Social+Spaces+by+Mr+Hargis

=Social spaces=

What are social spaces? Is it something we find by gathering at work to create atmosphere, at university to go online, or in the classroom to establish identity and add a distinct feeling to teaching. Lueg C & Fisher D (2003) proposed an asynchronous online social space that [|places] students where they can engage in conversation, make their presence known through projects and share knowledge through a daily review of its own social architecture. Guzdial M & Rick B (2000) developed typical uses of social spaces through CoWeb a collaborative artefact creation that allows the teacher or student to review activities, distributing and update information. CoWeb design for a Year 10 science class where students may discover science in collaborative format, use this new digital media to create masterpieces for the 21st century, examples of digital media connected through hyperlinks that demonstrates the various types of online experience available: · [|Collaborative Artefact Creation] – creation of group team projects where students work in there own time to develop a collaborative project online. This concept can be illustrated through my wiki developed specifically for collaborative teaching styles for Year 10 Science class. · External Resources assist with after hours support for students to complete task or pursue learning that may stimulate interest as shown with the following: [|Social Bookmarks] (see Table 1 – used to create a mobile student desk), [|Discussion Boards] (students share learning with other classmates), [|Tutorials] (develop a deeper understand and knowledge through informative tutorials) and [|Videos] (part of the visual learning experience).

Table 1 – Social Bookmarks · Research shows the best learning experiences occur when we are designing and creating things, [|my first wiki] attempt with the paintbrush is example of teacher learning to use new technology that’s applicable to teaching science and working collaboratively with students hopefully throughout the school year. · To illustrate this further with example: two teachers (Australian and USA) are connecting via web with lecture using inexpensive form of videoconferencing to discuss [|21st century learning] during the PA Keystone Summit by using various technologies to share knowledge about how new digital teaching strategies are applied to Primary School within Australia with University.

//Learning Revolution//
==Resnick M (2000) makes a bold statement that new digital technologies will make possible for a “learning revolution” in education through exploration, experimentation and discovery. Guarantees are not part of this landscape on the effect of this new digital technology, and how it will change teaching and digital fluency. Prerequisites for participating meaningfully in society are evident in this Generation M’s need to share knowledge with the local community more than any previous generation.== ==MIT Media lab and the Boston Museum of Science established a network of learning centres for economically disadvantage communities. One example that demonstrates the capability of a learning centre is through a student name Jenny, who was part of a local Computer Clubhouse that became interested in birds and decided to use programmable bricks to build a new type of bird feeder that also took photos. This project touched many different aspects of science, engineering and the creative arts for Jenny, whose motivation stimulate her to solve some very difficult engineering to building a new bird feeder.== ==Imagine developing a Computer Clubhouse for students attending marginalised areas of Sydney that could cut disciplines for secondary students, which could serve as rich context for engaging in scientific inquiry and learning science-related concepts as this captured Jenny’s interest.==

//New Learning Theory//
Developing innovative approach to teaching science will be the primary purpose of this paper, addressing the concerns about what students dislikes about learning anything about science – special when they find it boring, impersonal, illogical, careless, difficult, evasive, and pointlessness. This new Digital Generation as seen through Brown J (2000) web is a two way push-pull strategy, respects multiple forms of intelligence and leverages small efforts of the many. If the next generation can see things differently, challenge background assumptions, leverage the natural ways that students learn and may bring new possibilities for a bright future.

Connections are the key to network learning as proposed by Siemens G (2005) through factors that strengthen how people learn – through motivation, emotions and feelings, exposure when the node (knowledge & people) forms its own connections with other nodes, patterning process of recognizing the nature and organisation of information and knowledge, logic an ingrained connection-forming task, and experience.

Good practices in education as shown in photos below:
 * Encourages contact between students and faculty
 * Develops two communication among students and teachers
 * Encourages [|active learning]
 * Brings the community closer together to educate a student
 * Gives prompt feedback between students and [[file:///C:/Documents and Settings/hargism/Desktop/Students Training Classroom.doc|teachers]]
 * Communicates high expectations and ownership
 * Respects talents and ways of learning

Creating meaning in a social network is through the formation of connections and encoding nodes. Siemens states ‘meaning is transferred in a rich but messy process, incorporating the content, context of the learner and resource creator.’ These networks are constantly forming as we continually adapt and interact dynamically with the world around us. My preference is for recording knowledge through our personal learning network as the information is validated for as future resource worth keeping as shown in wikis, blogs, photo & discussion boards, mindmaps, social bookmarks, and video content websites for teaching science to a new generation of students.

//Connectivism//
Connectivism sees learning resting outside of ourselves, focusing on connecting unique information sets, establishing connections that benefit the individual and the social connections that allow us to learn more as compared to the traditional teacher centred structure. Principles of Connectivism specifically developed by [|Siemens G (2005)] looks at the impact of social software on learning, nurturing and maintaining connections to facilitate continual learning, information currency, ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts as core skill become required. The cycle of knowledge creation and development allows the student to learn through the connections they form on the web and interaction of others that facilitate authentic pedagogy approach to compliment the teachers effort.

