Lifewide Magazine 11-Web PDF

LIFEWIDEMAGAZINEIssue11:September2014www.lifewideeducation.co.
uk
CONTE NTS
Introduction,
NormanJackson
2
WordsfromtheEdiitor&
GuestEditor
3
Whatweallneedtoknow,
JulianStodd
4
TheSocialAge,anewera
KarlRhode
8
Anewcultureoflearning,
DouglasThomas&John
SeeleyBrown
10
Thestoryofayoung21st
centurylearner,JanGejel
14
ConnectedLearningreport 167
Theimportantroleofsocial
collaborativetechnologies,
JulainStodd
21
AdaprtingHEtotheSocial
Ageoflearning,Chrissi
Nerantzi,NormanJackson&
SueBeckingham
23
Collaboration&generosity
intheSocialAge,
JulianStodd
28
Ecole42,DylanTweney 30
Sevenstrandsofcocreation,
JulianStodd
32
LeadershipintheSocialAge,
JulianStodd
34
Socialleadership:aframe
work,LorraineStefanie
36
Significanceofstory,
NormanJackson
40
Storiesandstorytelling,
MichaleGabriel
41
Mystoryrunsthroughthis
place,JulianStodd
41
DigitalstorytellinginHE,
MartinJenkins&
PhilGravestock
44
Anecologicalperspective,
NormanJackson
46
NewEcologiesforlearning,
JulianStodd
47
CongratulationstoYalda
Tomlinson
48
LifewideEducationsebook
projects
49
Creativityindevelopment
researchproject
50
Howauniversitychanged
itself
50
LifewiideMagazinenews
andnextissue
52
SugataMittra:aneduca
tionalthinkerfortheSocial
Age
13
LifewideEducationhasa
newwebsite
51
Issue Eleven| September 2014

EXPLORING THE EXPLORING THE EXPLORING THE
SOCIAL AGE & THE NEW SOCIAL AGE & THE NEW SOCIAL AGE & THE NEW
CULTURE OF LEARNING CULTURE OF LEARNING CULTURE OF LEARNING
Guest Editor & Illustrator
Julian Stodd
AdditionalillustrationsbyLifewide
CommunityartistKibikoHachiyon
2
LIFEWIDEMAGAZINEIssue11:September2014www.lifewideeducation.co.uk
CommissioningEditor'sIntroduction
NormanJackson
Iamofthegenerationthathasspannedthetransition
fromanIndustrialAgeofdesignandproductiontoan
InformationAgeinwhichknowledgeresourcesand
expertiseareascrucialtosuccessasothereconomic
resources.Butwetendtooverlookthefactthatinthe
lasttwodecadeswearealsoshiftingtoanew'Social
Age'oflearningaidedbytheinternetanditsassociated
technologiesandourchanginghabitsofcommunicating
andparticipatingintheonlineworldsweincreasingly
inhabit.Fundamentally,asasocietywearechanging
thewaywefind,shareandcocreateinformationto
developnewknowledgeandmeaningandachieveour
individualandcollectivegoalsandpurposes.
InIssue9oftheMagazine,ChristineRedeckerprovided
alifelongandlifewidevisionoffuturelearningthatwas
personalised,informalandcollaborative,supportedand
mediatedbyubiquitousinformationandcommunica
tiontechnologieswhile.Thiswasdevelopedfurtherin
Issue10whichfocusedontheroleplayedbysocialme
diainthischanginglandscapeoflearning.Inthisissue
weexaminemorethoroughlythecharacteristicsofthe
SocialAgeandthenewcultureoflearningemerging
fromitguidedbytheinsightfulwritingandillustrations
ofourGuestEditor&IllustratorJulianStodd.
Infact,Julianisaprimeexampleofa'knowledge
workerintheSocialAgesharinghisknowledgeand
understandingsthroughhisbloghttp://
julianstodd.wordpress.com/whichrecentlylogged
100,000hitsandover4500subscribers.Julianisa
thoughtfulsocialleaderarticulatingideas,commentat
ingonandmakingsenseofwhathesees.Hereflectson
anddrawsmeaningfromallaspectsofhislifeatrue
lifewidelearner.OverthelasttwoyearsJulianhasbeen
examiningthedimensionsandimplicationsofthisnew
ageoflearninginhisblogandhehasagreedtoshare
someofhispostsandillustrationsinthisissueof
LifewideMagazineanothermanifestationofthe
SocialAgeinwhichknowledgethatisrelevantandof
interesttothemembersofourcommunityisgathered,
curatedandmadeavailableonlinethroughaCreative
Commonslicence.
ThechangesthataredefiningtheSocialAgehave
profoundimplicationsforthewaywelearnanddevelop
throughourinstitutionsforeducationourschools,
academies,collegesanduniversitiesandthisissueof
LifewideMagazinesetsouttoexploretheSocialAge
throughacollectionofperspectivesonwork,education,
playandotherformsofsocialactivitythroughwhichwe
conductourlives.Oureducationalsystemisfoundedon
approachestolearningandteachingthatwere
originallydevelopedforanindustrialage.Theywere
partiallyadaptedtotheknowledgeagebuthaveyetto
bereconceivedfortheSocialAge.Inthisissueof
LifewideMagazineweexploresomeofthe
characteristicsoflearning,workingandplayinginthe
SocialAgeandidentifysomeofthewaysinwhich
formaleducationmightbereconceivedtomeetthe
challengeofthenewcultureoflearning.
LifewideMagazineisagoodexampleofhowwe
discoverdevelop,curate,repurposeandre
contextualiseandshareknowledgeintheSocialAge.
Itscontentisintendedforaparticularcommunity
peoplewhoareinterestedintheeducationalimplica
tionsoftheideasweexplore.Itspurposeistoenableus
todevelopthenarrativethatultimatelywehopewill
inspireandhelpthemembersofourcommunityand
anyoneelsewhodiscoversourstories.
Itsproductionisalwaysacollaborative,cocreative
venturedrivenbyvalues,interestandcuriosity,and
createdthroughinquiryfacilitatedbytheenormous
informationresourceswecanaccessthroughthe
internetandthetechnologicaltoolsnowavailable.
Similarly,thewayweshareanddistributetheknowl
edgeitcontainsislargelyachievedthroughtheinternet
andsocialmedia.Noneofthiswouldhavebeenpossi
bleevenadecadeagowhichshowshowquicklythis
neweraisshapingourthinkingandpractices.Our
Magazineisaperfectexampleoflearninginandforthe
SocialAge.
Finally,itseemstomethattheSocialAgeisaperfect
homeforourideasandpracticesrelatingtolifewide
learning,educationandpersonaldevelopment.Looking
backoverpreviousissueoftheMagazineIcanseehow
wehavejourneyedtowardsthismomentofrecognition.
OnbehalfoftheeditorialteamIwouldliketosaya
greatbigthankyoutoJulianforthegenerouswayhe
hassharedhisideasatrueleaderintheSocialAge,
andtoeveryoneelsewhohassharedtheirideasand
storiesinthisissuewhohasparticipatedinthisventure
bycontributingarticlestoenableustogaindeeper
understandingsofthisimportantsocialphenomenon.
EXPLORING THE SOCIAL AGE AND
THE NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING
3
LifewideMagazineepitomisesJuliansmodel
ofleadershipintheSocialAgeofLearning:its
successderivesfromNormansabilityto
engageindividualswithasharedbeliefin
lifewidelearningandthebenefitsofalifewide
approachineducation,memberswillingness
tosharetheirexperiencesandthoughts,andtheavailability
oftodaystechnologyforcreatinganddisseminatingour
collectivereflections.Aswepreparethis,our11
th
issueofthe
magazine,thefluidityofsocialcollaborationhasbeenpara
mount.KnowingthatIwouldbephysicallyindisposedin
August,followinghandsurgeryweplannedaccordingly.It
wasnoteasyrenouncingmynormalroleaseditor,butIam
trulyindebtedtoNormanforsteppinginanddoingsucha
fantasticjob.
Overthesummerseveralmembersoftheeditorialteamor
theirfamilieshaveexperiencedmedicalconditionsentailing
surgery,illnessorbereavementsubjectsthatwehavenot
previouslytackledfromalifewidelearningperspectivebut
whicheveryoneislikelytoexperienceatsomepointintheir
life.SowewillfocusournextissueofLifewideMagazineon
thesesituationsthatchallengeusinsomanyways.Ifyou
haveastorytosharepleasegetintouch.Jenny
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jenny Willis

Julian splitshistimebetweenresearchandwritingaboutlearning,alongside
consultancyanddeliveringprojectsoutintherealworld.Muchofhisconsul
tancyworkisaroundelearning,mobilelearning,sociallearningandlearning
theory,workingwithglobalorganisationstohelpthemtranslatetheirlearn
ing objectives into practically focussed projects that deliver. Julian writes a
dailyblogabouthislearning,wherehejoinshiscommunityofover4500fol
lowerstodevelopandsharenewideasandunderstanding.Hehasauthored
severalbooksincluding'Exploringtheworldofsociallearning'.
AsyouwillseefromthearticlesIhavewrittenIamagreatbelieverincollaborationandIwasdelightedtoreceivetheinvita
tionfromtheeditorialteamtoGuestEditthisIssueofLifewideMagazine.Inmanyrespectsthewayitcameaboutwassymp
tomaticoftheSocialAge.NormanJacksonwasdoingsomeresearchforthelastJuneissueoftheMagazinewhenhecame
acrossmyblog.HelikedsomeofwhatIhadwrittenandemailedmeforpermissiontouseoneofmyblogs.OfcourseIsaidyes
andIinturninvitedhimtoaworkshopIwaspiloting.Hecamealongandintroducedhimselfandinthiswayweformedarela
tionshipwhichledtohisinvitation.Essentially,thiscollaborationhascomeaboutbecauseIhavesharedmythinkinginavery
publicandaccessiblewayandNormanhasdiscovereditthroughpurposefulsearchesdrivenbyhisinterestsandcuriosity.We
bothseenthevalueineachother'sideas,andoverthelastfewmonthshavesharedourthinking,throughourblogsandoften
viatwitter.Wehaveeffectivelyjoinedeachotherscommunitiesandnetworks.Inthiswayeachofusisabletoprogressour
ideasandpracticeandconnectwithandinfluencepeoplewewouldnothavebeenabletoconnectwithbefore.Thisisan
exampleofinterestdrivenlearninganddevelopingintheSocialAge.
ThisIssuecontainsarangeofperspectives,differentviewpointsoftheexplorersoftheSocialAgeoflearning.Tostart,I
providemyownoverviewoftheecosystemofthesocialage,theecologythatweareexploring.Ifocusontheroleand
purposeofourcommunitiesandthewaysweusethemtocreatemeaning.
KarlRohdetakesaholisticviewinhisarticleon'Aneweraforworking,learningandplaying'.Heexploressomeofthepractical
waysthatthingshavechanged:fromtheemergingpowerofpeercommunitiestothewayswecrowdfundinnovation.Karl,as
Ido,relatestheimportanceoftechnologytofacilitatethischange.
DouglasThomasandJohnSeeleyBrownprovideanexcellentinsightonthe'newcultureoflearning'thatisgraduallyemerging
fromthetechnologicalchangesthataretakingplace.Theyreflectonlifelonglearning:asubjectclosetotheheartofthiscom
munity!Intheirexploration,theybringinperspectivesofhowthephysicallearningenvironmentimpactsonlearningandhow
weneedtoconsiderbothphysicalandintellectualenvironmentstoframeourlearningintheSocialAge.JanGejelsfictional
storyprovidesaniceillustrationofwhatthisculturemightmeanforayounglearnerinthe21stcentury.
Thechallengesforhighereducationaregreatbutithasnochoicebuttoadaptorgetleftbehind.Weneedanewphilosophy
whichembracesthelifewideandlifelongdimensionsoflearningintheSocialAge.ChrissiNerantziandhercowritersoffer
GUEST EDITOR Julian Stodd
4
WHAT WE ALL NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SOCIAL AGE
Julian Stodd
someideaswhileDylanTweneyprovidesuswithagreatcasestudyandinsightsintothechallengesofimplementingsocial
learningapproaches,whilstalsoinspiringuswithstoriesofcollaborationandsharedpurpose.Finally,LorraineStefanie
exploreshowwemightrelatemyownNETmodelwiththeflippedclassroomconceptinahighereducationcontext.
Therearecommonthemesthroughallofthesearticles,liketheimportanceoftechnologytofacilitatelearning,butarec
ognitionthatit'snottheanswerinitselfandtheimportanceofcommunitiesandthewaysthatwelearntogetherandco
createmeaningwhenweparticipateinsomethingthatwevalue.Intheirexplorations,thewritersofferdifferentper
spectivesonhowthephysicalenvironmentimpactsonlearningandhowweneedtoconsiderbothphysical,includingtechno
logical,andintellectualenvironmentstoframeourlearningintheSocialAge.Butthemapofsocialandtechnologicalchange
anditsinfluenceonthelandscapeforlearninganddevelopmentisonlypartlydrawnandourunderstandingswillcontinueto
emergeaswetrytocometotermswithitandexploitthenewopportunitiesprovided.Thanksforjoiningusonthisjourney
andIlookforwardtosharingourfuturestoriesasourrespectiveexplorationscontinue.
Everyoneunderstandsthatthingshavechanged,butnotalwayshowmuchandhowfarwestillhavetogo.Likeallprevious
'ages'TheSocialAgeisdefinedbychange:changesinhowwework,howwelearn,howweleadandfollow,howweconnect,
communicate,collaborateandcocreate.Ourentireecosystemsforworking,learninganddevelopinghaveevolvedandare
evolvingyetmanyorganisationsareclingingtotheremnantsofbusinessmodelsandworkingpracticesthatweredesignedfor
bygoneeras.
Newecologies
Ivespentsometimechartingtheecosystemofchange.Changeis
constant,drivenbytechnology,inacontextofwidersocialchange,
everythingisinflux.WecanchartsomeofthefeaturesoftheSocialAge
tobetterunderstandtheskillsweneedtonavigateit.
Socialtechnologyhasfacilitatedenhanced
communication:barriersoftimeandgeographyare
removed,enablingustodevelopandmaintainwider
communitiesofloosesocialties(aswellasdeeper,
strongertieswithcertainpeopleoverwider
geographies).Thisdrivescommunityformationand
function:stronger,wider,deeper.
5
Wecanviewtechnologyasadrivingandfacilitatingforce,butitsmatchedbyevolvedsocialskills,particularlydrivenbysocial
networking.WehavelearntthroughFacebookanditsilktoliveinonlinecommunities,developingcuratorialandpublishing
skillstothriveinthesespaces.
Asthepowerofcommunitygrows,itfollowsusaround:employmeandyougetaccesstomycommunity,andthose
communitiesserveevermoreimportantandstorytellingfunctions.Wemakesenseoftheworldaroundusthroughour
communitiesindifferentways,relyingonthemforchallenge,forsupport,tohelpussubvertformalauthorityordogmaand
perhapstohelpuseffectchange.Communitiescanbesubversiveandcanamplifychangemessages,butonlyifweengageon
theirterms.Fromtheorganisationalperspective,gettingthesecommunitiesbehindyouisvaluable,butitwillonlyhappenif
youactwithauthenticityinthought,wordanddeed.Wehavetochooseourroleandrecognisethat,intheSocialAge,its
dependentonreputation,nothierarchy.Itsabouttherightconversationsintherightspacesandourengagementinthose
conversationsisconsensual,withpermission.
Andstorytelling?IntheSocialAge,storieshaverealpower:bothpersonalnarratives,recountedthroughblogs,LinkedInand
Twitter,orcocreatedgroupnarrativesthatfeedintooverallstoriesoforganisationalchange.Storieshavemanyfunctions:
theycantakeonalifeoftheir
own.Weneedtoexploreand
understandwheretheyget
theirpowerfromandhowwe
canbebetterstorytellers.
Beinganeffectivestoryteller
enhancesyourreputationand
sitsrightattheheartofsocial
leadershipandlearning.
Changeisconstant:itseasyto
say,buthardertomaster,but
masteringitiswhatwemust
do.Itsaboutthrivingon
changebecauseweareagile,
abletomakedecisions
tomorrow,withinandalongside
ourcommunities,thendoit
againdifferentlythedayafter:
processandsystemsthatat
tempttocodifyactionsinto
repeatablepatternsmaybeunabletoreactintime.Agilityismoreamindsetthanasystem.
Survivaliseasy:itsaboutlearningtothriveinthisstate.Ifweliveunderstress(eitherpersonallyororganisationally),wecan
notthrive.Weneedtocreatespacesforinnovation,unleashcreativeprocesseswithinteamsandbecomeagile.Todothis,
weneedSocialLeadership:leadershipthatexistsinsocialaswellasformalspaces.
Thecoreskillsofthesocialleaderarearoundnarrative,engagementandtechnology:takingtheirstance,formingandsharing
narratives,nurturinganddevelopingteamsandcollaboratingwidely.Socialleadershipcomplimentsformalandhierarchical
leadershipandisessentialatatimewhenthatformalauthorityisbeingeroded.Itsreputationbased,judgedonouraction
andconsistencyovertimeandcanbehighlycontextual.
Sociallearning
Alongsidethismodelofsocialleadership,weneedtodevelopourapproachestosociallearning:itsnolongeraboutproviding
materialsforpeopletolearnandbetestedonlikeparrots,moreaboutcreatingspacesandamatrixofresourcesforpeople
toengagewithtocreatemeaning.Itsaboutscaffoldedsociallearningenvironmentswherewefacilitate,nurtureandsupport
6
Publishingisanevolvedartformtoo:witheverydeviceofconsumptionbeingadeviceofproduction(asClayShirkytaughtus)
publishingisdemocratisedthroughmultitudinoussoftwaresolutions.FromWordPresstoTwitterandFacebook,Yammerand
LinkedIn(andamillionothers)wecanshareeasily.Wecanproducevideos,animation,music,photos,anycreativeand
collaborativeventurewithease.
Changingnatureofwork&organisations
Thenatureofworkchangestoo:awayfromcareerstowardsportfolios:agilitybeingkey.Youreunlikelytostayinoneplace
forlong,eitherthroughchoiceorredundancy.Thisbringsaboutachangetotheunderlyingsocialcontract,aswellasdifferent
ownershipofcareerdevelopment.Wenowownourownagenda.Organisationsandindividualsneedtoadapttothisview:
transferableskillsandabilitiesaswellastheeverpresentsupportwefeelfromcommunity.
Workisnolongerdefinedbyfourwallsand95,weveseentechnologyrevolutionisehowweconnectandhowweare
productive.CloudservicesandVPNsaresimplythelatestiterationinalongchainofinnovationthathasledtolaptops,tablets
andsmartphones,alongsideremoteworkingandbusinessasaservicemodels.Itsnotjusttechnologythathaschanged
though:socialnotionsofworkhaveevolvedtoo,withsomenewer,moreagileorganisationsrecognisingthattherealvalue
isintheworkdone,notinslavingyoutoadeskorsystemforeighthoursoftheday.
Manyofthefacets weassociatewithoffices
weremechanisms ofcontrol:cubicles,desks,
computers, telephones,allinfrastruc
turethatwecould notgeteasilyelsewhere,
exceptperhapsfor thefurniturelayoutof
manyclassrooms! Wewereprovidedwith
thetoolsand expectedtobegratefulfor
them:maybewe wereallowedapotplant
andaholiday phototoremindusof
freedom.We exchangedourtimefor
security:butthat securityisillusory.No
longerisajobfor life,insteaditsastepping
stoneinacareer thatwillcrossorganisa
tionsandsectors.A portfoliowherethe
directionandskills neededarebothunder
yourcontrol.Inthis environment,toattract
thebesttalent, organisationsneedto
adoptamodelof talentmagnetismmore
thantalent management.Theyneed
tobetheplacethat peopleknowaboutand
wanttoworkin,nottheplacethattriestoholdpeopleinwithpoliciesandinfrastructure.Increasinglyorganisationswantto
operateinsociallyresponsibleways,theSocialAgebringsthemthetoolsandcapabilitiestodoso.Sustainable,agile,fair.
Socialauthorityisthatbestowedthroughthecommunitiesthatsuffuseourformalandsociallives:itsauthoritybypermission
andconsensus.Itsauthoritythatisfluid,notanchoredinyourposition,notbasedinhierarchy,butinsteadgroundedinyour
reputation,forgedbyyouractionsovertime.Socialauthoritycanfullysubvertformalauthorityifthepermissionand
amplificationofthegroupisstrongenough.
Inparallelwiththeriseofpurelysocialauthority,weseetheerosionofformalhierarchiesofpower:thosemechanismsthat
usedtogivestatusandauthorityareerodedbytheevolvednatureofwork.Organisationsnolongerholdindividualsinthrall
anymore:theirpowerismoreconsensual.Holdingthethreatofasalaryoversomeone'sheadnolongerworksiftheyexpect
tobemaderedundantnextyearanyway.Thesecurityweusedtoberewardedwithis,atbest,transientandwiththis
transienceitlosesitspower.
EffectiveorganisationsintheSocialAgeforgepartnershipsandcontractswithemployeesthatrecogniseandreflectthis.So
cialLeadersmustunderstandthepurposeofdifferentcommunitiesandtakeanappropriatestancewhentheyengagein
7
culturesthatallowandenablepeopletolearnratherthangettingintheway.Andthislearningwilldoubtlesscrosstheborder
totheworldoutsidetheorganisation:somanyresourcessitoutsidetheorganisation,wehavetoprovideaccessandtoolsfor
sharing.Theorganisationcannotcuratethesumtotaloflearningneeded,becausewearealldifferent.Itsabouthelping
peopletolearn,notmakingthemdoit.
Weseelearninggettingmoreresponsiveandmoreimmediateorwhenweneedit,butitalsohastobebetter:wehaveto
utilisearigorousmethodologytoensurethereisstructureandcontent,butafluidonethatallowsforthespontaneousand
unanticipated.Settingthecontext,demonstratingcoreprinciples,providingspacesforexplorationandreflection,adopting
creativeapproachestoassessmentandprovidingclearfootstepstobridgethegapbackintotherealworld.Somuch
organisationallearningisabstract,divorcedfromtherealityofthelearner:itstimetoanchoritmorefirmlyintherealworld.
