EDUC300 Module 4 Synthesis
by Ilicia Kelly
This module
has been an enormous undertaking. This module was split by a spring break that
gave such sweet respite from the burden of this course load, but made returning
to the mundane tasks of life harder than before! Among the class readings
regarding the future of online teaching, we had TOOC assignments exploring
Diigo, Evernote, and other web 2.0 tools to assist us in our future careers of
teaching.
What comes
to mind when we think of online students? In the past, I had a different idea
of online students than I do today. I used to picture some old weirdo who had
social anxiety, sitting at his computer late at night, typing up some papers to
email to a professor. As far as I knew, the education wasn't as good a quality
as 'real' college and I never pictured myself being an online student. Well,
here I am; an online student. Online learning is becoming so common these days
that even traditional classroom settings are incorporating an online segment in
the curriculum to acclimate today's students to the world of online learning.
According to US
News, more than 6.7 million students—32 percent of total higher ed
enrollment—took at least one online course through a university during fall
2011." An article from Franklin
University did a study and found the following are characteristics of an
average student in online classes:
- Female (70%)
- 33 years old Working and earning a salary of $65,000 a year
- Studying business (34%)
- Attends part-time Seeking a bachelor’s or master’s degree (75%)
- Lives within 100 miles of the physical campus (80%)
- More likely to attend a nonprofit institution (65%)
- Value the school’s reputation (75%)
- Motivated by career advancement (46%)
- Prefers online studies because they’re busy & need flexibility (68%)
- Appreciate the ability to study anywhere, anytime (31%)
What do
online students need to persist and have deep learning? Now we know that the
average online student is an adult, we need to explore the concept of
andragogy, "the art and science of helping adults learn" (Pedagogy vs Androgogy). From that reading in this module, we
know that adult learners differ from a child learner because their motives are
different, their experience in life can be applied to learning, they are very
motivated learners, and they are more problem centered in their learning. Using
the model of andragogy, the teacher can "prepare a set of procedures for
involving the learners in a process that includes a) establishing a climate
conducive to learning (b) creating a mechanism for mutual planning, (c)
diagnosing the needs of learning, (d) formulating program objectives that will
satisfy these needs, (e) designing a pattern of learning experiences, (f)
conducting these learning experiences with suitable techniques and materials,
and (g) evaluating the learning outcomes and re-diagnosing learning needs"
(Pedagogy vs Androgogy). As future educators, once we
understand the difference between children and adults and their methods of
learning and the motivation of adults, we can formulate a lesson plan. The
learning process of adults is more of a ''self-actualization" rather than
the simple memorization of information. Adults are in these classes to gain
knowledge that they intend to use in their daily lives, not a child in a
geometry class who is frustrated with the concept that they may never EVER use
the formula for finding the area of a triangle in real life. With the knowledge
that adult learners have a rich base of experience to draw from during their
education, the learning theory that would apply most effectively would be the
theory of constructivism. "Constructivism essentially maintains that
people learn by constructing their own knowledge on the basis of their
experiences. Constructivist learning theories recognize that everyone's
framework of prior knowledge is unique, thus they have their own needs, goals,
and contexts (Taxonomy
of Learning Theories). "Current perspectives on educational reform are
based on the premise that the knowledge students need is growing and evolving
so rapidly that it is no longer practical for them to memorize a fixed set of
facts and skills. Instead, students must acquire flexible knowledge that they
can adapt and use as tools for solving a wide range of problems"
(O'Donnell, Hmelo-Silver & Erkens, 2006).
Heutogogy is the concept of "truly self-determined learning"
which applies to present day online students (From
Andragogy to Heutogogy). When I am an instructor, I will use Rogers
- We cannot teach another person directly: we can only facilitate learning.
- People learn significantly only those things they perceive as being involved in the maintenance or enhancement of the structure of self.
- Experience which is assimilated would involve a change in the organization of self tends to be resisted through denial or distortion of symbolization, and the structure and organization of self appear to become more rigid under threat.
- Experience which is perceived as inconsistent with the self can only be assimilated if the current organization of self is relaxed and expanded to include it.
- The educational system which is mostly effective promotes significant learning is one which threat to self, as learner, is reduced to a minimum.
