Learner’s experiencesof TEL | OcTEL#2

Helen Beethamtwitter helenbeetham

blog design-4-learning.blogspot.com

http://bit.ly/octel2web

• Critiquing OcTEL #2:‘Readiness’ to learn ‘What are we like?’ as learners

• What do we (really) know about our learners?Learners making sense of their own learning Learner differences as resources for learning

• Digital literacyConceptual models Developing successful digital learnersTowards a critical digital literacy?

I’ll be on about: you may be:

Completing pollsusing chat, tweeting etc

Accessing resourcesreading, thinking, using chat,

contributing your own ideas

Working in groupsusing whiteboard, chat,

co-constructing outcomes

Do they keep the data and use it to support students? Is this a marketing exercise encouraging students to apply when perhaps they aren’t ready? Do these questionnaires give a clear idea of what an online course is actually like?fieryred1

In the case of the San Diego questionnaire there were helpful pointers as to how readiness could be improved whereas in the others the outcome was that just advice that I shouldn’t do an online course which was not particularly useful.SueBarnes

more comprehensive quiz highlights online learning success is linked to learner autonomy, proactivenessanortcliffe (by twitter)

All four of these questionnaires read to me like disclaimers designed to protect the relevant universities from irate students who may not learn successfully online. HelenB

‘readiness to learn online’

What do you consider the main reason learners are directed to these questionnaires?

A. So the university can adapt or tailor provision to the needs of particular learners (adaptive teaching)

B. So the university can signpost learners to resources tailored to their particular needs (responsive diagnosis)

C. So the university can research how well provision is meeting the needs of different learners (quality enhancement)

D. So learners can adapt their expectations (‘not getting sued’)

vote now!

‘readiness to learn online’

... it matters what we do with the information:

• adapt?

• respond?

• offer strategies forsuccess?

• take responsibility for learners’ development?

When we ask about learners’needs/aptitudes/goals/preferences...

• technical competence ... ‘digital literacy’

• language and culture (including cultures of learning)

• individual sensory, motor or cognitive impairments

• learning preferences and disciplines, such as the ability to schedule self-paced learning

OcTEL week2 course materials

What do we need to know about our learners?

What do we need to know about our learners?

write in the chat box now!

What one question would you ask if you had to predict success with online learning?

‘I learn pretty easily’‘technology won’t make a bad teacher into a good teacher, and it won’t necessarily make a good teacher any better either’Liz Masterman, OcTEL #1 webinar

• ... but the fundamentals ofsuccessfullearning have not

• resources forlearning are stillunequallydistributed

• digitaltechnologiesbreak down some barriers to access but reinforce other kinds of inequality (see refs) - they are not a magic leveller

• It’s what learners do with technology in a study setting that counts

Contexts and tools for learning have changed

Research on and reflection by early adopters may not tell us much about the experiences and outcomes for other learners

What are we like?

Research on and reflection by early adopters may not tell us much about the experiences and outcomes for other learners

What are we like?

In what ways are we like/unlike learners for whom MOOCs might be the only way of accessing higher level courses?

write in the chat box now!

What are we like?

What do you know already?

Thinking about the learners in your context, respond to the following statements..

Finding out about learners

A. True of most learners

B. Not true of most learners

C. Learners are fundamentally divided on this issue

Learners want more use to be made of digital technologies in their formal learning

Learners like to integrate their social (personal) and learning media

A. True of most learners

B. Not true of most learners

C. Learners are fundamentally divided on this issue

A. True of most learners

B. Not true of most learners

C. Learners are fundamentally divided on this issue

Learners can apply their skills with social/personal technologies to academic study

Learners are different

• Technology changes the relationship between learning and life

• Aptitudes to learn and aptitudes with ICT are highly context dependent

• Learners are not bundles of attributes - they are purposeful and continuously making sense of their own learning

• How learners experience TEL as an alternative research paradigm

Learners are different

How in practice can we find out more about learners’ experiences with technology (without embarking on a research programme!)?

write in the chat box now!

