Future of Learning in a Networked World

A traveling open space conference. What a concept!!

The Future of Learning In A Networked World is a contentious one. FLNW08 endeavors to build connections, explore new possibilities, expand individuals horizons and network knowledge in traveling open space un-conferences where anything can happen and does without regularity.

I was made aware of Kim Cofino hosting one of these FLNW conferences at her International School in Bangkok. How did I find out? Twitter of course, which seems to become more and more the place to connect and learn.

What fascinates me is that not only are we TALKING about networking in our own little groups and in our own little part of the world, but we are LIVING this new network life. By inviting others into the conversation through tools like Twitter, Ustream, Flickr and blogs, we are taking the theory and putting it into practice.

While I am sitting in my office in the USA, even days after the meeting in Bangkok took place, I cannot help but being reminded that the old saying “I wish I could be a fly on the wall” has become a reality, which according to The Phrase Finder means:

Alludes to the position of being able to freely observe a situation without being oneself noticed.

The concept of distances, time and being present physically and what it actually means has shifted.

After an introduction by all the present teachers the group moved on to the topic of reading.

Here are some of the notes I took from what I heard.

• How is reading enriched , especially in the elementary school arena.
• Technology enhances reading acquisition: testing, audio and video.
• We take for granted that we can read now.
• How does technology pair with reading?
  • Technology offers students to learn at their own pace.
• Micro-skills of reading:
• Understand of meaning of words, sentences, stresses, shapes of letter.
• Computer software can target those skills specifically, make it fun and more interesting and monitor each students and where their weaknesses are. Give more practices in those areas.
• Trends where technology is impacting reading.
• Why do we read?
• Reading has changed on the Internet.
• What are we reading for?
• Do we read books to get information?
• We are skimmers for information.
• We read on the fly, blogging, reading each other’s writings.
• Multi-literacy.
  • We are getting away from printed media.We used to be focused on print media.
  • A lot of the information we receive today does NOT come from print anymore. That has shifted to a lot of different media that we are “reading”.
  • Ability to communicate is a lot more multi-literate than it used to be.
  • Prime modality of text is not that important anymore for communication.
  • If you are staying in the print media alone you will not get the full picture.
  • How schools are addressing multi-literacy has become a big issue in education.
• Reading for understanding. Visual and typed text.
  • Visual and audio, like it used to be.
• Who has the power now? People have the power now, not the publisher anymore.
• We can choose how to communicate. Did not have the ability when power was in hands of publishers and TV stations.
• Reading comprehension is important.
  • What are students understanding when they are reading.
  • Reading online is a very different way of reading.
  • Schools work on core skills and expect it to spill over in the online word.

Reading not only means decoding the word, but also the understanding of its context. What does it mean when a word is underlined in blue? Not only what does it mean, but what can you do with it? Where can you go from it?

Education will have to start to address those literacies. Learning to read is learning how to manipulate a computer.

This is just a part of the conversation that took place. I will break up the session into different blog post as this one is getting longer and longer. I want to encourage you to listen in on this conversation if you are remotely interested in 21st century (multi) literacy skills. What an amazing opportunity to be that fly on the wall and being able to learn from these minds that sat together in Bangkok, Thailand.

• Link to Ustream clip
• FLNW Wiki
• FLNW Blog
• Pictures from Kim on Flickr
• Other discussions and thoughts about “Future of Learning in a Networked World”.
  • Networks enable discussion by Paul Harrington