876 Matching Annotations
  1. Sep 2017
    1. Tuesday

      This is a test for Tuesday's session with Noah and INTE 2500 - have fun!

  2. Nov 2016
    1. Build a platform, or set ofprotocols, so that it can evolve in any number of ways; don’t play god;don’t hardwire any single path of development; don’t build into it amiddle that can meddle with its use. Keep the core simple and let theapplication (or end) develop the complexity

      A great analogy for course design, particularly the types of courses informed by #digped philosophies.

  3. Oct 2016
    1. epeated P/W/F cycles are necessary for continual professional growth (see Figure I.3)

      And that such continued, cyclical professional growth is the development of expertise.

    2. it is framed by a focus on educational equity

      Such an important framing, and I appreciate that this comes immediately to the fore.

    3. the act of questioning their practice never disappeared.

      I think public questioning of practice - whether in teaching, perhaps in research - is one possible affordance of open and collaborative web annotation.

    4. t still isn’t.

      And now we've joined the conversation, too ;)

    5. eaching seemed like an apolitical enterprise

      All teaching is political and, in many circumstances, so too learning.

    6. This text was featured in a Marginal Syllabus annotation flash mob on Wednesday, October 26th. Thanks to Cindy and Antero for encouraging us to read and remark upon the introduction to their book Pose, Wobble, Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Instruction.

  4. Sep 2016
    1. the issues we grappled with in class

      I had a professor once refer to this as self-evidence assessment, that the evidence of learning is so powerful, given that it changes dispositions, forms of interaction, and that it has resonance across settings - and that this, more than a final test of project - was evidence of deep learning.

    2. They wanted to reach out to others more explicitly.

      What a powerful example of student agency that transcends the concerns of self and course, and pushes for public engagement and dialogue.

    3. How has it been written and rewritten in our society?

      I really like this play on the idea of written - it helps to expand the notion of text - within the context of a university course - to consider the various social, historical, and cultural narratives that record and revise what matters.

    4. I must mention that I have successfully taught this “Writing Race & Ethnicity” class in the past.

      In my experience, this type of creative risk-taking requires the experience of more traditional attempts. Like the musical improvisation, it's useful to practice scales and know "the standards" before playing with a community - of musicians, of students - in new and unexpected ways.

    5. my fantastic group of graduate and undergraduate students for this course

      What a nice course feature, I wish there were more opportunities for undergrad and grad students to learn with and from one another.

    6. On Wednesday, September 28th this blog was featured as the second "annotation flash mob" text associated with the Marginal Syllabus project. Thanks to all those who joined and contributed to the conversation, especially Mia Zamora!

    1. Following the first Marginal Syllabus flash mob on Wednesday, August 31st (reflection here), a few folks participated in this Google Hangout: https://youtu.be/DRW-b3RlOnM

  5. Aug 2016
    1. Does it restrict or promote openness and access?

      In my experience with most LMSs, there is an implicit pedagogy that does restrict openness and co-production and sharing of knowledge and information. In this respect, digital redlining is packaged as efficiency, classroom management, etc.

    2. The comfortable elision in "edtech" is dangerous; it needs to be undone by emphasizing the contexts, origins, aims, and ideologies of technologies.

      I agree. Learning with and from the #digped community has been very influential in helping me to think about the various ideologies of technologies, and how our pedagogy and design can work against restrictive structures.

    3. A special thanks to Chris Gilliard (hypervisible) for joining the first Marginal Syllabus flash mob and talking with us about these important educational equity issues.

    1. Lev Vygotsky

    2. Lev Vygotsky (1934)

      If you're curious, here's Vygotsky's Wikipedia entry.

    3. he died at the age of 38

      A moving obituary by Alexander Luria, another eminent psychologist responsible for articulating and advocating cultural-historical psychology (a precursor to sociocultural/situative perspectives).

    4. Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (1978, p. 90).

      We'll encounter this quote in full context during our first Cycle's reading.

    1. There are learners inside the US for whom language or technology access are immediate practical barriers; and learners whose experience is continually affected by educators with a poor understanding of their cultural context or their personal priorities.

      And from the scale of the classroom to that of a school system, such practical barriers and poor understandings also manifest as political barriers and priorities - and as noted, often to the detriment of learners.

    2. We also want to challenge the tendency to call something “global”

      I'm eager to learn - and contribute to a conversation - about alternative ways to frame such collaborations.

    3. working as academics means international-first, not as an afterthought

      I'm curious - when we work as academics, what identities, practices, and commitments do we intentionally foreground? Asked another way, what stance (such as "international-first") shapes our work?

    4. including in quite critical ways

      Is it helpful to specify what critical means here? For instance, reading so far, critical might refer to:

      • about critical education issues, generally?
      • critical of US-centric view of ed tech?
      • critical of something associated with digped?
    1. The 2016 manifesto

      How many people think they might share this with their students this fall? I think I will.

    1. This piece reminds me that concerns about equity in making (and, broadly, the so-called "Maker Movement") have become the focus of some very sharp learning scientists. Here are a few examples: Making Through the Lens of Power and Culture

      On Equity Issues in the Maker Movement, and Implications for Making and Learning

      Makeology book, Vol 1 & 2

    1. stock responses

      Our "thoughts and prayers"...

    2. and 35 (just above the Virginia Tech massacre, the worst mass shooting in American history).

      And this all changes, now, with Orlando.

    3. In a very real sense, my theory about bots as a form of civic engagement grew out of my own creative practice

      Reminds me of my experience contributing to the Civic Media Project.

    4. despite not saying anything legible, @ClearCongress has something to say

      Might we be edging into Dylan territory here?

    5. from the Huffington Post

      This opens an interesting conversation about whose data and measures are more reliable. Given that we're in an election cycle, I've turned frequently to 538, how about others?

    6. I am unfairly applying my own criteria to it, but only to illustrate what I mean by the terms topical, data-based, cumulative, oppositional, and uncanny.

      I appreciate reading this and wonder how other criteria might change our understanding of protest. And a question for Mark: Why were these five criteria chosen, were any discarded, and have any been added since this was published?

