As a learner, participation in NGL was useful to me

In any subject area that I have been involved in I don't think I have experienced as much transformation as I have in NGL. The subject has not only changed my learning routine, such as developing a PKM process or using new tools, like Mendeley and Feedly, to complete my work, but it has also encouraged learning and knowledge sharing, particularly through sharing what I am learning on my blog, thus creating my own "knowledge base" that combines everything that I learn in a process that is made public, and also providing opportunity to clarify my ideas and receive feedback from others (Jarche, 2012). Through NGL I have also learnt how connected learning - the use of digital and networked media - enables learners, such as myself and my students, to engage in learning that is "socially embedded, interest-driven, and oriented toward educational, economic or political opportunity" (Ito et al. 2013). All this makes for the most transformational learning.

Through engaging with Web 2.0 tools via a PKM process I have shifted from primarily consuming information to "produc[ing], remixing and sharing" (Goodyear, 2014, p. 41). This is a major cognitive and behavioural shift. Since 1998 I have had access to endless sources of information, much more than I could ever hope for or need, but I was not collaborating or developing knowledge on the web (Kligyte, 2009). If I was collaborating or creating it was within the confines of formal educational environments or within institutional frameworks. At the end of 2013 I realised that I could no longer be only a consumer, I needed to become an active producer, particularly if I was going to move beyond my role of teaching within institutional walls. I came to this realisation because many writers and entrepreneurs (i.e. from Richard Branson to Derek Sivers) would assert that through contributing to the world they grew exponentially, far more than they could have ever anticipated. In each successful individual that I read about there tended to be a feedback loop, the more they gave, the more they got back - monetary or otherwise. This is definitely not what my formal education had taught me but seems to be built in the ethos of NGL.

The process of participation in NGL, via writing on a blog and participating in online networks, is in stark contrast to traditional classroom learning. Within the discourse of the classroom, as I have expressed in previous blog posts, learners' thoughts can be lost within the "ongoing dialogue between learners." Although group discussions can be beneficial, and I have argued in another post about the importance of face-to-faceinteraction, the act of having to articulate one's ideas in an online format encourages greater learning, and also avoids the phenomena known as "echo-chambers." In fact, according to Vygotsky (1987) as cited in Bell et al. (2010) reflective writing that encourages dialogue between learners’ acts as a "catalyst for greater cognitive development ... that is more considered and intellectual." Networked learning also provides access to knowledge that is "distributed in different minds" (Goodyear, 2014), rather than being limited to the 15 - 20 people in a discussion group or forum, thus generating more opportunities for new ideas.

Networked learning achieves this diversity through its potential for learners to develop "weak ties," relationships that have an "important role in distributing new knowledge," rather than relying on the "strong ties" that one is embedded in or that one develops in on-campus courses (Goodyear, 2014). In my undergraduate degree I became a member of a "tight-knit" network of teachers (i.e. my strong ties), who shared views of the world that were relatively consistent or "stable" (Goodyear, 2014). The only way new information or insights penetrated our world was through "distant parts of the network" (i.e. through teachers or Professional Development). Whereas, in an online network learners can gain access to new information that is not hierarchal (Podolny and Page, 1998 as cited in Goodyear, 2014) and offer alternative points of view, something that was very limited during my undergraduate experience. Like the coffee houses that brought together disparate individuals with a common interest in the late seventeenth century, online networks bring a diversity of individuals to share insights into practice issues through "interactive discussion, joint problem-solving and trust" (Goodyear, 2014), at a fraction of the cost that on-campus learning opportunities provide.

Although being connected in an online network can lead to many enriched learning experiences, I have learnt that just being connected is not going to ensure connectedness or interactivity (Mackness et al. 2010). As a learner in NGL I have been able to find "informational supports for my specialised interest" – writing but only through actively seeking out networks that I could engage with. What I did not expect was to find so many willing collaborators, who embraced interaction. This is fortunate as in my day-to-day life I am not surrounded by many people who share my interest in writing but online, I am able to reach out and form a new peer group that has the knowledge and expertise that I am seeking to develop (Goodyear, 2014). I can then use these skills and knowledge to share with my students, and with my community, thus increasing my potential to create high-quality work. 

Nevertheless, despite the many benefits of networked learning, as a learning coach, I still believe that forming offline study opportunities also offers powerful learning opportunities (as espoused by Harold Jarche), such as receiving guidance from a knowledgeable other or participating in groups and workshops, as I have done on numerous occasions and found to be very productive. Bell et al. (2010) highlight how the future of networked learning should not only focus on "text becom[ing] the medium of mediation between learners and their resources," but also the "robust voice dialogue" that enables learners to "feed off others' energy" and enthusiasm for the learning process, improvise in a non-linear cognitive process, as through discussion. It is these important in-person features that are also pivotal to learning, particularly for self-declared extroverts like myself.

Thus, through engaging in a an online network through NGL (and I would add being guided by a “knowledgeable other”) the learner is invited to enter a "portal" that will transform how they learn, and ultimately how they live their lives (Kligyte, 2009). At least, that is what being a part of NGL has done for me.

References:

Glastra et al. (2004). Lifelong Learning as Transitional Learning, Adult Education Quarterly, 54, p. 291-307.

Goodyear, P. (2014). Productive Learning Networks: The Evolution of Research and Practice. In L. Carvalho & P. Goodyear (Eds.), The Architecture of Productive Learning Networks (pp. 23–47). London: Routledge.

Ito et al. (2013). Connected Learning: an agenda for Research and Design, Retrieved from http://dmlhub.net/sites/default/files/ConnectedLearning_report.pdf

Jarche, H. (2012). Seek Sense Share, Retrieved from http://www.jarche.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/seek_sense_share.pdf

Kligyte, G. (2009). Threshold concept: A lens for examining networked learning. In Proceedings of the Ascilite 2009 Conference (pp. 540–542). Auckland, NZ.

Menchaca, F. (2012). The Future Is in Doubt: Librarians, Publishers, and Networked Learning in the 21st Century, Journal of Library Administration, 52(5), 396-410.

An outsider looking in

Seeing myself as a bit of an "optimist," somebody who likes to think about what could be or how to make things better than they were before, much like David has recently posted about being motivated by an optimistic view to make things better. I'm often listening to speakers on TED or even rummaging through Reddit's education forums for discussions on education. Recent posts by peers about the need for reform or change in the existing models of education has sparked thoughts on being in a system, and how much our thinking is shaped while we are in it and how different it begins to look once one is on the outside looking in.

   by  opethpainter 

Although I still see myself as part of the discourse in educational communities, and always will be (once an educator, always an educator) I'm no longer teaching as a high school teacher or university lecturer, engaging in the institutional practices of everyday structure, order and control. Well, this is how I experienced it. I'm now on the outside, providing tutoring and coaching to high school and university students, listening to their experiences in a whole variety of schools, from public to private, from schools of humble means to ones with swimming pools, and even golf courses. What has been most interesting is using the different learning platforms that high schools and universities are delivering their learning resources through. Most are using LMSs, certainly not the "menu-like" approach that Anne highlights in her discussion about offering a more individualised experience of learning for students.

