Higher Ed. Pedagogy, Andragogy & Application

Higher Ed. Pedagogy: William G. Perry Jr.

2011-05-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

William G. Perry, Jr. (1913 – January 12, 1998) [1] was a well-known educational psychologist whose work focused on the development of people during their college years. His work was very influential in the field of student development. He was a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and founder and longtime director of the Bureau of Study Counsel. He was born in Paris.
At Harvard University, he developed his theory of the intellectual and cognitive development of college-age students through a 15-year study during the 1950s and 1960s. He published his work in 1970 as Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years.
Summary of Perry's Research:
Summary of stage
Basic ExampleS
The authorities know
e.g. "the tutor knows what is right and wrong"
The true authorities are right, the others are frauds
e.g "my tutor doesn't know what is right and wrong but others do"
There are some uncertainties and the authorities are working on them to find the truth
e.g "my tutors don't know, but somebody out there is trying to find out"
(a)Everyone has right to their own opinion(b) The authorities don't want the right answers. They want us to think in certain way
e.g "different tutors think different things"e.g "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it"
Everything is relative but not equally valid
e.g "there are no right and wrong answers, it depends on the situation, but some answers might be better than others"
You have to make your own decisions
e.g "what is important is not what the tutor thinks but what I think"
First commitment
e.g "for this particular topic I think that...."
Several Commitments
e.g "for these topics I think that...."
Believe own values, respect others, be ready to learn
e.g "I know what I believe in and what I think is valid, others may think differently and I'm prepared to reconsider my views"

(Source: Wikipedia)

Pedagogy Defined (Wikipedia)

2011-05-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Pedagogy defined: (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy

Andragogy Defined (Wikipedia)

2011-05-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Andragogy defined: (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andragogy

Better Pedagogy in Higher Education Facebook Group

2011-05-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

BETTER PEDAGOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION FACEBOOK GROUP . . .OPEN TO ALL FACEBOOK SUBSCRIBERS.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210336694

Reflections on Teaching With Social Media (Chron. of Higher Ed. Wired Blog)

2010-08-22T08:46:00.001-07:00

Reflections on Teaching with Social Media, By Brian Croxall

"As I'm a little more than a month out from the semester's end, I've been reflecting on different aspects of the semester: things that worked well, things that didn't work at all, and things that could be tweaked for the future. In particular, I've been musing on how I integrated social media into my classes.

My classes tend to be fairly technologically heavy for a number of reasons: my own research revolves around the use of technology within narratives; I believe that teaching humanities students to use different tools in the classroom teaches them transferable skills; and I like to experiment with how technology can change the classroom space. In other words, I use technology in the classroom for thematic, practical, and pedagogical reasons. I even have a technology policy in my syllabus.

That being said, I used more social media this semester than I have previously. And as I mentioned previously, some of it worked and some didn't. Herewith, then, are my thoughts on the tools that I used." Click link for more.

Visual Literacy (Elluminate Recording) Critical Literacies w/ Susan Matos

2010-08-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Chronicle of HE Articlel on Using Facebook Twitter and Other Emerging Technologies In Classes

2010-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2010
How Social Networking Helps Teaching (and Worries Some Professors)
By Jeffrey R. Young
San Jose, Calif.
Professors crowded into conference rooms here this week to learn how to use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in their classrooms, though some attendees raised privacy issues related to the hypersocial technologies. About 750 professors and administrators attended the conference on "Emerging Technologies for Online Learning," run jointly by the Sloan Consortium, a nonprofit group to support teaching with technology, and two other educational software and resource providers.

A session on Facebook held Thursday morning attracted a standing-room-only crowd, with people packed into the room and huddled in the doorway. One benefit of the popular social network is that, unlike course-management systems such as Blackboard, students already know how to use it, said the presenter, Denise Knowles. . .

Online Lectures 'May' be Harmful to Students' Learning (Chronicle Article)

2010-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Colleges and universities that are turning to video lectures because of their institutions' tight budgets may be doing those students a disservice, said Mark Rush, a professor of economics at the University of Florida and one of the working paper's authors.

Ubiquitous Learning (TC Book Review)

2010-06-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Modern day conceptions of ubiquitous learning build on an influential vision of ubiquitous computing published two decades earlier by Mark Weiser (1991) of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. His article depicted a world of smart objects and intelligent contexts based on ubiquitous computing, a different way of conceptualizing the interface between computers, networks, and people. In Weiser’s vision, tiny computers are embedded into nearly every artifact and setting, networked so that they intercommunicate. For example, a tree could be tagged with information about its botanical characteristics; the tree might also offer to show an historic image of its context about the time it was planted or to describe the contribution it makes to reducing local pollution and greenhouse gases. People who wandered by could access this information on a wireless mobile device; based on a person’s response, the building adjacent to the tree might then offer some information. Current images of smart objects and intelligent contexts for learning include affordances not available twenty years earlier, such as Web 2.0 tools embedded in cyberinfrastructure (Dede, 2007) and augmented reality games (Klopfer, 2008).

The Race Between Education and Technology (TC Record Book Review)

2010-06-13T08:46:00.001-07:00

This book is a gallop through 20th Century America covering three broad areas: economic growth and distribution; major forces behind mass education and what characterized these transformations; and finally the “race” between technology and education. The authors argue that this was simultaneously “the American Century” in terms of economic growth and the “Human Capital Century.” The book is about how the two are linked.

SoftChalk 6 Adds 'Connect' Leaning Objects Repository

2010-06-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

SoftChalk 6 Adds'Connect' Leaning Objects Repository
Ed tech developer SoftChalk has released an update to SoftChalk, an authoring suite for instructional content. The company also announced that it will be expanding the capabilities of the Web-based system further this summer through a new premium option. SoftChalk is an and interactive content authoring tool for K-12 and higher education. It's designed to let instructors create and edit e-learning content on the Web without the need for HTML or other programming knowledge. It includes built-in style sheets for page navigation, layout, and other design elements and automatically packages the content for use in a learning management system or other delivery medium.

Soft Chalk (Web-lesson Editor)

2010-05-30T10:25:00.001-07:00

SoftChalk™ is a powerful web lesson editor that lets you easily create engaging, interactive web lessons for your e-learning classroom. No programming or HTML required. With SoftChalk, you can create professional-looking, interactive content without knowing any HTML, or programming. Spend your time developing course content, not learning how to use complex software. Engage your students With SoftChalk, it’s easy to engage your students because creating interactive content has never been easier. Within minutes you can create:
interactive learning games, including customizable flashcards, image labeling, image hotspot activities, matching games, crosswords and more.
six question types: multiple choice, multiple answer (more than one correct answer), short answer, true/false, matching, and ordering.
pop-up text annotations to define terminology, or enhance the interactivity of your lesson content.
Professional results.
We know you don't have time to spend months developing your e-learning content, though you'd like the end-result to look as though you did. With SoftChalk's built-in style sheets, you can choose a style design, page navigation and layout options, and more. Within minutes, LessonBuilder will generate a set of integrated lesson pages, with built-in navigation and a professional-looking layout.

