Sunday, February 21, 2010
Virtual Learning Communities: Learner Engagement
Video Presentation: Virtual Learning Communities: Learner Engagement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfRqaA1mdCc
My Learning Curve has increased dramatically :-D.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Static/Dynamic Continuum: Distance Education Tools
Learner Engagement Tools
Technological tools can provide a myriad of valuable resource and enrichment activities; enhancing the teaching and learning process within any educational venue. Within the halls of the online learning environment, one tool believed to be of great value is the inclusion of the smart phone in the online delivery platform. Recent studies in China and Canada have shown great promise in the usage of the smart phone as a tool for learners within this environment. Findings in these studies suggested a significant increase in both learner motivation and engagement as a result of inclusion of the smart phone in their classroom experience.
The Constructive Approach has a definite advocate with this tool as the learners have the ability of instant communications with instructors in real-time. Knowledge retention is also been seen as a learner benefit of smart phone incorporation. As the market shares for smart phones are predicted to rise about twenty-nine percent (29%) by the year 2014, this everyday tool can be seamlessly incorporated within any distance learning environment.
References
Mobile learning: Are we there yet? Brown, J., Culatta, R., Marrer, G., & Shirer, K. (2009) 25th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning.
http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/mediasite5/Viewer/?peid=5752c038e69741f3a783f7c4e5b1c133
Mobile learning with blackberry smartphones: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
http://www.blackberry.com/select/offers/education/UofWaterloo_BCS_FINAL.pdf
Wang M., Shen R., Novak D., & Pan X. (2009) The impact of mobile learning on students'learning behaviours and performance: Report from a larger blended classroom. The British Journal of Educational Technology. 40(4). 673-695. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-1835.2008.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
How Much Learner Engagement is Too Much?
I am a staunch advocate for the distance learning environment. Learner engagement is a critical component accomplishing success within the online learning environment. I will be the first to admit that I am not always swift to carry out the online discussions and other collaborative projects; however, for the most part, I enjoy the experience and love the interaction with my professors and my learning community.
Very recently I discovered a dear colleague of mine excused herself from the online learning environment. At first, I was taken aback by her decision: she was the "perfect candidate" for the distance learning experience. She insisted that the online learning environment was something that appealed to her for the same reasons it appealed to me: no confides of time/space, no desire to travel to and from a physical edifice, interactions with individuals outside of our geographical area, and the opportunity to connect with professionals beyond our borders.
I had the opportunity, this week, to have a conversation with her on her decision. To my utter surprise, her answer: too much learner engagement. She complained about the frequency of discussion posts, as well as the frequency of assignments that were to be completed within a given week. Her home life (she had two children ages 9 and 10, and a husband)is filled with too many activities for her to participate in an online environment. According to her way of thinking, distance learning programs are for individuals whose home life doesn't include school children, or for older individuals who have the time to become involved in "such heavy engagement". I balked at her notion: many of my learning colleagues lead very full lives and yet, find the time to engage in all learning activities.
I have given much thought on her discourse: too much learner engagement?
Very recently I discovered a dear colleague of mine excused herself from the online learning environment. At first, I was taken aback by her decision: she was the "perfect candidate" for the distance learning experience. She insisted that the online learning environment was something that appealed to her for the same reasons it appealed to me: no confides of time/space, no desire to travel to and from a physical edifice, interactions with individuals outside of our geographical area, and the opportunity to connect with professionals beyond our borders.
I had the opportunity, this week, to have a conversation with her on her decision. To my utter surprise, her answer: too much learner engagement. She complained about the frequency of discussion posts, as well as the frequency of assignments that were to be completed within a given week. Her home life (she had two children ages 9 and 10, and a husband)is filled with too many activities for her to participate in an online environment. According to her way of thinking, distance learning programs are for individuals whose home life doesn't include school children, or for older individuals who have the time to become involved in "such heavy engagement". I balked at her notion: many of my learning colleagues lead very full lives and yet, find the time to engage in all learning activities.
I have given much thought on her discourse: too much learner engagement?
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Global Diversity Through Distance Education
George Siemens (2008) suggest the growing popularity of distance education is situated within the effective differentiation of learning experiences from traditional learning environments through collaborative interaction, communications, and global diversity.
The internet has certainly made distance education a reality for a growing number of individuals through the use of the internet and its accompanying collaborative tools. Such tools as wikis, Skype, blogs, podcasts, are but a plethora of differentiated learning tools unique to the online environment in which they are purposed to enhance. The opportunity to collaborate across professional, social, and cultural dimensions in the comfort of one’s home, with a mere click of a mouse is an appealing option to anyone wishes to obtain not only an advance degree, but also a global experience.
