Week 4: Allison Littlejohn

Meeting room will be open 1/2 hour before start time. Please provide content to me ([email protected]) for uploading, or upload from within the meeting environment. Email if you have difficulties or questions.

To join the meeting, click or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://139.57.65.33/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1254496290538

Enter as guest, and type your name into the form.

Announcements

COLLECTIVE LEARNING: examples
with Allison Littlejohn

The aim of this week is to introduce collective learning. By ‘collective learning’ we mean how people learn through sourcing, using and making sense of the collective knowledge – the knowledge stored in people, resources, computers, networks etc. In this sense collective learning is different from ‘collaborative learning’ in that people can learn collaboratively in different configurations (such as groups, networks, etc) or can learn through direct interaction with ‘the collective’.

During the week we will explore what is ‘the individual’ what is ‘the collective’ and examine how technology helps us redefine relationships between the two. We will think about some of the issues surrounding collective learning, and hope to draw on your views, as course participants, to enhance our understanding through collective learning. Each day this week, you can contribute your own perspective.

You can make a start on this right now by reading the position paper (http://littlebylittlejohn.com/change11-position-paper/). Once you have done this, use your blog or twitter (or any other tool) to let me know about examples of collective learning (for learning and for knowledge creation) which you have encountered or participated in. Use the tags #change11 and #collective to share ideas.

Some of my research collaborators, Lou MCGill, Colin Milligan and Anoush Margaryan, are joining our discussions this week. We have prepared a blog post with a few examples at: http://littlebylittlejohn.com/collective-learning-examples
I’ve put some other resources to help with this task at http://littlebylittlejohn.com/task1/

Tomorrow, Tuesday, there is a scheduled synchronous session at 5pm (UK time). We will discuss any responses provided by then, as well as exploring some of the key research questions surrounding collective learning. #week4

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Further reading:
Paavola, S., Lipponen, L., & Hakkarainen, K. (2004). Models of Innovative Knowledge Communities and Three Metaphors of Learning. Review of Educational Research, 74(4), 557-576. AERA. Retrieved from http://rer.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.3102/00346543074004557

COLLECTIVE LEARNING: charting the collective knowledge
This week we are exploring issues of collective learning. The position paper, linked yesterday contains some background information on collective learning and identifies some key issues.

Today there is a scheduled synchronous session at 5pm (UK time) (12:00 noon eastern, check time zones). We will explore some of the key research questions surrounding collective learning, and discuss some examples of collective learning contributed by course participants.

One key question in Collective Learning is how we understand the binding force that connects people while they are learning. Read this blog post http://littlebylittlejohn.com/charting/ which puts forward some alternative views.

Do you agree? Why not contribute to the debate by posting a response on your blog (or any other tool) to the ideas discussed. What do you think is the ‘binding force’ that connects people while they are learning in groups, networks and collectives? The ‘further reading’ (below) outlines contemporary thinking about binding forces in networks and discusses what these terms mean. Use the tags #change11 #collective to share ideas.

Further reading:

Knorr-Cetina, K (2001) Objectual Practice. In Schatzki, T. R., Knorr-Cetina, K., & Savigny, E. V. (Eds). The practice turn in contemporary theory. p175-188 Routledge. Retrieved from Retreived from: http://kops.ub.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/handle/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-opus-81918/kcobjectualpractice.pdf?sequence=1

Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2009). How the Crowd Can Teach. Handbook of Research on Social Software and Developing Ontologies London IGI Global (Vol. Handbook o, pp. 1-17). IGI Global. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=48657

Daily, Tuesday 4 October #week4
Week Four: Allison Littlejohn (http://littlebylittlejohn.com/collective-learning-task2/)

COLLECTIVE LEARNING: learning in the workplace

Today our focus moves to the role of collective learning to the learning which occurs among knowledge workers in the workplace. You can read about some of our work in this blog post http://littlebylittlejohn.com/how-knowldge-workers-learn.html

Having read through some of the ideas presented here, outline in a narrative way how you learn: who do you draw on, how dynamic is your learning network? Post responses on your blog or elsewhere. Alternatively, you may want to consider some of the following questions and share your ideas. How might collective learning improve learning and development in the workplace? Is learning from the collective compatible with traditional organisational knowledge sharing and learning culture? Use #change11 and #collective to share your thoughts.

Further reading:

Nardi, B. A., Whittaker, S., & Schwarz, H., (2000) It’s not what you know, it’s who you know: work in the information age. First Monday 5 (5). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/741/650

Zimmerman, B.J. & Schunk, D.H. (2001) Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: theoretical perspectives (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey).

Week Four: Allison Littlejohn #week4 (http://littlebylittlejohn.com/change11-position-paper.html)