Chapter 4: Learning in the Collective
Quote: "The new culture of learning is based on three principles: (1) The old ways of learning are unable to keep up with our rapidly changing world. (2) New media forms are making peer-to-peer learning easier and more natural. (3) Peer-to-peer learning is amplified by emerging technologies that shape the collective nature of participation with those new media. (p. 50) These three principles should be driving us as educators: the need to adapt to a changing world, the need to use new technologies to provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and the benefit of forming collectives to learn together.
Question: What are some ways to involve middle school students (who we can not ask to hae email addresses) into collectives?
Connection: I have seen firsthand the value of the collective on Twitter. I used to think it was for people's personal minutiae, but I see now that the Twitter environment is an amazing place to come together with people who share my interests and passions.
Epiphany: "Teachers no longer need to scramble to provide the latest up-do-date information to students because the students themselves are taking an active role in helping to create and mold it ..." (p. 52)
Chapter 5: The Personal with the Collective
Quote: "The learning that happens through blogs, social networks, and other new media may be deeply grounded in experience and personal expression, but it also arises from the contributions of multiple people and voices." (p. 71) The combination of the personal and public builds a collective experience that can "make learning fun and easy and ... allow people to follow their desires and passions in productive and fruitful ways." (p. 72)
Question: In what ways can blogs be used with middle school students to help them to connect in the public domain?
Connection: Google+ communities have given me a way to connect with others who share my interests and passions, and enable me to do so much more than I can do on my own.
Epiphany: Rather than trying to keep students off of social media we should help the to see the difference between the public domain and the private domain.
Chapter 6: We Know More Than We Can Say
Quote: "With access to the nearly endless supply of collectives today ... learning that is driven by passion and play is poised to significantly alter and extend our ability to think, innovate, and discover in ways that have not previously been possible." (p. 89) This really alls out the power of the collective, the power of collaboration, play and imagination in learning.
Question: Could the ideas of this chapter also influence teachers' professional development?
Connection: Google+ communities, Twitter feeds to follow, Blogs to read!
Epiphany: "What if students were asking questions about things that really mattered to them?" (p. 81). It occurred to me in reading this that my students rarely ask questions related to their own interests; I think giving them the opportunity would be so much more engaging for them than being asked to learn according to a prescribed curriculum on topics that adults have decided are important.
Quote: "The new culture of learning is based on three principles: (1) The old ways of learning are unable to keep up with our rapidly changing world. (2) New media forms are making peer-to-peer learning easier and more natural. (3) Peer-to-peer learning is amplified by emerging technologies that shape the collective nature of participation with those new media. (p. 50) These three principles should be driving us as educators: the need to adapt to a changing world, the need to use new technologies to provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and the benefit of forming collectives to learn together.
Question: What are some ways to involve middle school students (who we can not ask to hae email addresses) into collectives?
Connection: I have seen firsthand the value of the collective on Twitter. I used to think it was for people's personal minutiae, but I see now that the Twitter environment is an amazing place to come together with people who share my interests and passions.
Epiphany: "Teachers no longer need to scramble to provide the latest up-do-date information to students because the students themselves are taking an active role in helping to create and mold it ..." (p. 52)
Chapter 5: The Personal with the Collective
Quote: "The learning that happens through blogs, social networks, and other new media may be deeply grounded in experience and personal expression, but it also arises from the contributions of multiple people and voices." (p. 71) The combination of the personal and public builds a collective experience that can "make learning fun and easy and ... allow people to follow their desires and passions in productive and fruitful ways." (p. 72)
Question: In what ways can blogs be used with middle school students to help them to connect in the public domain?
Connection: Google+ communities have given me a way to connect with others who share my interests and passions, and enable me to do so much more than I can do on my own.
Epiphany: Rather than trying to keep students off of social media we should help the to see the difference between the public domain and the private domain.
Chapter 6: We Know More Than We Can Say
Quote: "With access to the nearly endless supply of collectives today ... learning that is driven by passion and play is poised to significantly alter and extend our ability to think, innovate, and discover in ways that have not previously been possible." (p. 89) This really alls out the power of the collective, the power of collaboration, play and imagination in learning.
Question: Could the ideas of this chapter also influence teachers' professional development?
Connection: Google+ communities, Twitter feeds to follow, Blogs to read!
Epiphany: "What if students were asking questions about things that really mattered to them?" (p. 81). It occurred to me in reading this that my students rarely ask questions related to their own interests; I think giving them the opportunity would be so much more engaging for them than being asked to learn according to a prescribed curriculum on topics that adults have decided are important.