Category Archives: Formal Learning Spaces

Command and control, share or narrate? Dilemmas of the Social Age

I’m preparing slides for my workshop tomorrow and settled on this one, encapsulating the dilemmas of the Social Age: do the pressures of command and control trump the need to share and narrate? It’s really about inward and outward pressures … Continue reading

Posted in Agile, Authority, Challenge, Change, Community, Control, Creative, Culture, Engagement, Formal Learning Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Knowledge, Learning, Narrative, Privacy, Relationship, Sharing, Social Learning, Social Media, Trust | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

A structure for scaffolded social learning: bubbles and gateways

I’m developing some practical models for implementing social learning in organisations, trying to give ann idea of structures and methodologies that can be used. I’ve written previously about approaches to moderation and the ways that we can co-create meaning in … Continue reading

Posted in Agile, Authority, Blended Learning, Challenge, Collaboration, Conversation, Curation, Dialogue, E-Learning, Formal Learning Spaces, Formal Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Informal Spaces, Journalism, Knowledge, Learning, Learning Design, Learning Journey, Legacy, Meaning, Moderator, Narrative, Scaffolding, Social Learning, Stories, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Informal technology: social learning

Those who know me well are familiar with my tendency to anthropomorphise technology, to assign it with traits and personality: my car has a name and distinctly mischievous identity. Some technology is ‘friendly‘, whilst other is far more formal. Even … Continue reading

Posted in Accessibility, Collaboration, Community, Conformity, Connections, Control, Creative, Facebook, Formal Learning Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Informal Spaces, Social Learning, Social Networking, Spaces, Yammer | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Popup learning: emergent communities and dynamic engagement

It’s not just books that popup these days: in empty shop units across the country we see art galleries, cafes and even theatres popping up, bringing life to empty units and then moving on as their season ends. Popup culture … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Communication, Community, Engagement, Environment, Formal Learning Spaces, Formal Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Informal Spaces, Learning Technology, Ownership, Social Learning, Spaces | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Relationships in learning: for support, for challenge, for friendship.

Whilst driving yesterday, i was thinking about the nature of relationships. Some of the people in the car i knew well, one i had never met before. With those people who i knew, there was a dialogue based on understanding … Continue reading

Posted in Challenge, Collaboration, Community, Design, Formal Learning Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Learning, Networking, Social Learning, Social Networking, Spaces | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

First dates: exploring the nature of relationships in social learning environments.

I should start by telling you that i’m not going to answer this question today. But i’m working on it. In social learning spaces, online environments that extend and deepen the learning experience, the nature of relationships becomes of increasing … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Community of Practice, Formal Learning Spaces, Formal Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Learning, Social Learning, Social Media, Spaces | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Creating engagement in online learning spaces. Relevance, timeliness and sociability.

When you’re going to a party, it’s important to time your entry right. Get there too early and you’re stood in the kitchen talking to Charlie, the only other person to have got there early because he goes everywhere early … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Engagement, Formal Learning Spaces, Informal Learning Spaces, Learning, Online Spaces, Social Learning, Spaces | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How to measure the success of social learning. Challenges and ideas.

There’s been some discussion this week about creating parameters for the measurement of the effectiveness of social learning. It’s a good call to arms, because it’s all too easy to be busy creating solutions without stopping to think of the … Continue reading

Posted in Achievement, Assessment, Collaboration, Community, Community of Practice, Effectiveness, Engagement, Formal Learning Spaces, Game, Informal Learning Spaces, Learning, Social Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Leader of the Gang. The dynamics of collaboration and loneliness in learning.

Whilst eating chips on the quay at Swanage this weekend, i was approached by a teenager with a questionnaire. I guess he was on a school geography trip, asking people whether they were residents or tourists. As the sun got … Continue reading

Posted in Formal Learning Spaces, Gangs, Group Dynamics, Informal Learning Spaces, Learning, Spaces | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How we formulate hypotheses and test them when learning. Sometimes, you’ve just got to dive in!

Sometimes, the best way of learning is just to dive on in. As adults, we are experienced learners, experienced at formulating a view of expected outcomes from actions and testing those hypotheses. We are experienced at gauging the success (or … Continue reading

Posted in E-Learning, Formal Learning Spaces, Hypothesis, Learning Methodology, Theory | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment