Connective Tissue and Information

I came to this week's CCK11 Elluminate session knowing that connective tissue is, simply put, that which holds our body together. I take my connective tissue for granted most days. Don't we all? But, if you think of it, it would be impossible to exist without it since it "supports, anchors, and connects" the different parts of our bodies, while providing flexibility and order. The more we exercise our connective tissue (bones, tendons and ligaments), the stronger it gets.

Thomas Vander Wal used this analogy to kick off his presentation called Information and Its Connective Tissue so it was easy to see where he was headed with it. Vander Wal suggested that the "connective tissue" of the informational variety includes:

• hyperlinks (direct connection to source of information)
• systems and software (the structured options available for doing our work - i.e., social software (micro-blogs and blogs), wikis, shared media, social bookmarking as well as personal tools for files (Dropbox, etc))
• workflow (how we access and organize information - i.e., delicious)
• metadata (the info we add to files (i.e., tags) and the aggregation of things that are alike)

 In regards to metadata, I learned about folksonomy, which was a new term for me and illustrated by Vander Wal here:

In our session, Vander Wal clarified that the "object" in this diagram refers to the thing that is being tagged.
The "identity" is the person who tagged that object and "metadata" is the tag being used on the object.

So, the beauty of the folksonomy concept is that if I label or tag something a certain way based on the meaning it has for me, and you do the same, we may find that we learn a lot from each other. But, I don't filter, connect and tag things for you. First and foremost, I do it for myself using vocabulary/terms/tags that add meaning based on how I've understood the information so that I can access this all at my leisure, in an organized fashion. But because it is usually stored in a social environment (meaning that it is shared and open to others) we, who think and label similarly, might find each other through what we are mutually tagging as valuable or interesting.

Sound a bit pedestrian? Well it is! After all, folksonomy is a way for the common person to classify things on their own terms...and sometimes this means missing out on great information due to some odd categorization choices, typos, and spelling mistakes. Yes, there's a lot of what Cory Doctorow bitterly describes as megacrap out there! But remember, what really matters in folksonomy (as I understand it), is how I've chosen to tag and store objects for my personal growth so if I want to spell something incorrectly, that's my system and my prerogative.

I read that in our bodies, connective tissue also has the important function of separating different groups of cells, so to take Vander Wal's analogy further: this course is all about making connections as you organize information, but in so doing you sometimes also have to insist on separating things out as you try to make sense of the chaos.

As I move forward in CCK11, I resolve to exercise my connective tissue in an attempt to strengthen it and in so doing, develop my folksonomical side. That can't possibly be a word. Or can it? It might just be the perfect label for all the thoughts currently going on in my head. Tag! You're it, folksonomical!

Chaotic Connectivism: A Confession

During our first live Elluminate session in CCK11 this past week, some program participants referred to the chaos in the course. Numerous people jumped right in on that word and after repeatedly referring to this chaos, I started to feel really badly for our facilitators, George Siemens and Stephen Downes. The participants were being so insulting. Why were they ganging up on them already in Week 1? How terrible as facilitators to find that people are finding the course so chaotic. Tough crowd! I had actually thought it was all quite chaotic too, but I didn't want to make them feel badly so kept my mouth shut.

WELL......, THEN I DID MY READINGS!!! It turns out that chaos is the theme running through all the Week 1 readings. Oops. I read that chaos is the science of all things being connected to each other. I learned that chaos is at the heart of connectivism where ideas and information fluidly abound and where things are unpredicatable....but where meaning also exists. It is our job to make our way through this chaos and find the hidden patterns that exist there.

So, George and Stephen - kudos to you for offering this very chaotic course. I totally get it now (well, not totally).

Mucking Through the MOOC

I spent this week mucking about the MOOC that will be my main event for the next 12 weeks as I participate in the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course (CCK11) I've registered for through the University of Manitoba . I learned that MOOC stands for "massive open online course" and that besides the 20 or so participants in my for-credit group, the course would be open (and free!) to the rest of the world.

My understanding so far is that by making a course open, students have to evaluate and assess what is relevant or of interest rather than this being dictated by someone at the top. The result should end up being meaningful learning using the material, tools and technology that can best make that happen for the individual. The true test will be if my learning ends up being meaningful. Although, come to think of it, the meaning I take from it will only be a test of MYSELF and how well I engaged with others, with the materials out there, and with my own learning.

