The Impact of Open Source

This week I visited the Open Yale Courses site at http://oyc.yale.edu.  This is an asynchronous class where the learner can access the class at any time.  Because my course focus is on an IB music course, I focused on the Listening to Music course offered by Dr. Craig Wright.  The course that is offered is a recording of the lectures that Dr. Wright gives in his classroom setting.

This class is not necessarily developed with the distance learner in mind.  Like I stated it is a recording of lectures given on campus.  The actual course is a general music class for non-music majors, so it is developed for people with an interest in music, but not an in depth knowledge of music.  Learners are expected to have a copy of the book, Listening to Music, by Craig Wright, and access to NAXOS Music Library, which is a subscription music service, and only available with a log-in and password.  According to Simonson, Smaldano, Albright & Zvacek (2009) in an internet environment, the instructor need to be concerned with the layout of the courseware and the types of resources available to the students at the distance site (p.135).  Many students will not have access to either the book, nor to the NAXOS Music Library.

The technological aspect of the class is set up so that the instructor can teach and not worry about and technological glitches.  In fact, the first video shows a tech hooking up the computer to the data projector and returning to the camera, so the technology aspect of recording the lecture was ensured to work smooth.  The camera was set up so that the viewer could see the professor, the data screen, the chalk board, and the instrumentalist who were in the room.   A nice and unexpected aspect was that the videos were closed captioned for the hearing impaired, I’m not sure how they would hear the music, but they can at least be a part of the lecture.

The visuals in this course were not adapted for distance learning, but were developed for a large lecture hall, so things were easy to see when your attention was directed towards them.  The font was large enough, the colors were appropriate, dark background light text and vice versa (Simonson, et. Al., 2009), there were few words per line of text, and the screen wasn’t too cluttered. 

This course offers no course activities outside of the required readings and listening assignments for the regular face-to-face course.  This is more suited as a podcast than an interactive online course.  What I did find out, is that it can not be offered on iTunes U, because of copyright issues, so even Yale acknowledges that this is more of a podcast than an online course.  This is admirable and conforms to copyright law.  “No matter what technologies are incorporated in the distance environment, the instructor needs to respect copyright restrictions that might apply” (Simonson, et. Al.,2009).

I enjoyed visiting this site, and will use some of the lectures for my class, but some of them are above their heads, as it is designed for college students.  It is designed for non—music majors, which makes it easier for everyone to understand, but it is still pretty intense and a lot to take in.  The site is not interactive at all and you really have to be willing to watch a video of that length with that much information to fully understand the lesson. 

Resources

Open Yale Courses. Retrieved from http://oyc.yale.edu

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

Distance Learning Technologies

This week’s blog post has to do with a scenario to help in the development of distance learning, and identify one to two distance learning technologies you think provide the best solution for the given challenge.

The dilemma

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?

In this situation the first thing I need to know is what museums, specifically the teacher has in mind.  There are many, many art museums in New York and not all of them have interactive web sites.  There are two that I know of that offer virtual tours and resources for teachers.  The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) has virtual tours of all of their floors, galleries, and exhibits. www.moma.org.  Also, on their home page is the Google Art Project, which allows you to view museums around the world, and their collections.  Under the learning link for k-12 teachers there is a section called Modern Teacher Online, which connects teachers with resources and user’s guides. http://moma.org/modernteachers/.  The other site is the New York Museum of Art http://www.metmuseum.org.  The site has virtual tours of select collections and still pictures of most of their collection.  It has an interactive timeline of art history.  It has a site for teacher resources where you can order or download materials for the classroom. http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/classroom.asp. 

Interaction with a museum curator would be best if the teacher used two-way audio/video.  This way sites can be connected via compressed video and sent out over an internet connection.  This type of two way communication allows people in two separate locations to hold a live conversation that can be recorded for future references.  A great source for this technology is SKYPE  www.skype.com.  The video runs at real time and the audio streams right along with the video with no gap between the two. 