Recently I was offered by a long-time colleague friend who is also has her Doctorate in Education at a major university about creating a training organisation that provides literacy and numeracy certificates for teachers, particularly ones that prepare them for the mandated literacy and numeracy tests that teachers will have to undertake to obtain their degrees. I was initially interested in the idea until I gave it some thought. My major concern was doing more of the same and eventually turning into a system that supports the very system that is far too long and outdated. Do I want to perpetuate that system, being a pawn in the system I thought to myself. No.

However, I admire individuals like David, Anne, Brendon, Mari and many others in NGL who remain a part of the system and still hope to make things better from within. As Anne writes how she is trying to "nurture communities of practice" in the "highly traditional structures" within which she works. This is indeed noble but I think as David highlighted it can be depressing, leading to a "pessimism" that I think permeates secondary and higher education, and something in the end that I, and many of my colleagues who left to other areas, some even leaving teaching for good, did not want to be a part of. What I learnt and fundamentally believe is that negativity arises when one is not living according to their values. When this happens it is only natural to feel pessimistic, frustrated and hopeless.

When reading my peers posts it is as clear as day that we are all passionate educators who went into the profession because of our love of learning, particularly of the potential of learning to transform individuals in who they have the potential to be. When there are so many constraining forces, it is inevitable that the participants are going to feel frustrated. This is why Sir Ken Robinson and Sugra Mitra, as Anne highlights, are getting so much attention online, I don't think I haven't seen a forum on education that has not highlighted their speeches in way or another about the systemic issues in education. They are all speaking about a fundamental reality, our education systems are archaic and have to change. However, my concern is that teachers are targeted as the creators of the problems, as I think their powerlessness invites them to becoming scapegoats far too easily. In my opinion the issue is far more complex.

There is a really good analogy shared by Derek Stivers in his post, "Fish don't know they're in water." He uses the fish in the tank analogy. When the fish is in the tank he or she cannot see the water because that is all he or she has ever known. It is not until the fish jumps out that he or she sees a whole new world, a new way of looking at things. I came across Derek after Brendon reshared a video by David, the lecturer of NGL. I then proceeded to watch all his videos - all with the theme of living a life on your terms, but also the importance of learning new things and seeing things from a different perspective.

I've noticed that it was not until I left the "system" until I really could start thinking of other potentialities. While I was in there, regardless of type, the institutional factors permeated my entire being, I was like the fish in water. It was only through leaping out of the water, particularly through my interaction with individuals in other areas of education, such as teachers at progressive schools like Steiner or Big Picture, or other fields, such as coaching, that I began to see there are other ways of being educated.

Predicting where learning is heading

I cannot seem to get enough of George Siemens lately, his ideas are profound and, I believe, worth knowing as we progress into the future, thinking about where and how education is changing. I recently viewed "Changing Schools, Changing Knowledge" where Siemens talks about how the "student" has become the "centre of learning," in contrast to the past, where the "university was needed to do a lot of knowledge mediating." Students, like I have discussed in a previous post, are "organising without an organisation," meaning they are finding their own information, they can go "direct to the source." What does this mean and how will learning look like in the future?

Judging from my own behaviour, where I spend a lot of time using my laptop and phone, using Google, Blogger, gmail, YouTube, and many other web-based tools and programs, I can see how Siemen's claims is reflecting my own reality. Rather than relying on the traditional nodes of learning, such as reading books and newspapers, watching television news and documentaries (the staples of my childhood), I'm now experiencing the competing nodes of information giving, including social media.

As students are interacting with information different than the past, what is important now is not the acquisition of facts and data but rather knowing how to access the facts and data. Rather, as Siemens says that the "knowledge is in the connections" we make between facts. Through the connections we make between nodes we are able to think creatively and critically, we are not just knowing things, we are making abstractions - the purpose of education.

This poses the question, what will happen to the traditional "bricks and mortar" university? Will course providers, such as Udacity or Coursera, provide cheap courses (7,000 dollars as opposed to $30,000+ masters degrees) and universities will cease being the "fountain of all knowledge," or at least, "play the mediating role," as Siemens says. A quick glimpse on Udacity and it is not hard to tell which courses are viewed as most important in our future - computer science is definitely prevalent. I don't see any humanities courses there. Coursera, in contrast, seems to offer everything and anything, although the sciences are prevalent. I love the sciences, do not get me wrong, but I see the fields of Linguistics, Sociology, English Literature and History as gold mines for providing insight into the human condition, much more than the sciences, in my opinion, could ever deliver. This is a concern and something that I will follow with interest.

What is exciting is a MOOC course that a fellow peer, Anne, has completed through EdX. The course, 'Leaders of Learning,' enables the learner to identify and develop their own "personal theory of learning, and explore how it "fits into the shifting landscape of learning." At the end, if the learner completes the course to a "satisfactory" standard, they will receive a "personalised Honor Code Certificate to showcase [their] achievement." There is an upcoming course that helps learners identity where they are sitting in terms of their preferred mode of learning. For lifelong learners, who are always looking to update their knowledge and skills, like my peers in NGL, MOOCs clearly provide unprecedented opportunities.

Although Siemens says that "it is impossible to predict" what learning will look like in the future, what is clear is that students are definitely interacting with information differently and wanting something more.

Does our "filter bubble" narrow our learning online?

In the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century I was so excited about the potential of the Internet. I saw it as offering an endless array of information, for any interest area and as I was learning about freedom of speech during my undergraduate years, I saw the Internet as a great democratising force, a platform where anyone could share their opinion. However, after reading an article that cites The Filter Bubble, a book by Eli Pariser in 2011, I am now beginning to think whether what I anticipated has "backfired." Rather than being a democratising force it is largely "controlled through personalisation" (Pariser, (2011) as cited in Menchaca, 2012)."

   by  Ali Smiles :) 

An article by Menchaca (2012) outlines a study by librarians and publishers in the networked learning of the 21st century and outline how when students research for information they do not consider the "library resources" as students had in the past, but "overwhelmingly use social networking sites, such as Facebook (Head & Eisenberg, 2011, p.36 as cited in Menchaca, 2012). By "liking and commenting" on their friends' posts and websites, through Facebook's algorithms, and this occurs for YouTube as well, the individual encounters "more of the same," in other words, more information that already confirms or reaffirms what he or she is interested in or wants to know about. As a learner I know I am certainly doing this.

