Adult 640 #7: Connectivism-I am a node

Connections are like the nodes of a puzzle.

A discussion of learning theories is an essential component of the Adult 601 course.  Students cluster into small groups when asked to explore and present each theory. Presentations culminate in a rather loud discourse as to the merits and value of each theory.  It’s common for several students to swell as peacocks when asserting, “I am a constructivist.”  This display of pomposity deflates when learners recognize that something may extend beyond the traditional set of five (5) learning theories. Enter the theory of “Connectivism.”

The comprehensive guide, Learning in Adulthood (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner) showcases the Five Orientations to Learning as Behaviorist, Humanist, Cognitivist, Social Cognitive, and Constructivist. Connectivism is similar to each of the five (5) theories in that it has (p.p.295-296) learning theorists, a view of learning, a locus and a purpose for learning. The role of the instructor, as well as the way in which learning manifests for adults, is also similar to that of the other five (5) orientations.

Connectivism

• Learning theorists:  George Siemens, Stephen Downes (primary)
• View of the learning process:  informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning and occurs in a variety of ways (i.e. personal networks), is a continual process, lasts for a lifetime.
• The Locus of Learning: the concept of a “node” where learning can be fields, ideas or communities, learners face a challenge to recognize patterns that might be hidden, learning can reside outside of humans
• The Purpose of Learning: learning is required in a knowledge economy
• The Instructor’s Role: the instructor can be technology, which rewires the human brain, human instructors, to help the learner recognize and adjust to pattern shifts
• The Manifestation in adult learning: capacity to form connections create patterns, chaos can be a new reality of individuals as knowledge workers,

However, Connectivism is not considered an actual learning theory by all in the field of adult learning. Testing, evaluating networks, the application of chaos and self-organizing theories, according to Siemens, occur in a rapidly changing environment. The ability to make a decision about the way in which learning proceeds is a principle of connectivism.

There are several distinct elements of this course, Adult 640, which I perceive as components of connectivism:

• I know that the members of this class have diverse opinions.  They may need time and a feeling of safety in order to surface more fully. Others may not share these opinions as a result of personality, cultural or situational learning.
• We’re all considered nodes of information, individuals who are able to share their knowledge with others in the class as well as to provide connections that may support the program module of learning each is developing.
• The non-human appliances that we use such as the class blog, our own blogs, and Twitter accounts are a source of learning.
• I can assume that as a group we have the capacity to learn more.  David Weinberger, a Senior Researcher at the Berkman Center for the Internet & Society suggests that “As knowledge becomes networked, the smartest person in the room isn’t the person standing at the front lecturing us…” “The smartest person in the room is the room itself: the network that joins the people and ideas in the room and connects to those outside of us (p. xiii).”       
• The class site joins all of us together to share the ideas that we have gathered through our use of the net and though our weak links.  We are not lectured by someone standing in front of us.
• The nurturing and maintenance of these connections occurs when those in the class read, react and respond to blogs and tweets.
• Information flows from the class blog to those in the community.
• As learners, each person in the class has selected a project that engaged decision-making. What we “think” at the beginning of this study of e-Learning may shift dramatically as a result of learning.

In terms of the project that I have selected, I am a little apprehensive about how the concept of connectivism will unfold.  I have a tendency to become very excited about new technologies and ideas that surface as a result of my learning.  I have been described as someone who gives you “a run for your money.”  This uber-enthusiasm has caused difficulty in the past.  With this knowledge of myself, I will exercise caution when creating the module.  What I would provide is detailed examples of how specialists can supplement the learning in the module when interacting face-to-face with the learners for this module.  A primary obstacle may lie in the descriptor provided to me of the “typical” educator who will complete the module.

The module that I will create will certainly be a non-human appliance that will store knowledge for the adult learners in this program. It is possible that the learner’s capacity to gain greater knowledge may be enhanced through hyperlinks or provisions for additional learning and resources.  Links for discussion boards may be opportunities for educators to share success stories thus becoming both nodes of information as well as weak links to support others in their own decision-making.

