Module 5: Quality Teaching in a Digital AgeAccording to Bates (2015), the digital age of today requires a more flexible systems approach to distance education course design to ensure quality teaching. Bates (2015) outlined nine steps to make sure effective learning takes place including:
Figure 4.3.1 The ADDIE Model.
References: Bates, T. (2015). Teaching in a Digital Age. Chapter 11: Ensuring quality teaching in a digital age. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/11-2-nine-steps-to-quality-teaching-in-a-digital-age/
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MODULE 4: MOOCsPrior to this class, I had only heard about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) vaguely and that it is certainly a controversial topic in the realm of higher education. After learning about the theories of earlier constructivism and latter connectivism and how connectivism influences MOOCs, I became particularly interested in this type of distance education (Siemens, 2012). While learning more about MOOCs, I realized that the lack of accountability and the enormous disproportionate teacher-to-student ratio could play a significant role in “fostering autonomy and self-regulated learners” (Siemens, 2012). According to Butin (2016) there seems to be many who have moved on from the idea of MOOCs and disregarded them as being as important. I can understand why some might view MOOCs as more invaluable than valuable because the completion and certification rate is at a shockingly low five percent (Bates, 2015). However, MOOCs have continued to evolve the past decade and I envision that they will only become more valuable as a type of distance education since theories have evolved from teacher-directed to learner-directed or from pedagogy to andragogy and heutagogy which require more learner autonomy and self-regulation. I have come to view MOOCs as being a type of distance education perhaps to be particularly of most importance to underdeveloped countries because developed countries have many more types of distance education available to choose from. References:
Bates, T. (2015). Teaching in a Digital Age. Chapter 5: MOOCs. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/chapter-7-moocs/ Butin, D. (2016). MOOCs and beyond. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/moocs-and-beyond Siemens, G. (2012). What is the theory that underpins our moocs. ELEARNINGSPACE. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2012/06/03/what-is-the-theory-that-underpins-our-moocs/ MODULE 4: COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
According to Wenger (as cited in Bates, 2014), "Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." Wenger expressed the importance of not confusing communities of practice with one of interest or from a local community and also noted communities of practice are supported by technology (Bates, 2014). A prime example of technology supporting communities of practice today is social media, such as Twitter, which has empowered and expanded communities of practice by allowing people from all over the world to connect and share and construct new knowledge that otherwise might have never connected. In our discussions this week, we were assigned to share a video of an online community of practice and an interesting video I discovered and shared is the one below by Jim Rawson. Jim Rawson (2015) shares his experience using Twitter to join online communities of practice and expresses the importance of using social media to connect with those of similar interests with different backgrounds and opinions to expand knowledge and create positive change. Rawson describes his initial experience of using Twitter for online communities of practice to be frustrating and unsuccessful, but also describes his latter experience of using Twitter to be enlightening and successful by taking advantage of Retweeting and Hashtags. I feel his mentioning of this is particularly important because others wanting to follow in his footsteps can do so without experience the same growing pains as he did. Also, his testimony speaks volumes for the importance of the design of communities of practice that impacts their efficacy. According to Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (as cited in Bates, 2014), there are seven design principles for creating a successful community of practice which led to other factors being identified such as awareness of social presence. Perhaps the tools available on Twitter significantly contribute to the success of online communities of practice formed using Twitter given that Retweets and Hashtags enable users to highlight key words and share knowledge in a way "that respects the views and knowledge of other participants" (Bates, 2014). Lastly, one might consider that the underlying theory for online communities of practice is connectivism as it enables people from all over the world to connect and communicate through technology to construct new knowledge and improve society outside of themselves.
