Enough enemies in my learning network?

Sworn Enemies Nesting Dolls

Abdullah's question, from Fridays elluminate session, "what if the network you created provides you with irrelevant or incorrect information/knowledge?" led to an extended discussion, in the elluminate chat roll, about enemies within a (your) learning network.
I have copied the chat roll into a google doc  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nol_UPo5U81rE67_nZfYR6S80or0pCETai-9XihydDY/edit?hl=en&authkey=CO-OnrMK
 NB:I have deleted many comments that did not relate to this particular discussion.

there were several great points, for example....
Lisa directed the conversation to the need for 'diversity within a network' to avoid the 'echo chamber' effect
...
Mira pointed out the recognition of authority on a topic relates to traditional learning as much as it does in a  networked learning environment.
...
Simon pointed out that the individual learner is the 'agent' but the knowledge does not wholly reside within the individual in networked learning (I would be interested to explore this further)
Larry's response to Simon's comment was that there is both individual and network knowledge.
...
Many people then commented on the need to connect with or block 'enemies' (those we disagree with) in our networks. (another interesting point that I trust will be raised again).

I have reviewed the progress of the discussion to get it straight in my head and it has got me thinking....
Is my learning network diverse enough to allow me to gain a variety of perspectives on particular topics?
I believe that I follow (twitter, RSS feeds) many people who have inquiring minds and encourage dialogue of disagreement. But this leads me to wonder if I seek out disagreement or questioning enough in my inquiries, perhaps it is this 'difference' that will support my learning in understanding what something is by gaining a clearer picture of what 'it is not'. Am I getting all too philosophical now?

From this I have been thinking about the corporate culture that I am about to re-enter. I sometimes feel that corporate culture breeds agreement and often does not support or encourage open dialogue. The idea of 'open forums' can put a culture of agreement at risk (or it can reinforce the agreement, but it is a risk) and this is why I question if I will ever see a truly 'open' platform for communication and dialogue like  'twitter' (and now I am questioning if twitter is a truly open platform) adopted within a corporate culture.

Does anyone know of any examples of businesses that have successfully introduced internal 'social media' platforms? (or even an internal network or LMS that has discussion forums, individual blogs)

On re-reading this blog post I think I am turning into a .....critical thinker, and it's only Week 2. Hurrray!!
Happy Australia Day to all!

Image: Sworn Enemies Nesting Dolls
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57086069@N00/2782516892 

Out of week 1 into week 2

I surprised myself by attending Friday's CCK11 live Elluminate session (Sat morn 4am), I am finding that I am getting a lot from joining live. I might even type a comment in the chat roll one day.
There was some great discussion and a couple of points that I want to pick up in this blog (blue text) over the next few entries/posts.

Nina asked Can we apply connectivism in non-technology environments?
This again made me consider my perspective of connectivist learning as the method by which I developed my parenting know how.
Being a first time mum I was 'overwhelmed' at my inadequacies in one moment and then overcome by instinct in the next. There were so many aspects of looking after a tiny baby that I knew I was completely underqualified for....how many parents have been surprised that the hospital allows them to take this tiny human being home to care for it independently - medical care, feeding, sleeping, holding.. all of these skills do not come 'naturally' they are learned.

There are many skills or knowledge that must be known by a parent but soon after the knowledge or learning is forgotten because the sleep issue is overcome then you have to move onto the cause of the wind (or colic).
When it comes to the second time around (next baby) you are a little more relaxed (at least I know I was) but there are many learnings that you have forgotten, now you have more of an idea about who to contact to get an answer, support or advice. You have built a network of experts - probably contained in your head, but you know where to go or who to ask. This practise has been going on for years (and years) with parents drawing on their network of experts to assist and support their efforts in raising babies into toddlers into children.

I believe this is what George Siemens refers to, in his blip tv presentation 'CCK11: Quick overview', as 'connected specialisation' where "A single individual, because of the complexity of the tasks, isnt able to accomplish them on her own, so instead we have to rely on being connected to people who have the ability to amplify our knowledge or at least to make us intelligent in a different way than we are as individuals."

