The ideological fight is over, the battle continues
(Well I do not often use military vocabulary, but I couldn't find any better this time.)

Whereas last year at the microlearning conference there was a big clash between the old and the new, this year the new - elearning 2.0, participatory microlearning, informal learning etc. - sweeped away the old in almost all presentations. This doesn't mean that the old will not play some tricks and will try to resist as long as possible to the change, but it became clear that the old paradigm has no future.

Either the old does adapt or it could be bypassed by platforms not yet considered as learning platforms (mainly the quickly growing 2.0 ones).

***

Mobile, especially in emerging markets
The main focus of the conference was still on the PC-Internet, but mobile is getting more ground. Nokia's projects in the emerging markets (even when they are not always predictable as we recently saw with Motorola in Russia) is a good example and also what we are doing at Kaywa.

In a talk I had with Simo from Nokia during a pause, Africa is developing very quickly - and it seems clear now that they all will come over the mobile internet. (So I guess Nicolas Negroponte needs to change his strategy.)
If we want Africa to be not totally cut off, we really have to start thinking mobile. And as Simo confirmed, Africa is hungry for information and education like no one else and they can't understand why the telecoms are only coming now.

The situation in the Philippines, where Simo lives, is also very interesting. Nokia shipped some two-camera phones and thought they will probably not sell that well as they were quite expensive. But the demand for this next-gen phones was just overwhelming. Simo added, that in Manila everyone needs the newest phone, and people send then their old phones to their family in the countryside. This makes very short replacement cycles.

***

Media, education: how to cope with reality?

Question:
If the investors are leaving the print media ship (see Warren Buffet), how long will it take that state institutions like schools and universities will react. Whereas privatly owned companies will quickly follow the money, what will happen with subsidized institutions? And what does that mean for democratical states, when the dominant model cannot cope anymore with reality?

In this regard it is significant that George Siemens now works with Google and that the RedHat CEO critizes the current school system not only for not preparing people well for what they will do after school, but also for a lack of sensibilty for global issues, collaboration, other cultures.

Remark / Question:
I showed the Train Simulator PSP game (only available in japanese) and explained that this game let you become a train conductor for real. Not only is the game hyperrealistic (all the trains and routes exist for real), but you learn also all the rules and signs etc. which you need to do the job.

I also spoke about the german police aspirants which play now GTA (unofficial gta blog) before driving for real. And today Polis posted this link about the US army using PlayStation-style consoles for future training.

My question is: if kids are start getting their training this way, what does this mean for schools?

Corporations do not speak of stagnation
But of maturity and development
ASTD (Dallas May 2006)
On line Educa (Madrid May 2006)

So what?

***

Now it's Blended Learning everywhere. And HR think that's cool, because they can reuse their classrooms. So it's going back to where they started. And they are back in control!

***

The HR view:
Maturity means: we are back holding control
Integration, tracking, blended...
Development means: look at our figures!
Number of users, hours, abandon rate...

Stagnation: The learner's view
Quantity? Just in time? Anywhere, anytime?
(this was the value proposition to the learners: work at home with no extra pay)

***

E-learning 2.0 is not just a new release:

It's a change of paradigm:
From training to learning

But changes of paradigm take time...

***

(Presentation of) Knowledge Pills

Understanding...
in 15 minutes.

***

The youngest people read less and less but do spend a lot of time in the Internet

Wikipedia from 400th position to 28th in one year

The "for Dummies" style books are very big publishing sales

***

More understanding than learning
In about 15 minutes (3000-3500 words)
For smart people and not for dummies
These Knowledge Pills are organised by fields, as a start:
- Internet- New Technologies - Telecoms
- Business
- Society

***

Subject Examples:

E-Bay, Amazon, iTunes, RSS: the new web media
E-learning: platforms, definitions, etc.
Mp3, iTunes
Globalization
China 2006: opportunities and fears
N.G.O

***

Current state of corporate e-learning:
- e-learning as the dominant approach
- Self-learning as the dominant learning approach
- Focus remains on product and compliance training
- 1990-2006: from a learner’s perspective nothing has changed

***

And e-learning 2.0 ?

Feedback needed! What’s going on with e-learning 2.0?
See www.weiterbildungsblog.de

***

Some voices:

***

MBA’s with weblogs. There are projects, it’s too early to talk.

***

People don’t know the difference between e-learning 1.0 and e-learning 2.0!

***

E-learning 2.0 is bottom up! It’s in the responsibility of each knowledge worker to make use of it!

The needs of today’s Knowledge Worker is not covered by corporate-based e-learning.

***

What’s still missing is the business case for e-learning 2.0 (and informal learning... and online communities...)!

***

Summary: Current stat of e-learning 2.0

- Growing interest of training professionals
- (but still on a low level)
- Growing number of pilot projects
- (but still under the radar screen

Today’s learning models suck

Speed (RTI): Relationship to information has changed. It’s now immediate.
Process
Adaptability: A system without feedback is worseless.
Completeness

***

What does knowledge mean?

To know means to connect

Things move too fast for knowledge to be stable

To learn means to recombine
(think ecologies (they foster networks))

***

The conduit, not content, is king.
Connections = potential for adaption

***

How do we function in decentralized spaces?

