Why should educators be connecting their students globally?

This blog is being written as a part of the quadblogging concept where three educators including me are responding to the question "Why should educators be connecting their students globally?"


Let us first scaffold the meaning of connected learning

(Ito et al.) defines connected learning as " broadened access to learning that is socially embedded, interest-driven, and oriented toward educational, economic, or political opportunity. Connected learning is realized when a young person is able to pursue a personal interest or passion with the support of friends and caring adults, and is in turn able to link this learning and interest to academic achievement, career success or civic engagement."
Next why do we need to incorporate connected learning?

 In the report the school is visualized as one node in a broader network of learning available to young people, By building a learning community  we can call on the untapped capacity in more informal and interest-driven arenas to build more learning supports and opportunities. In an era when our existing educational pathways serve fewer young people, it is critical that we build capacity, opportunity, and new models of success, rather than orient our efforts solely on optimizing the playing field of existing opportunities.

What are the outcomes of connected learning?

This reference to the existing educational model which gives less access to learning is the key reason why we as educators should connect our students globally.Connected learning focuses attention on the spaces of integration and translation between divergent domains of knowledge, culture, and social practice.Connected learning is oriented to outcomes that are both individual and collective in nature. These include 21st Century skills, dispositions, and literacies such as systems thinking, information literacy, creativity, adaptability, conscientiousness, persistence, global awareness and self-regulation as well as the cultivation of interests, building of social capital, and a positive orientation to academic subjects. Because the connected learning model takes an ecological and networked approach, these individual outcomes are tied to societal outcomes that are collective in nature. These include building high quality forms of culture and knowledge, civically activated collectives, and diverse pathways for learning and recognition. In this way, the support and cultivation of individual capacity is part and parcel of a broader vision of an educational system that is vastly more effective, equitable and essential.

What are the approaches to learning in a connected learning model?

The approaaches to learning in the above model has:

1. Equity
2. Full participation
3. Social connection:
4. Peer-supported: 
5. Interest-powered: 
6. Academically oriented:

Ann Michaelsen, a teacher at Sandvika High School just outside Oslo, has been invited to Bett - the education world's biggest tech fair, held in London - to share her ideas with other technologically minded teachers.She mentions how connected learning on social platforms of twitter have helped her students gain access to a wider world.(Rice).

Let us look at some of the learning theories and compare this learning theory behind the connected learning model?

Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill emphasizes that “learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42).

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.

So why should educators be connecting their students globally?

Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. The field of education has been slow to recognize both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era.(Siemens)

How global collaboration helped me develop my identity and give an accelerated learning?

In my blogposts I have kept an ongoing record of all the transitions that happened. This post talks about how I connected to people in USA and started developing my own identiy , way back in 2012 from India. 

In this post of mine I share how I connect my present batches to previous ones to enhance learning.

The live feed ( as shown left ) from my blog develops a sense of achievement and motivation for further connection and sharing.

References:

1. Ito, Mizoko et al. 'Connected Learning: An Agenda For Research And Design'. Connected Learning Research Network. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2015 . <http://clrn.dmlhub.net/publications/connected-learning-an-agenda-for-research-and-design>.
2. Rice, Carolyn. 'Social Media Transforms The Textbook Lesson - BBC News'. BBC News. N.p., 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2015 . <http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-25888737>.
3. Siemens, George. 'Elearnspace. Connectivism: A Learning Theory For The Digital Age'. Elearnspace.org. N.p., 2004. Web. 20 Oct. 2015 . <http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm>.
4. Basu, Rajashree. 'My Journey.....As An IB Educator: Global Collaboration'. Rajashreebasu.blogspot.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2015 . <http://rajashreebasu.blogspot.com/search/label/Global%20Collaboration>.