References:
Bates, T. (2014). The role of communities of practice in a digital age. Online Learning and Distance Education Resources. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/10/01/the-role-of-communities-of-practice-in-a-digital-age/ MODULE 4: CONNECTIVISM George Siemens (2004), the originator of connectivism, believes it is an alternative learning theory to other learning theories including behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, that addresses learning outside of the person. There is considerable controversy over whether or not connectivism is a learning theory and many believe it is too similar to the earlier learning theory constructivism to be a separate one. I can certainly understand why some might view the two theories as more similar than different in the social learning aspects and common core principles. However, Siemens (2004) describes connectivism to be a new learning theory of the "digital age" due to technological advances that change the way we connect and learn. Another way of better understanding the learning theory of connectivism is through Kerry Stephenson's statement (as cited in Siemens, 2004), "Since we cannot experience everything, other people’s experiences, and hence other people, become the surrogate for knowledge." If one were to combine Siemen's and Stephenson's views on connectivism, a prime example would be social media being used as a learning tool to connect with others which we know today as online communities of practice. Reference:
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Elearningspace. Retrieved from: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm MODULE 3: ONLINE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING (OCL)Prior to this class, I had not heard of online collaborative learning (OCL), but quickly realized the term speaks for itself. According to Harasim (2012, p. 90), online collaborative learning (OCL) theory "provides a model of learning in which students are encouraged and supported to work together to create knowledge: to invent, to explore ways to innovate and, by so doing, to seek the conceptual knowledge needed to solve problems rather than recite what they think is the right answer." After learning more about the theory, I realized its relativity to social media technologies such as Twitter and online communities of practice (OCoP) and became more interested in it. Online collaborative learning certainly redefines teaching and learning roles in distance education in how the teacher is no longer in control and acts as a "link to the knowledge community" allowing learners to take a more active role in their own educational process (Harasim, 2012, p. 90). According to Harasim (as cited in Bates, 2014), online collaborative learning consists of three intellectual phases including idea generating, idea organizing, and intellectual convergence; these phases represent the process in which knowledge is consolidated and shared. I found this particular learning theory to be very valuable because more minds put together are better than one and today's digital era definitely has a variety of advanced tools to equip students to learn this way in distance education. Online collaborative learning is especially an important theory because there isn't always one right answer, so it is very important that teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving are fostered in students for to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Figure 6.2 Three Intellectual Phases of Online Collaborative Learning (Bates, 2014).
References: Bates, T. (2014). Two design models for online collaborative learning: same or different? Online Distance Education and Learning Resources. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/11/28/two-design-models-for-online-collaborative-learning-same-or-different/ Harasim, L. (2014). Online Collaborative Learning Theory. Chapter 6: Learning Theory and Online Technologies. Retrieved from https://learn.umuc.edu/content/enforced/288139-022082-01-2182-GO1-9040/Harasim_OCL_CH_06_LTAOT.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=xWN62Kpjpgi5fJeXFpHRcbNry MODULE 3: CONSTRUCTIVITISM Since I was immediately drawn to the constructivist theory introduced in the first module, I was particularly interested in learning more about how constructivism influences instructional design in e-learning lessons and activities. While Woolfolk (as cited in Koohang, Riley, and Smith, 2009, p. 92) defined constructivist learning as “active mental work, not passive reception of teaching” which provided reassurance of my own understanding of constructivism, I was not familiar with Koohang’s constructivist model of e-learning including “the design of learning activities, learning assessments, and instructor roles.” However, I became much more familiar with the constructivist model when completing the essay assignment three which involved planning constructivist e-learning activities and responding to the discussion prompts regarding the strengths and weaknesses of constructivist approaches. The required article E-Learning and Constructivism: From Theory to Application and a researched article Two Cases of College Instructors' Application of Constructivist Principles were two particular learning materials this week that significantly impacted my understanding of applying and recognizing the value of the constructivist theory in e-learning activities. More specifically, I learned the many goals and characteristics of constructivist pedagogy as well as the fundamental and collaborative design elements and the learning assessment elements for e-learning activities from the required reading. In short, I learned that the constructivist design of learning activities involves collaboration, examples relevant to the real world, and self-reflection, constructivist learning assessments involve assessments from the individual, team, and instructor, and the instructor’s role is to act as a guide but relinquish responsibility to students for their own learning (Koohang, Riley, & Smith, 2009). This required reading also provided many examples of the constructivist theory being applied in e-learning activities in various contexts which contributed to a well-rounded understanding of how constructivism can be used in many ways. Also, I recognized the value of constructivism in real life as my researched article provided case studies in which teachers applied constructivist pedagogy and one teacher in particular found it to increase student motivation and involvement while building real-life applicable skills such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork (Ferguson, 2005). Now that I’ve learned more about constructivism, I have become even more drawn to the theory and look forward to applying it in e-learning activities in the future when applicable in a way that best suits the context and needs of students.
