teach a course called Computer Seminar where students
I define a project that could be titling their work and are dedicated to
investigate and identify what could be his protocol
thesis or project title.
This course is attractive to explore the use of connectivism in
higher education. Students work from a personal network
learning and especially the use of personal blogs to describe their
progress in the exploration connectivist Internet.
use Facebook to keep as a group and share ideas and questions and try to promote
offline discussion on issues that children themselves pose
. Students also try to establish Internet connections with nodes
related to their subjects, that is, joining communities of interest and participate
as far as possible in learning and
discussion of topics related to their research.
These connections may be freely on social networks like Facebook,
LinkedIn, Ning, Blog, Twitter, Slideshare, video sharing sites,
images, audio, notes, and links to research centers,
universities, associations, Scientific journals and more.
Each student is discharged on a different site Wikispaces
links to resources and communities where it is present, for example
links to your blog, twitter account, videos and more. The Wiki site serves as the heart of the course
with links to all users and is open to any person outside
the course can sign up and participate.
The student activities Facebook reports weekly to the
advisor to monitor personal activities.
In the classroom we discussed problems encountered and difficulties
development work. A key purpose of the
classroom is the presentation progress and group discussion
them. The student has the progress of what he has accomplished during the week
and colleagues and I discussed and asked.
At the end of the course and based on Wendy Drexler video called "The student
connected" every student takes a video summarizing how your work has developed
. Besides the above, we teach
use Google Reader to keep track of individual connections
blogs and sites that enable RSS. Disadvantages
.
We are learning to use an approach
connectivist higher education, we seek to implement connectivist principles enunciated by Stephen Downes
to generate connective knowledge: Autonomy, Diversity, Openness and Interactivity
/ connectivity, both onsite and online.
However I can not take any satisfaction, students, other teachers
(each student takes 5 courses simultaneously) and educational practice
on campus (the practice of obedience: the student follows the teacher and the teacher due to
academic authorities)
so ingrained in our education, is reflected in the passivity of students
obey orders and work under pressure, study to pass exams and do not seem to have
desire to learn. If not required, no work, if not push, do not investigate, if applied
assessments, not study. If I release,
forget my course and attend other courses where each teacher usually
pressuring students too much homework and so evaluations
my work but I try to motivate and stress causes
not even attend to classes because they have nothing to say, did not develop
little or nothing and are convinced they have done well if the teacher what
reviewed before being developed.
This has provoked in me a motivation to promote an activity that I
known as "The teacher connected" to promote
that teachers at any level in education using the Internet and a little
cede control of teaching practice to let students have freedom to exercise
autonomy, diversity and openness in their training.
is very difficult to convince a guy that takes years and years practicing the
passivity and obedience training practice and also teachers teaching using instructional
controlling all
attitudes and learning processes in their students.
What alternatives should I consider to insist connectivist
practice in the future?