It's Learning (Learning Platforms k-12, HE, for Admins. Faculty, Students, Techs.)

2010-05-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

it’s learning - The Individual Learning Platform™ is an Enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) learning platform delivered through standard web browsers (including mobile) that incorporates all the tools necessary to create, deliver, and manage engaging learning experiences in the classroom and online.

Engaged Learning: A Checklist of Social Learning Strategies

2010-05-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

Below, find an example of a few of the things on the checklist, more at the site.

Social Learning Approaches and Methods

What “kind” of Social Learning models are you pursuing? How do they integrate?

•» Codified?

•» Collaborative?

•» Emergent?

•» What kinds of social learning interventions do you need?

•» Do you need focused Communities of Practice or decentralized social learning that is part of all learning experiences? Or both?•» Will you pursue a federated model and use best-of-breed from multiple provides with a single or multiple aggregation points?

•» Will you use a unified suite that offers core social media applications, such as SharePoint or Jive?

•» How will your social media elements interact with your Learning Management System?

•» If “social learning” happens outside the LMS, what will happen where?

•» If “social learning” happens outside the LMS, how will you see a unified view of learner activity?

•» Where will you keep the “profile” of record to avoid having multiple learner profiles across multiple systems?

•» If you use a federated approach or multiple systems in any way, how will ensure that learners can discover people through content, content through people, content through content, and people through people across your systems?

•» If you use a federated approach or multiple systems, how will you search?

•» If you use a federated approach or multiple systems, how will develop recommendation, reward, and recognition strategies?

•» If you use a suite approach, how will you address gaps – missing wiki, missing microblog etc…?

Faculty Role in Assessment (HE)

2010-05-30T09:51:00.001-07:00

May 28, 2010

"Amid continuing debate, and sometimes disagreement, about the value and wisdom of measuring student learning outcomes in higher education, a few areas of consensus are slowly emerging. One is that faculty members are usually too little involved in setting their institutions' strategies for assessing student learning and in using the results of those efforts to change teaching and learning practices. Another is that without meaningful involvement by the faculty, efforts to assess student learning are close to meaningless."

Technology Has Been Driving the Evolution of Learning

2010-05-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Warning: this link is 'loaded' with tons of pop-ups. The 'gist' of it is below.

Innovation in education is evolving with technology. New ways of preparing students for modern society are being explored. Conventional lectures and dry textbooks are giving way to interactive digital content.
The options for electronic learning are increasing rapidly. From e-books to online video lectures, learning is becoming more fun and practical for everyone.

Of course right now much of the online learning content is a digital replication of conventional approaches, but even just that is quite valuable. In digital format books and lectures are much more portable and conveniently accessible, and arguably by more people.

Today there is more of a shift toward an educational "pull" from students, not just push by educators. The learning content can be more driven by the person learning; it's no longer just a curricula and a textbook.
Today's generation tends to think in more "weblike" or tangentially connected ways. Universities have slowly recognized this and created more Web-oriented curricula and content where technology is leveraged to increase student engagement and understanding

2010 Horizon Report/ K-12 Edition

2010-05-04T08:12:00.001-07:00

The Horizon Report series is the most visible outcome of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project, an ongoing research effort established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within education around the globe. This volume, the 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition, examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative expression within the environment of pre-college education. The hope is that the report is useful to educators worldwide, and the international composition of the Advisory Board reflects the care with which a global perspective was assembled. While there are many local factors affecting the practice of education, there are also issues that transcend regional boundaries, questions we all face in K-12 education, and it was with these in mind that this report was created. The 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition is the second in the K-12 series of reports and is produced by the NMC in collaboration with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), with the generous support of HP

Rosetta Stone Launches Higher Education Program

2010-04-04T09:11:00.001-07:00

Arlington-based Rosetta Stone Inc. has released a new language-learning software that allows teachers to supplement class time with online learning.
In the Rosetta Stone TOTALe program, students can listen, read, write and speak the language by attending guided sessions with native speakers, interacting with others and practicing conversational skills.
“Today’s students are digital natives demanding new technologies for language learning that disrupt the current model by providing differentiated instruction based on individual needs and learning styles,” said Tom Adams, CEO of Rosetta Stone. “By harnessing innovative technological solutions, we empower educators and help make the youth of America true global citizens.“
The program is currently being tested in pilot programs at colleges and universities.

Social Networking Provides New Opportunities for Learning (Australian Study)

2010-04-02T10:21:00.001-07:00

Information Communication technologies (ICT) including social networking and games provide new opportunities for education a review of research released by ACER earlier this month argues. But, according to Australian Education Review 56, the ‘off the shelf’ mentality which currently underpins the provision of computers in Australian schools may be stifling rather than enhancing innovation.

Work Literacy

2010-04-02T10:17:00.001-07:00

"One of the primary goals of Work Literacy is to establish a common framework that can be used to provide practical advice to knowledge workers that is linked to what they do day-to-day. In considering this goal a bit more, Michele and I (through considerable discussion and some debate) have come up with what we somewhat want around this framework:
•It needs to be tied to common knowledge work tasks so that it is clearly linked to daily activity.
•It must be easy to tie this to a variety of different kinds of knowledge work.
•It must be easily presented in presentations, papers, blog posts, workshops.
•It must tie to knowledge work skills, methods and tools that are clearly applicable and can be used as the basis for learning / doing.
•It should allow us to organize and group particular methods / tools. For example, we want to solicit methods that people use (such as the recent post around Google search skills) that we can group and organize in some way.
•It should focus on what is most likely to have immediate value for knowledge workers."

Developing Lifelong Learners Through Undergraduate Curriculum (Address: Australian)

2010-03-29T17:12:00.001-07:00

"...When we had completed our survey of the five basic building blocks of the undergraduate program - curriculum content, curriculum structure, teaching methods, assessment approaches, and student support - we had an uneasy feeling that a university could be attending to all five of these things, and yet still not be producing lifelong learners. This was an intriguing problem, and so we asked the graduates, "how come?" Their answers were very enlightening, because many of them reported that lifelong learning did not seem to have been valued in the departments and programs where they had studied. It was not something that they saw being modelled by the staff and, in many cases, there was no real sense of intellectual excitement in the department. So we added a sixth term of reference; creating a climate of intellectual enquiry. ..."

ADDIE MODEL (Stephen Downe's Web . . .Comment)

2010-03-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

"Clark Quinn has been discussing the ADDIE model of instructional design, and Donald Clark offers this nice reflection and great diagram describing the planning and implementation process. Not that I agree with the diagram ("absorbing" leads to "knowledge"? I don't think so) but it looks very nice and is certainly representative of a largish school . . ." (Stephen Downes)

Evaluating Evidence that Problem-based Learners are Self-directed Learners (Lit Review)

2010-03-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

Good review of problem-based learning and self-directed learning. Results indicate that such learners may use more academic resources more effectively than student attending traditional curriculum structures. Implications for alternative academic and classroom teaching design, strategies and structure at university undergraduate level.

