Distance Learning

Old Definition:

Learning activities where the instructor and learner are not interacting within the same physical space at the same time is what I would say was my personal definition of distance learning prior to completing the readings this week.  This includes paper-based correspondence courses where communications are sent back and forth by mail, distance education courses, corporate training done in a self-study or webinar format as well as coaching that may be done by phone or through other media.  It includes all formal and informal learning that occurs in this manner.

When Dr. Simonson described “Distance Education” in the video this week, he defined it as “Formal education in which the learning group (teacher, students, resources) are separated by geography and, sometimes by time (Simonson, n.d.) .  It includes both “distance teaching” and “distance learning”.  So in this context, “distance learning” is a part of “distance education”, but not synonymous.  When I review my original definition, I can see that there is a collapse between “distance teaching” and “distance learning”.  I don’t think that the mediums add any value to the definition either, as they are not 100% inclusive and I don’t believe that informal learning belongs in this definition either.

Revised Definition:

My revised definition  of distance education would now be:

Formal learning activities that occur where there is a distance between the learner and the source of the instruction. 

Future Evolution:

As distance learning continues to evolve, I think that ultimately, learner preferences will move more to the forefront.  I see a significant shift occurring (which has already started) where learner needs and desires move to the forefront, over those of instructors or institutions.  This will include considerations on the “when and where” that Simonson et. al (2009) speaks to.  The mediums of the future will be learner driven.  Those that don’t suit learners will die out – and those that are preferred will thrive.   Learners will continue to become more sophisticated as consumers of learning, and there will be less and less tolerance for poor quality as the field becomes more competitive and learner driven.  I also see “community” taking a larger role than it currently does, with more teaching and learning occurring through that vehicle than in the more formal structure that we are used to.

References:
Distance Education: The Next Generation [Video]. (n.d.)

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

Humble Pie - Week 1

Well, it looks like I have to admit that I didn't fully read the instructions for the Blog Assignment this week and catch that I was supposed to post an initial welcoming note...  Definitely a significant miss on my part.

With that said, welcome to my blog EDUC-6135-4 Distance Learning cohorts. I'm looking forward to learning with and from you over the upcoming weeks.

Fitting the Pieces Together

Fitting the Pieces Together

This week, we have been tasked with revisitng “how we learn” and responding to a few questions about how our views have changed after seven weeks of exploring learning theories and styles.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?

While I enjoyed the opportunity to re-visit learning theories in this course, I cannot say that it has changed my view on how I learn.  I still see that I learn physical tasks best through behavioural strategies, only wish to learn things which have immediate relevance to me which is addressed through cognitive strategies and see that I am an active participant in constructing knowledge in many domains.  Praxis is still important to me as well.

Where my views did change, were in applications of learning theories such as connectivism outside of the audience that I am most familiar with (adults).  I found a great deal of value in exploring this and expanding my perspective in this domain.

What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

How I learn, is very much linked to the type of task.  I found great value in the exploration of the conversations that occurred in Karl Kaplan and  Bill Kerr’s blogs, which were summed up in the phrase “using _isms as a filter and not as a blinker” (Kerr,2007).  There is value in looking at all approches – and using them where they suit the goal best instead of sticking to any one.

I also appreciated the clarification made by Dr. Ormond that there really are only two different learning styles – and that there is value in focusing on strategies over styles (Ormond, 2009).  There has been significant conversation around learning styles in the ID and Educational spheres over the years.  Howard Gardner summed it up well in that “Whether a student falls into one or more of Gardner's nine dimensions of multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal or naturalist intelligence, the focus of instructional design should be the educational goals (Gardner, 2008).

What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

Technology plays a significant role in my own learning.  Technology assists me in searching for information, recording it, creating it – and connecting with others to help me construct knowledge.  Technology (in many different forms) also provides me feedback on how I am doing, and whether or not I am meeting my learning goals.

References:

Gardner, H. (2008). The 25th anniversary of the publication of Howard Gardner's Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from http://www.howardgardner.com/Papers/papers.html on February 20, 2011.

Kerr, B. (2007, January 01). _ism as filter, not blinker [Blog]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Ormrod, J. (2009) Video:  Learning Styles and Strategies.

Constructivism

We were asked to create a .jpg representation of our own learning network.  Here is mine:

This week, as we looked at connectivism, we were also asked to reflect on a number of questions:

How has your network changed the way you learn?
I’m not sure that I can answer how my network has "changed" the way that I learn – but can speak to how it has impacted the way that I learn. I have always had a network. As a pre-schooler, it consisted of my family, neighbours, church members, and members of the physical community that I lived in. Over time, my network has grown and I have also grown more comfortable with age in using my full network for learning when required. As my network grows, so does the richness of knowledge that is available to me. It is important to recognize when we look at our network – that it does not "end" with the individuals within our network. Each of those individuals has their own network as well that becomes a part of our "extended" network. I can’t say that I have always been aware of my network though, and the value that it brings to learning. Reading John Seely Brown’s book in 2002, "The Social Life of Information" (Seely Brown, & Duguid, 2002) was probably the first event that started bringing the awareness of my network as a learning tool into my awareness. After reading that book, I started to recognize how my network, and the context of my network shapes my own information and learning

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Google would be the highest on my list for digital tools that facilitate learning for me. The whole World Wide Web exists as a function of "connections", and Google helps navigate through the information to find what is relevant.

