CCK08 Final Mind Map

I'm placing here the concepts I found more relevant and how I see them relating and influencing one another.  The map itself has changed little, what has changed is how I understand it now.  For example, over the past two weeks the issue of Openness has gained more weight.

The red lines show a one way influence or impact; I may be wrong, maybe there aren't one way impact relationships with the concepts I mention.  The rest of the colours show the impact of one item; for example, the purple lines show the interaction of the concepts with our "Mind", the blue lines show the interactions with the "Context" and so on.

I understand better now what has happened to me and my connections this year (2008).  My offline connections have a new topic to talk about, besides that, the changes have been those brought about by life itself.  My online connections have widened, I got now a lot of new weak connections and a few stronger new connections.  With Becoming a Webhead (BaW08), Becoming an e-Learner project (BaeL), Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (CCK08), Connecting Online(CO09), Electronic Village Online moderator training (EVOMods09) and Corporate Learning Trends and Innovations (CLTI08) I have learned a lot this year.  My mind view things in a different way.

I see clearly that to have people hanging around with me they have to gain something valuable.  I understand now why when I had worked and pulled my share of work with some people who asked me to participate in their projects I got little or nothing in return when I asked for participation in mine.  They considered me some sort of an asset during their projects, what I did provided something valuable them and I was learning.  Once the project was ended if my project didn't go with their line of work they didn't participate, they wouldn't gain anything of value.  Reciprocity does not have anything to do with it, it's just the way a network works. It's a description of a fact, not a complain.

I understand that Openness is a delicate issue for people and organizations.  Some people and institutions say they are open to new ideas, that they want collaboration but in the practical sense they want you to do things in a certain way and don't accept changes.  It's their organization, their project, their wiki, their site and they have the right to have it as they want it.  It's very difficult to let go of power and control, to set a common goal, elicit participation and receive it as such.  I don't see that happening soon.  I didn't see evidence in Stephen's predictions on the future but what a wonderful piece to read.

His words: "To learn is not to acquire or to accumulate, but rather, to develop or to grow. The process of learning is a process of becoming, a process of developing one’s own self".

I wonder how could I use iCall? Stephen mentions that this allows events and syndicated contents to circulate within the same network, creating an association between time and content that is dynamic, fluid, and distributed.

How could I enable my communities? "At most, the educator needs to ensure that the tools are there for students to use, and that the channels of communication, from student to student, from community to community, are open".

I'm puzzled.  Why didn't Stephen mention "Equity" in his recent SL Conference as a feature of Reliable Networks?  Is that so unreachable?

CCK08 Mindmap Draft. Week Three

Mind mapping with tools is new for me so I attended a WiZiQ session with Brendan OKeefe to learn more about it. He gives free sessions not only about how to make mind maps but also on how to use them to define a personal life path.

Later on I found this helpful image.

I am glad I draw the map, my understanding shifted, I feel more comfortable and I enjoyed it. I have not found out how to make the tool do what I draw on paper, I need more practice. I understand that in order to share it I need to make it with a common tool to allow others to add to it, erase or comment. I will continue learning the tool to achieve that goal. Meanwhile, I wanted to share a draft and place my reflections.

Regarding the Connectivism concept I have more questions than answers. The foundation principles I drew are common to many learning theories while the branches on the learning process and networks are related to what I have read, seen and listened in the course. The branches on the role that our mind plays on learning and knowing also come from what I have found in this course.

I would like to understand better how knowledge is distributed in a network. I understand that knowledge requires a knower, that if I want to learn how to make a map with Cmap I have to find a person who knows and observe, connect with, him or her to learn. The airplane example tells me that one person alone cannot build one, knowledge is what a group has connected to get the airplane completed. Looking at the example it seems obvious but I do not get the point. How is the distribution process?, Is it a process?, What is taking place?, How do I know that it is distributed?, By areas of expertise?