Blog owner's comment: A problem-based curriculum and academic structure would work well with students who are already high-achievers, and self-motivated learners. Traditional students entering such a learning environment (even high-achieving traditional students) would likely need to 'unlearn' dependencies on tradtional academic structure learned over years of schooling, and learn 'how' to learn as a more independent, self-directed learners. A team approach, mixing students who are already self-directed learners with those who have been conditioned to a traditional classroom approach may provide some scaffolding for movement of traditional students towards more non-traditional self-directed learning.

Colleges That Change Lives

2010-03-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

Colleges That Change Lives, Inc. (CTCL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. We support the goal of each student finding a college that develops a lifelong love of learning and provides the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life beyond college. Read more about CTCL.

Reforming Teacher Ed.

2010-03-13T16:47:00.001-08:00

March 12, 2010

WASHINGTON – A group representing colleges of teacher education on Thursday called for its member institutions to work with the rest of their universities, as well as schools, states and the federal government to emphasize and improve in-school preparation for teachers-to-be.

Leaders of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and other experts gathered for what was intended to be a high-profile opportunity – including a speech by a Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) – to inform state and national policy debates on K-12 school reform as states look to cut costs and raise standards, and Congress prepares for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Leaving No Child Behind, Yet Allowing None Too Far Ahead (Math -TC Record)

2010-03-13T16:42:00.001-08:00

Although the intent of the No Child Left Behind legislation is to identify schools in which students are not being educated well and to compel improvement, its approach to doing so is built on a model from which long-standing disparities were constructed in the first place. The use of high-stakes standardized testing and direct instruction (DI) methods of teaching—both likely effects of the policies of the NCLB Act—reify the idea that mathematics is something to be put into students’ heads, apart from their lived experiences and daily lives. This approach to mathematics education provides a rationale for students’ (continued) stratification within an “objective” system of standardized testing and instruction. When considering reforms that aim to reduce inequities in educational outcomes, particularly in mathematics, forms of assessment and instruction must be developed and promoted that get away from the divisiveness of the traditional truth games and move toward a focus on students making sense of mathematics in ways that are meaningful, flexible, and connected to their sense of self.

Distance Learning vs In-Class, On-Campus Instruction

2010-03-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Any residual doubt regarding the explosive growth potential of distance education may have been dispelled last month, when the AFL-CIO announced it was teaming up with the National Labor College and the Princeton Review to launch an online college for the labor federation's 11.5 million members and their families. With projected courses in allied health sciences, business and other disciplines at an estimated $200 per credit, you could almost hear the whir of file servers straining under the anticipated load

Encouraging Critical Thinking Online

2010-03-13T16:29:00.001-08:00

Encouraging Critical Thinking Online is a set of free teaching resources designed to develop students' analytic abilities, using the Web as source material.

Two units are currently available, each consisting of a series of exercises for classroom or seminar use. Students are invited to explore the Web and find a number of sites which address the selected topic, and then, in a teacher-led group discussion, to share and discuss their findings. The exercises are designed so that they may be used either consecutively to form a short course, or individually.

The resources encourage students to think carefully and critically about the information sources they use. The subject matter of the exercises is of relevance to a range of humanities disciplines (most especially, though by no means limited to, philosophy and religious studies), while the research skills gained will be valuable to all students.

Web 2.0 Application: Adding 'Spice' to Math Education

2010-02-20T17:45:00.001-08:00

As a leader in grassroots efforts to change that, Droujkova (2009) formulated a framework supporting Natural Math and Math 2.0 projects, which views math education in a cultural context essential for the 21st century Age of Globalization. Learning is defined as taking on roles in communities and networks and includes "many events at individual, family, local community and group, and global network levels. A framework encompassing these events can help bring about mathematics education changes, and, in particular, to orient individual Web 2.0 educational projects to wider vision and goals" Her framework includes five directions: mathematical authoring, community mathematics, humanistic mathematics, executable mathematics, and the psychology of mathematics learning and education

Teachers Boost Global Collaboration Abilities With Hybrid Approach

2010-02-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

A research project that evaluated an education cluster formed among teachers in Delaware has concluded that following the hybrid model of teaching is an effective approach to help teachers integrate international education into their instruction. Researcher Wendy Modzelewski, who is a consultant in instructional technology for the Delaware Center for Education Technology, analyzed the International Education Technology Cluster for her Ph.D. dissertation.

The cluster used a hybrid model, combining face-to-face interaction with an online professional development course and classroom and project-based learning created by iEarn-USA. The latter is an organization that enables teachers and students to work together online across international borders. It has a membership spanning 130 countries and 30,000 schools.

Online Degrees an Increasing Option for Mature Students

2010-02-19T06:14:00.001-08:00

Online Degrees an Increasing Option for Mature Students
Most of us had preconceived notions about university before we started our degree - the good times to be had, people we'd meet, fresh ideas soon to be crammed into our heads. It was like entering a new world, or at the very least a dramatic change of life.

But we all grow older, and times change. Sooner or later the realization sets in that education can't end at convocation, that the breadth of our learning can't be captured in a four-year degree - not if you're interested in advancing your career, that is.

The problem is that many of us may find it hard to reconcile putting that career on hold, especially after all the work we put into obtaining that degree to nab the job, for the sake of obtaining more credit hours in the hopes of a promotion. Because the bills can't be put on hold, and any student can attest to that fact it's hard enough to focus on hitting the books when they don't have to worry about making ends meet.

Top 8 Higher Education Trends of the Decade

2010-02-19T06:05:00.001-08:00

Those of us in the higher education field learned a lot during the 2000-2009 period, mainly that nothing stays the same. Things evolve at record speeds as technology develops, mindsets change, and trends take hold. Here are 8 of the biggest higher education trends I witnessed during the last decade:

Overview of E-Learning Design

2010-02-06T09:53:00.001-08:00

"...collected examples of innovative Australian e-learning course designs for vocational education and training (VET) and drilled down to the details to show you how they work. Then we've summarized your design options in e-learning."

You Tube Clip "The Machine is Using Us"

2010-02-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Web 2.0 apps. and description of how information, image, word transmission has become instantaneous, and how we view, develop and modify same.

Explaining Web 2.0

2010-01-30T10:30:00.001-08:00

YouTube clip . . .talking head explains Web 2.0.

VoiceThread

2010-01-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

VoiceThread

With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with no software to install.

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.

Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.

Web 2.0 YouTube Clip . . .Network and Learn

2010-01-30T10:03:00.000-08:00

Good introductory clip on how Web 2.0 can increase 'learning-networking.'

Wallwisher

2010-01-30T09:53:00.001-08:00

Wallwisher is an online notice board ideal for making announcement, wishing people well, keeping notes. No user registration is necessary. It is easy (you can say it with pictures, music, images, pages.) Demo provided.

Wordle

2010-01-30T09:51:00.001-08:00

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Jing . . .online learning tool

2010-01-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

Jing is free software that adds visuals to your online conversations.

Instead of typing at people, show them what you're talking about...pronto.

Pedagogical Foundations for Personal Learning (PPT)

2010-01-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

PPT Presentation by Stephen Downs re: Personal Learning Environment v. LMS's.

Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI)

2010-01-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Take it! See how you score!! Very informative.

