In EDUC 761 our class is reviewing various - Emerging Communication Tools and How They Might Influence Online Education in the Future. I have shared my experience with wiki and I have invited my colleagues to review the survey data on the left, leave a survey comment and post a comment as a reply.
Our reading and discussion in EDUC 762 has touched on peer to peer collaboration (our midterm is a good example of this), authentic and alternative assessment and recently, the challenges posed by 4 storms of E Learning that were predicted in 2004 and may already be here.
That said, after completing the survey to your left, if you would elaborate with a comment. You may reply to one prompt below or leave a comment based upon your own experience with wiki.
1. Of the benefits you identified in the survey, which is the most significant and why so you see this benefit as so important?
2. Are wiki now a part of your world as an instructor. If so, how do you use them. If not, are wiki evident in your various learning communities.
3. Share an example of peer to peer collaboration that you have used in the classroom (either face to face or online). Could a wiki have been used to support this collaboration?
4. Do you see wiki as an example of authenticity in activity or assessment? Why or why not.
I know you are all busy so thanks to those of you who take time to post a comment.
Greg@Az
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Students in Economic History of the US
Great work in completion of our introductory unit in ECN 160.
As you see to your right, I have a list of the economic events you identified as a class as the most significant in sU history.
Economic historians who look at US history tend to agree that two events are of major importance in the applying economic analysis to an understanding of US history.
I would like for you to do two things, cast your vote for the two events that you find important, and in a short reply to this post explain why you selected these two events.
As you see to your right, I have a list of the economic events you identified as a class as the most significant in sU history.
Economic historians who look at US history tend to agree that two events are of major importance in the applying economic analysis to an understanding of US history.
I would like for you to do two things, cast your vote for the two events that you find important, and in a short reply to this post explain why you selected these two events.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Old habits harder to revise than new habits to acquire
I continue my journey through the world of E Learning and in my quest to improve as an online teacher I look to the model of master teachers. I have been very, very fortunate to work with some of these special colleagues in face to face communities and I have, over the past year, had the opportunity to work with and learn from some really amazing mentors. These online facilitators exemplify kindness, tolerance, genuine curiosity and authenticity.
So, having said that, I am coming face to face with . . . change. If I indeed want to improve my performance (and I do) this will require change. The adjustments are many and involve the areas of content, instructional design, delivery, assessment, moderation . . . well the list goes on and on.
Over in one of my UofW online classes we have been exploring the use of a variety of tools to facilitate online learning. The moderators in this class are guiding the participants (teachers, trainers, or those who want to be one or the other) into a manner of online discourse.
Now I know I am learning when I am uncomfortable, a tad confused, frustrated and at time plain angry. The analogy is golf. I play to a 44 handicap. Every few years I get frustrated and take a few lessons. My already pathetic game, gets worse. This illustrates a principle we all know, that unlearning a habit is much more difficult than learning a new habit.
So, back to the online tool over in my class and learning a new way to employ the tool. I am setting aside for the moment the question of whether I think that this is a change that is recommended - for either me or my students. After all, like the golf pro, I am paying pretty good money and time to learn an alternative.
So when we acquire a habit, we become automatic in practicing that habit. That is, no thinking is involved or conscious effort for an old school teacher to lecture, Tiger Woods to drive the green, Greg Pratt to make pancakes.
But a new habit requires a self conscious effort, until the habit is internalizes.
And, to unlearn a habit and replace is with a new habit . . . oy vey.
So, the following is an comment expressing the difficulty I was experiencing:
I am struggling with the correct protocol for online discussion
The reply from the instructor reinforced the notion that the challenge to acquire a new habit and unlearn an old habit is work but worth it.
So, having said that, I am coming face to face with . . . change. If I indeed want to improve my performance (and I do) this will require change. The adjustments are many and involve the areas of content, instructional design, delivery, assessment, moderation . . . well the list goes on and on.
Over in one of my UofW online classes we have been exploring the use of a variety of tools to facilitate online learning. The moderators in this class are guiding the participants (teachers, trainers, or those who want to be one or the other) into a manner of online discourse.