Gone are the human filters (i.e. editors and publishers), who decided what was printed, and had peers that would "call them out." A consequence of the "filter bubble" is that individuals will only seek what they like (Menchaca, 2012). We will seek out those friends whose "online behaviour mimics and reinforces our own (Menchaca, 2012). Pariser in The Filter Bubble describes how the "socially constructed information" of our "circle of association contracts tighter and tighter," to the point that we become "locked" inside a "bubble," that is "tailored" on our preferences.

This is one of the reasons why I have always thought a formal education to be necessary. When I was completing my undergraduate in Education and the Arts, where I studied History, Political Science, Sociology, English Literature and Law, I was "forced," for want of a better word, to go into realms that I had not ventured before and that I was highly unlikely to have discovered on my own. I also saw academics as having "checks" and "balances" on their writing, in contrast to how I perceived the information sharing on the web. I have since learned that the Internet has its own accountability mechanisms built in but, as George Siemens, in his talk that I wrote about a few weeks ago, outlines that although "networks are great ... they still need to be augmented with systems of control," without it, I believe, we may only learn what we like rather than what we "need to learn" (Menchaca, 2012)."

Brown and Thomas (2011), as cited in Menchaca (2012), argue that "networked digital information has altered education by keeping the information "unfinished and unfinishable." This means that in contrast to 20th-century education, where information was linearly transferred from teacher to pupil, the "new culture of learning" is where students are engaged in networked communication but are living by the "law of least effort" (Menchaca, 2012).

The consequence of this was outlined by Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist and 2002 Nobel Prize winner in economics, in his Thinking, Fast and Slow, that "humans solves new problems in a manner quite opposite to how the filter bubble operates." He outlines that studies have revealed that as humans we "gravitate" to what is easier, and the Internet, inadvertently, has enabled us to acquire information (always a hunger in us aa a species) but we will take the course that demands the least cost (Kahneman, 2011, p. 35 as cited in Menchaca, 2012), thus resulting in learning that does not effect "cognitive dissonance, surprise, or doubt," the elements nurtured by "contrariety" (research that reveals the opposite side or difference), something that I have always believed was nurtured in my undergraduate education.

New understandings like this, such as the filter bubble and the consequences of social media and more widely the Internet, impacts not only my future as a teacher and learner but the future of us all. The question that I initially posed as the title of this post is something that I will continue to seek to answer.

References:

Menchaca, F. (2012). The Future Is in Doubt: Librarians, Publishers, and Networked Learning in the 21st Century, Journal of Library Administration, 52(5), 396-410.

The least likely to learn online

If someone had asked me only one year ago whether I would consider studying my masters online I would have had said a steadfast "No." My engagement with online learning was researching information on the web and watching videos (i.e. YouTube, TED, Vimeo, etc.), like Clare, but not enrolling in an entire degree online. (Clare's "Growing definition of networked learning" reveals that I wasn't alone). Forward a year and here I am, amazingly, quite enjoying it, even ... seeing it as the way things are.

It was not only my experience as a university lecturer that caused my reservations, as I believed, and still do to some degree, that the learning online can be very impersonal (as many of my clients have expressed) but my nostalgic recollections of being an undergraduate, thinking and believing that one had to interact with their peers in a real space is what confined my thinking. However, what I'm finding in the virtual space is that I'm not only saving a lot of time (not having to drive to lectures and tutorials and not even having to view them) but I am feeling connected to a community of learners.

Each day I'm checking to see what my peers are posting, as well as reading the posts of bloggers within my writing networks.The benefits of blogging has far exceeded my expectations, becoming a tool, as Brendon highlights in his post, that "leads to better learning." He cites MacBride (2008) who has identified the potential of blogs to "support learning" as they are an effective tool to "promote reflective thinking" and "nurture collaboration and relationship-building," amongst many other benefits. I, like Brendon, did not keep a reflective journal during my undergraduate experience and have realised the "benefits of reflection and consolidation of understanding" through blogging.

Through being connected in an online network, I find myself thinking a lot about how I can contribute to my networks, where the future of learning is heading, what my role is going to be in that future, can I even think about the future, particularly considering how rapidly technology has changed since even just five years ago, and so forth. As it turns out my peers are also thinking about these things. Anne is asking questions about where "education might be heading?" Philip is thinking about the "Next Generation of on-line learning pedagogy and instructional design," but also "career development." I'm now following his posts with particular interest as his working thesis is:

if it can be expected that, in the future, any employee, student, or participant in the global economy needs to be a technology-savant, ‘communication-ready’, open, autonomous, creative, ready for the challenge of giving and sharing’ online – THEN it’s almost like giving a job seeker a passport to find jobs in Finland, Georgia or Timbujtu!

His thesis expresses the way of the future and I agree with Philip, it is very exciting.

Although I'm still at the early stages, I certainly feel that my identity as a learner is changing. I no longer see myself as the least likely to learn online, or at least engage in formal learning.

Flaming your enemies online

   by  Muffet 

I recently commented on a post, perhaps not in the most polite way possible, which is definitely not my usual approach, and it got me thinking about the whole phenomenon of "flaming" online, and how it begins. Although my situation is nowhere near as extreme, and I really am talking extreme polarities here, the issue of flaming is certainly fascinating, and if one was involved, disturbing.

After I posted, and reflected, I realised that I perhaps should have said nothing but it was too late and I was prepared to live with the consequences. Nothing untoward happened but the issue, despite not even remotely illustrating the vitriolic verbal war that happens in some online forums, blogs and comment sections, did make me realise how easy it is to offend online.

As the Internet is a platform where individuals do not need to speak to each other face-to-face, and many will not even see the people that they are responding to, they are much more likely to say things that they would not normally say in real-world encounters. Would I have responded how I did if I was speaking directly to the person, regardless of my role, probably not, or I may have joked about it, trying to be as subtle as I can.

A recent video on YouTube, that was forwarded to me by a friend via Skype illustrates a "flame war," where two people start verbally attacking each each other, often times leading to 200 comments later and no end in sight. The video is a satire of two teenage girls who flame each other over who loves One Direction more. There are a heap of these videos on YouTube making fun of individuals who engage in flaming, but I can imagine that it causes a lot of unnecessary suffering, on both sides.

The popular understanding is that there are some individuals, who have been dubbed "Flamers" - as they "cannot be stamped out," and "just want to kill, to flame and are out for blood." This is the language that I have often heard my sons usingt, particularly when I first voiced my concerns about leaving feedback on online comment sections, such as TED or Youtube. They also talk about "trolls," who literally navigate through forums deliberately trying to stir up trouble, and thriving off the attention.

My sons also tell me how flamers, most of the time, are "not think logically" and are out to create "cesspools," where nothing good comes out of the interchange, they are only "out to flame," mostly due to being very angry. In fact, my sons also say that they even avoid commenting, unless it is to give an up-and-coming YouTuber some positive feedback, such as "Keep it up dude, I love your videos!"