The obstacles that may surface could surround the level of experience of those who interact with the module.  The desire to use a digital format as opposed to that of a face-to-face instructor controlled format may present challenges.  In the absences of nothing, one can only speculate as to the level of engagement on the part of the learner.

In the TEDxNYED presentation, there are many powerful ideas that will certainly impact my practice as I move from infancy to maturation.  Several thoughts which resonate with me at this point in my learning are:

“The act of showing others how we are learning is an instructional task.” (11:14)

“Every expression is an opportunity for connection in a digital space.” (11:23)

“Problems can’t be solved by an individual. They can be solved by a network.” (14:16)

Something to chew on…

What resonates with you from Siemens’ talk?  Where are the challenges and struggles for you at this point in your learning?

References:

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2012). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. John Wiley & Sons.

Pazdzion, A. (2017, October 11). Connectivism. Retrieved June 11, 2018, from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URcLQNywS_E

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International journal of instructional technology and distance learning, 2(1), 3-10.

Siemens. (2010, April 13). TEDxNYED – George Siemens – 03/06/10. Retrieved June 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BH-uLO6ovI

Etmooc: #1 “Oh, the places I’ll go!”

Me as a “homo floresiensis woman.” How is this for an introduction?
The Natural History Museum, Smithsonian, Washington, DC

Introductions are always tricky.  What to wear, what to say, how to say it, what is the context and the setting and what do people really want to know about me?  Sometimes is a tough call to make.  Do I really want to make something that probably no one will view? So many questions with unresolved answers.  I have spent the first week of this new MOOC understanding that any resemblance to any other MOOC that I will take may be minimal.  After all, this entire experience is to be about making connections.  I spent a considerable amount of time reading the blogs of others, participating in the initial twitter chat and watching the introductory programs on Blackboard.   Here is my ever so brief introduction:  #Etmooc-It’s me…Laurie

In my quest to make connections this week, I found an short, informative YouTube clip on the blog page of Karin Gitch.  Dave Cormier‘s ideas about How do Succeed in  a MOOC, asked me to consider how I will approach this experience.  He  suggests that students consider the following five steps in order to be successful.

Orientation-Where will I find the materials? 

#Etmooc-Educational Technology & Media

• That’s a no brainer, as the organizers of the #Etmooc have done just that! They have organized everything that I will need on a web page, have created Blackboard programs that contain a section of archived programs. I  looked forward to listening to Sue Water’s presentation about blogs.  I included Sue as part of my initial “Tribe” when creating a Prezi about my Personal Learning Network for Adult 641.   What a let down when the connection did not occur! She and I chatted briefly this week on the twitter evening about “quadblogging.”  Three women from my EDCMOOC group blog, connect on FB and will soon use Google+ to “stay connected.” Sue has graciously offered to hold another live session as there were many of us who struggled with computer glitches that night. The “archive” tab for this MOOC will provide an opportunity for me to catch up with the group at a later time.

Declare-What do I wish to accomplish, what is my goal in taking this course?

• The only reason that I knew about this course is because Dr. Alex Couros posted a tweet several months ago.  Talk about making great connections!  Connectivism is such a new theory of learning that it is not even presented in the theories of Adult Learning “bible.”   While considerable time was given to the exploration of , unpacking and application of the five major theories, connectivisim, the theory vitally important to those in the  “Teaching and Learning with Technology” track of my graduate program was not discussed.  Connectivism is so new, that I needed to add it to the dictionary on my computer!  I am keenly interested in learning more about this theory, exploring how it relates to digital learning and how I can use this opportunity to make stronger connections with others using digital and social media!

Network-building smart rooms one network at a time! (thank you, David Weinberger!)