Some would argue that the global experiences offered through distance education experiences are not global indeed and in fact only exists in America. I beg to differ on this viewpoint. As a current Walden doctoral student there have been collaborations with individuals currently living in Germany, Jamaica, Japan, and the American Samoa, it can be said firsthand that the learning human collaborations have been varied and unique. In addition, classmates that live here in the United States, with a variety ethnic and cultural background vastly different from mine: creating a perspective of awareness that was not present in the traditional learning environment. Global experiences have been the hallmark of my learning experiences at Walden; from the professors that have facilitated coursework to the students that I have had the opportunity to gain understandings and insights from colleagues in the professional as well as educational arena.
Distance Education is experiencing an explosion, and subsequently will become a mainstay of our educational environments for decades to come. Educators of within this format will no doubt continue its evolution as the tools by which this format is delivered evolve within themselves. More distance learners will have the opportunity to experience the deluge of up and coming collaborative tools software designers will undoubtedly offer. The tools by which classroom instruction will vary as well: current technologies are seeking the addition of smartphones to the list of widely used mobile devices for available for use in distance education.
http://www.ablsc.com/
http://www.distancelearningblog.com/distance-learning/whats-behind-the-explosive-growth-in-distance-learning/
The internet has certainly made distance education a reality for a growing number of individuals through the use of the internet and its accompanying collaborative tools. Such tools as wikis, Skype, blogs, podcasts, are but a plethora of differentiated learning tools unique to the online environment in which they are purposed to enhance. The opportunity to collaborate across professional, social, and cultural dimensions in the comfort of one’s home, with a mere click of a mouse is an appealing option to anyone wishes to obtain not only an advance degree, but also a global experience.
Some would argue that the global experiences offered through distance education experiences are not global indeed and in fact only exists in America. I beg to differ on this viewpoint. As a current Walden doctoral student there have been collaborations with individuals currently living in Germany, Jamaica, Japan, and the American Samoa, it can be said firsthand that the learning human collaborations have been varied and unique. In addition, classmates that live here in the United States, with a variety ethnic and cultural background vastly different from mine: creating a perspective of awareness that was not present in the traditional learning environment. Global experiences have been the hallmark of my learning experiences at Walden; from the professors that have facilitated coursework to the students that I have had the opportunity to gain understandings and insights from colleagues in the professional as well as educational arena.
Distance Education is experiencing an explosion, and subsequently will become a mainstay of our educational environments for decades to come. Educators of within this format will no doubt continue its evolution as the tools by which this format is delivered evolve within themselves. More distance learners will have the opportunity to experience the deluge of up and coming collaborative tools software designers will undoubtedly offer. The tools by which classroom instruction will vary as well: current technologies are seeking the addition of smartphones to the list of widely used mobile devices for available for use in distance education.
http://www.ablsc.com/
http://www.distancelearningblog.com/distance-learning/whats-behind-the-explosive-growth-in-distance-learning/
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Learner Engagement In Distance Education: An Overview
When it comes to the topic of education, most will readily agree that active student participation is crucial for the acquisition of meaning learning. The most effective means of learning is community-centered, acknowledges Anderson (2008). A standard way of thinking of active student participation within the virtual learning community is the requirement of discussion posts. This requirement, however, is not the only approach to elicit learner engagement. An, Shin, and Lim (2009) examined the effects of various instructor facilitation approaches in an effort to identify what strategies generated more interactions among students in asynchronous discussions. Their findings suggest student led discussions provided more student interaction than online discussion boards, which were seen as task-oriented and impersonal. One group in their study enjoyed increase student interaction and student satisfaction with minimal instructor facilitation, openly given their expressions and opinions. Anderson (2008) pointed out traditional online course design student-student interactions requirements in distance learning settings had been downplayed.
Chen, Chen, and Kinshuk (2009) observed factors that influenced student engagement in sharing knowledge among its virtual learning community members is dependent upon the own individual members self-efficacy viewpoint of themselves. Self –efficacy is the belief one’s own capabilities. This self-efficacy viewpoint encompasses both knowledge sharing and web specific abilities. The members viewpoint of themselves, their knowledge, and their abilities is what influenced knowledge sharing among learning community. This finding has more important consequences for the broader domain of student motivation as the belief in one’s own capabilities can become a major factor in the frequency as well as the quality of learner engagement.
Davies and Graff (2005) compared the frequency of online engagement and final grades of 122 undergraduate students and their findings indicates the frequency of student engagement does not lead to significant increases in their final grades, however, those students who didn’t receive passing grades also were less frequent student participants. The study suggests the type of interaction, voluntary or compulsory, as well as whom interactions occur that are related to course grades. Though it is conceded that significant grade increases are not necessarily a direct result of increased compulsory learner engagement, learner engagement is a perquisite for knowledge generation.
Although learner engagement may seem tacit in its implication, it is a crucial component of the learner centered: for this engagement is at the center of meaning learning experiences.
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