Emerging Technologies for Learning

From Emerging Technologies for Learning

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Learning Management Systems 3 Personal Learning Environments 4 Is technology neutral? 5 Teaching with Technology 6 What traits and mindsets are required to successfully teach with technology? 7 Augmented, Blended, and Online Learning 7.1 Augmenting classrooms 7.2 Blended learning 7.3 Online Learning 8 Move to Facilitation 9 Teaching and learning activities 10 IRIS Model of Moving From Innovation to Systematization 11 References

Introduction

Technology is concerned with "designing aids and tools to perfect the mind".^[1] As a means of extending the sometimes limited reach of humanity, technology has been prominent in communication and learning. Technology has also played a role in classrooms through the use of movies, recorded video lectures, and overhead projectors. Emerging technology use is growing in communication^[2] and in creating, sharing, and interacting around content.^[3]

Learning Management Systems

In late 1990’s, learning management systems (LMS) such as WebCT and BlackBoard became fixtures of many campuses. Faculty members who had previously relied on web pages for posting course notes, resources, and links, started utilizing the increased functionality of LMS. In addition to providing course resources and notes, faculty and students could interact in discussion forums and live chats.

Technology and software have the potential to reduce the separation between learner, instructor, or resources. Interactive activities, tutorials, and other learning activities, have moved beyond the four walls of a classroom. MIT’s iLabs offer an innovative approach to online lab experiments. Students from around the world can (and do) conduct experiments in MIT’s labs from their own school, classroom, or home.

Personal Learning Environments

Social technologies have been developing rapidly for several years - to the point where the loose collection of many tools is often seen (and used) as an alternative to an LMS. Through the use of Google Docs, Skype, blogs, wikis, podcasts, flickr, YouTube, del.icio.us and other tools, academics can provide a rich learning experience often exceeding the static experience of an LMS. Unfortunately, to participate in these multi-tool learning experiences, often described as "personal learning environments", learners require a high degree of technical proficiency and comfort in online environments.

A few tools to consider in adding functionality to, or replacing an LMS:

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Skype or other voice over IP tools
• Second Life or virtual world interactions
• Voicethread – multiple perspective dialogue centred on an artefact
• Integrated suites or classrooms (Elluminate)
• Discussion forums: within an LMS or an external application
• Text chat: IM, IRC, chat rooms
• Image-based discussions (Flickr)
• Group-based software (Sharepoint or Groove)
• Informal: Google Groups, mailing list software
• Social networking tools: Facebook, ELGG
• Social bookmarking: del.icio.us

As with other aspects of teaching online, the security or privacy of the conversation is an important consideration. Tools such as blogs, del.icio.us are often open for others to read. Many learners (and educators) may find this freedom disconcerting. LMS developers are beginning to include social tools for interaction in secure environments. Similarly, group-based software (such as Sharepoint) can be configured to require authentication in order to read or contribute.

Is technology neutral?

Debate surrounds the question of whether technology is neutral on non-neutral. Researchers and theorists express two broad, polar opposite, views:^[4]

• Technology is neutral, to be used as a tool
• Technology is non-neutral, embodying philosophies and ideology

Within educational technology, the affordances (action potential) of particular tools suggest the latter perspective is more accurate. The choice to use a particular technology also reflects an accompanying world view or existing mindset. Using an open system (such as blogs and wikis) in comparison to a closed tool (LMS) is a reflection of values.

Teaching with Technology

Early adopters of new technology often employ a grassroots approach – using resources outside of formal institutional support. This model is effective for individuals with high technical skill or an interest in innovating and reforming teaching practices.

Successful organizational e-learning initiatives require support and strategic ownership.^[5] Grassroots innovation frequently encounters organizational barriers. Adopting a department-level view of elearning is important in creating learning material, creating a support infrastructure, allocating resources, and building a "comprehensive program of continuing professional development".^[6] Many of the principles of effective instruction online are similar to classrooms. Chickering and Ehrmann^[7] advocate for seven key "good practice" elements in online instruction:

1. encourages contact between students and faculty
2. develops reciprocity and cooperation among students
3. encourages active learning
4. gives prompt feedback
5. emphasizes time on task
6. communicates high expectations
7. respects diverse talents and ways of learning

While the above list can be augmented to include affordances inherent to technology (handling technology, integrating into teaching activities, or fostering dialogue with distributed learner groups), they suffice as an introduction to the similarity of teaching well with technology and teaching well in a classroom.

