ITEC 830 - 5 Frame Story

VoiceThread - 5 Frame Story

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http://voicethread.com/share/230409/

Learning for the 21st Century

This was my first time using CMap Tools. I thought the interface was easy to use. However, I wish the canvas size was a bit larger. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the best way to orient my map. While I like visual organizers, I felt that the article was pretty linear in nature and if I was going to summarize or take notes on the article, I would have preferred to make an outline.

Here is my map:

Guest Speaker: Dr. Curt Bonk

It was great to see how Dr. Bonk used Web 2.0 tool in his lecture. I learn a great deal by watching how others use these tools to instruct.

I wish he had a chance to talk about his research a bit more. I am really interested to hear about his research in game-based instruction. I think gaming will be influential in how we instruct and assess our learners in the future.

On a side note, thinking about dissertations for a Ph.D. or our 894 projects. I wonder if the assessment will change to accommodate a more 21st Century approach? We encourage collaboration and group projects in our classrooms and identify these as key skills for the 21st Century. Furthermore, many recent learning theories suggest that knowledge occurs through construction or connecting of information, which would require collaboration. However, our 894 project is an individual task. Wouldn't a group project be more aligned with our teachings and where Instructional Technology is headed? Or is it too difficult to assesss?

Emerging Technologies for Learning

Diana Oblinger discusses the characteristics of the Net Generation and looks at the implications these students will have in the classroom. Students of the net generation are multi-taskers, multi-users, multi-media savvy. These students expect to be creators of their knowledge. The classroom is just one place to collaborate and connect their knowledge with their peers. The teacher is a facilitator guiding and helping to contextualize their nodes of information into a meaningful piece of knowledge.

It was interesting to read this article in comparison to the article about the Net Generation that we read in Fall 2007. The characteristics of the Net Generation has not changed, but it is fascinating to see how many Web 2.0 have evolved or been created to address their needs and the new learning styles of society. We expect immediacy when we desire information. We want to Google or Wikipedia or chat with experts when we need answers to our questions. In order to organize all these tidbits of information, we need visuals or graphic organizers to help us put these thoughts in order. There are so many social-networking tools available and many more aimed towards learning groups, such as Nings.

Emerging Technologies in Education

In "Emerging Technologies in E-learning," the authors provided a fairly comprehensive overview of the various Web 2.0 tools available. The authors summarized each tool, provided examples of how the tool is used, and how the tool may be applied in an educational setting. I agree with the authors that Web 1.0 was focused on consumers and web 2.0 is focused on people. Moreover, that many of the LMS systems are more Web 1.0 in their design as these systems do not allow for collaboration but are more of a organizational and distribution tool for the instructor.

While Web 2.0 is focused on collaboration and creation, I wonder how Web 3.0 will lend itself to the ideas of connectivism. With so much information overload, I feel as though I am just acquiring disparate pieces of information. Am I forming nodes without context? How will technology change to strengthen or facilitate the the ties to connect these nodes? I find that this is a crucial element to gaining knowledge and understanding. After I acquire a piece of information, I cannot truly understand or realize the full potential of this information until I see how it relates to the other information in my head. I need to understand the information in a context that is relatable. How can technology help facilitate these connections when they are so personal and unique to each individual?

Class Notes and Thoughts (September 11, 2008)

George Siemens - Connectivism Class
Diversity of opinion and various perspectives helps to create knowledge

Education in the Digital Age

• Comes from all over
• Process
• Identify the Point of View
• Selectively Determining Who do You Trust
• Our perspective can become more narrow because we will subscribe to like minded people

During the simulation exercise we were asked to respond to our classmates' blogs. I responded to Ethan's blog, which was a little strange since he was sitting right next to me. In reality, I would have just read Ethan's blog and then turned to him and shared my comments in person. I wonder if this is the norm in the digital age? I often get e-mails from my co-worker who is just a few feet away from me. When I visited the Googleplex, I was amazed at how quiet the office was. There were no phones ringing or little murmurs of office chatter. Instead, the sound of continuous clicks from a sea of keyboards. I think everyone was chatting online or corresponding my email. Perhaps, this is the new way of communicating. I wonder how this will change the dynamics of a classroom? It may result in a quieter classroom, but will students be any more focused?

Learning in Digital Age

I enjoyed John Seely Brown's verbalization of the distinction between information and knowledge. It was short and to the point. His further analysis of knowledge into explicit and tacit components was helpful in seeing how Web 2.0 tools are facilitating the growth and transferring of knowledge.

His discussion of University education seemed pertinent as I am generating ideas for my 894 project. As I looked into programs, I was definitely concerned about job placement after the program. I wanted to a program that offered internships and project based learning, so that I graduated with tangibles to bring into a job or interview and not just a piece of paper stating that I had a degree in the field.

State University have often been a hybrid between theory and practice. Often Universities were theory based, while community colleges offered more practical offerings and supported vocational courses for the community. I wonder how learning in the digital age will shift these neat distinctions.

Technology is definitely learned best when used. You cannot read a book about a program and expect to be competent in using it. It is best when you are asked to complete a task utilizing the program, so that you are engaged in the interface and develop problem solving skills within the program when faced with relevant issues.

Connectivism (September 4 - 11, 2008)

I appreciate that we start the class off with a group exercise. We were assigned numbers and had to find the other persons in class with our same number. When Professor Foremans asked us how we found each other it really made me analyze our process. In Siemens article, he points out that the pipe is more important the the content going through the pipe. Looking at our process made me more aware of the steps, which can then be improved or removed to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

In addition, Social networking is changing and facilitating how knowledge is shared and created amongst us. It would support the theory of connectivism and its tenets that "nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning" and "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions." If the next generation is constructing knowledge in this way, then social networking is a necessary instructional tool.

Blogs allow students to express their thoughts, but it also verbalizes their learning process. It is a great assessment tool for teachers as well as for the student as they have documented the process. In the digital age, focusing and teaching process is stressed more than content mastery. Blogs also allow students to hear and exchange ideas with other students, thus collaborating and constructing knowledge as a class.

Teachers can post homework or assignments online in the blog or a class wiki. Moreover, I think social networking has really impacted how teachers grow and develop their skills in the classroom. Resources can be shared amongst teachers within content areas. But now social networking facilitates cross curricular activities in the classroom supporting content redundancy and strengthening the connections between these content nodes within students' minds.

Back in School (August 28, 2003 - September 4, 2008)

It is nice to be back in class after having a chance to recuperate and relax over the summer break. I did not realize how much working full time and going to class at night was going to affect me. This is my second year in the ITEC program. It was slightly surreal to be sitting in the same classroom with the same professor where I began my graduate school work just one year ago. I remember sitting in this classroom and wondering what is Web 2.0? What is the difference between and a blog and a wiki? Needless to say, it was very satisfying to be able to contribute to our group and give a mini presentation on our definition of Web 2.0.

I am also curious to see what Web 2.0 tools we will use and how we will use them. We are trying to create a more collaborative environment amongst our teachers, however we face challenges with technology and the lack of time for professional development. Fostering the use of more Web 2.0 tools may help with these challenges and it will be nice to hear from others in the class how they have addressed these challenges as well.