• The possibilities are endless for how smart the rooms can become where I live and interact.  Already I have built a strong room of connections through another MOOC, E-Learning and Digital Cultures and the class has not even begun!  Understanding how important sharing and creating is to the digital world is one of the most significant components of becoming “networked.”  While this new MOOC is less than two weeks old, connections are forming based on location, interests and yes, movies!  A crucial factor in becoming a smart part of this new room is the willingness to extend myself.  Several of us dip into both MOOCs. This will provide for an interesting ‘hangout” where we converse about what we are learning in both MOOCs!

Cluster-How do I move from the “floor” to the “ceiling?”

• After a semester of thrills and roller coaster rides through the tools associated with social media, I am ready to engage  them with the tasks associated with this course.
• Theories of learning, ideas that surround connectivism, organization and digital literacy are topics that I consider”clustering around.”  In the orientation this week, Dr. Couros talked about the idea of digital literacy as the “floor” and “fluency” as the ceiling of learning. His community is considering how to implement changes with students to move them from the “floor” to the “ceiling.” I am ready to make this move. My professors provided a solid “floor” on which to stand. It’s now time to develop a “ceiling” that reflect my philosophy of “The broader the base, the higher the tower!”

Focus-baby, focus…

Educating Rita-wonder what her life would be like with digital tools?

• My mentor is so generous in saying that I am someone who is able to get back on the path even when I stray to pursue other venues.  Our conversations this week over coffee at Panera brimmed with discussion about this class, my graduate studies and where I would like to share what I learn.
• The group study, posters and presentations created in Adult 601 linger with me as I transition from course to course.  I a rather visual and can picture the image of each poster that hung in the classroom, the discussion that surrounded each theory of learning and then the application that ensue when applying it to the film, Educating Rita.
• The posters are long gone and have transitioned through the cycle or renew and recycle. I wish that they were in the “clouds” for seamless transition from topic to topic.
• David Cormier suggests that students in a MOOC set a goal for the class. I think that a Glogster poster  would be a great tool to use for future learning opportunities and presentation.
• A glogster engages the important ideas about how a hyperlink, as Weinberger suggests in his book, “Too Big to Know,” extends the experience of the learner.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss

“You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.  And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Adlt 641: 12 “Building smart rooms, one network at a time.”

Student teaching is an experience that I anticipated with enthusiasm.  After several years of hard work, tutoring, internships and participation in an emergency school setting in Philadelphia I was now ready to become the teacher. All eyes would soon focus on me, rather than the cooperating teacher.  For as all good students knew that the person in the front of the room was the source of all knowledge. Suddenly the anticipation that I felt was overpowered with anxiety and fear.   The confidence build over three years began to erode with the mere thought of being responsible for all the knowledge necessary to progress front he beginning to the end of the day.

In the days before anticipation guides and reading strategies such as K-W-L charts, I would pay games with children to encourage them to pay attention to the content surrounding the lesson.  “Who could stump the teacher?” would challenge learners to pay attention to lessons or read the homework.assignment the night before class.  A student generated list, at the beginning of each unit of study, identified the knowledge at the class as a whole brought to the unit.  Elementary students enjoy the opportunity to bring knowledge that they’ve discovered on their own to the lesson. As the list lengthens, we marvel at how “smart” we are as a class and how the members have contributed to the knowledge shared and collected as a community.  The practices of this new little community invigorate them as pursuers of their of knowledge, knowing that what each contributed was welcomed and acknowledge.

Educators will point to hormones and socialization as two key factors that influence this change between primary and middle school years.  What happens, though, between middle and secondary, secondary, and higher education?  The subtle shift between students as possessors of knowledge and students as recipients of knowledge is very real, yet very telling when considering the question, “What is knowledge?”  When the teacher as facilitator moves from the coach on the sideline to the sage on the stage, the message that the smartest person in the room is the teacher is quite clear!

David Weinberger’s work, Too Big to Know, is a comprehensive look at what constitutes knowledge in a networked society.   As technologist, professional speaker and commentator he postulates that society should reconsider what is knowledge now that we know that the facts are not the necessarily the facts and that experts are everywhere. This idea is relatively easy to digest considering that; our society is awash with information.  The idea that the smartest person in the room is the room requires one to consider how the world of knowledge has changed with as a result of the internet.

