Walden University 6177 Week 4 Discussion

This week our class is discussing the pros and cons of Mobile (M) Learning.  M-Learning is defined as the “use of handheld, portable, and wireless devices by learners on the move” (Bonk, 2009, p. 293).  In this post I will support the Pro side of the debate by highlighting the benefits of using mobile devices in the classroom setting of a hybrid-instructed college level course. 

Today’s adult learners, known as avid multi-taskers, are recognized for using technology in both their personal and professional lives.  Indeed, Bonk refers to the personal and professional lives of today’s learners as “seamlessly intertwined” due to mobile technology (2009, p. 298). 

My personal experience using mobile devices in my formal education journey involves using an iPhone and a MacBook Air laptop computer.  These two devices allowed me take advantage to the two primary benefits on m-learning; bringing technology into the classroom and bringing the classroom to my location, be it work, home, or on the go (Koszalka & Ntloedibe-Kuswani, 2010).  For example, with the Black Board Mobile Learn app downloaded to my iPhone, I am able to review my classmate’s posts and post my thoughts on the class discussion board wherever I am.  I can be shopping with my wife and doing school work at the same time.  Additionally, with my Mac Book Air I can easily bring articles and videos to class to share with my instructor and colleagues.    

While the best strategies to use m-learning to increase the effectiveness of adult learning are still largely unknown and undocumented, the technology is not going away.  Many scholars believe the best way to figure out how to use m-learning effectively is to just use it (Koszalka & Ntloedibe-Kuswani, 2010).  Careful planning by forward thinking educators will result in many possibilities for using m-learning to support learning both in and out of the classroom.  

Cheers!

Ron N.        

Walden 6177 Week 3 Blog Post

This week for our blog posts our class was asked to investigate social networking technology and comment on its potential to enhance adult learning.  I chose to examine Facebook and Twitter.  I have a Facebook account, so I am familiar with it, but I have never tweeted!

Since I work in adult education, I found it interesting to learn that the fastest growing demographic of users on Facebook is the 55 and over crowd (Richardson, 2010).  It’s been my personal experience that most of my peers, (I’m 51) use Facebook like me, but many do not.  I think we are in the “in between” crowd.  A lot of older folks will never be computer literate and most younger folks were computer literate before they could ride a bike.  Folks my age, the last of the baby boomers and first of the generation Xers, are learning about digital technology mostly on an “as required” basis.  Those of us who need it to perform our vocations have become computer literate.  Those of us who do not use a computer on the job may not wish to use one off the job either.

So as an adult educator I need to be prepared for both.  I recall from one of my graduate courses a situation where a lot of us had to help an older classmate with some of the assignments that required the use of advanced computer and internet skills.  I know that gentleman did not use Facebook.  So if we had been given an assignment that required a Facebook account, we probably would have had to help him with that too.

Having said that, one of the reasons I would choose these two social networking technologies to use in my classes is that they are so popular.  I would rather help them use technology they are familiar with in a new way than have to teach them new technology they have never used at all.  Another reason I would use these two is that they are similar but different.  Twitter was originally designed for quick updates, limited to 140 characters per post (Richardson, 2010).  I know from experience that Facebook has no such limitation.  Instead the reader can see the beginning of a longer post and needs to click a link to read the entire post.  Finally, I feel that having my students participate is social networking based on professional and educational interests will benefit them in the learning process by strengthening their connections to an outstanding learning resource, their classmates (Bonk, 2009).

I plan to start private groups on Facebook and Twitter for my classes.  My vision for using Twitter in my classroom is for the students to use it to complete simple and quick assignments.  For example, find an article on blah blah blah and post the link on your Twitter page, then review at least one article found by a classmate and post one takeaway from that article.  I will also use Twitter for any short notice notifications about the class and to send the students reminders shortly before the class, if it’s a seated class.  For example, “class is cancelled today due to weather” or “don’t forget tonight is Group A’s turn to present.”  My strategy for incorporating Facebook is to use it for more in-depth postings, such as imbedded video and photographs.  While Twitter also has this functionality, the user is still limited to 140 characters per tweet.  I will also use Facebook to have my students follow other academic groups from our group Facebook page.