There is conflict now with the learning theories established over 70 years ago, as students have an external thought to connect with others through dialogue and discovery to establish new learning networks through experts within Australia or internationally. These new discovery skills provide value to the individual over time by creating knowledge networks helps the individual stay current through nodes (people & databases).

Connectivism is applied to the modern world with the use of products such as social software that allows interaction and connects between individuals online using a sample of new websites that connect to the outside world through - [|MySpace], [|EduBlogs], [|IM], [|Wikispaces], [|Flickr], [|Facebook],, and others to assist with learning online.

//Ways of Using Learning Technologies//
Wiki developed for this class focused on increasing the collaborative work done by students within my science class. My intention for the year was using the wiki called [|Science Direction] for keeping the class up to date with science tutorials, presentations, class notes or subject outlines, collaborative team assignments, assistance after school when reviewing the lecture or contributing to group project, discussion boards for feedback and project reporting with online group report that illustrates compiling data, sharing the results of their research and group authoring. What I love about this wiki, it allows fellow student researchers the flexibility to use their voice, develop and create a group report, and other students get rich reviews that combine plenty of impressions and perspectives thus supporting diversity among students. A superb example using wiki in education within the science community is from The [|Science of Spectroscopy] that uses this site for anyone to contribute and edit its pages.

Augar et al (2004) list the SITWiki Commandments which are 1) post frequently, post will, post haste, 2) be nice, 3) wiki unto others as you would unto you, and 4) remember that your contribution is critical to the success of the group (my favourite). The collaboration that takes place in the shared space of the wiki over a period of time is best described throughout the literature as potential community building tool.

//Science Literacy//
How relevant is science to students when they identify the following concerns as shown on the blackboard: - Science is boring (hyperlink here the photo ‘science is boring’) as contained within my wiki discussion page. Science literacy takes a back seat to the latest iPod music and videos. If science, technology and literacy become the necessary skills for the next generation to gain employment or become participating member of society, then students need to accept science literacy as necessary requirement for their future using the new digital media for discovery.

In general, literacy involves the integration of speaking, listening and critical thinking with reading and writing. Effective literacy is intrinsically purposeful, flexible and dynamic and continues to develop throughout an individual’s lifetime as stated in Australia’s Language and Literacy Policy within the Companion Volume to Policy Paper, 1991.

[|Literacy] (see Table 3) example hyperlink illustrates how this is used as a metaphor for “understanding and applying” and in terms of science, incorporates significant elements e.g. in science, literacy in English (verbs), numeracy and technological literacy including equipment & systems.

Science has elements that are exclusive to the KLA however other elements from other circles of literacy occur in English, numeracy and technological literacy as illustrated

//Conclusion//
Connectivism sees learning resting outside of ourselves, establishing social spaces online, focusing on connecting unique information sets, establishing connections that benefit the individual and the social connections that allow us to learn more as compared to the traditional teacher centred structure.

1. Augar N, Raitman R, Zhou W (2004). Teaching and learning online with wikis. ASCILITE 2004 proceedings. Retrieved on 3 August 2007 from [|www.ascilite.org/conferences/perth04/procs/augar.html] 2. Brown J S (2000). Growing up Digital: How the Web changes work, education and the ways people learn. Pp11-20, United States Distance Learning Association. Retrieved on 23 July 2007 from [|http://web.cocc.edu/cbuell/theories/cognitivism.htm] 3. Campbell R (2006). Jean Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology; Appreciation and Critique. Retrieved 3 August 2007 from [|http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~camber/piaget.htm] 4. Chickering A & Gamson Z (undated). Seven Principles for Good Practice. Retrieved 24 July 2007. 5. Guzdial M & Rick B (2000). Recognizing and Supporting Roles in CSCW. Proc. Of CSCW’2000, pp 261 - 268. Philadelphia: ACM Press. 6. Lueg C & Fisher D (2003). From Usenet to CoWebs: Interacting with Social Information Spaces, pp14-15 & pp 155-165. London: Springer-Verlag. 7. Resnick M et al (2002). Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age. In the Global Information technology Report: Readiness for the Networked World, edited by G. Kirkman. Oxford University Press. [|http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cr/pdf/gitrr2002_ch03.pdf] 8. Resnick M et al (2000). The PIE Network: Promoting Science Inquiry and Engineering through Playful Invention and Exploration with New Digital Technologies. [|http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/pie/] 9. Siemens G (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Journal retrieved on 30 July 2007 from 10. Siemens G (2005). Connectivism: Learning as Network-Creation. Retrieved 24 July 2007 from