The Physical versus the Virtual

“Given that both E-Books and online courses be used for the sole purpose of learning, which one would you say was a more effective option?”

I don’t see this as being “either…or” (it’s like asking what’s better, a book or a course). An ebook is a resource and an online course is a means of delivery that includes a whole host of possible resources, learning theories, and types of communication (i.e., asynchronous and synchronous communication).

We might ask: 1) What do you prefer, ebooks or physical books? 2) What do you prefer, online, blended, or face-to-face courses?

Heidi says, “…I know my team would not be receptive to e-books as a form of learning“.

When I think of ebooks, I think of books found in Google Books, ebrary, etc. where parts or entire books can be accessible via the web. If someone rejects the use of ebooks, I’d be interested in knowing how much of it is a personal preference and how much of it is due to accessibility and know-how of the Internet and technology as a whole. It would be interesting to know Heidi’s corporate learning environment, but I would say that if I have limited access to the Internet and/or I do not know much about technology, that’s one thing. If I have access to the web, I’m technologically savvy, and I prefer not to use ebooks, that’s a different notion.

Would like to hear additional thoughts on the matter.

Curriculum, assessment, and instruction and today’s youth

Why is it so vital that curriculum development and instruction are tailored to the youth of today’s unique learning styles? (Kelly Clark)

It’s vital that the written, taught, and tested curriculum; assessment; and instruction be tailored to today’s learner (avoiding a discussion of learning styles at this point) because today’s learners learn differently than those in the past. Technology affords learners to network with others which opens up educational opportunities like no other time in history. Learners now have the world as their audience as opposed to only the teacher.

In terms of learning objectives, expressive over behavioral outcomes provide the potential for diversifying assessment and instruction in terms of content, process, and products. Giving learners a choice in their own learning shifts to a more learner-centered paradigm that considers teachers more as curators, way-finders, and facilitators. Finally, today’s learner needs to know the what, how, when, where, why, and with whom of education in a way that focuses more on ontology (i.e., Who am I? What is my role in life? How do I impact my own personal learning network?) and not only epistemology. And yes, I think these same questions can honestly and productively be applied to youth of all ages in ways that promote creativity, criticality, and caring.  This is one perspective on why it’s vital that the written, taught, and tested curriculum; assessment; and instruction be tailored to today’s learner.  Thanks for asking.

Why Learning Online is Better Than Offline

This past Sunday I unfortunately missed a webinar titled Why Learning Online is Better Than Offline (Lasse, 2010), but was able to view the recording – which I would recommend.  Lasse begins by making a distinction between online and offline learning in terms of control (i.e., people, context, demands/goals, learning on demand, etc.). At 25 minutes, 29 seconds, the following comment was made:

of course learning happens in all environments, but if we are talking about intentional learning of a topic, a comfortable environment is critical   

In a formal, more traditional classroom, the impression is often that students are learning what we as educators are teaching through intentionalism.  But how often is this really the case?  Take a simple conversation for example.  How frequently do intentional conversations take off on non-intentional directions (this webinar is an example of that, but more on that later).  It’s impossible to predict with certainty what implications will result from what we say, whether we are having a simple two-way conversation or one-to-many exchange as we commonly find in the classroom.  This is precisely why formal education will always have a gap between the written and taught curriculum.

The second aspect of this comment deals with the need for a comfortable environment in order to learn.  This notion overlooks one important aspect of learning which is diversity.  Sometimes a difference of opinion makes us feel uneasy, uncertain, uncomfortable, etc., but a counterargument is exactly what is needed in education.  We expect this in academic writing, why not in other aspects of education as well?  I’ve learned more when I’ve had to question my own beliefs, thoughts, or understandings which invariably did not include a comfortable environment.  On the contrary, it was the uncomfortable environment that motivated me to reflect on my own understandings or lack thereof.      

As mentioned above, I got the impression that the “intention” of the presentation was to have more of a debate as to whether online or offline learning was better.  Instead, the conversation shifted to educational term definitions, web tool recommendations, and general teaching questions that had little to do with the debate.  Not saying this is a bad thing, only that learning is by-and-large not an intentional act, but rather an implicature (whether correct or not) based on prediction.

And the discussion continues…

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The e-learning gap

I like this presentation but I agree with Downes in that the title is misleading. For example, in slide two he puts instruction and assessment (i.e., formative and summative) in separate categories, when they are really general terms that refer to many of the other terms mentioned in the same slide. Moreover, instruction and assessment often overlap as well.

The title of this slide reminds me of similar, “empty” phrases that are meant to capture the attention of the audience, but are really open to a wide variety of interpretation: no child left behind, teaching the whole child, etc.

It’s not only a skills gap but an understanding gap as well, understanding how current technologies can contribute to curriculum, assessment, and instruction. As a teacher and student, it’s also about how technologies can serve as “teacher”, “tutor”, and “student” when defining roles within educational contexts.

The e-learning skills gap

View more presentations from Clive Shepherd.