Connectivism

I began using my network in high school with social chat sites when the Internet started becoming more popular. As a student I stuck to traditional forms of finding information, going to a library. As times continued to change and the Internet became even more popular I used the Internet to communicate with college classmates and professors by email. I never thought I would ever attend online school. I knew I needed to be in the classroom with an instructor in order to be successful. After I realized I would not be able to further my education but attending a traditional university I enrolled in an online university. My educational network changed the way I research information, the library for me is a thing of the past. I can't remember the last time I entered an actual library. I use online search engines for research as well as virtual libraries, I also learn from the thoughts and opinions of others. I don't think I would have this vast knowledge of the Internet and web tools if I didn't have an educational network. My work network opened the doors for me to communicate with teachers around the district and get ideas for teaching lessons. We often use email to share links to useful sites or web pages we created. My networks changed the way I learn new information and share information. My social network even allows me to stay up to date with friends I haven't actually seen in years.

I enjoy using search engines from various sites to find information, especially when I have questions. Almost everything I want to know can be researched via web. Google and Google Scholar have become two of my favorite places to find information. I also like to share information and collaborate with classmates and colleagues with various tools such as wikis, blogs, emails, and online discussion forums. My experiences with these digital tools have been heavily influenced by my networks. I enjoy the connections I can make through my network connections. I feel that I have an abundant knowledge base now that I have a strong network.

Collaboration

Howard Rheingold in his video on colllaboration suggests that humans have always had the basic instinct to interact. I agree that humans have the need to interact, but I feel that they will only collaborate and work together on something if they feel that it's beneficial. I believe that people do things for personal gain in most cases, don't get me wrong there are some that genuinely just want to help others. For instance a lot of people do not lean towards group projects if they feel they can get the project done alone. I have many students that would much rather work alone than pull the weight of the group. Those that look forward to group work often tend to be those who want the bulk of the responsibility placed on someone else. I also believe that the evolution of wikipedia came together because those that contributed to it's content felt that they could benefit from some aspect of the site. In essence people have a basic instinct to interact because they know they need other people to make personal gains.

The constructivist theory is weighted heavily on the idea that "higher mental processes in humans develop through social interaction." (Driscoll, 2005, p.396) With this thought in mind Driscoll points out that collaboration is a critical feature in a constructivist learning environment. (2005, p.396) Goal-based scenarios and problem-based learning, two of the methods of instruction for constructivism, are facilitated by collaborative activities. One person may not have the knowledge base to successfully answer a question, but members together have the knowledge necessary to construct an answer. Technology facilitates social interaction among students, facilitating collaborative activities. The use of wikis, blogs, and virtual worlds help develop ideas and promote the constructivist view of learning. With these social sites students can collaborate and construct their own knowledge base for learning. For instance blogs are controlled by individual students and ownership motivates student participation so students more voluntarily participate in collaboration on these sites.

Reference:

Driscoll, Marcy P. (2005) Pyschology of Learning for Instruction 3rd Ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

 

 

Cognitivism

Decade after decade we seem to always ask the same question which learning theory more accurately portrays how we as humans learn. Education course after education course always focuses on the major learning theories behaviorist, cognitive, and constructivist to name a few. It never fails that an instructor asks, Which learning theory best represents how we learn? What I have found in teaching in my own classroom and reading about the experiences of others there is no one theory fits all.

Bill Kerr in his blog makes note that these theories "do not stand still. They evolve; they listen to criticism and move on." Making a valid point that these theories are forever changing, to me this means that they can continue to grow as education changes. When these theories were constructed education was much different than today. These same theories can be applied to learning that occurs with the aid of technology that certainly didn't exist when Skinner and Piaget among other elaborated on these theories. Bill Kerr also pointed out that even though it is easy to make criticisms of these theories they are hard to ignore because they all hold some truth. Learning is a process that takes all forms. Karl Kapp makes it clear that we should take the best attributes from the learning theories and put them into practice in our teaching, I couldn't agree more. More importantly he was able to quote Bill Kerr when he said that each theory offers "something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right." I also couldn't agree more with Kapp that the theory become more applicable depending on the situation in which learning occurs.

I couldn't agree with these two blogs more. We have to be open minded as educators and understand that learning occurs on different levels. No matter how we get to the end result, the most important thing is be able to prove that learning occurs. As I have looked at different learning theories over time and analyzed them for different reasons, I have to say I always believe that all learning theories have useful ideas. We have to admit as educators if the all the theories didn't hold some sort of merit they wouldn't still be argued.

Siemens "Metaphors of Educators"

Siemens “Metaphors of Educators”

 

Siemens gives four alternative titles to educators in today’s changing society.  The four metaphors he refers to are Master Artist, Network Administrator, Concierge, and Curator.  In all four descriptions he acknowledges that the teacher has expertise in their field, however, they guide learners in different ways to gain knowledge.

A master artist would be “able to observe the activities of all students and draw attention to innovative approaches.”  (Siemens, 2008, p. 15)  In this role the teacher would be able to evaluate all learners work, but make sure that those who are most successful at reaching the desired learning outcome are highlighted.  Learners are given set of expectations and given the freedom to create their own “art”.  The role of the network administrator would be “to assist learner in forming connections and creating learning networks.” (2008, p.16)  The teacher would be able to give enough information to get students started and let them create their own path to reach the desired learning outcome.  Learners are given expectations and design their learning plan. The role of a concierge would be to push students in the direction of information that they may not be aware of.  (2008, p. 16)  The teacher would be a source of knowledge, but only gives enough information to set a direction for learning.  The learner will be left to fully discover information on their own.  A curator would create spaces where knowledge can be explored and connected; a learning environment that is not teacher centered. (2008, p. 17)  The teacher will allow students to explore as freely as they like, however the key concepts will be enforced by the teacher. 