What traits and mindsets are required to successfully teach with technology?

Research mindsets required by academics to succeed in their discipline are also important in teaching with technology. Through an ongoing cycle of personal research, theory and practice, educators are able to create an approach to technology that fits within the scope of their discipline, and the expectations of learners.

Teaching successfully with emerging technologies requires:

• A spirit of experimentation
• Willingness to engage learners in the creation of learning resources (co-creation of content)
• Willingness to "let go" of control and content presentation approaches to teaching
• Tolerance of failure

Augmented, Blended, and Online Learning

Teaching with technology can be viewed as gradients within three broad categories:^[8]

1. Augmented – the use of technology to extend a physical classroom. This may be as simple as incorporating web quests into student work, or the use of an online discussion forum. In a traditional university, the learners still meet regularly with faculty in classrooms. In distance education system, such as Athabasca University, existing paper-based courses could be augmented through online forums or blogs.
2. Blended – technology partly replaces in-classroom learning. Part of the course is face- to-face and part is online. For example, the instructor may initiate a course with a series of classroom lectures, with the rest of the course held online. In distance education programs, online resources such as video and podcasts could be added to existing distance materials.
3. Online – technology entirely replaces face-to-face classroom teaching or paper-based distance education. Fully online programs often employ a learning management system to assist designers and educators with managing student grades, interaction, and content delivery.

Augmenting classrooms

Integrating new tools into existing teaching activities can appear as a formidable challenge. Educators prepared to experiment can move into the process at a pace of personal comfort. An "all or nothing" mindset is not helpful. Small steps are often the best approach for both educators and learners. Augmenting traditional classrooms and distance education courses with emerging technologies is one such approach.

Instructors can move content acquisition activities (which learners can do on their own), such as read a text or listen to audio lectures, online so class time can be spent on dialogue and learning activities. Online quizzes can improve the learner’s ability to self-assess as well. Completion rates for advanced readings can be improved as well if learners are required to complete a short quiz in an LMS, for example, based on readings. These short quizzes may contribute to the overall course mark and provide motivation for learners to read material in advance of class discussions.

Classes can also be augmented through the use of online discussion forums, web quests, a class listserv, blogs, and group-work in wikis. The primary intent of augmenting classroom instruction is to increase effectiveness of learning by providing contact with experts, diverse viewpoints, and dialogue.

Blended learning

Blended learning occurs partly in a classroom (or paper-based in distance education institutions) and partly online. In contrast with augmented learning – where regular scheduled classes are held – blended learning may include an initial face-to-face class, followed by several weeks of online classes, and a wrap up face-to-face class.

Online classes may be synchronous (real time) or asynchronous (time delay).

Synchronous tools include:

• Virtual class tools (like Adobe Connect or Elluminate). These tools are integrated suites, for presenting content (via PowerPoint), application sharing, polling, shared whiteboard, web-browsing and other functionality.
• Chat or instant messaging. Chat can occur within a tool like Moodle, or in stand alone applications like MSN messenger or IRC.
• Voice over IP – through the use of free tools like Skype or GoogleTalk

Asynchronous tools include:

• Discussion forums (in an LMS or online platforms)
• Email, commonly with listserv (like Mailman) or group-based lists like Yahoo or Google Groups
• Blogs or wikis for reflection or collaborative writing

Online Learning

Courses delivered completely online may be offered through platforms like Desire2Learn, Moodle, or Blackboard (for content presentation, discussion, and evaluation) or offered through a combination of blogs, emails, podcasts, and group-based activities (for example, Yahoo Groups).

Fully online courses offer challenges not evident in augmented or blended models. A common concern expressed by learners in online courses is the sense of isolation from other learners and instructors. This challenge can be addressed through utilization of social technologies and collaborative learning.

For example, if an online course is cohort based or has a set start and end date (in contrast to open enrolment) activities can be utilized which allow learners to dialogue about course content. Each week can include a variety of content resources (readings from a text or online, podcast, online video), combined with personal reflection (comments to a discussion forum), group activity (web quests, collaborative writing in a wiki), and interaction with the instructor (synchronous chat or skype call or email).

