The Connected Self, and Technology and Information Literacy
1. What would you say was your key defining ICT quality when you filled out the questionnaire at the beginning of the week?
Collaboration
As a teacher and a learner, I value my learning network. For me, this collaboration is key to successful learning. I have always relied on the expertise around me, and I expect to be called on to help others. When I am connected to a relevant learning activity, I learn, remember, and transfer skills better. This kind of individualized learning promotes motivation, and that is when learning and teaching become easy.
2. How were your ideas about ICT in school settings influenced by Will Richardson’s book, “Why School”?
Learning Leader
Why School? was a refreshing read! My ideas about the need for an educational shift mirror that of Will Richardson. Like Will, I also feel that it is not enough to simply use the technology to do things better, but to change the way we have been doing things for the past 150 years. I feel that this change would not be possible (even though it is necessary) were it not for the pervasive reaches of ICT in our society over the last decade. I am looking to other pioneers in this movement (John Abbott, Alfie Kohn, Chris Kennedy, Sir Ken Robinson) to embrace the change and be a learning leader.
3. When you think about the cognitive, cultural, and technological dimensions of our connected selves, what stands out for you as a key concept?
Active Learning
Being active in a Learning Community (through collaboration and inquiry) aligns better with the current understanding of brain processes. Activating the different areas of the brain with learning activities that promote curiosity, focus, critical thinking, memory, and decision making strengthen and create neuron pathways, building a stronger, more resilient brain.
4. How do you define technology and information literacy today?
Technology: using tools to solve problems or do things differently (a fan moves air, creating a cooling breeze; a picture says a thousand words)
Information literacy: accessing, assessing, and sharing information using whatever tools are at hand (ITC: information – technology – communication)
5. What are the most important conceptual developments that you will take with you as we move forward in this course?
share everything
transparency
relevancy
just in time learning
learning mastery
TLs as learning leaders
“there’s an app for that!”
6. What issues, interest, or opportunity have you identified as a key topic for your inquiry work next week?
How TLs can create guiding questions of inquiry to help students navigate their learning (modelling netiquette, research skills and digital literacy)
If you look into the theory of Linguistic Cognitive Domains, you will find a good explanation of why collaboration through discussion is essential for changing perspectives and practices. Another way to think about active learning is the respective roles of teacher and learner in the learning process with regards to knowledge generation. Is the learning activity designed to transmit pre-given knowledge from the teacher to the student? Or is it designed to engage the teacher and student in a collaborative process of finding out about a topic, issue, or subject? I question the use of the term ‘tool’ even though its use is ubiquitous in education. When we reduce all digital technologies to the concept of tools we are setting ourselves up for cognitive dissonance when our ‘tool-use’ turns out to be complex, dynamic, and continuously evolving.
I’m going to look at your new Pearl Tree…thanks!
I loved how you included photos of things that you have done with your school. It kind of refreshed me and reminded me why I am here amidst completing assignments. Your story about how your colleague connected with you through Twitter made think who I should add to my Twitter account? Should I add my non educational friends? Also, thanks for your introduction to Mindshift. I just started connecting to blogs. Our class should consider sharing all the blogs we love.