Hi Maria, This is a great project and I must compliment you on how you're succeeding in building a social network around Math activities. Do keep us @ WikiEducator informed of your progress --- I'd love to experiment with tweaking your model for our wiki environment and possibly expand this to other subjects.
On the technical side -- It looks like you're building a highly customised site with very specific features. As your site evolves, I do think the approach you're using will be useful to others including WE. The Mediawiki software we use for WikiEducator is very powerful and quite flexible. So for example, we do have the ability to include flash objects -- you can take a look at these prototype lessons developed by Rob incorporating flash simulations: http://www.wikieducator.org/Masses_and_Springs/Hooke%27s_Law/Simulation or http://www.wikieducator.org/Magnifier/Simulation However at the same time -- its more difficult for us to customise software for for specific projects, and we need to think creatively about how we can achieve similar results. Do keep us posted :-) Cheers Wayne On Sat, 2008-12-06 at 17:03 -0500, Maria Droujkova wrote: > Wayne, > > We are just on the third weekly "run" (to use an agile development > term) and doing things largely by email and on a blog now. You can > look at the first sketches of activities here: > http://www.naturalmath.com/index.php?option=com_jd-wp&Itemid=88888917&cat=8 > > At the first run, families answered three questions about themselves > and I put together a list of fourteen activity starters - enough for > everybody. People wrote questions, answers and comments, and made up > one more activity that week (and I added one more description). At the > second run, five more activities came up from discussions; some of > them are being tried and tested, one will be added to the collection > today. The stories parents tell about their adaptation of activities > make me emotional to tears. Here is the functionality list for the > multiplication planet, being developed now: > > - "Blogo-wiki": For each activity, a separate wiki page, > WISYWIG-editable by every study participant, accepting rich html, with > wiki-style version control and a blog-like comment structure (with > individual participant comments) with sevearl types of comments - > implemented. > - The ability for the admin to transfer comments from the google group > and old blog, marking them by the participant's name (to move the > content we have so far) - implemented, migrating the content now > - Uploading pictures to go with activity story comments > - A map of the planet, with each "site" linked to the blogo-wiki > activity description (Google Maps would be swell for that, but well) > - Each participant registering for the next week's run by selecting an > activity from the map or leaving a "registration" type comment under > the activity > - The history of "visited sites" by participant - a trek on the map > linking his or her blogo-wiki comments of the "report" type left by > that participant. > - The ability for every participant to send "activity recommendations" > to another participant, and to see each participants' recommendation > list (recommendations are a type of activity comments). > > I was considering using WE for it, but I don't think the list of > features matches the funcionality. I may be wrong about that. So far, > it calls for flash (the map metaphor component) and php and Joomla, > because that's the site's platform. I think the structure, once > developed, will be useful for others, and I will be happy to talk to > people who'd like to adapt it to their needs and help them. This may > involve pilots of something similar on WE, if I can figure out > features. I have several other studies like that in mind for the > future: math metaphors for families with toddlers, algebraic thinking > for 4-7 year olds, and then algebra and calculus topics for teens and > adults. I mentioned it here as an example of an educational system not > based on textbook/curriculum/course metaphors. Sorry if it got too far > off topic. > > MariaD > > > > > On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 2:34 PM, Wayne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi Maria, > > That's a fascinating project. > > Do you have any links to any examples of the activities > families develop? Do the families produce resources/handouts > that are used in the learning activities? What tools do > families use to generate and share the activities? > > I quickly scanned the list on google groups -- but admit due > to time constraints, I could easily have missed references to > the examples :-(. > > As you suggest -- a wiki is a powerful tool to combine > community activity and engagement with both the creation and > use of activities. If you're interested -- shall we try a > pilot? > > Cheers > Wayne > > > > > On Sat, 2008-12-06 at 06:33 -0500, Maria Droujkova wrote: > > > I'd like to describe a system we have started to develop in > > the family multiplication study. The "reusable objects" > > there are "small" according to "The reusability paradox": > > > http://web.archive.org/web/20041019162710/http://rclt.usu.edu/whitepapers/paradox.html > Each object (or, to using the "discover the multiplication planet" metaphor > of the study - not a Lego metaphor, hehe - a "multiplication planet site") is > a very brief, skeletal description