Another example I have been considering, having read many books on wealth building over the years, is the way entrepeneurs build their fortunes when they are not experts in their chosen area/field. Many use the technique of surrounding themselves with the best people in their specialist fields eg. accountants, technicians, advisors/agents. I propose that these are two valid examples of connected specialisation.

With that said I am thinking that the concept of 'connected specialisation' is, in fact, an ancient method of learning however all of the examples provided by George relate to technology in some respect (vehicle maufacturing, flying a plane) so I am thinking back to Nina's original question if connectivism can apply to non-technology environments. I wonder if I am on the right track?.

In my next post I will consider Abdullah's question "what if the network you created provides you with incorrect information", which led to an interesting discussion in the elluminate chat roll about 'enemies in a network'.

Finding Waldo, I think he is on the back of a Turtle - The truth is out there

I attended the first CCK11 session this morn (4am Sydney time) and was encouraged to hear that confusion is all part of the process (that's the way I am interpretting it anyway), so I have started off on the right foot.

Another point I took from the session...
My "distinct perspective" will develop according to the sources (blog posts and references) I select (to read) and the topics that I choose to "curate"

I learned about turtles

So I have a clear perspective on what I want to achieve during this course, I plan to enjoy myself and the learning that comes out of the next 12 weeks, in my attempts to find Waldo.

I am going back to bed now...it is 5:17am

Starting Out on CCK11

The decision has been made to commit myself to completing CCK2011, from January 11th. I look at the commitment I have made to my own self-directed learning, which has not progressed as speedily as I would have hoped, but that's okay.

So now I am committing to CCK11 and returning to work in a few weeks. Am I setting myself up for failure...I don't believe so, simply because any amount of 'effort/output' that I put into CCK11 will measure how much I get out of it. The pressure is off, unlike a standard course where I have to get this or that done and submit bits and pieces, with a MOOC I can go with the flow, as long as I put my thinking out there.
Weekly Elluminate meetings - Wednesdays at 4am guest speakers, Friday at 4am faciliators discussion.
I am not soure exactly how many sessions I will be able to participate in (4 am wake ups are not healthy for me) but I will certainly listen to the recordings.

I have done a bit of prep by listening to Dave Cormier's What is .., Knowledge in... and Success in... a MOOC, while I was in You Tube I also checked out George's presentation for TEDxNYED from June 2010.

I commenced the readings for Week 1, about 'Connectivism ?' (the question mark is very appropriate). I thought I had an understanding of connectivism, I read George Siemens' "Connectivism; a learning theory for the Digital Age" and I started to align my experience with connectivist learning/thinking ie. I am considering that the way I learned to be a parent was achieved by connectivism, I am still thinking more about that.
I read Stephen Downe's 'Half an hour' blog which explains his perspective on "What connectivism is" and now I am not so sure I get connectivism. Let me say I really enjoy Stephen's writing because he writes the way he talks and I can hear him saying the words as I read it. Maybe by the time I do some more reading and participate in/listen to the elluminate sessions I'll 'get it' again or maybe not, let's get started, I'm keen.
NB: This blog will not continue to highlight my confusion throughout the course, I just wanted to get it out in the open to start.

Reflecting and setting goals

Okay, okay!
Everyone has been reviewing the year gone by and many eager beavers are setting their goals for 2011, what do they think it is a New Year?

So it got me thinking about where I have been and where I am going.
The year (and a half) has been spent being a mum, looking after others' needs but in my own way - I'm the boss. I make the decisions and I run the show (even though I sometimes allow others to think they do have some control).
2011 will see me return to the workforce, which is exciting and challenging all at once. I will be looking after others' needs but I am not the boss (I'll still be bossy - in a nice kind of way) I'll need to keep my customers happy and work within a team again. With these upcoming changes I consider setting my goals for 2011 and realise that I am moving from a very autonomous role back into a team environment and in a different kind of way I'll be a 'negotiator'.

Reflecting on 2010

I am really satisfied with the technologies' (too many to list) that I have familiarised myself with, the listening and interacting that I have done (even though I do need to put myself out there a bit more - blog commenting).

