A Connected Learning Environment
Personal Introduction
Music has been a major part of my life since 1999. From starting in primary school through to my current career as a music teacher, most days are filled with music. As anyone would have experienced during their schooling and study, some educators have the ability to ignite the passion within and others unfortunately do not. Within my own education I have had the privilege to be taught by wonderful educators. Now it is my turn to give back and educate the next generation of musicians. I am always looking for new ways to teach my students, bring new technologies into my classroom and educate students in a way that is more effective. Through this drive to be better and do better, the MusicED connected learning environment has been able to support my passion for music education. Personally, I have found it helpful to reach out and see what other educators are doing in their schools, see what other musicians are playing and see how the music industry is growing with constant technology advances. Being able to influence the next generation of musicians is a wonderful adventure – who knows where it will take us!
Critical Analysis
Connected Learning Environment
Ito, et al. released the connected learning report in 2013 outlining a new way of education. Incorporating the three spheres of learning – interest-powered, peer-supported and academically oriented (image below). When these three areas work together connected learning will take place. Within these spheres are the core properties of connected learning – production-centred, shared purpose and openly networked incorporating the experiences within the environment. Imbedded within all of this are the design principles – everyone can participate, learning happens by doing, challenge is constant, and everything is interconnected. The spheres, core properties and design principles will be used to critically analyse the MusicED connected learning environment.
MusicED is an online connected learning environment. The learning environment has been mapped to clearly see the connections between the connected learning framework areas and where the community exists.
Peer-supported
Through a peer-supported environment, participants are able to contribute ideas, share content and give feedback with people and resources through technology (Ito, et al., 2013), (Jones, 2015, p. 5). The MusicEd connected learning environment encourages peer-supported learning through its many online platforms. The platforms used are predominantly Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, blogs and websites. As shown in the MusicED map the various platforms encourage and support activities such as video/tutorial sharing, questions on forums, suggestions, tips, and recommendations just to name a few. Participants in the environment are able to support one another through difficult decisions or challenges they encounter (Cantrill, et al., 2014). Some challenges are brought to the community’s attention through the Reddit community requiring feedback, advice and comments from others. The Reddit platform in particular allows participants to consult others regarding problems they may not have been able to solve themselves. This type of peer-supported learning and interaction allows intergenerational expertise and sharing (Ito, et al., 2013).
Ito, et al. (2013) advises through the guided reflections as to whether a peer-supported learning environment allows for socialising and hang outs. There is minimal evidence within the MusicED connected learning environment as to whether this is occurring. Park, Kee, & Valenzuela (2009, p. 731) state that participants in the online community may want to organise a meeting in order to talk about interests as well as gaining support. Through the MusicED Net website and community, professional development is arranged which allows for socialising but this is not the main purpose. There could be more opportunities for socialising within the MusicED connected learning environment and could allow young people to have more opportunities to connect with others.
Interest-powered
Connected learning communities need to be interest-powered where various people will have an interest in a topic or subject. Members within a connected learning environment can influence and form the community or content through their shared personal interests and experiences (Cartun, Penuel, & West-Puckett, 2017, p. 183), (Long, 2016, p. 70). The shared interest of the MusicED connected learning environment is Music and Education. As seen in the MusicEd Map there can be many avenues that can present as an interest to any particular member. Some participants might be interested in the education content and how to teach music, while others may only be interested in the practical tutorials for techniques on instruments. The MusicED connected learning environment has the ability to enhance and educate participants in other areas that may not have been of interest to them initially.
As the Connected Learning Framework suggests young people should be able to observe through the various online platforms while allowing them to discover new interests before participating in content production (Ito, et al., 2013). The MusicEd connected learning environment allows for young people to observe and gain knowledge in their interests. Another area Music ED succeeds in are the opportunities and “support for young people to develop expertise around their interest” (Ito, et al., 2013). This is evident in the Instagram community where the content shared is predominantly from a younger demographic. It is easy to support the young demographic on Instagram with a like or comment. This allows everyone to participate, easily gain knowledge and foster learning (Siemens, 2005).
Academically oriented
Academically oriented learning has many benefits. If a learning community is academically oriented learners can connect interests with academic study, community engagements and careers (Ito, et al., 2013). MusicED connected learning environment is academically oriented due to the content shared through the online platforms. This shared content consists of lesson plans, repertoire choices, teaching tips and tutorials, all of which are shared with the purpose of educating others. A detailed investigation into the various types of content is outlined in the MusicED map. These various platforms of learning challenge the way learning has existed. Learning through a connected learning environment is not often structured and is guided by adults who have power within the institutionalised format (Ito, et al., 2013). If specific learning is required learners are able to connect with the network and hopefully find the information they require (Ritter Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, 2010, p.11). This is especially prevalent through the Reddit community where questions can be asked regarding music education and the peers can respond with their knowledge and wisdom. The advantage of technology within the connected learning environment is that there is always opportunities for learners to pace their learning and select what is relevant to them should it be a new or existing interest (Ritter Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, 2010, p.17).
