Learning in a Digital World

Reading about learning theories is an interesting task. It is not always the most exciting reading but there are some great nuggets there. Many times it is easy to identify with some aspects of a learning theory but not with others. For example, when I read about Behaviorism and the “black box” of learning, there is so much mystery and permanence there I have a hard time readily accepting it as the true answer for how humans learn, especially when I look at students. As I move through Cognitivism and Constructivism I find more concepts that are applicable. But I always feel like there is something missing. There are still explanations missing. Connectivism brings technology into education and addresses how world changes affect how students learn (Siemens, 2004). Then multiple intelligences enter the picture and affect the learning process for students (Gardner, 2003).

As education moves into the digital world and embraces distance learning and using technology in the classroom, I am excited. Being able to use tools provides me the opportunity to find my own answers when needed. I no longer need to remember “everything” or even where to find it, search tools allow me to find the answers provided I ask the right questions. In a face to face classroom it is very easy to be on the fringe and excuse a lack of quality in assignments. In an online learning environment I need to be more responsible for my own learning. In the online environment if I do not turn in my best attempt then I have missed out. Now, maybe more than ever, students need to be active learners who ask questions and question the information they are given. Do we need to teach them to remember dates in history or show them how to find that information when needed? And to think about the implications of history on the future?

Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after twenty years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf.

Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

New Technology

When the infrastructure was finally in place in our district, meaning the Internet bandwidth was wide enough to allow a variety of uses, we introduced video streaming to the teaching staff. In the presentation we tried to show a variety of ways the videos could be used and how they could be located. The faculty was all attentive and made the proper “noises” about trying it. Then they left and went back to their classrooms. Over the next few weeks we watched bandwidth usage rates and peaked into classrooms for evidence of video streaming. We found very little usage. The faculty did not openly show negative attitudes toward streaming they just avoided using it.

Keller’s ARCS model suggests four conditions for motivation must be met for successful integration and implementation (Driscoll, 2005). Keller states the instructor must get the attention of the audience; we had the attention and were able to show examples during the presentation. For the individual faculty members I think relevance was more difficult for them to understand. Follow-up meetings with individual faculty would have provided opportunities to discuss needs and where to find videos that would be appropriate for a variety of lessons. Those informal meetings would have provided relevance and increased confidence of faculty members about their ability to use videos in their lessons. For some faculty a few meetings would be needed to increase confidence and create movement toward satisfaction with using videos in the classroom.

Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3^rd edition). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Connectivism Mindmap

My personal network has changed the way I learn. It puts more information at my fingertips at any time. I can easily contact someone in the network and ask questions or request more information. With some of the individuals in my network our main form of communication is digital. The element of time is nonexistent, when the information is needed it is easy to locate the answer, I am not required to wait until the library opens.

The tools that best facilitate learning for me are electronic libraries and the Internet. Google Scholar makes it possible to access scholarly articles without an affiliation with an educational institution library. Siemens (2004) discusses the significance of informal learning and that it is a large portion of our learning. As I have questions about a myriad of topics I can find answers with well worded searches.

I watch my 11 year old son when he is interested in a new topic; he uses a variety of resources to learn. He starts with the Internet (I hear a lot of Mom, how do you spell?) from there he is interested in seeing his topic face-to-face. That may mean a trip to the museum, a park, the woods, the local car garage, the location is determined by the subject. He is incorporating both technology and nontechnology sources to encompass his topic. When I compare what he does with the resources I had available at that age – encyclopedia or if lucky a print book on the topic in the library. What I could learn about something was very limited. His learning borders are essentially limitless.

When I learn new knowledge I use a variety of sources; print and digital books, Internet, other people, to name a few. Really the way I learn about something new is determined by what the topic is. For example, learning about a new plant will involve an Internet search, a talk with the person at the nursery, purchasing the plant, planting it and observing its growth. While technology is a great tool to use to supplement learning actually “getting your hands dirty” is as valid (for some students even more so).

Siemens, G. (2004, December, 12). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from: http://elearningspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

Collaboration and Constructivism

As a student in high school I remember sitting in the back of the classroom, especially math, and not interacting with anyone. I could do the work (sort of) without listening to the lecture and my reading book was by far more interesting than my math teacher’s lecture about quadratic equations. As a senior, going into my last semester, when I dropped PreCalc, my teacher, who was also the town mayor, said if you would just pay attention you would easily pass this class. Oops! I guess he saw me reading my book. As I think back about those experiences I can’t help but think about how constructivism and collaboration could have affected my learning. Would it have been possible for me to sit isolated in the classroom and read my book, if other people were expecting me to do something? I don’t think so. For the most part humans tend to cluster together. When clustered together they need to figure out ways to live and work together – collaboration.

