Informal Learning
in a Virtual Community: TYWC
David Davenport
Computer Eng. Dept.,
Bilkent University
Ankara 06533 – Turkey
email:
[email protected]
Formal Learning
 Education - the realm of schools & teachers
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Irrelevant, boring lessons, lack of learning!
Keep kids out of the way
 Students
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are containers to be filled
knowledge from teacher
all treated the same
Informal Learning
Learning is like breathing,
it’s natural, we do it all the time
 No teacher required!
 Two most complex & difficult lessons
 Usually unaware of it, yet sometimes…
I want to talk about learning. But not the lifeless, sterile, futile, quickly
forgotten stuff that is crammed into the mind of the poor helpless individual
tied to his seat by ironclad bonds of conformity! I am talking about
LEARNING – the insatiable curiousity that drives the adolescent boy to
absorb everything he can see or hear or read about gasoline engines in order to
improve the efficiency and speed of his ‘cruiser’. [Carl Rogers]
Informal Learning
 Experiential
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Curiosity-based
Opportunistic
Mentor & Environment
 Non-formal learning
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Extra-curricula activities
Sports & Youth clubs
Museums, zoos, stately homes, etc.
 Antithesis of classroom learning!
Informal Learning
 Learning is
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Natural
Personal
Individual
 Can be facilitated
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Stimulus
Environment
Community
Communities
Alliances of people who share a
common interest and value system
 Members
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have commitment to & generally accept its rules
participate in its organisation & running
develop informal & emotional bonds
 Social Capital – trustworthiness
 Virtual communities
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Non-local, reversing decline?
The Young Writers Club
 A Virtual Informal Learning Community
 Personal website founded in 1995
 Now a major international resource
Learning in TYWC
 From members perspective…
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Meet others with similar interest
Have their work “published”
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Encouragement & constructive criticism
Negative comments - pseudo-anonymous!
Global interaction leads to better understanding of
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& read and commented upon by others
Geography, Time, Cultures & Religions - tolerance?
Helping out…
School use!
Learning in TYWC
 From author’s perspective…
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Demands considerable time & effort!
Follow & use latest technology
Stimulus for student projects
Problem members
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Technological limits
Social issues
 free speech, pornography & privacy
 Intellectual property, copyright & plagiarism
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New interests!
Concluding remarks
 Some “lessons” for educators…
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Learning is natural growth, not production
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Informal learning can be very effective
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personalisation
Passion, motivation, ownership!
But cannot easily combine with schooling
Technology supports IL, but again…
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Initial novelty value, but
Turns into part of the problem!
Concluding remarks
 Some “lessons” for educators…
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Rapid Change demands learning culture
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Passport to real life after 12 year sentence
Life-long learning
But how?
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Throw out conventional lessons & exams
Credit for out-of-school experience
Provide time!
Down play individual competition
Encourage cooperation & community
Thank you…
Questions
Comments
Suggestions
TYWC - http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/derya/ywc.html