George Siemens has certainly made us think about distance learning and how we can take advantage of technologies to enhance our online courses. I agree that distance education is much different from face-to-face courses and can expand a person’s perception of the world due to the participation of those not just in the U.S. but globally in the courses. I obtained my MBA online and continued with the online format because of the diversity that I experience. Had I attended classes at a college in Cleveland, Ohio, I would have been exposed to the same nationalities and type of people I interact with on a daily basis. Having students from around the world share their experiences and knowledge of what is happening in their country is enlightening and broadens my education.
The element that I would like to expand on from George Siemen’s talk is collaborative interaction. Blogs and Wikis are two popular tools available online for students to interact outside of the Course Management System. Siemens (2009) taught us that blogs are not just a tool for social networking, they are a way for students to create their own knowledge. This is an important concept in online learning because of the lack of personal interaction between the student and teacher and the student with other students. “Interactivity is valuable. Finding the best way to interact means understanding the conditions and circumstances of your students and their environment” (Nash, 2010).
Susan Nash has a blog that identifies the most recent technologies and how they are used in the classroom. I agree with utilizing the tools that students use for the class, however, I would not like to see education content turned into an iPhone application. Recently, I had a student who was enrolled in my online course and tried to use her iPhone for the course. Mobile technologies are great tools to use with a course, however, these small devices just don’t meet the needs for the entire course.
Collaborative interaction in the online environment has evolved tremendously. This is evident by the number of socially interactive tools available. “Expression and creativity presuppose a community or audience, and so social creativity probably produces the greatest benefits, whether they be open source software contribution sites, artistic sites like Deviant Art or Flickr, blogging and discussion sites, or repositories like YouTube or SlideShare” (Downes, 2010). Stephen Downes has taught and designed in the distance education environment at various colleges in Canada. He is a colleague of George Siemens and supports his theories of connectivism and collaborative learning in the online classroom. Siemens (2005) indicated that knowledge is not just presented and known by the learner, it is constructed. Students can utilize blogs, wikis, and social networking sites to create their own knowledge and share it with others.
There is also the idea presented in connectivism that too much information exists for one person to absorb in a lifetime, so it is up to that person to choose what information they want to use now, what information they want to retrieve later and what information they do not want.
“Decision-making is learning. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision” (Siemens, 2006, p. 31).
It is the student’s responsibility to acquire what is relevant and discard what is not. George Siemens and Stephen Downes have presented a good argument in defense of connectivisim and I agree with their presentation of facts.
Downes, S. (2010). Responses to Questions on Technology and Schools. Retrieved from http://www.downes.ca/post/53264.
Nash, S. (Sept. 22, 2010). Mobile Learning: Is It Doing What It’s Supposed To? Retrieved from http://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for a digital age. International Journal of Instruction Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved September 15, 2010 from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for a digital age. International Journal of Instruction Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved September 15, 2010 from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm.
Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Lexington, KY: Lulu.com.
Great post. Glad to see you referenced Stephen Downes; he's one of my favorite people in the industry. In your discussion, do a nice job of juxtaposing the development of new collaborative technologies and Connectivism, but I wonder how you feel about the use of these technologies under different learning models. What impact do they have on say Congitivism or the instructors who operate their courses from this vantage point.
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteI believe that these technologies can be implemented in other learning models. Behaviorist Thorndike had a theory of connectionism where student's satisfaction in learning improves their success and outcomes in the class. Bandura's social learning theory showed how students can build self-efficacy through the use of tools in learning, again enhancing their learning and outcomes.
In Cognitivism, Gestalt had a theory that emphasized higher order thinking. This can be utilized through the use of blogs and Wikis. In fact, the Community of Inquiry Framework is built on Teaching, Cognitive and Social presence. This is important because not everyone learns the same, so bringing these different theories and ways of teaching together helps students learn through a variety of methods.