Now I know I am learning when I am uncomfortable, a tad confused, frustrated and at time plain angry. The analogy is golf. I play to a 44 handicap. Every few years I get frustrated and take a few lessons. My already pathetic game, gets worse. This illustrates a principle we all know, that unlearning a habit is much more difficult than learning a new habit.
So, back to the online tool over in my class and learning a new way to employ the tool. I am setting aside for the moment the question of whether I think that this is a change that is recommended - for either me or my students. After all, like the golf pro, I am paying pretty good money and time to learn an alternative.
So when we acquire a habit, we become automatic in practicing that habit. That is, no thinking is involved or conscious effort for an old school teacher to lecture, Tiger Woods to drive the green, Greg Pratt to make pancakes.
But a new habit requires a self conscious effort, until the habit is internalizes.
And, to unlearn a habit and replace is with a new habit . . . oy vey.
So, the following is an comment expressing the difficulty I was experiencing:
I am struggling with the correct protocol for online discussion
The reply from the instructor reinforced the notion that the challenge to acquire a new habit and unlearn an old habit is work but worth it.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Ethics, Economics and Freedom: The Morality of Markets
Saturday Feb. 9, 2008 - 7th annual ASET conference - Ethics, Economics and Freedom: The Morality of Markets
The conference as an amazing experience. This 7th annual conference of the Arizona Society for Economics Teachers was attended by over 100 Arizona educators and 50 students of economics. Co sponsored by the Arizona Council on Economic Education the morning was packed with three powerful presentations.
Up first was Dwight Lee who kicked off the day's discussion with an historical overview of freedom, markets and Milton Friedman. Lee's eloquent (and humorous) description of the struggle between Keynes and Friedman was reminiscent of Yergin and Stanislaw's The Commanding Heights as Lee showcased Friedman's intellectual journey.
Lee described the seminal work of Friedman, his work analyzing the role of money, the Phillips curve and the controversy over the role of the government. He concluded his well thought overview of economics and freedom, by outlining Milton Friedman's legacy as a Freedom Fighter:
Advocate for individual liberty
Freedom as an ultimate value
Freedom as an instrumental value
Lee ended with a quote from Adam Smith:
" The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it." (WN: B.IV, Ch.2, Of Restraints upon the Importation from Foreign Countries in paragraph IV.2.10)
Our next speaker, John Morton, provided an overview of the latest NCEE publication
Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics.
Co written with Jonathan Wight this book contains 10 lessons that reintroduce an ethical dimension to economics in the tradition of Adam Smith, who believed ethical considerations were central to life. Utilizing these innovative instructional materials your students will learn about the important role ethics and character play in a market economy and how, in turn, markets influence ethical behavior. Click here to read Jonathan's introduction.
Our closing speaker David Schmidtz integrated philosophy with the previous discussion of freedom and teaching economics.
Professor of Philosophy and Joint Professor of Economics David Schmidtz conducts the Program in the Philosophy of Freedom. The aims of the program in the philosophy of freedom are
To provide undergraduate students with a two-course sequence in Philosophy of Freedom, PHIL 320a and PHIL 320b.
To have visiting professors give lectures topics related to Philosophy of Freedom.
To provide workshops for alumni of the University of Arizona Philosophy graduate program.
To give current graduate students fellowship opportunities that advance their teaching and research.
David began with a reminder that, as educators, our role is to empower our students to participate in the complex real world and that role will demand that we provide authentic opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate the results of their thinking. He ended his introduction by sharing a transferable teaching tidbit, one that I will certainly incorporate.
David uses the following incentive in his large (300 student) undergraduate class. At random, he selects a student and asks if they are in attendence. If not, the student will have one point deducted from their final grade. If they are present, the student is asked to summarize the key point from the previous class. The student is free to pass. If this is the case, no points are deducted. However, if the student provides an acceptable summary, the student is awarded 1 point and the process proceeds to the "bonus" round. Here another student is selected at random and asked to summarize the current class. Essentially this checks preparation, asking the student the key points from the required reading. If the student successfully answers, 5 bonus or extra credit points are awarded to the student. An incorrect answer or silence is not penalized.
