the impact of the connected learner in the classroom dr. cindy gunn iice 2015 march 8 th, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
The Impact of the Connected Learner in the Classroom
Dr. Cindy GunnIICE 2015March 8th, 2015
Hands Up
Who here:
Has a mobile phone?Has a smart phone?Has a tablet?Has more than one email account?Belongs to a list serve?Is on twitter?Is on Facebook?Is on ResearchGate?
Has not raised his/her hand yet?
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015
“Labels” for today’s students:
Millenials, Net Generation, The Distracted Generation
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants (Prensky)
Assumptions made about them:
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015
Expect to be entertained.Expect a fun and interactive learning environment.Expect 24/7 access.Expect immediate feedback (instant gratification). Are easily distracted.
They are tech savvy.They can multi-task.They are used to collaborating with others (both in the real and virtual world).They are comfortable with technology use in the classroom.
Another perspective (not just for students):
Digital Residents and Digital Visitors (White and Le Cornu, 2011)
“DRs see the Web as a place, perhaps like a park or a building in which there are clusters of friends and colleagues whom they can approach and with whom they can share information about their life and work. A proportion of their lives is actually lived out online where the distinction between online and off–line is increasingly blurred. Residents are happy to go online simply to spend time with others and they are likely to consider that they ‘belong’ to a community which is located in the virtual.”
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The Connected Learner
“ The ‘e’ in e-learning initially meant electronic. Now it means everyone and everywhere. It means effective and engaged experiences. It means experiential. Now we’re talking about the connected learner.”
—Elliott Masie, 2012
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015
The Connected Learner
Everyone and everything is connected in this “complex and messy bring your own device, do it yourself, there’s an app for that world”.
We talk in terms of things being:
Linked and taggedTweeted and textedFollowed and friended
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015 (http://vimeo.com/76178422)
The Connected Learner
Learners can connect to an ever-widening circle of mentors, peers, experiences and knowledge.
Bringing people together who want to learn together.
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http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/connected-teaching/
All these connections
Create relationships
Relationships create communities
Communities help form pathways so that formal and informal learning are no longer separated
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015 http://www.danpontefract.com/learning-2-0-is-dumb-use-connected-learning-instead/
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Where connected learning is most effective
Social
Informal
Formal
Connected Learning and 21st Century skills:
Collaboration Communication Creativity / Innovation Critical Thinking / Problem Solving
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“4C*” activities
Asynchronous Activities: Blogs Discussion Boards Websites where students can share their work Wikis
Synchronous Activities: Chat Video Conferencing
A bit of both: Social Networking Sites Course Learning Systems Games
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015 *Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking
Other 21st Century Expectations:
Students will become:
Independent researchers Responsible digital citizens Autonomous learners (able to drive their own learning)
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Independent researchers
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015Image used with permission
We need to teach students how to
validate information synthesize information document information
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Validating information
Checking more than one source.Checking publication information (date, place, organization,
etc.)Checking author information.
Quote from one of my student’s term papers:
After World War 3 there was unimaginable devastation (author 1, .org website, author 2, .edu website,).
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Validating information
What the first author wrote: “If there is a third world war the devastating results will be like nothing we could ever imagine” (.edu website but actually a Professor’s blog).
What the second author wrote: “After World War 3 ended, the few remaining survivors on earth viewed the devastated landscape with despair, not believing their eyes” (.org website, quote from a short story).
After World War 3 there was unimaginable devastation (author 1, .edu website, author 2, .org website,).
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In my student’s case:
validate information synthesize information document information
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Responsible Digital Citizens
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An autonomous learner
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015Image used with permission
Helping students take control of their learning / become autonomous learners
• Lecture Capture• Flipping the Classroom• Course websites / Using an LMS• Discussion Boards
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Lecture Capture to promote learner autonomy
Pros:• Lectures are available to students
24/7.• Can be watched as often as needed.
Cons:• Professors worry students won’t • attend classes if lectures are available online.• Privacy concerns
IICE 2015 | March 8, 2015
Flipped Learning
“Flipped Learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter” (my emphasis).
Flipped Learning Network (FLN). (2014) The Four Pillars of F-L-I-P™
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Moving direct instruction to the individual learning space: “flipping the classroom”
Short content videos / Desktop captureWebinars (live or recorded participation)Narrated Slides Assigned readingsPre-class online quizzes
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Use of an LMS / Course Website to promote learner autonomy
Pros:
Students have access to all class materials 24/7.Journal tool to encourage students to reflect on their learning.
Cons:
Seen as “spoon-feeding” the students by some.
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Some issues to be aware of when connecting online
Problems with:
Privacy Inappropriate responses from others Inappropriate advertisements Keeping up with / understanding synchronous
interactions
But
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Taking advantage of carefully chosen connections:
Give our students (and ourselves!) the opportunity to interact with others to help construct new knowledge with the ultimate goal of helping them (and us!) to become successful lifelong learners.
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