    7. where Chuck teaches

      Chuck authors a wonderful blog.

    8. the bot takes no stance

      Yes, though isn't this stance reflective of the individuals who create the source material, in this case news headlines? I'm curious about the interplay between human processes (from editorial meetings, to the creation of that which is newsworthy) and the automated - and how, to borrow from Mark, this reflects conviction.

    9. and the daily horrors that fail to make it into the news

      While these may be "horrors" of another variety, I'm reminded of the recent effort by James Fallows at The Atlantic to chronicle "The Daily Trump: Filling a Time Capsule" so that readers might recall what remains so shocking about our daily political machinations.

    10.  ideas that when applied to K12 or higher ed appear to be little more than neo-liberal efforts to pare down labor costs and disempower faculty

      Here's Jill Lepore's wonderful The Disruption Machine, my favorite critique of Christensen's schtick.

    11. automatically

      I'm curious why this automation matters, and how this relates to various human ambiguities - such as the nuance of meaning and interpretation - that invariably inform how we protest, why, for whom, and under what circumstances.

    12. whose expressionistic lyrics by this time resembled Rimbaud more than Guthrie
    1. Can’t we save the showing off for where it’s really needed, in the dreaded grant applications?

      This speaks to such a narrow view of academia. Given the prior statement about "the lab," I might presume this author is a training to be a research scientist in a field such as chemistry or biology (again, I'm making an assumption). I'll never forgot a job interview I had in which a search committee member remarked to me, "I'm a historian, I don't actively pursue many grants for external funding." While I might seek funding from various agencies or foundations to advance my research, I cannot privilege my experience about what "counts" as the difficult, challenging, and intellectual work of academia.

      Also, I don't think grants are a place to show off. Rather, grants are a means of convincing others that your research fills an important need, or advances a question yet asked, or tackles a challenge creatively and with methodological precision. Having reviewed grants for both federal agencies and my own university, I'll be far more likely to support a grant application that carefully considers methods, limitations, possible outcomes, and next steps, than an application that shows off the researcher's credentials.

    2. At my university, there are some who utter the words “make sure you tweet a picture” on what feels like a daily basis. These are not social media representatives or marketing executives, but scientific staff.

      This might come off as petty, but a sample size of one is typically not useful for asserting broad claims about a given phenomena, particularly social practices that span such diverse settings, peoples, and purposes.

    3. those of us who wish to keep our social media accounts private, or for personal use only, face being frowned upon for somehow being less enthusiastic about what we do.

      I, for one, would never frown upon a colleague's decision to keep social media private, just as I would never frown upon a colleague's decision about where to publish, or present, or what research agenda to pursue. We might debate such decisions, but we should not actively privilege one decision over another - doing so only accentuates the hyper-competitive nature of certain academic circles, rather than build communities of support and curiosity.

    4. the dedication I show in the lab

      Perhaps this is motivating, in part, the author's perspectives noted in the essay? My work as an academic intentionally spans multiple settings, including classrooms, schools, community locations, and many online (and social) networks. One approach to knitting together my activity and meaning-making across these settings is through networked media.

    5. as if posting a picture marks them out as more enthusiastic than their peers.

      Enthusiasm is great (I mean, shouldn't we have fun!), though might we not see our tweets as something akin to cave paintings or graffiti, a message of personal import that notes, "I was here, and this is what i saw; this is my mark of meaning."

    6. to share the conference with those who are unable to attend.

      The scope and subsequent structure of this essay is quite challenging - it starts broadly, with claims about academia as a static institution (or culture?), and then dives specifically into conference etiquette, as if that one setting is some proxy for all the various ways of being in academia (again, something I don't consider a static or single "thing.").

    7. When did it become acceptable to use your phone throughout a lecture, let alone an entire conference?

      Perhaps because our lives are fluid, because some practices are not easily bracketed from one context and not another, because our identities are not so easily turned on and off when talking from one building to another, down a sidewalk, and among meetings and projects and collaborations.

    8. I see more and more of them live tweeting and hashtagging their way through events.

      In other words, in what contexts is this appropriate and inappropriate? At conferences, sure... in a dissertation proposal defense, I hope not. As a learning scientist, I consider social practices embedded in everyday cultures and activities, from the peer cultures of Pokemon Go to the cultures that grow among research teams, disciplines, etc. There are many "events" that, quite appropriately, welcome us to tweet and hashtag our way through shared activity.

    9. to impress people that you know

      Is this a primary, or even secondary, reason why academics use various forms of social media? Of course I might promote my upcoming talks or publications on social media. But that is but one purpose that more frequently takes a back seat to collaboration, questioning, resource-sharing.... the list goes on.

    10. And now this culture has infiltrated the world of academia

      What specific culture is this? There's a serious strawman argument in the making here...

  6. Jul 2016
    1. the massive cheating and playful boycott practices which characterized Italy’s INVALSI standardised school evaluation tests, as a creative resistance to measurement.

      Is there a distinction here between playful subversion about education, and playful subversion as education (learning)? In my work, I see educator agency via gameful and playful learning as subversive - contrary to, a deviation from - expectations of what "counts" as their professional development.

    2. to critique purposiveness itself

      I'd suggest that one (perhaps not the "most") ethical purpose of learning, and both individual and collective learning, is the critique of purposiveness. However, I think there are many ethical purposes of education (as a system, or interrelated sets of systems), including those that are decidedly economic.

    3. safe spaces

      I'm curious to learn about what this looks like, in practice/praxis. I've intentionally abandoned the idea of safe spaces in my course design, the term in my writing, and the promotion in my public pedagogy - and for various reasons, some political, others - as is noted here - ethical. If, however, such "safe" spaces can engender the emergence of such new education (and learning?) systems, I'd love to know more.

    4. we can create spaces for people we have never met to be playful in, and to learn together

      Yes, and this motivates - in my current work - experiments with annotation flash mobs as a playground/sandbox of sorts. And also my PAHSIT project.