Morethananything,weneedsociallyresponsiblebusinessesonesthatarefairandinclusiveandthatprovidepermissions
andresourcestoallowbothorganisationandindividualstothrive.Theyneedtounlockthecreativityandinnovationwithin
individualsandteams,providesocialleadershipandspacesforexperimentationandpermissionstolearn.
CultureisimportantinanymapofchangeintheSocialAge:Ivebeenexploringhowculturesformandrespondtochange,
workingonamodelofslowdegradationfollowedbyfracture.Itsaboutalignmentofcorevaluesandoutwardbehaviours:
whatdoesitcostyoutobeinaculture?
Finally(atleastinthisbrieflist!)isourevolvedrelationshipwithknowledgeorratherthemanyformsofknowledgewework
withinourdailylives.IntheSocialAgewehavetobeadeptatdevelopingthepersonalknowledgetodowhatwehavetodo
andintheprocesscreatenewmeaningandvalue.TonavigatetheSocialAge,weneedcertainskillsandqualities:sociallead
ership,collaboration,curation,storytelling,humility,sharing.Itsalonglist,butsuccesscomesthroughproperplanning.And
noneofitisrocketscience:itsaboutunderstandingtheenvironmentandensuringweremainagileaswenavigateit.
Thequestionforhigherandotherformsofeducationis,'howareweadaptingourformalapproachestoeducationsothat
peoplearebetterpreparedfortheinformalsocialworldofeverydaylearningthattheywillinhabitfortherestoftheirlife?'
Thisarticlewasdevelopedfromblogposts
madeonJune13,2014andFebruary20,2014
http://julianstodd.wordpress.com/
'how are we adapting our formal approaches to
education so that people are better prepared for the
informal social world of everyday learning that
they will inhabit for the rest of their life?
In11RulesforCreatingValueintheSocialEra,socialstrategistandinsight
fulbloggerNiloferMerchantarguesthatsocialismuchmorethan
media.Smartcompaniesarelettingsocialbecomethebackboneoftheir
businessmodels,increasingtheirspeedandflexibilitybypursuingopen
nessandfluidity.Theseorganisationsdontoperatelikethepowerful800
poundgorillasofyesteryearbutinsteadactmorelikeaherdof800
gazelles,movingtogetheracrossasavannah,outrunningthecompetition.
Thisebookoffersnewrulesforcreatingvalue,leading,andinnovatingin
ourrapidlychangingworld.Thesesocialerarulesarebothprovocativeand
groundedinrealitytheycoverthornychallengeslikeforsakinghierarchy
andcontrolforcollaboration;gettingthemostoutofalltalent;allowing
yourcustomerstobecomecocreatorsinyourorganization;inspiringem
ployeesthroughpurposeinaworldwheremoneyalonenolongerwields
thatpower;andsolicitingcommunityinvestmentinanideasothatitcan
takeholdandgrow.
8
THE SOCIAL AGE A NEW ERA FOR
WORKING, LEARNING AND PLAYING
Karl Rohde
Karlisastrategic,peoplefocusedInformationTechnologyManager.Heisaspeaker
whenhecanbeandabloggerathttp://WorkLikeAnArtist.com.Arightbrainthinker,Karl
isaconceptualperson,intentonmakingworkmorehumanisticandmeaningful.Acerti
fiedbusinesscoach,heispassionateaboutworkplaceculture,personalleadership,being
authenticanddrivingacreativefreeagentmindsettodealwithtodayssocialage
Economicperspective
Todaysera,thatIrefertoastheSocialAge,isalsoreferredtoastheSocialEra,theConnectionEconomyandtheAttention
Economy..ThebestdefinitionofthesocialageisoneIstolefromSethGodinsblogwherehestated:IntheConnection
Economy(theSocialAge)valueiscreatedbyconnectingbuyerstosellersandthepassionatetoeachother.
Whatdoesthisreallymean?NiloferMerchant,anauthor,corporatedirectorandspeaker,doesverywelltodrivesharpaware
nessonthissubjectinherbook11RulesforCreatingValueintheSocialEra.Herexplanationisthemostauthoritativeand
logicalIvefoundtodate.AccordingtoNilofer,thesimplestwaytodefinetheSocialAgeistocontrastittotheindustrialage
andtheinformationage.
IntheIndustrialAgevaluewascreatedthroughbiginstitutions(i.e.IBM,GeneralMotors,GE,etc.).Theycreatedproductsand
servicesanddominatedthebusinessmarket.IntheInformationAgedatahelpedbiginstitutionscreategreatervalue.Data
andinformationprocessingenabledgreaterefficiencytodothesamethingsthatweredoneintheindustrialage.IntheSocial
Agevalueiscreatethoughconnectedindividuals.Passionateindividualsareconnectingaroundideaswhichinturnaredriving
thecreationofnewbusinessesthatarebasedontrust,authenticityandpurpose.IntheSocialAgemarketdominanceisnot
thesolerealmofbiginstitutions.
EmergingBusinessModels
Anumberofbusinessmodelshaveemergedthatgiveusaverygoodinsightintothischangedeconomy.
CocreationThisiswherebusinessesareworkingwiththeircustomerstodrivenewservices.Starbucks,forexample,are
engagingcustomerstosuggestideastocreateabetterexperienceattheircoffeeshops.Wealsoseemajorbrandsparticipat
ingonsocialmediawherecustomercanspeaktheirmind.There,theyarepayingcloseattentiontofreereigncommentsto
betterunderstandandconnectwiththeircustomersandinturndrivebusinessdirection.GoPro,theactionsportscamera
maker,isanotherexampleofabusinesswhoareconnectedtotheircustomers.Peoplesexperiencesareshapingthedirection
ofthebusiness.AGoProusercanevensharetheirimagesthroughGoPro'ssocialmediachannelonGoogle+.
PeercommunitiesHereweseepassionateproductusersprovidingvaluablesupportservices.McAfeehasasupportmodel
basedonacommunityofuserswhohavedevelopedmasteryovertheirproducts.IntheITindustrytheITILframeworkfor
ServiceManagementisentirelydrivenbycommunitiesofpassionateusers,namelytheitSMF.
CrowdfundingIntheindustrial/informationagesafewbiginvestorswouldfundthecreationofaproduct.Nowproducts
canbecreatedbymanysmallinvestors.ThisistherealmofKickstarter.Itsaremarkableplatformwherepeoplecansource
fundsfromkeenenthusiaststocreateaproductthattheycareabout.Effectivelyitnegatesrelianceonbiginstitutionsand
allowsindividualstotakeanideastraighttothemarketwithouttheredtape.
OpenMarketplacesthinkaboutEtsywhereanyonecansellsomething.Shopifyallowsanyonetocreateanonlineshop.
ThinkaboutAirBnBandTaskRabbit.
9
UserDrivenProductionThreadless.com,atshirtcompanyopensuptheirproductiontoavote.Thetshirtdesignsthatget
themostvotesgetmade.Intheprecedingagesthiswastypicallythedomainofthemiddlemanandwarehousing.
CustomerLoveEvernotehavecreatedacompellingproductanditsfreeforthemostpart.Thedevelopmentofthebusiness
hingesonpeoplebeingsopassionatethattheyspreadtheword.Forthosethathavehighvolumeneedsthereisapaidversion,
butmostlythisallowsmassestogetaremarkableproductforfree.Thispayitforwardapproachisreapingitsrewards.The
successofGoogleiswaybeyondprovidingtheworldsbestsearchengine.Almosteverythingtheydotheygiveaway.Despite
theirdominancetheydifferinthatweallfeelapartoftheGoogleexperienceweareconnectedtoit.Microsoftontheother
handpaysnothingforwardandtakesmorethanthevaluetheyprovidewedontfeelsoconnectedtothemandtheir
marketdeclineisindicativeofthis.
ThecompaniesthrivingtodayareoperatingbyanewsetofrulesSocialErarules.CompanieslikeREI,Kickstarter,Kiva,
Twitter,Starbuckstheygetit.Theyliveit.Andtothem,notionslikedistributingpowertoeveryone,workinginextended
communitytogetthingsdone,orallowinginnovationtohappenanywhereandeverywhereare,well,ridiculouslyobvious.But
toomanymajorcompaniesBankofAmerica,SportsAuthority,UnitedAirlines,BestBuy,andWalMarttonamejustafew
thatneedtogetit,don't.NiloferMerchant.
IntheSocialAgeeverythingseemstobedrivendigitally.Ourdigitalmindsaregettingspoiltforchoiceandthepurposeofall
thistechnologyneedsto,atsomelevel,helpusbemorehuman.ThebusinessmodelshiftsoftheSocialAgeindicatethereisa
growinglistofbusinessesthataredoingjustthisandsatisfyingouranaloguehearts.
Howthesocialagehastransformedhowwelearn
Thewaywelearnhasalsobeentransformedandthesocialageisdrivingthischangeormakingitpossible,dependingon
howyoulookatit.Mostsignificantlylearninghasgonewaybeyondinstitutionsandorganisations.Universities,collegesand
schoolarestillhereprovidingeducationbutlearningnowhasalifeofitsownthattranscendstheeducationnormsofthe
industrialage.
Learningisnowondemandinrealtime.ThankstotheInternet,educationisinstantlyavailableanywhere[anytimeandany
placethathasinternetconnectivity]itcomesmostlyfreeorforanominalfee.Internetsearchhaseliminatedtheneedto
rememberthings:[youjustneedtoknowhowtosearch].
Learninghastranscendedtheclassroom.Learningcanhappenonamobilephone,atabletandevenaniPodTouch.
Learningisnolongeranentitlement.Everyonecanlearnnomatterwhat.
LessonsaresharedexperiencesthinkSlideShare,Wikipedia,YouTube,blogs,podcastsandmore.
Learningispersonal.WeareteachingourselvesYouruniqueexperienceprovidesanadditionalteachingelementthatcreatesa
richerlearningexperience.
Learningismorecollaborative.Weareteachingeachother.Everydaypeoplearecreatingademocratisededucationsystem
thathasnobarrierandalmostalwaysisatnocost.Weareallteachers,oratleastweallhavethepotentialtobe,butnotin
thetraditionalsense.Ifyouhaveexperienceyoucanteach.
Learningisaconstant.Itssomethingwedoeveryday.Withmassesofinformationbeingimposedonuswearemoreawareof
learningonthegoinsmallincrements.
Informationisoptimisedforincreasedabsorptionandourwaningattentionspans.Shorterbooks,blogposts,audiosnippets,
videoclips,whitepapers,slidepresentations,andeBooksareallgearedtofasterconsumptionofinformation.
EducationDeliveryMegaMachines
WeGoogleeverything.Whateverwewanttoknowweusethesearchgiantandgofromthere.
TheeReaderhasstreamlinedaccesstonichecontent.Despitethedeclineofthebookstore,accessibilitytobooksisatitspeak.
Itsneverbeeneasiertofindbooks.Amazon,alongwithitsKindleplatform,hasrevolutionisedreadingintermsofease,price
anddiscovery.Digitalreadinghastransformedhowweconsumebooksandpublications.Additionally,nowanyonecanpublish
abook.
10
Socialmediaplatformsareineffectservingaseducationplatforms.Whenaspecialistyoufollowshareshandpicked
articlesbasedonhernicheyou'regettingtailoredcontent.Podcastshavetrulycomeofage.Theycantransformyourdaily
commuteintoaclassroom.Ifyoudontdopodcastscheckitout.SearchanichetopiconiTunes,subscribeandbeamazed
whatyoucanlearn.Iamamazedatthesheermassoffreeinformationpassionatepeoplegeneratethroughpodcasts.
Videoblogsandblogsareanotherstellarformoflearningfrompeoplewhoarelearningthingsthroughfirsthand
experiencewaybeyondtheory.
YouTubeissimplyamazing.Whateveryouwanttolearn,thereisavideoyoucanlearnfrom.
Webinarsarenowmegabusiness.Itsamoderndayclassroom.Forasmallfeeandoftenforfreeyoucanattendanonline
livelessononalmostanything.
Meetups/Eventsitseemsthesedaystheworldhasgoneconferencecrazy.Whenthedigitallyconnectedworldconverges
conferenceshappen.Meetup.comisnowafavouritecareerdevelopmentfacilitatorwhereyoucanconnectinpersonwith
yourpreferredfocusgroup.
TheSmartphone/Tablethastransformedaccessibilitytoinformationandlearning.InAustralia,whereIlive,manyschools
aremakingtheiPadamandatorylearningrequirementforstudents.
Sohowareyoucapitalisingonwhatthesocialagehasdonetoeducation?
ThisarticlecombinestwoofKarl'sblogsWhatisthesocialagehttp://worklikeanartist.com/blog/socialageHowtheso
cialagehastransformedhowwelearnhttp://worklikeanartist.com/blog/thesocialagehastransformedhowwelearn
A NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING
Douglas Thomas & John Seeley Brown
ForovertwodecadesJohnSeelyBrownhasbeenoneofthemostinfluentialthinkers
onthewaylearningischangingaswemovefromtheindustrialisedinstitutionalised
modelofformaleducationinthe20thcenturytowardsonlineindividualsandsocial
formsofinformalselfeducationthatarenowbeingcreated.In2011heteamedup
withDouglasThomas,anAssociateProfessor,attheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia,
toproduceaninsightfulandinformativebookthathelpsusunderstandwhatlearning
meansinthesocialage.Thisarticleisbasedonshortextractsfromthebook.Ithelps
usunderstandsomeofthecharacteristicsofthenewcultureoflearningthatis
emergingintheSocialAgeandhowhisculturecontrastswiththeprevailingculture
informaleducation.
ArcofLifeLearningp1718
Whenpeoplethinkaboutlearning,theyusuallythinkaboutschools.Andwhenpeoplethinkaboutschools,theyusuallythink
aboutteachers.[But]thekindoflearningthatwilldefinethetwentyfirstcenturyisnottakingplaceinaclassroomatleast
notintoday'sclassroom.Rather,itishappeningallaroundus,everywhereanditispowerful.Wecallthisphenomenonthe
newcultureoflearninganditisgroundedinaverysimplequestion:Whathappenstolearningwhenwemovefromthe
stableinfrastructureofthetwentiethcenturytothefluidinfrastructureofthetwentyfirstcentury,wheretechnologyis
constantlycreatingandrespondingtochange?
Agrowingdigitalnetworkedinfrastructureisamplifyingourabilitytoaccessandusenearlyunlimitedresourcesand
incredibleinstrumentswhileconnectingwithoneanotheratthesametime.However,thetypeoflearningthatisgoingonas
aresultlookssodifferentfromthekindsoflearningdescribedbymosteducationaltheoriststhatitisessentiallyinvisible.
Thisnewtypeoflearningisaculturalphenomenon.Ittakesplacewithoutbooks,withoutteachersandwithoutclassrooms,
anditrequiresenvironmentsthatareboundedyetprovidecompletefreedomofactionwithinthoseboundaries.This
familiardynamic,infact,structuresallourcontemporarynotionsofplay,gamesandimagination.Playcanbedefinedasthe
tensionbetweentherulesofthegameandthefreedomtoactwithinthoserules.Butwhenplayhappenswithinamedium
forlearningitcreatesacontextinwhichinformation,ideas,andpassionsgrow.Potenttoolsforthistypeoflearningalready
existintheworldaroundusandhavebecomepartofourdailylivesthinkofWikipedia,FacebookandYouTube,andonline
games,tonamejustafew.
11
Thenewcultureoflearningallowsustorecognise,harnessandinstitutionalisetheseideas.Italsorequiresashiftinour
thinkingabouteducation.Althoughmuchofthenewlearningtakesplaceoutsidetraditionaleducationalforums,wedonot
arguethatclassroomsareobsoleteorthatteachingnolongermatters.Ourgoalisquitetheopposite.Webelievethatthis
newcultureoflearningcanaugmentlearningineveryfacetofeducationandeverystageoflife.Itisacorepartofwhatwe
thinkofas'arcoflife'learning,whichcomprisestheactivitiesinourdailylivesthatkeepuslearning,growingandexploring.
Sowhatframeworksdoweneedtomakesenseoflearninginourworldofconstantchange(p19)?Thenewcultureof
learningactuallycomprisestwoelements.Thefirstisamassiveinformationnetworkthatprovidesalmostunlimitedaccess
andresourcestolearnaboutanything.Thesecondisaboundedandstructuredenvironmentthatallowsforunlimited
agencytobuildandexperimentwiththingswithinthoseboundaries.Thereasonwehavefailedtoembracethesenotions
isthatneitheronealonemakesforeffectivelearning.Itisthecombinationofthetwo,andtheinterplaybetweenthem,
thatmakesthenewcultureoflearningsopowerful.Oneofthemetaphorsweadopttodescribethisprocessiscultivation
cultivatingminds.
ATaleofTwoCulturesp3435
Formostofthetwentiethcenturyoureducationalsystemhasbeenbuiltontheassumptionthatteachingisnecessaryfor
learningtooccur.Accordinglyeducationhasbeenseenasaprocessfortransferringinformationfromahigherauthority
(theteacher)downtothestudent.It'stimetoshiftourthinkingfromtheoldmodelofteachingtoanewmodeloflearning.
Manytraditionalvenuesforteachingsuchastheclassroom,theworkplaceandevenbooksandinstructionalvideoshave
beenpredicatedonwhatwewoulddescribeasamechanisticapproach.Learningistreatedasaseriesofstepstobe
mastered,asifstudentswerebeingtaughthowtooperateamachineoreven,insomecases,asifthestudentsthemselves
weremachinesbeingprogrammedtoaccomplishtasks.Theultimateendpointofamechanisticapproachisefficiency.The
goalistolearnasmuchasyoucan,asfastasyoucan.Inthisteachingbasedapproach,standardisationisareasonableway
todothis,andtestingisareasonablewaytomeasuretheresult.Theprocessesthatnecessarilyoccurtoreachthegoal,
thereforeareconsideredoflittleconse
quenceinthemselves.Theyarevaluedonly
fortheresultstheyprovide.
Imagesource:http://
www.smartplanet.com/blog/thereport/
connectingtheclassroomofthefuture/
Webelieve,however,thatlearningshould
beviewedintermsofanenvironment[in
LifewideEducationstermsanecology]
combinedwiththerichresourcesprovided
bythedigitalinformationnetworkwhere
thecontextinwhichlearninghappens,the
boundariesthatdefineit,andthestudents,
teachers,andinformationwithinitall
coexistandshapeeachotherinamutually
reinforcingway.Here,boundariesservenotonlyasconstraintsbutalso,oftentimes,ascatalystsforinnovation.Encounter
ingboundariesspurstheimaginationtobecomemoreactiveinfiguringoutnovelsolutionswithintheconstraintsofthe
situationorcontext.
Environmentswithwelldefinedandcarefullyconstructedboundariesarenotusuallythoughtofasstandardised,norare
theytestedandmeasured.Rather,theycanbedescribedasasetofpressuresthatnudgeorguidechange.
Byframingthediscussioninthisway,wecanseehowthenewcultureoflearningwillaugmentratherthanreplace
traditionaleducationalvenues.Theprimarydifferencebetweenteachingbasedapproachtoeducationandthelearning
basedapproach(p3738)isthatinthefirstcasethecultureistheenvironment,whileinthesecondcasetheculture
emergesfromtheenvironmentandgrowsalongwithit.Inthenewcultureoflearning,theclassroomasamodelis
replacedbylearningenvironmentsinwhichdigitalmediaprovideaccesstoarichsourceofinformationandplay,andthe
processesthatoccurwithinthoseenvironmentsareintegraltotheresults.
12
Aseconddifferenceisthattheteachingbasedapproachfocusesonteachingusabouttheworld,whilethenewcultureof
learningfocusesonlearningthroughengagementwithintheworld.
Finally,intheteachingbasedapproach,studentsmustprovethattheyhavereceivedtheinformationtransferredtothem
thattheyquiteliterally'getit'.Inthenewcultureoflearningthepointistoembracewhatwedon'tknow,comeupwithbet
terquestionsaboutit,andcontinueaskingthosequestionsinordertolearnmore,bothincrementallyandexponentially.
Thegoalisforeachofustotaketheworldinandmakeitpartofourselves.Indoingso,itturnsout,wecanrecreateit.
PeerandCollectiveLearning(p5152)
Thenewcultureoflearningisbasedonthreeprinciples1)theoldwaysoflearningareunabletokeepupwithourrapidly
changingworld,2)newmediaformsaremakinglearningeasierandmorenatural3)peertopeerlearningisamplifiedby
emergingtechnologiesthatshapethecollectivenatureofparticipationandthosenewmedia.
Inthenewcultureoflearning,peoplelearnthroughtheirinteractionandparticipationwithoneanotherinfluidrelationships
thataretheresultofsharedinterestsandopportunity.Inthisenvironmenttheparticipantsallstandonequalgroundno
oneisassignedtothetraditionalroleofteacherorstudent.Instead,anyonewhohasparticularknowledgeof,orexperience
with,agivensubjectmaytakeontheroleofmentoratanytime.
Ourabilitytoproduce,consume,anddistributeknowledgeinanunlimited,unfilteredandimmediatewayistheprimary
reasonforthechangesweseetoday.Withjustacomputerandaccesstotheinternet,onecanviewandconsumeanalmost
unimaginablediversearrayofinformationandpointsofview.Butequallyimportantistheabilitytoaddone'sownknowl
edgetothegeneralmix
Thiscoreaspectofeducationinthenewcultureoflearningpresentsamodelforunderstandinglearninginthefaceofrapid
change.Teachersnolongerneedtoscrambletoprovidethelatestuptodateinformationtostudentsbecausethestudents
themselvesaretakinganactiveroleinhelpingtocreateandmouldit,particularlyinareasofsocialinformation.
Wecallthisenvironmentacollective.Asthenameimpliesitisacollectionofpeople,skills,andtalentthatproducesaresult
greaterthanthesumofitsparts.Collectivesarenotsolelydefinedbysharedintention,action,orpurposes.Rather,theyare
[also]definedbyanactiveengagementwiththeprocessoflearning.
Acollectiveisverydifferentfromanordinarycommunity.Wherecommunitiescanbepassive,collectivescannot.In
communitiespeoplelearninordertobelong.Inacollective,peoplebelonginordertolearn.Communitiesderivetheir
strengthfromcreatingasenseofbelonging,whilecollectivesderivetheirsfromparticipation.