Schmidtz went on to organize his presentation around the familiar economic concept of the gains from trade.
After contrasting a zero sum view of interaction with a positive sum view, Schmidtz presented the underpinning or preconditions needed to realize the gains from trade - voluntarism and property rights. With these in place, specialization leads to collaboration which widens the sphere of benefit to the agents in society. Following Adam Smith, the increasing size of the market allowed for increases in specialization and increases in benefit.
At this point, Schmidtz shared a second transferable teaching tidbit. This in the form of a story about Thomas Edison. Schmidtz asked if Edison had endowed a charitable foundation. (I was unable to determine if Edison did). Schmidtz then asked, would the world have been a better place, had he donated his wealth to charity. Then Schmidtz asked if Edison had paid taxes and repeated his previous question, would the world be better off if he had paid taxes.
The conclusion - Edison's contribution to improving society, raising standards of living and stimulating growth was the light bulb. This invention has far more lasting and important positive consequences that would a charitable contribution or a payment of up to 100 per cent in taxes.
As you can tell, we have a wonderful day and many thanks are due to ASET president Dr. Alice Temnick and Arizona Council on Economic Education Program Director Ashlay Hall.
The program ended with the recognition of Brett Haglin as Arizona Economics Teacher of the Year and Elizabeth Volard as recipient of the John C. Morton service award.
Please feel free to leave comments, share your reaction to the conference, or leave questions for ASET, ACEE or the 2008 participants at this blog.
The conference as an amazing experience. This 7th annual conference of the Arizona Society for Economics Teachers was attended by over 100 Arizona educators and 50 students of economics. Co sponsored by the Arizona Council on Economic Education the morning was packed with three powerful presentations.
Up first was Dwight Lee who kicked off the day's discussion with an historical overview of freedom, markets and Milton Friedman. Lee's eloquent (and humorous) description of the struggle between Keynes and Friedman was reminiscent of Yergin and Stanislaw's The Commanding Heights as Lee showcased Friedman's intellectual journey.
Lee described the seminal work of Friedman, his work analyzing the role of money, the Phillips curve and the controversy over the role of the government. He concluded his well thought overview of economics and freedom, by outlining Milton Friedman's legacy as a Freedom Fighter:
Advocate for individual liberty
Freedom as an ultimate value
Freedom as an instrumental value
Lee ended with a quote from Adam Smith:
" The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it." (WN: B.IV, Ch.2, Of Restraints upon the Importation from Foreign Countries in paragraph IV.2.10)
Our next speaker, John Morton, provided an overview of the latest NCEE publication
Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics.
Co written with Jonathan Wight this book contains 10 lessons that reintroduce an ethical dimension to economics in the tradition of Adam Smith, who believed ethical considerations were central to life. Utilizing these innovative instructional materials your students will learn about the important role ethics and character play in a market economy and how, in turn, markets influence ethical behavior. Click here to read Jonathan's introduction.
Our closing speaker David Schmidtz integrated philosophy with the previous discussion of freedom and teaching economics.
Professor of Philosophy and Joint Professor of Economics David Schmidtz conducts the Program in the Philosophy of Freedom. The aims of the program in the philosophy of freedom are
To provide undergraduate students with a two-course sequence in Philosophy of Freedom, PHIL 320a and PHIL 320b.
To have visiting professors give lectures topics related to Philosophy of Freedom.
To provide workshops for alumni of the University of Arizona Philosophy graduate program.
To give current graduate students fellowship opportunities that advance their teaching and research.
David began with a reminder that, as educators, our role is to empower our students to participate in the complex real world and that role will demand that we provide authentic opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate the results of their thinking. He ended his introduction by sharing a transferable teaching tidbit, one that I will certainly incorporate.
David uses the following incentive in his large (300 student) undergraduate class. At random, he selects a student and asks if they are in attendence. If not, the student will have one point deducted from their final grade. If they are present, the student is asked to summarize the key point from the previous class. The student is free to pass. If this is the case, no points are deducted. However, if the student provides an acceptable summary, the student is awarded 1 point and the process proceeds to the "bonus" round. Here another student is selected at random and asked to summarize the current class. Essentially this checks preparation, asking the student the key points from the required reading. If the student successfully answers, 5 bonus or extra credit points are awarded to the student. An incorrect answer or silence is not penalized.