Lessons Learned From Lessons Learned: The Fit Between Online Education “Best Practices” and Small School Reality

2010-01-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

Abstract

Schools of all types and sizes are exploring the merits and facets of online learning approaches; but, the online delivery literature has focused on “best practices” generated primarily through the experiences of larger schools that are on the leading edge of this innovation. Small public schools, on the other hand, are faced with unique challenges in profiting from the advice of these first movers. Small schools are hampered as a result of severely constrained resources, among which are personnel, money, infrastructure, and time. These factors limit the ability of small public institutions to fully adopt widely approved online best practices. This article reviews contemporary research on the implementation of online learning, examines one small public school’s experience as a case study, discusses the disparities between the capabilities of large versus small public institutions of higher education, and outlines implications for other small schools that wish to pursue online education. ...

Pedagogy

Pedagogical issues arose for delivering courses online, especially with the graduate students. Whereas pedagogy primarily aims to allow a student, typically pre- to young adult, to acquire prescribed subject matter, androgogy is focused on the needs of teaching adult learners who are self-directed and interested in problem-centric rather than content-specific learning (Chin & Williams, 2006; Huang, 2002). The truncated time to develop the course materials necessitated delivering most of the materials in a pedagogical rather than androgogical manner even though half of the enrolled online students were graduate students. Many of the instructors lamented the developmental time compression that resulted in the principally online pedagogical delivery style and noted that online course delivery ideally freed the instructor to facilitate learning as opposed to being a “professor in a box” reflecting others lessons learned (Betts & Sikorski, 2008; Chin & Williams, 2006; Grant & Thornton, 2007). One instructor who taught both an undergraduate and graduate course noted that online education offered him the opportunity to improve the educational experience for his students, stating that there was a “better learning experience for all my students—underline all—versus one or two in a traditional class.” There was a general consensus among the faculty that online learning improved the opportunity to expand the learning process outside the structured one-hour lecture period and allow the students to engage in “discovery learning

Conclusion

Best practices, as reported in the online course delivery literature, are sound but aimed in an unfocused manner. The assumption that the school of 1000 students is able to replicate the practices of the school with greater than 25,000 students falters in practice. While resources and their constraints on the schools both drive and limit actions across all sizes of schools, small public schools tend to operate on a thinner cushion of support. This small school found that going online was a successful endeavor worthy of continued exploration even as the expected and unexpected challenges arose. For any small school constrained by resources, the best practice literature does provide a well-blazed trail on which to commence planning the journey online.
Best practices work, but they must be studied, evaluated, and tailored to the school and its resources. A school that attempts to implement others lessons learned without a sufficient understanding of its own position and constraints still has lessons to learn.

Theories of Learning : Behaviorism, Cognitive Constructivism Social Constructivism (Table)

2010-01-09T09:38:00.001-08:00

Theories of Learning
Although there are many different approaches to learning, there are three basic types of learning theory: behaviorist, cognitive constructivist, and social constructivist. This section provides a brief introduction to each type of learning theory. The theories are treated in four basic parts: after a short historical introduction, a discussion of the view of knowledge presupposed by the theory follows. Next, there is an account of how the theory treats learning and student motivation. Finally, an overview of some of the instructional methods promoted by the theory is presented.

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy

2010-01-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy
Synopsis:
This is an update to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy which attempts to account for the new behaviours and actions emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy accounts for many of the traditional classroom practices, behaviours and actions but does not account for the new processes and actions associated with Web 2.0 technologies and increasing ubiquitous personal and cloud computing.
Bloom's Digital Taxonomy isn't about the tools or technologies rather it is about using these to facilitate learning. Outcomes on rubrics are measured by competence of use and most importantly the quality of the process or product. For example. Bookmarking a resource is of no value if the resource is inappropriate or worthless.
STOP PRESS - Bloom's Digital Taxonomy Translated into Spanish - Claudia Uribe de Piedrahita, the Director of Eduteka has organised the translation in Spanish - http://www.eduteka.org/TaxonomiaBloomDigital.php

(My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy (Sloan C Winner, 2003, Paper)

2010-01-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

This may seem a strange way to begin, but I want to admit that my ever-emerging philosophy of education increasingly diminishes the role of “the teacher” in the teaching/learning equation. It took over 30 years of college teaching experience for me to realize that the learner is, for the most part, in charge of what gets learned. Implementing this point of view online has, for me, blurred, somewhat, the distinction between effective teaching and pedagogically sound instructional design. If I create an environment in which a majority of students gladly learn that which they and I deem relevant and salient, then have I succeeded as a teacher or as a designer?—and does it matter?
I hope some of the ideas that follow are helpful to others. I have liberally interspersed snippets from several of my current online courses throughout this essay. Because screen shots can be hard to read, I have also provided links to the actual courses whenever possible. When no link is available, it’s because the course is password protected. Should you find any of the words and/or strategies useful, feel free to copy or adapt them for your own use.

TLT (Flashlight) Group's Implementing the ,Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson)

2010-01-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

The Flashlight Group's rendition of Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles' with an updating that deals with implementation and learning technologies.

Andragogy v. Pedagogy Article (One More Time)

2010-01-03T11:25:00.001-08:00

"For Knowles, andragogy is premised on at least four crucial assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners that are different from the assumptions about child learners on which traditional pedagogy is premised (http://www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-andra.htm). A fifth was added later.

1. Self-concept: As a person matures his self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being.

2. Experience: As a person matures he accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning.

3. Readiness to learn. As a person matures his readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his social roles.

4. Orientation to learning. As a person matures his time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learning shifts from one of subject-centeredness to one of problem centredness.

5. Motivation to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (Knowles 1984:12).

By 1984 Knowles had altered his position on the distinction between pedagogy and andragogy. The child-adult dichotomy became less marked. He claimed, as above, that pedagogy was a content model and andragogy a process model but the same criticisms apply concerning his introduction of behaviourist elements. He even added the fifth assumption: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (1984: 12). Yet while there have been these shifts, the tenor of his work, as Jarvis (1987b) argues, still seems to suggest that andragogy is related to adult learning and pedagogy to child learning." (Roger's Comment: Actually, Knowles acknowledged that the first four principles applied equally to children (pedagogy) although children had fewer experiences and set beliefs. See earlier blog post this mo. that suggests this to be true.)

Andragogy AND Pedagogy (article)

2010-01-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

"Unfortunately, andragogy usually is cited in education texts as the way adults learn. Knowles himself concedes that four of andragogy's five key assumptions apply equally to adults and children. The sole difference is that children have fewer experiences and pre-established beliefs than adults and thus have less to relate.

In the information age, the implications of a move from teacher-centered to learner-centered education are staggering. Postponing or suppressing this move will slow our ability to learn new technology and gain competitive advantage.

How can we expect to analyze and synthesize so much information if we turn to others to determine what should be learned, how it will be learned, and when it will be learned?

Though our grandchildren or great-grandchildren may be free of pedagogic bias, most adults today are not offered that luxury. To succeed, we must unlearn our teacher-reliance. We must take it upon ourselves to meet our learning needs and demand training providers do the same. To know our demands, we must know how we process information."