Cheers!

References: 

Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing

education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for

            classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Walden University 6177 - Week 3 Discussion Post

This week we were tasked to identify some of the benefits and challenges of social networking for adult learning.  Moreover, we were asked to explain the roles of the learner and instructor in regards to social networking.  Finally, we were assigned to consider a strategy to incorporate social networking into our particular adult education setting.

Of the many benefits social networking brings to adult learning, one of the strongest in my opinion is collaborative learning.  George Siemens advances the theory of Connectivism as a learning theory equal to cognitivism or constructivism (Siemens, 2005).  For me, the jury is still out on that debate, but I wholeheartedly believe that true knowledge can reside outside the brain, such as inside a social network.  It’s really not a new theory is it?  We’ve all heard the old saying that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  Most of us think of that as a negative connotation, but when you think of it in a learning context, it can be very positive.  I don’t know a lot.  But I know a lot of people who know a lot of stuff.  When I need to know something I don’t already know, I know who to ask to find out.  I am a self-proclaimed connectivist.  And the real beauty of it is, sometimes the first person I ask doesn’t know either, so they ask somebody they know, and so on, until an answer is found.  The result is everybody in the network between me and the person who knew the answer learns something new.

Another valuable benefit of social networks in regards to adult learning is the value of diversity.  Continuing with the scenario above, in the pursuit of new knowledge there is likely potential of learning several different answers or theories concerning the original question.  The benefit to the learner is having the option to choose or combine information that best meets his or her needs at the time. 

Along with the numerous benefits come many challenges of social networks in relation to adult learning.  With the abundance of information available, one of the most significant challenges for learners and educators is verifying the accuracy of the information.  As Richardson posits, when it comes to the internet, anyone can publish anything, so we must all be vigilant enough to be critical of what we read and not just accept information at face value (Richardson, 2010).  As I type this I am reminded of some long ago watched movie scene where a man is on the phone with his mother.  She is telling her son about how she’s been researching her ailments on the internet.  His response is, “No Mom, I’m sure you don’t have testicular cancer.”   

Another challenge of social networking on adult learning in my opinion is the potential distraction of the student while completing the assignment.  Say you need to do some research on a particular subject to complete a paper for a class.  One minute you are researching blogs devoted to the subject and the next minute you’re on an auction website bidding on a rare coin for your collection.  I'm not saying I'm speaking from experience, as far as you know.  I'm just saying it could happen.

If social networking is integrated into formal learning, the roles of educators and learners are definitely going to have to change from the traditional.  No longer can teachers just give out knowledge and students just receive it.  Instead, instructors must first become fluent in the media they want to incorporate into the classroom and students must actively seek the knowledge they have been assigned to learn.  Teachers must now educate students on how to find and evaluate information.  Students must now learn to navigate networks to find information instead of having it handed to them via lecture or textbook. 

As for me and my adult education practice, I like the ideas suggested by Richardson to include creating private groups on social network sites including facebook and twitter.  Besides the obvious benefit of teaching students how to navigate the network, there are also indirect benefits (Richardson, 2010).  Strong bonds can be formed between class members.  Speaking from personal experience, It is not uncommon for professional relationships between class mates to last well after the course is complete and the students are no longer connected academically.  These relationships can benefit the students both personally and professionally indefinitely. 

Cheers! 

References:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, (2)1. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

             

Week 2 Assignment 1

Ron’s Education Technology Blog 

This week we were asked to explore applications and multimedia resources that can enhance adult learning.  In an earlier post I identified TED Talks and Microsoft PowerPoint as multimedia resources that I intend to use as an adult educator.  In this post I will explain my rationale for choosing those resources and provide several examples of how I intend to use them.

