1 min read
Curiosity Prepares the Brain for Better Learning - Scientific American
I've long posited that curiosity is the key to continual learning. This article takes a look at the mechanisms that may contribute to curiosity helping us learn things better. The end makes the interesting point that having a curious nature "is not always an agreeable experience."
Originally posted to linkblog October 2, 2014
1 min read
No, your organisation really won't innovate' (Wired UK)
via @k1v1n - The vast majority of companies and organizations are preoccupied with reducing/eliminating errors and having predictable paths. Innovation requires the opposite - unpredictability, messiness, failure, intuition, etc.
Originally posted to linkblog September 4, 2014
1 min read
Teaching Students to Talk to Each Other: Improving the Discussion Board, 2006
This "old" paper came to my attention through a Tweet by Harold Rheingold. I'm glad I took the time to follow the link, as this topic resonates with me, especially since I'm currently taking online courses. In the paper, Edward J. Gallagher of Lehigh University discusses how he transformed the use of discussion boards in his class into a truly collaborative learning environment. His metaphor of friends playing racquetball, with the goal of sustaining the volley for as long as possible, is extremely useful. If boards are places where students go to post ace serves, that no one can return, then they can hardly be considered a learning tool. No, the learning takes place in the thoughtful back and forth, where each post leaves room for someone else to respond, probe, agree, disagree, expound, etc. The lessons here could equally be applied to blogs comments and social media.
Originally posted to linkblog August 29, 2014
1 min read
mod_xsendfile for Apache2/Apache2.2
I have an older application I wrote that manages our Extension publications. Some of them are for internal use only (e.g., the editable InDesign files). I was using Coldfusion to serve the files after verifying that the user had permission to view. For some reason, a recent change (maybe to CF or Apache) caused this to really bog down the server - had to restart CF every few hours. In my search for a solution, I discovered xsendfile - an Apache module that allows me to use headers to instruct Apache to serve a file, even if it isn't normally web accessible. I'm very happy!
Originally posted to linkblog July 8, 2014
1 min read
The Aspen Institute - TASK FORCE ON LEARNING AND THE INTERNET REPORT
This report from the Aspen Institute makes a compelling case for the role of learning networks, digital age literacies, and active engagement in the future of learning for school-aged children. It can easily be extrapolated to apply to learners of any age. Will this report be enough to spawn a real conversation and eventual change in the system from above? I doubt it, but it's nice to see such a comprehensive report lend credence to my ideas and motivations surrounding network literacy!
Originally posted to linkblog June 20, 2014
1 min read
The Information Age to the Networked Age: Are You Network Literate?
"To be truly network literate is to always be thinking of how you can add value to the networks you’re a part of, and to make it a priority to turn connections into relationships, and relationships into alliances."
This post by Reid Hoffman highlights many of the concepts that inform the Network Literacy Community of Practice and drive my involvement.
Originally posted to linkblog June 16, 2014
1 min read
Why curiosity will rule the modern world - New Statesman
via @extensionguy (Jim Langcuster) on Twitter comes this article on the increasing importance of curiosity on people's success in life. The one point I think is missing is that curiosity requires us to believe that we don't know the answers and that there is likely a better way to do things. If you believe that you're doing a good enough job already and know everything you need to, then by definition you will lack curiosity. Perhaps being curious requires a degree a confidence in ones person, such that you can admit how much you don't know. The balancing act is in not being so confident that you think you don't have much to learn.
Originally posted to linkblog May 28, 2014
4 min read
Having recently participated in the Exploring Personal Learning Networks seminar (#xplrpln), I found the discussion around reciprocity in a PLN interesting. For me, my PLN is not only the people that I learn from and that learn from me, but includes the resources I learn from - even if the people behind those resources are unaware of my existence.
For the last eight and a half years, since iTunes added podcast subscription capability, I have been a regular podcast listener - primarily when driving and walking. I drive quite a bit, and find that listening to podcasts helps keep me current on emerging technologies and feeds my interests in a wide variety of subjects. I'll often share information from and links to particular episodes that strike a fancy, though I doubt many people take the time to listen to the podcast.
I thought it would be useful for me, and perhaps others, to share my current list of podcast subscriptions. I listen on my Moto X (Android phone) using the DoggCatcher client, and listen at 1.5X speed (I find it intelligible for all but the fastest talkers or those with particularly thick accents) so that I can cram more information in my listening time.
The list (ordered by priority - I generally listen to new episodes from the top to bottom, with the last ones being removed if I don't have the time. I skip around if I feel like it, and rearrange the order as my interests change. I also remove subscriptions if I don't find them useful or relevant. I add new podcasts to the bottom of the list and then "promote" them or remove them after a few episodes):
1 min read
A minority of the texts that people circulated were original compositions; most material was quoted from other sources. The same is true of modern social-media systems: posting links and snippets found elsewhere is standard practice on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter: and on some platforms, such as Pinterest and Tumblr, more than 80 percent of items shared are "repins" or "reblogs" of items previously posted by other users. Then as now, people enjoy being able to articulate their interests and define themselves by selectively compiling and resharing content created by others. The mere act of sharing something can, in other words, be a form of self-expression.
From Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years - Tom Standage
3 min read
I'm participating in the Exploring Personal Learning Networks Online Seminar (Google+ community and #xplrpln on Twitter) and we were challenged by the facilitators (Jeff Merrell and Kimberly Scott) to write a tweet that would explain what a PLN was to our mom.
The challenge of explaining a PLN to mom was presumably meant to have us imagine an audience that had no idea what a personal learning network is, and the use of Twitter meant we had to be concise. The restriction to 140 characters is a defining trait of Twitter and is both liberating and maddening. No need to construct a well written and finely honed essay, it's only 140 characters, right. That limitation also makes it easier to follow many people and dip briefly into the stream of content.
However, it can be maddening to try to write a tweet that communicates what you're thinking in such little space. Also, I'm still not comfortable with texting slang and abbreviations which might provide me a bit more breathing room. The brevity of tweets can also make having a conversation challenging.
When all was said and done, I had a tweet that I thought might communicate my thoughts, but would folks understand why I made the decisions I did? I'm not sure, so I want to unpack that tweet here:
Mom, #PLN is like when you're at bridge and someone shares a new way to cook rice and you try it - only it's stuff I like. #xplrpln
— Stephen Judd (@sjudd) October 16, 2013
I decided to try to explain a PLN by way of analogy that anyone might understand. Playing bridge implies that mom is with a group of friends or acquaintances that she shares an interest with. But hearing about a chicken recipe is a serendipitous moment, not the purpose of the gathering. Because she trusts her partner in one context, she's willing to try her recommendation in a totally different domain - she applies what she's learned.
What makes my PLN different? - it's stuff that I'm interested in, but the same thing occurs. I connect to people out of a shared interest, and find myself learning delightful things that I hadn't set out to discover. In the best cases, I'm able to apply that knowledge to my own situation.
The unpacking could continue if you consider why mom tried the recipe. If her partner shared twenty recipes each bridge night and said they were all fantastic, how likely would mom have been to try it? If a total stranger told her, would she have tried it? PLNs are about relationships where we vet and curate those we allow into our network based on the intersection of our interests and our experience with their recommendations.
So my PLN is constantly in flux - as my interests shift, I discover and make new connections, and figure out who nurtures my learning. While my goal is to aid my learning and growth, I try to pay it forward, and hope some might appreciate what I share in return. However, I'm not sure any two people would unpack a tweet the same way!
I should add that Keeley Sorotki has a Storify page that collected many of these "explaining PLN to mom" tweets.
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Stephen Judd
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