Constructionism and Constructivism

Based on these two definitions or explanations I found on the Internet, it seems to me that constructionism is what we do when navigating in multi-modal situations or in creating online activities, while constructivism relates to how we perceive our experiences in the multiliterate or multi-modal environment. For example, constructivism seems to relate to blogging. I think the two frameworks go hand-in-hand in the world of new technologies.

"Constructionism is based on two different senses of "construction." It is grounded in the idea that people learn by actively constructing new knowledge, rather than having information "poured" into their heads. Moreover, constructionism asserts that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in constructing personally meaningful artifacts (such as computer programs, animations, or robots).
"http://learning.media.mit.edu/mid_projects.php

"Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own "rules" and "mental models," which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences."
http://www.funderstanding.com/constructivism.cfm

Michael Coghlan's CLESOL Keynote in Christchurch, NZ

I was able to go to Christchurch tonight from the comfort of my own home (!) and participate as a member of the online audience at Michael Coghlan's CLESOL Keynote in Christchurch, NZ. His topic was "Finding Your Voice on the Internet- changing the language, building community, and reducing diversity". His talk tied in so well with this course and the talks we've heard by Stephen Downes and Robin Good in that he stressed how the Internet has " given everyone a voice" and in fact has brought people together who might otherwise never engage, or never wish to engage in dialogue in the politically-charged f2f environment. In terms of the benefits of the communication the Internet can foster, I think I heard him say, "I say turn off the television and blog!".
He said that as teachers we are often looking for or trying to present authentic situations for students and "the Internet is one gigantic authentic environment"we can utilize. "There are people all over the planet willing to join your class for a time."He also talked about being "a netizen"--maybe we in this TESOL certificate program are on our way to becoming netizens; surely to be a netizen is to be multiliterate!
I also had a chance to "hear" Vance when he responded to whether or not culture is a barrier to online communities. He said that he did not think so, and that the cultural interference which does occur is similar to that you would find in a classroom situation such as diaglossia. He thought the interaction seemed to be for the most part positive; that the Internet "brings people together above all". Vance said that people are relating as human to human, on a cognitive level. And that even when they do sometimes meet f2f, they have a positive experience and often feel a strong and close connection after their online communication. Colleen K. from Canada also spoke about her concept that we need "relationships of difference". She believes the communication online is actually enhanced by not being able to see each other. In this way, we remove the barriers to communication which may exist for many reasons in the f2f world.
It was a great session and inspiring. However, as I listen to these talks, I realize I find their vision of the Internet as a democratic environment very attractive while at the same time wondering if they are merely talking about its potential, or ideal way of working, rather than the reality. Just how many people in the world really have access to computers, or to computers that can handle all the "bells and whistles" of the various programs? Is it democracy for the few?

After listening to Robin Good

I am feeling less multiliterate, but I am still fascinated by all the new programs that are out there to try out and use. Robin Good gave us such a clear and comprehensive presentation on what is available for synchronous collaboration and how to select from among them. However, I am trying to imagine how they might be used with a class of students as they seem to be designed for use with small groups. I definitely think they would be useful for collaboration between profs., and in my setting between our institution and the home institution in Japan.

What is multiliteracy?

Starting this course, I really had only a vague notion of what multiliteracy could be. But on Wednesday night when I was trying to find the site and join up at Learning Times, so I could experience a synchronous online conference presentation, I thought maybe what I was doing was multiliteracy. Then when our instructor, Vance, seemed to say as much in a posting soon after, I thought I was beginning to understand.

However, more recently, as I finally read through some references I had "googled"earlier on multiliteracies, I discovered yet a new spin on the term/concept in an article by Leslie Rush, an associate prof. of English Education at the University of Wyoming. I thought others might find it intriguing also. She delves into ecological literacy and environmental literacy (!) through a case study of hikers on the Appalachian Trial.

I was fascinated by how she analyzed the ways the hikers "read" and "wrote" in their environment involving multiliteracies (reading a map, reading a trail, leaving a marker or sign which was not in print, etc.). In addition, she looked at the ways the same hikers made use of the more traditional literacies (carried books along to read and leave behind for others, and notes left for others, etc.).
http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=rush/index.html

I now realize that multiliteracy is even more broad than I had imagined. It makes the concept even more exciting in my opinion as it opens up so many new ways of looking at reading and writing and forms of communication.

MJ in Kauai

My first blog!

Yet another new experience for me as I "push button publish" a blog. Heard about 'em, now I have one. I plan to jot down some thoughts on multiliteracies as I journey through this course.