Connectivism and Technology

This three-minute clip gives some useful data, even though it is now four years old, about young people's use of social media, e.g. nearly 70% are content creators not just consumers.  They spend about 11,000 hours in school but 15,000 hours on social media.   For me, it's further impetus for utilizing these mediums more and more.

Source
pduresky (2009, October 25) Connectivism and Technology

[Video file] Retrieved from

http://youtu.be/BjOv_ssTQDY

How can teachers determine whether their students are actually learning in an e-learning environment besides purely assessment based acivities?

In response to Averill's question

Prineas and Cini (2011) argue that online education and assessment of learning outcomes are strongly connected, but that the semantic environment may markedly improve assessment and its ability to improve teaching and learning.

The Learning Outcomes Assessment (LOA) movement and online learning in higher education emerged at approximately the same time in the mid 1980s, but these are just now beginning to intersect. The authors note five key factors:

1. Educators still need a sophisticated understanding of e-learning’s power and associated technologies to alter how we perceive and design LOA programs
2. Data mining from course management systems indicates patterns of student behavior which can be used for timely intervention
3. With new technologies educators can design and assess programs that mimic the way learners learn
4. Instructors require technological expertise
5. Faculty roles will change

Today’s online learning is ubiquitous and multifaceted and the following observations are crucial to ensuring successful student performance.

Data mining

Firstly, they note that online learning systems allow educators to monitor students individually and provide timely feedback.  These ‘data analytics’ as Prineas and Cini (2011) term them guide improvement.   Secondly, the authors note that online programs offering asynchronous mastery learning provide more respect for differing background knowledge and learning styles, affording students flexibility with completion time, but still retaining the same defined learning outcomes.  Kulik, Kulik & Bangert-Drowns, 1990, cited in Prineas & Cini (2011) observe that faculties need to invest much time implementing an effective course to utilize this method.

To further ensure effective learning outcomes, static activities such as readings need to be designed with interactive tasks and with embedded assessments, individually, or in collaboration with peers and/or an instructor.  Once again, the monitoring and assistance to students is the key to effective learning.

Mimicking the way learners learn

The Seven Principles of Good Practice for Undergraduate Education written by Chickering and Gamson in 1987 (ibid) has guided good pedagogy since.  An overview of the seven principles are: contact between students and faculty; reciprocity and cooperation among students; active learning; prompt feedback; time on task; high expectations and respect for diverse talents and ways of learning.    The authors note that traditionally assessment was often performed by the same individual who designed a program, delivered the content, counseled and assessed, but that with online education, assessment is now a distinct function of faculty and can be performed more thoroughly; this unbundled approach being more advantageous to the learner. They believe that online courses need to be framed in good educational practice.

Instructors’ technological expertise

In support of the above, Paechter et al. (2009) studied students’ general expectations and experiences of an e-learning course including the important characteristics of the course, the learning outcomes and satisfaction with the course. They discovered that students’ own learning goals and the instructor’s didactic expertise led to greater learning.  The researchers noted that many students believed that many instructors are not facile with the implementation of e-learning.  This is consistent with findings by Bonk (2006) who argues that e-learning is facing a “perfect e-storm” connecting pedagogy, technology and learners’ needs, and notes that instructors’ competence in online teaching is critical to the quality of online education. He also observed in one study a gap that existed in instructors’ professed and actual online practices, with fewer than 40% actually using the interactive, creative, analytic practices they professed.

Palloff & Pratt (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) also stress the importance of instructors being skilled in facilitating online instruction and quote, among other competencies, “Attend professional development workshops that will review learning theories and continually develop facilitator skills” (Davidson, 2006; cited in Palloff & Praff, 2007).   Derrick (2003; ibid)  stresses the view that engagement with the online community is the pathway to success and that learner competence increases;  the best five practices are changing the balance of power; changing the function of the content; instructor’s role needs to change, as does the learning responsibility and the assessment processes.

Changing roles of faculty

An individual instructor will no longer be working independently and faculties will be transformed and that group efforts will provide the best teaching for the students.    The porosity of the online classroom walls with other educational staff providing teaching input will continually improve the learning experience of the students (Neely & Tucker, 2010; cited in Prineas & Cini, 2011).