Regular virtual office hours (in Elluminate, on Skype, or Second Life) offer another opportunity for educators to increase social contact with learners. Learners can enter a chat space (or if you have access to a virtual classroom, audio can be used) and ask questions and clarify concerns. Podcasts are also an effective means of adding audio to a course. Even a short weekly podcast review can provide a strong sense of connection to an instructor.

While the online medium has many affordances it also has many "lost affordances" over physical classrooms. As discussed, sense of isolation, learner expectations and experience, and other factors are important for educators to consider in their design and delivery of online courses. Continual experimentation and reflection will produce a model that works well for the individual educator, learners, and subject matter.

Move to Facilitation

Learning online or at a distance is a different experience from learning in classrooms. When the physical cues and processes are eliminated, it is imperative that the instructor reviews course material and learning activities to ensure clear communication (consider having a colleague or student review the material or pilot the course before initial offering so potential challenges can be attended to in advance of delivery). In a face-to-face course, confusing sections of an assignment can be easily clarified by approaching an instructor after class. Online, small questions, combined with a sense of isolation, can rapidly develop into high level of learner frustration.

Seymour Papert suggests two broad approaches to learning: instructing or having students actively involved in doing.^[9] While this view may be a bit narrow for the diverse disciplines found in higher education, it provides an important dichotomy between instructor and learner involvement. Effective learning online requires an instructor to focus less on lecturing and content presentation, and more on assisting learners in creating personal learning or knowledge networks. Through access to resources and experts, learners are guided to explore content and ideas, and engage actively in conversation with each other, the instructor, and often, members of the larger discipline. Learners actively "forage for knowledge", instead of passively consuming knowledge dispensed by the instructor.

Use of facilitative learning techniques does not negate the value of lecture. Lectures (via video or podcast), when appropriately used, are a valuable tool in the process of learning. But instead of being viewed as a primary tool, lectures are a tool in the toolbox of instructors. The nature of the particular learning task determines the best approach. For example, if basic content is being presented, a lecture may be an effective approach. If learners are being asked to evaluate and synthesize certain aspects of a discipline, conversation, discussion, and group learning may be the best option.

Same tools in the instructors learning tookit include:

• Lecture
• Course readings
• Web quests
• Group exploration
• Group presentations to the larger class
• Podcasts or video files available online
• Learner membership in online communities in a particular subject matter
• Learners contacting experts in the field via email or interview (Skype, for example)
• Collaborative wikis with other educators
• Blogs as reflective journals
• Contribution to Wikipedia to ensure accuracy
• Use of social book marking to connect with other disciplines and related concepts (the creation of a personal learning network or web)

This list is only a starting point. Educators can add, refine, and adjust the balance of instructor presentation with learner exploration in a manner that works best for a particular course. Enlarging learning opportunities to include online resources provides a richer, connected model of learning that often permits learners to stay connected to a community even after completing a course or program.

Teaching and learning activities

Teaching and learning activities fall into four areas:

• Dissemination – the provision of key material relating to a particular course. Through lectures, video, readings, audio recordings, and more recently, simulations, learners are exposed to the key components of a course. Whether handled in a traditional presentation model (like a lecture) or with more recent approaches (which begin to blend content presentation with learning activities, such as problem based learning)
• Discussion – in a teaching context, involves direct learner to educator contact (learner to learner discussion is classified as a learning activity). This dialogue is important to move learners toward higher order thinking, or what corporations are increasingly calling "deep smarts" – a combination of experience and sustained participation in a particular field of study.
• Discovery – directly involve the learners in "doing" – as individuals or as a group. The activities generally arise from the content within a course. The purpose of a learning activity is to assist learners in forming deeper understanding of subject matter. A biology lab, for example, involves the practical (and thereby, more meaningful) application of textbook theory.
• Demonstration - is often perceived as separate from the act of teaching. However, assessment can provide valuable additional learning. Through the use of formative assessment techniques,

When contrasted with the activities of the mechanical, electronic and digital eras, these four activities are achieved in different ways and with the prominent tools of each era.