In hindsight I would have followed the advice of a blog post I had shared with my fellow peers in NGL a few days earlier. Writer's Unboxed shared a post about Networking for Writers and how to connect with people that you want to communicate with, more than just reading their posts. The guest poster outlined how it is always important to comment in a "friendly and funny way on their posts and blogs" and to only say things that promote interaction. Sage advice that I will follow, not only as a teacher and learner but also as a member of an online teaching community of practice.

Being a part of a community of practice

One of the concepts that I come across a lot in the literature in NGL and another subject Learning Futures is the notion of "communities of practice." Recalling my undergraduate days I do not remember reading about the phrase. However, it has intrigued me as it illustrates my purpose and role as a student, learner and teacher.

According to Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave, the original founders of the "situated learning" model, what distinguishes a community of practice from other groups and communities is the domain, community and practice. When the members of the community share a domain of interest (i.e. writing novels) and are committed to the domain, their "shared competence" is what distinguishes them from other people. By "pursuing their interest" and engaging in joint activities and discussions, the members are able to "build relationships that enable them to learn from each other" and share information. Lastly, through practising their craft and sharing their resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems, through "time and sustained interaction" the members become a community of practice (Wenger, 2007 as cited in Smith, 2009).

Knowledge of how to engage in a community of practice is powerful knowledge as when one learns, just as I did when learning about Discourses (Gee, 1996), and their power to include and exclude insiders and outsiders. I now know how communities of practice develop and what is involved in becoming a member, particularly if one is wanting to join a particular community of practice. Through building relationships, becoming involved in the activities and sharing one's own knowledge and skills with the community, an individual, such as an aspiring writer can join the community, starting from the "periphery," as I am, and eventually to "full participation" (Lave and Wenger, 1991:37 as cited in Smith, 2009).

There are issues with Lave and Wenger's (1991:108-9) conception of "situated learning," a concept that refers to learners becoming "full participants in the world and generating meaning" as members of a community. Some claim that it "makes no sense to talk of knowledge that is decontexualised, abstract or general" if it is not a part of a community of practice - that there is too much focus on the group rather than the individual, thus making individual pursuits not worthwhile as they do not require interaction with a group (Smith, 2009). Others also claim that communities of practice can sometimes develop "power relationships that seriously inhibit entry and participation" (Smith, 2009). This can be seen in many fields that require cultural capital, such as medicine, law and business. I think these critiques have validity and is something I need to research further to gain a deeper understanding.

Another issue with the idea of community of practice is how the "communities" are based on authentic contexts and some have questioned formalised structures, such as schooling and other institutions for learning, as being a community of practice that does not prepare its participants to become full participants (Smith, 2009) in a real-world context. For example, children at school are taught how to do school but cannot become teachers when they graduate. Whereas, historically, a young person who worked within a community of craftsmen, would become a member of that craft when he (or she, although unlikely) finished their apprenticeship. I think it certainly does illustrate how important it is to learn in authentic contexts, and this does pose a challenge for schools, which in my experience, can have many learning experiences that are divorced from the real-world.

The idea of authenticity is what appeals to me most about the notion of community of practice. It emphasises that "learning is in the relationships between people" (Murphy, 1999:17 as cited in Smith, 2009) in a real-world context. Rather than learning being seen as something an individual acquires on their own, divorced from context, it illustrates how knowledge and activity are interdependent, and in order to learn effectively learning must include the social context, particularly the experience of being in the practice. This means that educators, or pedagogues, as I prefer to call anyone who is involved in the "process of accompanying learners; caring for and about them; and bringing learning into life" (Smith, 2012), need to focus on enabling their learners to become participants in communities of practice. I can see this is what the course NGL is doing. It is not just encouraging learners to repeat and regurgitate what is already there but to become participants in communities of practice.

As I'm now venturing off into the world of writing my first novel I am definitely on the periphery of the writing community, looking in, communicating through email or forums, but only dabbling. These communities are not "formal in organisation" and are "very fluid and informal" (Smith, 2009), encouraging active participation with like-minded individuals. It is these communities permeability and interactivity that enables individuals like myself, an extrovert, as Brendon highlights who have more difficulty than the introvert online, to have a chance of becoming active and full participants.

References:

Gee, J. P. (,1996, 2009). Disourse Analysis: What makes It Critical? Retrieved August 27 from http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/11

Smith, M. K. (2003, 2009) ‘Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger and communities of practice’the encyclopedia of informal education, Retrieved from www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm

Smith, M. K. (2012). ‘What is pedagogy?’, the encyclopaedia of informal education, Retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-pedagogy/

My PKM routine revamped!

In an earlier post about establishing a PKM routine and modifying it as I went along I wrote about the importance of having a routine that I followed so I would not get lost in a "sea of information." I wish I could say that I have been following the routine and modifying it as I go along but in reality, or my perception of it, I have been taking a more adhoc approach, doing things as I need to, trying to stay afloat.

I have been using Feedly as my aggregator for the blogs of NGL course participants but for other blogs, such as writing blogs, I am still using Blogger's feed section. This is because I have found Feedly to not recognise some blog's urls, whereas Blogger will recognise most. David, the course lecturer, has said that he uses it as his main "seeking" mechanism but I have found it to be too unreliable. Nevertheless, I am sticking with it and am hoping that it may just be an issue on my end. 

To be more active with my peers is one of my greatest challenges. As I will read what many have posted using Feedly but then when I go to write future blogs I will forget which blog has the relevant ideas that I need to link back to. David offers the idea to "jot down rough ideas and links to what sparked those ideas." I like this approach and some of my former posts did do this. At one stage I had ten drafts sitting with ideas and questions ready to go. 

Sharing what I find via Diigo is also another major challenge as I'm finding myself flat-out with all the other requirements of NGL and another course that I am taking, Theories of Learning Futures. 

I have come to the realisation that in order to make further progress I need to start committing quick "mind dumps" of my working ideas and thoughts, as David suggests. I can see that this is a much more valuable tool, particularly if one wants to really learn what he or she is learning, and not only see the blog as a way to share the learning process. If some individuals do connect with what I write, or at least comment, then it can be seen as an opportunity for an "unexpected bit of learning."

What sparked this realisation was a reading on situated learning - a theory about how we learn in social contexts. Goel et al., writes that when individuals "externalise their mental models, making [them] explicit in order for [their thoughts] to be amenable to change," it is only then will they be able to change. This was an epiphany for me and elucidated the reason why blogging is such a powerful tool in the learning process. It is through writing our ideas down that we make what we learn explicit, thus enabling us to "reflect upon it, and reanalyse it in light of new and sometimes conflicting information" (Goal et all., 2008).

As with any routine I have found that I need to continually adapt my routine, whether it is for writing a novel, or participating in the NGL course. As David says, it is a "process that works for me and where I'm at right now." This is indeed where I am at right now.

