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This is a summary of the key point made in the first 8 minutes of The keynote session of the OpenLearn2007 conference given by John Seely Brown.

• Sustainability – Build on learning that always happens that you can’t stop (for example a child learning language with little formal teaching taking place)
• Cartesian View of Learning is ‘I think therefore I am’ and ‘knowledge is the substance’ with the pedagogy focuses on how to you maximise the transfer of this knowledge.  Transfer being the key word in the ‘Cartesian’ framework – this coud be seen as rejected with Open learning
• Cartesian can be summarised as ‘The delivery model – I Teach – you learn’ and ‘cultivate neat rows of disciplinary knowledge’

• Maybe TRANSFER is not the fundamental thing we should be considering!

• With Social learning we replace this theory with ‘we participate therefore we are’ and Understanding is socially constructed.
• Social Learning could be summarised as ‘we learn in and through our interactions with others and the world’
• Study shows that fundamental to success is are you able to form; join and participate in study groups – ‘nothing beats collaborative study groups’ – this works in the virtual world just as well as face to face – it helps you to internalise the information into your particular frame.  Can be as simple as instant messaging
• Social Networks – robust network of each individual that acts as a study group (connectivism) – These social networks string out in an informal manner
• Study groups allows everyone to be both learner and a teacher – nothing clarifies ideas better than explaining them to others
• Understanding is socially constructed

There were a series of questions to review against this presentation:

Does Brown’s argument imply that individual reading and listending is less valuable than group
work? - I don't think this is Brown's point.  The social learning theory can still include phases or moments of individual tasks of reading and listening but that what is important is that it is then shared and discussed with a community/network, just as we are doing with this task.  Brown makes the point that the virtual world can work just as well as the physical face to face networking but that what is key is that during the learning process that there is an ability to form, share and communicate ideas with learning groups.  In many ways this task is 'flipping' the activity with us all reading and interpreting the information through word (be it print or voice) and then colloborating with others to form ideas and values

What are the implications of his argument for your own use of technology – in your own learning and teaching?  I studied Social Learning and Connectivism in detail last year and it fundamentally changed the way I teach and how I use eLearning.  The point that we can all be both teacher and student resonated with me.  Additionally due to the speed of change and new information (and abundance of information) I recognised the point that there is now the need to engage with life-long learning and that this can be achieved outside of formal, accredited study and works brillaintly with informal, social learning.  This driver has developed the Open Learning approach.  I am fully engaged with Open Learning as sharing resources and ideas rather than being a threat should instead be an opportunity to grow but as an educator and support the industry as a whole.  In the end there is still the need to add expression to a learning experience and by combining a network of expressions and ideas it results in a rich and broad learning experience for all.

What are your reactions to Brown’s style of presentation?      What are its strengths and weaknesses compared with other presentations you have seen?  I found the approach relaxed, natural and informal but with a professional edge.  Some of the key points being made used accessible language with examples that most, if not all people could understand.  From my own view point I agree very much with the points made although sometimes the syllabus and assessment criteria for which I deliver it can be hard to engage fully with social learning as an approach.  Brown mentioned early on that he was surprised to be presenting to OU about this subject and I think that this itself shows the power of Social Learning and that we can all be teacher and student - a clever and discreet example that was used to initiate the presentation.

References:

John Seely Brown. (2007). The keynote session of the OpenLearn2007 conference was given by John Seely Brown. Available: http://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?whichevent=1063&s=31. Last accessed 17th February 2015