Christina
Boxler had a view of using technology as a tool, not a substitution for a
teacher. I found an interesting article that gave some helpful ideas how to
create an environment that will counteract the high attrition rate of online
learners, isolation, and dissatisfaction at teaching methods, and incorporate
technology in a way that supports learning. Online learning has become so
prevalent that we need to understand the different needs of online students and
how traditional teaching methodology does not apply. Creating a classroom with goal orientation, adaptability, accessibility, alignment,
experiential value, collaboration, constructivism, learning orientation,
multiplicity, and granularity, we can create dimensions of an online class that
address the gaps created by online classrooms. "The function of
supporting social networking as a viable option for distance learning is
something that they do provide. Each of these dimensions can be
incorporated into various social networking mediums to support learning
activities. As a result, not only is the environment for learning
structured and managed, but learners may find a reduction in the feeling of
isolation or a stronger sense of community. McLoughlin (2002) noted that
learners need more control over their learning environment. Designing
scaffolds for learning involves conceptualizing new roles for learners and
teachers in fostering task engagement, social interaction and peer feedback” (Enhancing
Social Presence in Online Learning).
Ashley had
a great visual aid in her post. It's effective in showing an illustration of
the components that envelop all aspects of learning, such as resources,
interactions between the teacher and student, learning objectives, etc. The
most crucial part of the illustration, where all the circles intertwine, is
through the learning objectives. To begin a lesson, learning objectives must be
established. From there, as educators, we can apply our teaching methods to
bring the classroom to the same finish line and encourage higher order thinking
along the way. With online learning, we need to be more creative in our methods
of bringing students from point A to Z. There are many obstacles to online
learning. I found an interesting article that gave some helpful ideas how to
create an environment that will counteract the high attrition rate of online
learners, isolation, and dissatisfaction at teaching methods, and incorporate
technology in a way that supports learning. Online learning has become so
prevalent that we need to understand the different needs of online students and
how traditional teaching methodology does not apply. Creating a classroom with goal orientation, adaptability, accessibility, alignment,
experiential value, collaboration, constructivism, learning orientation,
multiplicity, and granularity, we can create dimensions of an online class that
address the gaps created by online classrooms. Learners may find a
reduction in the feeling of isolation or a stronger sense of community. McLoughlin
(2002) noted that learners need more control over their learning
environment. Designing scaffolds for learning involves conceptualizing new
roles for learners and teachers in fostering task engagement, social
interaction and peer feedback” (Enhancing
Social Presence in Online Learning).
A concept
we explored this module is called anchored collaborative inquiry. Anchored
collaborative inquiry (ACI) is a model of professional development that
"combines an in-service workshop followed by the simultaneous
implementation of a specific standards-based reform in the classrooms of all
the participating teachers. The implementation is supported by an ongoing
online discussion facilitated by the workshop faculty" (O'Donnell,
Hmelo-Silver & Erkens, 2006). How do I plan to incorporate anchored
collaborative learning in my online course? I plan to use the resource of my
fellow teachers that I work with, the past syllabus from the previous
instructor, and the online resources and teachers that were my own teachers in
my college courses. Using the collaboration of all my peers and former
teachers, I can create an interaction that will help me as an instructor and
improve my teaching methods.
We also learned about Diigo.
"While many social bookmarking
sites offer some collaboration opportunities, I have found that Diigo (Digest of Internet
Information, Groups and Other stuff) combines a user-friendly social platform
with bookmarking features, making it an effective research, integration, and
collaboration tool for use in the classroom. In this article, I compare the
benefits of traditional and social bookmarking websites. Then, using Diigo as a
focus, I explore the possible uses and benefits of social bookmarking for
research and collaboration in the classroom". We joined a group with my
EDUC300 course and are exploring the applications and attempting to collaborate
with each other. "Diigo gives you a place to store and organize
bookmarks for anything you’re interested in online — think Pinterest with more
words and fewer pictures. But this just scratches the surface of what Diigo can
do. For one thing, when you bookmark an item, you can also highlight it and
add sticky notes to keep track of specific sections that interest you. And
you can collaborate with others in groups, where you share the resources you’ve
found on a particular topic, discuss them in attached comments, even start
forum discussions" (Once
You Go Diigo, You Never Go Back).
I urge you all to check out these
new web tools and try and apply them to your life. It can only make your life
easier. These tools can apply to your career in education by allowing the
technology to create more interaction between your students. Diigo can help
with researching and cataloging information on the web and Evernote can help
you organize those little notes and form thorough papers that are comprehensive
and extensive.
Self Assessment 100 pts- proved thorough comprehension of
topics discussed this module and accomplished all criteria.
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