I live in two small towns. One, in rural Vermont, fits the classic definition of a small town: a quaint town hall and white church. Even more importantly: the community is closely knit. Whenever any interesting event happens, everybody knows about it within 24 hours. News spreads like wildfire; and our town town paper only comes out every month. We do not rely upon formal systems to spread the news. Instead, every person leverages their social network (the analog kind) to spread the news. Some people have immense networks (mayoral candidates) while others might only share the news with a couple of people. Regardless of how they learn it, within a week everyone knows about Mary’s new son.
I also live in another kind of small town. In this town, I control who attains citizenship. I am able to sculpt this village (network) to my exact tastes; creating a village with only those who interest me. This is a crucial aspect of our new networks—it is constantly engaging. How often have you been in a room filled with people but felt completely alone? This does not happen in our personal networks built online. Whether you agree with those in your learning network or not, they are always a source of a good conversation. Consequently, everyone in the network grows closer and closer into a tightly knit community.
While many attempts have been made to map the internet before, too many of them focus upon the what and the how rather than the who. One of my favorite maps of the internet shows each tool as a country. I believe this is fundamentally wrong, because we build our network around the people, not the place. It doesn’t take a plane ticket to get from Myspace to Facebook—it takes a couple of steps. Usually, most of your network will walk right along with you. Thus, it really just becomes a matter of walking down the streets with your friends
with your network. Together, you form a small village, with location based upon similarities in interests, not on geography (both physical and virtual).
Just like in a real village, the news in our virtual (social) villages spreads like wildfire. From person to person, the news is passed. Never have I seen a more perfect example of this than with Students 2.0. In our first day alone, we got over 2,500 visits to our splash page. A significant portion of these visits can be attributed to the power of Twitter and our personal learning network. When we first launched the splash page, I watched as the tweets flew by—the village truly came through for us. The gossip certainly triggered an amazing reaction, which ended up growing exponentially.
After the original buzz on Twitter, the local
(to our social village) news media came in. In our social village, this is the blogosphere. Seeing the amount of gossip and buzz happening, the local news media believes it merits a story. Of course, once one newspaper
picks up the story, the rest follow. Shortly, over 100 stories were written about Students 2.0: bringing in even more gossip and conversation; the self generated P.R. cycle continues. Of course, then it is time to pull in a camera crew to produce a video.
Seeing the success of the video, even more people talked about Students 2.0 and learned about the project. Continually, the vibrations resonate through the village. A town bell has been rung, and everyone congregates on the town green, eager to hear the news.
The launch of Students 2.0 has been a great example of how powerful our social villages can be. I myself have learned a lot about myself, marketing, and the world through the participation in this project and the dialogue with my social village.
Going back to my real world village, I bemoan the location of my high school; it is outside of the village. While both are dependent upon each other, the school is not a part of the village. Consequently, all of the conversations happening within the village rarely infiltrate the thick walls of school. However, as I have seen with Students 2.0, our social villages can add immense value—both professionally and personally. By not utilizing this network, schools become stagnant; news flows slowly and change moves at a snails pace.
A critical step forward for schools would be to embrace the social villages of students and faculty alike. Schools should be developing portals and websites which take into account the social aspects of our lives. Even more importantly, once those networks are developed, the users should have the ability to welcome others into their village; too often we see systems which further isolate the school community from the larger social community.
This doesn’t need to be a radical step. Rather, a control system can and should be adopted—just as we selectively chose the citizens in our social villages (Twitter). Regardless of how this change is accomplished, it must come about; if schools continue to be separate from our social villages, our villages will continue to evolve exponentially while schools will stay rooted in the past.
The social villages we build around us—spanning various mediums—extend our mind and offer immense power which schools would do well to integrate rather than ignore.
I’m confident that Student 2.0 is a harbinger/portent/indicator/trend/leading edge.
Congratulations to all concerned. May you thrive.
minh
Did education help you become the writer you are? If so, how? If not, what did?
(Many readers might not be aware, either, that you are the designer of this website, and hand-crafted the theme - with help from Kevin and Anthony on the sidebars. Another amazing fact about an amazing young man.)
Well done. Many eyes are already being opened, and you folks are just getting started.
I love your analogy here and think your plea at the end of the post is a wake-up call.
I plan to share this on my campus as well.
I know the logistics and framework of building a social community that invites the students and community in are challenging. No doubt about it.
But I think there are ways we can begin to do that, and it is time to try.