His work addresses ideas that surround knowledge as well as exploring how the body of knowledge is lifted now that the limitations of the old medium of knowledge are lifting. I “scooped” articles, video and audio recordings that support many of the ideas within his body of work.  The “Scoop it” contains his bibliography, where some links are provided that support his research.  The “scoop” is certainly not inclusive of each piece of data used; however, it is sequential and does not deviate from the text.  The resources within it give extensions for learning and knowing on the part of the reader.  The topic is daunting at best, yet worth the time to consider each component carefully before proceeding to the next.  The Scoop it collection is arranged by topic for personal consideration. I have extrapolated ideas that both resonated with me and challenged me.     Here is the Scoop it:   Too Big To Know

• The Crisis of Knowledge–
  • The foundations of our most important institutions are being shaken as we ask questions that we thought were already settled.
  • Traditional journals are now being viewed as blockage systems.
• Knowledge Overload-
  • Then-
    •  Knowing by reducing what fits into our library or journal.
    • Old knowledge institutions derived their authority by filtering information for the rest of us.
    • Knowledge was structured by a foundation.
  • Now–
    • Include every draft of an idea-the web is full of loosely connected ideas.
    • Our social networks are our new filters.  Authority is shifting from experts to networks of people that we know and respect.
    • Filters no longer filter out-they filter forward.
    • Knowledge is taking the shape of the net; it is messy and does not have any edges.
• Bottomless Knowledge-
  • Then-
    • Massive amounts of information can cause us to go wrong.
    • Too many facts prevent us from drawing a conclusion.
  • Now- 
    • Learning a fact can be the same as publishing a fact
    • Networked facts point to where they came from and sometimes where they lead.
    • The new medium is shedding the old optimism-we can no longer all agree on a conclusion.

• The Expertise of Clouds-
  • Then-
    • Professional knowers needed professional institutions for support
    • Information was “fenced in”
    • An enclave-work produced by those who share your assumptions
  • Now-
    • What’s difficult for an individual to know, can be easy for a network
    • Connections find and generate experts
    • Expertise multiplies when it exists between people
• • A Marketplace of Echoes?-
    • Then-
      • Echo chambers like quiet libraries in quiet communities
      • Within a discourse, some interpretations are privileged                                                               
    • Now-
      • The net is transparent-outsiders look in and insiders look out
      • Connections occur across boundaries
  • Long Form, Web Form-
    • Then-
    • Physical books-dominant culture of society.
    •  Everything that is relevant is contained within the covers.
    • Author determines sequence of ideas, when they start/finish
    • Now-
    • Web-form allows ideas to ‘uncurl into their natural shape’
    • Ideas escape the author’s grasp-change the world
  • Too Much Science-
    • Then-
      • Facts are about particular things, knowledge should be about universals.
      • Amateurs can succeed because institutional professionals can validate them.
      • Old model of publishing-a point in time.
    • Now-
      • Bigness is the first property of networks the scientific world is absorbing.
      • The engagement of/with amateurs is widespread-we take it for granted.
      • Hyperlinking of science-links back to sources, links into human context and process that produce it, use it, debate and make sense of it.
      • Media may always get science wrong because of the attractiveness of a dramatic headline.
  • Where the Rubber Hits the Node-
    • Then-
      • Top of Pyramid-all big decisions would flow.
      • Hierarchical, top-down decision-making prohibits the common person from contributing. Local knowledge is not used.
      • Lack of resilience-when pointed end of pyramid is on one individual.
    • Now-
      • Hyper-networks-huge organizations spread out and differentiate to solve a problem.
      • Network decision-making motivates people to use their local knowledge.
      • Moment of decision is a node in a network, which contains more knowledge.
  • Building the New Infrastructure of Knowledge-
    • Then-
      • Technodeterminism- technology causes us to use and understand it in prescribed ways.
      • Important knowledge was kept from the “common folk.”
      • Academic journals are so costly that only a few are able to access them.
    • Now-
      • Social class, age, and subculture affect how we use the internet and what it means to us.
      • The abundance is apparent and changes how we understand knowledge.
      • Knowledge is a playlist-not a realm, but a path that gets us to where we wish to go.
      • Links change the topography of knowledge.Every evening my family and I discuss the events of the day over a shared meal.  They know that I am engrossed in a big, semester long project, but find the ideas that surround it rather dubious.  In an attempt to prepare them for the premise behind Weinberger’s ideas, I shared the quote that is attributed to Daniel Moynihan:   “Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not to his own facts.” * My husband’s eyebrows arch and his mouth begins to form a little, “Oh, I don’t think so….” I thought that this would be a good opportunity to engage in a little bit of lively discussion. “Take the common tomato,” I suggest.  It is a plant grown during the warm months of the year.  My son quickly counter points by reminding me about tomatoes that grow hydroponically or in hot houses!  The door opened for a discussion that touched merely the tip of the iceberg.  I’ve begun to talk with my son about his learning network and how his is “personal,” that each of use has a network that surrounds us.  The key lies in understanding how to use this knowledge now that the facts are no longer the facts, that experts are not necessarily experts and that the smartest person in the room is the room. Therefore, hinges the door of our smart room, built by one network at a time!
      •  *No one is sure if Moynihan actually made this statement or not. Like Weinberger, I found it on the internet
• 
  

