Conversation Points:Trends in Technology & Society

Dr. Alec CourosUniversity of Regina

me

The Blur

“Web 2.0 tools exist that might allow academics to reflect and reimagine what they do as scholars. Such tools might

positively affect -- even transform - research, teaching, and service responsibilities - only if scholars choose to build

serious academic lives online, presenting semi-public selves and becoming invested in and connected to the work of their peers and students.” (Greenhow, Robella, & Hughes, 2009)

context

enablers

Social Tools

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9119028@N05/591163479/

@jonmott

Free/Open Content

Access

Age of Networks

http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scriptingnews/2699829038/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scriptingnews/2699829038/sizes/l/

quick stats (2009)

• 90 trillion emails sent annually from 1.4 billion email users

• 234 million websites

• 1.73 billion Internet users

• 126 millions blogs

• 350 million Facebook users

• 4 billion images on Flickr

• 1 billion Youtube videos served daily.

Stats as of Jan 22/10 via Royal Pingdom

affordances

Networked Learning

Personalization

Shifting Roles

Private Public

Closed Open

practice

“Understanding how networks work is one of the most important

literacies of the 21st century.”(Rheingold, 2010)

real time collaboration

Guiding Principles

• Open access, low-cost.

• Rethink space/interaction (walled gardens, open spaces)

• Learning spaces controlled and/or owned by students.

• Tagging, aggregation, & other info literacies.

• Advocacy/integration/use/creation of/for FOSS & open content wherever possible & when beneficial to learning.

• Pedagogy focused more on connecting & interactions; content important, but secondary.

• Development of sustainable, long-term, learning connections.

location of mentors

“The course ... has been the most profound pd experience Iʼve ever had. It forced me to critique & review my practice. I never knew how important social networks

were. Now, I couldnʼt be a teacher without being connected. Itʼs drastically changed my view of education.”

moving forward

“We need to move beyond the idea that education is something

that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education

is something that we create ourselves.”

(Downes, 2010)

web: couros.catwitter: courosagoogle: couros

couros@gmail.com