Filtering... through the process, not in advance

Contrived: narrated before hand
Dynamic: Process => Generated by the knowledge space

***

Mono-chromatic

***

Knowledge has lifecycle ... each cycle holds differnt shape. We change as it changes as we change.
MEANING – pattern recognition/interpretation (ecology, not computer)

Acceptance.
Don’t > Chaos is... ok > force structure

***

Abolish definitions.

***

I ‚ am allergic to YOUR integration
(choice=de-selection)

Integration tightens and minimizes connections ... unless properly conceived.

***

What is learning ecology?

An Environment that supports/fosters Learning
Adaptive, dynamic , responsive
Self-organizing/individuality directed
Structured informality
Diverse
„Alive“

See also:
Learning in Synch with Life: New Models, New Processes (Google-Whitepaper, PDF)

***

More George Siemens Links:

www.elearnspace.org
www.connectivism.ca
Connectivism Blog

2.0 a new view on the web

- not a new technology
- a new way to use and perceive the web!
* ubiquitous access with multiple devices
* broadband

***

1.0 > 2.0
user vs. author
user becomes author

local vs remote
local goes remote

private vs. public
privacy?

***

learning 1.0

user = student
author = teacher

local = home
remote = school

private = learning
public = performing

***

learners as creators
learning is ubiquitous
learning is performing

***

1.0 learning environment = an island, teacher imports ressources
2.0 learning environment = a portal to the web, learner configures environment (hybrid platform, aggregate content)

***
Drupal
sharing blogs, wikis, books
by taxonomy, tagging
via feed /RSS
social presence

integrating
personal tools, apps

students don't like the blogging platform of Drupal, so they can choose their own blogs and we just integrate the RSS feeds.

***

2.0 implications for instructional design
user-generated and aggregated (micro) content
user-configured generative tools
integrated in a personal / social portal

Cycle of Knowledge: Impact on Students

Fluency in 21st Century Skills
Technology and media literacy
Effective communication
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Collaboration

***

E-learning	M-learning	Info sharing	Learning blended into work
Pro active, formal, fixed, pre defined, media specific		Ad-hoc, informal, media agnostic, distributed, blended into work

The difference between formal learning, informal learning and way of working will diminish

Majority of learning is informal learning

Majority of learning is collaborative


Examples:
MobilED and Nokia
Using mobile phones for formal and informal learning opportunities

BRIGDEit programm
- Global ICT-based program which aims to narrow the educational divide between nations by improving the quality of basic education in developing countries
- A unique multi-sector collaboration initiative between UNDP, Pearson, IYF and Nokia

text2teach
- Locally known in the Philippines as "text2teach"
- Strong sense of community ownership
- By end of 2005 operational in 203 schools

INTRODUCTION

Peter A. Bruck
- It will be "micro"-learning
- It must be simple
- There is not "the" tool, but many tools
- Empirical studies of the use of these tools are important. We have to stay humble.


Heidi Möller
- Women still struggle with e-learning. They do not have an "erotic" relationship with computers.

Theo Hug
- modification cultures
- micro markets
- new media generations
- various tensions (traditionnal versus the new)
- informal developments
- Dynamics between margins and the center

Martin Linder
- It's an experiment
- People come from different fields

More at www.microlearning.org

I am a strong proponent for visual education. I also think that complex things can be better explained by visual scribbles, graphics, images. It's (scribbles, images) something I try to use a lot during talks and meetings.

Mihai Nadin On Anticipatory Systems

UBIQUITY: How would begin to think about the design of a perfect program for undergraduates?

NADIN: I tend to like a renaissance program in which the liberal component and the science component are completely integrated. I'm still dreaming and hoping that I will find a university some place, even if it's on the moon, where people will notice that although we all have eyes, not everyone sees, and therefore it is time to provide for "visual education." Everyone in such a university who wants to become a doctor, or engineer, or even an accountant, would learn what it means to really see and what it means to express oneself visually. This will add a fundamental dimension to language and music education. The visual has been woefully neglected in our approach to education. That needs to be corrected, especially in the new age of visual acquisition of knowledge aided by computation. Some of our more interesting anticipations are definitely related to the visual.

Via antÉ

Laut NZZ vom Samstag, hat der Stiftungsrat von SSMS einstimmig den Schulterschluss mit SF Sesam beschlossen. SF Sesam ist eine Initiative des Schweizer Fernsehens zur Errichtung einer Multimedia-Plattform, die eine breite Palette von Programmen und E-Learning-Inhalten verfügbar machen will.

SSMS

Die radikale Durchdringung der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien in allen Gesellschaftsbereichen führt auch bei der Produktion und Nutzung von Bildungsmedien zu raschen und ständigen Veränderungen. Insbesondere werden die einzelnen Akteure über kurz oder lang nicht mehr in der Lage sein, im Alleingang die notwendigen Ressourcen und Kompetenzen bereit zu stellen, die zur Erfüllung ihres Leistungsauftrages notwendig sind. Die verschiedenen Partner sollen gesamtschweizerisch vernetzt werden, um so Effizienz und Nachhaltigkeit bei der Produktion und Nutzung digitaler Bildungsmedien sicher zu stellen. Zu diesem Zweck sollen gewisse Aufgaben operationell in einem Swiss Shared Media Service (SSMS) zusammengefasst werden.

PDF

Siehe auch:
Professor Dieter Eulers (Institut für Wirtschaftspädagogik der Universität St. Gallen) Observatorium "eContent im Bildungswesen". Er bereitet auch ein Symposium im kommenden November vor.