I am so happy that I participated in FO2010 which has been one of my greatest professional achievements for last year. It has really provided me with the direction that I needed to continue my learning journey and individual development.

My goals for 2011

I really want to maintain interaction with my current personal learning network, which includes reading and commenting on blogs and connecting via twitter.
Read more text which may include purchasing ebooks to develop my understanding of elearning, instructional design, training, learning, OER and all that stuff.
Continue listening to learn. Podcasts have become yet another addiction and in my mind they epitomise 'mobile learning' because I can do all the other things that have to be done in daily life, hanging out washing, cooking dinner and exercising etc. I have an ever growing list of podcasts that I subscribe to but I am also working out how to cull those that are not maintaining my interest.
Further study which (as per my previous blog post) I have decided will be undertaken independently via the web rather than formal/enrolled education.
Creating a manifesto is something that I am working on including my mission and vision but as there is no hurry for this I am going to wait for the inspiration to ensure I get it right.

So I have set five goals as an independent learner but without any specific consideration of my role as a Trainer. Perhaps I need to wait until I am in the thick of it and it will come to me. It is interesting to consider that when I was previously working as a Training Coordinator my professional role was all encompassing and I found it difficult to set personal learning goals. I wonder how things will change when I am back at work.

My history - in brief the extended version

I am currently working on my MANIFESTO and am trying to work out who I am and what I am about to put it down in writing to put forward to the world. A work in progress, once I work it out I will let you know

I thought it best to start with some history of who I am and how I got where I am today.
1971 I was born, it was a good year for me.
Primary and secondary education in Catholic schools however my family were non religious, completely non-denominational. I lived with my grandmother and mum in a terrace house in Paddington Sydney (the kind that could have done with some renovation). Many family members lived in the same street (uncle next door and aunt 2 doors from him) and I grew up an only child however often had many cousins around me, to entertain and tease me. Very few of my family were university educated, I had one older cousin who was School captain and went to Uni to study Arts/Law, I thought she was amazing and I knew that one day I would go to Uni. I don't know how I knew but as a kid I wanted to expand my vocabulary to be able to express more clearly what I thought of the world. Dinner conversations at my house were not centred around the Arts or worldwide current events, but that was okay. I learned bucket loads about people and their strengths and weaknesses by coming from a working class family.

My Education
My primary school education was sheltered, as it should be, and I was always top of the class. High school revealed that it aint so easy to be top of the class when there are plenty of other girls (yes high school was an all girls school) who have always been top of the class too. My HSC results were average - possibly based on my subject selection and scaling but I was not going to play the game, I selected subjects based on my interests and skill level rather than dumming myself down to maintain a higher average (it was all about 'scaling' in 1988). When I left school I went to TAFE to complete a Visual Merchandising course (Ticketwriting - the ancient art of scribing price tickets and Window Dressing). I always had at least one job to support myself in my studies and when I was 19 I headed off overseas to travel and work, I returned home after 6 months with many wonderful memories and no money. Of course it was time to move out of home. I decided to apply for a Uni course Bachelor of Art Theory (I liked 3 unit art history at school and I could also do some 'fluffy' stuff like painting and photography), I never expected to get into Uni but it was meant to be and I was a poor student living out of my family home, which was under 1km away from the Uni campus, needless to say I was back home within a few months.

University...continuing to be 'educated'

My time at Uni is remembered fondly, the campus was small and comfortable, with some quirky characters  (performance artists), different to the main campus which had massive lecture theatres and was like a mini city. I enjoyed many hours on the library balcony reading and sunning myself (mainly the latter). The little on campus coffee shop had a personal touch, there were always exhibitions on campus or in nearby art galleries, so I was immersed in art and culture. There were no exams in my course, just assessments ie. essays and reports, which kind of felt like I was cheating but that was also part of the 'beauty' of a fine art college. I considered for a time transferring to Art Education as I was fascinated with Art Therapy, but I was not ready to commit to another year of study. After 3 years it was time to 'get a real job', and that is exactly what I did.

