Free Online Course Critique

My assignment this week was to look at a free online course and critique it. So, while perusing http://www.openculture.com/ which has so great links to all kinds of free things, I noticed that some of the courses that were offered were from Harvard. I quickly skimmed down to math and selected a math course that was offered at Harvard, MATH E-222 Abstract Algebra. I know what you are thinking, “she must be so smart!” You would be correct in that assumption, but just not as smart as the kid with the lowest grade in this class (at least when it comes to abstract algebra, a topic I know next to nothing about).

Now I understand this is a FREE course, so I know there was not an instructional designer slaving away turning an advanced math class into something palatable for the online student. but this is Harvard we are talking about and I guess I had foolishly high standards for the ivy league school. Let me start by saying aside from the fact that I could get videos of the lectures online, along with a laundry list of PDF files with hand scribbled notes on them and another PDF list titled problems sets that simply listed the page in the textbook to turn to and which problems to work on, were the only offerings that in any way shape or form resembled an online course.

This Harvard math class is guilty of doing one of the worst distance learning practices of “dumping” face to face course offerings onto the web (Simonson, 2009). This course was simply filmed and put on line. The film was not edited at all. When he was standing in the way of the problem or had written something illegibly there was no graphic added or a later image shot and edited into the film so the distance learner can see what the professor was actually talking about. In fact, the camera lagged behind the work, and would go back to the problem when it was in view but far after the steps had been given.  There were also no activities designed for the distance learner at all. If they didn’t have the textbook they could not even do the problem sets that were assigned to the face to face class. The design of this class would make it almost impossible to be successful while learning at a distance.

Another issue was the lack of an actual course management system (CMS) at all. A CMS is a virtual learning environment that has “become the de facto standard by which the vast majority of asynchronous distance education courses are delivered” (Simonson, 2009). Unless, you consider a webpage with links to all of the above stated elements and a very skimpy syllabus a CMS. There is no form of communications, project space or assessments for the distance learner. From the looks of things what was being offered as a free extension class was really just a compilation of the class artifacts placed on line for the face to face attendees to use as needed. In one of the lectures that I watched Professor Gross did announce that when speaking about the extension course he should look into the camera. But that appeared to be the only concession made for the distance learners.

There were some positives I would like to highlight, but I must honestly say they really do not compensate for the poor and almost nonexistent design of the online version of this class. I did really like that each lecture was offered in 3 different forms for downloading; Quicktime, Flash and as an MP3. This ensures an ease of use for the technology, and even allowed people with slow bandwidth to download MP3s so they could still participate. Professor Gross kept a very conversational tone throughout his lectures and seemed to really enjoy teaching the subject matter. He also acknowledged that he used too much jargon and asked that students stop and get clarification from him. All of the materials are available at all times, aside from the textbook which is probably due to copyright issues.  The final positive is that the course is asynchronous, so students can work at their own pace to fully grasp the intricate math problems.

All in all I would rate this course as a complete flop. Though, I highly doubt anyone at Harvard is worried about what I have to say, or what the nonpaying distance learners are not receiving from their ever so generous (please note the sarcasm) free classes. But, honestly, in this day and age everything that goes onto the internet with your name on it should be worth having the label. It would have taking an ID student less than a month to retool the class and actually make it worth taking. It is a reflection of the old school belief system that many highly esteemed schools still carry. My warning for them is that if they start looking towards future technologies their schools will be a thing of the past.

Blackboard Collaborate

My professor asked us to look at a scenario and figure out what type of distance learning technology we would use to remedy the problem. The scenario is as follows:

A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?
I began to peruse my textbook looking for a new idea to remedy this situation. Now as a first grade teacher in a low income area I have no real working knowledge of distance learning technologies, but I love to Skype and video chat with my family that is scattered all over the country. When I came to the section on desktop two-way audio/video I knew I had come across my answer.  But the first sentence talked about this technology being costly and cumbersome (Simonson, 2009), which was hard to believe having used Skype for free a million times. But as I started hunting I came across Blackboard Collaborate.
The website explains that it is a combination of Wimba and Elluminate. If I just sounded like I was speaking some foreign language, have no fear, I am going to keep it simple!

These programs offer users the abilities to have more engaging collaborations by using web, video and audio conferencing, instant messaging and a host of other options. The main focus for my assignment was the web and video conferencing.
Their video conferencing used a bevy of wonderful additions to my basic idea of video chats. Blackboard Collaborate offers not just teleconferencing, but also the ability to use 6 simultaneous cameras, live chat, use log ins with profiles, and an interactive whiteboard space. You can look at this link to see a video on how this technology works at, Introduction to Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing. But as educators in this day and age we must always remember that the key to success in the classroom “is not which technologies are used, but how they car used and what information is communicated using the technologies” (Simonson, 2009).
I felt like the teacher in the scenario could use the Blackboard Collaborate program with the museum curators to create the tour and then hold a lecture. The teacher could work together with the museum staff to create a whiteboard presentation on the exhibits. On the day of the “tour” the experts would join in with the class via teleconferencing. They would be visible on the Audio and Video panel. Each student could log in to the site for a live chat with the presenter, and the teacher could even have a microphone set up for a question answer session. This program offers a wealth of options for how to construct a distance learning experience, and that paired with a great lesson plan and a partnership with experienced professionals will lead to a very interesting and educational experience for the students.