To provide the proper perspective the reader needs to know that I will be teaching various leadership and organizational development courses at the baccalaureate level.  My students will primarily be adult learners attending school at night, on weekends, and online. 

My rationale for incorporating TED Talks into my curriculum begins with social learning theory principals, which state that people learn by observing others they perceive as credible and knowledgeable (Noe, 2008).  TED Talk Speakers include some of the most engaging speakers on the planet today, including such notables as President Clinton and Stephen Hawking (Nelson, 2013).  Having students observe such talented speakers could help them develop effective presentation skills of their own. 

Another benefit of incorporating TED Talks is letting the students gather information that is relevant to the course.  With over 2000 talks on hundreds of subjects, it is highly likely that students could find information on topics relative to the class and share it with their fellow students.  Finally, incorporating a multimedia resource into the classroom can engage the students more effectively than just having the instructor lecture about a subject.  

As I’ve noted in previous posts, one way I can use TED Talks in my classes is to have students select a talk to watch and then write a critical report on it.  This type of assignment will help the students develop critical thinking skills.

Another strategy for incorporating TED Talks in my class is to use them as learning resources.  I can find talks that are relevant to the course and include all, or portions of them into my lectures and presentations to the class.

My rationale for using PowerPoint in my classes includes the fact that many of the students would potentially use this application in their jobs.  Therefore encouraging them to use it in school will provide them with transferable skills their employers will appreciate.  Furthermore, PowerPoint has the ability to incorporate videos, music, and graphics in addition to text, making the presentation of information more engaging for the audience. 

Like TED Talks, my strategy for using PowerPoint includes requiring the students to use it and using myself to present information to my students.  When requiring the students to use it, I will assign both group and individual assignments.  I will also require them to incorporate several different media such as graphics and video.  When using it for presenting information, I will be sure to include several different media.  Additionally, I will post the presentation online so that it is available to the students at anytime.         

References

Nelson, J. (2013). TED Talk- What are they and why are they so good? CITES Academic Technology Services.  Retrieved from:
https://blogs.cites.illinois.edu/cites-ats/2013/03/07/ted-talks-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-so-good/

Noe, Raymond, A. (2008). Employee Training and Development.  New York:  McGraw-Hill

My Assignment This Week

This week we explored applications and multi-media applications that can be used to meet educational standards.  

There are two standards I’ve identified this week that might play a crucial role in the setting I’ll be working in.  I found them both in the College and Career Readiness Standards prepared for the U. S. Department of Education by Susan Pimentel (Pimentel, 2013).  I’ll be teaching Organizational Ethics at the undergraduate level.  Both standards address speaking and listening skills, and require students to develop critical thinking skills as well as the interpersonal skills required to effectively present information (Pimentel, 2013). 

The first standard is: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.  To meet this standard a student will have to employ critical thinking skills and analyze the speaker’s logic and arguments; and draw a conclusion as to whether or not the speaker adequately supported his argument.

A great application I will use to help students meet this standard is TED Talks, a free download from iTunes.  A simple search on leadership will produce a huge playlist of talks that a student could watch and review.  My strategy to teach to this standard will be to assign each student to select a TED Talk on leadership to watch and write a short report about.  The rubric I develop will steer the students toward using higher-level critical thinking skills to evaluate the speaker’s ability to effectively express their point of view.

The second standard is: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.  To meet this standard students must be able to present persuasive arguments is a clear and concise manner. 

There are several applications that support the development of this standard including YouTube, PowerPoint, Flickr, and Blogs (Richardson, 2010).  My strategy to teach this standard will piggy back of the first assignment by having students develop presentations based on the reports they wrote for the TED Talk they reviewed.  The rubric I develop will encourage them to use a multi media presentation that includes audio and visual media, to demonstrate how they analyzed the presentation reviewed and why they formed their opinion of the speaker’s effectiveness.  

 

Pimentel, S. (2013).  College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult             Education.  Prepared by MPR Associates, Inc. Berkeley, CA.  Prepared           for U.S. Department of Education.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.