Leading From Both Ends Linking Systemic Initiatives with Individuals and Communities David Porter...

Leading From Both EndsLinking Systemic Initiatives with Individuals and Communities

David PorterExecutive Director

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Push - Pull in the Learning Ecosystem For millennia we’ve been

gradually perfecting a model of the learning universe centred on curriculum and governed by authority

It works well Perhaps there’s no reason to

change

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Push - Pull in the Learning Ecosystem There are opportunities

emerging to design new learning models centred on learners and governed by experience We don’t know how to do this yet But, it could be revolutionary

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Observational Trends

The convergence of the learning sciences, cognitive sciences and human factors engineering with the first generation eLearning technologies. The dynamics of person-centered ('flat') online social hierarchies such as peer-

to-peer (P2P) communities.

The blending of materials and locations within the learning experience to meet the learner's need of the moment.

The blending/blurring of “working” and “learning”.

“Re-credentialing” creating a market for lifelong relearning.

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Evolutionary Trends

From "just in case" to "just in time" learning

From a job-centred world to a portfolio of work

From authority-based (institutional) to experiential (personal) learning management

From hierarchical knowledge systems to flat, social knowledge systems

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Learning Models in the Web World Personal empowerment augmented by software

Formal learning eUniversities

Communities of practicePeer-to-peer networks

Pull learningPersonal portals

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Focus Issues for Today Change and challenge in higher education

What networks and communications force us to think about

Valuing local wisdom Understanding the relationship between local and systemic initiatives, and their value to you and your

students

Defining your needs Understanding and setting your personal requirements for participation in object learning models

Key drivers for an eLearning future Removing technology barriers – new tools, new models What we can learn from 50 million Napster users

Applying web-centric thinking Tuning our response to changing learner expectations for learning and training opportunities

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Wisdom Sits in Places

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An ethnography about place The naming of the world

The relationship between different kinds of “knowing about places,” expressed in the maps of the terrain

An exploration of knowledge Explicit Tacit

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Wisdom in Our Domain Systemic initiatives

Core technologies and infrastructure

Standards and specifications Providing openness and

mechanisms for collaboration that will ensure our ability to communicate and build critical mass

Local initiatives The culture that drives

implementation The willingness to share resources

with peers and learners The opportunity to learn from and

adapt the work of others to improve personal practice

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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

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Shaping Learning Object Theory Shaping object theory to meet your

personal needs

A new model for digital learning--one in which learning content is free from proprietary "containers," can flow among different systems and be mixed, reused, and updated continuously.

Tom Barron, 2000

A knowledge object is a chunk of electronic content that can be accessed individually, and completely accomplishes a single goal.

William Horton, 2001

Anything digital that can be reused a number of times in different learning contexts.

David Wiley, 2002

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Learning Object Models

“Granular” objects Stored in a data base Providing

Flexibility Customization Interoperability Ease of use, search, management Increased value through reuse

Learning Objectives+

Content Hierarchy

Courses(Network of Learning Objects, Assessment Items, and Associated

Resources)

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Atomic Structure of Object Content

ContextualNarrative

Learning Outcome or Competency

Assessment

Learning Activity

Learning Resource

It’s more like DNA than Lego

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The Cost of Success

Cost

Time

Complexity

Flexibility

Currency

Opportunity

Value

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Construction and ReuseMediaObjects

Lessons Units Courses

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Object Interoperability

Learners

Authors and Developers

LMS

CMS and Authoring Tools

Object-Based Content

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Output for Multiple Instructional MethodsLearners

Authors and Developers

CMS and AuthoringTools

Object-Based Content

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Multiple Custom Outputs

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So How Do We Make It Work? Capturing, structuring and

sharing objects is noble work for faculty and instructors

For our faculty, instructors, and developers What knowledge and tools

do they need? What technology architecture

will support their needs? How will they make

decisions about projects that suit an object model?

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Lessons from the Web Generation

Users will want to try before they buy

Users will buy by the piece Users will mix and match Users will want to reshape and

re-purpose materials Users will want to share Users will publish their own

“mixes”

“… his program does everything a Web application is supposed to do: it builds community, it breaks down barriers, it’s viral, it’s scalable, it disintermediates …”

TIME Magazine, October 2, 2000

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Context

Lessons from the web generation Standards and specifications

Catalysts for local innovation and initiative Peer-to-peer computing

Making repositories into self-managed environments Personal publishing tools

Giving a voice to diverse opinion and perspective across the Net

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Convivial Tools - Consumer Grade Finding and using convivial tools is

the “tipping point” Peer-to-peer computing Self-managed environments Collaborative tools

Various “media desktops” Personal media systems Metadata searching Personal collections Shared collections

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Convivial Tools - Academic Grade

Some examples of repository tools that point in the right direction

eduSplash Recombo Convertor Possibility Network

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P2P Network Tools Groove, Colloquia, Magi …

Enabling communities of practice

Self-administered peer to peer collaboration tools

File and resource sharing of tagged “objects”

Graphic images White boards Outlining Threaded discussions

www.groove.net www.colloquia.net www.endeavors.com

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eduSplash

www.edusplash.net

Turning your laptop or workstation into a network-savvy P2P repository

Assigning and publishing metadata for others to find

Integrating evaluation and quality assurance tools into the personal repository environment

Scaling the application to suit individuals or communities of practice

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eduSplash

www.edusplash.net

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www.recombo.com

Recombo Convertor Making it easier to create and

share learning resources Tools sitting inside Microsoft Office

(and in the future other authoring tools) that make it easy for anyone to quickly create SCORM content.

And, as everyone at MERLOT understands, a big part of sharing content is sharing ways to describe it Simple tools that make it easy for

people to add and to manage metadata, and to share metadata profiles that they have created

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Convivial Distribution and Structuring Tools Content structuring and editing for “play” within multiple learning management

systems (LMS), using commonly available desktop tools Adherence to packaging specifications

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Where This Path Leads

ContentProvider

AccreditationProvider

Mentors and Collaborators

Counselors and Advisors

ResourceProvider (DRM)

Learner with Laptop or PDA

Metadata Pointer Server & Digital Rights Management

Learner withWorkstation

Corporate HR & KM Tools

Student Information System

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The Possibility Network

Learning Assistant Technologies - Indiana Personal Learning Assistant Web services powering a

personal portal Aggregating information from a

variety of post-secondary providers

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The Possibility Network

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Personal Learning Strategy Designer

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A Closing Perspective Online learning benefits from object models Capturing, structuring and sharing learning resources is noble

work for faculty and instructors Systemic initiatives linked to local innovation will expand our

reach beyond the early adopters Build local wisdom

Finding and using convivial tools is the “tipping point” for widespread online learning practice in higher education

Repositories R Us The work of MERLOT members and participants will demonstrate

the linkage between local and systemic initiative