Inthenewcultureoflearning,collectives,aswedefinethem,becomethemediuminwhichparticipationtakesshape.They
arecontentneutralplatforms,waitingtobefilledwithinteractionsamongparticipants.Assuchtheyarewelldefinedto
facilitatepeertopeerlearning,theirraisond'etre.
Thealmostunlimitedresourcesprovidedbytheinformationnetwork(p118)serveasasetofnutrients,constantlyselected
andincorporatedintotheboundedenvironmentofthepetridish,whichprovidestheimpetusforexperimentation,playand
learning.Accordingly,theculturethatemerges,thenewcultureoflearning,isacultureofcollectiveinquirythatharnesses
theresourcesofthenetworkandtransformsthemintonutrientswithinthepetridishenvironment,turningitintoaspaceof
playandexperimentation.Thatmomentoffusionbetweenunlimitedresourcesandaboundedenvironmentcreatesaspace
thatdoesnotsimplyallowforimagination,itrequiresit.Onlywhenwecareaboutexperi
mentation,playandquestionsmorethanefficiency,outcomesandanswersdowehavea
spacethatistrulyopentotheimagination.Andwhereimaginationsplay,learninghappens.
EditorialNote:Theseextractsenableourimaginationstoplaywithoureveryday
experiencesofbeingandlearninginthemodernworldtoappreciatebettertheenormous
culturalchangesthatunderlietheSocialAge.Foreducators,inparticular,theyrevealthe
tensionbetweenourcurrentapproachestoeducationandtheopportunitiesthatarenow
affordedbythevastinformationandcommunicationinfrastructureandpersonal
technologiesthatallowustoaccessandparticipateinthisinformationandpersonal
knowledgerichworldbothindividuallyandwithothers.Foramorecomprehensive
explorationofthisterritorywerecommendthatyoureadthebook.ANewCultureof
Learning:Cultivatingtheimaginationforaworldofconstantchange
13
ProfessorSugataMitra,Professor
ofEducationalTechnologyat
NewcastleUniversity,isanoriginal
thinkerontheformsofeducation
thataremorerelevanttothe
SocialAgeandmorerelevantto
whattheSocialAgemightmean
inruralIndiaandotherunderde
velopedpartsoftheworld.
Heimaginesafuturewherechildrenteachthemselvesandis
amasteratcreatingacompellingstorytoconveyhis
imagination.In1999,Sugataandhiscolleaguesdugaholein
awallborderinganurbansluminNewDelhi,installedan
InternetconnectedPC,andleftitthere(withahiddencam
erafilmingthearea).Whattheysawwaskidsfromtheslum
playingaroundwiththecomputerandintheprocesslearning
howtouseitandhowtogoonline,andthenteachingeach
other.Theexperimentledhimtodevelopaneducational
conceptcalledaSelfOrganisedLearningEnvironment(SOLE).
Throughhisexperimentshehasdevelopedandappliedthe
ideaof'childdrivenlearning'wherebygroupsofchildrenwith
minimalsupervisioncanteachthemselves.Hehasalsoshown
howateamofretiredteachers,orGrannies,canuseweb
camstoprovidesupportandencouragementduringSOLE
sessions.HisinspiringandhumorousTEDtalkdescribinghis
experimenthasreceivednearly2millionhits.
Sugatabelieveswhenyoungpeoplearegiventherighttools
andencouragement,theirinnatesenseofwondercanallow
themtolearnalmostanythingfromoneanother.Hebelieves
thedaysoftraditionalschoolingwhereteachersstandatthe
front,andfactsaretaughtandrecalled,arenumbered.
ProfessorMitra'sdreamsarenotgoingunheardeither.Last
yearhisTEDwishtobuilda"SchoolintheCloud"wonhimthe
first$1mTEDPrize.Sincethen,heandhisteamhavegoneon
toopenfivelearninginthecloudlabsinschoolsinIndiaand
intheNorthEastofEngland.
InBBCradio4's'TheEducator's'seriesSarahMontague
interviewsSugatatoexplorehisideasandreasoning.
ListentoSugataMitraBBC'TheEducators'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gvm7n
SUGATA MITTRA: AN EDUCATIONAL THINKER FOR
THE SOCIAL AGE
Anotherexperimentininterestdriven,selfdirectedcollaborativelearning
TheindependentprojectatMonumentMountainRegional
HighSchool,USAencouragesstudentstodesigntheirown
curriculumforlearningandtocollaborateinhelpingeach
othertolearn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RElUmGI5gLc#t=258
Sources
SugataMitraChildDrivenLearningTEDtalkhttp://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education
14
WhatislearningintheSocialAgereallylike?
Thisnextstoryilluminateswhatthisnewcultureoflearningactuallymeansforayoungperson

JanisSeniorEuropeanProjectManager,LearningEntrepreneurandEUProjectDesigner.For
15yearsIhavebeenstrugglingatthedoorstepof21stcenturylearning.Iamnowcreatingnew
2014EUmissions,incollaborationwithalmost100Europeancolleagues.'
InthisstoryIrevealmypassionfor21stcenturylearning.It'sastoryabouthowchildrenand
youngpeoplecreatetheirownlearningspacesanddirections,andareabletodevelop
incrediblecapacitythroughselfdirectedandspontaneousmethods.It'sastoryofimmersed
learningdrivenbyinterestsandpassionandit'sastorythatilluminateswhatlearninginthe
SocialAgeisallabout.jan.gejel@skolekom.dkjangejel@gamil.com
OnceuponatimetherewasaboysomewhereinEurope.Hewas11yearsoldandaboylikesomanyothers.Hewentto
publicschoollikealltheothers,playedalittlefootballandjoinedsomebreakdancing.
Hehadasmalllaptopforschoolwork,somegaming,alittleFacebookandthingslikethat.
Hewasdoingokinschool,buthewasnotveryinterestedinmostoftheschoolwork.Justgettingalong.
OnedayhesawthatoneoftheadultsinthefamilywaseditingsomesmallgraphicsinPhotoshopforapaper.Nothing
special,butstill
So,heaskedwithconsiderablecuriosity:howdidyoudothat?UntilthenhehadonlybeeneditingpicturesinWordand
PowerPointforschoolwork,suchasresizingandchanginglightness.Theadulttoldhimthenameoftheprogramandthat
iswasnoteasytousethisprogram;actuallyitwasonlyforexperts.
Theboywasnotimpressedwiththisanswerandaskedpermissiontoplaywiththeprogram.Alotofquestions,alotof
guidanceThen,aftersometime,theboymanagedtofindsomeversionoftheprogramandinstalleditonhisown
computer.Thenthequestionsstopped.Hestartedhisownplayingandexperimentingwiththeprogram,creatingsmallbut
ratherqualifiedthings.Hestartedtalkingtosomefriendsonlinefromacrosstheworldabouthowtodothisandthat.Alot
ofvirtualdialoguewenton
Thenoneday,new
questionswereasked.'I
haveheardabout
otherprograms,like
foranimation,movie
making,3Ddesigning
andthingslikethat.
HowcanIgetthese
programs,causeI
wouldliketodowhat
theydointhegames?
Thistimetherewasa
lotofhesitationfrom
theadults.Actually
theydidntknow
howtogetthe
programsorhowto
workwiththem.
THE STORY OF A YOUNG 21
ST
CENTURY LEARNER
Jan Gejel
15
Thentheboystartedtouseresourcesaroundhim,suchasfriends,familymembers,friendsoffamilymembers,andat
somepointhemanagedtogetsomeofthesepeopletohelphimfindtheprograms,oratleastdifferentversionsofthem.
ThesmalllaptopwaschallengedwithFlash,3DMaxandsimilaradvancedprograms,normallyusedathighereducation
levelorbyexperiencedcomputerprofessionals.Theadultssteppedbacktheycouldnothelphim.
However,thatdidnotmatter
much,becausethe11yearsold
boynowdevelopedhisownself
directedmethodology,making
himtotallyindependentof
supportfromhislocal
communityandfamily.Withthe
confidencehehadgainedfrom
hisexperienceshejumpedwith
outanyformofrespector
hesitationdirectlyintothese
advancedprogramsand
startedtoexplorethemand
createthings.
Peoplewhoknowthese
programsalsoknowthatthey
arenoteasytolearnanduse
efficiently.Notatall.
Andofcoursehewasblocked
every5minutesandunableto
proceed.Contraryto
discouraginghim,thisactually
madehimmoredeterminedand
encouragedhimtopersist.
Becausethisispreciselywhathe
wasalwaysdoinginthegames:
theverycorechallengeofthe
gamesispreciselytoovercome
obstacles,mostlybyfindingor
mobilizingorcreatingresources
elsewhereinthegameto
overcometheobstacleandbe
abletoprogressinthegame.
So,workingthingsoutwasno
bigdeal.
Aftersometimetheadultsaroundhimdiscoveredwhathewasdoingandwhyhewasdisappearingintohisheadphones
forhours.Justlikeinthegameshefoundtoolsandresourcestohelphim.HediscoveredthatYouTubeoffersthousandsof
tutorials,givingguidanceonallsortsofprograms.So,everytimehegotstuckandyoudothatalotinprogramslike3D
Maxhesearchedandfoundthetutorialsheneeded.Andontopofthathestartedtoaskalotofquestionstoyoung
experts,andfoundoutthattheyweremorethanwillingtotalktohimandhelphim.
Thatwasthereasonfordisappearingintotheheadphonesforhoursandhours:hewasimmersedintheprocessof
understandingthetutorialsandhowtheycouldhelphimdowhathewouldliketodointheprograms.Itwasanamazing
andtotallyspontaneousmethodology,simpleandyetquiteadvancedforan11oldboy:youworkasfarasyoucan,and
whenyoureachadeadend,yousimplemobilizetheresourcesyouneedtolearnhowtocarryon.
16
Allthistookplaceinthespaceofafewmonths,anditbecameapopulartopicofconversationatthedinnertabletotalk
aboutpixelbasedandvectorbasedgraphics:orrather,itbecamenormalfortheboytotalktotheadultsinthefamilyabout
whathelearnedthroughouttheday.Notinschool,butthroughhisownlearningcommunity,networksandresources.
Itwasdefinitelynotaneasymissionforthe11yearsold.Heoftengotstuck,frustratedandgotangryatthewholeworld.He
hadtodealwithgeometry,Englishlanguage(forhimaforeignlanguage),mathematics,logicdecisionmaking,complicated
planning,computercodesandalotofotherthingsatthesametimeashemadehiswayintoandthroughtheseadvanced
creativetools.Heknewthatinsomeofthebigvirtualgamesheplayedtheplayersareabletocontributetothegameplay
andthegameresourcestosomeextent.So,whynot?IfyoucanproduceadvancedelementsinPhotoshop,3DMaxand
similarprograms,whynotcontributetheseobjectsandknowhowtothegameuniverse?Andwhynotsomedaycreateyour
owngames?Thisseemedtobehisambition
Thisboynevershowedthiskindofinterestintheschoolwork,nomatterthesubject,nomatterthethemeoractivity.Never.
Why,then,didheimmerseanddisappearfromtheearthforhoursanddays,withnobodytellinghimwhattodo?Because
thisformoflearningwasdrivenbypassion!Passion,endlessinterestandcuriosity,agreatneedtocreatehisownthings,
andanambitiontogetbetteratwhathewasdoing.
So,forthefirsttimeinhislifethisEuropeanboydiscoveredwhatitmeanstobeimmersedinlearning.Whatitmeansto
desiretolearn,topushforwardandnotacceptanykindofobstacle.Itdidnothappeninhisschoolanditprobablywillnot.
Buthisfutureperformanceintheeducationsystemwilldefinitelybeimpactedfromthoseexperiences,deeplyimpacted.For
himschoolisnotcreatingpassion,hispassioncomesfromwithin.
Themostremarkablethinginthisneverendingprocessisthewayhedeveloped,throughhisinterestandpassiondriven
learningprocess,generalcompetencesthatarehighlypromotedbyforexampletheEuropeanCommission,suchas:
Learningbycreatingthings
Learningwhenyouneedtolearn
Entrepreneurialmindset:whatyoudonthaveit,createitandmobilizeresourcesaccordingly
Learningthroughinnermotivation,throughpassion
Usingthemostusefulandrecenttechnologies
Developingstrongmethodologicalskills
Teamingupandsourcecrowding
Abilitytoorganizeyourownlearning
Learningaboutdifferentsubjectsastheyarerelevanttoyourmission,forexamplelanguagelearning
Developingcompetencesandskillsthatareusefultoallsortsoflearning
Creatinglearningpathwaysthatarerelevantto21
st
centuryjobsandworkforms
Donotsimplyconsumewhatothersmade;createyourown
Thisshortstoryisaboutanamazinglearningprocessandtheincrediblelearningresourcesopenlyandfreelyavailableinthe
21
st
centurytothosewhowanttofindthem.Unfortunatelyitisalsoastoryaboutthecurrentdeficitofformaleducation.
Thegapbetweentheindustrialeducationsystem,nowcoveredupbymodernpedagogy,andwhatlearningmeansforyoung
peopleinthe21
st
century(andforthelabourmarketsaswell!!).
Somethingsare,however,missinginthescenariodescribed.Whatismissingfirstofallisthisboysopportunitytolinkhis
interestandpassiontoplacesinthecommunity,throughwhichtheycanbetakenfurtherandthroughwhichtheymightbe
linkedtoreallifemissionsandpurposes.VeryfewcommunitiesacrossEuropeofferyoungpeopletheopportunitytoengage
inmoreadvancedlearningandtolinktheirtalentstoreallifeprojectsandinitiativesincollaborationwithcompanies,
culturalinstitutions,communityprojectsorwhatevermightbeusefulinsociety.Itseemsthatyoumusteitherlimityourself
towhathappensintheclassrooms,oryouareonyourown.Ifyouhaveafootballtalent,youwilljointhefootballclub.Ifyou
have3Danimationorroboticstalents,wherewillyougo?
Thisiswhyweareintheprocessofcreatingopportunitiesfortalentedtechnologicallyinterestedyouthinthecommunities,
beyondtheeducationsystemandincollaborationwithavarietyofcommunityplayers.Wewilltrytodothatthroughthe
availableEuropeanfundingmechanisms.However,thekidinthisstoryisnotsowelloff.Hewillhavetowaitandgoback
toschool,andtrytosurviveandsubduehispassionuntilsuchtimesasthesenewopportunitiesareavailable.
17
Editorialcomment:Aroundtheworldthereareagrowingnumberofeducationalinitiativesthatseektoengagewiththe
needsandopportunitiesoflearningintheSocialAgeandthecultureoflearningthatisemerging.OurownLifewide
Educationsocialenterpriseisbutoneexample.IntheUSAtheConnectedLearningmovementprovidesanotherexample.
Thenextarticleisthesummaryofreportproducedbyagroupofnetworkedresearchers.Thereportrevealsawarenessofthe
challengesandtheimplicationsoftheSocialAgeandhighlightstheinterestingdynamicwherebysocialchangeencourages
andforceschangesinthewaypeoplebehaveandlearn,buteducationhasanimportantroletoplayinenablingpeopleto
adaptandultimatelybecomespartoftheforceforsocialchange.
Younglearnerstodayhavetheworldattheirfingertipsinwaysthatwereunimaginablejustagenerationago.World
renownedlectures,asymphonyofvoicesandopinions,andpeertopeerlearningopportunitiesareallaclickaway.Youth
cannotonlyaccessawealthofknowledgeonline,theycanalsobemakers,creators,participantsanddoersengagedinactive
andselfdirectedinquiry.
ConnectedLearningisaneducationalapproachdesignedforoureverchangingworld.Itmakeslearningrelevanttoall
populations,toreallifeandrealwork,andtotherealitiesofthedigitalage,wherethedemandforlearningneverstops.Itsa
learningapproachdesignedforthedemandsandopportunitiesofthedigitalage:powerful,relevantandengaging.http://
connectedlearning.tv/
whatisconnected
learning.
Connectedlearning
addresses inequity in
education inways
gearedtoanetworked
society.Itseeksto
leveragethe potential of
digitalmediatoexpand
accesstolearning that is
sociallyembedded,
interestdriven,and
oriented toward
educational,economic,
orpoliticalopportunity.
Connectedlearning is
realizedwhenayoung
person isabletopursue
apersonalinterest or
passionwith the
support offriendsand
caringadults, and isin
turn abletolink this
learning and interest to
academicachievement,
careersuccessorcivic
CONNECTED LEARNING: AN AGENDA FOR RESEARCH
AND DESIGN SYNTHESIS REPORT
Connected Learning Research Network
18
engagement.Thismodelisbasedonevidencethat the mostresilient, adaptive, and effectivelearning involvesindividual
interest aswellassocialsupport toovercomeadversity and provide recognition.
Activated andwellsupported learnersareusingtodayssocial,interactive, and onlinemediatomagnifytheir learning and
opportunity,but they areaprivileged minority.Toomanyyoung peopleusenewmediaprimarily forsocialandrecreational
usesthatdonot connecttotheir academicachievementorfuture opportunity.Further, thereisalsoawidening chasm
between the progressive useofdigitalmediaoutside oftheclassroom,and the nofrillsofferingsofmostpublic schoolsthat
educate ourmostvulnerable populations. Thisgapaggravatesawidespread alienationfromeducationalinstitutions,
particularly amongnondominant youth. With moresupport, invitations,and infrastructure forconnectionand inclusion,
however, webelievemanymoreyoung peoplecan,and should, experience the advantages ofconnected learning.
AnAgendaforEducationalReformandSocialChange
Theconnected learning agendaisaresponsetothree broad trends reshaping the landscapeoflearning inthe U.S.and other
countries inthe GlobalNorth:
Broken pathwaysfromeducationtoopportunity:Inaneraofglobalization,economiccontraction, and agrowing gapbetween
richandpoor, educationisnolongerasurepathway toopportunity.Youngpeoplearecompetingforascarcernumber of
goodjobs,and wearewitnessing anarmsraceineducationalattainment where acollegedegreeisnolongeraguarantee of
future success.
Agrowinglearning divide:Theachievementgapdisproportionately affectsAfricanAmericanand Latinoyouth, intensifying
concernsabout equity andsocialjustice.Theseformsofinequity areexacerbated by the growing gapinfamilyinvestments in
outofschoolenrichment and learning activities.
Acommercializedandfragmented mediaecology:Youngpeopleareimmersedinamediaecologythat isincreasingly
commercialized andthat elevatestheimportanceofinformed,individual choice.Establishedinstitutions, norms,and
practicesforguiding young peoples accesstoinformationand learningarebeingconfronted by alwaysonsocial
communicationandabundant mediaand information.
Connectedlearning addressesthesechallengingsocialconditions through aneducationalreformagendathat centerson
diversifying entry points and pathways toopportunity.Weseeschoolasonenodeinabroader network oflearning available
toyoung people,andbelievewecancallonthe untapped capacityinmoreinformaland interestdriven arenastobuild more
learning supports and opportunities. Inanerawhen ourexisting educationalpathways servefeweryoung people,itiscriti
calthat webuild capacity, opportunity,and newmodelsofsuccess,rather than orientoureffortssolelyonoptimizingthe
playing fieldofexisting opportunities.
Wetarget adolescentsintheir transition toadulthood asakey lifestageinthe developmentofinterests, orientation to
future opportunity,anddevelopment ofsocialidentity, and welooktodigitaland networked mediaforpotent newwaysof
buildingconnectionsand accesstoknowledge and information. Digitaland networkedmediaprovide newpossibilitiesinthe
followingareas:
Fosteringengagement andselfexpression:Interactive, immersive,andpersonalizedtechnologiesprovide responsive feed
back, support adiversity oflearning stylesand literacy, and pacelearning accordingtoindividual needs.
Increasing accessibilitytoknowledgeandlearning experiences:Through onlinesearch,educationalresources,and
communitiesofexpertise and interest,young peoplecaneasilyaccessinformationandfindrelationships thatsupport
selfdirectedand interestdriven learning.
Expanding socialsupportsforinterests:Through socialmedia,young peoplecanformrelationships with peersandcaring
adults that arecentered oninterests,expertise, and future opportunityinareasofinterest.
Expandingdiversityandbuilding capacity:Newmedianetworks empowermarginalizedand noninstitutionalized groups and
cultures tohaveavoice,mobilize,organize,and build economiccapacity.
19
OurApproachtoLearning
Ourapproach tolearning isguided by ourapproach toeducationalreformandresearchthat hasshown that the mostef
fectiveandmeaningfulformsoflearninghappen when learnerspossessrichsocialsupports, and where the subject matteris
relevant and interactive. Thisapproach alsotiestoourcorevalues:
Equity: Educationalopportunityshould beavailabletoall.
Fullparticipation: Everyoneshould beengagedandhavetheir contributionsvalued.
Social connection:Learningbecomesmeaningfulthrough relationships.
Connectedlearning focusesattention onthe spacesofintegration and translationbetween divergent domainsofknowledge,
culture, and socialpractice. Bringingtogether and integrating the motivations, content, and abilitiesfromsocial,interest
driven, and formaleducationalspherespromisestoexpand the reachofmeaningfuland sustained learning. Connected
learning seekstointegrate three spheresoflearningthat areoftendisconnected and atwarwith eachother inyoung
peopleslives:peerculture, interests, andacademiccontent.
Peersupported:Intheir everyday exchangeswith peersand friends, youngpeoplearecontributing,sharing and givingfeed
backininclusivesocialexperiencesthat arefluidand highly engaging.
Interestpowered: When asubject ispersonallyinteresting and relevant,learnersachievemuchhigherorder learning
outcomes.
Academically oriented: Learnersflourishand realizetheir potential when theycanconnecttheir interests and social
engagementtoacademicstudies, civicengagement,and careeropportunity.Youngpeoplecanexperience connected learning
through diverse pathways. Schools,homes,afterschoolclubs, religiousand cultural institutions, community centersand
the parents, teachers, friends, mentorsand coachesyoung peoplefindatthesediverse locales,allpotentially havearoleto
play inguiding young peopletoconnected learning.
