Open Courses

URL: http://itunes.stanford.edu/

The course that I chose was from the iTunes U – Stanford University. The title is called, “Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders: Building an Entrepreneurial Career by Ted Zoller (Kaufman Foundation). This a weekly seminar series on Entrepreneurship, co-sponsored by Bases (a student entrepreneurship group), Stanford Technology Ventures Program and the Department of Management Science and Engineering.

I believe that this course has been pre-planned but not necessarily designed for an objective distance learning environment. In a many distance learning environments there is a give and take, two-way communication takes place. This course has been designed as a podcast. “A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of files (either audio or video) subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast accessed on February 5, 2012). A speaker speaks and the learner chooses what to listen to and take away from the seminar versus a distance learning course in which objectives are stated and there is an outcome that is expected and measured.

The recommendations for distance learning lists printed material and handouts as a key to an effective course. A syllabus is clearly stated as the essential piece of the puzzle that holds everything together. Text materials and examinations, grading policies, assessment opportunities within the course are important as well. This particular course only allows a one-way tool for communication for the learners. It is a one-sided distance education course. There are no visual aids that will cause the information to be reinforced so unless you listen to the podcast more than once, there is a very slim chance that the information will be retained.

This course does not use course activities that maximize active learning for the students.

References:

http://itunes.stanford.edu/ accessed on February 5, 2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast accessed on February 5, 2012.

Virtual Worlds

As an instructional designer, I would suggest that the teacher use a distance learning technology that deals with Virtual Worlds. Virtual reality is not a new concept. It has been used in many different scenarios. For example, the military uses virtual reality to train their soldiers as if they were in a real war situation. “Virtual worlds appear to have (as they have for several pre-World decades) exciting potential for placing students in real life applications of course content; for example in problem-solving situations, especially experiences in other places and times that would otherwise be inaccessible…” (Simonson, 2012).

The distance learning technology that I will suggest is Active Worlds (AW). Active Worlds is a 3D virtual reality platform. Those who use Active Worlds can assign themselves a name, create an Avatar, a virtual person and build environments from a selection of objects. In addition, users of Active Worlds are able to chat with one another, own worlds and universes and develop 3D content.

I feel as an instructional design this will be a great platform because the students in the class are unable to go to the Museum to check out the artwork but the can go to the Museum virtually. They will be able to create a 3D image of the Museum and walk around and view the painting, as well as, have a class critique of the artwork. The Museum is being brought to them in a virtual sense.

There are external sources that showcase how Active Worlds have been used as an asynchronous formal learning environment at the University of Colorado-Boulder: Business Computing Skills 1000. The second way in which Active Worlds has been used is in a synchronous informal learning environment, “Magine’s 3D Object Modeling Class” (Dickey, 2005). The sources are cited in the British Journal of Technology.

References:

Dickey, Michele D. Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds and Distance Learning: Two Cases Studies of Active Worlds as a Medium For Distance Education. British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 36 No 3 2005 pg. 439–451.

Simonson, Michael. Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012.

http://www.activeworlds.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Worlds

Distance Education

Definition of Distance Learning

Distance learning is a technology that is changing as rapidly as technology itself changes which is almost in nanosecond bits according to some. I believe that Distance Education is changing because of more advanced technology. It is changing because we learn at a much more rapid rate than we did 300 to 400 years ago.

Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically "on site".

Personal Definition

My personal definition of distance education is education that takes place in a location where the one who is doing the instructing is not in the same place as the one who is learning. Distance education has been a reward for me because it has afforded the opportunity to be a half-time student, with a full-time career and life. I am a teacher by profession and passion. I know what it is to teach and be taught, requiring from my students their best and wanting at every level to give my best.

Revised Definition

I think that Distance Education is not necessarily based on the technical knowledge that one has to a certain degree. Distance Education is available to all people from all backgrounds. Distance education can be in the form of a television program, written correspondence, via satellite or computer. It does not always in involve the most technologically advanced systems that we know as being apart of our current society. It is where one who instructs teaches from a different location those who will learn.

Future of Distance Learning

I see the future of distance learning from a clear perspective. I am most certainly a product of Distance Education. I believe that there will be millions more people who will subscribe to distance learning in the very near future. It will afford people the opportunity to seek out a degree that they have wanted to pursue but never felt that have had the time to sit in a traditional classroom. Traditional classrooms will still be around but not in brick and mortar as we know it today, they will be much more enhanced. The future of distance is wide open for those who will seek it out.

Reflection

What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?

Reflection is defined as the following: a mental concentration; careful consideration; a thought or an opinion resulting from such consideration. As I reflect on this course, I found it striking that as learners, we all have different innate abilities for learning. We learn based upon how we are taught as infants. We learn based upon our surroundings. We learned based upon our perception of ideas. We all learn uniquely, in different ways and in many ways. I have found that learning takes place at all times, in every way.