    5. “gameful” practices

      My research, at least in the past few years, has primarily been about gameful practices. Happy to share more if people are interested, though my colleagues (and our co-designers and learners) find this distinction very useful (and not useless!).

    6. spend millions of dollars in “serious games” and “gamification”,

      Are you referencing specific "learning institutions" that are spending this type of money on some variation of game-based learning, or institutions in a general sense? If you do know of a given institution that is investing that type of capital in games and learning, I'd love to know more. There are, of course, many granting organizations and agencies that are funding game development, and games and learning studies, but I see such investment as different than (what I take your argument to be) the wanton waste of money.

    7. and used as scapegoats by the media

      Interesting that you're pointing to Jenkins here... his recent conversation (in book form) with Mimi and danah is pretty relevant to the utility of certain social (and educational) systems in supporting expressions of agency, critique, etc.

    8. preponderantly expelled by the places of learning

      As a teacher educator (and games and learning researcher), I'm seeing the opposite - the proliferation of play, games, game-based learning, gamification everywhere... to the point where the terms lack meaning, educator/systems-level practice is often superficial, and a sense of agency is abandoned to jargon and algorithms. One of my greatest concerns, in this respect, is the explosion of game-based learning to the detriment of play.

    9. education

      And what of learning?

    10. “playful experiment”

      I'm curious to hear your thoughts about Sicart's (2014) definition of playful, and how that may (or may not) be relevant to both the content of this essay, as well as your essay as an experiment.

    11. We can’t claim legitimation using the same criteria of our opponents

      An interpretation of Lorde's "master's tools not dismantling the master's house," perhaps?

    12. Higher Education seems not to be about education anymore, inclusive of cultural, political, epistemological and ethical considerations

      I have a hard time with this phrase, and for a variety of reasons:

      1. Because I don't perceive higher education as a singular entity, but rather as a fractured, challenged, likely unsustainable, but quite diverse intersection of social, political, and economic relations.
      2. Because (some) higher education institutions do a tremendous job creating the conditions for critical thought, divergent discourse, and social critique. I'm reminded of Goffman's idea of secondary adjustments, and relish the fact that many faculty (perhaps especially adjuncts) and students create collective secondary adjustments to the institutional norms of higher education that can result in more just policy, creative expression, etc.
      3. Because, at least in an American context, higher education institutions have often played a key role in organizing collective action, protest, and resistance to various hegemonies. In one respect, learning institutions are ideal training grounds for resistance - and in some places that still happens today.
    13. cultural work

      Curious what you mean here by cultural work.

    14. their conflicting relationship with utilitaristic economic forces

      Is this the only - or even a "true" - dichotomy, that between all cultural endeavors as (ideally) useless or destined to be of utilitarian economic value? Purpose - whether of art, storytelling, home construction, or sport - need not always be commodified, no?

    15. to all appeals to productivity and efficiency

      For the sake of argument, is it worth unpacking whether productivity and efficiency are always - or necessarily - forces to resist? There are, for that matter, many moments throughout my given day when I must embrace productivity and efficiency - often so that I can later be playful.

    16. the voluntary, joyful character of play

      Suits, however, was writing specifically about the play of games - a "voluntary attempt to overcome an unnecessary obstacle" - and not "just" play. There is, for example, notable distinctions between Sutton-Smith's descriptions of joy (and deviance, and "biting-not-biting") in play, and Suits' definition of game play via his "lusory attitude."

    1. Only this way can we start to have a little technological equity.

      While it's nice to see equity noted at the end of this post, equitable teaching and learning is seldom - if ever - about access to devices. At the very least, the author should mention access to data - to broadband access, to networks that facilitate the production and sharing of information. Beyond that, access is far more powerful when framed in terms of networks and institutions, not devices. Giving every kid a device won't do much for systemic educational inequity in America, or elsewhere for that matter.

    2. are all a part of a bigger community

      At this point I'm pretty dumbstruck...

    3. worse

      See my previous annotation. The author's inability to consider the privilege of mobility and space is troubling. This is further emphasized by the fact that the four kids in the next picture are all white and male. Privilege speaks loudly.

    4. I had to walk 5K

      And when others walk around playing Pokemon Go, they might end up in very different circumstances.

    5. a scavenger hunt

      And before Goosechase there were educators and media designers who were creating various mobile learning activities, technologies, and pedagogies to meet the needs of their students and communities. The author should carefully consider the cases presented in the books Mobile Media Learning: Amazing Uses of Mobile Devices of Learning and also Mobile Media Learning: Innovation and Inspiration.

    6. Taking tech outside is the next big thing.

      Many learning technologies have been designed and deployed in diverse settings, many outside the formal confines of a school classroom. The history of mobile computing did not start yesterday. There's a long line of scholarship that usefully indicates design principles for learning across settings, and the role of learning technology to afford authentic practices (such as scientific inquiry).

    7. virtual reality game

      Technically, this is augmented reality, not virtual reality.

    8. create on their phones ALL the time

      Where is the recognition of contested policy - that some schools and districts prohibit students from using personal phones in school? Or that educators are not permitted from experimenting with mobile learning pedagogy? And - certainly more importantly - the author's decision to ignore issues of access and equity is very troubling.

    9. Think about that.

      Some very smart people have thought about why learners use various tools, and why that may or may not be beneficial to their learning. I highly recommend that you read Audrey Watters, Larry Cuban, and Sherry Turkle to name but a few people who would likely bristle at this superficial analysis of an emerging technology as somehow relevant to education.

    10. ALL the time

      Why? Because they are distracted in class due to learning that is not relevant to their interests? Or because they are participating in some type of activity that is complemented by mobile device use? The initial presumption that learners are "on" a device and not engaged with authentic practices (i.e. questioning, inquiry) is troubling, if not shortsighted.

    1. so I am limited to whom I can give feedback

      There are likely pros and cons to this approach. In one respect, and by engaging with the same people over an extended period of time, you might really connect with certain people. And then again, you might also want to find ways to branch out. Happy to discuss this more!