Finding out about learners

Here you can download a checklist for thinking about learners and some research findings (but no substitute

for doing your own)Also a quiz designed to help learners understand their

digital capabilities and preferences

http://bit.ly/octel2web

Eleni Zazani’s Digital Researcher profile

Questions and thoughts so far...

write in the chat box... or put up your hand and use the mic

Digital literacy - conceptual models

Digital literacy - a developmental model

Digital literacy - a developmental model

access and awareness

functional skills

situated practices

attributes and identities

What experiences do learners needto develop DLs?

Learners’ conceptions, values, goals, expectations and identity inform how they experience (technology enhanced) learning

Learners’ experiences lead them to form new conceptions, values, goals, expectations andultimately identities

Digital literacy - a developmental model Digital Literacies Workshops: Literacies development framework (learner perspective)

Attributes/ Identifies

I create a learning environment that suits my preferences and needsI plan my own learning journey, using technology to access opportunity, showcase achievements, and reflect on the outcomesI am critical in my reading of messages in different media, and in my use of different technologiesI judge digital resources, environments, networks and opportunities for their value to me and othersI design original projects and generate my own goals, using digital devices/media to help realise themI behave ethically in contexts where the digital is blurring boundaries, and with an awareness of digital rights and safetyI participate actively in global networks as well as in my digitally-enhanced local community

ICT capabilities Information/media capabilities Learning/thinking capabilities

I choose, use and blend technologies from a repertoire, to suit the demands of the situationI explore the capabilities of devices and applications beyond the basicsI personalise devices and services to suit meI update my know-how as new technologies and approaches emerge

I share ideas and express myself in a variety of mediaI choose, use and blend media for communicating ideasI repurpose, adapt and re-edit content for a variety of audiencesI scope research questions and projects, and use information to address them

I study under my own initiative and in the ways that suit meI participate in learning communities and groupsI build knowledge collaborativelyI solve complex problems using appropriate tools

Skills(discrete

capabilities)

I can:use search engines, online services, data, analysis toolsuse a range of media-capture devicesuse a range of editing applicationsuse communication and presentation toolsuse professional and academic (subject-specific) tools

I can (use digital media to):locate and access informationcompare, evaluate and select informationorganise and manage informationapply information to problems and questionsanalyse and synthesise informationcommunicate information

I can (use digital media to):take notescomplete and submit assignmentsconstruct argumentssolve problems manage time and tasksevidence, cite and reference appropriatelyread and write academic contentuse number appropriately etc

Functional access

I have access to:networked device(s)robust reliable networksmedia devices e.g. camera, phone, data stickgeneral apps/software/servicesspecialist hardware and software for my courseassistive technology that I need

I have access to:information sources and serviceslearning contentrelevant research content / datasearch toolsmedia capture and production / editing tools

I have access to:learning opportunities e.g. courses of studylearning resourcespeers and learning groupsteachers, mentors and expertsa space for learningthe time to learn

Available under a Creative Commons license from the JISC Design Studio http://bit.ly/jiscdiglit

Practices (ways of thinking

and acting)

Take yourself into one of these groups:1. Access (issues of basic digital entitlement)

2. Skills (foundational capabilities, competent use)3. Practices (habits, situated activities, repertoire of use)

Main room: identities/attributes

10 mins: what do your learners need to be successful?

use the whiteboard

Defining digital literacy - collaboratively

Reporting back...

Defining digital literacy - collaboratively

Developing Digital Literacies 2011-2013

http://bit.ly/octel2webhttp://bit.ly/JISCDDL

Developing Digital Literacies 2011-2013

digital literacies (or successful digital learning practices) are hybrid, subject-specific, embedded

staff worry about digitally capable learners: in fact learners depend on staff for successful strategies

learners are often confused about the legitimacy of their digital expertise, and it may be hidden

learners have diverse and situation-dependent attitudes to digital technologies for learning

most learners flourish in a supportive BYOD environment but issues of disadvantage must be addressed

What we have learned

Value learners’ digital know-how and treat it as a resource e.g. through groupwork, flexible assessment options

Embed digital literacy into the curriculum via meaningful learning activities

Address learners’ digital identities by helping them progressively make their work more publicly visible

Try these: co- and reverse mentoring, students as researchers, staff/student collaborations, using tech for adaptive teaching, inter-disciplinary projects, using tech to bridge on-off campus learning, student commissioning, self-organised study/support groups, digital champions, accredited awards...

What works