How has this course deepened your understanding of your personal learning process?

This course has deepened my understanding of my learning process by helping me to realize that I am a multifaceted learner. I learn by what I see. I learn by what I do, hands-on. I learn by other people around me. This course has helped me to take into consideration those that I will one day provide instructional design for. I must take into account the different learning styles that we know of, make a strong evaluation and proceed with designing the best instruction possible.

What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?

I have learned that learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation all flow together. The theories allow learners and designers to be aware of the theories that point to why we learn as we do. The learning styles allow learners and designers to know what category the instruction must fall into. Educational technology plays a huge role because technology is everywhere and especially for those learners who are online learners, it is the bridge to their motivation. Technology is allowing me to complete this coursework right now and communicate in a way that benefits both the instructor and me. Last but not least, is motivation, it is the deciding factor of whether or not learners complete what they have begun or even get started. As an instructional designer, the content must be engaging enough to motivate the learner to continue on the journey that have decided to begin.

How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?

This course will help me further my career in the field of instructional design by giving me the tools necessary to be informed about the processes of learning. It will help me to evaluate the process of the different learners that I will design for. This course sets me on the right track to know that learning is a two-sided process. The instructional designer and the learner must work together in order for the ARCS model to be accomplished. “Knowing the basic principles of instructional design can help to ensure that what is produced serves a necessary purpose, meets the needs of students, is attractive and well organized, is delivered in an appropriate mode, and is continually evaluated and improved” (Morrison, 2011).

References

Morrison, Gary and et al. Designing Effective Instruction. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011.

Fitting The Pieces Together

“Learning is commonly defined as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views (Illeris, 2004; Ormrod, 1995). Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values according to Hill (2002). The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education) accessed on June 19, 2011).

Now that I have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, my view on learning has certainly changed for the better because I am more informed.

I have learned that the various learning theories and learning styles over the past week play an important role in my learning preference. I prefer the connectivism, but I find that I am not stuck with only one preference. There are many theories that play an important role in how I learn. Connectivism deals with all the theories in a single instant, even though it speaks of networks and being connected to various groups. The people within the different networks all have different learning styles so therefore, we are connected at some point to the whole of the learning process.

Technology plays a very important role. This online class that I am currently taking as a part of the Walden University curriculum, would not be possible without the use of technology. I can search information and not physically be in the building where the information is located. I can communicate with my professor over an online platform and receive the same information as if I was sitting in the classroom. The fact that I am communicating to finish this assignment I have been given is through the use of technology, without all of this would not be impossible but much more time consuming. Technology simplifies my process for learning.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education) accessed on June 19, 2011.

Connectivism and Connectivism Reflection

Connectivism Reflection

This week we were instructed to create a Mind Map because the central tenets of connectivism is that people learn through the networks they construct knowledge. I constructed a Map Map that illustrates my network connections.

My network has changed the way that I learn in that the information is readily available from various sources. My mind map started with Subject Matter – Me – Sources of Information – Me disseminating the information to those who I come in contact with and the cycle continues over and over again. I can learn at a much faster rate, because I can receive information at a much faster rate.

One of the digital tools that best facilitate learning for me is the Internet, since its development, the Internet, has changed the way I live and learn. More than ever, it has become easier to educate myself because the Internet has no geographical limitation. There are many ways that the Internet has changed education for the good and the bad. As a teacher and student, I can obtain research material for papers, tests and projects. Also, it is means for me to continue my education online and receive a Master’s degree. Walden University is an example of a university that is offering online accredited course, which thousands of students are enrolled in without having to leave the comfort of their own homes. This allows me as a student to learn in a self-paced sort of way. It is also a considered as a connection that I have obtained. Another digital tool within the Internet are sites like Wikipedia or Google, where I can type in my search and a wealth of information is returned. I can surf through the information and find what is relevant to what I would like to learn about.

I gain knowledge when I have questions by researching the topics, consulting a professional, or reading magazine articles and books to find out the answers or more information. The network that I have created has chnaged the way that I learn in that there is a wide variety of information online, in textbooks, knowledge of other people.

The ways in which my personal learning supports the central tenets of connectivism is that I realize we must all connect in some way to bridge the knowledge gaps that we have. I do not believe that there is anything new under the sun and that there information is readily available if we seek it out through our connections.

Brain and Learning Week 2

This week's assignment was to find two website and/or online journals that spoke to the subject of the brain and learning, information processing theory and problem-solving methods during the learning process. The two websites that I chose are http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/infoproc.html and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/learning_theory_(education).

I have often explored wikipedia for various information and found the source to be creditable in its content. Wikipedia also has links on its site that allow the learner to explore deeper as they get into the information. It has a wealth of knowledge on any topic.

The first link that I posted is a site that deals with the brain and learning, the information processing approach to cognition. This site features a model that allows you to visually look at long and short term memory and how the brain processes the information.