    2. I feel I had better conversations this week with my peers and instructors through the annotation application Hypothes.is. I appreciated the feedback about my comments and enjoyed reading other’s comments about the work.

      I agree, I think the quality of your group's annotation-as-discussion was much improved from prior weeks. So what can we learn from this past week that will be applicable to the remainder of our course? What strategies might continue to support such quality exchange?

    1. This, of course, relates to my theme.  In each assignment I am looking to make that connection, or get ideas to use, in order to really make the assignment that much more meaningful to me.

      And I'm really pleased to learn this! Finding a way for this course to enable personal meaning-making, and to apply to professional practice, is a goal. Please keep us all informed about your growth in this regard, and if the course design or facilitation fails to engender this anymore, keep us accountable!

    1. when the technology is not there to support it and the ever present gap in education based on social economics continues to keep my students in poverty.

      What if access to technology matters less than pedagogy that honors the assets of your students?

    2. one begins to question their own articulation and verbal expression,

      Can you tell us more about this? I'm not sure if this is something you fear, or value, or consider necessary to learning, or... ?

    3. using my interest in both art and social justice as a platform to be more outspoken.

      Great, I'm so pleased that this course can provide that opportunity for you!

    4. we still need to realize that this digital affinity is a majoritarian space, harbored by a hegmonic ideals and class biases

      Are you suggesting that the "internet" is a singular space? Some clarification would help.

    5. We talk about digital literacies that are only obtainable by those afforded the ability to participate. Working in a title one, low income 78% Free and reduced lunch school, I can tell you from being on the front lines that my students have no idea, have no access, and are struggling to be literate in the every day, let alone some affinity space.

      I'll be eager to learn about what you think of these case studies, many of which are written by educators who teach in schools similar to the one you're describing - see Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom.

    6. but then again, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of feedback on anything

      Really? I'd have to disagree. Please email me so that can we talk about this in detail.

    1.  This week, it all came together and I just let go and had some fun with it

      And I'm glad you do, and - more importantly - this course can create the conditions for you to experiment with creativity.

    2. Now, I see the purpose in that.

      I'm really pleased to learn that this is working out for you (and your group!). Lisa and I anticipated that the smaller groups would seed intentional connections and collaborations. It sounds like this is happening for you - wonderful!

    3. It was easier this week to see those connections after I went back and read my work with intention--looking for threads of commonality.

      I really appreciate the intention - and strategy - of your reflection - thank you!

    1. and am glad that we’re being challenged to confront these fears. I really think that the pace of this class is of benefit in this regard. We don’t have time to even pay attention to these limiting factors.

      Yup, dive in, experiment, see what fits, and make it work for you - well observed!

    2. Producing content for this class is forcing me to ignore that perfectionist itch and just get things done.

      This is tremendous, and an important realization. Activities like Daily Creates and all our blogging emphasize production over perfection. As an educator, I care about seeing your learning as it emerges, as it is in process - and I care less about perfection, whatever that means.

    1. This change forced me to think differently about how I looked at this story, but I rolled with the punches and tried my best. I’m still not sure if I approached it correctly, as many of the remix practices did not seem to fit in with the story, particular relevant online spaces.

      And that's OK, some of the L&K remix practices may not be entirely relevant to the qualities of the story you've selected to critique. Adapting and - if necessary - discarding those practices is fine. You seem, however, to have grokked the broader point - that switching up the criteria for a critique changes how you will "read" and interpret the given story. So in that respect, well done!

    1. can get you in so much trouble

      Yes, this is a legitimate fear. Yet at the same time, I'm consistently amazed by the K-12 and higher ed educators who are sharing their work publicly, and often being rewarded because of that openness. Not all schools, districts, and policies are the same. And I'm reminded that with ISTE in Denver this past week, there are so many educators who are making public commitments to sharing their teaching practice. Among the many groups who are taking this more transformative approach to sharing, I'm impressed by Educolor and also the Ed Speakers Co-Op.

    1. I feel proud of my contributions and am especially pleased to be able to write them in my own voice

      I am so pleased to learn this, and am deeply appreciative of the fact that our course design can support your expression of voice, however your emerging voice blends the personal with the academic and scholarly.

    2. I sometimes feel like the submissions would benefit everyone as blog posts (enhancing communication, constructing identity, getting ideas out there).

      I likely noted this in our private reading conversations, though have you had a chance to look at the model of publication - and peer review - practiced in Hybrid Pedagogy?

    1. When it comes to bringing technology into the classroom, who gets it first? Who gets the fancy stuff? I think we all know the answer to this question.

      These are very important questions to grapple with. In response, might I suggest you peruse a resource like Antero Garcia's Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom.

    2. I feel like it’s more the real me too, so it seems like my identity is getting more and more into my assignments. Not a bad thing!

      Not a bad at all! In fact, this demonstrates - as you know - a great connection to our course readings about identity and blogging.

    1. but it will definitely take some more digging before I feel comfortable actually implementing blogging as a regular practice for my students.

      Of course! And yes, there are many resources out there about student blogging. I tweeted out another resource just this morning. Translation into practice does certainly take a lot of time.

    2. I liked the fact that as I read I could already see what was being discussed and had a lot of different views on the reading readily available.

      Yes, isn't it interesting how web annotation and time work together when participating in social reading? The first person to "take a pass" at a given text will have a very different experience than someone who reads, and contributes, later in a given week. For me, I find it useful to revisit a reading multiple times so as to appreciate the annotations from multiple people.

    1. will I have access to the assignments and the readings after the class? I would like to try more assignments and reference the reading later on.

      Of course, because by design most of our learning in this course is open. Our course blog isn't going anywhere - same goes for all the posts created by your peers (unless they delete them!). Our reading PDFs aren't going anywhere, and all Hypothesis annotations are sticking around (and are archived). This is one reason why we've ditched an LMS. Access to a course LMS "shell" often disappears after a semester, and as a private space creates all kinds of issues with access. As you note, your learning is ongoing, why not have access to our collective knowledge long after our course "officially" ends?!

