http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hc_ecology/message/565
Hi Mogens ( cc: friends , traveling school of life , Global Villages , Working in Parallel )
in relation to the development and experimentation of connectivist approaches to learning ,
using existing infrastructure and environments ,
I would like to ask you all to get in touch with me if some of the following perspectives interest you , or put me in touch with anyone else you might know that might be interested , or already develops similar approaches , so that we could set up some kind of project and apply for funds ! / I m writing this to Mogens , who is a principal of a Folkhighschool in Denmark. – or if you are connected to a learning environment and would like to collaborate with me , I m willing to volunteer if you are able to host and feed me during my stay.
I ll paste this call for connecting with others on my blog :
http://dante.ecobytes.net
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Its Dante ( http://couchsurfing.com/dante )
I was one of your asia/europe ( related to asef grant ) students at brenderup ( 2003 ? )
As time has passed by ,
I m not sure if you are still working with folkhighschools today.
( I realized that one of my friends , Sabina from Latvia , attended the new school where you have become principal , about two years ago. )
If you are still passionnately active with Folk Highschools , I would like to consult you in relation to potential collaboration.
( for other friends reading this – more info on danish folkhighschools on :
http://www.hojskolerne.dk/the-danish-folk-high-school
and map : http://www.hojskolerne.dk/hoejskoler )
I do not know about latest developments in relation to what is happenning within and between folkhighschools – so I ll share some of my views and perhaps they might connect to other existing projects ?
For example , I like to dream about collaboration towards developping alternative experimental connectivist approaches hosted for a number of weeks , or months , at a folkhighschool , that would also revolve around the interaction itself , and alternative forms of learning , co-creation, governance , economics , production and lifestyles , which can include new opportunities brought by information technologies ,
and can then further be transferred to the communities itself.
… towards a culture of sustainable participative passion and peer enabled co-learning and co-creation , updated to developments in the emerging knowledge based economy ,
and applied to a variety of actual topics and solution development – from sustainable local forms of energy , food logistics , building , healthcare , alternative financial systems – or any topic for which new knowledge and solutions are needed for , and for which students , or even elder enthusiasts , could gather in one folkhighschool as to further facilitate the emergence of inspiring ideas and practices that could then be reproduced accross schools , universities , cooperatives , … and aimed at using technologies and practices in involving local communities and taylor new solutions , with the help of various regional and trans-regional intentional peer networks , that themselves can also emerge through the multiplication of practices accross various existing learning and interaction environments , eventually facilitated by networks of nomadic boundary spanners.
If I remember properly from what I learned through my experience at Brenderup and in Denmark , I believe some of these these open and inclusive aspects to learning and… creation ( ? ) are some of the basis of the philosophy of folk highschools ,
and of danish society itself , through the influence of Grundtvig.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundtvig
I know about other such kind of approaches and projects , albeit perhaps more exclusive – restrictive in the selection of its participants , such as http://www.kaospilot.dk/
I also know that such initiatives might be developped individually accross schools , yet most often restricted within a certain official curriculum , and not necessarily with the prospect of a permanent resource and collaboration networking platform. – even though this might be exactly what might be encouraged by certain european grants , which eventually could be applied for.
( ? … http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/grundtvig/index_en.html )
I would like to open up inspiring practices which could then easily be networked and multiplied through other learning and living interaction environments , such as any school.
I imagine that it could lead towards certain ” networked cluster ” models , yet not focused on direct profit making or on specific academic research ( such as EU bacled projects like http://openlivinglabs.eu ; http://www.livinglabs-europe.com/ ; ,
but more intended towards facilitating such a ” network society culture ” through peer learning and co-creation , and hopefully also towards peer and community empowered social entrepreneurship , for individuals of all ages.
by the way , I collect a number of links on alternative learning on :
http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/alternativelearning?setcount=100
http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/socialentrepreneurship?setcount=100
I feel like cc ing this to Michel Bauwens ( http://p2pfoundation.net ) , Marilyn Mehlmann , Julian Still , and other friends ,
hoping that this could generate a discussion , and perhaps , fueled by other gatherings such as the ” she ” gathering ( see below ) , to new , ( temporary ? ) co-creative environments.
Looking forward to hear of any suggestions ,
let me know if you or anyone else you know might be interested , so that together we can facilitate the emergence and further interconnection of idividuals interested in working on such kind of ideas.
Thanks ,
Cordially
Dante ( I am currently in Estonia , probably soon Finland )