Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Sylvia Currie -
Number of replies: 17
Welcome to our January SCoPE seminar: Knowing Knowledge, facilitated by George Siemens, and organized in collaboration with BCcampus Online Communities. This seminar launches SCoPE's Professional Reading Group Series.

George Siemens is Associate Director, Research and Development with the Learning Technologies Centre at University of Manitoba. Most of us are familiar with George's thought-provoking, (and addictive!) informal publishing through elearnspace.org and connectivism.ca. Now we have the pleasure of a book we can underline and dog ear the good old fashioned way. approve

Here are a few items to get us started:
  1. Knowingknowledge.com lists several options for obtaining your copy of the book. If you don't a copy in hand, it is available for download in .pdf format.
  2. Join George Siemens and Paul Stacey to kick off our seminar with an Elluminate session.
    January 10, 2007 13:00 PST, 21:00 GMT (see fixed time chart)
    Access the Elluminate Session
  3. Post a message to introduce yourselves and list any pre-session questions you may have at this point. We'll gather them up for tomorrow's session with George and Paul.
This seminar is scheduled for January 10 - 30, and we may decide organize additional Elluminate sessions during that time. In keeping with the tradition at SCoPE, newcomers, latecomers, lurkers, and passersby are always welcomed!

Thank you for joining us!
Sylvia Currie
SCoPE Coordinator
In reply to Sylvia Currie

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Deleted user -

Hi Sylvia,
I am writing from Italy. My interest in the seminar is strictly connected to my fields of interest which are, broadly speaking, learning design, informal education, non formal training and e-learning. Concerning the first 3 we are basically speaking of my (many) different jobs, while the last field is related to my recent studies path (I am a student in an online master on e-learning design and management). All of them are interests linked by a common core theme: education. Add to them the hobby of running CMS (Drupal mostly) platforms for some non profit organization and I hope I've given a clear picture of my motivation in enrolling in this seminar.
I am glad to be in and I hope everybody will forgive my English and a non too active participation due to a week of full-time training that I will be giving starting Friday.

I only have a technical question: in order to follow the Elluminate session, do I have to create an account of any sort or my SCoPe account will be enough?
Is just that I never used Elluminate before, forgive me for such a clumsiness.... :-P
Thanks for now,
Jan Lai - Italy

In reply to Deleted user

Some details about the Elluminate session

by Sylvia Currie -
Hi Jan from Italy! Welcome and thanks for asking the questions about the Elluminate session, January 10 at 13:00 PST, 21:00 GMT. I'm sure others have similar questions.

This link will take you directly to the Elluminate session. When you are prompted for a name to enter the session, you can enter Jan Lai, or just Jan, so other participants can identify you.

The session is hosted by BCcampus online communities. The BCcampus eLearning Marketplace and Expo Community is open to the public. You don't need to create an account to participate in the Knowing Knowledge session, but you may wish to join at some point to check the upcoming events and projects.

Since you are using Elluminate for the first time, you (and others) should run through the First Time Users suggestions here: http://www.elluminate.com/support/  This will ensure your computer is ready to go.

I should also mention that the session will be recorded and made available for anyone who can't attend in real time.

If anyone has questions about what's ahead don't hesitate to ask!
Sylvia
In reply to Deleted user

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Nick Kearney -
Hi Jan Lai
Very interested in your use of Drupal with non profits, but I am aware that to talk about this here isnt exactly on topic, could I ask you a couple of questions back channel (nickkearney@gmail.com)
All the best
Nick
In reply to Sylvia Currie

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Mark Berthelemy -
Hi Sylvia,

Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to taking part in the seminar, although I probably won't be around for the Elluminate sessions. Will they be recorded?

Thanks,

Mark
In reply to Mark Berthelemy

Re: Elluminate recording

by Sylvia Currie -
Another good question, Mark, and welcome from the UK. Thanks for asking. Yes, the Elluminate session(s) will be recorded. I'll be sure to post the links as soon as they're available.
In reply to Mark Berthelemy

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Lisa Valentine -
Hello everyone
I'm from Lancaster in the UK and again won't be able to attend the elluminate session. 

Lisa
In reply to Lisa Valentine

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Emma Duke-Williams -
And I'm Emma, also from the UK, who didn't get to the elluminate session.

Emma
In reply to Sylvia Currie

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by George Siemens -
Hi all - I'm looking forward to the discussion over the next several weeks...in particular, critical views and opinions of knowing knowledge.

We have planned a bit of a staggered exploration of the book, but the more chaotic, the better :). In terms of our general conversation, I will provide very little structure - I'm hoping to be more able to interact with you and dialogue as peers about what is happening with knowledge in our world today. If the discussion is not particularly robust, I will try and engage by suggesting possible themes and directions. The externally imposed structure, however, is a last resort.
In reply to George Siemens

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Frederica-Azania Clare -

Hi George...I tried last evening to log on...unsuccessfully.

By the way, I was successful in downloading your book and I am excited by the ideas you present.

Hopefully, you'll get this and I will be alble to join the forum in the near future.