	Mechanical age	Electronic age	Digital Age
Dissemination - Presentation teacher to learners.	Course content provided by the teacher using the blackboard and the textbook. Delivered through lecturing and talking. Students take hand written notes. Prepared notes handed out (typewriters, stencils, gestetner, mimeograph).	Course content provided by the teacher using overhead projectors, slides, films and the textbook. Delivered through lecturing, talking and presentation. Students take hand written notes. Prepared notes handed out (electronic typewriters, Xerox).	Course content provided by the teacher using PowerPoint, web sites, cds, dvds, videos, computer applications, and the textbook. Delivered through lecturing, talking and presentations. Students take notes on laptops or PDAs. Prepared notes made available on the network.
Discussion - Communication from teacher to learner and learner to learner.	Talk to teacher in class, or during office hours. Talk to students outside of class. Write a letter. Mechanical media limit the speed and geography limits the scope.	Telephones expand the speed (instantaneous) and remove geographic limits but introduce a mediated experience.	Learners have direct and instant access to a range of communication tools and applications from email, bulletin boards, chat, social networking, webcams, voip using a wide range of devices, mobiles, gaming platforms, computers. Geography no longer a barrier to communication. All communication mediated.
Discovery - Discovery encompasses all those activities that learners engage in to expand their learning beyond the classroom. These may be scheduled activities such as experiments, labs, field trips, or independent investigation - research.	Additional course content available through the library. Science labs, experiments, and field trips are scheduled as part of courses.	Experiments use electronic equipment.	Learners have direct and instant access to a range of resources and learning activities that far exceeds what is found in the classroom: web searches, database searches, digital resources, virtual laboratories, simulations, virtual environments, augmented reality. Libraries become a secondary source of information as they are constrained by speed, scope and scale (although the Library 2.0 movement is trying to address this).
Demonstration - Demonstration is most often seen in the form of formative and summative assessment. Assessment activities are designed to demonstrate mastery or understanding.	By learners in labs, tests	Increased use of technology in demonstrating competence (similar to instructor use of technology to teach)	Online labs (MIT), move to authentic assessment, eportfolios

Teaching in online environments increases the workload and responsibilities for many educators as new conceptual views and technical skills are required. Isolation and depersonalization impacts educators as well as learners, creating concerns about burnout in online faculty.^[10] Most academic considerations of engagement focus on learners and ignore the needs of faculty. Opportunities also exist for organizations to utilize social software to also improve the faculty sense of connectedness to peers.

IRIS Model of Moving From Innovation to Systematization

The process of innovating differs from the process of systematizing learning innovations (see Image 9). Innovation is concerned with exploring "what is possible" and pushing the boundaries of existing practices and views of teaching and learning. To determine the impact and suitability of innovations in various educational contexts, a cycle of research and implementation must be employed. During these stages, educators are focusing on answering questions like "how does it work?" and "what is the real world impact?". Insight gleaned from research and implementation then leads to the formulation of a systemic approach to duplicating teaching and learning. Confusion often results in organizations when an innovator expresses "what is possible" and is met with an organizational response of "we can't duplicate that". Innovations expand what is possible, but in most cases, before broad implementation, additional research and contextual analysis is required.

References

1. ↑ Brown, A. L. (1994). The advancement of learning. Educational Researcher, 23(8), 4–12.
2. ↑ Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Rankin Macgill, A., & Smith, A. (2007). Teens and social media. Washington, DC: Pew Internet. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Social_Media_Final.pdf
3. ↑ Johnson, G. M. (2007). College student internet use: Convenience and amusement. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 33(1), 141–157.
4. ↑ Kanuka, H. (2008) Understanding E-Learning technologies-in-practice through philosophies-in-practice. In Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Terry Andeson ed.
5. ↑ Nichols, M. (2008). Institutional perspectives: The challenges of e-learning diffusion. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(4), 598–609.
6. ↑ Panda, S., & Mishra, S. (2007). E-learning in a mega open university: Faculty attitude, barriers and motivators. Educational Media International, 44(4), 323–338. (p. 335)
7. ↑ Chickering, A. W., Ehrmann, S. C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. Retrieved on February 20, 2009 from http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html
8. ↑ Sloan-C (2007) Blending in: The extent and promise of blended education in the United States. Retrieved on February 20, 2009 from http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/Blending_In.pdf
9. ↑ Papert, S. (n.d.). Constructionism vs. instructionism. Retrieved December 27, 2007, from http://papert.org/articles/const_inst/const_inst1.html
10. ↑ Hogan, L. R., & McKnight, M. A. (2007). Exploring burnout among university online instructors: An initial investigation. Internet and Higher Education, 10, 117–224.