In a "scrap the structure" course, I really need to redefine how I organize things. Or is the very point that I don't have to redefine my organization skills but rather organize this exactly the way I want?  If so, then, really, isn't everyone a winner in a MOOC?

The group of for-credit students was feeling overwhelmed this week. Almost immediately, we came together in Google Groups to ensure we had a comfortable place in which to consult with each other, regroup...and breathe. This isn't to say that we wanted to shut out the rest of the participants (and we aren't doing that at all); it's more that we are still comfortable in smaller groupings...a safe, more intimate place to make sure we are on the right track. (It seems funny to talk about the intimacy I feel with a group I just met online last week!). I am excited to start making sense of some of this...

Dave Cormier's video here is helpful in defining what a MOOC is.

My Personal Learning Environment As I See It (for now)

Oh wow! What a process this has been. How you you take something you do so subconsciously and make it into something cognitive? I have changed how I want to portray myself as a learner in my personal learning environment (PLE) multiple times and I suspect that, like the diagram, my PLE will constantly evolve. So, here I am, needing to commit to one of my designs and formats.

First, the picture:

I started off using CMAP, but got really tired of seeing so many little boxes all of the page. I tried Bubbl.us and Creately and experienced a learning curve with each of those as well. But when it came time to really buckle down and finalize my PLE, I couldn't seem to accomplish my vision, so I went back to my tried-and-true powerpoint format tonight and then saved it as a JPEG.

By exploring the other tools, I felt like a child in a sandbox...including the part where they have a hissy-fit and knock down the sandcastle before rebuilding it. That is the best way I can describe what a process this has been. And so it is that I present you with my PLE today - the result of at least 3 of those hissy fits and multiple reconstructed "castles" (of which I'm the queen, I might add).

The description:

My PLE starts with me in the middle. Within the circle, there are 4 clouds which represent what I want/need to do and what kind of technology I use to accomplish that.

Want Information?
Google searches and Wikipedia are how I start the bulk of my research, taking the information gathered with a healthy dose of skeptism. I get carried away with these searches and it can eat up a lot of my time, but in the process I do end up learning a lot (related or unrelated to my original search). My searches connect me to YouTube videos and podcasts. Being newer to del.icio.us, I use it mainly to find web bookmarks as opposed to storing and sharing. I would like to expand my use of del.icio.us over the coming months.

Want to Share?
After researching educational uses for Twitter for my mid-term presentation, I am spending time sharing grammar tips with my followers via Twitter. While the 140-character limit initially annoyed me, I am now finding it refreshing that the tips have to be so concise. I find I use the retweet function a lot because there are experts out there who can perhaps say it better, and I figure why not share their words with my followers too (why reinvent the wheel?). I am quite new to Google docs but have started using it to collaborate with my colleagues, and my students and I tend to send Word documents back and forth. I also share pictures via flickr and thoughts through my blogs and find others share with me that way too.

Want to Connect?
Connecting is very valuable to me. Since I teach online for 30 hours of my week, I need to find ways to feel connected with the outside world in general, with our team of instructors, and with my students. As archaic as it may sound, email is still one of my top connecting tools. I like having a record of the information that my colleagues pass back and forth via email. Skype is another favourite of mine, with both colleagues and students. It is continually improving its features and I am pretty content to keep using it as long as it continues to meet my needs. I have connected with my University of Manitoba classmates through ivocalize, enjoying my first cups of coffee on Saturday mornings as we enter into stimulating discussions on the topic for the week. Oovoo and WiZiQ have been good platforms for connecting with my peers and my hope is that WiZiQ will house an online workshop some peers and I are organizing in Manitoba this winter. It is exciting to me that we can invite Nik Peachey to conduct a workshop using technology instead of buying him a plane ticket. I keep abreast of people's activities and ideas via Twitter, and that helps keep me connected, as does Facebook, although I think I've mentioned in previous discussions that I am a lurker. I still see Facebook as getting me connected; even if I don't participate much, I learn a lot about friends I have been too busy to see.

