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The second half of the article focuses on describing CSILE and Knowledge Forum, software applications designed around the knowledge building concept. Are there elements in Knowledge Forum that seem similar to tools you’ve incorporated into your own PLE? Do you think using a tool like Knowledge Forum with younger students and novice technology users would help them develop more useful PLEs later?

Do you agree that education should shift focus from “knowledge transmission” to “knowledge building” as described by Scardamalia and Bereiter? If not, why not? If so, what changes would you make to this course or the LRND program if you were designing it around the “knowledge building” concept?

Knowledge Building: Theory, Pedagogy, and Technology

Deep learning and knowledge advances are similar. In the 60’s learning by discovery, guided learning, inquiry learning, and process approach were exploited. Today new knowledge of knowledge is about creating knowledge for a knowledge creating society. The transmission of knowledge to the learner is over. Today’s students are knowledge builders who improve ideas, have knowledge about not knowledge of. They build a community of knowledge, and understanding and acknowledged for their contributions. Their new knowledge feeds newer knowledge that generates ideas. New ideas are easy to generate but a sustained effort to improve ideas is more difficult. Today’s fixed curriculum in traditional classrooms deters the quest for knowledge. Knowledge building classrooms are the opposite; they encourage the quest for knowledge. Theories and models explore and interpret data, but are sometime just observations written down.

Another Connectivism Slide Show

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Roy Pea on Distributed Intelligence

On Practices of Distributed Intelligence and Designs for Learning By Roy Pea

Intelligence is distributed across minds, people and environments. Over time people have shared ideas through conversation and the use of designs and tools, notes and books and most recently the computer. Theorist Vygotsky, Simon, and Gibson considered questions about the distribution of intelligence between the world and the mind to be fundamental. Activities such as social interaction distribute intelligence. Things such as microwave ovens, thermometers, and yardsticks carry intelligence within them and distributed intelligence is dependent on desires. Pea’s interested in distributed intelligence was derived from his observation of the use of technology. Pea notes that our activities change the world thus the changing the way the world can change us. With the use of technology changes are global and fast paced and the goal of education should be to educate on how to learn. Education should change from students sitting passively by while teachers feed them information to students taking an active role in their education.

PLE

PLE Reflection

After reviewing five different PLE’s I found the information about citation manager applications to be very informative. I will definitely be checking into these types of applications and was most impressed with Zotera.  I also found the information on file management to be useful and I plan on checking into dropbox.com.  The other thing that caught my attention was file organization.  I noticed several people had a sort of micro/macro organizational structure that I plan on implementing.   Diigo was another application that several people were using and I also find it useful.  Finally Tweet Deck was one that I had never heard of but definitely caught my interest.

Personal Learning Environment

PLE PPT Presentation1 [Autosaved]

Snow Flakes, Living Systems and the Mystery of Giftedness.

Humans are open and dynamic including their gifts and talents.  Three types of gifted potential were described in the article Snowflakes, Living Systems and the Mystery of Giftedness by David Yun Dai and Joseph S. Renzulli. The first was selective affinity. Selective affinity is a strong or obsessive interest in something. The second was maximal grip or a tendency or action toward mastery of knowledge, skills and dispositions and seeking outer resources, support, opportunities and experiences to enhance and develop competency.  The third is edge of chaos described as a high level of expertise and a psychological tension between known and unknown.

Dai and Renzulli describe the 3 facets of gifted potential as cyclical and which lead to the other in a cyclical pattern.  The first selective affinity which leads to maximal grip and enhances selective affinity, and maximal grip which leads to edge of chaos.

 Dai and Renzulli conclude that giftedness is made not born.