2.3 Challenges in DLT

Challenges (Personal Opinion)

Although DLT opens up a world of opportunity in education, it is not without its challenges.  Let's talk about three of them:

1. Quality of Material

Anyone with access to a computer and the internet can develop online content.  This calls into question whether the developer is qualfied to teach the content or merely teaching with made-up credentials.  In addition to doing due diligence to verify the so-called "expert's" credentials and experience, one should also ensure that the materials taught are from reliable sources.

2. Lack of "Personal Touch"

Learning through a video feed on a monitor screen and listening to a voice on the speaker which can become distorted from time-to-time does not equal that of the personal touch a good teacher brings to the classroom.

3. Always "On 24/7"

Although positive for students, ubiquitous learning which keeps students learning 24/7, may require teachers to also be on 24/7.  However this issue could be circumvented by setting clear boundaries on time from at the very start (eg. "Questions on the Online Forum will only be responded to from 3-5pm")

2.2 Digital Learning Technologies (DLT)

Project-Based Learning (Personal Experience)

Last semester, I was tasked to develop an online marketing plan for a local Hawkes Bay company using various online tools like Facebook, Twitter and Google Analytics as part of course assessment requirements.  My company of choice was a small Fijian eatery in Hastings which recently opened its doors for business and was in dire need of some good marketing.

As the course itself (E-Business Strategies) was on online marketing, what better way than to actually put theories about marketing using social media like Facebook and Twitter into practice by testing them on a real, live company?

Initial challenges faced were of course, to convince the owner of the eatery to integrate technology into his marketing plan (convincing the non-tech savvy to the merits of technology can pose a challenge), and to teach him to use the technology.  However once we were past that, it became clear that the outreach of the eatery increased with a presence in the online world.  Naturally business improved and till today, the online marketing plan is still an active element of the business.

2.1 Pegagogies

Pedagogy. The very first subject that a trainee teacher would be taught when enrolled in teaching college. Pedagogy is the theory and practice of teaching and in this post, we will discuss some approaches to pedagogy and how technology could be integrated into these approaches.

Case-based learning

Case-based learning can be observed in law courses where legal principles are taught through decided cases. A case on point is the classic English case Donoghue v Stevenson or the Snail and Ginger Beer case which laid the foundation for modern law of negligence and is the starting point for teaching the principle of negligence.

Legal cases are easily searchable on online databases through its name, and if the database does not have the feature already, perhaps cases could be made searchable through the legal principle that it seeks to convey (eg. input "negligence" into an online case database search and it will return "Donoghue v Stevenson").

Inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) seeks to depart from the traditional mode of classroom teaching where the teacher "spoonfeeds" his/her students with content to pass a year-end examination.  In IBL, the role of the teacher becomes that of a "facilitator" and will guide the class to take ownership of their own learning.  For a facilitator, it's a case of "tell me what you want to know and I will guide you to where you can find it".  Students are encouraged to question everything that have been taught. 

IBL is more suitable for adult learners and is the approach taken in professional workshops. However, organisations like the International Baccalaurate brings an inquiry-based pedagogical approach to classrooms and claims that it is more effective than the traditional mode of teaching.  An online education management system like Moodle will definitely be the tool of choice for IBL.

Games-based learning

This is the idea of getting students to play a game in order to teach a concept.  An example and a personal favourite of mine is the classic "Monopoly".  A great learning tool which teaches that to "win" at the financial game of life one has to buy up as many green houses and red hotels as possible is largely true when it come to real life!

Monopoly has now been digitised and is available on Android and Apple smartphones.  A handy game for students to learn the basics of financial literacy. 

Project-based learning

Creating a blog as a course assignment to learn the nuances of blogging as a tool for online learning, developing a Facebook page for a real-world business to learn the concepts of E-business strategies, these are some examples of effectively applying project-based learning.  There is no better way to learn a theory than to actually test it out in the real world.  This is an approach which is not only benefits a student's learning, but also adds value to society at large (provided that the project is one that is beneficial to society of course!)  

