The topic of learning in communities or networked community learning is relatively new to me, especially with participants across the world.  ONL211 provides an experience and a glimpse into that, although we are still considered a cohort or group.  We orchestrated an experience of a small community learning experiment using Perusall, a website where we can comment on content and engage in discussions.

The ONL211 webinar conducted by Oddone (2021) talks about the difference between an online learning community (with strong intentional ties, shared goals, known membership) and an online learning network (which is organic, flexible, changing, navigated to meet personal goals).  Our current ONL group set-up, would be considered an online learning community by that definition, and maybe the larger ONL cohorts an online learning network.  The key difference to me would be the level of accountability due to the group dynamics.  Participating in an online learning community comes with an unspoken ‘social contract’ since the members are known to one another, and a responsibility to contribute, engage and respond with reciprocity, where an online learning community would be ‘free and easy’ where participation will be optional.

Our group used Perusall as a social learning experiment where we commented on the topic of online learning community and network using the ONL resources – webinar and articles.  As we watched the videos and read the articles, we added comments, thoughts and critique in the Perusall tool.  After that, we summarised our learning of the social learning process.  You can see our video here.

Social learning has its advantages and disadvantages.  The first reflection I have on the process, is not to underestimate the amount of time social learning requires.  In additional to time spent on knowledge acquisition and consuming content, students need to set aside additional time to reflect, critique, comment and to respond to others’ feedback.  That provides opportunities for deeper learning, and alternative perspectives.  The interaction with group members, albeit asynchronously also provides the sense of belonging and social support that the learning journey is not lonely.

The disadvantages of social learning is that the beginning and end of learning is not specified.  The tendency of responding and commenting on others’ comments may overtake the process of self-reflections and ingesting the materials.  There could be possibilities of group think instead of in-depth critique.  Social learning probably requires even more self-discipline, motivation and focus, in order to reap more benefits from the process.  

Social learning however, is here to stay, especially for the youths very much connected to social media, who are ‘residents’ in this space (White, 2011) and native to collaboration, co-creation and connections (Ito et al., 2013).  In fact, Ito and colleagues (2013) propose the term ‘connected learning’ where resourceful youths can leverage the internet to build their own learning environment that is connected to others who share their passions and interests.  Three inter-related aspects will then support the learning, namely peer-supported networks of fluid interactions and engagement, interest-powered topics which are personally relevant and academically-oriented connections to career opportunities (Ito et al., 2013).  Not only do the youths learn from their network, through their passion, but they could eventually make their passion relevant to their academic work and to their careers.

However, it seems that our traditional education model has not caught up with what our youths do in their leisure time.  The clear divide between what is academic learning (in school) and what is non-academic learning (anytime outside school) is stark.  Students are expected to follow the school curriculum and advance along the pre-determined paths with national exams milestones.  The non-academic component is labelled as CCA (co-curricular activities), useful for holistic character development but clearly differentiated from academic pursuits.  While advances are made in the alternative pathways for students, we are still a long way off from connected learning where non-curricular activities merge and support academic activities.

Even for adults, there has been talks about ‘learning in the flow of work’ and LXP (learning experience platforms) (Raybould, 2021) in recent years, where learning for employees is no longer restricted to classroom or courses, but anywhere, anytime, and taught by anyone.  It seems that educators need to rethink the format of education and challenge themselves on the new concept of learning and the role of education. 

Designing such a connected learning environment can be tricky for it needs a few elements to be in place as suggested by Ito and colleagues (2013). For example, the environment needs to be open for anyone to participate.  Learning needs to be experiential, participatory and supported with tools, resources and challenges to keep engagement going.  The experience also needs to be fully connected, with opportunities to create, plan, reflect, track progress, and to provide feedback (Ito et al., 2013).  Learning can be ‘natural’ and part of life instead of artificial divisions between school and leisure, work and classroom learning.  It is a way of life, and a part of the culture and environment where we live, play and work. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself temporarily in the space of social and connected learning for a few months.  The experience has been interesting and eye-opening.  The bigger question remains – how can we design such a learning environment such that it can transform the way education is being defined today into something else…and how would that work out in the social, political, cultural nuances of different countries.

REFERENCES

Ito, M., Gutiérrez, K., Livingstone, S., Penuel, B., Rhodes, J., Salen, K., . . . Watkins, S. C. (2013). Connected learning: An agenda for research and design (9780988725508). Irvine, CA: Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. Retrieved from http://dmlhub.net/wp-content/uploads/files/Connected_Learning_report.pdf

Oddone, Kay (2021).  Webinar with Kay Oddone (University of Southern Queensland, Australia) on learning in communities and personal learning networks.  ONL211 Topic 3 webinar. Learning in communities.  Retrieved from https://play.lnu.se/media/t/0_xde8hz17

Oddone, Kay (2019). Teachers’ experience of professional learning through personal learning networks. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology.  Retrieved from https://eprints.qut.edu.au/127928/

Raybould, J. (2021). Introducing LinkedIn Learning Hub, an LXP, a skills taxonomy, and so much more.   Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/learning-and-development/introducing-linkedin-learning-hub-an-lxp-and-so-much-more

White, D. & Le Cornu, A. (2011) Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3171/3049