Adlt 641: 11 “The Power of my PLN..a call to pay if forward!”

Visitors to Niagara Falls, Ontario know that the wait time to ride “Maid of the Midst” is rather lengthy during summer vacation.  The cost for this adventure, which lasts approximately 30 minutes, is $15.50.  I pay my fee; stand in line for nearly an hour before donning the blue rain poncho offered to me as a visitor.  As a rider, I knew what awaited me; wearing the poncho is a practice that I accepted as part of the experience. Like most of the riders exiting the boat, I was partially wet, for what is the fun in riding close to the falls without the opportunity to get wet?

The exploration and creation of my personal learning network is an adventure similar to the Maid of the Midst ride.  The period to take Adult 641, Social Media for Adult Learners, is rather lengthy, as the class occurs once every other year.  Unlike the vacationers in Ontario, I knew that my ride through the waters of social media would shower me with a wealth of ideas to consider and applications to try. I paid my tuition, and with several electronic devices in hand boarded the ride, anticipating that I would be thoroughly drenched along the way.

I discovered early in this adventure that the creation of my personal learning network was not about how I would reform my habits.  I would begin with an overall transformation from how I think, act, connect with others and create rather than simply consume.  Pam Moran, the superintendent of Albemarle County Schools, contends that the implications for learning in the new century (sic my words) are profound. She insists that we are living in a time of unprecedented changed.  When I consider how the world of teaching has changed from 1985, when I began my career, until 2011 when I left the traditional classroom, I am astounded.  What is more amazing to me is what this period of transformation is producing in me as a learner and a teacher.  In many ways, I find who I was as an educator “then” and what I am “now” closely parallel David Wiley’s observations about connection and network building.

Jeff Bullas asserts that everyone needs a landing pad.  The phrase, “Tweet to connect, Blog to reflect” is one that resonated with me quickly.  Through a twitter connection, I found Mathieu Plourde’s open education resource page.  I noticed that each of the students in his digital media course at the University of Delaware created an “About.me” component for their blog site. The about.me aspect of my blog is my landing pad.  It is a place where readers can find other ways in which to connect with me, for me to share ideas and resources with them and for us to exchange ideas.