Schmidtz went on to organize his presentation around the familiar economic concept of the gains from trade.
After contrasting a zero sum view of interaction with a positive sum view, Schmidtz presented the underpinning or preconditions needed to realize the gains from trade - voluntarism and property rights. With these in place, specialization leads to collaboration which widens the sphere of benefit to the agents in society. Following Adam Smith, the increasing size of the market allowed for increases in specialization and increases in benefit.
At this point, Schmidtz shared a second transferable teaching tidbit. This in the form of a story about Thomas Edison. Schmidtz asked if Edison had endowed a charitable foundation. (I was unable to determine if Edison did). Schmidtz then asked, would the world have been a better place, had he donated his wealth to charity. Then Schmidtz asked if Edison had paid taxes and repeated his previous question, would the world be better off if he had paid taxes.
The conclusion - Edison's contribution to improving society, raising standards of living and stimulating growth was the light bulb. This invention has far more lasting and important positive consequences that would a charitable contribution or a payment of up to 100 per cent in taxes.
As you can tell, we have a wonderful day and many thanks are due to ASET president Dr. Alice Temnick and Arizona Council on Economic Education Program Director Ashlay Hall.
The program ended with the recognition of Brett Haglin as Arizona Economics Teacher of the Year and Elizabeth Volard as recipient of the John C. Morton service award.
Please feel free to leave comments, share your reaction to the conference, or leave questions for ASET, ACEE or the 2008 participants at this blog.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Public v private - how should a wiki be constructed
A great discussion has sprung up in EDUC 762 regarding private v public settings for an educational wiki.
How do you weight in?
While here, if you have not voted in the survey on wiki use, give it a whirl.
Do the current survey results on wiki inform your comments?
I'll kick off our discussion by responding to the following excellent question:
So I wondered why your group chose to only complete a wiki to submit to the instructor knowing that your wiki could be subjected to vandalizing even with the private access. Not suggesting our classmates but, others who might obtain access.
This is a great question and really reflects back on the philosophy of the internet, social networking and community building. My response is grounded in my personal philosophy, experience with this tool and constructivist view point of learning communities.
Personal Philosophy
I am grounded in the moral philosophy of Adam Smith. Smith, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments presents a strong case that the link between individual liberty or natural liberty and society is personal responsibility expressed through virtue. The operative agent is an impartial spectator that aligns liberty with responsibility.
So my first response, is that I have tremendous confidence in my fellows.
Experience with wiki
If you think back to the survey (over on our left) one of the major advantages of a wiki is the archive functionality. Every page and page edit is saved in history. If a "vandal" were to attack any or all pages in a public wiki, the previous page would be restored and the vandal blocked from the site.
Our EDUC 762 group midterm project was a private one, a decision that I obviously find contrary to the essence of wiki, Adam Smith, Walt Whitman and inclusiveness. Having said that, the questioner accurately points out, the wiki could still be "vandalized".
But, the process of collaboration or the process of vandalizing is, I think, important to regard. Howl, was considered obscene (a form of poetic graffitti), Dali and Pollack are examples of those attacked by the cultural establishment as juvenile and "vandals" and early rap and hip hop were considered criminal. I am not saying that this wiki rises to high art, but a defining characteristic of wiki is collaboration and inclusivement (in my view).
So, I would welcome all collaboration which, at its heart could be viewed as subversive and ultimately vandalism.
A bit like the philosophy in The Leaves of Grass . . . . could Whitman have been anticipating the wiki (Me or I or our?):
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest is Me.
or
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable.
or
Our freedom all in thee! our very lives in thee!