DesigningConnectedLearningEnvironments
Examplesoflearning environments that
arecurrently integrating the spheres
ofpeers,interests, and academic
pursuits include athleticsprograms
that aretied toinschoolrecognition,
certainartsandciviclearning
programs, and interestdriven
academicprogramssuchasmath,
chess,orroboticscompetitions.These
connectedlearning environments
ideallyembodyvaluesofequity, social
belonging, and participation.These
environments, when leveraging
newmedia,generallyhavethe
followingcharacteristics:
Productioncentered: Digitaltoolsprovide opportunities forproducing andcreatingawidevariety ofmedia,knowledge, and
cultural content inexperimentaland activeways.
Shared purpose:Social mediaand webbasedcommunitiesprovide unprecedented opportunities forcrossgenerationaland
crosscultural learning andconnectiontounfold and thrive around commongoalsandinterests.
Openly networked:Onlineplatformsand digitaltoolscanmakelearning resourcesabundant, accessible,and visibleacrossall
learnersettings.Toexpand and support the growth ofmoreconnected learning environments, welooktothe following
designprinciples forguidance:
20
Everyonecanparticipate: Experiencesinvite participation andprovide manydifferent waysforindividuals andgroups
tocontribute.
Learning happens bydoing:Learningisexperiential and part ofthe pursuit ofmeaningfulactivitiesand projects.
Challengeisconstant:Interest orcultivation ofaninterest createsboth aneedtoknow and aneed toshare.
Everything isinterconnected:Young peopleareprovided with multiplelearningcontexts forengaginginconnected learning
contexts inwhich they receiveimmediatefeedbackonprogress, haveaccesstotoolsforplanning andreflection,and aregiven
opportunities formasteryofspecialistlanguageandpractices.
Outcomes
Connectedlearning isoriented tooutcomesthat areboth individual and collectiveinnature. Theseinclude 21stCentury
skills,dispositions, and literaciessuchassystemsthinking, informationliteracy, creativity, adaptability, conscientiousness,
persistence,globalawarenessand selfregulationaswellasthe cultivation ofinterests, building ofsocialcapital,andapositive
orientation toacademicsubjects.Becausethe connectedlearning modeltakesanecologicaland networked approach, these
individual outcomesaretied tosocietaloutcomesthat arecollectiveinnature. Theseinclude buildinghigh quality formsof
culture andknowledge, civicallyactivated collectives,anddiverse pathways forlearning and recognition. Inthis way, the
support and cultivationofindividual capacityispart andparcelofabroader visionofaneducationalsystemthat isvastly
moreeffective,equitable and essential.
Furtherinformation
Thecompletereport canbedownloaded athttp://dmlhub.net/publications/connectedlearningagendaresearchanddesign
andongoingresearchresultsareavailableathttp://clrn.dmlhub.net.Thereport andthissummaryisaproduct ofthe
ConnectedLearningResearchNetwork, supported bytheMacArthur FoundationsDigitalMediaandLearningInitiative.
Authors include:MizukoIto,KrisGutirrez,SoniaLivingstone,BillPenuel,JeanRhodes,KatieSalen,Juliet Schor,Julian Sefton
Green,andS.CraigWatkins.
EditorialComment:Theinternethasnotonlyspawnedthe'InformationAge'withitsvasteasilyaccessibleresources
ofinformationandenabledmanymorepeopletosustainthemselvesasknowledgeworkers.Ithasalsostimulated
technologicalinnovationonamassivescaleandthoughadoptionofpersonalcommunicationandinformation
technologies,onlineplatformslikefacebookandtwitteritispushingandpullingusintotheSocialAgewithitsnew
cultureofleaning.InthisnextarticleJulianexaminestheimportantroleofcollaborativesocialtechnologiesinthe
SocialAge.
21
THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF SOCIAL COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Julian Stodd
SocialCollaborativeTechnologyiseverywhere:onour
networks,inourpockets,pluggedintoourearsandourTVs.
Wecantescapetheproliferationofsociallycollaborative
technologies,whereverwetrytohide.Itdrawsusinto
communitiesaroundourfavouriterealityTVshow,it
permeatesourchoicesofwhichbookstobuyandwhatdevice
toreadorlistentothemon,itletsusrunprojectsworldwide
and,ifweareverylucky,ithelpsustomakesenseofthe
worldaroundus.
TheSocialAgeisfoundeduponsocialtechnologyfor
collaborationandwearejustatthestartofrecognisingthe
potentialthatitwillbring.
WhenIwroteaboutMobileLearninglastyearIcalledthe
bookMindsetformobilelearning,becauseitsnotaboutthe
technologyperse,itsaboutwhatwedowithit,howwecraft
moreeffectiveanddynamiclearningexperiencesthroughthat
technology.Whichchipsetitcontainsmayfacilitatethat
capability,butitsnotthedirectcause.Itsthesamewith
socialcollaboration,asmanyorganisationsknowtotheir
cost:youcaninvestallyoulikeinsystemsthathavesocial
inthetitle,butiftheyrenottrulycollaborativetechnologies,
theywontbuildacommunityandtheywonthelpusto
createmeaning.
Trulysocialcollaborationtechnologymakesiteffortlessfor
ustoengage,tocurateandtoshare.LikeFacebook.Its
virtuallysynchronous,whichmakesourencountersmore
conversational,moreaboutstorytellingthanabout
publication.Truesocialtechisagileandlinkseasily:itdoesnt
tieyouinwithlicenceagreements,platformspecificfunction
alityandendlessloginandregistrationpages.Trulysocial
technologyisaboutexperience,notITskills.
IrecentlyattendedthemLearnConinSanDiegoexploring
developmentsintechnologyandmethodologyoverthepast
year.It'scleartoallthattheimpactsofsocialcollaborative
technology,mobiledevicesineveryaspectofourliveshas
beenhuge:inbothourformalworkenvironmentsandour
informalsocialones(totheextentthatanydividestill
existsbetweenthetwo).
Inoursociallives,weuseitmoretoshare,tobuildand
reinforceourcommunities.Weuseittocaptureand
contextualisecontentandtellstorieswithitonFacebookor
Skype.Weuseourmobiledevicestoenhanceourcapability,
withtoolssuchasGoogleMaps,Shazamoraguitartuner.
Theyletusachievemorethatwecouldwithoutthem.They
enhanceandextendourcapability.
Inourworkenvironments,Imprimarilyinterestedinthe
sensemakingfunctionofcommunities,thewayswecome
togethertocreatemeaning,tolearn.SocialLearningisthat
activitywhichtakesplacewithinandaroundoursemiformal
spaces.Itscomplimentarytoformallearning,butisinherently
groundedinoureverydayreality,soitsmorepragmatic,
moreapplied.
22
Ourformalcommunitiesandusagetendtobemoderatedor
controlledtosomeextentbytheorganisation,whilstour
sociallivesarefreeandagile:anagilitythatneedstocascade
intohowweutilisetechnologyatworkifweretodevelop
agileorganisations.Innovationinorganisationallearning
tendstobeabouttheintroductionofscoringandgame
dynamics,whilsttheyreallyneedtoconsiderstorytellingand
engagementthroughrelevanceandtimeliness.
Greatlearningdesignisaboutabroadmethodology,about
greatstorytelling.Thetechnologyfacilitatesthecommunities,
amplifiesourstories,butwithoutgreatlearningdesign,
itsworthless.
Ultimately,oursociallivesrepresentthetestbedwherewe
learnhowtointeractwiththetechnology.Themoreclosely
organisationallearningreflectsournativebehaviours,the
highertheadoptionislikelytobe.
Imaginethetimewhentechnologywilleffortlesslyconnect
ustoconversations,resources,community,whenitwill
understandwhatsonourmindsandfacilitateusgettingthe
answers,creatingmeaning,makingsenseoftheworld.Were
ontheedgeoftherevolution,wheregeolocatedand
contextualisedconnectionsbecomethenorm:wherewe
moreeffortlesslyconnectintorelevantconversationsand
helpcocreatethenarrativethattakesplacewithinthem.
Learningisaboutexploration:itslikewhenIlandedinSan
Franciscolastweek,Istartedwithformaltours,whichletme
constructamentalframeworkofthegeography,thenI
walkedandrodewithinthatmatrixandfilledinthegaps.In
eachspaceIdocumentedmyjourneybytakingphotos,
reflectingonmyexperiencesandwritingaboutwhatIhad
learntandpaintingpictures.
MuchofthetechnologyIvebeenlookingatthisweek
supportstheseexploratoryactivities:gamesaredesignedto
createrehearsalspaces,safeandpermissiveenvironmentsto
failin,aswellasgivingusscoreswhenwesucceed.Tools
allowustocuratecontent,tofindthingsoutandshareour
knowledgeeffectively.Ourmobiletechnologyletsusbuild
storiesaswego.
Thetechnologyextendsandenhancesournarrative
capability:throughtakingphotos,throughgeolocated
sensors,throughanalyticalAppsthatidentifyandquantify
things,byoverlayingadditionalcontextualdataontopofour
realitytobuildanaugmentedpicture.Technologyfacilitates
storytelling:itprovidesareflectiveanditerativespaceto
thinkandshare.Itallowsustocapturetribalknowledgeand
cocreateastoryaroundaplace.Asever,thetechnologyisnt
theendgoal:itswhatfacilitatesthejourney.
ThisarticlewasdevelopedfromblogpostsmadeonNovember
113013andJune24th&25th2014http://
julianstodd.wordpress.com/
23
Manyarticlesinthisissuehighlighttheimportanceofsocialmediaindrivingchangesthatarecollectivelyleadingtothisnew
eraofsociallearningweareentering.Highereducationcannotbeimmunefromtheseprofoundchanges.Intheirarticle,
DouglasThomasandJohnSeeleyBrowneloquentlysketchoutsomeofthefeaturesofthenewcultureoflearningthatis
emergingwhichhighereducationmustembraceifitistoplayitspartinpreparinglearnersfortheSocialAgeoflearning.In
thispiecewewouldliketoexplorehowtheSocialAgeandthesocialtechnologiesitisspawning,arebeginningtoinfluence
highereducationprogrammesandinstitutionalpracticesandthechallengesthesepresenttopractitionersandtheir
institutions.Wewilldothisbyconsideringfourpedagogicapproachesthatareconsistentwiththecharacteristicsoflearning
intheSocialAgeasoutlinedinJulianStodd'sarticles.
LeftJohnSeeleyBrown'ssocialviewoflearning
Socioconstructivismorconstructingmeaningwithothers
Tousthismeanscreatingtheconditionswerewecanlearnandworkwith
otherstoconstructandcoconstructmeaninginasocialcontextietomake
whatislearntandtheprocessoflearningmorepersonallymeaningfuland
relevant.Learners,theirteachersandthewidercommunityandnetworks
needtobeinvolvedinthisprocessascolearners.Butalltoooftenthe
dominantapproachtolearninginhighereducationisnotoneofcollaboration
andcocreationofmeaningratheritisoneinwhichteachersorganiseand
orchestratethelearningprocesstransmittingtheirknowledgeandunder
standingsvialecturesandresourcesthattheyhavedetermined.Learninginhighlyorganisedandcontrolledwayswithin
welldefinedtopicstructuresandphysicalorintellectualspacesissaferthanthelessstructured,meandering,self
determinedandcollaborativewaysoflearningintheSocialAgebutitislessusefultostudentswhoareabouttostepout
intothatworldandwhoarenotpreparedforit.
Thechallengeforhighereducationistoblend
traditionaldisciplinarywaysoflearningwith
pedagogiesthatrequirestudentandteacher
involvementinthewayswearelearninginthe
worldoutsideformaleducation.Whattypesof
pedagogiesandsupportivescaffoldsareneededto
helpusmaximiseonsuchopportunitiesinaglobal
communityandamultitudeofnetworks?
Socialmediacanbeseenasnetworkedecosystemsfor
selforganisedexploration.Wehaveaccesstothese
viadesktopandsmartormobilepockettechnologies.
Drivenbyourcuriosityandthedesiretodiscoveranduncovernewandexcitingthingsaboutourselves,othersandtheworld
aroundus,socialmediaputsusonajourneytoconstructmeaninganddevelopunderstandingthroughsocialconnections
andconversationswithothers.
ADAPTING HIGHER EDUCATION TO THE SOCIAL AGE OF

LEARNING: HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA HELP?
Chrissi Nerantzi, Norman Jackson and Sue Beckingham
24
Socialmediacanonlyexistifthereissharingandreciprocitywhenweareactive,learnersandteachers.Socialmedia
enableustolearnintherealworldwithandfromothersandthereforemakelearningauthentic,currentandlesslonely.
Weareexposedtoandimmersedinaplethoraofvoices,resourcesandopportunitiesandconstantlyfilter,refinethese
andconstructourownpaths.Wecooperateandcollaborateandbecomepartofsocialnetworksandcommunitiesand
createourpersonalandcollectivelearningecologies(Jackson,2013).Throughthisprocesswebecomesociallearners
thattakeadvantageoftheopportunities.HEisaboutconstructingnewmeanings,makingnewdiscoveries,debatingand
challengingwhatisoutthere.Socialmediapresentrichandauthenticopportunitiesforengaginginalltheseaspects
oflearning.
Constructionismorlearningthroughmaking
Thispedagogicalconceptisdirectlyrelatedtohandsonlearningthroughmaking,inthephysical,digitalorhybridworld
thatmarriesthetwo.Themakingofobjects,artefactsandmodelsisfundamentaltotheactiveprocessoflearningandto
discoveringwhatworksordoesn'tworkinaparticularcontext.Alltoooftenhighereducationteachersmakethingsfor
theirstudentsratherthaninvolvingtheminmakingthingsforthemselvesorincocreatingtheirlearningprocess.Through
makingthingslearnersmakesenseofconcepts,ideas,materialsandobjectsandalsogainsatisfaction,feelmotivatedand
arealsenseofachievement.Surely,makingsomethingforthefirsttimeisacreativeact,sobyenablinglearnerstomake
theirowntoolsandartefactsweareenablingthemtobecreativeandexperiencecocreativityiftheyareworkingwith
others:anessentialexperiencefortheSocialAgeoflearning.
StudentsatOhioStateUniversityarebuildinganelectriccarthatcantravelupto307mph
Sothechallengeforhighereducationisto
createabetterbalanceintheactivityof
makingsothattheteacherisnottheonly
makerandprovideroftools,resourcesand
artefacts,butlearnersarealsoencouraged
andenabledtomakethingsforthemselves
andwithothers.Socialmediacanonly
existifthereissharingandreciprocity
whenweareactive,learnersandteachers.
Socialmediaenableustolearninthereal
worldwithandfromothersandtherefore
makelearningauthentic,currentandless
lonely.Weareexposedtoandimmersed
inaplethoraofvoices,resourcesand
opportunitiesandconstantlyfilter,refinetheseandconstructourownpaths.Wecooperateandcollaborateandbecome
partofsocialnetworksandcommunitiesandcreateourpersonalandcollectivelearningecologies(Jackson,2013).
Throughthisprocesswebecomesociallearnersthattakeadvantageoftheopportunities.HEisaboutconstructingnew
meanings,makingnewdiscoveries,debatingandchallengingwhatisoutthere.Socialmediapresentrichandauthentic
opportunitiesforengaginginalltheseaspectsoflearning.
Experientialparticipatorylearning
AttheheartofthistheoryofhowhighereducationmightadapttobetterpreparestudentsforlearningintheSocialAgeis
theideaoflearningthroughselfdeterminedexperience,includingreflectingonanddrawingmeaningfromexperience.
Outintherealworldwemakethingsupaswegoalongoftenmakingmistakesintheprocess,westruggletoovercome
obstaclesandweseeandmakeuseofopportunitiesastheyemerge.Learningineverydaylifeisanunfoldinganduncer
tainjourneyweexperiencewithothers.Butthejourneyourlearnersmakeinhighereducationispredesignedandpre
definedbyteacherswithcontentandprocesspredeterminedandprescribed.Theirconcernsarewithcertainty,with
conformityandwithclarityandwithtimetabling.Theyarenotsoconcernedwithcreatingopportunitiesforexperiment
anddonottakekindlytomistakesbeingmade,especiallywhereassessmentisconcerned.
25
Therearerealchallengesforhighereducationincreatingacurriculum/learningexperiencethatismoreliketherealworld
andlessliketheclassroom.ThearticlesbyDylanTweneyandLorraineStefanieprovideuswithexamplesofhowthismight
beachieved.
Learningisaparticipatoryprocessnotaproduct
orsomethingthatjusthappenstouspassively.
Weneedtoexperienceit.Socialmediawould
notsurviveandthrivewithoutparticipation.
Theyprovidearichexperientialandexperimen
talopportunityforlearningandteaching.Partici
pationthereismultidirectionalandmultifac
etedandcanbevisibleorinvisibleandis
interwovenintothefabricofotherindividual
andcollectiveactivities,inthevirtualandphysi
calworld.Luckinetal.(2010,12)proposethe
LearnerGeneratedContextframeworkfor
open,creativeandparticipatorylearningexperi
ences.
OpenlearningandopeneducationalresourcesandpracticesintheSocialAge
IntheMarchissueofLifewideMagazine,ChristineRedeckerprovidedavisionofwhatlearningintheSocialAgemightbelike
inanother15years,basedonamajorForesightstudy.Thisvisionechoesthethemeswehavediscussedabovebutthisarti
clealsotalksabout'openingup'ourcurrenteducationalapproaches,resourcesandpracticestoenablesocietytorealisethe
potentialcontainedwithinthisvision.Redeckertalksabout'theparadoxofeducationinadigitalworld'wherebydigital
technologiesarenowembeddedinallfacetsofourlivesandthereisaworldwideexpansionofonline(open)educationalre
sourcesthatalloweasyaccesstoknowledgeandlearning,educationsystemshavesofarbeenunabletosystematicallyex
ploitthepotentialofICTtofunda
mentallychangeteachingandlearn
ingpractices.TherecentriseofMas
siveOpenOnlineCourses(MOOCs)in
particularhasdrawnattentiontothe
factthatavastrangeofhighquality
learningopportunitiesareavailableto
(almost)everyoneatvirtuallynocost
butareMOOCstheonlyanswerto
enablinghighereducationtoadaptto
theSocialAgeoflearning?
PerhapsOpenEducationisthemostappropriateformofeducationfortheSocialAge.Itpromisestoprovideeverycitizenwith
exactlythekindoflearnings/heneeds,when,whereandhows/heneedsit.Thisisafundamentalshiftfrommostofformal
educationtodaywherelearnersgenerallycomplywiththewhen,where,whatandhowaninstitutionchoosestoprovideits
educationalopportunities.
Attheheartofopenlearningissharing.Thesamecanbesaidaboutsocialmediawhichisagreatpromoterandenablerof
opennesswiththepotentialtotransformusintoopenindividuals.Throughsocialmediaweareabletofindcreativewaysto
shareandconnect,cooperateandcollaborateaswellasconstructandexperience.Wecreatelearningobjectsusingourown
devicesandwithaclickofabuttonweareabletosharewhatwehavemadewiththewholeworldratherthanjustthe
teacher.
'Theoverallvisionisthatpersonalisation,collaborationand
informalisation(informallearning)willbeatthecoreof
learninginthefuture.Thesetermsarenotnewineducation
andtrainingbuttheywillbecomethecentralguidingprinci
plefororganisinglearningandteaching.Thecentrallearn
ingparadigmisthuscharacterisedbylifelongandlifewide
learningandshapedbytheubiquityofInformationand
CommunicationTechnologies(ICT).
26
ChristineRedeckerssolutiontothecurrentparadoxoftraditionaleducationinadigitallyenabledSocialAgeistounbundle
thefunctionsandpracticesofauniversityinordertoenablethelearnertocreatethepackagehe/sherequires.Making
availablespecificfunctionsandsupportwill,itisargued,enableaknowledgeableandskilfullearnertodesigntheirlearning
pathwaysthemselvesbypoolingthedifferent(learning)resourcesandopportunitiesavailable,andcombiningtheminaway
thatallowsthemtolearnwhat,when,whereandhowtheywanttolearn.
Amoreradicalview
oftheworldofopen
learningtellsusthat
wealreadyhavethe
poweratourfinger
tipstocreatea
courseforourselves,
decideonlicensing
andorganisesocial
learningeventsand
activitieswhichwe
canmakeavailableto
anybodywhowants
tojoinus.Inthisway
wecanallbeteach
ersandcolearnersin
theSocialAge.
Historyshowsthatsignificantsocialchangesoccurwhenwechangeourperspectiveandtheopenlearning/openeduca
tionmovement,aidedbysocialtechnologiesandmediaisbeginningtochangeattitudesandpracticeswithinhigheredu
cation.Socialtechnologiesandmediaareenablersinthisprocess.Studentsandteachersaremoreempoweredthan
evertocreate,collaborateanddisseminateopenlyresourcesandpracticesandbuildonthecreationsofothers.Supported
byaglobalnetworkofpeersandlikemindedpeople,wedefinenewpersonalandcollectiveopenanddynamiclearningecol
ogiessupportedbycultures.
JanGejelsstoryofthelittleboyandhislearningadventuresisfascinatingnotonlyforthewayitframeslearningthatismo
tivatedfromwithinbutalsobecauseofthewayitdrawsattentiontothedisconnectbetweenformalandinformallearning
andpractices.Whatneedstohappentomakelearningseamlessandtakefulladvantageoftheopportunitiessociallearning
inthe21
st
centurypresents?
Thesearejustafewthoughtsonsomeofthechal
lengesforhighereducationaswemovefurtherinto
theSocialAgeoflearning.Examplesofhowsocial
mediaarebeingusedinhighereducationcanbe
foundinIssue10ofLifewideMagazinetogether
withthispowerpointpresentationonslideshare.If
youwouldliketoshareyourownthoughtsand
ideas,orwriteanarticlefortheMagazineonthis
themepleasegetintouchwithusviaChrissiat
chrissinerantzi@googlemail.comortheExecutive
EditorJenny
27
References
Gauntlett,D.(2011)Makingisconnecting.Thesocialmeaningofcreativity,fromDIYandknittingtoYouTubeand
Web2.0,Cambridge:PolityPress.
