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Photo by Alok Sharma on Unsplash Charles McClure and Howard Rheingold have contrasting views on network literacy. McClure posits that it is how we will maintain social equity, using a combination of knowledge and skills relating to creation, searching, adaptation, analysis, curation and repurposing (McClure, 1994). Offering an alternate viewpoint, Rheingold stresses the importance of understanding the architecture of networks, and where the locus of power lies, stating that the value of the network is found in the connections and nodes (people or resources) (Howard Rheingold, 2011, February 13; H Rheingold, 2011, February 13). Rheingold sees network literacy as understanding the environment of social networking, whereas McClure feels it is the ability and understanding to operate effectively in the digital network environment which makes one literate. In today’s digitally networked environment, where our connections are used for quite disparate needs, blurring the lines of personal and professional, we need a combination of these two views to be effective. It is important to understand why social media united people in the 2010/2011 Arab Spring (diffused control), or why we see targeted advertisements when we browse Google or Facebook (centralised control of a super company) (Howard Rheingold, 2011, February 13). However, we also need the abilities McClure espouses to make sense of and filter all the information swirling around us. Networks are how individuals can amplify knowledge, skills and problem-solving. They are not merely one tool in someone’s arsenal, they are the kit we can bring to bear on anything in our personal or professional lives.(Thomas & Brown, 2011). Without using your network, you are just one person alone, while using that network greatly increases the chance of a positive result. Teachers and students alike can benefit from using networks, as a network is developed by the user, for the needs of the user (Oddone, 2017, April 12). Whereas an educator may ask for presentation or ‘hook’ ideas, identify innovative and authentic methods of assessment, or use a class network to engage their students, students may use their own network to become cognisant of the important issues in their field or area of interest, to develop something together, or to ask peers how they have approached an assignment (BBC Learning English, 2017, November 17; Couros, 2010). Further, the ability to personalise learning experiences is a key recommendation of the report, ‘Beyond the Classroom: A New Digital Education for Young Australians in the 21st Century’ (p.7, 2013). Both students and educators benefit from the relationships they develop via their networks: relationships with others who have interests which align with their own, and whom they have chosen to interact (BBC Learning English, 2017, November 17). The only way to improve is to continually question, tweak, see what others are doing, experiment. To ensure our education system and the ways students learn remains relevant in a digital age, networks will help us to do this. How is it logical to assume that while the rest of our world, and our lives, has changed so completely from even 30 years ago, that our teaching should remain the same? References
BBC Learning English (Producer). (2017, November 17). Digital Literacy - Social Learning. [Video file] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/U8ddCEamXR4 Couros, A. (2010). Developing personal learning networks for open and social learning. In G. Veletsianos (Ed.), Emerging technologies in distance education (pp. 109-128). Athabasca University: AU Press. Digital Education Advisory Group. (2013). Beyond the classroom: A new digital education for young Australians in the 21st century. Retrieved from http://apo.org.au/node/34413 McClure, C. R. (1994). Network Literacy: A role for libraries? information Technology and Libraries, 13(2), 115-125. Oddone, K. (2017, April 12). Personalised learning through the PLN [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/personalised-learning-through-the-pln/ Rheingold, H. (Producer). (2011, February 13). Network Literacy Part One. [Video file] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/g6UKWozzVRM Rheingold, H. (Producer). (2011, February 13). Network Literacy Part Two. [Video file] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Q4YXtn7hJPA Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). Arc-of-life learning. In A new culture of learning: cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (pp. 17-33). Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.
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About meI'm a learning designer from Geelong in Victoria. I have worked in vocational education and training for many years, and for the last four have concentrated entirely on creating learning content to support teachers and students. Archives
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