Constructivist view of learning
It will not be surprising that my philosophy of constructivism is founded on notions of personal liberty and responsibility, inclusiveness and a sense that, as Whitman and Ginsberg declare - are democratic and universal. The notion of American exceptionalism that was early on described in Democracy in America by Tocqueville identified five values crucial to America's success as a democratic republic:
(1) liberty
(2) egalitarianism
(3) individualism
(4) populism and
(5) laissez-faire
Perhaps these are important not only to wiki, but to the broader discussion of community building.
Click over to Public Wiki to view the wiki under discussion. The question at the beginning of this post focused on the Owyang assessment of weaknesses of wiki. Immediately above this analysis of weakness you can see a summary of strengths/benefits/uses of wiki that might inform your analysis of this topic.
Thanks to my classmates over in EDUC 762 for prompting this excellent discussion.
How do you weight in?
While here, if you have not voted in the survey on wiki use, give it a whirl.
Do the current survey results on wiki inform your comments?
I'll kick off our discussion by responding to the following excellent question:
So I wondered why your group chose to only complete a wiki to submit to the instructor knowing that your wiki could be subjected to vandalizing even with the private access. Not suggesting our classmates but, others who might obtain access.
This is a great question and really reflects back on the philosophy of the internet, social networking and community building. My response is grounded in my personal philosophy, experience with this tool and constructivist view point of learning communities.
Personal Philosophy
I am grounded in the moral philosophy of Adam Smith. Smith, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments presents a strong case that the link between individual liberty or natural liberty and society is personal responsibility expressed through virtue. The operative agent is an impartial spectator that aligns liberty with responsibility.
So my first response, is that I have tremendous confidence in my fellows.
Experience with wiki
If you think back to the survey (over on our left) one of the major advantages of a wiki is the archive functionality. Every page and page edit is saved in history. If a "vandal" were to attack any or all pages in a public wiki, the previous page would be restored and the vandal blocked from the site.
Our EDUC 762 group midterm project was a private one, a decision that I obviously find contrary to the essence of wiki, Adam Smith, Walt Whitman and inclusiveness. Having said that, the questioner accurately points out, the wiki could still be "vandalized".
But, the process of collaboration or the process of vandalizing is, I think, important to regard. Howl, was considered obscene (a form of poetic graffitti), Dali and Pollack are examples of those attacked by the cultural establishment as juvenile and "vandals" and early rap and hip hop were considered criminal. I am not saying that this wiki rises to high art, but a defining characteristic of wiki is collaboration and inclusivement (in my view).
So, I would welcome all collaboration which, at its heart could be viewed as subversive and ultimately vandalism.
A bit like the philosophy in The Leaves of Grass . . . . could Whitman have been anticipating the wiki (Me or I or our?):
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest is Me.
or
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable.
or
Our freedom all in thee! our very lives in thee!
Constructivist view of learning
It will not be surprising that my philosophy of constructivism is founded on notions of personal liberty and responsibility, inclusiveness and a sense that, as Whitman and Ginsberg declare - are democratic and universal. The notion of American exceptionalism that was early on described in Democracy in America by Tocqueville identified five values crucial to America's success as a democratic republic:
(1) liberty
(2) egalitarianism
(3) individualism
(4) populism and
(5) laissez-faire
Perhaps these are important not only to wiki, but to the broader discussion of community building.
Click over to Public Wiki to view the wiki under discussion. The question at the beginning of this post focused on the Owyang assessment of weaknesses of wiki. Immediately above this analysis of weakness you can see a summary of strengths/benefits/uses of wiki that might inform your analysis of this topic.
Thanks to my classmates over in EDUC 762 for prompting this excellent discussion.
Reflections after week one in EDUC 761 - Collaborating Communities
My opportunities to grow as an educator are continuing at UofW Stout in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching as I get to "kick it up a notch" in EDUC 761 Collaborative Communities. This is the 4th class in the 5 class sequence, last fall I completed Introduction to E Learning and Instructional Design. Three weeks ago I began EDUC 763 Online Assessment and, so far the excellent material in EDUC 761 is very complimentary to what I have previous completed and what I am concurrently studying.
The first week reinforced to me that I need to be aware of my tendency to embrace engagement and neglect detail. The co instructors for EDUC 761 constructed a module zero to give all participants an opportunity to learn about communication "rules" and other suggested approaches for the course. I flew through this and, found that as I began our first module, I needed to reflect back on a number of approaches for engagement and discussion.