Jackson,N.J.(2013)TheConceptofLearningEcologiesinNJacksonandGBCooper(Eds)LifewideLearning,Education
andPersonalDevelopmentEBook.ChapterA5availableathttp://www.lifewideebook.co.uk/
uploads/1/0/8/4/10842717/chapter_a5.pdf
Luckin,R.,Clark,W.,Garnett,F.,Whitworth,A.,Akass,J.,Cook,J.,Day,P.,Ecclesfield,N.,Hamilton,T&Robertson,J.
(2010)LearnerGeneratedContexts:aframeworktosupporttheeffectiveuseoftechnologytosupportlearning,in:Lee,
M.J.W.&McLoughlin,C.(eds)Web2.0BasedELearning:ApplyingSocialInformaticsforTertiaryTeaching,IGIGlobal,
pp.7084.,availableathttp://knowledgeillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/
bookchapterluckin2009learnergeneratedcontexts.pdf
RedeckerC(2014)'TheFutureofLearningisLifelong,LifewideandOpen'LifewideMagazineIssue9March2014
28
THERES NO POINT IN KNOWLEDGE IF YOU DONT SHARE IT:
COLLABORATION AND GENEROSITY IN THE SOCIAL AGE
Julian Stodd
Whatsthepointinknowledgeifyoudontshareit?
Collaborationandgenerosityarewhatdriveinnovationand
engagementandyetorganisationsareoftenobsessedwith
hidingthingsaway,withtuckingtheirstoriesoutofsight
behindpaywallsandfirewalls,behindlayersofimpersonal
websitesandcorporatecommsthatlackcontentandimpact.
Wesitcoursesondataprotectionanddatasecurity,but
neveron
generosityand
collaboration!
Thisiskindof
oddbecause,
unlikegoldor
silver,wecan
createmore
knowledge
easily:wecan
literallyprint
money,butonly
byusingthe
knowledgethat
isoutthere
already.
IntheSocialAge,
knowledgeitself
isnolongerpower:ourabilitytosynthesisemeaningoutof
multiplesources,ourabilitytoaddvalue,toreinventourself
andeffectchange,ourgenerosityoftimeandexpertise,these
arethethingsthataddvalue.Thesearethethingsthatmake
usinfluential,thatgiveusauthorityaroundasubject.Itsnot
aboutwhatyouknowandhideaway,itsaboutthe
conversationsthatyougetintoandhowgenerousyouare
andhowwillingyouaretolearnwithothersandtoshare
whatyouhavelearnt.
Sociallearning,socialtools,thesocialwayofworking,thisis
valuableasitencouragesustoshare,tocreateshared
meaning.Sure,itcanbechallenging:itrequiresustobebrave
andtobewillingtobeprovedwrong,butvalueandmeaning
emergefromthediscussion,fromtheconversation.Itsall
aboutthesharing.Andthemoregenerousyouarewithyour
time,yourknowledge,yourexpertise,themoreitsrecipro
cated.Valueiscreatedsimplythroughgenerosity,through
sharing.Itslikeprintingmoney!Asweengagefurther,
connectionsemergefromthewoodwork:connectionsthat
canbemadeinsocial
learningspacesthat
wouldsimplybelostin
therealworld.Withno
barriersofgeography,
ourpotentialto
connect,toshareona
globalstage,islimitless!
Butwhatdoes
collaborationmean?
Todayisarareoffice
day.Thereareeight
otherpeopleinthe
sameroomasme:we
shareakitchenanda
coffeemachine,butwe
arenotcollaborating.
Wemaytalkaboutthe
weather,askhowtheholidaywas,goforlunchtogether,but
thatdoesnotmakeuscollaborators.Wearecohabiting.IfI
collaboratewiththerightpeople,IcanachievefarmorethanI
canalone.Myideaswillbestronger,theirchallengeswilldrive
metobetterperformance,toquestionmyselfandtoquestion
thethingsotherpeopletellme.IfIcanbehumbleenoughto
listentowhatmycollaboratorssayandifIamwillingtoact
uponit,thenwewill,collectively,excel.Thisisnotanaspira
tion,itsafact,anditsthereasonwhyIreachoutthroughmy
blog,throughmylearningnetwork,tofriends,colleaguesand
strangers,reachingouttootherswhoalsobelieveinthe
powerofcollaborationandthevalueofsociallearning.
Editorialcomment':Social',inhumansociety,referstotheinteractionofpeopleintheircollectivecoexistence,irrespectiveof
whethertheyareawareofitornot,andirrespectiveofwhethertheinteractionisvoluntaryorinvoluntary.Itembodiesthe
attitudes,values,behaviours,habitsandculturesthatdetermineourdaytodayexistenceamongstourfamily,friendsand
colleagues.Beingsocialiswhyhumanshavebeensosuccessfulasaspeciessowhatisdistinctiveaboutourinteractionsinthe
SocialAge?InthisnextarticleIexaminethemeaningofcollaborationintheSocialAge.
29
TheinvitationtoGuestEditthisMagazineisagoodexample
oftheopportunitycreatedbywillingnesstocollaborate.But
therearefoundationsthatneedtobeinplacetolearninso
cialspaces:wehavetobepreparedtostepoutsideour
boundaries,ourcomfortzone.Wehavetolowerourbarriers.
IfIstepintoalearningspaceandjusttrytodemonstratemy
expertise,Iwillfail.Imayknowalotaboutsomethings,butI
knownexttonothingaboutothers.Inacollaborativesocial
learningspace,thedynamicsofleadershipandexpertiseare
fluid.Wetakeanagileapproach,withexpertscontributing
intheirareasandlisteninghumblyinothers.Ifwegetitright,
welearn,ifwegetitwrong,wejustbroadcastwhatwe
alreadyknow.
Sotosucceed,weneedtobelieveintheintegrityofothers,
wehavetobepreparedtobevulnerableinfrontofthem.We
havetoteachandtolearnwithinthesamespace.Social
learningspacesgiveusthefreedomtolearn,butonlyifwe
giveourselvesuptotheprocess.
Socanyoumandateforcollaborationwithinan
organisational,commercialsetting?Hardtosay:youcant
mandateforrespectorfortrust,youhavetoearnboth,ithas
tobepartofaculture,soprobablynot.Sure,youcanmake
peoplehaveadialogue,butjustbeinginthesameroom,just
havingconversationislikemesittinginthisoffice.Impre
sentinbody,butImnotcollaborating.
Networksofrelationshipsforpersonaland
collaborativelearning
Collaborationinvolvesformingrelationshipsinwhichpeople
wanttobeinvolvedineachotherspurposeswhetheritisto
cocreateasolutiontoaproblemortocoproducesomething
new.Webuildourcapacityforcollaborationthroughthe
developmentofourPersonalLearningNetworkpopulatedby
peoplewhowehaveworkedwithorwhoweareworking
with.Itisonlybydevelopingrelationshipsthatarefounded
ontrustandrespectthatallowyoutocollaborate.Thatswhy
thesethingstaketimetosettle,tobedin.Trustisbuiltover
timeandthroughactionsratherthanonlywords.Social
learningspacescanbegreatplacestocollaborate,and
collaborationcanleadustoachievemorethanweevercould
alone.Ifwearewillingtoletitintoourlives.Ifwearehumble
enoughtoengage.
Imreachingouttomylearningnetworkinanumberofways.
AtthetimeI'mwritingthisImhavingatechnicaldiscussion
withacoupleofpeopleaboutanelearningchallenge,Ive
askedacoupleofpeopletoreviewthefirstdraftofanew
bookandImtryingtopulltogetherapopuplearninggroup
tomeetinSingaporeattheendofthemonth.Idontwork
withanyofthesepeople,atleast,Idontpaythemorget
paidbythem.Wedonthaveanemployerandwearenot
employees.Weareacommunityofpractice,learnerswith
commoninterestsandchallenges,offeringopinions,exper
tiseandtheopportunitytobroadenourboundaries.Thisis
thenewreality:peopleIshareanofficewithandpeoplein
mylearningnetwork.Thetwomaynotoverlap.Iamactivein
thesenetworkseveryday.SometimesIreachouttothemfor
support,sometimesIreachouttooffersupport,sometimes
weformadhocgroupsandspontaneouslyemergentsub
groupsaroundparticulartopicsthatinterestus.
Andthenetworkisnotstatic:thereisanamplificationeffect.
AfewweeksagoIstartedadiscussionwithsomeoneinmy
learningnetworkaboutculturalchallengesinglobalsocial
learningspaces.Yesterday,shepulledacolleagueintothe
discussion,whohasboughtnewideas,newresearch,new
thoughts.Ivesharedotherelementsofthisdiscussionin
otherblogpostsandonTwitter,someofwhichhasbeen
pickedupandamplifiedouttoother,disconnected,but
relatednetworks.Itreallyistruethattheboundariesofour
networksarehighlyfluid.
Sociallearningtakesusbeyondtheformalspaceoftheof
fice,oftheworkshop,andtakesusintoaspacewherethe
conversationismorefluid.Itallowsustoexpandour
horizons,tobroadenourboundaries.Throughmynetwork,I
canhaveconversationsthattakemebeyondthesefourwalls,
thatchallengeandsupportmeinequalmeasure.
Thisistherealityoflearningtoday:someformalelements
surroundedbyaseaofinformality.Emergentcommunities
whocanamplifyanddevelopyourcapability,aslongasyou
arewillingtopitchinanddeveloptheirs.
Thehumblelearnerwillthrive:generosityoftimeandeffort
iskey.Onlybycollaboratingcanwenurturethesespaces.
Itsnotaboutownershipandcontrol,itsaboutthethrill
ofthechaseandtheexcitementofdiscovery.Itstruly
sociallearning.
ThisarticlewasdevelopedfromblogpostsmadeonMarch4
2013,October5,2012&
October10,2012http://julianstodd.wordpress.com/
30
ECOLE 42: A NEW FORM OF
EDUCATION FOR THE SOCIAL AGE
Dylan Tweney
Dylanisawriter,editorand
journalist.Heiseditorin
chiefatVentureBeatand
alsopublishesthehaiku
magazinetinywordsthe
worldssmallestmagazine.
cole42mightbeoneofthemostambitiousexperimentsin
engineeringeducation.Ithasnoteachers.Nobooks.No
MOOCs.Nodorms,gyms,labs,orstudentcentres.Notuition.
Andyetitplanstoturnouthighlyqualified,motivated
softwareengineers,eachofwhomhasgonethroughan
intensivetwotothreeyearprogramdesignedtoteach
themeverythingtheyneedtoknowtobecome
outstandingprogrammers.
ImageCredit:Dylan
Tweney/VentureBeat
Theschool,housedina
formergovernment
buildingusedtoeducate
teachers(ironically
enough),wasstartedby
XavierNiel(left)witha
70millioneurodonation.
Hehasnoplansforittomakemoney,ever.Thefounderand
majorityownerofFrenchISPFree,Nielisabillionairemany
timesover.HesnotwellknownintheU.S.,buthereheis
reveredasoneofthecountrysgreatentrepreneurialsuc
cessesintech.Heisalsoirrepressiblyupbeat,smilingand
laughingalmostnonstopforthehourthatheledatour
throughcole42earlierthisweek.(Whowouldntbe,with
thatmuchwealth?YetIhavemetmuchmoredourbillion
airesbefore.)
Acultureofcontinuouschallenge
Thebasicideaofcole42istothrowallthestudents800
to1,000peryearintoasinglebuildingintheheartof
Paris,givethemMacswithbigCinemadisplays,andthrow
increasinglydifficultprogrammingchallengesatthem.The
studentsaregivenlittledirectionabouthowtosolvethe
problems,sotheyhavetoturntoeachotherandtothe
Internettofigureoutthesolutions.
Thechallengesaresurprisinglydifficult.OnestudentItalked
withwascodingaraytracerandbuildinganemulationofthe
3DdungeoninCastleWolfensteinwithinhisfirstfewmonths
attheschool.Sixmonthsearlier,hehadbarelytoucheda
computerandknewnothingofprogramming.Hehadnteven
finishedhighschool.
AstudentatEcole42explainshowhecreatedaraytracing
program.Six
monthsbeforehe
knewnothing
aboutprogram
ming.ImageCredit:
DylanTweney/
VentureBeat
Infact,40percent
ofcole42sstudentshaventfinishedhighschool.Others
havegraduatedfromStanfordorMITorotherprestigious
institutions.Butcole42doesntcareabouttheirbackground
allitcaresaboutiswhethertheycancompletetheprojects
andmoveon.Theonlyrequirementisthattheybebetween
theagesof18and30.
Wedontaskanythingaboutwhattheyvedonebefore,Niel
said.
Yetcole42ishardertogetintothanHarvard:Lastyear,
70,000peopleattemptedtheonlinequalificationtest.
20,000completedthetest,andofthose,4,000wereinvited
tospendfourweeksinParisdoinganintensiveprojectthat
hadthemworkingupwardsof100hoursaweekonvarious
codingchallenges.
Intheend,890studentswereselectedfortheschools
inauguralclass,whichbeganinNovember,2013.(Theaverage
ageis22,and11percentofthefirstclassisfemale.)
EditorialNote:AsThomasandSeeleyBrownpointoutformaleducationisprimarilyconcernedwiththelearningof
individualsandassessmentvalueswhatanindividualknowsandcandobasedonknowledgeacquiredviatheteacher,books
andinstructionalvideosetc.Sothebiggerquestioniswhataretheaffordanceswithinhighereducationforstudentsto
engageinprocessesthatenablethemtodevelopascollaborativeaswellasindividuallearnersandtocollectivelysolve
problems,cocreateideasandcoproduceandcoperformwithothers,astheywillcertainlyfindthemselvesdoingwhenthey
trytoearnalivingintherealworld.Thisnextarticledescribesanexcitingcontemporaryexampleofhowformalised
educationisbeingadaptedintheSocialAge.Italsoprovidesavisionofhowhighereducationmightbeadaptingtothenew
cultureoflearningandpreparingyoungpeoplemoreeffectivelyfortheSocialAgeoflearning.
31
890studentsoutof70,000applicantsmeansanacceptance
ratealittlenorthof1percent,orifyouonlycountthosewho
completedthetest,4.5percent.Bycontrast,Harvardaccepts
about6percentofitsapplicants.And,evenwithfinancialaid,
itchargesawholelotmorethanzerothatEcole42charges
foritsclasses.
Theupshot:Ifitworks,theschoolscourseofeducationwill
producecoderswhoareincrediblyselfmotivated,well
roundedinallaspectsofsoftwareengineering,andwillingto
workhard.(Thefourweektryoutalone,withits100hour
weeks,blowsawaytheFrenchgovernmentsofficial35hour
workweek.)
Acultureofcollaboration
Allofcole42sprojectsaremeanttobecollaborative,sothe
studentsworkinteamsoftwotofivepeople.Atfirstglance,
thecolesclassroomslookalittlebitlikeafactoryfloorora
codingsweatshop,withrowafterrowofAeronstylechairs
facingrowafterrowofbigmonitors.Butacloserlookreveals
thatthelayoutisdesignedtofacilitatesmallgroupcollabora
tion,withthemonitorsstaggeredsothatstudentscaneasily
talktooneanother,onthediagonalsbetweenthemonitors
orsidebysidewiththepeoplenexttothem.Studentscan
comeandgoastheyplease;theschoolisopen24hoursaday
andhasawellappointedcafeteriainthebasement(witha
winecellarthatcanhold5,000bottles,justincasetheschool
needstohostanyparties).
StudentssharealloftheircodeonGithub(naturally).They
communicatewithoneanother,andreceivechallengesand
tests,viatheschoolsintranet.Everythingelsetheyfigureout
ontheirown,whetheritmeanslearningtrigonometry,
figuringoutthesyntaxforCcode,orpickinguptechniques
toindexadatabase.
Testsareessentiallypassfail:Yourteameithercompletesthe
projectoritdoesnt.Oneadministratorcompareditto
makingacar:Inotherschools,gettingatest90percentright
meansanA;butifyoumakeacarwithjustthreeoutoffour
wheels,itisafailure.Atcole42,youdontgetpointsfor
makingitpartwaythereyouhavetomakeacarwithall
fourwheels.
Thenoteachersapproachmakessense,asnearlyanything
youneedtoknowaboutprogrammingcannowbefound,for
free,ontheInternet.Motivatedpeoplecaneasilyteach
themselvesanylanguagetheyneedtoknowinafewmonths
ofintensivework.Butmotivationiswhatshardtocomeby,
andtosustainaskanyonewhohastriedoutCodecademy
butnotstuckwithit.Thathaspromptedthecreationoflearn
tocodebootcampsandschoolsaroundtheworld.cole42
takesasimilarinspirationbutallowsthestudentstogenerate
theirownenthusiasmviacollaborative(andsomewhat
competitive)teamwork.
Someprestigiousuniversitieshavealreadyexpressedinterest
intheschoolsapproachandtheideaoffranchisingthemodel
ButeveniftheyneverexpandbeyondParis,cole42could
becomeasignificantforceinsoftwareeducation.Further
moreitprovidesamodelforotherformsofproblemsolving/
solutionfindingeducation.Francealreadyhasareputationfor
creatinggreatengineers(insoftwareaswellasinmanyother
fields).Ifcole42addsanotherthousandhighlymotivated,
entrepreneurialsoftwareengineerstothemixeveryyear,it
couldveryquicklyacceleratethiscountryscompetitivenessin
technology.AndthemodelwillforceschoolslikeHarvardto
makeanextraefforttojustifytheirhightuitions.Ifyoucan
gettraininglikethisforfree,andyouwanttobeasoftware
engineer,whygotoHarvard?
ThisarticlewaspostedonJune13,2014http://
venturebeat.com/2014/06/13/thisfrenchtechschoolhasno
teachersnobooksnotuitionanditcouldchangeeverything/
Editorialcommentafterreadingthisarticleitsworth
remindingourselveswhatDouglasThomasandJohnSeeley
Brownsayaboutthenewcultureoflearningthatisemerging
intheSocialAge.
Inthenewcultureoflearning,collectives,aswedefinethem,
becomethemediuminwhichparticipationtakesshape.They
arecontentneutralplatforms,waitingtobefilledwithinter
actionsamongparticipants.Assuchtheyarewelldefinedto
facilitatepeertopeerlearning,theirraisond'etre.
Thealmostunlimitedresourcesprovidedbytheinformation
network(p118)serveasasetofnutrients,constantly
selectedandincorporatedintotheboundedenvironment
ofthepetridish,whichprovidestheimpetusfor
experimentation,playandlearning.Accordingly,theculture
thatemerges,thenewcultureoflearning,isacultureof
collectiveinquirythatharnessestheresourcesofthenetwork
andtransformsthemintonutrientswithinthepetridish
environment,turningitintoaspaceofplayand
experimentation.Thatmomentoffusionbetweenunlimited
resourcesandaboundedenvironmentcreatesaspacethat
doesnotsimplyallowforimagination,itrequiresit.Only
whenwecareaboutexperimentation,playandquestions
morethanefficiency,outcomesandanswersdowehavea
spacethatistrulyopentotheimagination.Andwhere
imaginationsplay,learninghappens.
32
SEVEN STRANDS OF CO-CREATION
Julian Stodd
Weachievemoretogetherthanweevercanalone.Social
learningspacesdonotjustbringustogethertosharewhat
wehavelearnt,theybringustogetherinspaceswherewe
cocreatemeaning,wherewewriteastorytogether.Ive
createdamapofsevenelements,sevenwaysthatweuse
oursociallearningspacestocreatemeaning.Itsnot
definitive,butthat'swhatthesespacesareallabout,
buildingknowledgethroughiterationandreflectionina
communityspace.
Thesevenstrandsofcocreationarerefinement,shared
value,editing,reflection,challenge,tempoandvision.
IneveryvillageinmedievalEnglandwasatithebarn.The
tithewasthepercentageofthecropthatwenttothechurch
andthetithe
barnwas
whereitwas
stored.As
withallbarns,
ithadtwo
doors,the
frontones
veryhigh,the
backones
muchlower.
Thefully
ladencarts
cameinthe
front,piled
high,thenleft
throughthe
lowerdoors
attheback,
emptied.But
thedoorswerenotjusttofacilitatethepassageofcarts:with
bothdoorsthrownopen,thespaceinthemiddlewasbreezy
andisknownasthethreshingfloor.Theharvestedwheator
cornwaslaidoutandbeatenwithflails,todetachthegrains
fromtheheads.Theresultingmasswasscoopedintowoven
pans,wide,likeascallopshell,anditwasthrownintotheair,
intothebreeze.
Thewindwouldcatchthechaff,thefibroushuskthatsits
aroundthegrains,andblowitoutofthedoor,lettingthe
grainitselffallbackintothewovenpan.Repeatingthis
separatedthewheatfromthechaff.Harvestandthreshing
weregroupactivities,whereeveryone,fromyoungtoold,
cametogethertocarryoutspecifictasks.Weusesocial
learningspacestorefineourmessages:toiterateourraw
ideasintomeaningfulactions.Torootoutthewheatfromthe
chaff.Wedothatbythrowingourideasintothewindand
seeingwhatisleftbehindafterthedebate.Itshow
werefineourmessagesinthesespaces.Itspartofthe
cocreativeprocess
withinthesocial
learningcommunity.
Communitiesshare
values,itswhat
shapesthem.Ifthe
valuesdiffertoofar,
thecommunity
fragmentsintonew
shapes.Sharedvalue
alsositsattheheart
ofcommunication,
weneedtoshare
valuetounderstand
eachotherandto
developmore
refinedideas.Social
learningspacesal
lowustosharevalue
andencourageusto
dosobylettingusunderstandthevalueofotherparticipants.
Sharedvaluefosterscooperationandletsusbuildprogres
sivelymorecomplexconstructs,basedonthefoundation
values,knowledgeandunderstandingthatweshare.Thisisa
cocreativeprocess.
Editorialcomment:Wecollaborateforapurposeorratherarangeofpurposes.Atoneendofthespectrumwemightbe
forcedtoworkwithothersbecauseofsomeimperativelikeresolvingandissueorsolvingaproblem.Attheotherendof
thecontinuumwemightcollaborateforthesheerjoyofworkingwithpeopleinordertolearnfromthem.Regardlessof
thereasoncooperativeinteractionoftenresultsinbringingnewthingsintoexistencebetheyideasornewwaysofsee
ingthings,solutionstoproblems,newopportunities,materialorvirtualobjectsorperformances.Inotherwordspurpose
fulcollaborationoftenresultsincocreationsthatimpactonusandtheworldaroundus.Youneedlooknofurtherthan
thisMagazinetoseealivingexampleofcocreationatworkthethemeofJulian'snextarticle.