References
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson
http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/overview.aspx


If you are interested and want to know EVEN more about Blackboard Collaborate check out this video:

Distance Learning in my Eye

            Before I began this journey to becoming an Instructional Designer I had a very small idea of what distance learning actually was. Not so much because I was unlearned in the theories and concepts of distance learning, but because I had really never thought about it. Then I went from having no real concern for it to plunging into becoming a distance learner, who is now currently learning about distance learning.  Now that this knot is woven I will explain this a little bit more. I used to think distance learning was getting on a computer or tuning into a tv show and learning something. I felt like a distance learner when I was on youtube.com learning how to change my bike tire, or reading about the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, even watching how to cook like Paula Dean on the Food Network. But as I began to learning more about this topic from a more professional standpoint it became clear that I was off the mark. Many of the things I considered to fall under the umbrella of distance learning were really self study.

            Distance learning is defined, in Teaching and Learning as a Distance as “institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources , and instructors” (Simonson, 2009).  So if I use this definition it is clear just how unclear I was about distance learning.

            First, it states that distance learning is tied to an institution (Simonson, 2009). So, even though youtube.com is available in most homes, on multiple phones, used by teachers to show all kinds of information to their students, it is not an institution, nor is the Food Network, much to the chagrin of my best friend. Universities, schools, corporations and such are considered to be “institutions” in this matter. So even though thanks to Paula Dean I can now make a banana pudding that brings a tear to the eye, and I learned about it years after she demonstrated how to make said pudding in a city about a thousand miles from where I downloaded the recipe, and it is an education that has made me famous at my church, this was not and will never be considered distance learning but instead simply self study.

            This pudding example personifies the main point of distance learning. Yes, this kitchen master and I were separated by distance and time, and I had to use the internet (interactive communication) to find the recipe. But the main reason that makes this example one of self study is that distance learning must connect “learners, resources and instructors” (Simonson, 2009).  And no matter how emotional I get about this delectable dessert, Paula Dean has no connection to me and my kitchen explorations. “The definition of distance education included these four components. If one or more are missing, then the event is something different if only slightly, than distance education” (Simonson, 2009).

            Distance learning has been around for well over a hundred years. In the past the “interactive community” (Simonson, 2009) was letters and assignments mailed back and forth between teacher and student. But the popularization of the world wide web made learning at a distance an easy and affordable option in the United States of America (Simonson, n.d.).  In the span of a year the amount of students enrolled in a distance learning program went from 1.5 million to 6 million, which leads experts to believe that numbers will continue to increase dramatically in the next few year (Simonson, n.d.).  I personally feel there is a long way to go before it is received by all as a regular option for education. Home schooling and online degrees are still looked at by many as a less that standard education. But as the internet grows and becomes even more entrenched in our daily lives, people will accept distance based educations as a viable option, not a replacement of universities (Simonson, n.d.), but an option none the less.

            Now as I look at my personal definition of distance learning, I would have to say that it embodies much of what I have learned from these educational sources I was given in my online class. It is an education from a large institution that takes place at different times and locations for several people, and there has to be a shared relationship on some level between the teacher and learner.

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance education the next generation. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364557&Survey=1&47=7412221&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1 on July 2, 2011. 


** The awesome banana pudding recipe can be found at: not your mama's banana pudding

Learning From Learning Theories

When I started the course that was the inspiration to writing this blog I had to talk about how I learned and what were issues that made learning challenging. I made the points that I learn kinesthetically and with a lot of visuals and examples. I also made mention of the fact that if I do not find things interesting I quickly label them as unimportant and those tidbits of knowledge rarely find their way into my long term memory.

My assignment this week was to discuss how my view of how I learn has changed based on all this new information about learning theories. But as I learned more about the theories I already knew and then new ones like Connectivism, Social and Adult learning theories my view didn’t change it was just enhanced.

I still think that the theories play upon one another. I agree when Jonassen says “that introductory knowledge acquisition is better supported by more objectivistic approaches (behavioral and/or cognitive) but suggests a transition to constructivistic approaches as learners acquire more knowledge which provides them with the conceptual power needed to deal with complex and ill-structured problems” (Jonassen, 1991). I think we float in and out of different elements of behaviorism, cognativism and constructivism throughout much of our life.

But the one this that did change was being introduced to the Connectivist theory. I fully agree with and learn through the parameters of this theory. I am fully connected to my “network” and learn a lot while online. The obvious way that Connectivism influences my education is that I am currently getting my masters online, and I have also created an educational blog (that you are reading now).  I am also a social network junkie, I live over a thousand miles away from my hometown and have friends all over the world. I stay in contact with all of them on Facebook, even the ones that live 15 miles away.  I stay “connected” through my blackberry. I use this mobile device to check my email, Facebook and to Google or spell check anything my friends or students can ask or come up with. Technology plays a huge and very important part in my education, formal and casual.