Conclusion

The conclusions are that, for educators to best determine whether their students are actually learning in an on-line environment, thinking needs a turnaround from the traditional orientation of teacher being an instructor who imparts knowledge to waiting students and makes summative assessments of their competencies, to a technically facile instructor who utilizes educational technology combined with sound learning practice, i.e. a model that recognizes the best interventions for student performance.   Such a structural framework is essential for effective assessment.

References

Bonk, C. (2006). The future of online teaching and learning in higher education: the survey says …Retrieved April 15, 2013 from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/future-online-teaching-and-learning-higher education

Paechter, M., et al. Students’ expectations of, and experiences in e-learning: Their relation to learning achievements and course satisfaction. Computers & Education (2009), doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.005

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007) Building virtual communities:  techniques that work. University of Wisconsin: 23^rd Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning

Prineas, M. & Cini, M. (2010). Assessing learning in online education: the role of technology in improving student outcomes. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. Occasional Paper #12

7 Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved 2013 April 28 from www.sc.edu/cte/guide/undergraduateducation/index.shtml

Notetaking in the digital classroom: A blended learning approach

In this article, the authors compare students’ use of traditional written notetaking in lectures with the use of digital devices such as recording pens, laptops,  and recorders.  He notes that the average student writes .3 or .4 words per second but can type at 2 or 3 words per second.   He observes that 66.5% of students do not have any structure to their notetaking or any knowledge of effective notetaking systems.   The authors quote research from the University of Washington (n.d.) which notes the cognitive value of written notetaking.  While listening only, the brain is not sorting information which increases the processing and memory, but if making notes while listening the brain is sorting and this procedure increases learning and memory.   Da Sousa (2001) states that listening only to a lecture results in 5% retention after 24 hours; audio + visual provide 20% retention after 24 hours.

The authors report that in 2010 40% of students prefer a blended approach, but that nevertheless there is a need for teachers to actively teach notetaking skills.   They suggest that, in order for students to gain practice in organizing information, the teacher provide a scaffolded framework with main ideas and spaces for students to write in secondary or supporting information.    The authors outline the convenience of digital notetaking and conclude with the belief that the students gain much by the interactivity and speed, but believe that traditional notetaking skills provide better cognitive value while the brain is dealing with auditory input and committing it to paper.   The practice of the teacher scaffolding notetaking fits with Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory, cognitive and constructivist theories.   The authors observe that there are many methods of notetaking but suggest the Cornell method of dividing the page into three zones: a cue area, a summaries area and a follow up area.

The site, www.teachthought.com, offers a variety of progressive articles for 21^st century teaching and learning and claim that their mantra is simple:  Keep learning.   While not all articles give an author, the content appears to be written by informed educators and thinkers.  The writing style tends to be informal and referencing is not according to academic conventions;  therefore the reader may make his/her own critical judgment.

References

Da Sousa, D. (2001). How the brain learns (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, California:  Corwin Press, Inc.

Notetaking in the digital classroom:  A blended learning approach (2013, January 9).  Retrieved from www.teachthought.com

The Tuesday Program

I recommend this program for inclusion in a variety of courses.  It consists of 7 sessions of about 10-minutes each focusing on interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and with accompanying downloadable worksheets.  The program has been developed by psychologists from New Zealand, Australia and North America who recognize the power of the affective domain in learning.  Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills form two of the seven multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner, (1983, 1991; cited in How people learn, 2000).  The program developers believe that if an individual is happy, they will achieve more effectively academically and in general.  I show the program every Tuesday in an EAP course and have discussed with the students the purposes of the course, which in our case are subject content and linguistic skills.  The students take home a worksheet with the following day’s topic and vocabulary to preview as many Chinese students (and in my experience other international students) value being prepared for the following day’s lesson, and feel more secure answering questions when they already understand the material (Brick, 1991).  The lecture is used for traditional notetaking practice, with notetaking organizers already in place.  A nominated student is responsible for recording the vocabulary:  pronunciation, meaning, word class, collocates, and usage (Nation, 2005) and will present this vocabulary in Friday’s revision class.  Each day a student has responsibility for that day’s vocabulary because teaching others results in 90% retention and distributed learning facilitates transfer to long-term memory (Da Sousa, 2001).   The content lends itself to discussion of perspectives and values as the program has been developed by western psychologists from low-context cultures but I am using the content with students from high-context cultures.   The end of the 7 programs may be the ideal time to set a discussion essay and gain more insight into the students’ view of the program.  The 7 topics include:

  

   1. Discovering and using your Strengths
   2. Developing a Growth Mindset 
   3. Clarifying your Purpose and Values by thinking about what's meaningful for you 
   4. Thinking about and being Grateful more often
   5. Communicating more effectively in your relationships
   6. Utilising Relaxation Techniques
   7. Being more Mindful

References

Brick, J. (1991). China, A handbook in intercultural communication. Sydney: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University

Da Sousa, D. (2001). How the brain learns (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, California:  

Corwin Press, Inc.

Nation, P. (2005).  Teaching Vocabulary.  Asian EFL Journal. Retrieved from http://asian_eft_journal.com/sept_05_pdf

The Tuesday Program (n.d.) Retrieved from www.thetuesdayprogram.com

 

Developing team skills in an online project

Among the seven essential skills that a student needs for their future, Tony Wagner (2011) identifies collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, as well as adaptability and flexibility. 

These skills are successfully incorporated into online training given by the Canadian Professional Logistics Institute’s (LI) professional logistician (P.Log) where learners engage in an online team dynamics and communication module (TDC).  The course developed from needs within the logistics field and was intended to develop collaborative processes.

LI together with Athabasca University’s Centre for Innovative management (AU-CIM) developed a fully online course which included ethics, decision making, strategic supply-chain management, and leadership through change, running parallel with face-to-face teaching of similar content.   The advantage of adding the online pathway, gave students asynchronous contact, and provided more learner diversity. P444

Organisations typically teach team-building skills and develop communication, mentoring, teaming and collaboration, and LI’s online course includes these competencies.   Virtual contact is typical in the online course.   This team training echoes that which organizations typically provide, and which is repeatedly acknowledged as being a necessary competency in complex organizations (Clark & Gibb, 2006;  cited in Anderson, 2008, p.444).  The soft skills the students develop online contribute to their managerial competence and the programme echoes real life business practices (Waight & Stewart, 2005; ibid).

The TDC model enhances learning in two ways:  independent stand-alone computer simulations using cause and effect scenarios and where cultural issues towards possible failure had been incorporated; and pedagogically devised learner interaction using simulated and facilitated learning tools.

Research shows that simulations are an effective learning strategy (Chipman, 2007; ibid, p.445) and learners commented positively towards the team building, conflict resolution and communicative skills they learned.   Self evaluation and reflection tools were also incorporated.  Learner feedback was positive for the team experience, they were committed to the team and preferred to resolve issues offline then return as a team.

The second phase incorporated synchronous chat using various tools; exercises were conducted in teams and a chat protocol was established.  The facilitator referred back to skills learned in phase 1.   

The online course emphasized member roles and competencies, e.g. autonomy, co-ordination, and collaboration; organizational factors such as use of technology, personal management and interpersonal skills; networking, knowing the organizational hierarchy, and an appreciation of cultural perspectives (Anderson, 2008 (editor), p.458.

The authors commented on key factors that ensured the success of this online teaching module:

Trust in the technology, the process and the cooperation among individuals (Williams & Duray, 2006;  ibid, p.458) and these were facilitated by team leadership, the team charter outlining accountability, and chat protocols.  Members tended to

Challenges for the online environment included assigning accountability and building in flexibility.  Traditionally, it is generally accepted that roles need to be assigned.  With the asynchronous nature of this course, accountability posed a challenge due to the very fluidity and flexibility of the course.  To overcome this, observers believe that the need for limits and communication may increase when roles and goals becomes less defined (Eccles & Crane, 1987; Weik, 1982; ibid, p.450). Further research indicates that members who have had personal contact at the beginning of a course tended to more readily change roles (Walther, 1966; ibid).