Working life
In the following year I moved out of Sydney and got a job in a call centre for a Bank, I never could see myself working in that sort of environment but I have been working in the finance sector now for 15 years - go figure. I now live on the Central Coast and have been working for an insurance company in their local office as a Training Coordinator. I am one of those very annoying people who 'loves' their job. I enjoy imparting knowledge and teaching skills to help people do their jobs.

Where I am now
Over the past 18 months I have been on maternity leave from my job and I have enjoyed every moment, not only for the obvious reason of spending time with my baby, but I have embarked on an online learning journey. I completed an OER (free) online course through Otago Polytechnic (NZ learning institution) called 'Facilitating Online'. I have learned how to learn independently, I now have a clear understanding of the distinction between 'education' and 'learning'. I have been tempted to re-enrol in Uni to complete a Dip Ed but I have come to realise that I do not want to be an educator even though the line between teacher and trainer are blurred and I suppose I am an educator. I have decided to take on independent learning and am keen to use those resources at my disposal via the internet to guide me in learning about 'instiructional design' and 'learning theory'. This is an exciting journey but as I am only answerable to myself it will be a task of self-discipline and regular (daily) access. My current addiction to learning online should assist me in this learning journey however I must remember to stay focussed on the chosen topics.
The tools that I will use to monitor and record my work/learning are ...

• Kim's thinking blog - to record my thoughts and experiences and chew on the info
• Delicious - for bookmarking links to my research
• A trusty 84c notebook for scribble and scrawling thoughts, references etc ( I am not yet ready to let go of the old ways)

I am sure I will pick up various other tools along the way. Wish me luck ....who knows maybe one day this info will all go into a Wiki and I will be able to present this in the form of an online course. Wish me luck!

Resilience

As a mother of a child who commenced his schooling journey last year, resilience was a term that was advised repeatedly as being neccessary to develop in our child to hold him in good stead through his impending journey. Developing this capacity in our son has been a focus for us, as parents, over the past 2 years. It requires daily support and encouragement and is still a focus for us. So what is resilience?
According to Wikipedia ...

Resilience is defined as a dynamic process that individuals exhibit positive behavioral adaptation when they encounter significant adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress

I have recently listened to a podcast on The Engaging Brand, Anna Farmery interviewed Jill Flint-Taylor (episode 296), an occupational psychologist from Robertson Cooper in UK. The focus of Robertson Cooper's recent research was on resilience within the workplace.
As I was listening I was considering student resilience. Is there a concept called learner resilience?

Resilience can be developed however people come to a job/course with a level of pre-existing resilience so this poses the question, how does the manager/facilitator gauge the worker's/learner's resilience? Perhaps it is a process of trial and error where high levels of support are required until the manager/facilitator builds an understanding of the worker's/learner's resilience levels.

Resilience is very multi-dimensional in that people can be resilient in different areas ie.handle heavy workload but if their work relationships break down then this can cause them stress, whereas others may not handle the heavy workload regardless of their work relationships.
From a learning perspective can some learnes manage heavy reading workloads but crumble when it comes to assessment/exam or vice versa.

Back to the podcast..Anna was fascinated with the idea of 'perception' that Jill kept mentioning as resilience kicks in (is required) when neccessary. For example a person can carry on business as usual but "it is when they recognise that they have taken on too much that they turn (keel) over", their perception of how they are coping is changed. Is this when a student might dropout of their course or subject, the workload is perceived to be overwhelming so they quit. In OER courses where there is no financial commitment is it easier for a student to make the decision to quit?

Flint-Taylor suggests that we need to "..get the right balance between challenging people and supporting them, you need to do both". The research indicates that you have to be 'stretched' (challenged) to develop resilience and it is important that the manager/facilitator ensures they (the workers/learners) do not 'get stuck there'.

Further research (a google search) led me to bite-sized languages, a blog post that discusses the work of Professor Guy Claxton who refers to resilience as one of the learning muscles, along with resourcefulness, reflection and reciprocity. Apparently the work of Claxton has been adopted widely in UK education. Wikipedia talks about Learning Power which includes Claxtons work.

[Photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimmc/5160078443/?edited=1]