The desire to link myself to networks of individuals as well as organizations is one of the core values of my PLN.  My “transformed self” regards networking through Linked in as a way to understand my friends and colleagues in a more professional manner.   There are details about the professional lives of friends that surprise me!  These details are not evidenced on their Facebook pages. For me, Facebook is a medium for photographs, stories, and updates. It is purely social in nature.  I respect the privacy of my friends and family members. I would prefer to keep that space personal rather than include it as part of my professional network.

I consider myself a lifelong learner, one who is very resourceful in terms of accessing informal ways in which to learn. TED talks, while nearly 30 years in existence, are a new medium for me in which to learn. Professional development, anytime, anywhere that encourages me “…to listen consciously in order to live fully” is a key component of my DIY education.  The value of a traditional classroom setting is important to me. This component of formal learning provides the dialog, interaction, and rigors of higher education that I desire; Virginia Commonwealth University is an integral component of my PLN.  The world of professional networking is comprised of tools and programs that are not naturally intuitive for me.  The opportunity to learn from those who have an established “on-line” presence provided a path for me to follow rather than one to stumble through. In order to enjoy the serendipitous moments that will occur through my PLN, I needed a prescribed set of tools and lessons.

Everyone needs a tribe! I have a group of people that I “hang with” in order to feel like I belong.  Twitter has become the first place that I look each morning to see what my tribe is discussing.  David Weinberger’s idea that “The value of networks of experts can be in opening things up, not simply coming to unshakable conclusions,” has philosophical meaning for my professional development. While I follow many individuals, I have found the experts who live in the clouds to provide a “web of ideas that foliate endlessly.”

Two members of my tribe, Sue Waters and Jeff Bullas reside in Australia.  I read “The Sue Water’s Daily” each day and always find something relevant to my life. Over the Thanksgiving holidays, my friend and I were discussing the Common Core Standards. Sue included a video clip about the CCS in today’s paper that I quickly sent to my friend in North Carolina. We are sitting on the fence and have not decided how we feel about it, however, I anticipate that my tribe will provide greater context from which I may formulate an opinion. Will Richardson’s tweet today, “The more we want our kids to learn, the more we should turn away from ‘raising standards,” give me something to ponder as well a topic for my next coffee social. His attachment, Alfie Kohn; From a Culture of Performance to a Culture of Learning, intensifies the idea of global thinking and connection among the members of my tribe! (How does my tribe know what I need?  Are they all talking with each other?)

Jeff is a wealth of knowledge about every form of social media!  He is “the man.” He tweets several times each hour, which means that I have many ideas to consider and bookmark in my Diigo account. His idea about each person needing a landing pad, to consider my core brand values as well as what flows from me provide that coagulation for my PLN.

George and Alec Couros, brothers and educators from Canada are at the cutting edge of what works and does not work in 21^st Century education.  Their tweets exemplify dana boyd’s idea about “tweeting honesty and passionately” about their work and lives. Thanks to George, I am aware of people Flash Mobbing at a Target in Edmonton, Alberta. Alec’s The #math Daily paper is one that I peruse for ideas that I can use as a parent.

Imagine my surprise to find the name of a former middle school parent on page 15, of Will Richardson’s book Personal Learning Networks, Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education. Pam Moran has spent over 30 years of her life working in the field of education.  When I knew her, she was a principal of a small rural school and the mother of one of the most vivacious students I have ever encountered.  Her son must have inherited this quality from Pam as her connections and tweets are evidence of one who fully embraces the power of social media. Her passion for learning and social media reminds me to imbue that passion when connecting with others.

The wealth of information that I receive each day is beyond overwhelming.  I abandoned the idea of maintaining an RSS in favor of allowing my connections to feed me each day. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Linked in keep me informed about topics that are of interest to me as both a graduate student and a professional.  Several members of my tribe publish papers through paper.li.  At this moment, I have over 75 articles (from last week…forget about this week!) to peruse and file in Diigo.  While I find it useful to scroll through Twitter and add bookmarks on my cell phone, it does present difficulties when attempting to provide attribution.  Mathieu Plorde’s social media policy is a component of his landing page.  Many ideas that circulate through education are not new, but are ones that recirculate and collect new concepts along the way.  He tries not to break the chain of attribution when retweeting or sharing ideas.  This is an idea that I now consider when posting.  He actually thanked me for a “ping back” earlier in the semester.  Manners are important when interacting with my network.