    2. I need to focus on communicating and learning and not checking off a box.

      So glad we're on the same page!

    1. Luckily this is where the annotations really become helpful for me! When I start to zone out on the readings I take a break and read some of the comments that my peers have noted and I find myself drawn back in to the topic. If only everything had annotations!

      I'm really glad to learn that these Hypothesis annotations are a useful scaffold for your reading comprehension!

    1. the process taught me something about getting feedback (which also lets me reflect on giving feedback!). This is where formative evaluation questions should be busted out on a regular basis.

      What are your thoughts about our more structured use of Hypothesis as a means of peer-to-peer feedback? This is certainly a change from Games and Learning, and I hope this helps with the need for ongoing, formative evaluation, much of which should come (I believe) from the broader learning community and not a single authority (like me).

    2. and I had a hard time following what was going on

      Me too!

    1. I have more and more questions. But that's what I need to get back to the classroom. I need to get back to work with my students.

      I'm so pleased to learn that you have more and more questions - that's a core goal of this course, to create conditions for learners to ask questions about literacies, inquiry, expression, and creativity. And what's further interesting, for me, is that getting "back to the classroom" does not mean a four walled room abstracted from the real world. A classroom is Twitter. Your blog is a classroom, and our networked blogs an entire school. For me, "working with my students" means writing and reading socially, interacting on Twitter, and turning all our mediated networks into distributed learning environments. I no longer privilege one definition of a classroom. I actively try to trouble the expected geographies and grammars of learning in favor of more creative and contested learning spaces and expressions.

    2. I did.

      I'm glad you did, and that you're sharing this information here! This is precisely why we're critically reading and posting our thoughts publicly, to encourage more engaged discourse that examines between the lines.

    3. This class is so jarring in how it doesn't fit in with the UTCE 5010 class or the Urban Community Teachers program that I started my Master's in.

      Why doesn't it fit? What is preventing you - or anyone - from bringing the critical education perspectives, sociocultural theories (which here also addressed in our first week's reading), and political critiques from those courses into our learning here? If we're reading about mashup, why not mash together those courses with the social learning practices of ILT5340?

    1. and posting my weekly reflection on my blog!

      And thanks for challenging yourself to reach, and share, outside your comfort zone. And in doing so, here's one additional layer - and public recognition - that your public post is a way to make meaning among our learning community. Thanks!

    1. I learned that good things can come from doing something that makes me uncomfortable.

      You've captured the entire ethos of our course in this reflection, thanks for sharing and being open to such emergent and new learning!

    1. I am having fun with them and being silly. I think that is what is great about this class is that I can be funny and not so serious.

      And, I would suggest, that humor can be quite serious, and a great motivator for deep learning.

    1. It’s a strange feeling, but I do enjoy feeling supported (even in the posts I make that aren’t about this class!) by my peers.  So one of the things I learned was the importance of that feeling in the classroom. 

      I appreciate learning that you're enjoying a sense of connectedness in our course. That's really important. All the various tools that we use are simply means to create more authentic conversations and collaborations among both peers and the public. And yes, I know the same can be done in K-12 settings, too.

    2. On top of that, I even reached out to the person who created my digital story to let him know my thoughts on his video.  He actually read my blog post and responded to my Tweet, which was pretty surprising to me. 

      And this is precisely why we're using various tools in our course, and working - in some ways - publicly. Why not engage with the authors, creators, and thinkers who are shaping our learning - I'm so glad you did this!

    1. The responses I received hlped me learn that many people feel the same way as me and that it’s okay to push myself and try to become more comfortable with the concept. I may explore this idea next week.

      I'm so pleased to learn that the conversations we're having with Hypothesis in small groups are supporting divergent, challenging, and perhaps growth-oriented thoughts about your writing, and specifically public writing via blogs. That's precisely what our course is all about - honestly critiquing our preconceptions about media and expression, and leveraging these new thoughts to make change in our own practices. Thanks for being such an engaged and open-minded participant in that process.

    1. I feel like my theme is constantly evolving.

      As I look over your work, I'm curious about the following questions: How does the use of various digital media and learning technologies strengthen your commitment to teaching diverse learners? And how might such tool use change your teaching practice?

    2. I figured out how to create a GIF for a daily create this week!

      Congrats!

    3. Do they all need to be videos?

      No, not at all.

    1. I am really thinking this would be a great way for my students to be able to continuously publish their work and get feedback from others on it.

      So here's a related set of questions: What lessons from our course are applicable to your setting? How might you borrow aspects of our course design? How might you encourage learners to pursue their own interests, and then write about that? How to best scaffold learners into a community of practice where writing, peer commentary, and reflection can flourish? I would suggest that our social learning practices in this course can be translated into various K-12 settings.

    1. how am I going to implement that in my classroom? I would like to learn more technology that I can use in my classroom immediately, such as Hypnosis, web-annotation.

      These are interesting comments for me to read. In one respect, the "apply-on-Monday" approach to ed tech use is something I find perpetuates a system of easy answers and silver bullets. On the other hand, some learning technologies can be usefully applied in classroom settings, perhaps such as Hypothesis.

      Here's my bigger question for you: What is motivating the idea that technology should be used in your classroom "immediately"? What is the technology the motivating factor? For me, tools are used in response in authentic problems of practice. For example, I am always concerned with the quality of peer-to-peer conversation. Hypothesis is a useful tool to address that concern. The tool, for me, comes second, second to the primary need for quality communication among learners. When I hear educators talk about "immediately" implementing any learning technology, I'm concerned the tool is being used for its own sake, abstracted from a relevant teaching and learning need.

      Does that resonate?

    1. in understanding the information and actually presented further questions and thoughts beyond the reading.

      I'm so pleased to learn this, thanks for sharing!

    1. not really having a way to apply that information to my own learning practices

      Are there not practitioners in your area of work who are blogging about their experiences with software development, guest services, and leadership? I imagine the lessons from last week's readings are applicable across fields, and that you might challenge yourself to find thought leaders in your professional practice who are using the medium of blogging to share knowledge, build community, and even push boundaries.

