The term learner-generated context originated in the suggestion that an educational context might be described as a learner-centric ecology of resources and that a learner generated context is one in which a group of users collaboratively marshall available resources to create an ecology that meets their needs. There are many discussions about

user-generated content User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

(UGC),

open educational resources Open educational resources (OER) are Instructional materials, teaching, learning, and research materials intentionally created and Free license, licensed to be free for the end user to own, share, and in most cases, modify. The term "OER" descri ...

(OER),

distributed cognition Distributed cognition is an approach to cognitive science research that was developed by cognitive anthropologist Edwin Hutchins during the 1990s. From cognitive ethnography, Hutchins argues that mental representations, which classical cognitive s ...

and

communities of practice A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly". The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educati ...

but, although acknowledging the importance of the learning process, there has been little focus on learner-generated contexts or the impact of new technologies on the role of teacher, learner and institution.

Background

The term learner-generated context (LGC) is grounded in the premise that learning and teaching should not start with the embracing of new technologies, but rather that it is a matter of contextualising the learning first before supporting it with technology. The concept finds its roots in the

affordances Affordance is what the environment offers the individual. American psychologist James J. Gibson coined the term in his 1966 book, ''The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems'', and it occurs in many of his earlier essays. However, his best-know ...

and potentials of a range of

disruptive technologies In business theory, disruptive innovation is innovation that creates a new market and value network or enters at the bottom of an existing market and eventually displaces established market-leading firms, products, and alliances. The concept wa ...

and practice;

web 2.0 Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, and ...

and participative media,

mobile learning M-learning or mobile learning is "learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices". A form of distance education, m-learners use mobile device educational technology at their convenienc ...

, learning design and learning space design. It is also concerned with related issues in social interactions with technology around roles, expertise, knowledge, pedagogy,

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

, power, participation and democracy. The learner-generated context concept is concerned with examining the rapid increase in the variety and availability of resources and tools that enable people to easily create and publish their own materials and to access those created by others, and ways in which this extends the capacity for learning context creation beyond the traditional contexts of, ''inter alia'', teachers, academics, designers and policymakers. It is also a concept which challenges existing pedagogies insofar as it sees a new generation of read/write, participatory technologies as enabling learners to take ownership of both their learning and their actions in the real world and to contribute to the co-design of learning resources. In learner generated contexts, technology is seen to offer new dimensions for active participation and creativity in learning.

Definition

Th
Learner Generated Contexts Research Group
was formed at a workshop in Bath (UK) in March 2007. This interdisciplinary research group based at th
London Knowledge Lab
defines a learner generated context (LGC) as:

''A context created by people interacting together with a common, self- defined or negotiated learning goal. The key aspect of Learner Generated Contexts is that they are generated through the enterprise of those who would previously have been consumers in a context created for them''.

Key issues

The emphasis on

contexts ''Contexts'': ''Understanding People in their Social Worlds'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal and an official publication of the American Sociological Association. It is designed to be a more accessible source of sociological ideas ...

is key: learning is viewed as a social process occurring across a continuum of contexts, and learning must be "''fit for context''". The generation of context is characterised as ''an action on tools where a user actively selects, appropriates and implements learning solutions to meet their own needs''.Bakardjieva, M. (2005). Internet Society. The Internet in Everyday Life. London: Sage Publications The following key issues emerge from this concept: * learners as creators not consumers * learning is facilitated by "agile intermediaries" * learning moves from regulated practice(s) towards participative collaboration and co-creation * learner needs participatory control of the learning environment * environment is physical, social and cognitive * learning design is purposeful – the 'preferred' and 'best' learning context may not be identical * co-configuration, co-creation and co-design of learning space allows learners to create their own context * new and relevant learning contexts are generated by needs and questions arising in social interactions * PAH continuum –

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

(cognitive mode),

andragogy Andragogy refers to methods and principles used in adult education. The word comes from the Greek ἀνδρ- (''andr-''), meaning "man", and ἀγωγός (''agogos''), meaning "leader of". Therefore, andragogy literally means "leading men", wher ...

(metacognitive mode),

heutagogy Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

(epistemic mode)

References

External links

Learner Generated Contexts Wiki
http://learnergeneratedcontexts.pbwiki.com/
LGC Research Group's page at OpenLearn

The Evolving Story of LGC
A presentation given by members of the LGC group at OpenLearn07
A Coincidence of Motivations Leading to Agile Configurations
– A presentation given by Fred Garnett at Shock of the Old 7, Oxford, 2008
LGC Launch
– A presentation given at LKL debate no. 1 by founding members of the LGC Group.
Learner-Generated Contexts: sustainable learning pathways through open content
– A paper given at the OU OpenLearn07 conference in Milton Keynes, 2007 * http://hennistalk.blogspot.com/2007/11/openlearn-2007-learner-generated.html Citizen media Collective intelligence Human–computer interaction Ubiquitous computing