If my teacher would have used collaboration in my high school math class it would have been very different than collaboration is today. Then we would have still been an isolated island in the building; today students are using technology to reach outside their classroom and outside their building to find out what others are saying. Howard Rheingold talks about the new power of collaboration. Before technology people would have to be physically together to collaborate easily, now with the technologies that exist on the Internet we can collaborate anytime, anywhere. Allsop (2011) found that students working collaboratively online, who were physically in the same room, worked collaboratively both online and face-to-face. This type of working together on a wiki allows the students to see what others are doing and to work together to build their collective knowledge.

Constructivism is about students being actively involved in their learning and using their experiences to build new knowledge. Students using technology to work collaboratively, being actively involved in their education and building on experiences are students learning regardless of the tag attached to it.

Allsop, Y. (2011). Does collaboration occur when children are learning with the support of a wiki? The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(4), 130-137.

Learning Theory _ism's

So, I just read a blog conversation between Bill Kerr, Karl Kaplan, and Stephen Downes about learning theories. This conversation started in 2007 and to some extent is still ongoing. But I was struck by the passionate statements made. After reading their comments, I am more convinced than ever that learning theories are great at generalizations but lacking when we start to discuss detail. They provide a great framework for educators to build on. But as educators we need to build the framework from each theory rather than accepting an established framework in its entirety. Bill Kerr (2007) made a comment about cherry picking useful ideas from the _ism’s. Let’s pick those cherries and make a cherry pie. Every good cook knows that to get a really flavorful pie you need several varieties of cherries. Good teachers know they need to pick and choose strategies with students to really help those students learn. What works with one class may not work with others. There is no one-size-fits-all. Why do teachers then feel they need to fashion their classroom in a way that agrees with a specific learning theory?

I am taking a class right now where we are looking at learning theories, the _ism’s. And quite honestly some of those theories seem to talk in circles. When I think of that student sitting in my classroom who reads below grade level and is having trouble keeping up, I am not thinking about which learning theory will work best. I am thinking about how I can help that student catch up. When I read about the _ism’s I see every student in every theory. I teach high school, so I am not going to teach that student how to read, rather I am going to look for tools and help that student compensate for a deficiency, to bring their skills to grade level or as close as possible.

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Learning Theory and Educational Technology - "Metaphors of Educators"

Siemens (2008) metaphors of educators all provide opportunity for the learner to explore as an individual the learning topic. However, where I notice the difference is the educator as master and educator as network administrator seem to encourage more collaboration among the learners. The educator as master metaphor discusses a studio environment where students can view each other’s work and consult with each other (Siemens, 2008). The educator as a network administrator discusses connecting students to learning networks (Siemens, 2008). As organizations are restructuring their physical work environment to encourage collaboration among employees it would seem this is an important skill that must be developed in our students. P21.org lists collaboration as one of the 4C’s for student emphasis. The educator as concierge and educator as curator do not appear to place emphasis on collaboration. Students in these environments may be more likely to learn what the educator want students to learn in a direct manner. While the educator as master and educator as network administrator students may take a more circuitous route through knowledge.

As I think about each of these educator roles I can see myself functioning in each role. As I know there is no one way that all students learn I also feel there is no one way to present all materials. As an educator I find that I have used each of these roles in my classroom. Currently I teach a program that it is important that students find their own way. Sometimes I ask only questions and have them explore, others I point them in the right direction and still others I provide the resource I want them to use while they are exploring and forming their base knowledge. I don’t learn everything the same way, why would I expect my students to?

Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itform/Paper105/Siemens.pdf.

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

Science fiction is a great resource for emerging technology. Several novels by Philip K. Dick have provided the basis for movies and technology. A couple of weeks ago I chose to watch Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the basis for another assignment. How did I watch the movie? Did I go to the video store? Did I download it? Did I purchase the DVD? I have to admit, I went to the video store and I ended up watching Total Recall because the video store did not have any of the other movies on the list. Was Total Recall my first choice? No. But it is a good classic SciFi movie that I enjoyed watching with my husband and son. It was Henry’s first time seeing it and he really liked all the blood and guts (gotta love those 10 year olds J). I did not stream the movie because I actually do not have a membership to Netflix or any other video-on-demand service. I do not have time very often to sit down and watch a movie so I cannot justify the cost.

The competition between DVD’s and video-on-demand is an example of increasing returns. Video-on-demand started somewhat later than DVD’s but has grown quickly as more people have connected in more ways to the Internet via faster connections. Video rental stores, especially independent video rental stores have had to find a niche to continue to attract customers, and large video rental stores are investing in online streaming to continue to boost their sales (Overfelt, 2009). Video companies like Netflix and Blcokbuster provide both DVD’s and streaming to reach a larger market share of movie customers.

McLuhan’s Tetrad for DVD’s and video-on-demand:

Enhances: Family time – provides opportunity for family to watch a movie together without high cost of the movie theatre	Obsoletes: VHS video tapes
Rekindles: Reflects the progression of books throughout history – from a rare commodity to a common item most people own	Reverses: Movies presented in a virtual environment where viewer feels more a part of the movie

Overfelt, M. (2009, March 06). The last movie store left standing. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/06/smallbusiness/last_movie_rental_stores.smb/index.htm.