New Learning Blog - A Mani not so Festo

Welcome to the New Learning Blog.

In this blog I'll sketch out thinking within the field 'new learning'. Actually I don't consider 'new learning' to be a field:

New Learning is not a new learning paradigm. It is rather a point of view og point of departure for development of existing teaching and learning practices.

It will be no secret that I believe that connectivism is an important description of how learning and competence development (can) take place. And it is not a secret that I believe that digitale technologies should be an integrated part of teaching whatever level. I've at an earliere stage in my own development stated: "Its the learning not the tech". That I don't believe holds true anymore. The tech is in itself an effort worthwhile in  teaching because skills and competences with handling digital tools and media is a prerequisite for doing a lot of other important and interesting stuff.

I do think, however, that the a development in teaching, learning and schools have a better chance to succeed if the starting point is a question of what to obtain. Start with the goals and then move backwards and find out what it takes to reach that goal.

1. Start with the goal
2. Backtrack the stages
3. Design the process
4. Get moving
5. Continually inspect and adapt

All changes have unforseen consequenses: some that point in the decided direction, some that point elsewhere. Developing teaching and learning means meeting a new crossroads everyday - and the signs at that crossroad might be misleading. You still have to decide which way you're going; everyday is a new begining.

Mamas Jewel

All this also means that the goal is changing as well when you are reaching for it. Along the way everybody gain new insights and, hence, see new opportunities: so adapt and integrate the current stage of knowlegde and competencies.

Every change starts from the point where you are right now. You have a certain environment, certail technologies available, buildings, lines of comands etc. etc. You might challenge some or all of them but they will be the framework you have to work within untill changes have taken place. So: Don't wait for changes to happen, they don't happen by themselves. You are a change agent when you begin to change something however small that change is.

It is important to stress that I don't see my own believes as a given framework. My believes shouldn't be considered paradigmatic. My believes as stated above are my points of departures and preliminary views that will grow and change in the interaction and collaboration with other.

New Learning in my perspective is the effort to develop in small steps from where you, your environment, your organization is right now. "Let's do it a little better" is the credo of New Learning.

This New Learning blog is a continuation of my curation work. It started out in Delicious and Diigo and has been moved to my Scoop.it: 'New Learning - Ny Læring'. And it is also a continuation of my Posterous Space wihch is closing down by April 30th 2013.

I've imported - or, if you're an early reader: I'll import - my posts from Postereous to The New Learning Blog.

The New Learning Blog is paralleled by my blog in Danish that also address New Learning Thinking: Oves blog.