Pax, www.azania.org  Azania

 

 

 

In reply to Frederica-Azania Clare

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by George Siemens -
Hi Azania (is that how you prefer to be addressed?) - sorry you weren't able to log in. The session was recorded, so I imagine the link will be made available shortly. 
In reply to George Siemens

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Jeffrey Keefer -

George, I just received your book, and think the Lulu publishing format in addition to your wiki format of the book addresses those who have different learning styles. I know I prefer being able to carry a book around with me (not to mention to read on the subway or while traveling or while going away for the weekend) rather than to read online (or downloaded to a hand-held device) or to print out (since long PDFs are difficult to file and read while moving about).

Perhaps these different modalities speak to some of the chaotic approaches different people have toward engaging with information and creating knowledge. This seems in keeping with your work.

In reply to Jeffrey Keefer

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by George Siemens -
Hi Jeffrey - I prefer books for certain types of information as well. As far as a book is concerned, it really is the fulfillment "anywhere, anytime" learning (plus no worries about battery life).

You raise an important point for how we design learning. While learning styles have been criticized for too narrowly conceiving the space of learning - and then playing primarily to an individuals strengths, rather than developing "the whole person" - it is important to note that variety is the heart of learning. Whether we talk Gardner's Multiple intelligence, learning styles, Bloom's taxonomies, brain-based learning, or whatever latest concept of learning - variety attends to them all. In our learning, we need to use images, videos, audio, text, experts, classmates, peers around the world, reflection, structured instruction, ill-defined learning tasks, clearly defined learning tasks, etc. My resistance to one-model conceptions of knowledge stems from the diverse chaos of knowledge and learning...

Oh, and I personally don't mind at all if you prefer to purchase the book instead of read it online :)
In reply to George Siemens

New reading and writing styles and habits

by Sylvia Currie -
Like Jeffrey I like to have the printed book in my hands, but here are a couple things I noticed with the Knowing Knowledge book:

1) I didn't read it front to back. Instead I bounced around. This is how I tend to read online, and Knowing Knowledge felt like it was meant to be read that way. Is the writing style a result of habits developed through social networking?

2) I used the PDF version to search the text. For example, when I first read on Ron Lubensky's eLearning Moments blog that Bereiter "remains virtually unknown to practitioners" I opened the PDF version of the book to do a quick check to see if Bereiter was mentioned. So it's nice to have access to both the hard and soft versions of reading materials. Heck, it would be nice to have a command-f function when I'm looking for the can opener in my kitchen. smile (BTW, I assumed Bereiter's work was well known to practitioners -- perhaps more so for Canadians?)

In reply to Sylvia Currie

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Derek Chirnside -
Hi everybody, welcome to the New Year.  I'll be around for this discussion, however  I'm not sure which of Sylvia's categories I fit into.

I have got George's book, but have yet to really get much beneath the surface, and have only browsed bits, in a totally non-linear manner.  I've enjoyed the pictures, the quotes and the questions George has pondered. In this dialogue, I think what I will enjoy is the chance to take part in some reflection, questions and batting around of these ideas.

I'd love to understand more about how knowledge flows through organis(z)ations.  I'd like to be able to do more than just spot it's effect as it flows past.  I think there are so many silos where I work that good things can just wash straight past, and even right over, with no effect.  One thing I am interested in is the role of people.  At the moment I have a new role in the University of Canterbury's "Centre for Teaching and Learning".  Now I'm in the process of working out what what my role is in this.  This month several people arrive from overseas to start in the centre, several of us have migrated from a local College of Education and a few people have shifted from the IT department.  Certainly new, lots of potential to "for the fostering of ecologies and networks" (KK p132) and will be lots of fun.  I hope we are up to the task.

I'm glad to be here, and thanks again everybody at scope home base.
-Derek
In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by George Siemens -
hi Derek - sounds like you're at an exciting place. Seems that any time we are in the process of creating new spaces/structures, we are able to shed some of the baggage that had been developed in the old model (and, just as soon, start adding baggage the next generation can deal with :)).
In reply to Sylvia Currie

Re: Welcome to our January seminar: Knowing Knowledge

by Janice White -

Hello and thank you to George, Paul and Sylvia plus the other engaged in knowing knowledge participants!

I'm sorry I couldn't attend the Elluminate session but will catch up on it through the recording just provided. Meanwhile - I am a latecomer because I've been immersed in the book, scribbling my insights, questions, drawing stars and exclamation marks and thought bubbles and affirmations .... doing the linear exploration of the landscape so far so just about to dive into the Learning chapter.

It is like remembering something I already know somehow (past delvings into knowing I guess) but chaos and gaia theory themes are resonating within me as I move through the book.  I am involved in learning design, learning, inspiring learning in others and all in all working through the knowledge flow cycle.  wide eyes  Contexts mainly higher education, vocational and general education, support for equity ... it's all good experience but boy oh boy is higher education having a hard time stepping out of the containment of tradition or what!  Stepping out it is though.

Looking forward to the next 3 weeks.  Janice White (Queensland, Australia)