With the introduction to the new theories I also learned that I am not a textbook Adult Learner. I do not need to be involved in the creation of the instruction or help develop it. I am a busy adult I just want you to give me the information I need and then let me process it as I see fit. I do, however, prefer to learn things that matter in my personal and professional life. Anything outside of that box becomes less interesting and it is hard for it to hold my attention.

To honor other learners like myself, I will keep this blog concise and simple. Learning theories are, honestly, not my favorite topic to study, but they do have their place in Instructional Design. So if you are in or considering a career in ID you really need to understand how people think and learn so that you can fully understand how to teach them effectively.

Jonassen, D. H. (1991). Evaluating constructivistic learning. Educational Technology, 31(9).

Connectivism in the My World: A Reflection

I remember when I was in the 2nd grade writing a paper on the Stegosaurus and my dad walking into the dining room with this huge box. When I opened it there was a full set of these green encyclopedias. I was ecstatic. I remember feeling like the entire world was sitting right in front of me. By middle school I was already frustrated with these little books lack of current information. And last year a student was giving out random volumes from an encyclopedia set he had found in his house. While standing there holding a “P” encyclopedia I realized how much had changed in my lifetime, how expansive the learning networks we all have really are, even in 2^nd grade.

But the magic I once saw in those books my dad bought me is ever growing on the internet. Google is my current set of little green encyclopedias. I feel like I really do have the world at my fingertips by simply typing in a few words. According to Siemens, “connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday” (Seimens, 2005 p. 24). So this made me wonder how the way I learn has changed. Google, often times coupled with my Blackberry, is my tool of choice. I can get the information I am searching for in a matter of seconds. If I am writing a paper, creating a smartboard presentation for my students, or just trying to prove a point in a conversation over dinner with friends, I can go to Google to get all my answers.

Another tool I use is Facebook. If I need to remember who was Homecoming queen my senior year in high school, where to get the best pizza while visiting New York, or some fantastic movie quote, I can just put it in my status and wait for the responses to roll in.

I could write a laundry list of others sources of information that I use to gain knowledge, but what it all boils down to is that I am now an impatient learner. When I cannot figure something out I am plagued by it. I have been Google-ing the word for when you learn a new word and then you hear it all of the time for months and I have yet to find the word. I blame myself for not knowing exactly how to word my request in that little bar to get my results, or that I need more sesquipedalians on my friends list on Facebook.  I am no longer satisfied with the fact that most people don’t know the information I am trying to get, as I once was before technology became such a prevalent part of my learning network.

I am not sure if “Connectivism” is a learning theory or just a pedagogical view, and to be honest, I don’t really care. Whatever you want to call it, I agree with it. Because information is created, distributed, altered, dissected, changed and redistributed at such a rapid rate you have to recognize the importance of being “connected”. I agree that “decision-making itself is a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow, due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision” (Seimens, 2005, p 24). Information has always changed at a rapid pace, but we were never privy to the changes at such a fast pace as we are now. So I am constantly rechecking facts and making sure I check more than one site in my search engine results. So as all of this becomes faster and faster, we must constantly learn new ways to fine tune our learning process. 

Connectivism

Getting "brainy" with ID

This week I have spent a lot of time learning about the brain and the role it plays in teaching and learning. After my readings I perused a lot of sites and online journals looking for some good information to convey to others.

One of the main theories to think about when thinking about thinking is the IP Theory (Information Processing theory). George A. Miller laid the foundation for IP with two different theories. One was "chunking" and the other was the idea that the human mind is much like that of a computer. This is where the three different kinds of memory (Sensory resisters, short term and long term memory) are considered. I am not saying that all of his theories should be taken as law, but they are a great place to start your own personal journey through the mind and the way it thinks. If you want to know a little more check out this Information Processing Theory site. The links in the actual writing didn't work for me, but at the bottom of the page you will find some interesting ones that will give you more information on IP. This is great information to consider when creating lessons for people that you want to make sure "stick".

On a more personal note, I have often wondered about how I will handle working with adults as opposed to my cute little cherub faces tyrants. I know how to walk a child through the steps of problem solving, but with adults there are so many more levels to finding a solution. But I found this problem solving skills site that breaks down a lot of the different elements that go into adult problem solving. It even offers printable tables for you to use to gain a better understanding how skilled you are at problem solving. As I encounter different aged "students" I will be able to use this information to help me get a handle on how to get them to solve problems in order to learn from all that I am offering.

If you want to know about Brian-Based learning check out this  learning site. It offers everything from the core principles, to three instructional techniques and a host of other information. This is my favorite of all my offerings in this week's post. It gives so much information that I can use in my current classroom and in the future. This page is filled with great information for any kind of teacher. Just to give you an idea of what the creators of this site are all about I am posting a few lines from the page. Being a teacher, these few lines made me nod in full agreement at the computer screen. And as a future ID professional, it is a reality I need to embrace and hold onto throughout my career.


"Designers of educational tools must be artistic in their creation of brain-friendly environments. Instructors need to realize that the best way to learn is not through lecture, but by participation in realistic environments that let learners try new things safely." (Funderstanding, 1998-2008 )