References:

Goel, L. et al., (2010). Situated Learning: Conceptualisation and Measurement, Journal of Innovative Education, 8(1), 215–240. 

Fully engaged and feeling connected!

I woke up this morning to check my email and found many posts by fellow peers who have been actively engaging with the discussions, even referring to my posts (Yeah!) and provided links for me to check out! Thank you Anne. A link by Anne is of an educator who consults through her practice called Learning 4 Learning Professionals. I found the blog to be amazing, with entire sections devoted to my area of interest - consulting! :D

What this experience highlights for me is the importance of interaction for me. David expresses how the blog is a "space to make random thinking a little more explicit," and I agree with this, as it helps me conceptualise my ideas and gain further understanding and even insight. This is invaluable and something that I will persist with indefinitely. It also means I am already a "writer" rather than waiting to be magically bestowed with the label, which I was doing for a long time.

However, what I feel I know to be true is that disposition, how one interprets the world, definitely influences his or her interaction in the blogosphere. I love the "comments" and "input from others." I thrive on it. What this means is that I do "care" whether I am engaging with my audience. Maybe this is the teacher in me, with many years of writing things that did directly engage with my audience. Even using Edmodo was a way to do this. I loved that students used the comment section to directly engage with the ideas. My Year 12s found it the most useful, as it was a safeplace to do this.

The discussion on Edmodo has been interesting. Anne commented on how, although she can see some "limitations to working with Edmodo" she finds it to be a "useful tool in developing learning community within [her] class." She highlights how although much of the learning is "task-based" the use of Edmodo has been great for creating "professional groups" at her school. I also had the same experience. I was just leaving high school teaching when other teachers came on board but it was my involvement in workshops, showing colleagues how I had used the tool in my classes that made a change. At first I was looked at as a "technology" junkie, probably due to the influence of my teenage sons, both prolific in their use of ICT, but then teachers slowly began asking questions and using the tool themselves.

In using Edmodo I did have many teething problems, but unlike the problems that David highlights with LMS. As Edmodo is a platform that is modelled on the Facebook platform, it is very user-friendly and a "safe" option for students. I had some parental concern but I issued them with the advice provided for parents on the Edmodo help page. The parents even had access to the content as I was totally transparent with how I taught, and this is a value that I still hold deeply.

The issues with technology within the schools I worked was the main issue that prevented the most effective utilisation of Edmodo and other online learning platforms that I used to engage students actively with content. This included laptop and connectivity issues, with many occasions having to revert to more traditional methods of teaching as the Internet was down or too slow, or many students had problems with their laptops, either connecting to the Internet, or even just functioning. It made me annoyed with the laptops as I felt they were heavy, cumbersome and unreliable.

In using Edmodo and Moodle to deliver course materials I found them both to be the most effective way to deliver learning materials and to actively engage my students. However, I also found a lot of resistance, and not only from some fellow teachers but also, most surprisingly, from some of my students. I emphasise some as there were many who actively embraced it and believed it to be much more convenient (they could access their learning from anywhere) and accessible (it was all in the same spot in the cloud). This is how I promoted the use of Edmodo, I would say that if they went for a holiday in Russia, they would still be able to access their learning materials and connect directly with me, as I would receive notifications on my mobile that they have asked a question or made a comment.

I could totally relate with Anne's experience of being informed that the use of Edmodo "did not meet with the Technology Committee's vision for the school." There was a "Technology Committee" at my last school and I found it ironic that the people on the board were not the most active users of digital technologies. I think it is like in politics, where you have people as a minister of a department but they have limited experience, or sometimes none, in that area.

What Anne is experiencing is very much an institutional issue where you to feel, for very valid reasons, like you are not "consulted" or given any "choice." So, no Anne, you're right, your situation is definitely not "an isolated one." It is also true that the people that work in schools do have the best intentions and "genuinely believe they are making the right decisions for the right reasons." I'm going to right a future post about the misconception that I think exists about teachers and their engagement with technology.

It certainly does feel great to be fully engaged and feeling connected though. :)

Transformation in an NGL community

NGL, as informed by theorists like Vygotsky, Dewey, and Bruner (as cited in Riel & Polin, 2004), reveals how my teaching is influenced by "socio-cultural tools, signs and symbols" that allow my students and I to "make sense and produce work." In fact, it is the "co-construct[ion]" of knowledge, where we "build on the ideas and practices" of those who have gone before us and those within our networks that enables us to learn (Riel & Polin, 2004). This is why being in a networked learning community appeals so much to me. It enables individuals to not only learn in a community of practice, but also transform as they contribute to a knowledge-based network.

This knowledge has slowly evolved, and began when I was an undergraduate. Learning about Vygotsky's theory of  social development was most appealing as it illustrated to me how we learn. I was intrigued by the idea that "social interaction precedes development." This effectively meant that in order to learn anything the student must be in a social context, particularly as it is through social interaction that they create meaning. As both an educator and writer, Vygotsky's ideas shape my teaching and learning practice today.

I have found this to be particularly applicable to how my identity is transforming as I further engage in online networks. Rather than remaining "static" due to being on the web in a "scattered and isolated" sense, in my former identity (although I was an active user), I certainly was not linked with other networks. As I began interacting with my peers, my first network, consisting of my role as a lecturer with James Cook University, where I constructed Youtube videos to share with colleagues and students (i.e. Teaching and Learning channel and Language and Literacy channel), I began to feel as a member of a "community or activity system" that was "developing [my] knowledge," and propelling me in areas I had not ventured before.

As a classroom teacher I was mostly engaged in what Riel and Polin (2004) refer to as "task-based learning." I would work with other teachers for a specific period of time to produce resources, a unit outline or some other curricular product. In this community I did feel a "strong sense of identification" with my peers, as we were employed to engage in the task and the organisation that employed us and expected the behaviour. I was also engaged in Riel and Polin's (2004) notion of practice-based communities." This meant that the knowledge was "embedded in the performance and the organisational culture in which it occurs" (Lave & Wenger, 1991 in Riel and Polin, 2004). As a teacher and director of a tutoring business I participated in the community, actualising knowledge through my interaction with colleagues, practices and stories of best practice, but not creating any new knowledge or going beyond the context.

What I am experiencing now as a networked learner is being a member of "knowledge-based learning communities." These are communities that share many of the elements of "communities of practice" but "focus on the deliberate and formal production of external knowledge about the practice (Riel & Polin (2004)." I am achieving this through being a member of the writing community, and actively producing knowledge about the practice, and sharing it with my peers. This is in contrast to the two other learning approaches that both are confined by a time frame and have clearly delineated boundaries. There are no rule or boundaries in being part of a knowledge-based learning community. Sounds like my kind of community.