33
Partofrefiningourideasandnarrativesinsocialspacesisthat
ofeditingthingsdown.Wecanusesocialspacesinthis
functionaswerehearseideas.Ivebeenwritingaboutsome
thingcalledcoadaptationinmusic,itsabouthowtwo
peopleadapttomatchabeat.Butmyideasarestillraw,my
storiesunrefined,soIvebeenrehearsingandeditingthemall
weekinvarioussocialspaces(fromLinkedIntoYammerand
thepub).EachtimeItellthestory,IgetfeedbackandIrefine
whatIsay.
Theprocessofeditingmakesmynarrativestronger.Asmy
ideasreachmaturityIshouldbeabletoeditthemtothepoint
thatIcanexplainthemconciselyandwithclarity.Thisonly
happenswithcarefuleditingandiscentraltothecocreative
processesatplayinsociallearningspaces.
Withinourlearningmethodology,ourunderstandingofhow
peoplelearn,reflectionisakeybutoftenneglectedpart.We
needtotakethelearningandreflectuponit,tostandupthe
newlearningagainstwhatwealreadyknowtobetrueandto
developourthinkingaccordingly.Wemayacceptorreject
newknowledge,butitsanactiveprocessthattakes
reflection.WhyhaveIlisteditasacocreativeprocess?
Becausereflectionisnotsimplyaboutsittinginaquietroom
thinkingaboutwhetherwebelieveinsomethingornot.Its
anactiveprocessthatcanbeembeddedinthecommunity.
Imreflectingrightnow,satinacafe,sharingideaswith
peoplethroughemail,throughTwitter,eventhrough
Facebook.TheseveryideasImsharinghavededicated
timewhereImreflectingonwhatImgoingtosayandIm
refiningthatmessagethrough(andwith)myownsocial
learningcommunities.
Challengeisavitalpartoflearning:itssomethingthatis
donewell,ifconstructively,insociallearningspaces.Wecan
challengeideas,argueourcaseandcocreateasharednarra
tiveoutofit.Thefactisthatsomeofourideasarestrong,
someweak,andappropriatechallengehelpsustoworkout
whichiswhich.Sochallengesitshereasoneoftheseven
waysthatweuseoursociallearningspacestocreatemean
ing,tolearn.
Tempohasaroletoo:oneofthewaystodriveup
engagementinsociallearningspacesistorestrictthelength
oftimethatacommunityspaceisavailable,togiveitadefi
niteend.Thishelpsdriveupthetempo.Wecanviewthe
rangeofsocialmediaacrossaspectrumfromsynchronousto
asynchronous.Twitterorforumchatterisoftennearlysyn
chronous,virtuallyconversational.Blogsaremore
reflectiveandthesharednarrativethatwemaydocument
andbuildoutofthespacetendstobehighlyasynchronous.
Itsmorebroadcastthanconversation.Itseasytolosemo
mentuminlearningorcreativeprocesses.Writingthe
bookshastaughtmethat:Ihavetodedicatetimeandshare
mylearningwiththecommunitytomaintainmyownmomen
tum,togetthejobdone.Forthosereasons,tempo,theability
togiveusmomentumandtakeconversationsforward,is
includedasoneoftheseventhingsweshareinsociallearn
ing.
Finally,vision.Notjustthevisionoftheindividual,butalso
thesharedvisionofthecommunity.Adesiretolearn,adesire
toshareideasanddosomethingworthwhile.Wecome
togetherinthesespacesbecauseofthevision,tobeinspired
byothers,aswellastoofferinspirationourselves.Itsalso
aboutourfieldofvisionbeingwiderwithmoreeyes:more
peoplebringingawiderrangeofexperience,awiderrangeof
sources,creatingmorewisdomandmeaning.Thebreadth
anddifferenceswithincommunitymakeitstronger.Vision
inspiresus.
So,sevenstrandsofcocreation,seventhingswetakefrom
sociallearningspaces:refinement,sharedvalue,editing,
reflection,challenge,tempoandvision.Somyquestion
toyouthereaderis'whatotherthingsdoweneedto
consider?'Andforthoseofyourworkingineducationto
whatextentdoweprovideopportunitiesforlearnersto
engageandparticipateinactivitiesthatleadtococreation?
ThisarticlewasdevelopedfromablogpostmadeonFebruary
26,2013http://julianstodd.wordpress.com/
34
LEADERSHIP IN THE SOCIAL AGE: Crossing boundaries
and facilitating connections and conversations
Julian Stodd
Ourlivestodayweavebetweenformalandsocialspaces,no
longerdefinedbythefourwallsoftheofficeoraclear
distinctionbetweentechnologiesandcommunities.Social
Leadershipisastyleandapproachintendedtoprovidea
structureandskillsettothriveinthisenvironment.Itsabout
understandingthenewrealitiesoftheSocialAge,where
socialcollaborativetechnologiesandanevolvednatureof
workcombinetoreducetheeffectivenessofolder,
hierarchicalapproachesandmitigateinfavourofsocially
moderatedauthority:authorityfoundeduponreputationand
consensuallygrantedbythecommunity.
Withinformalspaces,authorityishierarchical,often
embeddedinteamandmanagementstructuresandthrough
officialchannels.Socialauthoritycommunicatesthrough
socialchannelsandcommunitiesandissociallymoderated:
grantedandremovedcontextually.Itsreputationbasedand
oftencrossesintosocialtechnologies:thatwhichsitswithin
ourpocketsandplaysbytherulesofFacebookandTwitter.
OrganisationsneedtodevelopcapabilityaroundSocial
Leadership.Why?BecauseintheSocialAge,itswhatmakes
youeffective:thesensemakingfunctionsofcommunityare
wherewecreatemeaning,wherewechartourwaythrough
pureknowledgeintoanunderstandingofwhatneedstobe
doneandhow.Oursocialauthorityisbasedonreputation,
forgedovertime.
NETModelofSocialLeadershipshowingthethreeDimen
sionsandnineComponents
TheNET(NarrativeEngagementTechnology)modelismy
firstattemptatunderstandingandchartingthis.Itbegins
withlookingatcuratorialandstorytellingskillsthe
narrativeofembodiedlearningwhichhelpsustoshareour
knowledgeandcommunicateeffectively.Itmovesintoan
exploratoryphase:seekingoutyourcommunitiesand
realisingtheirpurposeandtherolesyoutakewithinthem.It
looksattherelationshipbetweenreputationandauthority.It
movesintotechnology:seekingtobuildsocialcapitalon
humilityandequality.Itseekstodevelopcocreativeskills
andrefinethemintoeffectivecollaboration.SocialLeader
shipispartofthemindsetorganisationsneedtoadopttobe
fitfortheSocialAge.It'salsothecapabilityweneedto
createecologiesforourownlearninganddevelopment.
SocialLeadersstartbydefiningtheirspace,takingastance,
lookinginwardsandfindingoutwhatdrivesandmotivates
themandhowtheymightmakeapositivedifferenceintheir
organisationandcommunities.Theylearnhowtopersonalise
andrefinetheirstorytellingandcommunicationskillsaround
thiscorevisionandthenlooktoengageandinvolvetheir
communitiesinwaysthataremeaningfultothem.Alongthe
way,theyexplorethepurposeofthosecommunitiesand
theirroleswithinthem.Havingdoneso,theyseektodevelop
others,tosafeguardthem,toincludethemandultimatelyto
advancethemselves,theirorganisationandtheircommunity.
Theabilitytocollaboratewidely,torecognisetheneedsof
individualsandtheorganisationandtococreate
35
communitiesandsituationsthatcanservebothispartofthepurposeandtheenterpriseofSocialLeadership.Creatingthe
conditionsforparticipationandcollaborationisthecentralconcernofSocialLeadership:tobeabletoforgefair,productive
andpersonallymeaningfulrelationships,tovisualisethebiggerpictureandbeabletomakesenseofthingsastheyemerge
withothers,tocreate(andcocreate)meaningandtoeffectivelydothatinaninclusivewaythatgetsthingsdoneandgives
peoplethesensethatwehavedonethesethingstogether.
TheSocialLeadershipHandbookencapsulatesthemindset,skillsandbehavioursrequired
tobeaneffectiveleaderintheSocialAge.Itrecognisesthatpowerandauthorityare
foundedmoreonwhatyoucurateandshare,howyoubuildyourreputation,thansimple
positionalauthority.It'samodelofleadershipthatismorefluidandrelevantthanones
basedonlongevity,situationorhierarchy.Inasocialmodel,sharingandnarratingtrump
commandandcontrol.It'sacollaborativeventurewithcommunitiesatit'sheart.TheNET
ModelofSocialLeadershipisbuiltaroundthreeDimensions:'Narrative','Engagement'
and'Technology'.TheNETmodelisbothanideaandacalltoarms.Julian'snewbookisa
guidefororganisationslookingtodevelopSocialLeadershipcapabilityandforindividuals
lookingtobecomeSocialLeaders.JulianStoddisFounderandCaptainatSeaSaltLearning:
helpingorganisationthriveintheSocialAge.
AGENEROUSGIFTFORREADERSOFLIFEWIDEMAGAZINE
Julianisofferingtenfreehardbackcopiesofhisnewbook,'TheSocialLeadershipHand
book',tothefirst10readerstocontacthimandfreedigitalcopiesofthebooktoanymemberoftheLifewideCommunity.
PleasesendyourrequesttoJuilanat:hello@SeaSaltLearning.com
InspiredbyJulian'sarticleIwasdriventocreatemyownvisualisationofsocialleadership.Itseemedtomethatsocialleader
shipwithoutapurposeisoflittlesocialvalue.Socialpurposeandvaluewhichinspireavisionofabettersociety,needtobe
attheheartofanymodelof
socialleadership.Without
thesethereisnocompelling
reasonforpeopletodoany
thingdifferentortocommit
tobeingpartofsomething
theybelievewillleadto
changethatisconsistent
withtheiridealsforthe
societytheywanttolivein.
Myvisualrepresentationof
thedimensionsofsocial
leadershiphasSOCIAL
PURPOSE&VALUEatits
coreandfourintercon
nectedcoreelements:
LEADING,COMMUNICATING,ENGAGING&DEVELOPING.Theseelementsacttogetherinacoordinatedandintegratedway
toenablesocialleaderstocreatenewECOLOGIESforachievingthesocialchangetheyandothersdesireandintheprocess
theyhelpcocreatenewECOSOCIALSYSTEMS.
SOME THOUGHTS ON SOCIAL LEADERSHIP
Norman Jackson
36
LorraineisProfessorofHigherEducationStrategicEngagementattheUniversityOfAuckland(UOA),
NewZealand.Herexpertiseinorganizationalchangeanddevelopmenthasledtoconsultancyrolesin
manycountriesincludingSwitzerland,Hungary,HongKong,Australia,SouthAfricaandmostrecently,
SaudiArabia.SheiscurrentlyonsabbaticalfromUOAandsecondedtotheroleofDevelopmentDean
atPrincesNoraUniversity,SaudiArabia.LorrainehasbeeninvolvedinmanystrategicHEinitiativesand
sheiscurrentlycarryingoutresearchonleadershipinhighereducation.
Introduction
Leadershipinhighereducationisacuriouslyunderresearchedissuealbeititisatopicattractinginterestwithrecent
publicationssuchasthatofMacFarlaneinhisgroundbreakingworkIntellectualLeadershipinHigherEducation:Renewing
theroleoftheuniversityprofessor(1).HeemphasizestheneedtopromoteacultureofauthenticleadershipinHigher
Education.InTheFutureUniversity:IdeasandPossibilities(2)RonBarnettpresentstheuniversityasasocialinstitution.He
invitesustoimaginetheuniversityofthe21
st
century,auniversitynotjustinsocietybutforsociety.Auniversityinterested,
notsimplyinreflectingsociety,butinhelpingsocietymoveforward.Theuniversitywouldcontributetoadiscourseonwhat
mightconstituteagoodsociety.Thiswouldrequireinspiredandmorallycourageousleadershiptorealizethisideal.Isthe
ideaofsocialleadershipperhapsimplicitinBarnettscomments?
Thereisnoquestionthattheconceptorvisionoftheuniversityischangingasitfacesupto21
st
centurychallenges.A
significantcontributortothatchangeistechnology.AtarecentHETLconference(3)Iwasamemberofakeynotepanel
addressingtheissuesofdistanceeducation,onlineandelearninginshiftinglearninglandscapes.Theconferenceinputs
overallgaveaninterestingglimpseintotheneedforuniversitiesandotherinstitutesofhighereducationtoradicallyrethink
howbesttofacilitatelearninginanincreasinglydigitalage(www.HETL.org).
Itisclearthatthepowerandthepotentialofnewtechnologychallengeseducatorstorethinkcurriculumdesignand
embracethebestofwhattechnologyandsocialmediatoolsofferforanewcontractbetweenteachersandlearners.Isa
newnarrativerequiredforhighereducationinthe21
st
century,onethatembracesthepoweroftechnologytoexpandthe
horizonsoflearningandthepotentialtocreatestrongerlinksbetweentheuniversityandsociety?
Thestudentpopulationoftodayisatourdeforceforcocreationofnewknowledge.The21
st
centuryuniversityembraces
thenewtermsofreference,andthenewinterpretationsofmeaningfullearnerengagement.Engagementandthechallenge
ofengagingstudentsintheirlearningisacurrenttopicofimportancewithstudentengagementsurveyse.g.AUSSEandNSSE
(4&5)informingusthatlearninghastoberelevant,ithastobeauthenticandpersonallymeaningful.
ThekeywordsIhaveitalicisedareleadership,narrative,engagementandtechnologyininterestingalignmentwithJulian
StoddsNETmodelofsocialleadershipfeaturedinthepreviousarticle(6).
WhileitiswaybeyondthescopeofthisshortarticletoundertakeacritiqueoftheNETmodelasaleadershipparadigmfor
theuniversityofthefutureorforhighereducationmoregenerally,itisinstructivetooverlaytheNETmodelonamicrocosm
ofhighereducation,theclassroomofthe21
st
century,andinterrogateitspotentialtolinklearningandleadershipandto
engenderacultureofsocialleadership.
Thestudentpopulationoftodayisatourdeforceforcocreationofnewknowledge.The21
st
centuryuniversityembraces
thenewtermsofreference,andthenewinterpretationsofmeaningfullearnerengagement.Engagementandthechallenge
ofengagingstudentsintheirlearningisacurrenttopicofimportancewithstudentengagementsurveyse.g.AUSSEandNSSE
(4&5)informingusthatlearninghastoberelevant,ithastobeauthenticandpersonallymeaningful.ThekeywordsIhave
italicisedareleadership,narrative,engagementandtechnologyininterestingalignmentwithJulianStoddsNETmodelof
socialleadershipfeaturedinthepreviousarticle(6).
SOCIAL LEADERSHIP - A FRAMEWORK FOR 21
ST
CENTURY
TEACHING & LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Lorraine Stefanie
37
TheFlippedClassroomandtheNETModelofSocialLeadership
OneofthecurrentpedagogicalshiftsinclassroompracticegaininggroundisthatoftheFlippedClassroom(7&8).Inthe
FlippedClassroom,digitaltechnologiesarekeytoolsalbeittheycanbeusedtoagreaterorlesserextentintheflippedclass
room.Theideaisthatstudentswillwatchprerecordedlecturesorlistentopodcastsorwatchvideoclipsonwhateverthe
teachingtopicmightbebeforetheclassroomsession.Classroomtimeisthenusedinentirelydifferentways,itisinessence
repurposed,withteachersbecomingfacilitators,actingascoachesoradvisorsencouragingstudentsinindividualinquiryand
collaborativeeffort.
Carriedoutskilfully,theFlippedClassroomis
aspaceforcollaborativeenquiryandthe
cocreationofknowledgeandunderstanding.
Collaborative,authenticlearningiswhatis
beingcalledforandencouragedinthis
paradigm,amoreexpansiveapproachthat
connectsmoreexplicitlywithsocietyandbig
pictureissues.Engagingstudentsinlearningis
aconstantrefraininthequesttoimprove
studentlearningoutcomes.Theprevailing
wisdomregardingengagementisthatitcanbe
measured,reducingtheconceptthereforetoa
setofbehaviours.TheFlippedClassroomcanbe
viewedasadynamicsocioculturalecosystem,
aspaceallowingforamoredemocratic
interpretationofengagement.
ThisrepresentationoftheFlippedClassroombyJackieGerstein(11)denotestheshiftfromteacherledactivityintheclass
roomtoteachersandstudentsbeingmoreactivetogetherinthelearningprocess,withstudents.It'sreallyacycleoflearning
modeldepictingasequenceoflearningactivitiesbasedonthelearningtheoriesandinstructionalmodelsofExperiential
LearningCycles(12)andBerniceMcCarthys4MATCycleofInstruction(13).
TheFlippedClassroomrepresentsashiftfrommassproductiontomasscustomizationofstudents'learning.Itisnotwithout
itschallengesbecauseitrequiressophisticatedpedagogicalcapacitiesanditrequiresfacilitatorstobeconfidentabouttheir
knowledgeandunderstanding,theirlife
experience,andwhattheybringtothelearning
andteachingpartnership.Itdemandscourage
onthepartofthefacilitators/teachersandan
understandingthatinthisnewparadigm,the
teacher/facilitatorisasocialleader.Theidea
ofsharing,creatingnewknowledgeand
refreshingthenarrativealignswellwith
PauloFreirescommentthateducationmust
beginwiththesolutionoftheteacherstudent
contradiction,byreconcilingthepolesof
contradictionsothatbotharesimultaneously
teachersandstudents(9).
38
Studentsareteachersandlearnersandteachersarelearnersandfacilitators,theflippedclassroombecomesaspaceforsocial
leadershiptoflourish.
CommentatorsontheconceptoftheFlippedClassroomsuggestthatthelearninginthissituationimprovesoutcomes.Richard
Sweeney,saysthattheeducationmodelhastochangetosuitthisgenerationofstudents(10).Smartbutimpatient,today's
studentsliketocollaborate,andtheyrejectonewaylectures.Althoughsomeeducatorsviewmakingthischangeaspandering
toageneration,Sweeneyisfirm:Theywanttolearn,buttheywanttolearnonlywhattheyhavetolearn,andtheywantto
learnitinastylethatisbestforthem.Thepotentialforlearnerempowermentintheflippedclassroomisinfinite.Flippingthe
curriculum,seekingnewknowledgeoutputsratherthanfocussingonteacherinputsmakeslearningmorelikereallifeand
createsthenarrativethatinspirescommitmenttolearningstuffthatdoesnotseemimmediatelyrelevant.
JulianStoddsNETmodelofsocialleadership(6)isbasedonthreecriticalelementsNarrative,Engagement,Technology,
eachofwhichresonateswellwithwhatcouldandshouldhappenintheFlippedClassroom.
Socialengagement
TheFlippedClassroomshouldcreateaspaceforparticipationandengagementinlearning,withfacilitationandcoaching,peer
learningandsharingbeingthepremiseoflearning,buildingacommunityofinquiry,allowingleadersandleadershiptoemerge
andflourish.
InStoddsmodel,hearticulatesthedimensionsofengagementascommunity,reputationandauthority.Hesuggests
communityistherealityoftheSocialAge,thecomingtogetherincommunitiestoexplore,tochallengeandtococreatenew
meaningornewknowledge,preciselythepointoftheshiftingparadigmoflearninginHigherEducation.WhileThomasand
SeeleyBrown(14)talkaboutcollectives'acollectionofpeople,skills,andtalentthatproducesaresultgreaterthanthesum
ofitsparts.Collectivesarenotsolelydefinedbysharedintention,action,orpurposes.Rather,theyare[also]definedbyan
activeengagementwiththeprocessoflearning.'
InusingthecontextandenvironmentoftheFlippedClassroomasamicrotestbedfortheNETmodelofSocialLeadership,I
wouldsuggestthatreputationcouldbeunderstoodinalignmentwithgoalsorobjectives.Thereneedstobeaninstitutional
narrativethatarticulatesawidersocioculturalinterpretationofitsroleandaclearlyunderstoodlearningcontractfor
reputationtobebuiltonhowitfulfilsthatrole.Authoritybuildsonreputationandinthemicrocosmoftheclassroom,
authoritymightrelatetotheexpertiseoftheteachers/facilitators.Authenticitymightbeamoreaptdimensiontoconsider,
theauthenticityofthelearningexperiencesbuildingreputation.
Useoftechnologytofacilitatesociallearning
ThethirdelementoftheNETmodelisTechnology.Theincreasingcapabilityofnewtechnologiesisbothacauseandaresultof
significantchangesinourveryunderstandingofeducationandlearning.Whatwehavetocometotermswithinresponseto
21
st
centurylearnersisthatteachingnolongerdriveslearning,insteadteachingrespondstoandsupportslearning.Thatisa
significantparadigmshift,agamechangerperhapsforhowweconceptualizehighereducation.Technologyenablesustobe
connected24/7,oursocialinteractionscanbelocal,nationalandglobal.1:1or1tomany.Technologyprovidesbothamedium
andaninspirationfornewlearning,newideas,engagementwithsociety,collaboration,cocreationofnewknowledgeand
personalcreativity.Itinvitesaninterpretationofhighereducationnotjustinsocietybutforsocietyandwithsociety.
Personalnarratives
Storiesarethewaywecommunicateourembodimentsoflearningtoothers.ThelastdecadeintheUKhasseenthe
systematizationofPDP(PersonalDevelopmentPlanning)whichencourageslearnertoengageinreflectingontheirexperiences
todrawoutmeaninganddeeperunderstandings.Highereducationteachersarealsoencouragedtoreflectontheir
experiencesofdesigningcurriculaandteachingandtocuratethesestoriesinportfolios.Technologyfacilitatestheproduction
ofpersonalnarrativesthatreflectlearningandexperiencesthataremeaningfultoindividuals.Thecreationofnarratives
appliesasmuchtoteachersasitdoestostudentlearners.
