Social evolution - past, present, and future

Originally published to eBridge on Thursday 21 June 2012

As a result of taking part in Harold Jarche's PKM course and connecting with him on Google+, I came across this fascinating video by David Ronfeldt (2012). He describes how our complex society can be regarded as being composed of four distinct forms of organisation: Tribes, Institutions, Markets and Networks (T-I-M-N). Each form brings benefits for survival and cultural development, but can lead to its own problems.

It got me thinking about the current problems in the education sector, and how recent suspensions of examiners (Orr, 2011) seem to imply that market pressures are leading some education providers to indulge in unfair and illegal practices. Whilst I can comfortably (I hope!) say that no faults are to be found within my organisation, it's an ongoing concern. As a matter of fact my current project is to produce anti-bribery e-learning to complement our policies.

Earlier today I noticed an article on MSN news (link here - the story is evolving as I write this!) which initially disclosed details about a leaked document, in which Michael Gove was apparently laying out plans to axe GCSEs, re-institute something similar to the old O-levels, and bring all secondary education under a single exam board. Now apart from my concern for my own (and my colleagues') future employment, it struck me as being very much counter to the progression that Ronfeldt describes. Here we have problems caused by market being fixed by institutions? I'm glad to see that the Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily to this document, hopefully shooting it down in flames before it can take hold!

So what next? I came across this concept by participating in a network, so perhaps the answers are out there waiting....

References:

• Orr, J. (2011).  Exam boards: examiners suspended in 'corrupt practices' row.  The Telegraph Online  [online] 8 December.  Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/8943300/Exam-boards-examiners-suspended-in-corrupt-practices-row.html> [Accessed 21 June 2012]
• Ronfeldt, D. (2012).  TIMN in 20 minutes: social evolution — past, present, and future.  [video online]  Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBulH9_04vc&feature=player_embedded> [Accessed 21 June 2012

Personal Knowledge Management

Originally published to eBridge on Wednesday 13 June 2012

I've managed to find a solution to my problems - I hope! I've got started on Harold Jarche's online course, and I've been thinking about the Seek - Sense - Share model that he presents for producing actionable knowledge from the vast amount of information available on the web. In particular the sharing aspect, particularly with people outside of the original group, gives us a greater chance of being able to find it again, not only because it's in multiple locations (helpful if one of them degrades!) but we've also made important decisions about what to share and how.

Decision making is a vital aspect of learning more deeply, and I'm hoping to bring this into future designs of learning resources, particularly as I've been asked to get involved with some anti-bribery e-learning. The banality of compliance e-learning has been rearing its head in the background for some time, but now I feel ready to take on the beast with a new perspective. I could throw a stream of information and multiple choice questions at learners, but I've come to know better than expecting mere information recall!

Asking people to make decisions and seeing believable feedback can help to make the desired behaviours come more instinctively. Ask people to become experts in quoting rules back at you and they'll either switch off straight away, or develop bad ideas about how to use them because they haven't got the time to become an expert on the subject. Either way you're hitting the limit of time that they have to pay attention to you, which is either little or zero. If you can get them to make a few decisions within an engaging scenario, perhaps a little of the desired message will really stick, perhaps they'll even come back for a second helping - one can only hope!

Keep an eye out for the PKM course running again and remember that it's not just the raw material on the course that counts, but the opportunity to connect with people from across the world.

'Chance favours the connected mind' (Steven Johnson)

Remembering, forgetting, trying to find, failing

Originally published to eBridge on Thursday 7 June 2012

Our current workshop of giving feedback and formative assessment to fellow students brought back an echo of some previous discussions from this course, somewhere in the first module I think. The question arose as to how much students should be required to take part in forum discussions, as opposed to lurking. At present I can't seem to find the relevant discussion, and my blog from that module appears to have got scrambled somehow (perhaps I should make a back-up in future?).

However I do think I finally have some concrete ideas on how to promote participation in discussion as a result of this workshop. The gamified assessment system could use a little work and is perhaps better suited to use for beginners, as identified by participants, but I think the elements could be used to instil behaviours that have helped myself and others to successfully engage in constructivist learning.

Does it matter if I find the original discussion? Is it enough that the themes still persist in my mind 18 months into the course and that I still care enough to answer those questions?

Should I stop writing and go to bed....

Background reading

Originally published to eBridge on Wednesday 23 May 2012

I've started reading a new book this week: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction

by Karl Kapp. It should prove to be an interesting read - the foreword alone has got thoughts racing through my head! There are plenty of factors in common with other books on the subject that I have read lately, such as McGonigal (2011), about aspects of human motivation (which Kapp himself has written about in detail) that persist throughout the ages, and suggest that the recurring cycle of economic depressions may be evidence that humanity is pursuing the wrong dream for happiness, not to mention financial well-being!

References:

• Kapp, K. (2012).  The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education.  San Francisco: Pfeiffer
• McGonigal, J. (2011).  Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.  New York: The Penguin Press

Game on!

