Connected learning

Ramos, Tara

ET, IL

Connected Learning.  (n.d.). Connected learning principles.  Retrieved from

http://connectedlearning.tv/connected-learning-principles

and

Connected Learning Research Network and Digital Media & Learning Research Hub.  (2007). Connected learning infographic.  Retrieved from http://connectedlearning.tv/infographic

Summary: The Connected Learning website provides many resources for teachers who are interested in learning in the 21st century.  The principles spell out what connected learning means for both students and teachers.  For students, connected learning is interest-powered, takes place in the context of peer interaction, and academically oriented.  For teachers, instructional design principles are also provided.  Connected learning environments must be constructed around a shared purpose for both students and adults.  Everyone is learning around a common set of interests and contributing to a common purpose as they learn.  They are also production-centered, meaning that students are actively involved in creation of digital and physical products.  And lastly, they are openly-networked so that the flow of knowledge has no boundaries and students are linked to groups, institutions, etc. beyond the school walls in their learning.  

Evaluation: I find the Connected Learning principles both exciting and daunting. When I read them, I think "Yes, yes, yes!!! This is what should be happening in schools!," the keyword being should.  My on-the-ground experience in schools is that we are far from existing in these connected learning environments.  Teachers are bound by educational policies that encourage them to continue to be the holders of information that they must transport into students' brains.  There have been some small shifts to these type of ideas in recent years, but teachers are still not getting the support that they need in order to become the designers of instructional experiences like those described here. Nonetheless, theses principles are very useful for teacher librarians who work with teachers and can help to build this type of learning environment for at least part of the school year.