    1. I realized how much I loved Hypothesis when it was not working correctly for a few days.  I really depend on the yellow highlights of classmates!

      This is awesome, glad Hypothesis is serving as a scaffold for your learning!

  7. Jun 2016
    1. It felt like we were reading and creating meaning together.

      If so, that's a win! This is precisely why we're using Hypothesis - and for both course readings and to engage in peer-to-peer feedback on our course blogs.

    1. this class should bring out “high quality ignorance” in all of us.

      Not my brilliance! This is borrowed from Stuart Firestein's work on "ignorance."

    2. I am loving the community of this class.  I love the interactions on hypothesis – I find that I get so much more out of the readings than I have in any other class.  I also have found that hypothesis keeps me honest – I have a tendency to skim long readings, but having annotations to read from my peers has me wanting to make sure I truly understand the content they are referring to.

      So pleased to learn this! I agree, reading paired with social (group) annotation changes how we interact, engage our intellects, and - as you note - stay accountable to the text, to ourselves as readers, and to those we read with. I'm glad this aspect of the course is so meaningful for you!

    1. As I become more comfortable and understanding of the media, my creating becomes more 'mine', and I am able to start to express myself digitally.

      Wonderful! Cultivating a sense of ownership - even when the work required to "own" one's learning is challenging, or frustrating, or unknown - is an important goal of this course.

    1.  I was equally surprised that it filtered into this class as a means of expressing empathy and my shared feelings for the families.

      Blur those boundaries! The separations between so-called academic and so-called personal lives are often constructions. Returning to Gee's notion of Discourse - and, in particular, secondary Discourses - underscores this hybridity. Let's embrace the complexity of relevant learning in this course.

    2. I am also enjoying the flexibility to explore academic, peer-reviewed articles and then juxtaposing that research oriented approach with a more experiential approach which explores how individuals are constructing their own meaning within this digital space.

      Yes! This is a core design element of the course. I'm glad this is working for you!

    1. I’m surprising by how many resources I’m finding that help connect the themes of this class to the education world. The more of these resources I find the more I realize how beneficial this coursework is to my theme.

      I'm so pleased to learn this. A challenge - and a goal - of this course is creating a mix between what is required and what is pursued based upon interest. When the two synthesize, that's really where deep learning can occur.

    1. This is only the second week of the course and I know that I will need to continue to maintain this same pace.

      I really like the metaphor of pacing - and this is relevant both to summer term courses generally (at 8 weeks, half the length of a "typical" semester) and certainly ILT5340.

  8. narrateannotate.wordpress.com narrateannotate.wordpress.com
    1. with our professors or readings

      And our peers. Again, such an important point! And on the point of respectful disagreement - people tend to regularly read texts - whether scholarship, or the news media - that confirm their biases, or that conform to their particular world view, or that maintain their (perhaps privileged) position in various social and cultural spheres. I firmly believe that a tenet of graduate education is respectful critique and debate so as to challenge such assumptions. An open mind, and empathy, are not contradictory to disagreement.

    2. Notice that Remi and I disagree on one particular subject (the conversation is in my reflection for that week), and we still don’t agree to this day, and that’s ok.

      This is an exceptionally important point. And by the way Lisa, Comic Con was this past weekend here in Denver, and there were so many people participating in cosplay.

    3. Camtasia (30 day free trial,

      I use Camtasia for my screencasts. I highly recommend this platform.

    4. also be very frustrating

      And very fun!

    5. I understand your struggle! I still struggle with audio projects.

      Productive struggle is really important. And, it's also good to know when to walk away. Not every assignment bank entry needs to be "perfect;" rather, every assignment needs to be an authentic, and well-intentioned effort to stretch your creativity.

    6. Audio is a difficult medium to work with,

      Yes, it is really difficult! One of the reasons why we engage various media in the early weeks of this course - visual, audio, video - is to give everyone a taste of media production and editing. If you don't like something, no need to return later this semester when we have "choice" weeks. If you do like a particular medium, however, you can always return to explore more.

    7. commented on everyone’s assignments using hypothesis (If I missed anyone, let me know!).

      Isn't Lisa awesome! Thanks for doing this!

    1. annotate this text right here with your creative media

      Here's Remi's example of DC1610, and note this annotation is posted publicly. And because it's posted publicly, I've added some tags below (ILT5340, DS106, dailycreate).

  9. Apr 2016
    1. A community can and should establish a set of norms for ensuring safe spaces within organizations.

      And, on the other hand, where negligence borders upon, or even becomes, abuse.

    2. but that they will feel welcomed.

      This is such an important recognition. Ironically, it likely took multiple game nights, multiple sets of interaction over time, to recognize this a) as a dynamic and b) as such a problem. I wonder if you could have identified the significance of this dynamic upon your first game night...?

    3. and placing the burden of being comfortable and being understood on her shoulders

      Given what you do know about this situation, would you qualify this as victim blaming?

    4. and posted an angry public comment on the group's web page

      I wonder what impact this public action will have on future group attendance.

    5. It is one thing to say that everyone is welcome, and quite another to make everyone feel welcome.

      A wonderful critique

    6. The boundaries and borders of this space are, therefore, very porous. The group considers this a positive attribute because there are no barriers to entry. Nurturing affinity spaces should be open and accessible.

      Yes, and... I anticipate there's a bit caveat coming...

    1. that these small truths are fleeting

      Like my interest in "glimpsing" the value of open annotation?

    2. look for small truths that have been “tested” by us regular folks in our natural environments.

      Relevance to everyday learning and knowing is also really important for children - I wish schools adopted such an approach more regularly.

    3. that they grasp at some small truth and interpret as a great Truth and force it on others.

      Are you referring to Graphite, the broad field of education, or politics? While might tongue-in-cheek question might appear as a joke... I'm not joking ;)

    4. are welcome to participate in the same space increases the value of the shared knowledge.

      I was wondering about this while watching your screencast. To what extent did you interact with other Graphite members? Or how are you planning to do so, especially once you begin teaching your courses?