What particularly appeals about knowledge-building learning communities is how the learning is not confined to moments in time or to any particular organisation. The learning, indeed, is "co-created" by members who "work on living documents or databases of ideas." It is these real-time documents that illustrate a "changing record" of "shared minds" (Riel & Polin, 2004). This is most illustrated by the notion of gaining academic credentials "informally." In a networked world, as espoused by leading contributors like Siemens (2005), individuals can use networked learning methods to collaborate and support each other's research.

This idea has only recently been illuminated through an experience of complaining about NGL with my peers. As I shared my experiencing of drowning in the course requirements my peers were sharing their ways of coping. Paul shared how he was feeling "overwhelmed," and then Musette contributed her approach to handling the subject. She shared how setting "boundaries" and logging onto Feedly daily but only for 30 minutes to check "what's new." She also records her ideas, as they come across to her, on a "voice memo" app on her phone. I found this invaluable and incorporated her ideas into my practice.

Another peer, Brendon, ironically, one that I had said that I identified with the least, referred to one of my posts where he posed the question, "Are our teens becoming de-sensitised to ... significant issues, given the abundance of information present?" He highlights that there are many positives to NGL but also reminds us of the negatives, even though they are outweighed. Here we are commenting on how we see the networked learning environment impacting on our teaching and learning practice, and not only sharing our ideas but also contributing to the knowledge-base that exists on the practice.

The question that has arisen from my knowledge of networked learning-based communities of practice is whether people will be achieving credentials in a non-formal environment. Like I posed in an earlier post about the "badging" system of showing an individuals self-acquired knowledge and skills, and how individuals are now "identifying, adding, annotating, modifying, or extending" within a networked system where they are "making connections ... [as they are] searching, retrieving, and unpacking contributions" (Riel & Polin, 2004). Some are even acquiring informal PhDs! These communities, like I mentioned are not constrained by time or imposed institutional structures, making them organic, evolving communities.

Where does this knowledge leave me know? It propels me further in my journey from novice writer to becoming the master that I aspire to be. I now know that for me to become that master I must be engaged in a knowledge-based community in the real-world of writers who are further developing their craft. Perhaps, in my special way, I will contribute to this knowledge. It will also propel my efforts further as an educator, particularly in the role of learning coach, a field that I have been travelling along, absorbing information and applying in my own context but certainly not contributing to until now. :)

References:

Riel, M., & Polin, L. (2004). Online learning communities: Common ground and critical differences in designing technical environments. In S. A. Barab, R. Kling, & J. Gray (Eds.), Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning (pp. 16–50). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Work-life balance in a networked world?

One of the issues that has become paramount for me is the importance of having some "work-life" balance. This is the reason why I have chosen to work for myself, as friends and family are very important to me, and I've seen too many people leave this world with the regret of not spending time with those they love. I no longer believe that only working is going to lead to a life of fulfilment. However, I am wondering whether one can achieve balance, or at least some level of balance, if one is going to be active in an online world.

I began voicing my concerns about NGL and how the subject feels like I am enrolled full-time, when my son, who has his own Youtube channel, and spends an inordinate amount of time editing and creating videos, said: "Maybe the lecturer is trying to show you how the real-world of blogging is like. To keep on doing it without reward, and how you need to be persistent."

I had a think about this and yes, the real-world of blogging, or youtubing is a full-time affair, and if this was all that was being asked it would be okay as everyone would have their own approach on how active they were and how much time they would spend on each post, and how active they were in networks. I know I am not alone on this as some other course participants are also sharing how they are snowed under. On smart education network Mari writes that she is "desperately falling behind" and on Networked for Global Learning for Cystic Fibrosis the author writes that he or she (not sure of the gender as there is no name) is "feeling overwhelmed with the amount of information."

It is clear why this is happening. The course requirement is to not only create a blog and become an active blogger, it is also asking for students to read all the course materials, write blog posts about them, link with other bloggers, both within the course and outside of the course, and share any materials that he or she may have found on networked and global learning. All this and teach something the student wants to learn about it. The estimated time to be spent on each course is supposed to be 13 hours. However, even in my undergraduate degree this could be very skewed, particularly if you've got large projects to complete. Nevertheless, NGL is far beyond anything I have experienced before.

I am wondering whether this is an education degree phenomena. As a lecturer of first and second year Education students I noticed that the courses were overloaded. Many of my students were working either part-time or full-time and had a very difficult time keeping up with the course requirements. I spent the majority of my time answering emails or speaking to students over Skype trying to appease the situation. There was little I could do to change the workload, other than show what was most important, as I was not the core lecturer of the course, I merely delivered, designed some course materials and completed the majority of the marking.

As a student of NGL I am now experiencing what my students were going through. What is funny is that I chose to put myself in the same situation. What this experience poses for me is the question: Can one complete a Masters in education and still be a parent, partner, friend, business owner, runner, pet owner, ... and all the other things that we do other than our study?

Commenting on assessment in NGL

As a student of NGL I was asked to take a look at the criteria for the first assessment task and "edit and comment upon" the criteria. The lecturer provided the course participants with the opportunity to "clarify and co-create how Assignment 1 is marked." As I've already mentioned in a previous article, I think this process is great. It encourages autonomy and a feeling that the assessment is authentic.

Taking a look at the criteria has elucidated for me the level of connection that needs to be established not only with my peers, but also with other networks as well as the course materials, and not to mention the thought-provoking posts by David, the lecturer of the course. I have hit the same issue that Goksu highlights about there being so much already shared via Diigo and Feedly. She writes:

On the flip side I worry about how much has already been shared via our NGL tools and how I will possibly keep across it all and still get all my reading and tasks completed. I just keep telling myself that I simply cant read everything that everyone has shared. Diigo actually claims to help people overcome information overload – so its ironic that I am viewing it as a source of information overload!

I agree as I feel like I am in the same situation as Goksu. It does feel like there is so much to keep tabs on, particularly engaging with peer's posts and reading some of the information that is shared via Diigo. It is a valuable tool, as Goksu highlights, but it does provide a lot of information that takes time to go through. The response by David was a relief. He says to "experiment with Diigo and see how it works" but not to feel that we would need to keep up with everything. That sounds realistic, and authentic, as in the real-world of networks, in contrast to traditional forms of assessment, it wouldn't be realistic to keep up with everything. It certainly looks like this is accounted for in the criteria.

One of the questions that I do have is how the automated analysis works. As I am mostly commenting on student work using my private email rather than university email. Will the system still recognise me?

The uncertainty of networked learning

When I began NGL I thought the subject was going to be challenging but I did not anticipate the level that I am currently experiencing. The most challenging aspect is defeating the feelings of paralysis when I look at everything I have to do and how much I am behind. I feel like a cat that is being chased by a dog and has realised that there's no tree to run up, and therefore decides to lay down, play dead and let fate take its course. (Okay, dramatic, I know but the cat being chased metaphor is most powerful for me, partly because I chased them as a child, and witnessed many occasions a "playing dead" cat, but most of all because I now know how they felt.)

