalize when information is becoming obsolete at a rapid pace. It makes more sense for a learner to tap into the “pipes” that he or she has created than to store large quantities of constantly evolving information. Having the ability to keep up with the exponential growth of information is a critical component of connectivism. In his video, The Network is the Learning, Siemens asserts that “what we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current.”

Like a GPS, learners are expected to synthesize information from multiple sources to arrive at their positions. Yet the learning process is not as neat and precise as the GPS analogy would suggest. Learners must deal with the reality that knowledge is the product of a dynamic process of synthesizing input in what Siemens describes as a messy and chaotic environment. The learning process is more of a collaborative exchange, than a one-directional relay of data. In the above mentioned article, Siemens states, “The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to the individual.” In my mind, it is precisely the interactive and nourishing nature of networks that makes it possible for learning to be synonymous with network creation. Yet, whether it is or not, I'm undecided.

In the end, learning is not determined by a pre-programmed destination that is attainable by accessing exact coordinates. Rather, for the “connected” learner, the pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong collaborative activity that is made possible through forces both internal and external to the individual. From the connectivist perspective, today’s learning process values individual expression as a necessary contribution to the aggregate dialogue that generates knowledge.

Is Technology the Answer to Student Disengagement?

My reaction to the video, A Vision of K-12 Students Today , by B. Nesbitt is probably not one intended by the video. Rather than wholeheartedly embrace the call to engage students through technology, the images of disengaged students gave me pause; they created a speed bump along my drive into cyberspace as a teacher-in-training. My mixed reaction to the video's message is not because I don’t see amazing opportunities for using interactive technology with older students. It comes from a concern for what young students might be missing out on if grade school teachers adopt a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” response to students’ growing connection with technology.

In part, my reaction has to do with my belief in the importance of childhood as a precious window of time for children to develop foundational skills through real-life sensory experiences with their environment. A kindergartener's experience of interacting with the natural world through outdoor play, or reenacting a story through dramatic play, cannot be replicated in front of a computer. I question how well technology in the early grades matches with students’ developmental capabilities and needs. What constraints might technology put on the open-ended curiosity, wonder, and creativity that children possess at an early age? My concerns have been influenced by the thinking outlined in a report by the Alliance for Childhood , which points out the potential hazards of computers in childhood that range from impinging on critical childhood time to increased risks for health conditions such as obesity, visual strain, and repetitive stress injuries.

Although I admit I am only beginning to learn about the opportunities for blogs, podcasts and wikis in teaching (and am truly amazed by what I see), I continue to be most inspired by enthusiastic teachers who can bring their classrooms alive and engage students in age-appropriate ways, e.g., through the arts, without adapting a high-tech approach. In the context of an increasingly isolated and sedentary generation of children, we must seriously consider the following remark from the Alliance report, “With children spending more time alone with TVs and computers instead of interacting with others, they come to school in need of more, not less, spoken conversation with responsive adults. Is it wise for schools to exchange face-to-face time with teachers for hypertext and hypermedia?” Perhaps the answer lies in moderation.

At this point in my journey into educational tecnology, I'm going with my gut when I say that the preference for children to engage with the world through technology – where they already devote much of their spare time - is not compelling enough reason to conclude that technology is the best solution to classroom disengagement. Undoubtedly, students need to be engaged in their own learning and through their multiple intelligences. With the evolution of read/write Web capability, technology is no longer simply about consuming information from others, but offers unprecedented opportunities for collaborating and sharing ideas. Given these advances, technology can benefit mature students who have mastered developmental challenges of early learning. But until there is significant evidence to suggest that the benefits of adapting a high-tech approach outweigh the cost to young children, I’ll reserve my enthusiasm of technology for its use in the upper grades and adult classrooms.

Things to Remember About Safe Blogging

As teachers there are some things we can do to help students blog safely. Wise blogging practices are shared in Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, the website www.blogsafety.com, and Krysten Crawford's article Practicing Safe Blogging. Among them are the following tips for student bloggers:

1. Remain anonymous. Never post personal information such as last name, contact information, and email address. Use first names or pseudonyms for your blog identity.