Originally posted to eBridge on Sunday 20 May 2012

Let the games begin ... it's time for the workshop that Adrian and myself prepared on games and gamification for learning. After Hannah and Mohammed's workshop, it will be interesting to see how everyone keeps up the peer feedback that we have started to investigate. I'll also be interested to see if people find the gamified assessment system to be helpful or not - I certainly found it helpful to break the given assessment system down into a set of easily described behaviours that can contribute towards it.

A year of blogging

Originally published to eBridge on Monday 30 April 2012

On the subject of blogs, I've realised that my personal blog will be one year old tomorrow! Keeping a blog that's publically visible is an interesting experience, especially when it starts to attract attention, such as featuring on Jane Hart's top 100 articles of 2011, and getting mentioned on the back of conferences such as the Learning & Skills Group and Forward Thinking. I've been a little lax in making entries of late, partly from a sense of 'where do I go from here?' I think getting such a level of exposure has made me too self-conscious of what I write and put a mental block in place, so I've decided to start writing a bit about my archery teaching to make it fun for myself again.

More thoughts on the value of blogging

Originally published to eBridge on Monday 23 April 2012

Watching through a video on the use of blogs for Hannah & Mohammed's workshop has made me realise I've been Away From Keyboard (AFK) here for far too long! It's interesting to highlight how blogs can feed several of the key factors in learning (Race, 2010). Not only does it give reflective students a chance to capture their thoughts, but laying them open to comment gives us the benefit of feedback. Since we all love a pat on the back (assuming of course our peers are being positive!) that in turn increases the want to learn factor. By explaining our thoughts to others, we are in a sense making our first attempts to teach what we have learned. So, can they be an effective tool for assessment? Of course!  I think the key is to have clear goals of what we are learning, and how we will apply it in the real world ... got some thoughts popping into my head already so this task is definitely working - consider that a pat on the back for Hannah & Mohammed!

References:

• Race, P. 2010, Making Learning Happen: A Guide for Post-Compulsory Education. 2^nd ed. Sage.
• Using Blogs for peer feedback and discussion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4HLGRzhWBs

Philosophical interlude

Originally posted to eBridge on Sunday 25 March 2012

'I now say to myself that the greater part of conscious

thinking must be counted among the instinctive functions'

Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Perhaps I'm being a little random here, but is there a certain parallel between this statement and depth of learning? We often overload ourselves with facts in our conceptions of what it means to learn, but unless those facts translate into practical action, what good has the 'learning' done us? Can we even be said to have learned it, or have our working memories managed to capture words and spit them back out as a parrot might?

If our assessment of our own work is to have any real meaning, we must consider for ourselves what actions may come from it. What good is it that we create a poster, or talk over our collaborative work, if we do not define actions that we desire to take based upon our new understanding? Simply maintaining the status quo in assessment is not enough, in fact reinforcing existing errors in the digital context will lead us only to faster iteration of those errors. Not something that a Masters degree should lead one to do I think.

During the course of this module I will be involved in setting up our new talent management approach - an assessment of sorts I suppose but traditionally a very subjective and individual one. Everybody within a company could be considered to be collaborating with each other to some extent, and they need a worthwhile framework to operate within, receiving meaningful feedback - and feed forward. This is one thing that the new approach should exceed its predecessor on , but only if it is implemented correctly, and I look forward to contributing effective online support to it!

Getting started

Originally posted to eBridge on Monday 19 March 2012

This is going to be an interesting module as we start to look into the culture of assessment itself. My first and most resounding revelation has come from reading one of favourite books on education, Making Learning Happen (Race, 2010). Throughout the course to date, the primary means through which I have been assessed is essays. Race is particularly critical of the use of essays for assessment, and one of the key areas in which essays generally fail is validity, since the skill that is actually being assessed is the ability to write essays, which isn't valued outside of the higher education context.

So this brings about uncomfortable questions, such as:

• Have I developed any skills other than essay writing?
• Have I really mastered the content, or just learned to write eloquently about it?
• Will I be able to convince my employers (present or future) that I have developed during the course?
• What will I be able to do differently as a result of being on this course?
• Have I been valuing the right kind of skills?
• Will my skills enhance my future practice and make a difference to others?

I think my participation on the course constitutes more than just writing a few essays, since I have developed my critical thinking. I have always been drawn to introspection, but perhaps not been so good at communicating my thoughts to others, so taking the time to develop my writing skills has been of benefit, as evidenced through my keeping a public blog to communicate to others within a new medium - some people actually seem to have taken notice too! My colleagues do seem to appreciate that I have been pushing the boundaries of what I do, although how I progress within the organisation seems to be a very uncertain issue, particularly as we are undergoing reorganisation at the moment, although perhaps that's a good environment for finding new opportunities?

For the future I am resolved to thinking and questioning how the assessment process is really working, and how I can influence others to make a real difference; after all I am working for the largest of the assessment bodies in the country...

References:

• Race, P. 2010, Making Learning Happen: A Guide for Post-Compulsory Education. 2^nd ed. Sage.