Has the digital become a poisioned well? As we come to understand the ways in which platforms and organizations use digital spaces to mine data and undermine democratic participation, how can we create room for meaningful pedagogical engagement with each other, in our classrooms and across distance? A keynote for MADLaT 2018

2. Me.

3. + MADLaT = <3

4. A small world with big problems

6. Education for – and IN – this world?

8. Increasing Polarization

9. Predictive, algorithmic stereotyping
- Benjamin Doxdator, 2017

10. Abuse of
Power

11. Digital spaces have been my work
& professional learning
environment for more than 15yrs

12. A big part of where I teach

13. Were they right? L

14. Is the digital a poisoned well?

16. In the midst of pervasive change
& uncertainty, the internet
*can* serve as a powerful agent for
building connections and
global human understanding

17. 2 ways to see the digital:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the4mahers/6802850117/

18. Attention Economy vs.
Participatory Culture
https://bryanmmathers.com/participatory-culture/

19. BOTH ARE TRUE.

20. Participatory
culture is about
people.
Sharing. Learning.
Perspective-taking
& building
together.

21. Monetization is about triggering
behaviours for profit

22. And tracking behaviours for profit

24. The monetization & participatory
culture lenses are basically mutually
exclusive

25. But this
tension is a
HUMAN
problem,
not a
*digital*
problem

26. Very little the digital enables is
actually new

28. So how do we DEAL with this
problem?

29. • COMPLEXITY
• CONNECTION

30. COMPLEXITY

31. To know how to address a
problem, you need to know
what kind of problem
you HAVE.
.

34. SIMPLE

35. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tojosan/176759844

36. Simple Problems
1. Only one answer needed
2. That answer always works
3. Does not require subject
matter expertise
4. Solutions can be Googled

39. COMPLICATED

41. Complicated Problems
1. Sometimes more than one
solution is possible
2. A solution is possible
3. Requires subject matter
expertise
4. Usually a lot of work

43. COMPLEX

45. Complex Problems
1. Do not have a solution
2. Can only work on part of the
problem
3. Iteration is key
4. You have to look for patterns

48. Complicated/complex?
Landing on the moon

49. Complicated/complex?
Climate change

50. Complicated/complex?
Video games

51. Complicated/complex?
Raising kids

52. Complicated/complex?
Pedagogical approaches?

53. Complicated/complex?
Pedagogical approaches to hijacked democracy?

54. Patterns for action:

55. • COMPLEX problems can be best
addressed by networks &
teamwork.
• To approach these problems
strategically, adaptive approaches
are important to prioritize.

57. Technical vs. Adaptive Responses

59. Knowledge abundance
"For the first time in human history, two related
propositions are true. One, it no longer
is possible to store within the human brain all of
the information that a human needs.
Second, it no longer is necessary to store within
the human brain all of the information that humans
need.
Education needs to be geared toward
the handling of data rather than the accumulation
of data.”
- Berlo, 1975

60. I propose that knowledge
abundance – navigating change
– is the complex problem AND
the adaptive challenge of our
time.

61. CONNECTION

62. Structure of abundance = networks
https://plus.google.com/+DaveGray/posts/CQRVeKEsUvFpid=5751686447270321954&oid=117373186752666867801

63. Collaborative
problem-solving & knowledge-
building

64. So. When THEY mine data &
undermine democracy…
WE build connection in a
weaponized culture?

65. Yip.

66. Networked communications:
many-to-many connections
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/thumb/d/d8/Do_Not_Adjust_Your_Set.jpg/280px-Do_Not_Adjust_Your_Set.jpg

67. We become network nodes,
forming webs of visible (& invisible)
connections

68. Connection
+ Connections
= A Pedagogical Approach to
Teaching & Learning
in Complexity

69. CONNECTION = Build relationships

70. In institutional
structures, an
individual has a role.
In a networked
culture, an individual
has an identity,
which it is his/her job
to differentiate.

71. Solve problems together

73. Own your mistakes.

74. Model being open to change

75. Help people build connectionS

77. BADGES:
A UPEI Pilot Initiative

78. A complement to classroom
learning

79. Knowledge-building for
long-term success
Employability
Skills
Networks
& Presence
Academic
Skills &
Credentials
where “luck”
happens

80. Learning,
not just
training

82. CLUSTERS

84. Fight the enclosure of learning
& democratic participation

85. Remember.
Change
is iterative.

88. A challenge, to
practices & pedagogies.

89. Thank you.
@bonstewart