References: Ferguson, J. W. (2005). Two Cases of College Instructors' Application of Constructivist Principles. College Quarterly, 8(3), Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ846788 Koohang, A., Riley, L., and Smith, T. (2009). E-Learning and Constructivism: From Theory to Application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects (5). Retrieved from http://www.stevekerby.com/omde_610/Readings/elearning_and_constructivism_Koohang_Riley_Smith.pdf MODULE 2: The Evolution of Theories in DEThroughout distance education, teaching and learning methodologies have evolved from the earliest theories of behaviorism to the most recent theories of activism; Figure 4 below represents this transition. According to Bognar (2016, 239), the roles of teaching and learning have shifted from "programmed instructions" to students constructing knowledge from social interaction to learn how to creatively contribute towards "changing the world." Students are no longer passive learners just inputting information as they once were. Students becoming part of communities of practice are a prime example of how activism can be practiced and is encouraged in today's distance education. References:
Bognar, B. (2016) Theoretical backgrounds of e-learning. Croatian Journal of Education, 18(1), 225-256. Retrieved from https://learn.umuc.edu/content/enforced/288139-022082-01-2182-GO1-9040/Bognar_Theoretical_Backgrounds_e-Learning.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=HvgpeC47p1EVwtML9eGO7z1Rk MODULE 2: BEHAVIORISM, COGNITIVISM, & RUBRICS While earlier in the first module behaviorist and cognitivist learning theories were introduced, I looked forward to learning more about the theories in module two. From the required reading Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom, I learned that there are two different types of scoring rubrics known as analytic and holistic rubrics. According to Mertler (2001), analytic rubrics are segmented into specific parts of learning while holistic rubrics center on the whole learning process. From reflection of the discussion prompt, I inferred that a behaviorist learning experiences would be best scored using an analytic rubric because the theory focuses only on behavior in particular while cognitivist learning experiences would be best scored using a holistic rubric because the theory focuses on behavior and internal processes. Another required reading that stood out among the rest for me was Theoretical backgrounds of e-learning which was also a helpful resource for the essay assignment two regarding planning a behaviorist or cognitivist learning activity. I chose to create a lesson and learning activity based on cognitivism and the article particularly helped me understand how to apply the cognitivist theory and how the theory influences the use of technology. More specifically, I learned that “the teacher should control the process of learning” (Bognar, 2016, p. 232) and about Mayer’s principles on multimedia learning including “multimedia principle, cognitive science principles, principles for reducing extraneous processing, principles for managing essential processing, (and) principles for fostering generative processing” (Bognar, 2016, p. 232). Now I have not only gained a better understanding of the theories themselves but have learned how to apply those theories in learning activities, assessments, and technology.
References: Bognar, B. (2016) Theoretical backgrounds of e-learning. Croatian Journal of Education, 18(1), 225-256. Retrieved from https://learn.umuc.edu/content/enforced/288139-022082-01-2182-GO1-9040/Bognar_Theoretical_Backgrounds_e-Learning.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=HvgpeC47p1EVwtML9eGO7z1Rk Mertler, C. A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(25). Available online: http://www.pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25 MODULE 1 : BACKGROUND AND FOUNDATIONS (2/5-2/18) Early in the module, I was enthusiastic about expanding on my existent knowledge of epistemology and learning theories. More specifically, I was interested to know not only how they apply to today's teaching and learning practices, but how they applied to my own beliefs and ways of teaching and learning as well. While I was familiar with the learning theories of objectivism, behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, Tony Bates' (2015) description of the learning theories helped me gain a deeper understanding of their similarities and differences. I initially thought that individuals had one learning theory that they were drawn to specifically. Among the learning theories, I knew that I was initially drawn to constructivism in particular. Now I know that while I naturally prefer learning constructively and learn best this way, I do not always learn constructively. I found that Bates' (2015) opening scenario of two different people having very different epistemologies helped me better understand how different epistemologies influence different ways of thinking. Also, Tony Bates (2015) mentioning that “there is no best way to teach that will fit all circumstances" was the biggest concept that had the greatest impact on my thinking. It was my a-ha moment when I realized the importance of different epistemologies. I initially believed that only one's beliefs and values influenced his or her epistemologies, but later recognized that the subject taught can also influence one's epistemologies and impact students' ways of learning (Bates, 2015). Lastly, I have learned that teachers choosing an epistemology and learning theory should be based on what best suits them to an extent, but more importantly what best suits their students' needs in a context they would learn the subject best. Throughout this learning journey, I have most thought about how there is so much pressure for teachers to alter their ways of teaching to meet the needs of their students, but perhaps it should be up to the student to work on learning in different ways because the likelihood of their own ways of learning will not always be met by every one of their instructors' epistemologies and ways of teaching. After all, it is just as much as the student's responsibility to learn as it is the teacher's responsibility to teach.
Reference: Bates, A. (2015). Teaching in a digital age. Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage |
AuthorWincy Fisher's learning journal reflections for the Distance Education and E-Learning Master's Program. Archives
April 2018
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