Alm--Learning in a Digital World

Learning in a Digital World 

I believe that learning is an integral part of living and that people are always learning whether they are aware of it or not. So far, I have identified 10 non-negotiable, critical elements of learning and teaching.

1.     Technology is a non-negotiable element of teaching and learning, and should always be part of the learning process.

2.     As Bower, Hedberg, and Kuswara (2010) pointed out, however, it is not just technology, but the pedagogy and cognitive goals, that create a promising learning environment. Those three elements need to be taken into consideration when developing learning situations. 

3.     Tacit knowledge needs to be recognized as occurring and ways to develop it into tacit knowledge should be part of the learning experience.

4.     Motivational factors for students needs to be included and are as important as learning goals.

5.     Recognize Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development in students and build in scaffolding.

6.     Use Bandura’s four phases to help students transition through the ZPD to self-efficacy.

7.     Provide accurate assessment and feedback.

8.     Evaluate strategies to determine effectiveness.

9.     Ensure collaborative activities for students.

10.  Assist students in building adequate knowledge network skills.

          Technology is now a driving force in the economy, and most students use school as a way to qualify for employment. Since technology changes quickly, it is important for students to know how to use technology to their advantage. In addition, technology brings with it other changes, for example, how students learn and the way the brain functions.             Bower, Hedberg, and Kuswara (2010) recommend that technology be researched and evaluated for its usefulness for instructors who have limited time to learn new technologies. These technologies work better with certain pedagogies and cognitive goals. Thus, using these three elements helps to create a meaningful learning experience. Making students aware that they know they know involves changing tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, something that seems to be overlooked in the classroom. Ways to encourage this process should be incorporated into learning activities because it gives depth to the learning process. Motivation plays a large part in learning, and by incorporating the reasons why learning a particular subject will be useful to the student. Using and including Kellars ARC (Driscoll, 2005) in developing learning modules will benefit the student.

Another aspect of learning and instructing is that the instructor needs to be aware of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and scaffolding techniques (Driscoll, 2005). Interestingly, Bandura (Driscoll, 2005) seems to work within the zone with his four main ways people gain evidence that affects their self-efficacy beliefs (p. 318) as techniques to escort the student through the zone to self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a quality instructors need to promote, as well. Evaluations need to be conducted to ensure that the goals of the instruction are reached by the students.  Feedback must always be given for assignments that recognize what the student has attained and encourage them to go further. Evaluating the strategies used in instruction determines whether they attained the desired results or not. Constantly refining and developing strategies will help both instructors and students learn, which makes for a more effective instructor.

Finally, two skills required from today’s students are being able to collaborate and building knowledge networks. Other skills will surface as technology becomes even more complex and sophisticated. Collaboration will replace competition (Rheingold, 2008), which is happening gradually now, and creating knowledge networks as Siemens (2006) proposed is a necessary skill for knowledge management.

Bower, M., Hedberg, J., and Kuswara, A. (2010). A framework for Web 2.0 learning design. Educational Media International, 47(3), pp. 177-198. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2010.518811

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.Lulu.com.




POSTS I RESPONDED TO

David Miller's at http://davidjmilleralf.blogspot.com/2012/05/module-6-learning-in-digital-world.html?showComment=1337879226184#c6469520951830733301
Melinda Schroeder's at http://schroederedtech.blogspot.com/2012/05/module-6-learning-in-digital-world.html#comment-form

Alm--Module 5: New Technologies

I have not experienced a situation in the workplace where I have encouraged people to use a new technology and have been met with resistance or disappointing results. My teaching style is to explain my purpose for wanting students to learn a new technology before I teach it and to make it applicable to their lives. For example, several years ago, when blogs were just starting to become popular, I incorporated blogs into the face-to-face composition class I was teaching at a career college. I wanted my students to have a technological edge over possible job competitors since in six weeks they would be entering the job market.  Also, these students were not traditional academic students; most had not done well academically in high school. I explained to my students that since blogs were new and few in their particular professions would know how to design and use them, it would be a good skill for them to learn and that it was fun and easy. It would be in their best interest to know how, so they could volunteer to create one or suggest it to their future company. I did not have anyone refuse, and everyone liked having an edge others might not possess. Without knowing it, I was using Keller’s ARC (2005).

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.