Although I have these feelings the ideals of the course and everything that I am learning and experiencing is propelling me forward. This is mostly due, I believe, because I have always been attracted to where the future of technology and innovation is heading. In fact, I've been navigating the Internet since 1998 and distinctly remember how exciting it was. I had purchased 40 megabytes of data and it was supposed to be "more than anyone would ever need." By day two I had already used it all up - $40 worth. The Internet usage wasn't due to reset for another twenty-eight days. It was only the days of dial-up but each page usually had at least one image. What I remember thinking was that I was only seeing the beginning of a phenomena where we would be eventually viewing everything on-line. However, I never envisaged that I would one day take an active role of contributing content on-line.

What I have learnt in NGL is that global networking, the type that emulates what is happening on the Internet, has not only been happening since the late 1990s. People have been networking in the "organisation of trade and innovation and in the development of ideas" for centuries (Goodyear, 2000). What this dispersion of ideas led to was the "reduction of the costs of access to useful knowledge." I think this is what I found most fascinating about the Internet when I first began using it, everything was mostly free to access and provided one with information that he or she could not find in his or her "strong ties" (Goodyear, 2000). What is now prevalent to me is that the sharing of ideas enables is the integration of theory and practice, without which there would have been no industrial revolution or technological era, and definitely no information era.

This is particularly due to the growth of Web 2.0 capabilities, tools and practices (Goodyear, 2000). There has been a shift from "consumption to production, remixing and sharing," something that I am even seeing myself do. This has proliferated due to the platforms being free. The trend I find most fascinating is the MOOC phenomenon. The offering of Massive Open Online Courses for free. At first I thought, oh no, if education is being offered for free, then what will happen to teachers and how will they get by if people can receive their education for free, particularly as I was working in the higher education sector at the time. However, learning that it is "rare for completion rates to exceed 10%" I realised that it was and still is at the very early stages. What I am interested in is the differences between the cMOOCs and xMOOCs. The former is distinguished by its emphasis on "knowledge creation and generation" whereas the latter emphasises the traditional "knowledge duplication" that has been so prevalent in conventional education. I do like the idea of creating your own knowledge in connection with others rather than being a passive recipient who merely emulates what is already there. I felt that my undergraduate degree in education definitely did the latter.

What I find amazing is the idea that "more will change in the next 10 years than has changed in the last 10" (Goodyear, 2000). It makes me realise that NGL is preparing me for this change, an era of uncertainty and unrivalled productivity. Rather than see a linear pathway, as I have experienced throughout education for most of my life, I am now navigating down a non-linear path that is the "road less travelled" but an exciting road nevertheless.

References:

Goodyear, P. (2014). Productive Learning Networks: The Evolution of Research and Practice. In L. Carvalho & P. Goodyear (Eds.), The Architecture of Productive Learning Networks (pp. 23–47). London: Routledge.

Being an "extrovert" in an online world

The idea of being "connected" to others is very appealing to an extrovert. (As much as I hate labels this dichotomy seems to exist). I love the idea of being able to share my ideas with others and learn from them. However, what I am finding is that in an on-line world, where it can take some time to become connected, the extrovert, in contrast to the introvert, will struggle with the "silence."

I'm not saying that I'm not connected via social media, such as Facebook, Google+ and even LinkedIn, however, in contrast to blogging, all these formats do not involve real engagement with your ideas and they are usually with people you have met in real-life. Any interaction is often short and sweet and does not require too much sustained thought. As I thrive on conversation, the sharing of ideas and the opportunity to explore new ways of seeing the world, in the blogging world, much like the writing world, one can feel like he or she is in an echo chamber - hearing only their own voice...

My son, who is definitely an introvert, has his own Youtube channel and is very active on not only Youtube but also a large number of gaming forums. When I ask him how he feels he says he feels like he is part of the "You-tubing community." He says that he gets a lot of support, and although there is the occasional "troll" or "flamer" the community is proactive and are very ready to share their ideas and creative output.

My other son, who is pretty much a carbon copy of me, spends a lot of his time talking via Skype whilst playing games or navigating the web. He is much more social in his approach and finds gaming only interesting if he "can talk." The contrast between them both illustrates to me the challenge of being on-line for the extrovert. I think it is the same challenge that faces extroverted writers, who only make a small minority of the writing community.

This is one of the fundamental challenges that I am facing on this journey of becoming connected. Some of us may enjoy being on-line and not need as much conversation whereas others see that it is important but not as much. 

I think as I engage further into this journey I will take the advice of Sarah on her blog Yatopia. As an extrovert, she writes, we need to "fake it" till we make it. This includes blogging with other's in our company and sharing what we are blogging (writing) with friends and family.

I can do that! :)

A sea of information: run!

One of the things that continues to take my breath away when learning within on-line networks is just when you think (and I'm sure that some of you may relate even just a little) that you're progressing, a sudden tsunami-like wave of information feels like it is looming on the horizon and there is the biggest temptation to duck and hide until the deluge subsides.

Of course the temptation abates and you continue swimming through the influx that wasn't even a tsunami, it was more like a giant wave at the beach, or something a lot less life threatening! Although you still thrash about you eventually do manage to begin free-styling your way through. The key word being eventually. ;)

What I am beginning to realise is we are living in a different era, one that does not reflect the seemingly calm waters of television, educational institutions and traditional media that I grew up in. I never for a second felt that there was an abundance of information with a plethora of gateways. It was either reruns of Mash or a whole day of sport. Not any more. I asked my sixteen year old what he thought of my evaluation and he laughed and said: "There's not enough!" For a moment I thought he was kidding but he continued: "There will probably be too much after 100 years but the Internet hasn't been around long enough to be too much."

This makes sense as all my sons have ever known is the world wide web and I, not only they, cannot even imagine what it was like before. Although I find it exciting and am forever grateful for all the access I have, as I think boredom will definitely be a thing of the past (at least for me), I do sometimes feel like there is so much to look at, read, view, and navigate through that it can seem like there are endless possibilities.

What I have found as a voice validating my experience is a talk by Professor George Siemens at the University of the Sunshine Coast. In "Connecting learners: technology, change and higher education," which was shared via Goksu Dines, a peer of mine's, blog (http://ggdines.wordpress.com/). Siemens put up the quote that the "21st century is a terrible time to be a control freak." I immediately laughed as I could see it happening within the schooling system for many years. There is a constant attempt to control learning. Although this may have worked in the past, when schooling was more entertaining that being at home, well, it was in my case. Now, young people, at least, find school to be "boring."