of a project or activity. The only > requirement of an activity design is that it should invite each participant > to create, build, invent and in general author their own mathematics. A few > examples of the current multiplication planet sites: spirolaterals > (sequences, order, rotation can be investigated and designed), snowflakes > (folding, reflection, rotation, contents of each segment), mirror books (an > art project about symmetry and 2d transformations), design your own > multiplication war game (coming up with buff cards and other game rules). > This is the study's mailing list: > http://www.groups.google.com/group/multiplicationstudy > > > > Participating families select an activity per week, then > > describe how it went for them. Some families design their > > own, throw in design ideas, or request a design: "something > > about World War II" or "whatever we can do without writing" > > or "something to help us memorize." Parents describe > > themselves and their kids - as an aside, you'd be surprised > > how little age correlates with requested level of > > activities. Technically, after the study runs for a while, > > you can collect activity descriptions, edit comments that go > > with them, and publish a sort of "multiplication text." > > However, even if we exclude the idea that the community > > designs new activities every week, one goal of the study is > > to help future participants plan their own travel routes on > > the multiplication planet, based on how previous people > > selected activity sequences. I can't see a book providing > > such a service, because it involves software analyzing a > > database. I envision somebody following a friends' path, for > > example, or finding a family with similar philosophy and > > structure and following their steps, or going from the > > Snowflake activity to the Mirror book activity because both > > deal with symmetry and there are strong topic connections > > that a lot of people followed before. I'd like to see > > something like Amazon's book suggestions: "people like you > > read these books" - except on activity-to-activity basis. > > It's too early in the study to tell, but intuitively, it > > feels like the social aspects of the system won't be easy, > > or possible, to capture in a book format. A book may be a > > nice souvenir of the past of the study, but it won't provide > > the services participation in that community provides. > > > > This last paragraph is dreaming, brainstorming and wild > > speculation - please take it as such. A claim: history and > > story (narrative) help us understand and reify past > > activities for the purposes of planning the future and > > dealing with the present. A constructivist claim: "In the > > beginning was the deed" - to learn, do. A novice, in > > addition or instead of "catching up" on the (dead, reified) > > past through narratives, can be active in creating her own > > actions and adventures in active and adventurous current > > communities of practice. This requires tools that support > > action directly - both authoring action and social community > > action. A wiki can be such a tool, a book - ? > > > > -- > > Cheers, > > MariaD > > > > Make math your own, to make your own math. > > > > naturalmath.com: a sketch of a social math site > > groups.google.com/group/naturalmath: a mailing list about > > math maker activities > > groups.google.com/group/multiplicationstudy the family > > multiplication study > > > > On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 10:48 PM, Wayne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > > Hi Leigh > > > > In practical terms -- can you describe the > > teaching-learning system you envisage in terms of > > the functions of teaching and elements of the > > system. I'm not sure that I understand what you are > > talking about. > > > > Cheers > > Wayne > > > > > > > > > > > > On Sat, 2008-12-06 at 14:21 +1100, Leigh Blackall > > wrote: > > > > > I'm not convinced we are pioneers at all. Illich > > > is significant to me not for hi Deschooling > > > Society, but for his vision of learning webs. As > > > he describes it (in chapter 6 I think), Bolivia > > > was rolling out OER in the form of television. The > > > cost of television back then meant that Bolivia > > > could afford 1 tv per 5000 Bolivians. Illich > > > proposed a networked communication through audio > > > cassette recordings. At the time, he proposed that > > > Bolivia could afford 1 cassette recorder per 5 > > > Bolivians > > > with enough money left over to set up a postal > > > service to facilitate the exchange of audio > > > recordings being sent in by farmers and kids. He > > > was talking about audio blogging, where today the > > > cost of achieving what Illich envisioned is > > > greatly reduced for us in the wealthy economies, > > > but still impossible for your average Bolivian I > > > guess. Even with OLPCs the difficulty of using a > > > cassette recorder and postal service compared to > > > an OLPC is laughable. > > > > > > Illich was talking about networked learning, > > > without the middle man. Our OER efforts, and > > > especially the production of text books with > > > "learning design" interwoven is more broadcast, > > > middle man OER like Bolivia's TV idea, distance > > > learning, and to some extent the OLPCs.. nothing > > > new at all. The only thing "new" in it is the > > > copyright