Language Learning in NetworksTools and Frameworks for Open Language Learning

Χαίρεται!Apostolos Koutropoulos (aka “A.K.”)

UMass Boston Applied Linguistics, Program Manager

Athabasca University EdD Candidate

Adjunct Faculty, in Instructional Design

1.A little about youAnswer on the slide, or in the chat window

Do you teach?Yes

No

If yes...what do you teach?

If no… what is your role?

Mark this slide!

Where do you teach? What do you support?Face-to-face teaching (little tech) Blended Learning

Purely OnlineFace-to-face teaching (a lot of tech)

How do you connect?I connect myself using _______ I connect my class using______

2.History behind this ideaWhy networks?

Place your screenshot here

Time jump back to 1999(you know Bill & Ted, right?)

Yahoo Chat

Web Scavenged Image

Email!

Web Scavenged Images

Messenger, and ICQ

Web Scavenged Images

3.Definitionsand maybe some frameworks, too!

NetworksA little background on the “Networked” Part

of Networked Learning

A little on Networks

First Appearance in...

Seven Bridges of Königsberg

More recent work by...

● Watts (small-world networks)

● Barabasi (scale-free networks)

For our purposes...

Constitutions of networks exist when people interact with each other by communicating, sharing resources, working, learning or playing together, supported through face-to-face interaction as well as through the use of ICT (Haythornthwaite & De Laat, 2010).

Web Scavenged Image

Visual of a Network (CLMOOC)

From upcoming paper, image by Aras Bozkurt

Networked LearningSomething from the

other side of the pond...

“

We define ‘networked learning’ as learning in which ICT is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners, between learners and tutors; between a

learning community and its learning resources.

Goodyear, P., Banks, S., Hodgson, V., & McConnell, D. (2004).

Networked Learning defined (as a visual)

Learner Resource

Instructor

?

?

Networked Learning (areas of pedagogy, summary)

Openness in the Educational Process

● Grand idea: learning seen to occur in social contexts, and as a consequence learners begin to address learning from a qualitatively different perspective, a meta-level.

● In McConnell’s research majority of students’ willingness to work collaboratively was dependent on the openness in the group

Self-Determined Learning

● Connection with SDL

● Grand idea: SD learners take primary responsibility for IDing their learning needs; SD learners help others determine their needs

A real purpose in the cooperative process

● Connection with PBL; POPP; Action Research

● Grand idea: Help learners see connections, don’t let things be abstract and unconnected to real situations.

● Promotion of positive interdependence (McConnell)

Networked Learning (areas of pedagogy, part II)

A supportive learning environment

● Connection with SCT and ZPD

● Grand idea: an environment where learners encourage and facilitate each other’s learning efforts.

Collaborative Assessment of Learning

● Connection with scaffolded learning

● Grand idea: Collaborative assessment process (self-; peer-; tutor- assessments). Learning from the process of assessment and getting better prepared for the next assessment.

Assessment and Evaluation of the ongoing learning process

● Connection with Instructional Design

● Grand idea: Learners need to feel that their contributions to course design change matter.

Networked Learning (with a little more depth and expansion)

DOHN’S EXPANSION

Networked learning is learning in which ICT is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners; between learners and tutors; between a learning community and its learning resources; between the diverse contexts in which the learners participate.

DESIGN FOR LEARNING

It is argued that you can’t design the learning itself. You can set the dominoes in place, but the actual outcome is impacted by the learners and the contexts.

DESIGN WITH PRIMARY CONTEXT IN MIND

Activities which are natural for the learners, and rewarding for them (one of the rationales for ‘going to the learner’ when it comes to social media in the classroom). Primary contexts hence become ancorage points for the learners.

Networked learning as part of a constellation

NL

CoP

ANT

PBL

SDL

SCTPLN

3.Where to from here?Tools, approaches, actions

Some ways to act and think in a networked environment

Downe’s Social Learning Participation actions

● Aggregate, Remix, Repurpose, and Feed Forward

● This is quite individual focused, but still useful

Patchworking

● Networked Learning means that learners engage potentially in many different types of networks.

● Remixing, Repurposing, and Patching together information, knowledge and resources from their various networks (portfolios come to mind here).

Not yet-ness

● Collier describes ‘the play, the fun, the opportunity in complexity and not-yetness’, and argues that ‘the ill-defined, the un-prescribed, the messy can lead to the unexpected, the joyful’. (Ross, 2015)

In addition to Creation

Tools, Part I

Contemporary Counterparts to favorite classics!

Fb Messenger

Fb

Localized social networks

Tools, PartII

“Classics” of the last decade

Wikis & Collaborative spaces

Portfolio Sites (weebly)

Blogs & Reflective Writing

Tools, PartIII

New ways to connect

Multimedia Blogs

Instagram

HelloTalk

HelloLingo (LiveMocha reborn)

Tools, PartIII

New ways to connect

Web Scavenged ImagesTop: World of Warcraft

Bottom: Star Trek Online

ResourcesTo OER, or not to OER? (MOOCs, Podcasts, YouTube)

Top: France université numérique Middle: OpenCourses.gr

Bottom: MiriadaX

ResourcesLearner Created

Ευχαριστώ!Any questions?

You can find me at:Twitter: @koutropoulosLinkedIn.com/in/koutropoulosFacebook.com/umasslinguistics

References