I’m thinking about my own campus and other campuses where I have worked. It seems like news of exciting new practices or tools spreads more like slow moving lava. It may infiltrate a few areas that are near the volcano, but then it stops. The walls are thick, as you mentioned, and I’m just wondering how to permeate them with the kind of excitement that you obviously feel about web 2.0.
How do we create that “wildfire” within our campuses?
If you agree, please let me know where I might find a brief bio on you (a few sentences) to include. Also, like Clay shares in one of the comments early on, you should include your age.
I found your post to be wonderfully articulate. I like how you contrasted the experiences of your high school and the network, and the disconnect between the two.
BTW, I would love to have your insights on cyberbullying, digital citizenship!
With appreciation,
Miguel Guhlin
Around the Corner-MGuhlin.net
http://mguhlin.net
Director, Instructional Technology Services
San Antonio Independent School District
http://itls.saisd.net
I agree completely with what you have said. Echoing what I have said in a recent post, and continuing on what you have just written:
Even as adults we’ve become dependent upon our networks. Why should we expect any less of our students?
I’m hoping you will elaborate more on the “control system” you mention:
* What kinds of control do you recommend?
* Do you think school administrators should censor the in-school contacts that students can access?
* How do you think other students will react to such controls?
Or perhaps I’m misunderstanding your original intentions. Are you suggesting that it would be nice to be able to select our school environment in much the same way we’re able to customize our virtual worlds?
As the only librarian in a small rural district (not far from the Vermont state line!), I felt rejuvenated and reinvented when I first discovered blogging, RSS feeds, and online communities of learners.
I wonder if the same thing might be true for students who feel they don’t fit in, who haven’t found their niche in the school that happens to be in their physical location.
We need more cross-conversations between teachers, parents, students, community members, etc.
I believe that Students 2.0 has opened the door to a lot of powerful dialogs, debates, and collaborations.
Thanks to all of you.
diane
Elizebeth: I too hope schools will open up to these ideas. The more we spread the message, the greater the force behind the change.
minh: How would you say our social villages can integrate the useful elements of school? I am still not convinced that is the only change needed—an immense amount of money & time is wasted upon the bureaucracy which is school. Unless we either redevelop the education or eliminate our culture’s obsession with traditional credentials change will not happen.
Clay: Blogging has certainly helped me to become I used to be a mediocare (at best) writer, but thanks to the sheer amount of conversation and writing required on the web I believe I have improved. If this is an interesting subject, I think I might do such a post in the future—it is certainly one I would have fun writing.
I would say formalized education has very little to do with developing my writing—I was allowed to write the bare minimum of quality and get an A. Thus, no improvement was created. However, once I did start blogging and writing better some of my teachers noticed and helped me to grow better. Still, I think our education system does not do nearly enough to notice those who have potential but aren’t using it. The harsh criticism of the web forces us to grow better or else curl up and die in a puddle of no readership.
It’s capitalism, man: an immense supply of content on the web allows for readers to have all the choice in the world. Thus, you’ve got to make a better product to survive.
Thanks for inspiring us to begin this product—the conversations so far have been amazing.
Carolyn: Thanks for your comment! I’m glad to hear you plan to spread this—the more who know of the potential of social networks the better.
The other important thing to think about is that we have to let the “lava” of web 2.0 in slowly—let it in too fast, and everyone gets burnt.
Your question has no easy answer, but I think one of the most important things to do in the meantime is to begin spreading the wildfire within the current system. Many edubloggers type away about their thoughts, but fail to share the power with those down the hall. I’d say we could all stand to do a little face-to-face social networking and share the fire that way. Once the fire burns away the old system, it’ll be much easier to develop a more social/collaborative system.
Miguel: Thanks for your interest and support! All of my posts are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license, meaning you are free to repost it on your site providing you provide attribution and a link back.
You can get a bio from me on my personal blog, if you want. If that isn’t suitable, I can write something up for you in a jiffy.
We are also hoping to roll out author bios on Students 2.0 sometime in the near future. These will include photos & age as well as links to us around the ‘net.
However, I would tend to disagree with you. Many adults I know depend upon their network very little—particularly in education. You know, the teacher who just persists to use the same age-old practices until a change is forced upon them. Meaning, much of the educational system doesn’t see the value in networking. (Building villages)
In this case, I’d propose education takes a leaf out of business’ book—where networking and collaboration is incredibly important.
The control system is not so much a censorship model as a choice model—the choice of the user. Really, I’d like to see social villages developed like Twitter: you chose the villages you want to be in and who is in your village.
I’d say most students would not find this a problem—they are already used to doing it with Facebook.