Through the MusicEd Net website and extended online community there are opportunities for professional development workshops, seminars, conferences and resource sharing. The Facebook page also offers a community section where other professional development opportunities are shared. Mentors are present within the MusicED connected learning environment as they comment and give feedback regarding content shared. For example, through the Reddit community mentees can be found in the thread specifically asking mentors for job interview advice and questioning to anticipate. There is other mentor evidence within the other online communities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The young participants with the community are also celebrated through post likes and comments within the various platforms.
Production-centred
MusicED’s main purpose is to share content related to music and education. It is suggested that a production-centred learning environment should allow learners to create, share, monitor and actively participate in the content (Ito, et al., 2013). There are many ways content is shared and produced within the MusicED connected learning environment. Social media and digital tools allow for detailed self-expression with the added bonus of being free and accessible to the masses (Ito, et al., 2013). The social media and digital tools which have shown to allow for production-centred focus are Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter and various blogs. With the ease of upload to these various platforms, content can be accessible to a wide audience meaning everyone can participate including youth. Although content that is produced can be original and include new ideas, this is not always the case with some content being reworked, shared, and edited. These forms of content production are “valuable stepping-stones in creativity” (Ito, et al., 2013). The MusicED connected learning environment is production-centred. Focusing on the Instagram hashtag of #musiced content includes video tutorials, videos with snippets of lessons, classroom setups, instrument technique tips and repertoire ideas. Not every piece of content will be relevant to each individual but there is the opportunity to engage with content that interests you specifically. The content on the other digital platforms are similar with some slight differences from site to site. All platforms allow learning to happen by doing and allowing the challenge to be constant (Ito, et al., 2013).
Shared purpose
Common goals and interests can generate opportunities and connection for cross-generation and cross-cultural learning (Ito, et al., 2013). The shared purpose of MusicED is educating participants about music and education. This shared purpose allows youth to participate within the environment. According to Ito, et al. (2013) there can be valuable youth participation through a variety of ways, these being “projects with collective goals, collaboration and competitions, and cross generational leadership and ownership”. Through investigating the connected learning environment of MusicED, it is unclear whether all of these areas are imbedded. There is, however, evidence of cross generational leadership. Through the various social media platforms, people of all ages are sharing, creating, commenting and liking content on the platforms. This collaboration and cooperation from participants is valuable (Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Hodgson, & McConnell, 2012, p. 296). Currently there is no evidence of competitions through the platforms. This could be an area where the MusicED community could improve on to enhance further participation from the wider community. The only project with collective goals is the professional development sessions run by MusicEd Net. These sessions having the clear focus of addressing a curriculum goal or introducing a new teaching tool. There could be more of a focus on collective projects throughout the other online platforms.
Openly networked
“Technology makes connecting and collaborating so easy. But most important are the relationships that learning technologies make possible” (Ritter Hall & Nussbaum-Beach, 2010, p. 10). Without these connected learning technologies, learning within the MusicED environment would not be possible. As seen in the MusicED connected learning map the platforms which are frequently used are Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, blogs, and websites. Richardson & Mancabelli (2011, p. 53) suggests that Facebook allows people to be connected to their interests and find professional organisations through this connection. This is seen through the MusicED Net Facebook page. Their Facebook page allows participants and the community to be linked to various professionals and their organisation, mostly companies or education institutions. Within the professional development seminars and conferences organised, many of these presenters are affiliated with universities; software or music equipment companies; or their own music or education related businesses linking these organisations to the connected learning environment. The participants are then able to link with these organisations if it relates to their interests.
According to Ito, et al. (2013) an openly networked community should have the following “cross institutional networks; multiple points of entry and outreach; open assessments, badges, and certifications; open access and IP”. MusicED is a cross institutional network with access from many contexts. For example, there is evidence from the Twitter hashtag #musiced that cross institutional networking is taking place. university lecturers, school teachers, musicians and companies/organisations are all sharing content that is widely available to the community. Similar cross institutional networking is also occurring on the other social media platforms. Within the connected learning environment there are multiple points of entry for the public being students, parents, educators, and hobbyists to enter the network. The participants within the connected learning environment may not know who is involved in the platform with interactions taking place both directly and indirectly (Anderson & Dron, 2014). There is minimal evidence of assessments, badges or certifications taking place within the network. Learning is informal, unstructured and takes place at the learners own pace. The only area where certifications are given are through any professional development that is completed within a particular section of the network. Therefore, more assessments could be added to foster visible and recognised learning to the public community. Within the wider MusicED connected learning community there is ample evidence of content, resources and tools being readily accessible through the open platforms. “It is hoped that through technology and collaboration with peers and mentors, learners can follow their own interest-driven learning path (Long, 2016, p. 70).
MusicED connected learning environment has proved to be a valuable resource for many within the music industry. Although there are some potential areas of improvement, the community as a whole is supporting learning through its many online platforms and connections.
MusicED 