Connectivism, ICT and the Role of the Library Learning Commons
Image courtesy of:https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7b/35/64/7b3564caba46f51c96bfca6e99f5b03a.jpg
When I began searching for resources to help better understand the topics and issues I addressed in my first post, I realized very quickly that I needed to narrow down my topic. I found myself getting lost in articles that were interesting, but I was not really finding anything helpful. I decided to focus on how the the Library Learning Commons (LLC) as a physical and virtual space can better help students learn. This I know is still very broad but there are three areas that I wanted to focus on:
1. Connectivism
2. Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
3. How can the Library Learning Commons best support 21st century
learners?
I believe that these three areas are interrelated. The theory of connectivism helps me to understand and justify the importance and role of information and communications technology in education. This in turn helps inform the decisions I make and the role that the LLC plays in my school, and hopefully the impact it will have on our learning community.
Connectivism is a theory that I have been interested in because I know the importance of technology in learning, but I did not have a good grasp on the rationale for its role in education. George Siemens’ article “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age” and his TEDxNYED video were very useful in helping me to understand why ICT is important and the role it plays in learning. This gave me confidence to make decisions, influence policy, and advocate for change when collaborating with other TLs and teachers so that our LLC can support our 21st century learners. These are the principles of connectivism that are outlined in Siemens’ article:
- Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
- Learning may reside in non-human appliances
- Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
- Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
- Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
- Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision. (Siemens pg. 1)
I have found that with this knowledge and understanding I have more confidence and can therefore better advocate for ICT in classrooms and our school. This could range from collaborating with other teachers, TLs or students to helping develop school wide and district policies. This image represents the practical possibilities that connected learning can have on learning.
Image courtesy of: https://jrichard64.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/connectedlearninginfo.jpeg
With a better grasp on the rationale for ICT and its importance on learning I felt that I needed to gain a better grasp on how to go about doing this for my school community. I have to admit that I could have spent days looking at articles, and I had to force myself to stop. I tried thinking of my current situation and what articles might help me to effectively meet the needs of school community. Here are the ICT articles that I wanted to focus on, and I have included a brief summary of them and why I included them.
This article is a case study that looks at student use of ICT in and out of school, and includes their perceptions of ICT, learning and how teachers are using ICT in classrooms. The case study is very interesting because it includes the student voice that is very honest and frank. The frustrated comments that are made about teachers in particular resonate with me because they are comments that I hear from students, and address the issue I briefly touch on in my last post of teachers using technology but still stuck in traditional practice. This article includes the case studies findings, discussions and student suggestions. This article is powerful because the student voice is loud and clear, and as a result it is difficult to ignore.
Although this article is promoting a specific digital library, the benefits of using online digital libraries is addressed. It compares classrooms that strictly use books like textbooks to those that use digital resources. Using a constructivist method of teaching together with digital resources that are “living, growing, and maturing” allows students to take their learning and apply it to other aspects of their lives. This article is a little dated, but it addresses some of the battles that I come up against regarding traditional teaching, and it demonstrates the benefits of implementing ICT into student learning.
This article is a study that used a multimodal media production (MMP) course to teach ICT in an academically low and poor community. This innovative media production course gives a glimpse into innovative ways to teach and learn ICT literacies. I found this article inspiring as it demonstrates that when we meet students where they are at with their ICT literacies, engagement goes up and the transferability of these literacies can be far-reaching.
These three articles have challenged me and have given me ideas on how best to meet the need of my school community through our Library Learning Commons. Collaboration is key both with students and staff. It is through these relationships that I can not only provide the rationale for incorporating ICT into teaching, but also provide the innovative strategies, resources and support so that students develop into citizens who are excited and passionate about learning.
There are two more resources that I have found to be helpful and inspiring. Even though they are geared toward public libraries and are more general and overarching, they help me to keep striving for change. The first is “What to expect from libraries in the 21st century: Pam Sandlian Smith at TEDxMileHigh”
For the Library Learning Commons at my school I also want to support creativity, community innovation and entrepreneurialism as passionately as Pam Sandlian. Even though I have watched this video many times it still motivates me.The other resource is “Inspiring Libraries, Connecting Communities: a vision for public library service in B.C.”. This resource helps me to remember the big picture goals of our school LLC which are to “bridge the physical and digital worlds, connecting people not only with a world of information but with each other” as well as supporting and contributing to lifelong learning by providing safe, open spaces for people of all ages and backgrounds (B.C. Ministry of Education pg. 5).
The three questions that I was pondering in my first blog were:
- How can I continue to support collaboration within my school?
- How can inquiry be used effectively to help teachers and students learn?
- How can technology be used innovatively to support inquiry and increase student engagement with learning?
I feel that these resources have helped me to gain an understanding of why we need a connectivist approach to teaching and how that might look in a school setting. This inquiry has resulted in the narrowing of my inquiry focus to How can I help support innovative implementation of ICT through the Library Learning Commons?
Works Cited
Nat Turner, K. C. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: "Rap Universal": Using Multimodal Media Production to Develop ICT Literacies. 54 Vol. The Association, 05/01/2011. Web. 23 Sep. 2017.
Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2004--World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (pp. 2341-2344). Lugano, Switzerland: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved September 23, 2017 from https://www-learntechlib-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/p/12351/
Siemens, George. “ Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age.” Elearnspace, 12 Dec. 2004, www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.
Stefl-Mabry, J., Radlick, M. & Doane, W. (2010). Can You Hear Me Now? Student voice: High school & middle school students’ perceptions of teachers, ICT and learning. International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 6(4), 64-82. Open Campus, The University of the West Indies, West Indies. Retrieved September 23, 2017 from https://www-learntechlib-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/p/42263/.
Excellent post! You've done a really good job in describing your interests, your challenges so far, how you have adapted and what your focus is moving forward. You've collected a solid mix of preliminary results that support your interest in new collectivist pedagogy, as well as some new media, and new forms of research. Overall, a very well done post!
ReplyDelete