For group critiques of selected works I would suggest a discussion thread.  There are several sites that offer free discussion thread software that can be integrated right onto a teachers web page or CMS. At www.activeboard.com   one can set up a forum in just a few minutes.  The free version is ad supported, but if you can get over pop-up ads its a simple tool to use.  Simple Machines at www.simplemachines.com is a much more comprehensive site and would be better suited for someone a bit more tech savy, but it’s worth a try for someone who wants to integrate a chat feed on their web page. I would also suggest that the teacher set up a CMS for that lesson.  Edu2.0 offers a place for blogs and chat where students can critique a work of art that the teacher has selected, and can comment on other student’s critiques. 

There are may tools that can be used, but my job is to help create solutions that are the most user friendly, and are on pace with the teacher’s technological skills.

Resources

Active Board (2011) http://www.activeboard.com

Metropolitan Museum of Art (2011) http://www.metmuseum.org

Museum of Modern Art (2011) http://moma.org

Simple Machines (2011) http://www.simplemachines.com

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

The Impact of Distance Learning

            Distance learning to me has always meant independent learning.  That means the ability to learn on your own time, at your own pace.  I remember commercials and advertisements for correspondence schools where you could learn a multitude of “trade” careers on your own, by ordering the materials and submitting the exams by mail.  I would have to say that distance learning has vastly changed since those days.  The Internet opened up a world of opportunities for the “non-traditional” student to advance their education without having to spend their time in a traditional classroom.

            According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, (2009) in Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education distance learning is “institution- based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors” (p. 32).  They also go on to list the four components needed in order for learning to be considered distance learning: it is institutionally based, the teacher and the student are geographically separated, interactive telecommunications allow for synchronous or asynchronous learning, and learners, resources and instructors are connected so that learning can occur.  This is a more detailed description than I would have ever thought of before embarking on my educational journey.

            I never realized that distance learning occurred outside of an educational setting.  Not spending time in the corporate world for an extended period of time never afforded me the opportunity to learn about how distance learning could benefit a large corporation.  My only experience was face-to-face training, and even as the trainer, I felt it was an arduous unnecessary training.  There was no evaluation other than a smile sheet and language barriers were never taken into consideration.  E-learning in the corporate setting is starting to be embraced because it cuts down on delivery costs, is instantly available, and all employees have access to it immediately. “These benefits far outweigh the relatively high up-front cost of training development using e-learning” (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p. 70).

            Being in education and being a distance learner myself I understood the usefulness of e-learning.  What I never considered was all of the detail that goes into creating an effective and purposeful online learning course.  Being pretty tech savvy, I figured that developing an online class would be as easy as taking what I know and putting it online.  I have since come to realize that designing an online learning course involves more design and thought than I ever imagined.  “Taking what one is familiar with and/or using what works in one environment and simply duplicating it in a new environment can lead to limited positive results” (Moller, Foshay & Huett 2008, p. 67).  I am learning in every course I take how true that is.

            As distance and e-learning evolve, I see more of this type of learning as becoming an integral part of education and training.  As technology advances, more opportunities arise to learn electronically.  E-learning is more cost effective, less time consuming, and the learner can learn at their own pace. Colleges and Universities that offer distance learning as a part of their program, can sustain growth and increase their financial gains.  As corporations spread to global market, e-learning allows them to train many people in many different places, and not lose productivity due to mass trainings of employees at the same time.  K-12 institutions are offering more courses online, especially for the student with outside circumstances that prevent them from attending a traditional school.  K-12 virtual schools are also becoming a viable alternative for nontraditional students who want an alternative to traditional school.  As an ID, it is essential for me to be able to grow with this trend and develop the most effective learning for whichever setting I am designing learning.

Resources

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.

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


Link to mind map    http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/982844a29cfd

Distance Learning 6135

A new class a, new school year, a new beginning.

 Greetings classmates.  It's great to see so many familiar names, and some new ones too.  As we enter the second leg of our program, I am amazed at all of the knowledge we have gained since day one.  I look forward to continuing on this journey with you all.

