CCK09 – To continue with learning and education: I’ve been reading Technologically externalized knowledge and learning (TEKL) by George Siemens. He talks about the externalized generation:
The last decade has provided individuals with the tools to continually externalize their thoughts and ideas. History is generally revealed to us through significant artifacts. We have books (artifact) that capture certain time periods. But we don’t have the raw daily conversation. We have a sanitized view of history. Future generations will likely have access to far more historical information than we currently have. Through Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, SecondLife, podcasts, Flickr, and blogs our daily conversations can be captured. Conversations that occur on Facebook or Twitter do not vaporize the way conversations around a boardroom table do.
Those archives of our conversations and even actions can be used to challenge the dominant learning ideologies. Formal education seems to believe firmly in these four assumptions, so Siemens explains:
1. We know what students need to know in advance of their arrival (the learning needed can be defined)
2. Through manipulation and sequencing of content and interactions, we can get students to learn what we’ve already decided they need to learn (control)
3. Students at a similar age/grade/program level have a similar knowledge base. Even if we don’t make this explicit, how we design and deliver learning in K-12, university, and corporate settings is evidence that we hold this view. (similarity)
4. Structure, goals, outcomes, and assessment are all good. For that matter, coherence is good. Learning needs a target. (coherence and structure)
Reality learns us that this is not the way the world works. These are the beliefs that makes teachers – whether in schools or in companies – feel frustrated because this ideology leads to conflicts with the very people we are supposed to help and teach.
Siemens develops a futuristic sounding “device” which consists out of
- a patterning agent
- a discovery agent
- a matching agent
- a monitoring agent
- an actual human being: a mentor/guide
- a profile which is made up out of the archives which are being constituted almost real time on the basis of your actions on twitter, second life, youtube, facebook etc
In his text you’ll find very clear explanations of what these components are supposed to do. There is a slight problem: what about privacy? Siemens admits this is a huge concern, but provides no answer. I had similar discussions with other experts, and some of those experts just told me: privacy? get over it. The question remains: is that acceptable? And will this answer not lead to the same problem as the traditional learning and education ideology: endless conflicts with those who are supposed to learn?
The fascinating thing about this “device” construct is that it actually already exists to a large degree. The components of the “device” are spread over various tools, like matching tools on Amazon.com and friends suggestions on Facebook and LinkedIn. Once again, and as Facebook experienced, these components also constitute elements of wide ranging conflicts and concerns about privacy.
Roland Legrand