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.