The authors observe that project team learning online is now widespread in the workplace and in educational institutes, and the findings of this project suggest strategies for success, such as the virtual world offering a non-threatening way to deal with tasks that might have brought failure; effective and informed facilitating, chat protocols and a face-to-face meeting at the outset.  

The experiences of this online course provide helpful suggestions for instructors and facilitators in both educational and workplace environments.

References

Hurst, D. & Thomas, J. (2008). Developing team skills and accomplishing team projects online.  In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2^nd ed., pp. 441-469).  Edmonton, Alberta:  AU Press, Athabasca University.

Wagner, T. (2011, June 24). 7 Skills students need for their future [video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/NS2PqTTxFFc

Using computer-aided argument mapping (CAAM) to teach critical thinking

Much research supports the notion that the net generation does not possess adequate critical thinking (CT) skills and that graduates leave college ‘unable to understand, evaluate, or write arguments’ (Larson, Britt & Kurby, 2009, p.340; cited in Carrington et al., 2011, p.339).   These authors also cite Arum & Roksa, 2011; Rimer, 2011; Trounson, 2011 who found that 36% of American college graduates could not discern fact from opinion nor remain uninfluenced by persuasion.    These researchers believed that while many tertiary institutes promote CT as a general skill that students will acquire in the process of their courses, the institutes do not overtly teach these skills.  Davies (2009a, 2009bp; ibid, p.338) suggests that CT be explicitly taught.

Cognitive scientists believe that visuals enhance learning (Vekiri, 2002; Winn, 1991; ibid, p.338) and that maps enable processing of information in visual and propositional form, i.e. which Kulhavy, Schwartz, & Caterino,; Paivio, 1983; Schwartz, 1988 (ibid, p.339)  refer to as ‘conjoint retention’ or ‘dual coding’, and that processing information in several modalities increases learning. 

CAAM outlines the contention at the top of the map, and follows with coloured-coded tiers of reasons, objections and rebuttal.  The software provides ‘basis boxes’ for support, objections and rebuttals.  These argument maps can be sourced from www.austhink.com (ibid, p.339).

Researchers trialled the use of  CAAMs into specific CT tutorials each week for a semester.    The Californian Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was used and the results showed the one-semester gains were equivalent to the gains usually expected in three or four years (van Gelder, Bissett, & Cummin; ibid, p.389).  A Monash University study, also over a semester, showed a 14% gain (The monash critical thinking study, 2009;  Twardy, 2004; ibid, p.389).   Students reported that visual mapping provided clarity and logic to their thoughts and ideas; they reported that it gave them a structure construct logical arguments. Consideration was made however for learners who prefer visuals, and student comment was made considering a group having different preferences for the visual layout.   Some learners reported that AM did not suit their learning styles, and Zhang (2003; ibid, p.339) notes that visualization may benefit certain learning styles more than others.

While it appears that the AM method, teaching simple AM constructs to the more complex, some students reported that they did not easily transfer AMs into a written essay, and class time did not include this.    The implication for the teachers is that information transfer needs also to be included.  The researchers noted that teaching CT did not have to employ CAT but that had the capacity to increase student engagement (Harrell, 2007; ibid, p.389).

Reference

Carrington, M. et al. (2011). The effectiveness of a single intervention of computer-aided argument mapping in a marketing and a financial accounting subject in Higher Education Research & Development Vol. 30, No. 3, June 2011, 387-403

Digital literacy for the google generation

In this short clip, the presenters provide a succinct view of the practices of the google generation echoing much of the research I am currently reading maintaining the view that the google generation are not developing indepth research skills, nor looking critically at the content of their research.  The producers provide helpful tips for the students that teachers could use as an introduction to a critical approach to research.   'White bread for the mind' they call it.  For teachers of the net generations, this is worth a look.

Kun Yi (2008, March 28) Digital literacy for the Google generation  [Video file]. Retrieved from
 http://youtu.be/_XqRR5WJ85k

http://youtu.be/_XqRR5WJ85k