Reflections on Learning Theories, Learning Styles and What I Learned in the Process

Reflections on Learning Theories, Learning Styles, and What I Learned in the Process

Christina Roeser

Walden University

Dr. Shirley Weaver

Learning Theories and Instruction EDUC 6115

December 23, 2010

Reflections on Learning Theories, Learning Styles, and What I Learned in the Process

            Over the course of this class I was surprised to discover all of the learning theories that exist.  When I was last in school, we had behaviorism, cognitivism, & constructivism.  Connectivism wasn’t a theory that had been fully developed yet.  We were taught about learning styles (visual, auditory, and tactile), but little was discussed about how people learned or what motivated them to learn.   According to Ertmer & Newby, in the article Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features from an Instructional Design Perspective, less than two percent of the courses offered in the general area of educational technology emphasize theory as one of their key concepts (Ertmer & Newby, 1993).

            What I discovered is that learning theories are “ a source of verified instructional strategies, tactics, and techniques.  Knowledge of a variety of such strategies is critical when attempting to select an effective prescription for overcoming a given instructional problem” (Ertmer, 1993).  As an instructional designer it is important to understand learning theories, learning styles, and instructional techniques, as to present a variety of options to a variety of learners.

            In reflecting on how I learn, I went into this class thinking I was a cognitive learner.  After studying all of the theories presented through out this course, I don’t fall under any one theory.  There are elements of all of the theories that apply to the way I learn.  

                       

Under cognitive theory, I draw knowledge based on my prior experiences and draw upon pre existing knowledge to master a new concept (Ertmer, 1993).  Under social learning theory “meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities” (Kim, 2006). I discovered that although I am a social person, I like learning on my own, which is why I chose on-line learning instead of a traditional classroom.   In that way I fall under connectivism.  I learn with technology.  My main sources of information gathering are online.  Information is rapidly changing, and I learn quickly and adapt the way I learn to keep up with the constant change.  As an adult learner I choose to learn what is relevant to me.  I am motivated by what I find interesting and I tend to check out when I do not see how something relates to what I do or what I am interested in.

            Knowing what the eight forms of intelligences “linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, & naturalist” (Gardner, 2003), gives an instructional designer an advantage. Just understanding that everybody learns in different ways and different combinations of the above mentioned intelligences, will allow me to design instruction that will cater to all individuals and the ways that they learn and process information. “Understanding learning style differences is thus an important step in designing balanced instruction that is effective for all students”(Gilbert & Swainer, 2008)

            As instructors, we need to take bits and pieces from each theory and style.  That way we can use them collectively, as a scaffolding process, to our benefit.  “Sometimes, students do not gain a deeper understanding because of the instructional methods employed by the professor, which may not be conducive for his or her learning style. If an understanding of the concept is not acquired, some students resort to rote memory.” (Gilbert & Swainer, 2008).   You cannot design instruction to appeal to one intelligence or another.  The best you can do is add variety, keep it interesting, check for comprehension, adjust as necessary and keep it moving.

Conclusion

            As an adult learner learning to design instruction for adult learners, it is important for me to be aware of all learning theories and styles.  “Learning is not one thing…it is multi-facetted…there are too many levels for one school of thought” (Kapp, 2007).

           

  

Resources

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism:             Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective.  Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71

Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from             http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf

Gilbert, J., & Swankier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from             http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%2            0Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%2            0Fluctuate.pdf

Kapp, K (2007) Out and About: Discussion on Educational.  Retrieved from:             http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/

Kim, B. (2001). Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, & Technology.             Retrieved from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction             (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Ormrod, J. (nd.). “Learning Styles and Strategies” video Retrieved from             http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com

Fitting The Pieces Together

 When I started this class, I knew that I was an auditory learner.  I learned best by hearing.  I also knew that if I could hear and do at the same time, I learned that much better.  In studying all of the “isms,” I now realize that my learning is way more complex than that.   “Learning is not one thing…it is multi-facetted…there are too many levels for one school of thought.” (Kapp, 2007).   By studying the “isms” I have also become more interested in the study of music and the brain, and how music affects the way people learn.