Fortunately, this also provides a degree of safety (and protection from lawsuits) to schools—the school community can’t be exposed via a single Google. However, members of the surrounding villages can easily be pulled in via user approval systems, thereby making the fine line before freedom and control easier to walk across.
Actually, you do bring up an interesting point: If the online schooling movement continues, why not be able to chose who you learn with and from? Meanwhile, a certain amount of diversity should be forced upon us. Tough question—perhaps the topic of discussion for a future post.
Diane: I think those of us living in rural communities see the dramatic shift much clearer than those in urban settings. We are not used to being able to selectively chose those we associate with—my entire graduating class (of 80) is basically
When tight communities are formed those who don’t fit in are often alienated. This was true for me. Though I never was really bullied, I never really fit in. Mostly, because my physical location confined me to a network I never really fit in with. However, when I encountered the web I was able to find a network where I fit in—where I found people I could actually share interests with.
Another matter I would like to draw attention to is how much the flaws of social networks are exposed. Every month you hear a new story of a suicide induced by problems online. However, what we don’t hear are all the untold tales: those who stayed on the “straight and narrow” thanks to the support of their online social networks. By having a group that they can associate with, the dangers of drugs, suicide, or crime are avoided. Basically, for some socially dysfunctional individuals their virtual villages act as a (This has happened for some of my acquaintances whom I shall not name for obvious reasons)
In an articles entitled:
Towards a Global Learning Commons: ccLearn
The authors, Ahrash Bissell & James Boyle say many interesting things including:
(3) A Cultural Shift: From “My Site” to “Our
Commons.” At the moment the OER movement is
taking its first steps beyond a culture focused around
“my site” towards a culture that is focused around “our
commons.”
I read it today & felt the zeitgeist rumble. The Learning Commons concept has been around for a while. Arthus’ village metaphor is more encompassing.
minh
The one thing I would like to point out is the crucial difference between a commons and a village—a commons is shared by all, while a village encompasses all. In a commons, you don’t have a place that is uniquely your own. Meanwhile, in a village you control within your own house; it is your realm. Collectively all of the homes in the village come together.
We still must maintain some concept of ownership in a new economy, but should also be able to share openly.
I think you’ll find that more adults than you suspect actually do have a network to which they’re frequently connected. The adults you reference - the teachers - however, simply choose not to expose their network with the students in their class.
I’m sure you won’t deny that most adults these day carry around a cell phone. Cell phone = Network. Just ask Verizon.
Re: Allowing students to hand-pick the members of their school learning experience - I think we’d do students a disservice if we were to incorporate such a model. Like it or not, in the real world we’re constantly forced to interact with people we don’t know and even with people we don’t like. That’s one of the beautiful things about public school. In public schools, we accept every child. And hopefully in that process, we all learn to learn together - just like we’ll need to do when we’re not in school.
I first “heard” your voice in the Kick-Off Elluminate Session for the K-12 Online Conference. And I agree with Clay Burell: You are an amazing writer and thinker, and I respect your passionate engagement and competent arguments.
This post of yours about networked learning puts words to so much of what I have been thinking and discussing with others. Although I believe there is a balancing act between having some foundational knowledge in subject areas (that may not reflect our interests and passions) and pursuing our personal, passionate connections and ideas, I think you are spot-on in that teachers (and adults in general) don’t get networked learning. I’ll fess up: I’m 45. But as I bemoan the lack of time to pursue a masters/doctorate at this particular stage of my life, my friends look at me and say, “Laura, what do you think you’ve been doing these past few years”? Even though they don’t really understand it, they are right: Between my f2f connections (that is where it started) to email connections (when f2f wasn’t possible and web 2.0 naiscent) to now blogging,RSSing, Twittering, IMing, ichating, Ninging,Voicethreading, and soon Skyping...I’ve been learning and building my personal network of TRUSTED resources...and I suppose you could say my “trusted friends” who share similar interests. The world really does come to your doorstep, and even though we may sometimes feel disconnected from various f2f communities, there are plenty of vibrant conversations and enlightened thinking that can go on with our trusted sources in the world of web 2.0.
Personally, I long for teachers and parents to “get it”, and I gravitate to those who do. But, I like the other adults here commenting, am really excited about what I can learn from you and the other students in my life. I am eager to follow and participate in the conversation. However, I wonder what you think of this food for thought: What about having invited writers to this blog who would rather define themselves as “students” no matter where they fit in the traditional schooling terminology? (Aren’t we trying to get away from that?) I think I’d like to say “I am a STUDENT.” When teachers and adults are willing to name themselves as learners alongside their students, then we’ll be a step in the right direction.
