Posts made by Kelly Edmonds

Gillian, I enjoyed your blog post about designing learning for adults, also my background. I liked the idea of learners collecting their own data based on their learning patterns supplied through learning analytic means. This way they can understand how they work with content, etc, and become cognitive of their learning patterns, thus making decisions for themselves on what and how to engage.

I was struck by a notion given by Marissa Mayer of Google in a video provided in Week 3 of this course. Instead of being influenced by the content that is found through a general search online, our context (lives, desires, ideas, etc) would become the influence of that search and drive it. I can see this extending to learning. When we post an idea, etc. it would be unique to have our context come forward to shape and influence that post, such as images, sound, colour, data, etc. Who I am would come with me when I engage with content and others.

This collective self would change and morph over time presenting who I am at that time. To create a specified ontology ahead of time (as discussed in this thread) would negate that personal development and the emergence of new ideas to share with others. I believe we need to make way for evolution.

And, I don't fear that the unfettered development of ideas would become eccentric and chaotic creating misunderstood content. We are humans after all, and we do have limited processing powers that rests on previous knowledge and experiences. In essence, I don't think we would lose control but instead allow room for the expansion of thoughts and expressions.

I suspect that any connected device can collect and transmit information. I read recently that some apps on smartphones have hidden capabilties to do such things. One has to be quite diligent to examine them all! Thanks for the tip on the Little Snitch app. I'll look into that.

In reading the given articles in this course, it seems to me that data collection has been a long time initiative (and at times with little intention to analyze). It is quite amazing the types of information stored. Now, to figure what to do with them.

I am still learning about the different methods of collecting and analyzing data, but LA seems to present the possiblity of studying connections between unlikely events, such as on task and off task activities.

Maybe the student is learning more through an off task event that is helping them understand or even give them time out. For instance, I remember reading a study that showed tweeting or surfing momentarily helps relieve tension from intense studying, giving some white space to the mind. That notion is me to a tee.

I also like the idea that LA teases out other possibilities, such is finding relationships between learning and logistical events (comparing downloading online library resources to the depth of online posts).