I have learned that not one learning theory is indicative of how people learn.  You can not lump all people under one theory.  Behaviorism works in lower elementary where you want to condition younger students on how to learn.  Rewards are used to garner correct responses.  Spell all of your words correct, get a smiley face.  Follow all of the classroom expectations, get a gold star on a behavior chart.  Behaviorism can be integrated into adult learning as well.   Take a seminar, increase your skills, get a raise.  Not the best method for older learners but for some, it works.

Cognitive learning theory piggybacks on behaviorism.  Learning is based on prior knowledge and scaffolds itself using problem solving.  In order for learning to happen, the learner has to have a base of knowledge to draw from.  This is the way that most students are taught in modern day society.

Constructivism and Social learning theories, base learning on being social.  The learner learns best by being in a social setting where a task is just challenging enough that the instructor is there to guide knowledge, but not influence it.

Connectivism and Adult Learning are self guided where the learner is self motivated to learn.  Learning is done distantly, and through online methods.  They are becoming popular especially for people who have “life situations” to work around.

In evaluating where I fit into a learning theory I don’t really think of how I learn best, but rather how I incorporate all of those theories into how I teach.  I try to keep in mind that there is not one student in my classroom that learns the same way as another.  My challenge is to make sure that all students learn regardless of their learning style.  Knowing all of the different theories gives me a much broader palate on how I administer my lessons, and check for comprehension.

Technology plays a huge role in how I learn and teach.  I do most of my research online.  I utilize google, Wikipedia, and other search engines to find information.  I rely on podcasts, and YouTube to incorporate video learning into my classes.  I use garage band, pro audio tools, finale, and Smart Score in my classroom so my students can create their own music.  Our district uses Discovery.Net for all of our record keeping.  They have also set up g-mail accounts for all of our students and staff, so that work can be shared in GoogleDocs.  Work can be edited by staff and students for immediate feedback, or to be reviewed later.  I subscribe to several e-magazines online and can retrieve the local news online.  Not being a highly social creature, the internet keeps me connected to the world without having to leave the house.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Kapp, K (2007)  Out and About: Discussion on Educational.  Retrieved from: http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/

Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism

Standridge, M. (2001). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism

Connectivism

Connectivism

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 information unimportant information is vital.”(Siemens, 2005)  This week we created a mind map showing how we keep connected.  In reflecting on all of my connections I realized that, other than teaching all day, I do not belong to any social groups that meet in the same physical space or that are not social networking sites.  My parents would consider that anti social, I consider it not enough time in the day to fit it all in let alone leave the house, yet again, when I have been away for 8-9 hours already.  Malcolm Knowles would call it self-directed learning.

My networks have changed the way I learn, because I can learn at my own pace.  If I need immediate information, I get fairly reliable information, from the Internet, right then and there.  If I get a brainstorm in the middle of teaching a lesson, I can get the information or the video or the music I need immediately.  If a life issue comes up I can put my learning on hold to deal with the situation until I am ready to start again.  I used to be a traditional learner, who, when I needed information, would go to the library and use the reference books or read biographies for fun.  I still do that, but with the Internet readily available, I can at least get the basic knowledge I need, to apply it to the situation at hand.

Possibly my favorite digital tool to acquire information is Google.  That search engine has saved my bacon many times, especially in arguments when I know I’m right.  Another is YouTube.  You can find a video for just about anything you need or want to know, and it proves that there are many different ways to learn and facilitate learning in others.  There are many others like how.com & ask.com, and more and more podcasts are becoming learner centered.

I thinking about how connectivism relates to my personal learning networks, I think it fits right in.  According to Siemens

·      Learning may reside in non-human appliances

·      Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known

·      Currency is the intent of all connectivist learning activities

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. (Siemens, 2005).  In choosing to study online and study online learning I have chosen to connect myself to constructivism and its principles, be it a learning theory or not.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003).  Adult learning.  In M. Orey(Ed).  Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.  Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008).  Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning theory for the digital age.  International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm