Stephen Downes, connectivism and second life

I am in overload -- I listened to Stephen Downes today. He used analogies to teach, making me think that networks are modeled in everything from river tributaries to the human mind to the networks built over the Internet. Some connections are explainable and logical, but many are the product of chaos theory at work.

He makes a lot of sense and I think that curriculum directors everywhere should listen to the audio file of his presentation today and look at his Powerpoints.

Then, I spent time in Second Life, learning and thinking (and taking pictures (see them to the right.) I made connections with many new teachers who are now my "friends" in second life. I learned so much. (The best tour guide is Beth Ritter-Guth -- she is helpful and outstanding - a perfect person to take a group in. If you have a group going in soon, please mention it to me so I can share it with those who want to try it out!)

I really want us to figure out a way to have teacher / student areas away from the teen and the adult areas. Not sure how that could happen, but it is needed. I have some ideas as do many others.

I can't help but think that I touched the train hanging off the future bride of education. (Or something like her.)

Bottom line is that learning in second life is truly first person learning but when dealing with students it is sans one very important thing -- stereotypes. (There is no such thing as second person learning. )


So perhaps second life isn't a second life at all but a real life. Just a new way of living it.

I am so overwhelmed that as I have perused my youtube and build the channels I subscribe to over there, I came across this video. The beginning of this video is from an American perspective and I tend to not like the fear aspect of it. (We should all reform education because its the right thing to do, not necessarily because we're fearful.)

However, once you get into the video, the points made in this video are throughout the entire connectivism conference. Video is a powerful tool!



tag: coolcatteacher, Vicki A Davis, connectivism, George Siemens, OCC2007, youtube