Kudos to you all!
Really, I think it is a difference of frequency. While most adults (and teachers) do have a network (cell) I do not think many of them utilize it as much as most students—you won’t see teachers SMSing ideas for a lesson plan to see how a colleague thinks. Rather, social networking is done occasionally, only when forced into such situations. The difference is passive (adults) vs. active (kids) social networks.
I do (mostly) agree with you upon the value of forcing diverse interactions. As I said, However, there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to at least choose part of your learning community. Perhaps just being able to choose a handful of your classmates or one of your teachers. By mixing forced diversity with choice there can be an equilibrium created for your learning networks.
Laura: Thanks! K12Online really was an amazing experience.
I too have learned a lot from my personal learning networks: almost as much as in traditional schooling. I do agree that some basic skills need to be taught and that a formalized education system is the best place to teach them. However, I think that our learning networks can supplement that education with a wide variety of useful skills/discussions which would not usually be taught in schools.
Take the Students 2.0 Skype chat: it is almost becoming addictive. I have learned a lot from our constant discussion; we have discussed everything from grammar to web design to social issues. The point being that real learning need not happen in the closed walls of school: it can happen anywhere, at any time.
By building these social learning networks around ourselves we have the opportunity to learn skills and have discussions which just are not being addressed in school—the nuances of fine writing, various philosophical and moral practices as well as how to properly (lol).
I can’t wait for teachers to “get” that building connections and networks on the web is all about building trust.
While I do agree that everyone is a learner, not everybody is a student—a student implies a teacher. The point of this blog is primarily to show how those “on the other side of the desk” feel about the system and education. We welcome conversations in the comments and via trackbacks but I personally would like to keep this blog to those who are students in the traditional sense—until we actually see some significant change in the student-teacher relations across the system. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Thanks for all the support and conversations—it’s been very interesting and engaging. (As well as addictive)
Though this might not be the best example, a local group of students coordinated a successful campaign via Facebook. Living in Vermont, it is not always practical to get a large audience locally. However, this group was very passionate about their initiative and would not give in. Thus, they collaborated via Google Docs and then released various marketing via Facebook—all without adult intervention.
I also coordinate many of my documents via Google Docs—making collaboration and review far easier.
For those who are also “bad readers,” the full size map should be a little easier to see.
minh
I highly recommend you read this article about a child from the UK chatting with those in South America - already forming global villages at the age of 9.
I finally had time to really read some of your posts, and I am very taken with this one in particular. Some of the educator community are fully in your corner with regard to social networking -usually those whom have experienced its power first hand, but many teachers even if they are “tech-minded” can see absolutely no use for it. What’s worse is that most administrators view it as inherently evil and to be avoided at all costs. As of right now for example, I am not allowed to open any email during class time.
Bottom line here, all of the naysayers need to be given concrete examples of the positive forces of good social networking skills. I would for one will share your site and this piece in particular when I present to my school board next month. They just might listen....
Actually, whenever somebody brings up social networking I find it to be a very interesting conversation; since it is one of the few issues the edublogosphere doesn’t agree upon.
Some are far to the “left” that teachers should be engaging in constant conversations on and about social networks. (I’m here) Meanwhile, there are counterparts to the far “right” who believe that social networks have no place in education and should be blocked.
From my experience, most people fall somewhere in between the two. However, the more evidence we put on the left the more it tips in that direction.
Thanks for sharing this! I’m glad to hear it can be of some use to you. Good luck getting them to listen.
Giovanni: I think you’re getting at the root of the matter. Just as in the real world, we can build and engage in healthy and unhealthy social networks/villages. The problem is that the unhealthy networks and their consequences are constantly talked about in the media and digital “safety” programs.
The more we share stories of our healthy networks, the better.
In the real world, do you tell students to not speak to anybody? Of course not. Do some people end up forming unhealthy social networks in the real world? Yes, but that doesn’t make us outlaw the entire medium of talking...
Rather than banning the medium, schools should be educating on how to build healthy social networks.
My name is Melissa and I am a junior at Fayetteville High School. My teacher introduced me to your site and after reading this most recent blog I must say I am intimidated but more than that, inspired. You are younger than me and obviously more knowledgable on this topic. We are trying to do some of this same thing at our school, but due to funding, location, ect. things are moving at a slow, but steady pace. I would love to increase my knowledge and ability to get it across to people the way you do. Please email me, I have many questions about what you are doing and ways that I could implement it on my own as well. Thank you so much.
Melissa C.