Are practitioners roles changing?

From ‘sage on the stage’ to ‘guide on the side’

Haythornthwaite, C. (2008) ‘Ubiquitous transformations’, Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Networked Learning, Halkidiki, Greece, 4–7 May 2008; also available online at http://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/ past/ nlc2008/ abstracts/ PDFs/ Haythornthwaite_598-605.pdf (last accessed 30 July 2012).

Haythornwaites paper looks at transformations in learning – who learns what, where and when, focusing on the changes that technology brings – conversation, participation and community.

Is the balance changing?

It is suggested that there is an imbalance of who does the work and who benefits, and the work of ‘verifying’ sources has fallen to the uses. (pointing out that 71% use ineternet for convenience). New media literacies = social skills. Ways of interacting with the larger community.

Technology changes relationships.

Leaders and concurrent learners:

·         What is expertise? (from the learners)

·         Fear that teacher will be obsolete (from leaders)

·         Will learners think experts unnecessary? (personally I think this is highly unlikely if the experts are also good at engaging)

·         To whom will the uni degree matter?

·         Online learning has seen evolution and re-negotiation of roles, where students have to be more responsive. The learner is no longer the ‘empty vessel’ but the learning leader.

·         ‘co-learning’ pedgagogy. From one to many transfer of knowledge to many to many, exchange of knowledge. Noted that the shared coming to of knowledge through novices helping each other, is mirrored in the behaviour of experts. (so does that mean that we are now creating new experts?)

I also found it interesting to note that there have been changing in the way online behaviour is managed. From having to manage behaving appropriately, to now getting people to participate.

Relationships with past learners – “joining a community is negiotiating current and historical discussion”. The internet stays there, even if people more away. Therefore the path of these discussions can be traced back.

Relationships with documents – what’s in a name? Can we trust sources? Is there a mutability of online resources? Does there need to be a new media literacy?

Relationships with local community and networks – meaning of local changes online and we need different skills for global practices (like managing time distributed conversations.)

There is a need for social boundaries in place of the physical.

Activity 1

What evidence is there of this shift towards taking responsibility for learning by the learners themselves? I don’t have much experience within the education system, but I am sure I can draw on many of the papers and stats we have seen over the module that give examples of learners taking responsibility. Traditionally this may have been more of a focus in higher education. But when educating volunteers about young people and the internet, time and again I hear that schools are giving young people homework that involves searching on the internet. One could say that most homework is about taking responsibility for ones learning, but I remember homework mostly being the things we didn’t finish in the day.

In my professional life I deal with informal learning. Professional development for volunteers to ensure that they understand what’s going on in the world an how that affects their roles in Scouting, and thus young people. Very much you have to inspire to get attention, or have learners who are truly motivated about your subject. They don’t get qualifications – but they do get better relationships and activities with the young people they volunteer with.

Is Haythornthwaite’s account an idealised version of learner behaviour in your view? I see traits of this in many learners and often a dichotomy of approach. You have those who relish the collaborative elements and for whom the best bits are learning from each other. And others who get frustrated when there is not enough from the expert at the front – they don’t see themselves as experts and want to know the answers. In some ways the best learners are the best facilitators/trainers. They use the opportunities to learn and are motivated.

In the light of your own responses and experience, does this ‘new paradigm’ indicate the redundancy of the practitioner? Absolutely not. In many ways I see myself as encouraging others to be practitioners. Practice is about how we do things – and that changes as we learn, build relationships, meet new situations. In some ways it’s a bit like Seely-Browns cognitive apprenticeship. For lifelong learners it is a constant cycle.

Or, on the contrary, does it indicate the need for a practitioner with in-depth knowledge of how new technologies can be harnessed and with the time to provide facilitation and support to students as they take on these new responsibilities? Most probably!