CCK09 Aims and Objectives

Following on my last post about the upcoming open Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course, I’d like to take some time to consider and articulate the aims and objectives I have for the course this time around.

Building on the past

As mentioned previously, when I first dove into CCK08 last September I did so with a very poor understanding of many of the learning theories and concepts underlying the course.  This included fundamental ideas like Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, Networked Learning, activities such as mind-mapping, and perhaps even the overall landscape in which the discussions were occurring.

Not surprisingly most of my energy went into exploring what these concepts were, and in turn how they related to (or conflicted with) elements of Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.

This time around I’m feeling much more confident and would like to approach the course from a slightly different angle that encompasses both some review and more in-depth exploration of previous ideas, but also an exploration of what their implications are in other areas.

Additionally, there were a few concepts last time around regarding neural connections that completely escaped me and I just could not get my head around (no pun intended).  I’d like to ensure I thoroughly understand these concepts by the end of the course.

A bullet-point list of objectives is included at the end of this post (and is expected to change and grow as I think of more things).

Learning Networks

In particularly though I’d like to spend far more time observing Connectivism and network growth as it exists in reality and develops in practice.  Using the example of students in the course, and the informal networks and cohorts that emerge is a key opportunity in that respect.

At this stage I’m uncertain about the best way to approach this objective though, since my experiences last time around showed that gaining a holistic view of who was in the course and what they were doing was a virtually impossible task given the size, diversity and distribution of the student population and the environments in which they interacted.  Nonetheless, the opportunity to observe the evolution of learning networks in reality, analyse their nature and dynamics and ultimately their strengths and weaknesses is a significant one.

Implications for Alternative Learning Models

One of the key areas of interest I have regarding Connectivism, Networked Learning and Rhizomatic Knowledge is their implications for alternative models of learning and education.  What I didn’t mention last time is that my family are homeschoolers (natural learners/unschoolers to be specific), and I therefore have a vested interest in exploring models and theories that afford learners the opportunity to explore, discover and interpret on their own terms according to their own schedules.

From observation of my kids and their networks, I see a number of similarities between the natural learning model and the theories we discussed previously concerning nodes, ties, the distributed nature of knowledge, even power laws.  I would therefore like to explore ways that these ideas might be factored into (or otherwise inform) facilitation in order to best empower natural learners, homeschoolers and learners from other alternative models – and essentially how best to help learners establish, maximise and explore their own learning styles.

Of course empowering learners and helping them help themselves is core to all learning models though.

Connecting in Filtered Environments

Arguably on the other end of the spectrum, I would also like to explore and discuss ways through while people can connect in regulated, restricted environments.  An unfortunate trend in education in Australia these days seems to be the habit of locking people out of online spaces in the name of security and safety, despite interest and learning opportunities to the contrary.

There is tremendous interest in exploring innovative opportunities for learning and teaching amongst teachers and students in these controlled environments, so exploring ways to work around the filters – and make the most of a restricted system – would be a worthwhile discussion to have.

These aims and objects are of course my personal ones and many may not be particularly relevant for the course, however they will nonetheless things I’m thinking about and exploring during the course of the session.

List of Aims and Objectives

• Review and pursue a more in-depth understanding of Connectivism & Connective Knowledge and related subject matter
• Develop a better understanding of neural connections
• Explore the implications of Connectivism for alternative forms of education
• Using the example of the students in the course, observe and analyse the nature of learning networks in practice, including how they form, why they form, the nature of the dynamics and relationships within them, and their apparent strengths and weaknesses
• Observe the different forms of social media used to connect and engage, evaluate how it is being used, and assess its relative effectiveness in supporting the learning process
• Explore ways to engage and connect in locked-down environments where sites are filtered and access to some/many online environments and applications is restricted.