Rhizomatic Learning

Earlier on this week, the e-Learning team at the University of Bath attended a staff development session from Steve Wheeler [profile | blog], a Senior Lecturer in Education and Information Technology at the University of Plymouth. The session itself has been reflected in part elsewhere, so I’m going to focus my own efforts on something Steve highlighted during the morning, Rhizomatic Learning.

A quick Google Search indicated that the term was was coined a little while ago, and has recently been highlighted by Dave Cormier on his blog, and in particular, in a paper entitled Rhizomatic Education: Community as Curriculum.

From Wikipedia,

In botany, a rhizome is a horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes… Some plants have rhizomes that grow above ground or that sit at the soil surface, including some Iris species, and ferns, whose spreading stems are rhizomes. Rhizomes may also be referred to as creeping rootstalks, or rootstocks.

During the paper, Cormier refers to the concept of a ‘rhizomatic-knowledge creation process’ that is overtaking traditional models. In part, this idea lends itself well to collaboration within wikis are the creation of a shared resource is often without structure and boundaries until an editing or review process. Contributions to a wiki, which can be both synchronous and asynchronous, often happen in real time, often supported by social discussion [either online or face-to-face]. With a wiki such as Wikipedia, hundreds and hundreds of edits can take place within a very short space of time, particularly when a world event or news story is unfolding. Keeping a structure to such pages can be problematic, particularly initially.

The ‘rhizomatic model of learning’ lends itself to a curriculum that is no longer predefined by experts but instead evolves. It is the community [of wiki users?] that determines a flexible ‘model of education’ which spontaneously shapes, constructs and reconstructs depending on external environmental factors. [Can my own classification take this into account?]

Whilst the above is just a small snapshot of some of the wider issues in the paper, it’s got me thinking.  I’ve reached a bit of an impasse when it comes to my own work, not sure where it fits it. After Gilly Salmon’s five-stage model, Steve has now put forward his complimentary Wiki activites – 5 stages model. Which leads me to asking two questions:

1. Can my classification be influenced with either/both of Gilly and Steve’s models?
2. Where does my classification fit into the mix? Does it?

Developing the use of Wikis

Regular readers of this blog will note that I recently presented a session as part of the University of Bath Summer Seminar Series 2008. In one of the slides, I talked about a model/classification index that I’m developing in an attempt to categorise the use of wikis at the University of Bath. It is the next iteration of some work that I did a couple of months previously.  The slide/model/classification index in question, appears below [click to enlarge].

I’m keen during this post to elobrate on some of the key features of the model, particularly as I’m going to have the assistance of a research assistant in about a month’s time, for a couple of weeks. The aim of his work will, using my classification index, to begin to identify some wikis in use at the University of Bath (within both Moodle and Confluence) that can easily to classified, thereby fitting into the model.

Key points

• Through increased student and staff confidence with both the technology, and the process of using a wiki, levels of collaboration within the given activity will increase. [for the purposes of this model, I have left out the "Individual" category mentioned earlier in my presentation.]
• I would argue that it is close to impossible to put a timescale on how slowly or quickly wiki can from one stage to the next.  It is likely to take some time however. For example, for a wiki being used in a first year unit to support group coursework, it is unlikely that students will appreciate or grasp the finer points of peer-assessment over the course of ten weeks.
• More likely, is that the use of the wikis in general with develop over time. So, for example, during their first year, the aim may be to encourage students to cooperate within the online environment. They may require instruction in lectures or seminars to get this far, and may need some pointers on how to work effectively and stay “on track”. In the second year, the aim may be to guide them towards using wikis at the next level – that is, collaborating effectively. Additional help could potentionally be offered through a course run by the SORTED scheme.
• Finally, the intervention points, as denoted by the green dotted lines in the slide above. These are the criterion that wikis must satisfy (in terms of content, levels of editing/viewing activity by group members etc.) before they can fit within that particular class/region. It is this area/idea which interests me the most about this model, and where my reading and research over the next few weeks will lie.

As I’ve mentioned previously, this is still an evolving example of some of the thoughts that I’ve had over the last couple of months, and is very much a work in progress. If you have any further thoughts yourself, why not leave a comment on this post or get in touch by email.

Using Tablet PCs in Higher Education

Tomorrow, the University of Bath is hosting the first Western e-Learning Meeting, featuring Heads of e-Learning and Learning Technologists from the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, Gloucestershire and UWE. The focus for the session will be the use of Tablet PCs in Higher Education… which is perfect since I often work with a Toshiba Portégé M700-100, as referred to in an earlier post.

