Being that I am not big on theoretical pedagogy and prefer to see pedagogy in action, I nodded appreciatively when a colleague introduced it to me. Then promptly forgot about it.

Next it appeared on Yammer – an internal social networking application that DET is experimenting with. This time I clicked on the link and a Wikipedia link popped up. I read the first 2 paragraphs, agreed with what was written, and left.

Third time lucky…..this time, sitting in the ’Engaging Learners with Innovative Practice Conference’ held by the NSW Department of Education and Training I read the whole article, and recommended links, and watched videos, and then took a journey into my mind.

To the world Connectivism is: “Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual. Learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing (Seimens Connectivism A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, December 2004)”

To me Connectivism is: The development and use a personal learning environment to draw information from a variety of sources in a holistic and effective manner. It makes me consider that the connections we make and use as we learn are just as, if not more important, that the knowledge we learn. Through connecting ourselves and understanding the power of each of these connections, we are strengthening our potential to learn and absorb new information as needed. The understanding of ‘how I learn something new’ is just as important as ‘what I learn from whom’. Dare I say is it not a 21^st Century learning environment “It is not what you know but who you know”.

I see this construct as one that will guide students and teachers onto a level platform of lateral linkages, force entry into the construct of the knowledge world, and develop skills that will become the base of 21^st Century classroom and workplace.

I see a natural link between Project Based Learning and Connectivism. If we begin to focus teaching and learning around Connectivism and project based learning, I believe that we will be equipping students with the skills necessary for the 21^st Century world. Not to mention engage and excite education in the process.

Here is a great clip that explains the construct a little more.

3 tweets that helped me to understand Connectivism:

1. Connectivist teaching and learning, Downes: “to teach is to model and demonstrate, to learn is to practice and reflect.”
2. Connectivism: “knowledge is distributed across a network of connections…knowledge is not acquired, as though it were a thing (Downes 2007)
3. Constructivist = analysing an essay, Connectivism = looking at a wordle : Love It!!!!

For more information on Connectivism see Darcy‘s Blog. Darcy has a much more eloquent and well written article than this attempt.

I know the above post is simplistic and shows a naïve understanding of Connectivism, but my journey is just beginning. Stay tuned for updates as I continue.

About 12 months ago I first heard of the 20% rule. This rule came to me via a friend, Sondra, who had recently attended and innovative schools conference. She ever so gently (as she is wonderful at doing) shared with us that you only need 20% of staff on board to effect change in a  school. It can be seen as an educational take on the 80/20 theory of management.

I like this. A lot.

If we combine the ’20% Rule’ with Ben (Paddle) Jones’ favourite ‘Pay it Forward’, where people proactively engage in training 2 or 3 people the new skills they have recently learnt, then perhaps change implementation can become a bottom up concept.

To me it looks a little like this:

1. Find a core group of  staff ready to adopt change – about 20% of total staff in your school.
2. Put energy and resources into the development of these staff.
3. These staff implement the change, show the change and become empowered through the change.
4. These staff take on a  role of modelling and passively training those in the work environment around them.
5. Engagement in students increases and as a result classroom outcomes increase.
6. Other staff in the school see this change and become interested in adoption
7. More staff jump on board.

So those of you out there thinking that they are not making a difference in the adoption of technology into classrooms in their school, take on the 20% Rule, reduce your stress and increase the impact.

If you do it, I’ll do it too!

As an example, DET has provided many resources for teaching staff to use in their classrooms. These resources, called Laptop Wraps, are great examples of how to use existing materials in a digital learning environment. They include step by step instructions, a variety of activities, and links to syllabus outcomes. The activities are engaging and show students a glimpse of what they can achieve on their new little learning devices. All of these resources can be found inside DETs Teaching and Learning Exchange (TaLE) by clicking the aqua ‘DER Resources Tab’. These resources have been shown to staff at many presentations and professional learning opportunities, however I still don’t feel that enough staff actually know about them, or use them.

I know this is an age old debate. It is something that Regional and State personnel deal with regularly. I want to say – ‘Not on my watch’ – but I think that would be difficult.

I don’t want to walk into schools and hear negative talk about the lack of support state is giving schools, I don’t want staff missing out on professional learning opportunities because information was not disseminated as I had hoped. I do want to hear stories of student creations, questions on implementation, questions about which schools can be accessed for support in a particular area.

From my not too distant classroom days I remember very clearly the feeling that I wasn’t privy to information that involved my own professional development. I felt left out. This revolution needs all staff to feel included, not left out.

I know there is a time and a place for information dissemination as decided by supervisor, but in the name of transparency in this educational revolution, surely all information can be passed through a faculty and school.

You may ask what I use to pass on information. Well at this point I use Sharepoint, emails to DER Leaders or Principals in each school, InPrincipal Newsletter, Twitter (@hccder), and good old fashioned word of mouth. Short of sending faxes, or blanket emails out to all high School Staff (which is not an option at this stage), I have used all means at my disposal. Yet still, people have no idea of the kind of support available to them.

I guess I am asking leaders to make a proactive and consistent decision to pass on information as it is received. I am asking leaders to help every member of their teaching staff to be given a chance to adopt these learning devices into their classroom and leap the chasm into the Digital Education revolution with a running jump.

• Wikis on Quality Teaching Framework and Web 2 Tools and Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy,
• Pip’s Blog for participants at my presentations and workshops to access materials and resources, a
• Moodles for professional learning based around technology in classrooms, and for learning about SMART Notebook
• PageFlake for SMART Notebook resource sites
• Sharepoint COWs  Connected Learning COW and HCC Digital Education revolution COW
• A healthy involvement in the Collaborative Online Workshop domain know as HCC Web 2
• Twitter account @pipcleaves
• Delicious account – web_stuff
• A facebook Account – rarely visited

I have never been ‘brave’ enough to start my own blog on my own learning and professional development. It is something about writing lengthy posts and dialogues that scares me and makes me feel vulnerable to critique and negative comments.

It’s time to change this.

Time to grow up an into my new role of Hunter/Central Coast Regional Strategy Support Officer – Digital Education Revolution (Senior Education Officer Level 2) that I am so excited to hold.

Time to start sharing my thoughts and trusting their validity in the world of EdTech.

My role in the Digital Education Revolution is that of a provider and leader of Professional Learning opportunities that will help to embed Digital Learning through 1:1 Laptops into every teachers’ toolkit, a support for teachers jumping the chasm into the revolution that will change how we schools are planned, and to help provide my own children and their peers with learning opportunities that will prepare them for a future workplace that we all know will differ so much from that we work in daily. How lucky am I?

It’s about time I took this learning journey a little more seriously and began to evaluate a little more formally than in my car during my 1 hour commute to and from work.

The choice of Blog title was a hard one. I mused for hours on this, and felt “Journey into Technology” would sum up my  intention and needs, but that it fell a little short. I felt that in my own world Technology is no longer something that occurs from 9am – 3pm, that my journey into learning about and with technology is something that really has many many roads – work, professional learning networks, relaxation and 21st Century life in general. Each of these facets takes me on a new journey, to a new place. Thus the title “Journeys in Technology” is triumphant.

It’s time to start…… time to hit “Publish“…..