Pedagogy and Andragogy as Foundational Theory for Student Motivation in Higher Education (Article)

2010-01-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

How educators approach the issue of student motivation, be it intrinsic or extrinsic, is determined, in part, by the andragogical or pedagogical philosophical underpinnings of professors’ teaching practices. Difficulty arises when pedagogical methods and practices are applied in whole or in part to situations that require andragogical dynamics. A misunderstanding or misapplication of these critical issues may result in situational, temporary, or unsustainable models of motivation that guide lifelong learners and perhaps undermine the entire process of student motivation. This discussion explores the root causes of the misapplication of pedagogical models and its impact on adult learners.
The intention of this article is to promote critical thinking about pedagogy, andragogy, and their relationships to student motivation. The objective is to assist the reader in experiencing what Ken Bain (2004) has described as an “expectation failure,” which creates a situation where old mental models do not work and where, in this context, the reader/student is prompted to reconstruct their concepts about motivation and teaching philosophy and practices. This article does not offer answers or solutions to the paradoxes or real--world challenges presented; to do so would defeat its purpose. The author instead strives to provide clarity on the dimensions of the issues. In the end it is anticipated that the reader may experience frustration and cognitive dissonance regarding their own teaching beliefs and practices, whereupon the opportunity to rethink the issues and one’s own beliefs may arise.

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

2009-12-26T12:40:00.001-08:00

Lessons Learned
In sum, many decisions were made about training development prior to developing any training content. The following lessons learned may be useful for future instructional designers developing distributed training:

Tailor your training to your consumers: Consumers may be more than the trainees themselves. There may be administrators and instructors as well who will purchase, facilitate, or interact with your training system. These populations need to be identified from the start and their needs considered for training to be successful.
Blended learning is not just an effective pedagogical approach, but it is a practical compromise between achieving learning objectives and acknowledging real-world time constraints.
Instructors do not have to be experts: However, the burden is on the training developers to implement measures to allow non-experts to effectively deliver training.
Students can be more than just students: Diffusing some of the instructor's responsibility to Peer Leaders can alleviate some of the burden on the instructor. Providing students with additional responsibilities may increase their level of commitment to the course and enhance their educational experience since they think more deeply about the training materials.
Just because technologies exist that enable distributed learning does not mean that people know how to use them: The capabilities of some technology may exceed people's ability to use it. Be sure to allow adequate preparation time to ensure that consumers of all ages, education levels, and technical expertise can be comfortable with and fully exploit the training technology, and so that it does not get in the way of the learning it is supposed to deliver.

Merlot Pedagogy Portal

2009-12-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

The MERLOT Pedagogy Portal is designed to help you learn about the variety of instructional strategies and issues that could help you become a better teacher. The resources you’ll find in the Pedagogy Portal should apply to teaching a variety of disciplines. This collection of resources should help you answer questions that teachers ask:

How do I teach large lecture classes effectively?
How do I engage my students in problem-based learning?
Do I have to teach adult learners differently than recent high school graduates?

The resources highlighted in this portal are organized into 5 major areas which were developed by the MERLOT Faculty Development community after several years of exploring other categorization schemes. They correspond to the steps in the teaching process; each major area has specific topics for you to explore: 1. Learners and Learning, 2. Course, Instructional Design, 3. Teaching Strategies, 4. Teaching Challenges, 5. Assessment.

Pedagogy and Online Learning

2009-12-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

Resources Regarding Pedagogy and Online Learning, Instructional Strategies and Pedagogy (University Library, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign)

Evaluation and Application of Andragogical Assumptions to the Adult Online Learning Environment

2009-12-24T15:53:00.001-08:00

116
Evaluation and Application of Andragogical Assumptions to the
Adult Online Learning Environment (2007)
Laurie C. Blondy
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Abstract
The usefulness and application of andragogical assumptions has long been debated by adult educators. The assumptions of andragogy are often criticized due to the lack of empirical evidence to support them, even though several educational theories are represented within the assumptions. In adult online education, these assumptions represent an ideal starting point for educators to use in their instructional approach. Application of these assumptions with respect to the type of course being taught and individual student needs can help create a learner centered approach to online education.

John Dewey and Reflective Thinking (PPT)

2009-12-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

PPT presentation on Dewey's learning 'philosophy'. Constructivist Learning Theory.

Development of Reflective Thinking (Table)

2009-12-22T13:03:00.001-08:00

Table provides a 'good and brief' outline of stages of reflective thinking.

Adult Learning: Obstacles and Opportunities PPT (The Yellow-Brick Road, Model of Andragogy)

2009-12-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

PPT from U of Phoenix

My Other BLOG. Please Visit

2009-12-21T09:07:00.001-08:00

Please visit my other weblog, E-learning, Practice and Research. Weekly posts on news and events re: E-learning.

Reflective Reasoning and Tolerance for Diversity in Undergraduate Students

2009-12-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

The results of this research imply that efforts within higher education to develop and build students' reflective thinking ability both in and out of the classroom are likely to have an accompanying positive impact on their tolerance levels. Specific curricular and cocurricular interventions can develop students' reflective judgment abilities. It is important for higher education to employ intentional interventions to facilitate the development of reflective thinking as an important end goal in itself. However, based on the findings of this study, educators may also do so to develop the cognitive capability underlying tolerance. Given the difficulty of attributing causality, the converse may also be true: what educators do in the area of building tolerance might also help some students reach higher levels of reflective thinking ability.

Developing respect for human diversity by replacing racism, sexism, and ethnocentrism with an appreciation for racial, gender, and cultural differences is a common learning goal of college and university educators. Educators should intentionally point students toward curricular and cocurricular learning experiences that promote tolerance, especially those based on developmental principles.

This research underscores the need not only to offer intentionally designed learning experiences for college students that will foster tolerance for diversity, but also to guide and direct students to become involved in these activities purposefully as essential components of their higher education experience.

Using Asynchronous Online Discussions in Blended Courses: Comparing Impacts Across Courses in Three Content Areas (for Traditional Undergraduates)

2009-12-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

The challenge for instructors of blended courses who wish to use online discussions is to find ways to maximize the perceived relevance and/or value of the discussions. According to Xie, Debacker, and Ferguson (2006), when students perceive online discussions as relevant, interesting, and enjoyable their value increases. In this study, the engineering students put the highest value of the online discussions on content learning. This result certainly reflects the way that the discussions were used in the engineering course (e.g., to help students with content problems and for exam preparation) as well as the culture in engineering which puts a premium on problem-solving and getting the right answer. On the other hand, the English education and educational technology students in this study rated the ability to express opinions and participate most highly, and this is consistent with the nature of these disciplines. Achieving concordance between purposes of the online discussion and the goals of the course obviously is important. So, instructors of blended courses should seek to use online discussions in ways that fit the discipline and content.

Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson)

2009-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Apathetic students, illiterate graduates, incompetent teaching, impersonal campuses -- so rolls the drumfire of criticism of higher education. More than two years of reports have spelled out the problems. States have been quick to respond by holding out carrots and beating with sticks.

There are neither enough carrots nor enough sticks to improve undergraduate education without the commitment and action of students and faculty members. They are the precious resources on whom the improvement of undergraduate education depends.