39
Concludingthoughts
JulianStoddoffersaframeworkforSocialLeadershipwhichhasmanyattractiveelements.Thisarticlehasattemptedto
overlayhisNETmodeloveramicrocosmoftheuniversity,thelearningenvironmentoftheFlippedClassroom,asking
whetherthismodelcouldprovideforamoretangiblearticulationofdevelopingleadershipthroughandwithinthelearning
process.ThewayIhaverepresentedthisdepictstheteacherinsuchalearningsettingintheroleofsocialleadereffectively
communicatingandmodelingthisapproachtoleadershipwithherstudents.Myresponsedoesnotclaimtobedefinitive
andtherearemanyhurdles,notleastofalltheantiquatedapproachtoassessingstudentlearning.
Toembedacultureofleadershipdevelopmentasanexplicitandembeddedaspectofuniversityorcollegelevellearning,
requiresimaginativeandcourageousleadershipsurelya21
st
centurynarrativeforhighereducation!Thegoalforthe21
st
centuryuniversitytomaintainitsrelevancehastobethedevelopmentoftheengagedorganization,notjustaforcingof
measurableengagementstrategiesintotheclassroom.Thisthenemphasizesengagementasacriticalelementofhigher
educationwhichappliesacrossandwithinandbeyondtheuniversity.Technologymustbeembracedandmustleadto
criticaldecisionmakingregardingthecultureoflearningbeingpromoted.
Thesematchingelementsencouragecloserexamination,interpretation,refinementandpossiblymodificationofStodds
modeltoprovideuswithaframeworkforthefutureoftheuniversityandthefutureofleadershipandleadershipdevelop
mentinhighereducation.
SourcesofInformation
(1)MacFarlane,B.(2012)IntellectualLeadershipinHigherEducation:Renewingtheroleoftheuniversityprofessor.New
York,Routledge
(2)Barnett,R.(Ed.)(2012)TheFutureUniversity:IdeasandPossibilitiesRoutledge,NewYork.
(3)HigherEducationTeachingandLearningAssociation(HETL)http://http://www.HETL.org
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/mar13/vol70/number06/FlipYourStudents%27Learning.aspx
(Accessed12/8/2014)
(4)AUSSEAustralasianSurveyonStudentEngagementhttp://www.acer.edu.au/aussie
(5)NSSENationalSurveyofStudentEngagementhttp://www.nssesurvey.org/
(6)Stodd,J.(2014)LeadershipintheSocialAge:Crossingboundaries&facilitatingconnectionsandconversationsLifewide
MagazineIssue11
(7)Sams,A.andBergmann,J.(2013)FlipYourStudentsLearningEducationalLeadership70p1620
(8)Horn,M.B.(2013)TheTransformationalPotentialofFlippedClassroomsEducationnext13(3)http://educationnext.org/
thetransformationalpotentialofflippedclassrooms/(Accessed11/8/2014)
(9)Freire,P.(1968)PedagogyoftheOppressedBloomsburyAcademic
(10)Sweeney,R.(2006)Millennials,behavioursanddemographicsNewJerseyInstituteofTechnology:Newark,NJhttp://
library1.njit.edu/stafffolders/sweeney/Millenials/ArticleMillennialBehaviours.doc
(11)http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/theflippedclassroommodelafullpicture/
(12)ExperientialLearningCycles
(13)BerniceMcCarthys4MATCycleofInstructionhttp://www.aboutlearning.com/whatis4mat/whatis4mat
(14)Thomas,D.andSeeleyBrown,J.(2014)ANewCultureofLearning.LifewideMagazine,Issue11
40
OneoftheimportantcapabilitiesJulianStoddidentifiesforlearning
andaccomplishingthingsintheSocialAgeistheabilitytocreateand
communicatestories,'thenarrativeofembodiedlearningwhichhelpsus
toshareourknowledgeandcommunicateeffectively'(p.25).Therehave
beenstoriesaslongaslanguageandstoriesandstorytellinghavealwaysbeenafeatureofthewayweconveymeaningas
wellasinformation.
MaxBoisot(1)providesausefulconceptualaidtohelpusunderstandtheparticularroletheyplay.Usingthetwobytwo
matrixofcodified/abstractanduncodified/concreteknowledgesheshowsschematicallytherelationshipbetweenthe
knowledgethatisembodiedin
everydaythinkingandpractices
ourpersonalisedworking
knowledgethatweusetodeal
withrealsituationsandmore
abstract/symbolicandcodified
knowledgesuchasthatwhich
wefindinbooks,reportsand
workingpapers.
Disciplinaryeducationtendsto
valuecodifiedandtheoretical
knowledgeanditsutilisationby
learnersinabstractproblem
solving.Whilelearningand
achievingintheeveryday
worldoutsideofformal
educationismuchmoreabout
knowledgeandunderstanding
derivedfromtheexperienceofdoingsomething.
Ourembodiedknowledgemainlypopulatestheshadedarea.Ithasoftenbeencocreatedwithothersthroughour
participationinthethingswedoandthemeaningswehaveextractedthroughourreflectionsonthesituationswehave
encountered.Itisaproductofsocialinteractionmediatedbyourowncognition.Italsoincludesknowledgethatwehave
gainedfromcodifiedsourcesandfromeveryothersource(includingwhatwehavesensedandfelt).
Narrativeorstorytellingprovidesacommunicationmedium,oftenrichinmetaphor,thatlinkstheembodiedandcodified
knowledgedomains.Bauman(2)arguesthatoralnarrativeisconstitutiveofsociallifeitself.
Whenonelooksatthesocialpracticesbywhichsociallifeisaccomplishedonefindswithsurprisingfrequencypeople
tellingstoriestoeachother,asameansofgivingcognitiveandemotionalcoherencetoexperience;constructingand
negotiatingsocialidentity;investingtheexperientiallandscapewithmoralsignificanceinawaythatcanbebroughtto
bearonhumanbehaviour;generating,interpretingandtransformingtheworkexperience;andahostofotherreasons.
Narrativehereisnotmerelythereflectionofhumanculture,ortheexternalcharterofsocialinstitutions,orthecognitive
arenaforsortingoutthelogicofculturalcodes,butisconstitutiveofsociallifeintheactofstorytelling.(2:p.11314)
ThecultureoflearningrequiredoftheSocialAgeisrichinindividuals'embodiedknowledgeandthewaysuch
embodimentswillbecommunicatedisthroughthestoriestheytellabouttheirexperiencesandunderstandingsandthe
illustrationstheygiveoftheirembodiedpracticesanditsmeanings.ThisisthesignificanceofnarrativeintheSocialAge.
References
(1)Boisot,M.H.(1998)KnowledgeAssets:SecuringCompetitiveAdvantageintheInformationEconomy.Oxford:Oxford
UniversityPress.
(2)Bauman,Z.(2006)LiquidLife.Cambridge:Polity.
SIGNIFICANCE OF STORY
Norman Jackson
41
Storiesinvestourliveswithmeaning,theydevelopandexpress
ourcreativity.Theyhelpustolaughatourselves.Theygiveus
thestrengthtofacelife'sdifficultmoments.Theyconnectus
morevitallywithourselvesandeachotherandtheyturnordinary
momentsintoextraordinaryones.
Storiesillustratethetextofourlives.Theygobeyondfactsintofeelings.Theyengagethewholeofusourmindsandour
hearts.WhenItellyouastory,Iletyouintomyworld.IcannottellyouwhoIamwithouttellingyouastory.Learningand
GrowingthroughStories.
Minearetheonlyfootprintsonthisbeach:stretchinginfrontofmeasItracemyreturnjourney.
IamtoetotoewithmyselfasIwanderbackalongtheshoreline,thesunsettingrubyredinto
theseabehindme.Farout,afishingboat,alsoworkinghiswayhome.Werunalongparallelfor
awhileuntilIturninlandandhechurnson,fleeingthesettingsun.
Myjourneydoesntjustgoalongthebeach,itgoesbackintime:thisisaplaceIveknownmy
wholelife.TheslopeIwalkupnow,acrossthesanddunes,thisplaceIrememberwhenitandI
wereyounginendlesssummersofadventure.
Itsbeenagoodweek:writing,reflecting,reading.Acreativetime.Whenweranunhinderedby
timeinthesandtherewasnointernetandnomobilephonetocallusback,nodeadlinesand
responsibilitiestoholdustotasks,sonowImakesureIlookupfromthescreentoseethedusk
coloursandfreemyselffromthedesktowalkoutalongthebeach.
Ivebeenworkingonideasaroundcreativity,cocreationandagilityinpreparationforsomeworkshopsI'mdeveloping.
Mondaywasdauntingasablankscreenstaredbackatme.ByTuesdayIdthrownoutmostofmypreparationfromthe
lastmonthandsatisfiedmyselfincapturingaseriesofsinglepages,whichIcalledprinciplescapturingakeypartofmy
thinking.OnceIhadthem,IstrungthemtogethertomakeastoryandtodayIfleshedthatstoryout.
ItfelthardbecauseIm
afraidoffailure:whenI
deliverthisintwoweeks,
itslargelynew.Mywords
areunrehearsed,myideas
areyoung,stillplayingin
theendlesssummer.In
time,theywillbecome
familiar,comforting,stories
toldandretold,butfornow
theyarewild.
MY STORY RUNS THROUGH THIS PLACE

Julian Stodd
STORIES AND STORY-TELLING
IN THE SOCIAL AGE
Michale Gabriel
42
Itsbeendeliberate:toexploreanidea,youhaveto
liberateyourselffromroutineandhabit.ThephraseI
lovemostisuninhibitedcuriosity.Thatswhatwe
need:weneedtobeuninhibitedinourcuriosity,in
ourlearning.Willingtotakerisksandstepoutsidethe
familiar.WhenIwasyoung,Irememberonceattheend
ofaholidayhererunningontothebeachandrubbing
myheadinthesand,tofillmyhairwithit.Everydayin
thisblusterycoastalspaceyourhairtrapsthesandand
bydeliberatelyaddingtothisIhopedtokeepthefeel
ingalivethatmuchlonger.PerhapsbeforeIrealised
thatmemoriesdothisforus:thatourstorieskeep
ourlearningalivebecausetheyareabletoreignite
ouremotions.
Today,mystoriesareanchoredhere,inthefieldsand
dunes,inthesoundoftheseaasIfallasleep,inthe
lichensonthestonesandthetreesswayinginthe
breeze.IntimetheideasIhavetodaywillbecomepartofme:sharedwithmycommunity,refined,developed,adapted.
Everythingwetouchispartofourjourney.
ArticledevelopedfromablogpostedonMay22,2014
Withmoderntechnology,itsmorepossiblenowthaneverbeforetotellincrediblestoriesusingamazingtoolstothe
widestofaudiences.
1.HaveAStoryToTell
Thisoneisobviouslyimportant.Totellastorydigitallyandviasocialmedia,youllneedsomethingtosay.Toooftenthe
focusisonthetechnologyratherthanthesubstance,andeveninthecaseofthedigitalstorywithwhizbangtools,the
storyisstillthesubstance.Somesocialmediaplatformscanencourageimageandpretenseoverthenarrativeorthestory
tellerandifyou(andthestudents)knowthisgoingin,itseasiertoavoid.
Whetherthestorybeingtoldhereisliteral(e.g.,afictionalnarrative)ormetaphorical(e.g.,thestoryofanappsdevel
opment)isntasimportantasfirstfocusingonwhatyouretryingtosay.
2.ThinkAudienceFirst
Audienceawarenessiseverythingespeciallyonsocialmedia.Whowantsor
needstoknowsomethingthatsyouraudience,andthataudienceneedsto
beattheforefrontofalldigitalstorytellingasyoudecidewhatthestoryis,and
howitisgoingtobeexpressed.Whethertheaudienceisasetofpeersora
globalorganization,onceamessageisclear,thestorymustbecraftedwiththe
audienceinmind.
Thismeansthinkingofwheretheyaretheirfavoriteblogs,socialmedia
platforms,YouTubechannels,music,shoppingsites,eventheirpreferred
mobiledevicesandoperatingsystem.
Andthinkwhattheyliketodowhenonthosesitessharing,commenting,
starring,pinningthesehabitswillhelpdecidehowyoushouldpackage
yourmessage.
8 TIPS FOR HELPING STUDENTS TELL
STORIES IN A SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
43
3.UseModels.LotsOfThem
Studentslovemodels,astheygivethemsomethingconcretetoseetomaketheirwaythroughnebulousinstructionsandtheir
ownpersonalabstraction.Seeingwhatothersaredoingandhavedoneisamust.Andwithdigitalstorytelling,thisissimple.
AnyYouTubechannelworthitssalthasdozensofkindsofstoriessomeepisodic,someformal,someinformal,somefunny,
someserious.Thedigitaleraisasmuchaboutbeingseenasitisaboutinformation.Seewhatsalreadybeensaidanddone,
andstartthere.
4.WorksBackwards
Inanyprojectthatstheleastbitcomprehensive,backwardsplanningcanhelp.
Beginningwiththeendinmindamodel,forexampleallowsstudentstoseeaclear
goaltoguidetheirwork.Forexample,ifstudentsarecreatinga3partvideolog(vlog)
thatexplorestheirfamilyshistory,thengiveaclearpurpose,format,andtopicfrom
whichasequencecanbeplannedfromthevlogsbackward.
5.BuildinChoiceFromTheBeginning
Studentsrespondtohavingvoiceandchoiceintheirwork.WhetheritsanABchoice
(doXorY),orasimpletopicthattheycancreatetheirownpathwaytoandthrough,
givenstudentsthefreedomtofollowtheircuriosityandmakeimportantdecisionsis
empowering.Whatkindofchoices?Whatkindofmediatouse,topicstoexplore,
researchsourcestoworkfrom,digitaltoolstouse,audiencetocreatefor,platforms
topublishto,projectmanagementtimeline,andmanyothers.
6.TakeChances
Boringstoriesbeingtoldinboringwaysmakeforboredreaders,sotakechances.Bedifferent.Usesarcasmor
anthropomorphism.Considertransmedia.Startattheend.Useflashbacks.Parodyapopularsongormovie.Usedifferent
perspectives.Mashmediaforms.Useonesocialmediaplatformstalentsincontrasttoanother.Tellthekindofstorythat
hasntbeentoldbefore.
7.BeMobile
Therearemanyappsthatmakedigitalstorytellingaccessible,ifnotsimple.StripDesigner,iTalkRecorder,BookCreator,
Mooklet,iMovie,CreativeBookBuilder,Toontastic,Voicethreadandathousandothersallgivestudentsthetoolstheyneedto
communicateastory.Andthebestpartofmobilestorytellingcouldbetheinteractionitallowsintheclassroomandbeyond.
AppsoniPads,smartphones,andevenlaptopshelpstudentsmovenaturallyinandoutofgroups,orfromhouseholdtohouse
holdathomeinordertointerview,record,remix,andsave.SowhileVine,Facebook,Twitter,Instagram,andotherplatforms
maygetalltheink,theprocessandappsbehindthemcanhelpstudentsreallytellastory.
8.Afterconsidering17,THENUseSocialMedia
Oncethestoryhasbeenidentified,researched,packaged,andtold,publishingisthefinalandmostexcitingstep.Bymaking
thestorypublic,whethertoaclosedGoogle+Community,apublicblog,aYouTubechannel,oraFacebookpage,socialmedia
isthenewspaperequivalentofdroppingthestudentsstoryonthefrontstepforotherstoread.Withoutthisstep,thestoryis
littlemorethananactofcomplianceinpursuitofagrade.Thepublishingtosocialmediaortoanothersiteandthenshared
acrosssocialmediaiswhathelpsalltheworkcomealiveinthe21
st
century.
Conclusion
Achallengerightoffthebatwillbetohelpstudentsunderstandnotsomuchhowtotelldigitalstoriesaswhytotellthem.The
mostpowerfulwaytoaddressthis?Modeling,modeling,andmoremodeling.Seewhatsalreadyoutthereinthedigitalether.
Letthemseewhatotherclassroomsorstudentsspecificallyhavedone.Letthemwatchyoutellastoryofyourchildhood,
yourteachingcareer,yourdreamsasaparent.Watchhowdocumentarianstellthestoriesofsoldiers,scientists,athletes,
andmusicians.Seehowbiographiesturnapersonslifeintoastoryandthenhelpthemtelloneoftheirowntoshareitwith
theworld.
Articlepublishedathttp://www.teachthought.com/technology/8tipsforhelpingstudentstelltheirownstoryinasocial
mediaworld/
44
MartinJenkinsisanAcademicDeveloper(DigitalLiteracy)attheUniversityofCoventry.Hehasalongstandinginterestin
digitalstoriesandHewasawardedaNationalTeachingFellowshipin2004whileworking
attheUniversityofGloucester.DrPhilGravestockisDirectorofAcademicPracticeatthe
UniversityofGloucestershire.Hismaininterestsareininclusiveeducationandtechnol
ogyenhancedlearning.HewasawardedaNationalTeachingFellowshipin(2005).In
2010MartinandPhilcreatedtheDigitalStoryTellingSynthesiswebsiteaspartofthe
HigherEducationAcademyfundedEnhancingLearningandTeachingthroughtheuseof
TechnologySynthesisProject.
TheoriginsofdigitalstorytellingareseentobethepioneeringworkledbyDanaAtchleyandJoeLambertinCaliforniain
the1990s(1).Theemergenceofdigitalstorytellingatthistimewasareflectionoftheincreasingaccessibilityofdigital
technologiesandaculturalshifttowardtheconsumerasproducerthathascontinuedfurtherwithWeb2.0technologies.
TheinnovationledbyAtchleywastodevelopanexportableworkshopbasedapproachtoteachordinarypeople...how
toproducetheirownpersonalvideos(1p3).Theyarguethatdigitalstorytellingprovidesapivotaltermthatcanbeused
torepresent:
Anemergentform,combiningthepersonal
narrativeanddocumentary
Anewmediapractice,combiningindividual
tuitionwithnewpublishingdevices
Anactivist/communitymovement,combining
expertswithconsumerledactivity
Atextualsystem,challengingthetraditional
viewoftheproducer/consumermodelandnew
formsofliteracy.
Whilerecognisingthatdigitalstorytellinghas
applicationsinarangeofdisciplines,McLellan
(2)prioritisesitsuseforpersonalstories,digital
storyarchives,memorialstories,avocational
stories,educationalstoriesandstoriesin
medicineandhealth.Thisusagecanbesaidto
reflecttheagentivenatureofstorytelling.
Theuseofdigitalstorytellingwithinhigher
educationhasnowexpandedwellbeyondthe
disciplinesidentifiedbyMcLellan.Behindthis
increaseduse,bothinfrequencyandspread
isanunderstandingoftheimpactthatthis
approachcanhaveonthestudentlearning
experiencethatdrawsuponthepedagogyof
storytellingbutalsorecognisestheaffordancesprovidedthroughtheuseoftechnology.
Digitalstorytellinghasbeenidentifiedasasocialpedagogy(3),approachinglearningasacollaborativeprocess.Opportunities
forcollaborationwithinthedigitalstorytellingprocessexistatmultiplelevels.Theprocessofstorydevelopmentisoneof
refinementthroughthetellingandretellingofideas;digitalstorytellingisaselfreflexiveandrecursiveprocess.Throughthis
interactiveprocess(4),learningisreinforcedthroughthesynthesisofideasandthemultipleopportunitiestogatherfeed
back.Digitalstorytellingintroducesmultiplemediaintothisprocessandtheneedtoexpressunderstandingvisuallyaswellas
verbally.Asaconsequenceformativepeerfeedbackcanbeembeddedintheprocess.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Martin Jenkins and Phil Gravestock
45
Creatingdigitalstoriesbothenablesstudentstousetheirownvoiceandprovidesthepotentialforwiderepresentationand
communicationoftheirideas.Helpingstudentstodeveloptheirownidentity,isasocialprocess,ourconceptofidentityis
dialogicalandsonarrativecanplayanimportantpartintheconstructionofidentity.Digitalstorytellinginvolvesthe
constructionofartefactswhichcanbelanguage,writingandothersymbols.Theuseofsuchculturalartefactsareimportant
inachievingidentityandareameansofallowingindividualstolocatethemselveswithintheworld(5).
Digitalstorytellingisalsorecognisedasameanstoencourageemotionalengagementwiththetask(6)whichaccountsforits
widespreaduseincommunitybasedprojects.Ineducationaluseitprovidestheopportunityforstudentstousetheirown
voice.Oppermann(6:180)foundthatstudentsrecognisedtheimportanceofvoiceinpresentinganargumentandthatthis
helpedinthedevelopmentoftheirownsenseofagency.Thiswriterseesdigitalstoriesasacontactzonebetweenthe
cognitiveandtheaffective.Thisisparticularlysowhenstudentsparticipateinactivitiesthatengagethemwithsocialand
culturalissuesthroughpresentationoftheirownpersonalstoriesabouttheirexperiences.
Reflectiononcriticalincidents,suchasthosefromanindustrialplacement,isjustoneexampleofhowdigitalstoriescanbe
usedtoenablestudentstopresenttheirownstories(7).Reflectionsoncriticalpointsarethicklyagentive.Theyarenotjust
reportsonpasteventsbuthavearoleinhelpingtheindividualclarifytheirownselfconcept.Theyarethencriticallearning
eventsinhelpingtodevelopindividualsagency(7).Inaddition,thedigitalformatmeansthatthereispotentialforwide
disseminationofstories.Theuseofwebbasedvideosharingsitesindicatesthepotentialscopeforsuchwiderepresentation
andcommunication.However,foreducationaltasksthismaynotbeappropriateandpublicaccesstoindividuals'storiesneeds
tobecarefullyconsidered.Theformdoesthoughpresentanaccessiblemeansofsharingwhichreinforcestheideaofsocial
pedagogyandthepotentialopportunitiesforfeedbackandrefinementwithinthestorytellingprocess.Theopportunityfor
iterationisrecognisedasoneoftheimportantaffordancesofusingdigitalvideo(8).
Digitalstorytellingworksattheboundaryofemotionalandepistemologicallearning,bridgingtheoryandpractice(6&9).