After Google, I would have to say that the "tool" is closely related to the context. For example, if I am troubleshooting or trying to work through a new application with software – forums seem to work best. If I am looking for information about a specific organization, or specialized knowledge – I often go to my LinkedIn network to see if I know someone there who might have the answer (and if they don’t know the answer – they have a high-likelihood of knowing who would).

How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?
This may seem like an over-simplified response – but I gain new knowledge when I have questions by actually asking those questions and seeking a response. Whether I am typing my question into Google, sending the question by email to someone, searching for it (and the answer) on a forum – it all starts with asking. Simply asking though, does not guarantee a response – or more importantly a "quality" response. When I have a question – there generally is a context for it. If the response doesn’t fit or work – it leads me to more questions to try and get to what I need, in the context I am working in.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?
For this question, it is important to consider the seven principles that George Siemens believes are core to connectivism (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008):

• Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

As I look at my own learning network, I am unable to see any area (or application) of my network that refutes these principles so I would have to say that my personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism.

The next question this leads to is "Why"? This goes beyond the scope of what was asked here, but I think that there is value in exploring this. My work for the past 13 years has been in the domain of eLearning, primarily for corporations. It is the intersection of technology, learning and performance. If I had chosen a different career path, would my learning network, and my view of the importance of a learning network and all of the principles that Siemens has listed have evolved differently? If survival and growth within this industry wasn’t contingent on having and using a rich learning network, would I have developed such a rich network otherwise?

References:
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

Seely Brown, J., & Duguid, P. (2002). The Social Life of Information. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Applying Research on the Brain to Learning

How smart is it really to apply brain research to learning?

For many years, I’ve had a fascination with understanding how the brain works, and using that knowledge to create better educational and training experiences for learners.   For this blog post, I decided to explore the other side of my bias and see what criticisms existed related to applying brain-based research to learning.

The New Horizon’s web-site offers some very thoughtful articles on the linkages between brain-based research and learning.  I particularly found value in an article by Dee Dickson where she poses a number of questions that she feels educators should be asking neuroscientists around how to apply their research to education.  She argues that historically, educators have used neuroscience as a way to support existing methodology and to create cases for approaches that they would like to use vs. actually using findings in meaningful and appropriate ways.

I also appreciated the editorial by Elsbeth Stern in Science Magazine titled “Pedagogy meets Neuroscience”.  Stern illustrates in this article that research in neuroscience can (and is) taken out of context when applied to learning – with only the portions of the research that “support” a learning methodology used.  She uses the example of the research findings on rapid synaptic development that occur early in life which has been used to create a case for teaching infants vocabularies and broad based facts with audiovisual materials.  She accurately points out that it is not clear whether there is a long-term benefit to infants learning so much un-related material early in life, and whether or not these children ultimately perform better than their peers.  In Canada, our educational priorities have shifted radically towards early years programs as a result of this same research.  Unfortunately, this focus on the first five years has been at the expense of programs for the remaining 60+ years of a person’s life. 

So, while I still whole-heartedly believe that understanding how the brain works can help us create better training and educational experience, I do also appreciate the danger of educators and educational policy makers relying only on brain-based research to make changes to current systems.  My hope is that as we move forward with further advances in neuroscience, that greater cross-over between the disciplines of learning and neuroscience occur.

References:

Retrieved from the New Horizon’s website:  http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/front_neuro.html

Stern, Elsbeth. "Pedagogy meets neuroscience." Science 210.5749 (2005): 745. Expanded Academic ASAP.

Instructional Design and eLearning

This week, I'm taking a look at three different blogs that are relevant to instructional design in eLearning:

1. Allen Interactions - eLearning Leadership Blog
2. Clive on Learning
3. The Rapid eLearning Blog

Allen Interactions - eLearning Leadership Blog


Ethan Edwards


This blog is maintained by Ethan Edwards, the chief instructional strategist at Allen Interactions. Ethan injects a fair amount of humour into his work here, and challenges instructional designers and developers to re-think many of their preconceptions about what eLearning should look like, and how it should function to be effective.

Allen interactions is a custom eLearning development company which was started by Michael Allen.  I've enjoyed a number of Michael Allen's books over the years including his "Guide to e-Learning". 


Clive on Learning


Clive Sheppard


Clive Sheppard is one of the more active bloggers who touches on instructional design in his eLearning blog. Clive reviews books, case studies, trends and explores a number of questions that are relevant to eLearning. 

Clive is based in the UK, I appreciate the "global" perspective that his blog brings to eLearning and instructional design. He isn't afraid to challenge assumptions and invites his readers to do the same.


The Rapid eLearning Blog


Tom Kuhlmann


I've saved my favourite for last - Tom Kuhlmann's "The Rapid eLearning Blog". Tom works with Articulate and has been a key force in creating a community of committed Articulate users through is weekly posts. The content is geared towards using the Articulate toolset, and creating meaningful and visually engaging learning experiences.

Even though Tom only blogs once a week, he is still one of the more regular bloggers in the field of eLearning. His posts are relevant, useful and engaging.  All things that good eLearning should be.  Each week I learn something new from his blog that I am actually able to apply to the work that I do.  Many blogs on instructional design and eLearning focus very heavily on the theoretical and philosophical end of creating learning experiences.  Tom's post are very practical and hands on and I appreciate that a great deal.