But how can students and faculty members improve undergraduate education? Many campuses around the country are asking this question. To provide a focus for their work, we offer seven principles based on research on good teaching and learning in colleges and universities.

Good practice in undergraduate education:

encourages contact between students and faculty,
develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
encourages active learning,
gives prompt feedback,
emphasizes time on task,
communicates high expectations, and
respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

Andragogy and Online Teaching (PPT)

2009-12-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

PPT . . .repeats some of the most important principles underlying androgogy, compares and contrast to pedagogy.

Andrological and Pedagogical Training Differences for Online Instructors

2009-12-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

The nature of the online learner suggests that online instructor training be based on andragogical theory. This theory is anchored in five assumptive differences between pedagogy and andragogy. 2001 Best Paper . . .Conf. Proceedings. (Chart provided)

R2D2 Model for Online Learning

2009-12-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

i, Dec 11, 2009

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R2D2: A model for using technology in education
'Read, Reflect, Display, and Do' can help instructors leverage the internet's potential to help students learn

Learning Sciences Program at Northwestern . School of Ed . and Social Policy

2009-12-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

The School of Education and Social Policy offers two graduate degrees in Learning Sciences, the MA and the PhD. Both degree programs are dedicated to the preparation of researchers, developers and practitioners qualified to advance the scientific understanding and practice of teaching and learning. The goal of research and development efforts of the Learning Sciences is to develop pedagogical, technological and social policy innovations aimed at improving education. Rather than just studying innovation, course work and research, the Learning Sciences programs emphasize both the design and implementation of learning environments with a reform agenda.

Andragogy and Technology

2009-12-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is an older paper, but is still relevant in terms of both student and faculty intent, motivation and course construction.

From Andragogy to Heutagogy

2009-11-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

Heutagogy is the study of self-determined learning and draws together some of the ideas presented by these various approaches to learning. It is also an attempt to challenge some ideas about teaching and learning that still prevail in teacher centred learning and the need for, as Bill Ford (1997) eloquently puts it 'knowledge sharing' rather than 'knowledge hoarding'. In this respect heutagogy looks to the future in which knowing how to learn will be a fundamental skill given the pace of innovation and the changing structure of communities and workplaces. The remainder of this paper explores the concepts mentioned in this introduction and their implications for vocational education and training, and education. top (See Link)

Pedagogy, Andragogy, or a Blend Thereof

2009-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

Critique of an article in 'The Journal of Australian Council of of Educational Leaders' The article suggests that universities and post-school education have traditionally been the drivers of the shift from pedagogy to andragogy, and further that secondary education is now where that should be occurring. I would suggest that it is something that universities still need to embrace more directly. The extra emphasis and pressure to prepare students for university entrance has, in my experience, often seen high school teachers maintain a strong hold on directing the learning. As such students are perhaps even less prepared for independent study than in days gone by. Perhaps that is part of the intention of the article; to encourage schools to reframe their approaches to teaching and learning with a greater depth of field.

I would venture to suggest that there is a greater imperative for universities and other post-school contexts to reconsider the capabilities of the students they are encountering. A high entrance score doesn’t necessarily equate to a highly developed independent learner. The early years of undergraduate study probably still need to be focused on fostering the requisite ‘adult learning’ skills. (See Link)

Ageless Definiton of Andragogy

2009-11-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

I found a wonderful blog this morning that reflects on the term andragogy (the teaching of adults as opposed to pedagogy, the teaching of children) and questions whether it should relate more to a type of learner rather than the age of the learner. The blogger is Gwen. She describes her blog as "a reflection on the educational process by teachers working to transform their work into a more learner-centered, evidence-based, andragogical affair.
http://adulted.about.com/b/2009/01/23/gwens-ageless-definition-of-andragogy.htm

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Aga

2009-11-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe. Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. A real challenge for any learning theory is to actuate known knowledge at the point of application. When knowledge, however, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses.

Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. The field of education has been slow to recognize both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era. (See Link)

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Communities of Practice (HE)

2009-11-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

The idea that learning involves a deepening process of participation in a community of practice has gained significant ground in recent years. Communities of practice have also become an important focus within organizational development and have considerable value when thinking about working with groups. In this article we outline the theory and practice of such communities, and examine some of issues and questions for informal educators and those concerned with lifelong learning. http://www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm#lpp

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

2009-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Link to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

More recently, the Foundation’s work focused on moral, civic and political education; preparation for the professions (law, engineering, clergy, medicine and nursing); reform of the Ph.D.; and field-building work with teachers at all levels to develop new models for documenting classroom practice in ways that other educators can study, adapt and implement. The Foundation continues to work with community colleges to improve basic skills education in that sector.

Today, the Foundation, using both technology and face-to-face communication, is closely examining how new technological tools and digital world social networking can contribute to learning at every level of the education spectrum. Working through arrangements with public education, universities, the commercial sector—and the connections among these enterprises—the Foundation seeks to transform how we develop and support school professionals; the tools, materials, ideas and evidence with which they work; and the instructional opportunities that we afford students for learning.

http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/about-us/about-carnegie

Transforming HE Pedagogies with 21st Century Tools

2009-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

While faculty may not be digital natives to social networking technologies, they must
become wise digital immigrants who plan for them in effective instruction. For example,
over half of our students have Facebook or MySpace accounts. In addition, YouTube is
widely used with 100,000,000 self-produced videos, many from cell phones (Godwin-
Jones, 2007). Students have embraced the new technologies, but largely, CTEL has not.
How do these technologies become part of the teacher education program? What are the
possibilities for social networking tools in education? To address this issue, we planned
and implemented professional development opportunities for the education faculty at our
university. The two goals of this professional development were to: 1) provide models for
faculty to keep-up with rapid changes in technology, and 2) promote transformation of
pedagogy.

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Research/NECC_Research_Paper_Archives/NECC2009/Archambault_Prof_Dev_NECC09.pdf

Better Pedagogy for HE (Facebook Discussion Link)

2009-11-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

Link to Facebook discussion:
Ph.D programs are the only professional training programs that generally do not train graduate students in what they will be spending 40-80% of their professional life doing: teaching. While being an adept, original, and independent researcher in one's field is of immense importance, all that expertise is useless to one's students unless it can be conveyed effectively. This group is meant as a forum to discuss any facet of teaching in higher education, especially implementable strategies that might help professors-in-training deliver instruction more effectively without compromising the rigour of their scholarship. (See Link)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210336694

Clickers Add Little to Higher Ed. Classrooms

2009-11-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Author posits the the use of Clickers in HE classooms adds little in terms of increased learning.

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2008/06/20/groveman

The argument in favor of clickers is that they engage students and enhance class participation. Individual students can respond, or groups of students can discuss a problem and settle on a particular answer. The professor may choose to discuss responses, collect votes prior to and after a debate, or even use clickers to administer multiple choice tests. Another argument supporting clickers is that they allow professors to ascertain students' comprehension of initial constructs prior to moving on to more complex concepts.