1.2 Learning Styles

VAKOG 

We experience the world through our senses - through five of them to be exact (claims of a sixth have yet to be scientifically verified).  It is hence a natural process for learning to occur through these five senses - Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory (VAKOG).  A high tech-sounding acronym, VAKOG simply means that we learn by seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting the environment around us.  It implies that there are more ways to learn something than just reading about it in a book (Visual).

Image courtesy of coach2change.files.wordpress.com

NLP

NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder as a psychological tool to "upgrade" our brain's "mental software". Bandler and Grinder in their book, The Structure of Magic, claim that NLP enables the abilities of high achievers to be acquired by anyone simply by "modelling" them [1].  NLP is also claimed to be able to cure fears and phobias.

NLP does bear some relation to VAKOG in particular as the "Neuro" in NLP refers our the nervous system which is stimulated through our five senses, "Linguistic", our silent language of gestures, beliefs and habits that reveal how we think and "Programming", which is a borrowed term from computing to show that the brain's "software" can be "upgraded [2]. 

A personal favourite of mine is Andreas and Faulkner's book, NLP: The New Technology of Achievement as an excellent starter for those of us interested in putting NLP theories to practice.

The Learning Styles Debate in a Nutshell 

The Learning Styles debate centers around the claim that different students have different modes of learning, and their learning could be improved by matching one's teaching with that preferred learning mode [3].  

There is consensus among proponents of the debate that teaching and learning should be tailored to meet not only learners' VAKOG profiles, but should also account for other differences like interests, abilities and background knowledge.  

They agree that although some learners learn better by doing, some by observing, some by hearing, but that among those who learn better by observing, two or three out of the group might have advanced knowledge in calculus, while the rest only have elementary knowledge.

Hence by taking into account all of these factors and having an indication as to learners preferred styles, interests, abilities etc. perhaps through a survey before a course, an educator could tailor the delivery of content through certain media to meet the needs of the learners.  Here, it is certain that the use of IT could meet this need.

References

[1] Bandler, Richard; John (1975). The Structure of Magic I: A Book about Language and Therapy. Science and Behavior Books Inc.

[2] Andreas, S., & Faulkner, C. (1994), NLP: The New Technology of Achievement, New York, Harper.

[3] Riener, C. & Willingham, D., (2010). The Myth of Learning Styles. Change Magazine. Sep-Oct Issue

1.1 Learning Theories

DLT (Digital Learning Technology) has revolutionized the way information is taught and learned.  The chalkboard classroom system is now a relic in the museum of ancient educational history and is likely to remain there for good.  The proliferation of the use of technology in all areas of our lives, in no small part due to the advancement in mobile technology has made learning accessible "on-the-go" to anyone with a simple smartphone.

Individualised learning is a traditional method of acquiring information where educational materials are tailored to meet the needs of the individual learner based on his/her interests and abilities. Individualised learning is centered around the teacher who would plan the lesson according to the needs of students  As individualised learning is "traditional", a "traditional" DLT like Microsoft Powerpoint slideshows rich with graphical and multimedia content is often the tool of choice for classroom teachers.

"Ubiquitous learning", as it's name implies strives to make learning an on-going process, by making content accessible anytime and anywhere.  With technology, this can be done with relative ease.  A teacher can simply put content (instructional videos, links to resources, assignment requirements etc.) into a learning management system (eg. Wiki) and the students work through the content step-by-step [1].  Content is readily accessible through workstations and mobile devices.  

Although ubiquitous learning offers great flexibility and will likely be the de facto standard of learning in the years to come, it remains to be seen if students will fully embrace this mode of learning as reading off a monitor or smartphone screen, or putting on VR glasses to experience a virtual reality tour cannot fully replace a real-life educational experience on campus [2].

References

[1]Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M., (2008). Ubiquitous Learning: An Agenda for Personal Transformation. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Networked Learning

[2] Dongsong Zhang, J. Leon Zhao, Lina Zhou, and Jay F. Nunamaker, Jr., (2004) Can E-Learning Replace Classroom Learning? Communications of the ACM, 47 (5), 78-79.

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All posts made in this blog are entirely my own and references will be made to sources when appropriate. I am happy to allow the use of this blog for research purposes.

Mihimihi

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