After 2 days of splattering the discussion board, I went back to module 0, reviewed the "rules" for discussion board use and the returned to the online discussion board in a manner that was more in line with course expectations in terms of both content and form.
I had the opportunity to have a number of off line discussions via e mail with both co instructors and several classmates and was impressed with the kindness and tolerance reflected in those discussions.
The reading for the week was an excellent primer for beginning to think about online learning communities. The author of How to be a Great Online Teacher and my co instructor made a point about humor in communities that I completely agree with. However, my agreement with the use of humor needs to be tempered by moderation. Just like in EDUC 760 with Den O Connor, EDUC 763 with Susan Manning and currently in EDUC 762 with Datta Kaur, my humor was . . . . not well considered. I guess what may "work" in person, needs to be filtered in the online world. Thankfully, my community in this class is kind, tolerant and forgiving.
The readings for this class were a great reinforcement of both why I aspire to become an improved online facilitator and the assumptions and practices necessary to achieve this goal.
The first week reinforced to me that I need to be aware of my tendency to embrace engagement and neglect detail. The co instructors for EDUC 761 constructed a module zero to give all participants an opportunity to learn about communication "rules" and other suggested approaches for the course. I flew through this and, found that as I began our first module, I needed to reflect back on a number of approaches for engagement and discussion.
After 2 days of splattering the discussion board, I went back to module 0, reviewed the "rules" for discussion board use and the returned to the online discussion board in a manner that was more in line with course expectations in terms of both content and form.
I had the opportunity to have a number of off line discussions via e mail with both co instructors and several classmates and was impressed with the kindness and tolerance reflected in those discussions.
The reading for the week was an excellent primer for beginning to think about online learning communities. The author of How to be a Great Online Teacher and my co instructor made a point about humor in communities that I completely agree with. However, my agreement with the use of humor needs to be tempered by moderation. Just like in EDUC 760 with Den O Connor, EDUC 763 with Susan Manning and currently in EDUC 762 with Datta Kaur, my humor was . . . . not well considered. I guess what may "work" in person, needs to be filtered in the online world. Thankfully, my community in this class is kind, tolerant and forgiving.
The readings for this class were a great reinforcement of both why I aspire to become an improved online facilitator and the assumptions and practices necessary to achieve this goal.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Greg Mankiw, NBER, and David Warsh's view
Interesting analysis by David Warsh on Greg Mankiw's decision to pass at NBER.
Tomorrow's Professor Blog
Tomorrow's Professor Blog is a joint project between MIT and Stanford and appears to archive messages and comments from a similarly named mailing list.
Thanks to Naomi Story, director of the MCC Center for Teaching and Learning for pointing out the mailing list and blog.
The Feb. 6 e mail (will appear on the blob Feb. 20) directly related to a discussion over in EDUC 761 Collaborating Communities and in part reads
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
The Rules of Engagement: Socializing College Students for the New Century
By Neil F. Williams
Introductory comments by James Rhem, publisher, NT&LF.
Professor Williams had contributed a nice piece on "shared quizzes" earlier and so his name on an article was encouraging, but requiring students to exchange greetings with him at the door and creating a formal rule about covering one's mouth if one yawned? These, among others, seemed beyond the pale of college teaching.
Did students really need this level of coaching in manners?
And if they did, was it a college professor's job to continue raising these children?
What do you think?
Thanks to Naomi Story, director of the MCC Center for Teaching and Learning for pointing out the mailing list and blog.
The Feb. 6 e mail (will appear on the blob Feb. 20) directly related to a discussion over in EDUC 761 Collaborating Communities and in part reads
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
The Rules of Engagement: Socializing College Students for the New Century
By Neil F. Williams
Introductory comments by James Rhem, publisher, NT&LF.
Professor Williams had contributed a nice piece on "shared quizzes" earlier and so his name on an article was encouraging, but requiring students to exchange greetings with him at the door and creating a formal rule about covering one's mouth if one yawned? These, among others, seemed beyond the pale of college teaching.
