What is appealing to me about the potential of connected
learning is the idea of reclaiming the powers of the pre-corporate internet for
educating and learning. I have a sense we are observing here a counter-movement to the
corporatization of learning by venture-funded MOOCs.
Indeed, the internet has long given individuals all the tools we need for tinkering with learning – search engines,
forums, chats. The most important component in this puzzle has become the
affordances of social networks. For they put us right into a system of values and norms, so
important to any social interaction. After all, it is here where our
significant peers congregate and we are forced to create public personas. It is
also here that we can become exposed to other, different from our own,
communities of professionals.
But then the issues about trust and, hence, success in (connected) learning become cultural (not just technological): what is it about a community
that makes us recognize it legitimate and important, say, to share our learning
with?
What is it about a community which makes us recognize it as important? I think such a community grows organically: the subject and the style of your blog posts will appeal to like-minded people - whether they are 'professionals' or not, belonging to the same 'professional community' or not. Things which can help are a blogroll which visualizes your network of inspiring blogs, and your own activity in the comment sections of those blogs (and on the related twitter- or facebook-networks). So what is it then which makes us recognize that virtual community? The inspiration and joy we get while interacting with our peers in that community - I think.
ReplyDeleteTo echo part of what Roland says: trust takes time -- time for people to communicate, reciprocate, participate together. And trust is partially transitive -- if somebody you trust also trusts somebody else, you are willing to give that somebody the benefit of the doubt. And as you mention, Tatiana, knowing who profit (or not) from your participation is a factor. I think you are correct that part of the motivation for #ccourses is to help a countermovement preserve some commons-like learning spaces while the big money is trying to create enclosed, for-profit learning spaces online.
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