My personal learning network has transitioned from rocky waters to a more solid ground during the course of this class.  The most powerful transformation in me will be the shift from one of consumer of information to creation of content.  The 3^rd habit of the“7 Habits of Technology Teachers” insists that technology teachers share best practices.  They share, share and then share some more. For years, I have scoured the internet looking for teaching materials and power points that could enhance lessons. I have files of power points that I have saved for my son to use.  My initial intent was to trash them when he completes a course.  Slideshare is a convenient way to engage the idea of “paying forward.” Likewise, I have thousands of images in my photo library.  The opportunity to share globally now means that I will post an image to my Flickr account in real time with my cell phone.  The process is not difficult; it simply requires a transformation of thought. Participation in an open education, through a connected world means that I transform my way of thinking as well as my way of acting. 

Adlt 641-6: “The new punctuation mark-the “hyperlink”

I was always the kind of kid who loved projects.  Three dimensional objects, posters and models that accompanied a traditional report made my academic heart sing.  Reports were almost always just one or two pages in length.  Our preferred method of research in the 1970’s consisted of The World Book Encyclopedia. Every child wished for a complete set of these books as ownership was the pinnacle of academic success for each home.  Imagine my surprise to find that for just $699 I could order the 2013 set of books for my middle school child!   Which choice should I could make? Invest the money in a laptop, which leads to unlimited knowledge with the click of a link, or purchase a set of books with limited connections?  Hum…hum…what is a concerned parent to do?

If I purchase the books, I will follow a time honored tradition of placing this colorful set at my son’s disposal.  A set of encyclopedias from 1974 occupy a shelf in the home of a family friend.  On several occasions my son has been welcome to use them for homework.  They were good enough for those of my generation, but are now far from adequate for those of my son’s generation. I decline the offer without offense. I ponder how to explain that the concept of knowledge, as proposed by David Weinberger, does not reside in the paper medium.

Traditional research has consisted of endless hours of study using traditional peer reviewed journals and books.  The idea that when a theory was reiterated in numerous publications by many well-known scholars that the idea must indeed be a truth worthy of use in my research. These endless loops of sameness made it challenging for me to determine how and when to interject theories that looked different from what I had read.  Each scholar’s work reverberated producing a chamber that initially fit the pattern of research taught.  If I read widely on one topic, I would begin to wonder if each of the scholars organized a retreat prior to publication. I imagine that the sole purpose of meeting would be to agree upon a similar way in which to state the same ideas over and over.

One of the most exciting and intellectually liberating aspects of reading on-line is the power of the hyperlink!  Traditional punctuation directs my reading and thinking.  I know when to begin, where to pause and when an idea concludes or changes. Weinberger contends that links are the opposite of stopping points.  They invite me to continue the idea, to explore more fully or to consider how a network of ideas could be in contention with one another.

In the “World According to Wallace”, the idea of connectedness is explored first mathematically and then relationally.  If an algorithm can explain how individuals could be linked in six steps, then perhaps these networks of people could lead to networks of ideas.  While ideas may at times be in contention, as is explored through one blogger’s dissonance with technology, it can also be a bond that fuses nodes together! Hyperlinks lend authenticity to both my writing and that of my peers.  An individual point-of-view, how a classmates evaluates information from readings and what he cares about is evidenced through writing. Blog reflections and hyperlinks support the ideas of the writer and arouse the curiosity of the reader.   The time that I engage in reading blogs provides a echo chamber of sorts through which ideas reverberate.  While reading blogs, I question how the writer’s ideas fit both the readings and research with my own ideas.  Each time I hyperlink to a new resource, I recognize that in order to understand the unfamiliar, I must first absorb it into the familiar.