Some of the attendees will be presenting about the use of Tablet PCs at their institutions, and I hope to share my reflections sometime in the next couple of days.

In preparation, colleagues have been asked to prepare a short overview about an article about the use of Tablet PCs in Higher Education – I’ve chosen a presentation, I’m afraid! My overview appears below.

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The following relates to a presentation delivered at the Tablet PCs in Higher Education Workshop in 2005, in Seattle, Washington. Whilst the presentation is nearly three years old, it provides some useful information and data that is [still] relevant for an institution investigating the use of Tablet PCs in HE.

The presentation, A New Face for Time-Honored Ideas – Lessons from the Tablet PC Project at the University of Virginia, details a pilot of Tablet PCs in three different classrooms. Four hundred Tablet PCs were deployed in three courses: Statistics, Cognitive Psychology and Biochemistry. The following key points were highlighted during the presentation:

• The pilot programme was a partnership between Thomson, the University of Virginia, Microsoft and HP.
• Hybrid print and digital solutions were developed in consultations with teaching staff. All students bought the course text at the beginning of the course, but the teaching staff used digital solutions to teach at least part of the programme.
• Microsoft PowerPoint slides were embedded within Microsoft OneNote files and made available for download. In lectures:
  • Instructors annotated slides
  • Instructors recorded voice clips to be attached to slides
  • Students annotated slides using their Tablet PCs
  • The Instructors annotated, recorded slides were made available for download by students following the lecture

Pilot highlights

• Response to the Tablet PCs was overwhelmingly positive, learning to active learning within lectures.
• Extent of student use of Tablet PCs and response of students to Tablet PCs correlated strongly with instructor engagement
• Instructor engagement was catalytic – spurring students to use Tablet PCs in their other classes
• New technology increased options to develop individual learning styles – “hand to head practice builds long term memory”
• HP established a discounted price for Tablet PC purchase by students and departments
• Tablet PC seminars were developed for several other areas, with hands-on workshops arranged for both staff and students

Tablet PCs in Higher Education Workshop in 2005: http://tinyurl.com/2zvec8
Presentation URL: http://tinyurl.com/4ebxwn

Follow up comments (NRP)

• Were Tablet PCs used to facilitate collaborative activities, for example, for group course work?
• In addition to the Microsoft PowerPoint/OneNote combination, was any additional software (for example, a graphical wiki) used for either individual or collaborative working?
• Could Tablet PCs have been used in conjunction with other technologies such as audience response systems or mobile phones to enhance collaborative working?

I note that this study took place during 2005, and that technology has moved on since then e.g. the introduction of wireless networking on University campuses.

Uses of SMS to support e-Learning activities

Following a bit of investigation into the pilot texting service soon to be instigated at the University of Bath, I’ve been thinking about some potential uses of SMS to support our own e-Learning activities. This list isn’t in any particular order – just a collection of some random thoughts.

As a Personal Response System during lectures, seminars or tutorials

• Students use their phones and a keyword to ask questions
• Might aid student engagement – they already own the technology. Do they wish to use their mobile devices for “work” use
• Might encourage those who are can be quite reluctant to contribute e.g. International students, those who don’t like asking questions in front of their peers
• For reflective questioning prior to and post face-to-face sessions. A short 160 character reply might get them thinking.
• Tips for revision purposes e.g. for a succinct explanation of X, have a look at page Y of course text.

To support the central e-learning support service

• Moodle service updates – to let people know about service downtime i.e. Tuesday morning “at risk” period
• e-Learning events e.g. reminder about the Summer Seminar Series time and location, change of location for said workshop. Will staff wish you use their personal mobile devices for work related activites? [As an aside, I got a text from a staff development session at 9pm on a Friday night. I wasn't impressed!]
• Push out post-session information. For example, “you’ve just attended my seminar on collaboration and wikis, would you be interested in attending a hands-on workshop to learn more about the Moodle wiki and Confluence?”

For collaborative activites

• Text messages sent following an update to a wiki page
• Texts get put into a central space. Word cloud generated?

I’m a bit short on thoughts for this at the moment, so hopefully some reading around the subject will spark a few more thoughts.

Final thoughts?

• Texts are cheap, but there’s still a cost associated with sending out messages. Will the service will be looked after centrally or will departments have some control? If centrally, how will the system be policed in terms of text quota?