2. Refrain from posting embarassing or negative information about yourself or others. Ask yourself, would you share the information in the classroom? If not, don't post it!

3. Don't post photos of yourself or friends.

4. Be exclusive. Know what limits you can set on who can read your blogs and limit your audience appropriately.

5. Report problems or threats to your blog service (or an adult or teacher).

6. Don't meet in person with someone you connected with through blogging.

More blogging safety tips for teachers:

1. When working with students on the K-12 level, be sure to secure the proper permission from parents and school administrators.

2. Remember the above safety tips for student bloggers are not simply for students who are minors; they should be shared with adult students as well. It's a good idea to remind students that posting inappropriate information can have long term negative consequences for job seekers in the future.

3. Plan for what you will do with blog sites after your course ends. You may decide to take your class blog sites down if you don't have a way to continue monitoring student blogging. If so, encourage safe blogging outside of class (as approved by parents, for minors).

Module 1: Three Ways to Use Blogs in Teaching

Will Richardson, in his book Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts shares many ideas on how blogs can be used for teaching and teachers' professional development. His ideas have helped me identify three ways that I could use blogs in my teaching of English language learners (ELLs):

1. Collaborative Blogging: I love the idea of students learning from each other in a collaborative manner, and think that blogs could be a great tool for this method of learning. Blogging seems to be very compatible with the Cooperative Language Learning (CLL) approach to teaching, an approach that is gaining favor in many language learning classrooms. When students publish their ideas through interactive technology every voice is heard, and teachers can structure tasks to encourage cooperation between students. Group assignments that rely on the input of all group participants are likely to encourage joint accountability for, and ownership of, both the assigned task and the blog. For example, I could designate small groups to create a shared blog where all group members posts their thoughts on a particular literary passage. For English language learners (ELLs) this might be a reaction to a fictional character's experience of moving to a new culture. Students could share with one another their experiences as a non-native speakers entering a new culture. By reflecting on their own experiences and reacting to a required number of their group members' blog entries, students would generate content and language that could be used in a personal essay to write and submit individually.

Student communication with peers through blogs would also aid in learning apppropriate social skills in the target language, another principle of CLL. By blogging and reacting to others' blogs, students would learn electronic forms of social communication in the target language in a relatively low risk environment.

These collaborative uses of blogs would fulfill the following New York State Learning Standards for ELLs (for grade 9-12) as published by the NYS Education Dept Office of Bilingual Education (NYSED OBE):
* Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression
* Students will listen, speak, read and write in English for classroom and social interaction
* Students will demonstrate cross-cultural knowledge and understanding

2. Opinion Blogging: Blogs can be used as a platform for students to develop and communicate opinions on a variety of topics, including current events in the news, class activities, and other issues of relevance to their lives. Student input on classroom activities would not only give students practice in expressing their opinion, but would also provide useful feedback for me as a teacher to modify and guide my teaching. To develop students' writing, I would post on a classroom blog examples of persuasive language and links to opinion columns. Each member of the class would be instructed to respond to these samples with their ideas on what makes opinion writing effective. Discussions about constructive language for voicing opinions could evolve as we share our opinions with one another.

The primary NYS learning standards for ELLs that would be met through students' opinion blogging is:
* Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for critical analysis and evaluation.

3. Information Sharing Blogging: Taking Richardson's advice for teachers to "start small," I would begin my entry into classroom blogging with information sharing blogs. On a class blog, not only would I post class logistics (assignments, due dates, grading criteria, etc), but I would encourage students to blog on new discoveries related to topics presented in the classroom. To stimulate blog participation, I'd ask students to visit and comment on specific links or respond to specific questions. The idea here is to provide students with opportunities for repeated exposure to language through different learning modes. Reading and writing through a classroom blog is likely to appeal to today's "connected" students and reinforce language forms and uses presented in the classroom.

The NYS learning standards for ELLs that would be met by students' information sharing blogging would be:
* Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for information and understanding.
* Students will listen, speak, read and write in English for classroom and social interaction.

These are only a few of the many ways that student blogging can be used in second language learning.