Did students really need this level of coaching in manners?
And if they did, was it a college professor's job to continue raising these children?
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Second life, social networks and online learning
If you completed the survey to the left, I would love your comments and elaboration here.
I learned about Second Life from, of all people my spin teacher. Now Biray is an amazing teacher and very, very adept at staying current with instructional technology so I thought I should find out about this social network. So I rushed out and 6 months later, here are my thoughts and questions. I would love to hear what you all have to say.
In addition to the recommendation by Biray, I learned about social networking in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching. Den, Susan, Datta Kaur, Kay and Lisa are accomplished facilitators and online mentors and, in one form or another, they have all pointed out the possibilities of social networks in the evolution of learning communities.
So, as an economics instructor, I became intrigued by the costs and benefits of these social networks and the impact that they may have on teaching and learning. Below find a representative sample of what my indepth use of google revealed.
I would say that, in order to build effective learning communities educators need to be aware of the boundaries of their discipline, some learning theory, some instructional design, a bit of assessment and some awareness of how their students interact and in what environments their students interact. All of these will inform how we develop and delivery instruction and what approach we use to facilitate our classes.
Further, if we see any value in constructivism, we need to be aware of, to quote Biray, "where our students are". If they are in social networks - Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, then perhaps we need to know a bit about these networks.
After all, our learning communities are not about us, they are not about our disciplines, they should be about how learners access and integrate content in an authentic and relevant manner. We should remember that authenticity and relevance are jointly defined.
So, here they are, a few sources about Second Life.
My next post may be about teaching economics on youTube.
University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC)
The University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community will evaluate the feasibility of using Second Life, a 3D multi-user virtual online platform (3DMUVE), in online instruction for the purpose of distance learning and to enhance traditional face-to-face courses. Our major goals are to share and develop resources as we examine the use of the Second Life virtual environment for instruction, pool our talents to build reusable learning objects and spaces in Second Life, and ultimately create a web-based resource for other educators that describes our process, the results of our experience, and our recommendations for its future use as an instructional tool.
At colleges, real learning in a virtual world
They may be college teachers and students, but they're also pioneers — exploring strange new worlds that exist nowhere on Earth. That's because their classes and field trips take place only on computers, using an online digital world called Second Life.
Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life — most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
Getting an Academic Life in Second Life from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges around the world are opening virtual campuses in Second Life, a three-dimensional, colorful environment that can be accessed via a computer. One of those campuses is New Orleans Island, which was built by Merrill L. Johnson, an administrator at the University of New Orleans. What is the appeal of Second Life, and what kind of classes does the university hold there? Is Second Life a useful distance-education platform or just frivolous entertainment? Mr. Johnson will answer those and other questions.
Unintended Consequences
Doug Simpson's weblog of research on the collision of law, networks and disruptive technologies.
Virtual worlds are increasingly becoming subjects of serious research by law and economics scholars as well entrepreneurs. Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring a virtual world called Second Life, with the help of several embedded "avatars" living there, and comparing their reports with the thoughts of leading scholars in this emerging field.
Academic research on Second Life
Although you may not realise it, Second Life has a huge group of educators active within it, many of whom have been active for some time. The process of writing academic papers however, is long and sometimes painful. We are starting to see these papers appearing dotted around the place:
I learned about Second Life from, of all people my spin teacher. Now Biray is an amazing teacher and very, very adept at staying current with instructional technology so I thought I should find out about this social network. So I rushed out and 6 months later, here are my thoughts and questions. I would love to hear what you all have to say.
In addition to the recommendation by Biray, I learned about social networking in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching. Den, Susan, Datta Kaur, Kay and Lisa are accomplished facilitators and online mentors and, in one form or another, they have all pointed out the possibilities of social networks in the evolution of learning communities.
So, as an economics instructor, I became intrigued by the costs and benefits of these social networks and the impact that they may have on teaching and learning. Below find a representative sample of what my indepth use of google revealed.