    5. A space for educators created by educators where they and all members have a voice.

      Yes, I was wondering about educators agency as well when watching your screencast. How does an affinity space like this encourage educators' agency?

    6. This space for educators is well funded, designed, curated, and moderated

      Indeed, and as you note on a number of occasions during your screencast. It's nice to have such notable funders backing a project like this - it adds to a sense of validity.

    7. what worked, and what hasn’t worked for them, and importantly, why

      This crowd-sourced approach to reviewing media (whether videos, apps, or games) is a wonderful way of honoring educators' knowledge and experience.

    8. and the plethora of information available on the web pertaining to education can be overwhelming

      During yesterday's annotation flash mob Susannah made a similar point. How do we navigate this information so that it is useful? How do we "ride the wave" (as she said)?

    9. Goethe was communicating

      I appreciate that Goethe has been a presence - a companion of sorts - throughout your learning this semester. I'm glad he made an appearance in your affinity space project!

    1. I discovered dinosaurs very early in my life. Kindergarten? First grade? Certainly by the second grade

      I also loved dinosaurs as a child. I should track down a photograph...

    2. School largely was a series of disillusionments.

    1. but pointless.

      Or even "seemingly" pointless, per Wikipedia's definition. I thought about riffing on this qualifier "seemingly," and exploring the connections among flash mobs as performance, the perception of activity, and annotation as form of public (and "open") performance... but those meandering thoughts are well-beyond the scope of this practical invitation.

    1. especially when I contrast them with the interactions that I have witnessed between players of other MMORPGs

      This doesn't surprise me one bit... any specific MMORPGs that stand out for you?

    2. Game (big G),

      Nice connection to the surrounding culture of this particular social experience.

    3. Often, these practices include the use of microtransactions, in which players pay for access to locked content or items and abilities that f2p players won’t get.

      You're likely familiar with the concept of "whales," yes? This piece from a few years ago has always stood out to me.

    4. These abilities are laid out on many intersecting paths in a skill tree that you choose to navigate for upgrades.

      Similar to pathways of interest-driven learning, perhaps? I'm reading this and thinking of parallels to course design, how learning environments afford participants multiple opportunities to navigate "upgrades" throughout a learning trajectory...

    1. and to see if endogenous fantasy does play a part in education and learning.

      Great question, and I'm curious too - time for a literature review! #kidding #notkidding

    2. that flow

      Are referencing the concept flow as described and studied by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi?

    3. “Can a balloon that appears on a computer display really be anymore physically real, or unreal than a rectangle or a cross?” and I would like to propose that no, it does not matter, and that this does not qualify as endogenous fantasy as there is no mental picture created by the player, the image is clearly visible on the screen and there is no need to generate a different image in the mind.

      Interesting... reading your thoughts, I would return to Bevelier et al's study on visual perception and cognition, and compare how this specific scenario compares to her team's review of current neuroscience research.

    4. endogenous fantasy as “one that evokes mental images of physical or social situations not actually present” (Malone & Lepper, 1987, p.240).

      Reading this and thinking about the Dungeons & Dragons video recently posted as a Retro Report in the New York Times.

    5. Habgood et al. disagree with these findings, and argue that core mechanics and flow are more important to learning than intrinsic fantasy aspects.

      What an interesting set up for research... I'm intrigued!

    6. some familiar names such as Jim Gee and Yasmin Kafai

      The fact that these incredible learning scientists and scholars are familiar names is just awesome - win for you, win for the course.

    7. I chose this article because I love fantasy games, specifically role-playing fantasy games and I wanted to know if the fantasy aspect of games directly affects learning.

      And what an excellent reason to read an article!

    1. and step outside the role of player into the role of creator.

      I see a parallel to course design and pedagogy. My hope is that courses like INTE 5320 have helped you/other learners connect various dots so that it is easier to step outside the role of participant (and often consumer of content) and into the role of course co-designer.

    2. On a side note, I am certain, given my experience and study, if I were to create a game, it would be cooperative.

      This is coming up all across our course right now - cooperative versus competitive game play. Susan has been writing and thinking about this a lot.

    3. Game creation combines content, affective/experiential, and metacognitive learning

      Is this unique to video game design... or to design activities generally? From dance choreographers to architects, it seems as though there might be some elements of these three qualities inherent to those respective design experiences, too. On the other hand, what is it about (video) game design that makes this trifecta particularly effective?

    4. like Gamestar Mechanic, Unity, GameMaker, and Scratch

      Interesting that we've examined - in some way - three of these game design platforms:

      • Gamestar Mechanic in the Alex Games article
      • Scratch in the Peppler & Kafai article
      • And Kirk has joined the Unity community as his affinity space
    5. completely shifted my games and learning paradigm

      As I've likely mentioned, I'd welcome the opportunity to pair a game design course with our games and learning course - two semesters - focusing on learning first semester, then design in the second.

    1. a little more of John Nash

      Why?

    2. collaboration between peers and peers and instructor about how to apply concepts, research, ideas, tools and technologies into online learning environments.

      huh... from my perspective, I'm seeing this happening quite a lot via Twitter, via blogs and commentary (and Hypothesis annotations), and also via our annotation-as-discussion when a particular course text aligns with people's interests (like games and learning in higher education/adult learning contexts). Would a group project of some sort have amplified this type of collaboration for you?

    3. more discussions on the application of all the innovative and emerging technologies in gaming and VR and research data into students practical fields.

      Is this not happening via our various course blogs? I'm thinking about Robert's consistent blogging about video games and language learning, Susannah's affinity space participation that examines coding skill development, Lainie's ongoing commitment to libraries and information accessibility given her professional responsibilities... and - at a more meta-level - this course itself and a design that pairs the study of games and playfulness with playful design, pedagogy, and participation.

    4. They all indicated the transformative learning experience they all had.

      Just curious, because I'm often involved in similar course design and evaluation efforts - what types of feedback/data did you receive from these students to capture the "transformative" aspects of this learning experience?