and the technology.. and seeing your > > > historical reference predates modern history > > > Wayne, even our new approach to copyright is > > > nothing new. > > > > > > Peter Rawsthorne and James Neill have been talking > > > about student generated content initiaties on > > > Wikieducator for quite some time, and in many > > > regards this is similar to networked learning > > > accept that it tends to focus on a demographic we > > > call students, that is typically made up in crude > > > class systems like K12 and everything in between - > > > leaving out the contributions that someone outside > > > that class might have to offer - such as > > > traditional, subsistance, local even mystical. > > > > > > I'd hazard a guess that the funding is easily > > > geared towards text books. They are tangible and > > > have established processes and protocols. But this > > > doesn't make it a good idea. A text book with > > > "learning designed" in it, over powers so much of > > > what might be otherwise possible. A straight text > > > with a range of culturally appropriate "learning > > > design" held seperately would be far more scalable > > > and versatile. Especially with strong learning > > > networks around each text. Strong networks like in > > > Wikibooks and blogs for example, or any number of > > > offline networks > > > > > > Better would be a straight text with a learning > > > network to go with it. In the poorer countries > > > this is obviously not through the Internet and > > > computers, but the ideas and models we have > > > through the Internet could inform new approaches > > > to radio, newspaper, telephone, and postal > > > services.. even distance learning. > > > On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 1:25 PM, Wayne > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > Hi Leigh > > > > > > > > > On Sat, 2008-12-06 at 08:57 +1300, Leigh > > > Blackall wrote: > > > > > > > Illich's Learning Webs idea for Bolivia, > > > > cited in his book Deschooling Society - > > > > predating ODL, ignoring "instructional > > > > design", and predicting post industrial > > > > society enabled by networked > > > > communications. Illich was interested in > > > > networked communications empowering > > > > subsistance living. > > > > > > Illich's Deschooling Society is a seminal > > > text and is a highly recommended read for > > > those dabbling in the future of OER. > > > > > > On a minor historical technicality ;-) > > > Illich's Deschooling Society did not > > > predate the practice, research and > > > publication in the field of DE/ODL. I > > > believe Deschooling Society was published > > > in 1971. Their are published references > > > on DE dating back to 1728. However > > > mainstream DE research as a field of > > > research endeavour started appearing in > > > the literature in the early 1950's. This > > > followed the inception of the world's > > > first single-mode distance education > > > university which began teaching in 1946 > > > --- (The University of South Africa). The > > > detail of the actual dates is not too > > > relevant -- but rather the era in which > > > these publications emerged. > > > > > > Deschooling Society was published shortly > > > after the peak of industrialisation after > > > the second world war. DE/ODL is in fact a > > > consequence of the industrialisation of > > > society. DE delivery was not possible > > > before the invention of the printing press > > > and universal postal services. It's also > > > interesting to note that Illich's text was > > > published shortly after the student > > > revolts of the 1960s and should be read > > > within this context. > > > > > > Illich was not the only author commenting > > > or "predicting" on the emergence of > > > post-industrial society. For example, > > > Daniel Bell's text on "The Coming of > > > Post-industrial Society" published around > > > the same time. The notion of > > > "post-industrial" society was a pretty > > > topical issue of the time. The Fordist > > > versus Post-Fordist debate has been well > > > documented in the DE literature > > > (including for example: Raggart, Rumble, > > > Farnes, Edwards etc.) > > > > > > Discontinuity theory is a contested > > > concept in sociological terms --- Is > > > post-industrial society fundamentally > > > different from industrial society, or is > > > it more of the same? Personally -- I buy > > > into the theory of discontinuity which > > > would argue that the networked world is > > > structurally different, but at the same > > > time I err on the side of caution with > > > regards to how OER is unfloding on our > > > planet. I see many promising projects > > > (WikiEducator included) - but there is > > > still lots of work for us to do before OER > > > becomes the default approach to education. > > > > > > Its going to be up to us to turn > > > tommorrow's promise for OER into today's > > > reality! > > > > > > It's fun being a pioneer! > > > > > > > > > Cheers > > > Wayne > > > > > > > > > > -- > Cheers, > MariaD > > Make math your own, to make your own math. > > naturalmath.com: a sketch of a social math site > groups.google.com/group/naturalmath: a mailing list about math maker > activities > groups.google.com/group/multiplicationstudy the family multiplication > study > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. 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