As I think about the role of an instructor in a digital classroom or workplace, I think of instructors serving as a master artist/network administrator/concierge/curator.  The role of an instructor is forever changing.  All four descriptions fit the needs of a digital classroom or workplace.  I really think that the learning task and the learners play a part in the role the teacher must play.  In a learning situation such a blog or an online discussion, like Siemens points out, the teacher could serve as a master artist. When a student makes a good point the teacher draws attention to their “art”.  If giving a research task the teacher may need to serve as a concierge, allowing students to come for direction, but at the same time setting them out on their own.  Learners working in groups may need for the teacher to serve as the network administrator.  Then when students are given a simple task they need to know the concepts but have the ability to go out on their own to master them.  I believe that a single teacher wears many faces and he or she has to differentiate based on various learning situations.  I agree with Siemens, all “four models, blend the concept of educator expertise with learner construction.” (2008, p.17) It is important to let learners take ownership of their learning whether in a standard or digital learning situation.

Reference
Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Information retrieved on September 9, 2012; fromhttp://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens

Addressing The Digital Divide

As I think of emerging technologies I think of how successful the use of technology is in the classroom when students do not have access to technology once they leave school. Throughout my coursework at Walden University I have focused a lot on collaboration among students. There are so many ways to collaborate online in groups wikis, blogs, nings, google docs, just to name a few. I have created assessments using these tools for future use with my students. I have to be creative on how I implement these technologies into my own classroom because many of my students are of low socioeconomic status and do not have access to computers at home. Furthermore education is not the top priority for my students so they are not going to make a way to a library or other access point where these technologies are available. As a leader in educational technology I must take these conditions into consideration when designing lessons for students. I realized just because many of them cannot use these collaboration methods outside of school does not mean that they have to be kept ignorant to the fact that these technologies exist. As I speak with other teachers about the usefulness of technology in the classroom they also have no idea what some of these things are or how easily accessible these technologies are. I must keep my students abreast of all of their options so that those that continue their education will have equal opportunity to succeed as those who are not as disadvantaged when it comes to access of technology. I began creating lessons that will allow my students to use technology during class when it is available. I have also created collaborative activities that encourage students to stay after school to use the technologies available for them at the school. I realized through my experiences at Walden that all students must be given equal opportunity to be successful.

Red Queens

Dr. David Thornburg suggests a red queen is a technology that comes out of no where and changes the game. The red queen creates competition for one technology until one technology is faded out For a discussion I was asked to watch a science fiction to find emerging or emerged technologies. I immediately sought out a DVD to watch for the assignment. As I write this blog I was asked to think about whether or not on demand movie rentals or the ability to watch movies over the Internet will replace DVDs. On demand movie rentals and the the Internet is certainly creating competition for DVDs. It is more convenient to hit a button on a remote to watch a movie or find a video to stream on the Internet than to leave home to find a movie to rent. As I look around I see more an more video rental stores closing. However I see more and more DVD rental kiosks popping up in grocery stores and the like. I also see the price of DVDs dropping and becoming more affordable for everyone. Although I think it is convenient for people to rent movies on demand and stream movies via the Internet, I do not think it will completely wipe out the demand for DVDs any time soon. People still like to get out of the house even if it is for the purpose of renting a movie. It is even more convenient because you can head to a local grocery store shop for groceries and pick up a movie on your way out the door. People also still like to purchase DVDs so they can pop them in at any time without having to find it. DVDs are also good for those who may not have cable or satellite television or access to the Internet. Lastly DVDs can be used during travel where there is limited or no access to on demand or Internet, and can be shared among family and friends. On demand and Internet streaming, in my opinion, just gave an alternative to DVDs. People will choose what is convenient for them at the time.

Second Life

Second Life a virtual world where anything is possible created by Philip Rosedale changed the way people can communicate via the Internet. Second life allows people to do what they want to do but cannot do in the real world. It goes beyond the standard text to text of normal Internet searches and information is presented in images. Dr. Thornburg defines disruptive technology as a new technology that has the same features as an old technology, but more efficient. The new technology comes along and changes how we do things. With this definition we can look at Second Life changing the way that we chat globally. So many users are in this world at the same time from everywhere around the globe. It allows users to chat as someone else to leave their real world and enter the world of their avatar. Instead of have linear chat with just one person or having to wait your turn to chat in a chat room you can create different conversations with people simultaneously. Dr. Thornburg also refers to a disruptive technology as a wild card that changes the nature of the game instantly, but I am not so sure that Second Life is a true disruptive technology in this since. It has taken years to grow to this level and its creator suggests it has many years and much more potential for growth. It is unclear what technology it truly displaced because chat is still available and it is still being used. I believe that Second Life has about five more years to reach it's full potential because a lot of people haven't caught on to it, or they may just not have time. I would like to see what it is like but I have too many real world responsibilities to take on a virtual world. I am not sure that it will ever be displaced by another emerging technology because people like to live out their dreams via virtual worlds. I think the more advanced the program gets the more people will stick with it because its virtual possibilities are endless. As a foreign language teacher I think it would be a great teaching tool. Students are so scared to speak in front of the class but if they could use avatars in a virtual setting I believe they would become more comfortable with the language. The only problem is my students do not have the technology at home to create virtual worlds.

Resources:

Rosedale, P. (2008) Second Life (video). Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index/php/talks/theinspirationofsecondlife.html

Thornburg, D. (2009) Disruptive Technologies (vodcast). Laureate Education Inc.