Tag: searchandresearch

Dee Hock’s Law of Simple/Complex Behavior

In Dee Hock’s Birth of the Chaordic Age, he writes, “Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior.”

To me this means that when we focus on the goal and a straightforward way to accomplish that goal, the pathway is clearer than if we focus on the pebbles in the pathway because then the end goal becomes obscured.

Dee Hock founded the Chaordic Alliance which combines the words chaos and order. According to The Global Citizen: The Chaordic Age (at http://www.alternet.org/story/609/the_global_citizen%3A_the_chaordic_age), chaordic organizations are self-governing and self-organizing and operate as a network of equals instead of a hierarchy of authorities. What makes them effective is a clear, shared purpose. Examples given are Alcoholics Anonmouns and Visa International. It becomes relevant to us in our class because it parallels the use of the Internet–we do not want interference with the simple way it currently functions, or to have regulations put on digital access.

In the video Chris linked to about The Internet’s Own Boy, Aaron Swartz, so many laws had been passed to combat terrorism and thievery by hackers, that the goal of open sharing of  public information was lost.

Biblically, Phillippians 3: 13-14 stresses forgetting the past so as to try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. This relates because focusing on a goal is more effective than getting sidetracked in detail, debate, and remorse over previous actions.

My next reference may be a hot button for some readers. The NRA says new regulations may shut down access to technical data regarding firearms. The goal is to curb terrorist behavior, but in complicating regulation, the individual rights may be infringed upon. According to the NRA, in an attempt to clarify rules about public domain information available online, massive restraints upon free speech would incur. I know some conservative sites can distort issues to present their own agenda, but there is usually some truth worth investigating as well. The Aaron Swartz story makes me take claims like this more seriously.

Transformation by Design, by Melissa Hoffman, includes an interview with Dee Hock. Hock discusses the mindset needed for a new way of thinking and that the essence of organizations as well as many other topics clarifying his views. I especially liked his point that a high level of individual commitment can invoke sweeping change. (Again I think of Aaron Swartz). I recommend this interview as worth reading.

A TED talk, Chaordic Design and Community, by Mike Dahn. We want to lower the barriers to participation so that individuals can create great things. He advocates involving more people to accomplish more. Believe that you can do something even if it’s out of your comfort zone. He quotes Dee Hock, “It is no failure to fall short of realizing all that we might dream. The failure is to fall short of dreaming all that we;might realize.”

As I followed this trail of chaordic design it may appear that I have strayed from the original quote. However, none of the situations can evolve without staying focused on the goal at hand.

A last example of the complex leading to stupid behavior is the No Child Left Behind legislation:

Murnane, R. J. and Papay, J. P. (2010). Teachers’ views on no child left behind: support for the principles, concerns about the practices.  Journal of Economic Perspectives,  24 (3), 151-166.

The above references relate to our course because part of becoming a digital citizen is to embrace an awareness of  how networks have grown organicly through a common goal to learn and communicate and what factors may restrict our usage, Although certain restrictions appear to be well meaning on the surface, when they are put in place an entirely different outcome may result which may be contrary (and stupid) to the original intent.

 

Task: Choose from the following list of topics and create a research page that includes a description/definition of the topic (a few paragraphs or so is fine) and how you think it might relate to the purpose of this class…and links to 7 or more “readings” that support or expand upon your description/definition along with a brief summary. “Readings” may include articles, web pages, blog posts, video, podcasts, etc.

Topic: Digital Literacy

Literacy itself is more than the ability to read and write. It includes lifelong learning of searching, adapting, processing, analyzing, communicating skills. When we speak of digital literacy the forum changes from the written word to electronic communication networks. With technology, come additional digital tools to master and topics such as fair use and online privacy to examine. It is an interesting dynamic where your online presence becomes an extension of yourself. We attain digital literacy when we can function in that environment, learn, share, communicate effectively, and become a contributing member, or citizen, of that world. My definition is probably somewhat simplified, but the term includes vast topics.

Research links:

U.S. Digital Literacy site at http://digitalliteracy.us/ includes some much more eloquent definitions of digital literacy. The site includes many educational resources to teach digital literacy to our students.

Teaching Channel Presents: Digital Literacy in the Classroom video podcasts at https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/tch-presents-digital-literacy which provides lessons for use with your own students.

Review of Doug Belshaw’s The Essentials of Digital Literacies on TER Podcast #42 at http://readwriterespond.com/?p=627

Jenny Luca’s interview at Edutech 2014 at http://jennyluca.com/tag/digital-literacy/

Poster: Module design for digital literacy development at http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OULDI/?p=361

Hall, R., Atkins, L., and Fraser, J. (2014). Defining a self-evaluation digital literacy framework for secondary educators; the DigiLit Leicester project. Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT).  22.

Digital Futures in Teacher Education at http://www.digitalfutures.org/ is an open textbook for educators and schools. Registration is required to access materials. The site discusses a three-stage model which includes digital competence, digital usage, and digital transformation.

Digital Literacy and Classroom Curriculum at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum is an online text on the teaching of digital literacy, ready for use.

Digital Literacy is one of nine themes of digital citizenship defined at Digital Citizenship- Using Technology Appropriately. The focus is that students must learn how to learn in a digital society by learning emerging tools.

All of the links relate to our class because digital citizenship encompasses digital literacy. As we become functioning, responsible members of digital communities, we can contribute, shape, and learn best if we have digital literacy.