Want to Reflect?
Writing my thoughts down is the most effective way for me to reflect. I discover things about my thought/learning process when I blog about it. I really like using blogger for this purpose and keep a variety of separate blogs for a different purposes.

So, that covers what is inside the circle in my PLE. I felt it was important to add all the ways I learn when I disconnect myself from technology so that is what you see outside of the circle. I am attached to technology for work (30 hours), run the household by email, and relax by writing on the fun, personal blog only close friends and family can access . Over the years, I have struggled to find balance and have pushed myself to go offline more. Instead of having online discussions with colleagues and students, I am challenging myself to add some face-to-face meetings into the mix. I learn from interacting with my family and friends at the dinner table, over a coffee date, and at my book club. I really enjoy good old fashioned finger-licking, page-turning books and newspapers.

There are so many ways to learn and my PLE will continue to reflect that. The process of analyzing how I learn has been an eye-opening continuous process. In fact, I just had a few more ideas on what I should change and a few more tools I could add.

When will it end?

The point is, it won't. After all, I am a lifelong learner.

Tools of Interaction

One of my favourite synchronous tools for interacting with my students is Skype. I do a text-based Skype session with my class every week as a way to practice the skills taught in the lessons (housed on our website). I think it's fantastic because the students get immediate feedback on errors and can save the chat for future review. The system I use for correction is to simply use their name in parenthesis with the corrected statement, and this doesn't interrupt the flow of the class at all, but they can look at the saved chat later to analyze their errors.

I have been using Skype video as well when there are just two of us (a limitation of Skype is that you can only use video for two people at a time) and I like that when there is a misunderstanding, I can type a word, phrase of reference instead of interrupting.

I also like putting a face to the name of the students in my class. My students role play in groups of 3 using Skype audio and I find the ability for a nurse in Israel to connect with nurses in Winnipeg very rewarding. I declare my presence by regularly changing the phrase or comment beside my name, using it also to announce the chat time for the week.

So, as you can see, we depend heavily on the variety of options offered through Skype to teach the material and keep us connected. The feedback from students regarding Skype is very positive. We have tried WiZiQ and are currently trying ooVoo, which have the advantage of video for 6 people at once. Somehow, we keep going back to Skype though (our comfort food, perhaps?)

It may not be original or fascinating, but the asynchronous tool I like most is the discussion board on our website. I tell the students to think of it as an extension of my living room and encourage them to visit it frequently. I am impressed by the learning which takes place as people read and respond to each other's postings. It keeps people happy, connected, and part of a community which can gather 24-hours per day, 7 days per week. This is a far cry from the two afternoons per week that I used to see my class, with no communication in between (yes, I'm that old).

The simple combination of Skype and a discussion board has resulted in (what I see as) a successful online program where students feel they are being seen and heard no matter where they live, and are part of a learning process that will lead to their professional success as nurses in Manitoba.

Mmmm.....delicious!

This week had my mouth watering for more with my creation of a delicious account this week and started to get familiar with tagging and organizing resources. It's a great content tool with the benefit of being able to easily share resources with others and link to Twitter and other connective tools. The combination of easily being able to organize content and then ship what is relevant to my learners is ideal.

I used up a lot of time figuring out delicious and searching for content to add to my categories. One thing kept leading to another....and you know how it goes. The good news is that with a good information management system, I can now share my organization of knowledge with those interested. I added some resources to my account.

Because I had saved 3 of my classmate's resources and they have the same tags, they show up there on my list now too but I want to give him the credit for finding them. This raises the question - can you credit someone for finding a great collection of resources? It would be nice if that were the case; otherwise, simply by clicking the "save" beside someone's link makes it look like I did the research and found something great...as if I wrote the "research paper" (=compiled and connected info in one place). Food for thought.

Twitter - Love it or Hate it?

I am working on my mid-term presentation for my Emerging Technologies course right now. My focus is on Twitter and how it can be used to teach effectively. I must confess, I am skeptical about this but I really do want to know what all the fuss is about. How can something so fun and seemingly "fluffy" and social be used as a teaching tool?

Here's what I hate about Twitter before looking into this:

1. it seems to be a lot of "pointless babble" that is hard to follow
2. it is text-based
3. there is a 140-character restriction

I will keep you posted as to whether or not I join forces with the 100 million Twitterati out there.