    5. The learning experience was amazing! I was pulled into topics and worlds I had previously no interest in.

      Literally immersive - that's wonderful.

    6. and “push the boundaries of students’ intellectual, emotional and physical capabilities”.

      Where are you drawing this from?

    7. One of the most exciting moments of this 27th Annual eLearning Consortium of Colorado was the presentation of one of the keynote speakers – Anders Gronstedt, Ph.D., the President of The Gronstedt Group, Inc.

      Given your comments about Twitter, was there a conference-sponsored backchannel during the keynote? That's often a very informative - and participatory - element of keynotes that I really value - and whether I'm watching the talk or giving it myself.

    8. I was excited to find out that game analytics is huge part of the growing focus on measuring learning.

      This is very true... and also scares me a bit. I have a forthcoming conclusion to a book about educators as game designers (it'll be published soon, I was hoping we'd have a chance to read it this semester) in which I argue against the "bid data" and learning analytics developments in game-based learning. Here's one paragraph, a bit out of context, but it's a sense of thinking on this topic:

      Teacher Pioneers also contests a narrative that games are a means of thoroughly assessing learning given supposed shortcomings in educators’ ability to understand what students know. An ill-informed logic—in the worst of cases—suggests that educators possess neither the skill nor the professional disposition to accurately or adequately assess what their own students have learned during a given lesson or upon completion of a unit. As a tool that exemplifies the mining of big data and the capabilities of embedded learning analytics, digital video games are often lauded as a means of closing this presumably troubling gap in educator competency. Yet when educators do use digital games as a means to assess students, the game—in and of itself—rarely functions as the sole mediator of evaluation. A recent survey of more than 450 classroom educators investigated formative assessment practices during students’ digital gameplay. These educators did not passively monitor students’ gaming, as some narratives might suggest. Rather, the teachers actively observed their students, interacted with them via questioning, and created opportunities for complementary problem solving. Such relational and in-the-moment assessment practices can deepen and further contextualize students’ digital data trails. Video games can serve as a mechanism to assess what students know and can do. From this perspective, however, an outstanding tension concerns the extent to which educators’ assessment practices complement—or are ultimately circumvented by—the authority of algorithms.

    9. in a sense that it provoked me to dig deeper into Vygotsky’s theory, adult learner theory and frameworks

      I'm glad there were some unanticipated yet fruitful outcomes!

    1. Brian does not grade the annotations as such, but does a weekly audit to check if the work has been done and sends reminders to those who still need to complete the requirements.

      I take a very similar approach. A student and I were just discussing annotation and grading here.

    1. It is important that all people feel involved.

      Indeed... and what are the implications for how games, or playful experience generally, are structured within formal schooling?

    2. the games simple design

      What makes for simple design? What are the principles that guide the creation of a simple and playful game?

    3. The surprise always comes from how people decide to play

      How people choose to adopt certain strategies within the formal set of rules, or how people bring "house rules" to their play of Uno?

    1. just like they do from achieving a new level on a game.

      Yes... and a tension here, as we discussed during the third cycle readings about gamification, is the extrinsic motivation associated with such "ego boosts."

    2. and more

      perhaps like playing as a means to learn?

    3. People are always in contact with others for a variety of different reasons in order to complete their tasks.

      I'm wondering... are you making a judgement here about the need, perhaps benefits or limitations, of social collaboration?Just curious.

    4. it is not easy to find ways to assess learning through games without having to add an additional task for each student.

      I think you'll be really taken with our readings later this term. There are various ways to assess student learning in formal classroom environments through games and game play. Particularly when we look at our cycle readings about teachers as game designers... more to come!

    5. They advocate for a need for standardization and regulation regarding the use of games in teaching-learning-evaluating.

      Hmmm, this seems like a big concern. Standardization and regulation of game-based learning seems not much different than rote memorization, or textbook recitation, or skill-and-drill. Old wine in new bottles, as the saying goes... I hope we don't take the playfulness out of game-based learning!

    6. test happy government to realize that this is a better way to assess then bubble tests

      Check out the latest US Dept of Ed Educational Technology plan - there's a lot about formative assessment through game-based learning. It's actually quite progressive!

    7. These steps gave teachers a clear guide on how to incorporate a game successfully into a classroom so that students would be engaged.

      Here's my gut reaction: this formulaic approach to "integrating" games into schooling isn't really playful... as noted, I'm going to read this article, my own curiosity is piqued!

    8. The first quote is what drew me into the article, “Game-based learning has been found to promote a positive attitude towards learning and develop memory skills, along with its potential to connect learners and help them build self-constructed learning

      This is a powerful opening. I'll have to look up the article. I'm curious if there are citations accompanying that first sentence. What types of evidence support the claims?

    1. failure only worked for us when growth mindset attitudes took the foreground – otherwise there was no opportunity to make adjustments or challenge ourselves (or continue to play, for that matter!).

      Indeed, such a mindset helps to perceive failure as part of a longer-term trajectory, and not a static end-state that is consequential to the point of inaction.

    2.  It was interesting to see different reactions to the anticipation of failure as it ranged from “Well, we might as well plan on losing this one” to “I can get this.  I can definitely come up with a way of doing this.”

      These are really useful observations as they present such a stark contrast to the way in which students typically approach - and relate to - failure within formal school contexts.

    3. In order to perform well in both roles, you must have a certain amount of facility in both traditional (reading and interpreting the manual) and with new (manipulating the bomb via the computer and understanding visual and other design cues on the screen) literacies.  

      A nice connection - and despite my limited experience with KTNE, there are a range of skills (communication, representation, problem posing, problem solving, etc.) that do becomes literacies of sorts in the context of game play.

    4. I decided I’d write my next blog post about this local multiplayer, computer-based game

      I liked playing KTNE even briefly with Lisa and Brian, and it's nice to learn that you chose to pick up and give it a go!

    1. as "playing around one's understanding".

      Very nice!

    2. to simply trust the process and the person who is imparting the knowledge.

      Which, given certain circumstances, may be quite a leap of faith! And, in some ways, isn't this what happens between students and their teachers?