The question confronting anyone who uses clicker technology in her/his classroom is not how to use clickers, but why use them in the first place? What can clickers accomplish that cannot be accomplished without clickers? I believe that clickers add little to classroom pedagogy, and can ultimately diminish scholarship. Can use of clickers capture the thoughtful and creative responses that, hopefully, professors attempt to incorporate into their classes? Are we fostering an educational environment in which technology supersedes scholarship, an academy dominated by edtechtainment -- pedagogy by gimmickry?

EduCause 2009 Tech. To Watch.

2009-11-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Link to Horizon Rpt. 2009

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD5612.pdf

Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................3
■ Technologies to Watch
■ Key Trends
■ Critical Challenges
■ The Horizon Project
Time-to-Adoption: One Year or Less
Mobiles......................................................................................................................................................8
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
Cloud Computing......................................................................................................................................11
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
Time-to-Adoption: Two to Three Years
Geo-Everything.......................................................................................................................................15
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
The Personal Web...................................................................................................................................19
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
Time-to-Adoption: Four to Five Years
Semantic-Aware Applications...................................................................................................................23
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
Smart Objects.........................................................................................................................................27
■ Overview
■ Relevance for Teaching, Learning, Research, or Creative Expression
■ Examples
■ For Further Reading
Methodology....................................................................................................................

Partnership for 21st Century Skills Debuts '21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map' : July 2008 : THE Journal

2008-07-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Partnership for 21st Century Skills Debuts '21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map' : July 2008 : THE Journal
"The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has joined up with the National Council for the Social Studies to produce the first-ever "21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map"--a sort of fleshed-out framework for that includes resources for integrating 21st century skills into social studies curricula.
The 21st Century Skills and Social Studies Map is the first in a series of planned maps aimed at core subjects. The purpose is to provide a framework and resources for integrating technology and other 21st century skills into core subject studies."

Technological Pedagogical Content A Framework for Teacher Knowedge TCRecord: Article

2008-07-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

TCRecord: Article
Abstract: Research in the area of educational technology has often been critiqued for a lack of theoretical grounding. In this article we propose a conceptual framework for educational technology by building on Shulman's formulation of "pedagogical content knowledge" and extend it to the phenomenon of teachers integrating technology into their pedagogy. This framework is the result of 5 years of work on a program of research focused on teacher professional development and faculty development in higher education. It attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of teacher knowledge required for technology integration in teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted, and situated nature of this knowledge. We argue, briefly, that thoughtful pedagogical uses of technology require the development of a complex, situated form of knowledge that we call Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). In doing so, we posit the complex roles of, and interplay among, three main components of learning environments: content, pedagogy, and technology. We argue that this model has much to offer to discussions of technology integration at multiple levels: theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological. In this article, we describe the theory behind our framework, provide examples of our teaching approach based upon the framework, and illustrate the methodological contributions that have resulted from this work.

TCRecord Article: Cirtique: Assessment and the Production of Learning

2008-07-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Education researchers and classroom teachers have argued that the constant pressure to measure and rank students makes it difficult to shape assessment as an episode of learning. Yet we know little about how learning moves in and through assessment of any kind. Building on two national multisited studies, the research reported here uses ethnographic techniques to examine learning within critique. Critique is a form of assessment through which young people jointly judge their own work and that of their peers.

Single-Sex Programs: Resolving the Research Conundrum (A TCRecord: Article)

2008-07-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Single-Sex Programs: Resolving the Research Conundrum - TCRecord: Article

"It is ... crucial that researchers, for their part, maintain their objectivity in the face of this politically charged controversy and remain mindful that this is all about children and not ideology. As gender equity advocates and others rush to explore the barely charted territory of single-sex schooling in its new incarnation, they must do so with an open and objective mind. They must resist the temptation to compare single-sex education with all its flaws to an idealized notion of coeducation. Given the high level of skepticism and virulent opposition these programs have generated, there is the danger of slipping into a game of “gotcha,” holding these programs to an unreasonable and unreachable standard to justify their continued existence. With legal presumptions and political pressure working against them, there is also the danger of demanding too much too soon from research findings. Single-sex schooling in its contemporary form is still a work-in-progress."

Ed/ITLib Digital Library → Characteristics of Adult Learners With Implications for Online Learning Design

2008-07-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Ed/ITLib Digital Library → Characteristics of Adult Learners With Implications for Online Learning Design

Abstract

"The online educational environment is increasingly being used by adults and should be designed based on the needs of adult learners. This article discusses andragogy, an important adult learning theory, and reviews three other adult learning theories: self-directed learning, experiential learning, and transformational learning. During this discussion, the theories are examined for the ways in which they may be applied to the design of online learning environments. In addition, the characteristics of adult learners are examined, and an analysis of how these characteristics influence the design of an online learning environment is presented. Recommendations follow regarding how to design an online classroom environment while considering the application of adult learning theories."

The Future of Instruction: Teacher as 'Co-Learner' : June 2008 : THE Journal

2008-07-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Future of Instruction: Teacher as 'Co-Learner' : June 2008 : THE Journal

"The expectations of students and the demands of the education community are changing radically in the 21st century. Necessarily, the role of the teacher is changing along with those. But what will that role be? The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is attempting to answer that question with the release this week of the long-anticipated update to its National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) framework. Introduced in 2000, NETS-T originally focused heavily on the transition from static learning content to electronic, interactive tools to enhance teaching and learning. While it did emphasize collaboration to a certain degree, the role of teachers themselves remained largely transmitter/facilitator of textual materials, albeit electronic ones, and the primary emphasis of the framework was on technology knowledge and skills--something that seems fairly remedial by today's standards."

Main Page - WikiEducator

2008-06-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Main Page - WikiEducator: "The WikiEducator is an evolving community intended for the collaborative:

* planning of education projects linked with the development of free content;
* development of free content on Wikieducator for e-learning;
* work on building open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs.
* networking on funding proposals developed as free content."

Open Source Assessment/Competencies/Credentialing

2008-06-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Half an Hour: Open Source Assessment
"What we can expect in an open system of assessment is that achievement will be in some way 'recognized' by a community. This removes assessment from the hands of 'experts' who continue to 'measure' achievement. And it places assessment into the hands of the wider community. Individuals will be accorded credentials as they are recognized, by the community, to deserve them.
How does this happen? It beaks down into two parts:

- first, a mechanism whereby a person's accomplishments may be displayed and observed.

- second, a mechanism which constitutes the actual recognition of those accomplishments.

We have already seen quite a bit of work devoted to the first part. We have seen, for example, describe the creation of e-portfolios, intended a place where a person can showcase their best work".

Simple Spark - Catalog Links to 300+ Education Apps.

2008-06-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Simple Spark - Catalog Links to over 300 education applications. Many are useful k -12, others for any level of education.

Socializing Teaching And Learning

2008-06-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Socializing Teaching And Learning
A SlideShare slide show by Geoprge Siemens. Presented to: Canadian Network for Innovation in Education, June 18, 2008.

Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally | 21st Century Connections

2008-06-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally | 21st Century Connections

"The skills required for the digital age give new relevance to the list of skills that we learned back in the old days.

