Posted Date: July 27, 2013
Subject: What Did I Expect?
Jen,
My feelings echo yours. I believe I have a better handle and acceptance of online learning. I also agree the affordances of technology are not fully realized in MET. Quite frankly, I expected a bit more technology; certainly in ways to facilitate communication. I understand that ETEC 512 is a core course, common to many masters programs in education, still… there is an opportunity to do things differently. There is an aspect of do as I say and not as I do that my kindergartens would be quick to observe and point out!
Don
Posted Date: July 25, 2013
Subject: What Did I Expect?
MET is my first real experience with online learning. ETEC 512 is my third course and I have noticed the asynchronous nature of the courses in MET has garnered some complaint. I too miss the face-to-face, real time interaction experienced in other classes and workshops. This, coupled with the frustration of navigating through Connect, had me reconsider my enrollment in the program on more than one occasion.
Khoo and Cowie’s (2010) article on online learning communities, however, has given me cause to reconsider my reconsideration. It is funny to admit I am just beginning to appreciate the characteristics of online learning communities. In the beginning I expected MET to replicate my previous experiences with learning communities. A rather naive notion and also a bit unfair. It seems I may have romanticized my undergraduate experience. It was a good example of synchronous learning but Psychology 200 with one instructor and one hundred students could not be described as face-to-face or interactive. I am not sure that participation as mediated action, situated activity and distributed cognition were even considered. I will admit my participation was goal directed but it was more about getting a good mark and getting out of the class than working with others to construct meaning and understanding. It is fair to say, however, that some of my fifth year courses did a better job incorporating these characteristics. They were small classes with a single cohort and the community of learners seemed to develop naturally.
And so this brings me to my point…I joined MET knowing it was an online asynchronous learning environment. It afforded some real freedom and the opportunity to learn without the confines of time and place. Expecting it to replicate or even approximate my previous experience as a student and teacher in learning communities was unreasonable and complaining about it is a bit like adopting a cat then complaining it isn’t a dog. They share common features but they are not the same animal. I do, however, think there is room for improvement beyond a read the text and answer the question approach. I appreciate the effort to include opportunities for participation as mediated action, situated activity, distributed cognition, and goal-directed in ETEC 512 and thought I’d list examples I found useful:
Mediated Action: The opportunity to communicate directly with the instructor and to receive regular communication and updates.
Situated Activity: The opportunity to learn about learning and to apply it to the development of an online presentation and the critique of a lesson plan.
Distributed Cognition: The opportunity to discuss ideas in Connect.
Goal-Directed: The opportunity to “show what we know” in a co-developed and co-presented a workshop.
The design of ETEC 512 reflects Khoo and Cowie’s (2010) framework for developing an online learning community. There have been numerous opportunties to learn. I am acutely aware that exploiting these opportunities is the responsibility of the learner. Even when the design for a community is excellent, participation is a choice. This can be challenging when the community and the paths into it are new.
Don
Posted Date: July 25, 2013
Subjects: OLC’s
Colin,
I agree that balance is required; heavy moderation by the instructor can squash student conversation and participation. Even so, I really appreciated my instructor in ETEC500 who waded into conversations fairly heavily to clear up misunderstandings and clarify course content. Group discussions can get off track. It’s reassuring to have some guidance. Sometimes all it requires is a quick comment or a well timed question. In this course I have found the weekly updates and the email contact helpful. I also appreciate the weekly participation assessment; it felt like some contact with the instructor was made and my progress through the course was being monitored. All this said, I do enjoy the freedom online learning affords.
Don
Posted Date: July 21, 2013
Subject: Theorists, Theories & Practice
Hi,
I thought I’d add a few observations to my map of Theorists, Theories & Practice:
•My first impression of the map is of neurons and neural networks: kind a simplified mapping of the brain. The map shows the social, material, and historic elements of interpersonal learning that become reflected in the process and biology of intrapersonal learning.
•The core features (orange and green cells) of Distributed Cognition and Situated Learning are remarkably similar. Situated Learning could be layered on top of Distributed Cognition but the simplicity of the map would disappear.
•The maps themselves are examples of Situated Learning and Distributed Cognition: a number of theorists approaching a topic through their associated disciplines, theories, and practice and each contributing to a collective understanding understanding, memory, and application.
Which brings me back to the purpose for this course and the numerous posts in which we have tried to bring a dialectical understanding to the numerous and seemingly incongruent theories of learning. How do we pull it all together in a way that makes sense? The map helps a bit. But perhaps more importantly, it illustrates the complexity of teaching and learning and reminds us of the eclectic mix of understadning and methodology required to meet the cognitive diversity of our students.
One view, one approach, one size does not fit all. It’s a good thing to remember.
Don
Posted Date: July 21, 2013
Subject: The Situation We are In
Adrienne,
A great post. I agree with your developmental viewpoint and the need to sequence learning – working through the ZPD to mastery. The breakdown for me occurs with the emphasis on content and a text approach to learning. I know these things are important but sometimes their being the focus makes as much sense as teaching a child to walk with a unit on “Great Walkers of the Past” and a couple of follow-up worksheets on the correct steps (pun intended). It seems that school has become the subject we teach; rather than the place we go or the people we work with to learn. I agree that core skills, which to me are about literacy, numeracy and learning how to learn, need to be emphasized. Everything I read is about the need to focus on the higher levels of Blooms’s taxonomy. The lower levels are mostly embedded in the upper levels anyway and, if Vygotsky is right, all learning (even low level learning) requires analysis and synthesis to create understanding and conceptual learning. The ZPD is at the top of Bloom’s taxonomy. I think at a very basic level we have forgotten to reexamine the original purposes of education: the creation of a liberally educated gentleman? the creation of a good hostess and châtelaine? the creation of a good worker? At one time schooling to fit your future role worked. With the changes in society and culture I don’t think to do anymore. The future is not so certain and we emphasize the production of liberally educated students, with heads full of content and no application, at everyone’s peril.
Don
Posted Date: July 18, 2013
Subject: Much ado about nothing…
Troy,
I here what you are saying and agree to a point. Part of the problem is the emphasis of content over process and product. We are so concerned with what we are teaching that we forget to ask how and why. I also think that within the world of education, we have an insiders view of the challenges, we are doing a fairly good job. And yet, the literacy of about 35% of working age British Columbians is “inadequate for full participation and success in modern society”. Clearly something needs to change. Historical comparisons aside, this stubborn statistic shows remarkable consistency over time, something needs to change.
Don
References
British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education. (n.d.). British Columbia’s literacy action plan: Working together for literacy. Victoria, BC: British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/434990/booklet.pdf
LiteracyBC. (n.d.) Literacy in British Columbia. Retrieved from http://communityliteracy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Literacy-in-British-Columbia.pdf
Don
Posted Date: July 16, 2013
Subject: Theorists, Theories & Practice
Hi Folks,
Great reads this week. I started with the article on distributed cognition and when I read Hutchins (2000) comments about it being impossible to “account for the cognitive accomplishments of our species by reference to what is inside our heads alone” (p 9) and “a more or less explicit decision was made…to leave out culture, context, history, and emotion” (p 10) the bells started to sound in my head. When I read the article on situated learning it felt like I was reading a practical guide to Hutchins’s theoretical explanation: theory translated into practice, thought becoming action.
So I started to think about important ideas and connections and with the end of the course in sight decided I’d attempt to map it all out. I thought you might enjoy the picture more than the 1000 words. You can view it at the following link; it’s a work in progress so I’ll update it during the week. You can use the same link to view the changes.
This link may not work for you, thanks for heads up Brett, so you can view the mind map on my blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/doadams/
Don