Studentsbecomeemotionallyengagedwiththecreationofthedigitalstoryleadingtoaspiralofengagement.Creatinga
storyisapowerfulstimulusforreflectionforrelivinganddrawingmoremeaningfromanexperience.Coventry(9:168)
observesthatdigitalstorytellingencapsulatestheimportantpedagogicalprinciplesofrestatementandtranslationthatare
centraltohelpingstudentsengagewithdifficultmaterial.Thiscommunicationofunderstandingwithothersallowsadif
ferentperspectivetobeintroducedandnewquestionstobeasked,whichcanpotentiallypromptfurtherthoughtsandreflec
tions.Learningisaniterativemeaningmakingprocessanddigitalstorytellingcanmakethisexplicit(10).
Acknowledgement
ThisarticleisbasedonthepostsmadeontheDigitalStoryTellingSynthesiswiki.CaseStudiesandexamplesoftheuseofdigital
storiesinHigherEducationcanbefoundathttp://digitalstorytellingsynthesis.pbworks.com/w/page/17805624/FrontPage
References
(1)Hartley,J.&McWilliam,K.(Eds)(2009)Storycircle:digitalstorytellingaroundtheworld,Chichester:WileyBlackwell
(2)McLellan,H.(2006)Digigtalstorytellinginhighereducation,JournalofComputinginHigherEducation,Fall2006,19(1),pp6579
(3)Benmayor,R.(2008)DigitalStorytellingasaSignaturePedagogyfortheNewHu
manities,ArtsandHumanitiesinHigherEducation,7(2),pp.188204.
(4)McDrury,J.&Alterio,M.(2000)Achievingreflectivelearningusingstorytellingpath
ways,InnovationsinEducationandTeachingInternational,38,1,pp.6373
(5)Hull,G.A.&Katz,ML.(2006)Craftinganagentiveself:casestudiesondigitalstory
telling,unpublishedpaper,availablefrom<http://www.udel.edu/paulhyde/ds/
readings/hull_agentive_self.pdf>
(6)Oppermann,M.(2008)DigitalstorytellingandAmercianStudies:criticaltrajectories
fromtheemotionaltotheepistemological,ArtsandHumanitiesinHigherEducation,7
(2)pp171187
(7)Jenkins,M.&Lonsdale,J.(2008)Podcastsandstudents'storytelling,inSalmon,G.&
Edirisingha,P.(Eds.)(2008)Podcastingforlearninginuniversities,Maidenhead:Open
UniversityPress.pp113120
(8)Burn,A.(2007)Theplaceofdigitalvideointhecurriculum,inAndrews,R.&Hay
thornthwaite,C.(Eds)TheSAGEhandbookofelearningresearch,London:SagePublica
tions.pp504523
9)Coventry,M.(2008)EngagingGender:studentapplicationoftheorythroughdigital
storytelling,ArtsandHumanitiesinHigherEducation,7(2),pp.205219.(10)Leon,S.M.
(2008)SlowingDown,TalkingBack,andMovingForward:Somereflectionson
digitalstorytellinginthehumanitiescurriculum,ArtsandHumanitiesinHigher
Education,7(2),pp.220223
OurMagazineourmostimportantdigitalvehicle
fortellingstoriesthatarerelevanttoourcore
valuesoflifewidelearning,educationand
personaldevelopment
46
WeneednewconceptionsoflearningintheSocialAgeandintheirarticleDouglasThomasandJohnSeeleyBrownhighlight
theemergenceofanewcultureoflearningthatcontainswithinnotionsoflearningthatmovebeyondinstructionand
mechanisticmodelsofdeliverytomoresocial,organicmodelsofparticipationandcultivation.
Thealmostunlimitedresourcesprovidedbytheinformationnetworkserveasasetofnutrients,constantlyselectedand
incorporatedintotheboundedenvironment.,whichprovidestheimpetusforexperimentation,playandlearning.
Accordingly,theculturethatemerges,thenewcultureoflearning,isacultureofcollectiveinquirythatharnessesthere
sourcesofthenetworkandtransformsthemintonutrientswithintheenvironment,turningitintoaspaceofplayand
experimentation.ThomasandSeeleyBrownp12
Thedynamicsofthisnewcultureoflearningseemmuchmoreintunewithanecologicalviewoflearning.Wordslikesocial,
collaborate,collective,cocreate,grow,evolve,
explore,shareareallconsistentwiththeorganic
natureofparticipatoryinteractionsbetweenliving
thingsandtheirenvironment.
Ourlearningecologies(1)arethemeansbywhich
weconnectandintegrateourpastandcurrentex
periencesandlearning.Theyembracealltherela
tionshipsandphysicalandvirtualplacesand
spacesweinhabitandthelearningandthemean
ingwegainfromthecontextsandsituationsthat
constituteourlives.Ourlearningecologiesarethe
productofbothimaginationandreason,theyen
ableustocollaboratewithotherpeopletoachieve
goalsweshareandtheyarethevehicleforper
sonalandcollectivecreativethoughtsandactions.
Ourlearningecologiesenableustodevelopour
selvespersonallyandprofessionallyinallaspectsof
ourlives.Theysitwithinthelargerecosocialsystem
weoccupy.JayLemke(2)describestheimportant
featuresofecosocialsystemsintermsof:
*thedifferentcontextsandcommunitiesinwhich
individualsc0Oexistinrelativestabilityandinter
dependence
*asetofoverlappingbutdistinctspaces/placeseachwithitsownrules,affordancesandconstraints
*aselfregulatingsystemthatconsumes,recycles[andcocreates]resources
*asocietyinwhichchangeoccursovertime,modifyingindividualsandinterrelations,withoutdestroyingtheoverall
cohesionandbalancetheecosystemisbothadaptiveandresilienttochange
Thesignificantdifferencebetweenhumanecosocialsystemsandotherecosystemsliesinourabilitytolearnanddevelop
ourselves,ourabilitytodeveloptheworldaroundusandtocreateandusetoolsandtechnologytohelpusrecreateand
cocreatetheworldweinhabit.Ourresilienceandtheresilienceofthehabitatsweinhabitdependsonourabilitytolearn,
adaptandinnovate.PerhapstheeraoftheSocialAgeispartlyaresponsetothegrowingcomplexityoftheproblemsthat
besettheworld:challengesthatrequirethenewwaysandmeansoflearningthatarenowevolving.TheideaofLearning
EcologiesisarecurrentthemeinLifewideMagazine(seeissues8,9&10).InthenextarticleJulianconsiderstheroleof
learningecologiesintheSocialAge.
(1)Jackson,N.J.(2013a)TheConceptofLearningEcologies,inN.J.JacksonandG.B.Cooper(eds)LifewideLearning,EducationandPer
sonalDevelopmentEbookChapterA5availableonlineathttp://www.lifewideebook.co.uk/conceptual.html
(2)Lemke,J.(2000)AcrosstheScalesofTime:Artifacts,Activities,andMeaningsinEcosocial.Mind,CultureandActivity7(4),273290
availableonlineathttp://www.jaylemke.com/storage/ScalesoftimeMCA2000.pdf
AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING
Norman Jackson
RELATIONSHIPS
withpeople- both
existingandnewly
developed,andwith
things,objectsandtools
inmyphysicalorvirtual
environment
CONTEXTS- THESPACES,PLACES
&SITUATIONSWEINHABIT
homeandfamily,educational,work,
travel,hobbiesandinterests- my
everydaysituations
RESOURCES
thatwe findorcreateandare
abletousetohelpuslearnand
achieveourgoals,including
knowledge,expertise,tools
andtechnologies
PROCESS
createdforaparticularpurpose.
Maybelearningortaskoriented
andincludesthedimensionsof
time,spaceandpurposefulaction.
MYCAPABILITY
(everythingIknowandcandoorIamcapableofdoing)
Myimaginationinformedbypastexperiencesandbeliefs
aboutwhatIcan(andcant)doenablesmetocreatea
processtoachievemygoals.Myself-awarenessenables
metomonitortheeffectsIamhavingandadjustor
changemyprocesstoachievebetterresults
MYLEARNING
ECOLOGY
CREATEDFORA
PURPOSE(S)
WHICHENGAGE
MYWILL
PAST
learningecologiesthathave
providedexperiences
throughwhichwehave
learntanddevelopedthatwe
areabletodrawuponour
currentlearningproject
FUTURE
newecologiesemergefrom
thepresentandcarryusinto
thenearfuture
47
Whenlearningescapedfromtheclassroom,everythingchanged.Facilitatedbytechnologyandevolvingsocialhabits,
learningintheSocialAgeisaverydifferentgameindeed.Sociallearningdescribesapproachesthatsurroundtheformal
space:it'saboutcommunities,storytelling,exploration,cocreationandthepermissiontomakemistakes.It'sanapproach
tolearningmoreaccuratelyreflectedinournatureassocialbeings.
Fororganisations(includinguniversities,collegesandschools)thechallengeistocreatethestructure,spaceandculture
forthislearningtotakeplace.Forindividuals,thechallengeistobeeffective,toworkwithincommunitiesandrelatethe
learningbackintotherealworldinmeaningfulways.
LetusconsidersomeoftheelementsthatgotomakeuptheecologyoftheSocialAgeoflearning.
Technologyprovidesinfra
structure:itconnectsusto
ourcommunitiesand
facilitatesnearsynchronous
conversations.Itletsusfind
thingsoutrapidly,butthen
letsuscarryoutour'sense
making'activitieswithin
communitiesandtoshareour
storiescomingoutofthem.
Technologydoesnot,itself,
makeusbetter,butit
facilitatesthebetter
behavioursweneedtobe
agile.It'snotjustabout
findingthingsout:it'sabout
whatwedowithwhatwe
discoverthatcounts.
Allformsoftechnologyare
transient:asingledeviceorsystemisjustonemorestepinourevolution.I'vebeenusingGoogleGlassforthelastmonthor
so,exploringhowwecanusethistechnologytoenhanceourecosystem,tofacilitatedifferentstorytellingactivities.Init's
currentform,it'sstillembryonic,nowherenearstableorfunctionalenoughtobetransformational.Buttheseedsof
behavioursarethere:I'vebeenplayingwithusingittorecordshortstoriesaroundtheillustrationsthatIdo.Awayofadding
asemiformalcontextaroundwhatisalreadyasemiformalcommunicationstyle.
TechnologyissopervasiveandsocentraltotheSocialAgethatit'seasytomissoutonsomeoftheculturalchallenges
thatexistaroundit:issuesofprivacy,permanence,identityandtrust,allofwhichpresentuniquechallengestoboth
organisationsandindividuals.
Therearealsoissuesofgender,somethingthat'sincreasinglyinterestedmerecently:whilstwomenstillhaveto'breakinto'
technology,andwhilstdevelopmentanddesignisstillpredominantlyamalepreserve,areweinadvertentlyproducingtech
nologybymen,formen?Itmaysounddaft,butjustlastweekIspoketoagroupoftechnologistswhousedlanguageabout
developingtechnologyandthen'testingitonwomen',languagethatindicatedmoreofanafterthoughtthanacoreelement
ofdesign.Theyweren't'testingonmen',orrather,theyassumedtheyalreadyhadbecausetheirdesignteamwasallmale.
NEW ECOLOGIES FOR LEARNING IN THE SOCIAL AGE
Julian Stodd
48
TheecologyoftheSocialAgeisaboutspaces:finding,creatingorcocreatingthem,thencolonisingandinhabitingsafeand
collaborativespaces.Someofthesespaceswillbelongtoorganisations,otherstocommunitiesandotherswillbeownedby
individuals.Issuesoftrustandcultureareimportanttounderstand.
Forsocialapproachestobeeffective,wehavetoprovidepermissiontothink,toquestion,tochallenge.Wecannottakethose
permissionsforgranted,theymayhavetobehardwon.Therearequestionsofownership:it'sallverywellcontributingin
onlinespaces,butwhoownsyourideasandwork?
AgreatdealofourmindsetintheSocialAgeisiterative:providingsafespacesandtherightpermissionstomakemistakes,
tosharestories,andtolearnthroughexperience.Todososuccessfullyinorganisationalspaces,wehavetoexplore
organisationalattitudestofailure:mostsaytheylovepeopletomakemistakestolearn,butthenagain,mostpunishpeople
whofail.Youcan'thaveitbothways:youneedtherightpermissionsintherightspacesforabsoluteclarityaboutwhenyou're
learningandwhenyou'reexpectedtoperform.
Akeycomponentofourecologyisleadership,andweneedSocialLeaders,butdon'tunderstandthisintheolder,hierarchical
termsoftheKnowledgeAge:SocialLeadersemergefromthecommunity,holdingpermissive,consensual,socialauthority.
SocialLeadershipisfoundeduponhumility,uponsharingandbuildingsocialcapitalinothers.It'shighlycontextualand
relationaltherolewetakeinonecommunitymaynotreflecttherolewetakeinanother.
Whilsttheevolvingnatureofworkandaredefinedsocialcontractbetweenindividualsandorganisationsisleadingtothe
erosionofformalhierarchies,SocialLeadershipisemergingtobringnewmechanismsofauthority,bettersuitedtotheecology
oftheSocialAge.
Whatitallcomesdowntoiscommunity:the'sensemaking'spaces,opportunitiesforconversationsandcocreativeactivity
wherewebringanduseknowledgeandcreatemeaninginrelationtosharedinterestsandpurposes.Sharingourpersonal
knowledge,widelyandwisely.Collaboratingandcocreatinginnewways,innewdirectionsandsharingstoriesofoursuccess.
TheSocialAgeisatimeofconstantchange.Organisationsneedtobeagiletoadaptandtothrive.Individualstooneedtoneed
tobeagileintakingonnewbehaviours,newwaysoflearningandbuildingvalue.Learningandthecocreationofnewknowl
edgeinthesocialageismoreecologicalinnature.Weneedtounderstandtheelementsofthisecologyifwearetocometo
termswithlearninginthisnewera.Weneedtounderstandhowtheyimpactoneveryaspectofourlifeandlearninginside
andoutsideourinstitutionsforeducation.Thesearemysuggestionsbutwhatareyours?
CONGRATULATIONSYALDA
LifewideEducationStudentTeamMemberYaldaTomlinsonhasbeenawardedaFellowshipof
theRoyalSocietyfortheArts,partlyinrecognitionofhervoluntaryworkforoursocialenter
prise.YaldawillreceiveabursarytocoverthecostsofherFellowshipforthreeyears.
TheRSAiscommittedtofindinginnovativepracticalsolutionstotodayssocialchallengesand
over27,000Fellowshelpmakethisareality.Tomarkthe100thanniversaryofitsFellowship
andencouragetheinvolvementofyoungermembersofsociety,itsetuptheCentenaryYoung
Fellows(CYF)schemeofferingsubsidisedFellowshipto100peopleagedbetween18and35.
YaldawilljointhenetworkofRSAYoungFellowsandreceiveinformationonprojectsandevents
andaccesstosmallscalefundingandsupportthroughtheRSACatalystprogramme.Thiswill
helpherdevelopideasintofullyfledgedproposals,readytoapplyforthemainCatalystgrants.ShewillalsohaveaccesstoRSA
SkillsBank,aFellowshipresourcethatallowsFellowstosharetheirskills,availabilityandinterestswiththeaimofmatching
themtoasuitableproject.YaldawillbeagreatambassadorforLifewideEducationwithintheRSAFellowship.Yalda,nowin
herfinalyearattheUniversityofNottingham,intendstocreateopportunitiesforuniversitystudentstoworkwithlocalRSA
Fellowsontheirsocialenterpriseprojects.
49
LifewideEducationisinvolvedindevelopingandcuratingknowledgethatisrelevanttodevelopingdeeper
understandingsaboutwhatlearninganddevelopingintheSocialAgemeans.Ourthreeonlinebooksare
publishedunderCreativeCommonsLicences.
LifewideLearning,EducationandPersonalDevelopmentaimstoadvance
knowledgeandunderstandingabouthowandwhypeoplelearn,developand
achievethroughtheireverydayexperiences.Thebookbringstogetherresearch
studies,biographiesandscholarlyessaysthatprovidenewperspectiveson
'lifewidelearning,personalandprofessionaldevelopment'andextendour
understandingofhowpeoplelearnanddevelopsimultaneouslythroughdif
ferentpartsoftheirlives.Thebookaimstostrikeabalancebetweenaca
demic,scholarlyandresearchbasedcontributions,andcontributionsau
thoredbypeoplewhodonotcountthemselvesasacademicbutwhocanpro
videreallifestoriesthatrevealtheirpersonalperspectivesonlifewidelearning
anddevelopment.http://www.lifewideebook.co.uk/
LifewideLearning&EducationinUniversitiesandCollegesrecognisesand
celebratesthemanydifferentwaysinwhichuniversitiesandcollegesarepro
vidingtheirlearnerswithopportunitiesforamorecomplete,lifewideeduca
tionbyencouraging,supportingandrecognisinglearningandpersonaldevel
opmentgainedoutsideaswellasinsidetheacademiccurriculum.Thesixteen
contributionsprovidedescriptiveaccountsofinstitutionalschemesandother
strategiesforsupportingandrecognisinglearners'lifewidelearning,develop
mentandachievement,togetherwiththefindingsofresearchandevaluation
studiesaimedatunderstandinghowstudentsarelearningdevelopingthrough
theirlifewideexperiences.Bysharingtheirknowledge,practicesandinsights
contributorsarehelpingtoestablishanewfieldofstudy,supportacommu
nityofinterestandpractice,andencouragethefurtherdevelopmentofinsti
tutionalpracticehttp://www.learninglives.co.uk/ebook.html
CreativityinDevelopment:AHigherEducationPerspectiveexaminestherole
ofcreativityindevelopmentalprocesses.Thisisamatterofinterestand
concerntoeveryoneinvolvedintheongoingdevelopmentofthemselvesand
thedevelopmentofeducationalpractices,policies,resourcesandinfrastruc
turesthatimpactonstudents'learninganddevelopment.Themultiple
perspectivesofferedinthisbookhavebeengainedthroughsurveysand
interviewbasedstudies.Itsvalueliesinthecreationofamorecomprehensive
pictureofthisphenomenonamongstpeopleinvolvedinthedevelopmentof
educationalpractices.Fourchaptershavebeenpublishedtodate
http://www.creativityindevelopment.co.uk/
LIFEWIDE EDUCATION'S E-BOOK PROJECTS

50

ACURATEDSPACETOSUPPORTCOLLABORATIVEOPEN
LEARNINGFORANYONEWHOWOULDLIKETOSHAREIN
SIGHTSABOUTTHEIRCREATIVITYINTHEIROWN
DEVELOPMENTALPROCESSES
HOWITWORKS
Youchoseadevelopmentprocessyouareinvolvedin:itcanbe
happeninginanyaspectofyourlife.Youcreateanarrative
describingtheprocessandidentifywithinitexamplesofyour
owncreativityusingyourownmeanings.Youshareyour
insightswithotherparticipantsandthenturnyournarrative
intoachapterforourbookwhichcuratesthestoriesof
embodiedcreativity.
Tofindoutmoreortojointheprocessvisit
http://www.creativityindevelopment.co.uk/
INTERESTING STORY OF HOW A UNIVERSITY CHANGED ITSELF
Theaimofthisbookistomakebettersenseofalong,complex,messy,changeprocessthroughthestoriesofthepeople
whowereinvolved.
Between2009and2012,SouthamptonSolentUniversity(UK)engagedinan
unprecedentedandhighlycomplexstrategicinitiativewhichranacrossthe
entireinstitution,itsstructures,processesandsystems;itaimedtoproducea
fundamentalshiftininstitutionalculture.Suchanallembracingapproachisrare
inuniversities.
Overfiftyparticipantswereinterviewedduringthecourseofthestudyandtheir
uniquelypersonalperspectiveshavebeenwovenintoacompellingstoryof
organisationalchange.Thisbookdescribestheiringenuityandeffortinbringing
aboutchangethattheyandtheirorganisationvalued.
Theprogrammeoforganisationalchangeisseenthroughtheeyesofpeoplewho
wereimmersedintheprocess.Theirperspectivesandfeelingswillresonatewith
anyonewhohastriedtobringaboutsignificantchangeinauniversity.Universities
areinherentlycreativeplacesbuttoooftenthereisapervasiveinertiathat
preventsideasfrombeingturnedintonewandbetterpractices.Thisprogramme
aimedtostimulatethecreativityofstaffandcreateanorganisationalculture
ofinnovation.
Conventionalprojectplanningtechniquesweredeliberatelyavoidedandreplaced
withanapproachbasedoncomplexitytheory,recognisingthattheprocessof
changerequiresconstantadaptation,acceptanceofnonlinearprogressand
subversionofconventionalmanagementdiscourse.
Offeringanunusualexamplefromthehighereducationsector,thisstudyisadistinctivecontributiontotheextensive
literatureonorganisationalchange.Learninggainedfromparticipantsisrelatedtotheoriesandresearchfromthiswider
literature.Thestudyproposesaholisticandintegratedapproachtochangewhichmightofferamoreculturallyrelevantand
sustainablemodelbothforhighereducationandforthosesectorsofindustryandcommercefromwhichmuchchange
managementpracticehasconventionallybeendrawn.
Thebookwillbeofparticularinteresttoseniormanagersandanyoneleadingsignificantchangeorencouraginginnovation
inteachingandlearninginauniversity.
TacklingtheWickedChallengeofStrategicChange:Thestoryofhowauniversitychangeditself'ispublishedby
Authorhouse.Itcanbepurchasedonlineat:http://www.authorhouse.co.uk/
CREATIVITY IN DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH PROJECT
51
LifewideEducationhasaNewWebsite
http://www.lifewideeducation.uk/
Wehopeyoulikeit
52
LifewideMagazineispublishedfourtimesayearundera
CreativeCommonslicense.Eachissueexaminesadif
ferentaspectoflifewidelearning,education,personal
developmentandachievement.
LifewideMagazinebyLifewideEducationislicensed
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Basedonaworkathttp://www.lifewidemagazine.co.uk/.
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LIFEWIDEMAGAZINE
Issue12,December2014
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lifewidelearningandpersonaldevelopmentinthecontexts
ofillhealth,disability,endoflifeandbereavement

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LIFEWIDEMAGAZINEIssue11:September2014www.lifewideeducation.co.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jenny Willis

ADAPTING HIGHER EDUCATION TO THE SOCIAL AGE OF

MY STORY RUNS THROUGH THIS PLACE

DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

LIFEWIDE EDUCATION'S E-BOOK PROJECTS

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