I would say that, in order to build effective learning communities educators need to be aware of the boundaries of their discipline, some learning theory, some instructional design, a bit of assessment and some awareness of how their students interact and in what environments their students interact. All of these will inform how we develop and delivery instruction and what approach we use to facilitate our classes.
Further, if we see any value in constructivism, we need to be aware of, to quote Biray, "where our students are". If they are in social networks - Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, then perhaps we need to know a bit about these networks.
After all, our learning communities are not about us, they are not about our disciplines, they should be about how learners access and integrate content in an authentic and relevant manner. We should remember that authenticity and relevance are jointly defined.
So, here they are, a few sources about Second Life.
My next post may be about teaching economics on youTube.
University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC)
The University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community will evaluate the feasibility of using Second Life, a 3D multi-user virtual online platform (3DMUVE), in online instruction for the purpose of distance learning and to enhance traditional face-to-face courses. Our major goals are to share and develop resources as we examine the use of the Second Life virtual environment for instruction, pool our talents to build reusable learning objects and spaces in Second Life, and ultimately create a web-based resource for other educators that describes our process, the results of our experience, and our recommendations for its future use as an instructional tool.
At colleges, real learning in a virtual world
They may be college teachers and students, but they're also pioneers — exploring strange new worlds that exist nowhere on Earth. That's because their classes and field trips take place only on computers, using an online digital world called Second Life.
Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life — most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
Getting an Academic Life in Second Life from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges around the world are opening virtual campuses in Second Life, a three-dimensional, colorful environment that can be accessed via a computer. One of those campuses is New Orleans Island, which was built by Merrill L. Johnson, an administrator at the University of New Orleans. What is the appeal of Second Life, and what kind of classes does the university hold there? Is Second Life a useful distance-education platform or just frivolous entertainment? Mr. Johnson will answer those and other questions.
Unintended Consequences
Doug Simpson's weblog of research on the collision of law, networks and disruptive technologies.
Virtual worlds are increasingly becoming subjects of serious research by law and economics scholars as well entrepreneurs. Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring a virtual world called Second Life, with the help of several embedded "avatars" living there, and comparing their reports with the thoughts of leading scholars in this emerging field.
Academic research on Second Life
Although you may not realise it, Second Life has a huge group of educators active within it, many of whom have been active for some time. The process of writing academic papers however, is long and sometimes painful. We are starting to see these papers appearing dotted around the place:
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Where do you fit in the continuum of innovation?
Kudos to my colleague Pat M over on the EDUC 762 Discussion Board. He made the following post the other day in our discussion of the use of a particular technology in online assessment.
The article, is well worth a read and the short survey comes from Roger's categories.
I'd love to hear your comments: over time have you changed categories? I know in my case, as a younger teacher coming to the innovative use of instructional technology I admired the innovators and, for a brief period in the 1990s was an early adopter. For any number of reasons I am now a part of the early majority (not the silent majority) and I feel comfortable here, at least for now.
Below is my colleague Pat's post regarding this excellent source.
Diane
I think Everett M. Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations theory" might help - we actually used it in our department for years to implement chage (especially in technology from blackboard and chalk to smart classrooms connected to the Net). This was before we could put a label on what we did.
See http://a.parsons.edu/~lima/thesis/documents/Diffusion_of_Innovations.pdf (they even have a concept map, cool huh).
Thanks again, Pat.
Greg@AZ
The article, is well worth a read and the short survey comes from Roger's categories.
I'd love to hear your comments: over time have you changed categories? I know in my case, as a younger teacher coming to the innovative use of instructional technology I admired the innovators and, for a brief period in the 1990s was an early adopter. For any number of reasons I am now a part of the early majority (not the silent majority) and I feel comfortable here, at least for now.
Below is my colleague Pat's post regarding this excellent source.
Diane
I think Everett M. Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations theory" might help - we actually used it in our department for years to implement chage (especially in technology from blackboard and chalk to smart classrooms connected to the Net). This was before we could put a label on what we did.
See http://a.parsons.edu/~lima/thesis/documents/Diffusion_of_Innovations.pdf (they even have a concept map, cool huh).
Thanks again, Pat.
Greg@AZ
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