Bloom's Taxonomy
In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom developed his taxonomy of cognitive objectives, Bloom's Taxonomy. This categorized and ordered thinking skills and objectives. His taxonomy follows the thinking process. You can not understand a concept if you do not first remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them. It is a continuum from Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) to Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). Bloom labels each category with a gerund.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy
In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001.Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. They are arranged below in increasing order, from low to high "

Bayesian Model for Optimization Adaptive e-Learning Process | Tapia Moreno | International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)

2008-06-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Bayesian Model for Optimization Adaptive e-Learning Process | Tapia Moreno | International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)

Abstract

In this paper, a Bayesian-Network-based model is proposed to optimize the Global Adaptive e-Learning Process (GAeLP). This model determines the type of personalization required for a learner according to his or her real needs, in which we have considered both objects and objectives of personalization. Furthermore, cause-and-effect relations among these objects and objectives with the learning phases, the learner, and the Intelligent Tutorial System (ITS) are accomplished. These cause-and-effect relations were coded into a Bayesian Network (BN), such that it involves the entire GAeLP. Four fundamental phases that have a direct effect in the learner’s learning process are considered: Learner’s previous knowledge Phase, Learner’s Progress Knowledge Phase, Learner’s /Teacher’s Aims and Goals Phase, and Navigation Preferences and Experiences Phase. The efficacy of the Bayesian networks is proven through the first phase, in which learners of different knowledge area were select. The main results in this work are: causal relations among objects and objectives of personalization, knowledge phases, learner and electronic system. Personalization profiles set and their probabilities in the first phase were obtained to diagnose the type of personalization of the learner

TCRecord Article: Performing Curriculum: Building ethos Through Narratives in Pedagogical Discourse (Holocaust Example)

2008-06-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

TCRecord: Article
This study examines the problem of how teachers establish desirable positions of authority in their classrooms. The interpretive analysis draws on insights from narrative theory in order to consider the following question: How does one teacher establish authority in her classroom through the means of narrative performance? I articulate a rhetorical framework for exploring this question, particularly elaborating the notion of ethos, defined as the rhetorical invention of one's identity for persuasive purposes. I also establish a performance perspective to the study of narrative in teaching. In analysis, I have systematically examined one artful teacher's corpus of narrative performances in a 6-week Holocaust unit. This article overviews the occurrence of narrative events throughout the unit, characterizes the frame space of narrative discourse in the classroom, elaborates the variance in emerging ethos through narrative performances, and identifies and interprets the different types of narrative events in the class. I find that narratives serve as a hybrid frame space, allowing this teacher to establish a dynamically negotiated, yet nonetheless authoritative, ethos that emerged in response to the content material and to students.

Pedagogy and Andragogy

2008-06-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Pedagogy and Andragogy: "Welcome to the Pedagogy and Andragogy Focus Area

pedagogy - the science of teaching

We are all probably very familiar with the terms pedagogy and andragogy but what relevance do they have for us in the way we use ILT? The saying 'It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it' is never more true than in the realms of information and learning technology. There have been many examples of expensive bad practice as effective good practice. As practitioners it is important that we apply the principles of effective good practice in our on-line teaching and learning activities."

EAEA - TOPICS

2008-06-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

EAEA - TOPICS
European Association For Education Of Adults
A listing of news regarding Pedagogy/andragogy. Translations in a number of European languages available at the site.

Pedagogical Strategies for Building Community in Graduate Level Distance Education Courses

2008-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching: "Abstract

Community building in online distance education is important to a successful learning experience because it alleviates feelings of isolation for both students and faculty members. Ruth E. Brown describes the process by which students become part of an online distance education community, identifying three stages: “making friends,” “community conferment,” and the development of “camaraderie” (Brown, 2001). The purpose of this article is to present concrete, specific, and practical pedagogical strategies to implement Ruth E. Brown’ 3-stage theory of community building in online distance learning courses. These strategies are based on the authors’ combined 14 years of teaching distance courses in graduate level Library and Information Science (LIS) programs."

Connecting Student Learning and Technology

2008-05-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Connecting Student Learning and Technology
"Winds of change are blowing through American classrooms from several directions. Schools are serving a more ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse student body than ever before. From our universities and research institutions, studies about education, cognitive psychology, and neurology have offered new insights on how humans learn. And from the marketplace, the infusion of technology has redefined work skills and society's expectations about what it means to be an educated person."

JOLT - Study of Online Learning Persistence among Community College Stakeholder

2008-05-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching : "Abstract

This study continues a program of research into the nature of powerful learning experiences, with a focus this time on e-learning contexts. It was conducted using structured phone interviews with adult learners pursuing undergraduate degrees through e-learning coursework. Among other things, data suggest that meaningful social interaction and emotions may be important components in powerful learning experiences. In addition, the data suggest that powerful learning can indeed occur in e-learning environments. Results of this study combine with those from three previous studies to point toward practices of instructional designers and educators that may contribute to powerful learning in e-learning environments. Further examination of powerful learning in such environments holds promise."

Students Get Web-based Planning and Time Management Service : May 2008 : THE Journal

2008-05-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Students Get Web-based Planning and Time Management Service : May 2008 : THE Journal: "Students Get Web-based Planning and Time Management Service

by Dian Schaffhauser

Studiolo Systems has gone into beta testing with StudyRails.com, a Web application intended to help students improve their academic performance by optimizing their study habits. StudyRails provides step-by-step, personalized study plans, e-mail and cell phone study reminders and the blocking of social networking Web sites, software and games during study time."

Wired Campus: Pedagogy in Action Online - Chronicle.com

2008-05-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Wired Campus: Pedagogy in Action Online - Chronicle.com
"Teaching science to undergraduates always seems to be an uphill battle. To help the beleaguered professor, the Science Education Research Center at Carleton College has bundled a bunch of teaching resources into a new Web site, Pedagogy in Action."

869 Design with Learning in Mind

2008-05-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

869 Design with Learning in Mind: "The posting below looks at how to develop learner-centered environments for online courses. It is from Chapter 1, Design with Learning in Mind, in the book, Conquering The Content: A Step-by-Step Guide to Online Course Design, by Robin M. Smith Published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 [www.josseybass.com] Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved."

Derek's Blog: Wiki Pedagogy

2008-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Derek's Blog: Wiki Pedagogy: "Wiki Pedagogy

Wiki_logos.jpg

Love them or hate them, the use of wikis is certainly gaining momentum in education circles. Take for instance the WikiEducator project initiated by the Commonwealth of Learning,or the Wikipedia version of Wikiversity, not to mention the myriad of educational wikis appearing that have been created within the variety of Wiki software that is available online."

BLOGs WIKIs RSS Feeds etc Tools Exploring Online Resources TLT Group Faculty Professional Development Workshop Tailored Website

2008-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

BLOGs WIKIs RSS Feeds etc Tools Exploring Online Resources TLT Group Faculty Professional Development Workshop Tailored Website

Tapped In Home

2008-05-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Tapped In Home: "The online workplace of an international community of education professionals.
K-12 teachers, librarians, administrators, and professional development staff, as well as university faculty, students, and researchers gather here to learn, collaborate, share, and support one another."