Siemens also talks about how there is a grand narrative that asserts "learning is a wonderfully smooth process of running through meadows." "No," he asserts, "learning is violent." The paradigm shifts and "restructuring" of neuro-pathways, or of just conventional ways of thinking causes the learner to initially feel "frustrated" or "irritated." (I know I have certainly felt the former.) However, he says, when the learner persists he or she will become active "sense-makers," meaning connected individuals who contribute to learning rather than "duplicate" what is known.

I don't think the drowning feeling will forever go away but at least I know now that I am definitely not alone in navigating this open sea.

Learning like a Master: the "most powerful tool you can ever grasp"

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Neither had I until I viewed a TEDx talk by Barbara Oakley called "Learning how to learn." Anything that teaches you how to learn in a more productive and time efficient way, I thought, is always welcomed, particularly as I had began to master the art of procrastinating rather than the art that was my passion.

The idea of Mastering something has always been alluring, and no, being a Procrastination Master is not one of my goals, however good I may be at it. :D Oakley, a Professor of Engineering at Coursera, a massive open online course provider, speaks about what causes procrastination. Rather than blame the individual and label them as "lazy" or "unmotivated," she highlights how when we procrastinate, whether it is from doing our homework, chores or yes, even writing a novel, we have created a habit of avoiding the initial discomfort. What we need to learn, she says, is that the "pain" of doing the activity always goes away once we begin.

I have found that to be true every time. Once I get started I go into "The Zone." Oakley calls this the "focus mode." A mode where you deeply immerse yourself in an activity, in contrast to the "diffuse mode," a relaxed mode that enables you to see the issue or problem rather than being "stuck" on the problem. If one was to stay focused all the time we would be less productive because we would not allow creative thoughts to arise, therefore, we need to also go into the diffuse mode.

The Pomodoro Technique entails the learner using a timer for 25 minutes of "focused attention." After the time has elapsed the individual is to do something "fun," something they enjoy. This strategy is a way of conditioning your brain to begin enjoying the process, particularly as you anticipate the rewards that will follow. I can see this strategy working for me and have already tried it this morning. My fun activity was having a chat with my one of my son's whilst overlooking the Gold Coast. 

What I love about researchers like Oakley is the way they see learning as being pivotal to nurturing human potential. She says that to build mastery of the material, we, regardless of who we are, need to "combine practice with repetition in a variety of circumstances." Only when we practice do we gain "true mastery." She concludes that this is why "learning how to learn is the most powerful tool [we] can ever grasp." I think so too.

What strategies for getting through procrastination, or resistance, do you use?

What have I learned in NGL?

What has been most illuminating on my journey in NGL, and in my learning journey at this stage of my life, is the importance of learning something that one feels most drawn towards, almost like a "calling" or something that the learner feels puts them in the "zone."

I feel this way when I am writing or creating something that expresses who I am. Whether it is a resource for my learners to help them write in a particular way, or constructing a piece of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, I feel completely absorbed in the activity, losing track of time and space, almost like someone in love, losing all sight of my worldly existence.

What I have learnt, particularly over the last few years as I have been on a search to find out who I am and what I value the most, is that I seem to be "gifted" in writing across the spectrum, from essay writing to painting entire landscapes through the use of imagery. Indeed, I align with Chekhov's expression, albeit slightly modified, that "non-fiction" is my wife and "fiction" is my lover. I love this expression for it illustrates the nature of learning. We may learn for necessity, as in learning some aspects of a profession or craft that we may not really love but it is necessary to know, or we may learn because we want to know, such as learning about a craft in order to pursue an area that truly provides fulfilment.

One of the most profound insights I have also had is the concept of Personal Knowledge Mastery (PKM). Harold Jarche outlines it as a "set of processes" that helps individuals stay connected in the network era, regardless of their employment status. What I found particularly appealing was the emphasis on individual autonomy and becoming a "master" of one's craft, a craft that is "not directed by external forces," or requiring "management." It is a craft that is developed by the individual because it is in accordance with his or her "abilities, interests and motivation." It is this deeply personal aspect that then enables the individual to acquire the knowledge needed to understand the information and act upon it." Only then can the individual become a "sense-maker" and a "sharer of knowledge." This, as espoused by Jarche, is my aspiration and is what drew me to education in the first place. I wanted, and still do, to be a sharer of knowledge.

One of the goals of NGL, and of my Masters in Learning and Development with USQ, is to "develop an appropriate PKM process" so that I can "continue using it after the course has long completed." This was my major concern before pursuing the Masters. I did not want to engage in a degree that would provide me with endless theory only to have me writing at a more sophisticated level, stuck as a lone voice in an "ivory tower," but not preparing me to be an active contributor to the future of learning and development, particularly in a rapidly changing landscape. Based on my experiences so far I believe I have chosen a degree that will nurture my aspirations, whichever direction I may go.

References:

Downes, S. (2011). “Connectivism” and Connective Knowledge. Retrieved April 09, 2011, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-downes/connectivism-and-connecti_b_804653.html

Me as learner

The subject NGL has inspired me to write my first novel. Although I already have some ideas on what I would like to write about, and have created a rough outline of a possible plot, and began writing the introduction, as all budding writers do, I believed that over the next few months I would need to leave the creative writing dream on the proverbial "backburner" and begin again during the Christmas holidays. Luckily, this was not so and I am able to pursue my passion for writing whilst also completing my Masters. I couldn't ask for anything more; feels almost providential.

To write a novel one needs to have acquired not only effective writing skills but also a deep understanding of all the elements that combine to make a novel worthwhile reading. There are all the things from having real-world characters that the reader wants to learn more about to creating a world that is immersive, tantalising to the senses and illustrates some fundamental truths about life. To do all these things a writer needs to learn the tools of the trade, and the only way I can learn these tools is by becoming actively engaged with the novel writing community, which is massive.

I heard a writer the other day, and I'm not sure where, say that 80% of people want to write their own novel. I'm not so convinced about this percentage but what I do know is that it takes time and effort to master any skill, and I have the love of literature, particularly of writing, to see me through, even the darkest times... I've realised that regardless of where this venture leads me, it will improve my writing skills and will illustrate to me how to become actively engaged into a community of practice.

Due to the large community of writers on the web I know I will have no difficulties in meeting with like-minded writers, or obtaining the knowledge to write an engaging novel. My concern is the sheer magnitude of information that is available and how to navigate my way through. I need to be discerning in what I read and how I use that information to guide the creation of my craft. I also want to ensure that I credit particular writers and sources accurately and not be a, and dare I say it, an "Internet parasite!" Although there are challenges my passion for learning and sharing my love of ideas is what will enable me to overcome any potential hurdles.

What I'm grateful is the opportunity to engage in what I love. I really believe that the subject NGL has provided me with an avenue to do this. Initially I thought it was giving me the "permission" to learn a craft that I want to take beyond my engagement with the course. However, I now realise that rather than providing permission, NGL is illuminating the importance of learners learning what they most want or need to learn. This realisation has been the most powerful.