- Is anyone else tweeting at the 2011 SWD conference? #
- "If universities want to lead…in the transformation of higher education, they'll need to (cont) http://t.co/xYhX0ytx #
- Higher education for all is under threat? http://t.co/yOqyLHzg #
- E-Learning Sampler http://t.co/Xg6UFFhq via @zite #
- "How can we keep an eye on the difference between ontic and ontological measurement?" …and why is it important? – http://t.co/MaETHixd #
- Digital Cat's in the Cradle – http://t.co/KOAh05vL #
- Happy birthday Dostoevsky. "Inventors and geniuses have almost always been looked on as no better than fool… (cont) http://t.co/sBdxBjBU #
- This is the type of vision that informs my support of online learning – "I have the audacity to believe that (cont) http://t.co/pPOZzNGH #
- "Online learning and virtual schools have a bright future ahead of them and the people devoted to them shoul… (cont) http://t.co/J6bjxy3K #
- Any predictive model for the diffusion of online learning must take into growing govt regulation -greatest impact on private and for-profit #
- RT @robdarrow: #Fallcue @bbridges51 sharing about the California eLearning Framework http://t.co/NvEth7lF #
- "little or no research is available on the outcomes of…full-time virtual schooling." – most research is o… (cont) http://t.co/wBXOpLxy #
- It looks like new legislation may open the door for more P-12 online learning innovation in Michigan – http://t.co/YuHHnjMy #
- No negative impact from e-readers http://t.co/atLMYXpr via @united_science #
Digital Cat’s in the Cradle
Oct 30
Starting in the 1980s, we began to hear parents and others express concern about the impact of video games upon children. Concerns about the negative impact of television and/or the motion picture started long before that, even back in the 1930s with the Payne Fund Studies. How will all of this impact the the lives and social skills of youth? The focus was largely upon the impact on youth. Now it seems as if the attention has grown to the parents as well. In the old Cat Stevens song, Cat’s in the Cradle, we hear about a busy dad. Each time the son wanted to play ball, the dad explained that he didn’t have time…but soon. And the son dreamed of growing up to be just like his dad. The song ends years later, with the son grown up and too busy to spend time with his aging dad. “And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me he’d grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.”
I’m sure that the the message of the song has just as much relevance for many of us moms and dads today, but now there is another angle to it. Picture mom and/or dad, right in the room with the kids, but just as “remote” as the parent who had to go out of town on business. Cell phones the the Net make all of that more possible than ever. Perhaps images like the one below come to mind.
Now consider growing up in such an environment. Of course, there is a good measure of this phenomena that isn’t new. The television has been in homes for years. However, we do have new connectivity devices that converge various aspects of life (entertainment, work, family time, etc.) In such a world, how does a 1 or 2 year old child experience this type of an exchange? How easy or difficult is it for a child to make sense of this? And what sense does the child make of it? Is there a risk of the child seeing the parent as devoting far greater concentration and attention to “devices” while rarely giving such focused attention to interactions with them? How does this impact the beliefs and values of a child? All of this reminds me of Sherry Turkle’s new book, Alone Together, where she notes that people are increasingly treating objects like people and people like objects.
- @westgatehusker Yes, and two of the few online terminal degrees in the humanities – Classicical Civ., as well as Latin and Roman Studies #
- growing number of online degrees in the sciences – http://t.co/O6jD29It #
- Portland Adult Degree Program will Distribute iPad 2 to Incoming Students http://t.co/bDjn5Vkf #
- The University of Florida joins the world of distance learning programs with a new MA in Mass Communication – http://t.co/i8u295R0 #
- Mathletics goes to Saudi Arabia – http://t.co/E7f9ajwD #
- @hrheingold Are you suggesting that Angry Birds isn't an adequate replacement?
# - @rjacklin Yes, flight was finally canceled at about 1 AM, but I made it home around 10 AM Saturday morning. #
- United Airlines…original estimated arrival was 12:30ish AM..now 4:30ish AM #
Is Lecture Really Bad?
Jul 17
No, lecture is not bad. In fact, it can serve as a powerful and effective tool for learning. Some of the same people who ridicule lecture as an unhelpful dinosaur in the digital age are also huge fans of YouTube, TeacherTube, Kahn’s Academy, iTunes University, and TED Talks. While not all, many of the “favorites” of people who advocate for such online resources could be categorized as lecture. Granted, they are often wonderfully engaging and creative lectures, rich with illustrations and other media. Yet, they are often still just lectures. When a lecture is recorded and distributed on the web, it does take on some new and powerful features. You can can pause, fast forward, rewind, and replay at will; and that gives the power to the learner rather than the lecturer. You can also often reuse, re-purpose, and redistribute them. That is no small matter either. And yet, all of these added features are built upon an age-old method of content distribution…lecture.
My problem with many of the bumper sticker critiques of lecture is that they are just that, bumper sticker comments. They can be rhetorical statements that too often do not leave room for good, healthy, lengthy dialogue about the benefits and limitations of a teaching method that has at least contributed to the development of some of the world’s greatest minds. Given this fact, perhaps there should be room for more discussion than simply lecture=bad. In fact, approaching the topic in such a dogmatic way, leaving little room for other perspectives, seems to be falling prey to the very same spirit that leads some to conclude that lecture=bad. Instead, here are some simple questions that I offer to guide a substantive discussion about the strengths and limitations of lecture in an increasingly digital world. I invite you to suggest additional questions as well.
What do I want the students to learn and what is the best way to help them learn it?
Is lecture a part of the learning experience or the entire learning experience? If it is part of the learning experience, do learners know how to “use it”?
To what extent can skills and mastery be acquired by lecture? What else is needed and how can we plan for it?
If there is a goal to a given learning experience, how can we help the learner’s check their progress toward that goal? And what do they do if they are not progressing?
What are the benefits and limitations of recorded lectures compared to a live unrecorded lecture?
What is the appropriate length of a lecture for a given topic or audience?
In what ways can visuals and illustration enhance a lecture?
What are the best reasons for using or not using lecture as part of a specific learning experience? What are the alternatives? What are the benefits and limitations of the alternatives?
Do I think of teaching as about educating a group or educating a group of individuals? How does my answer inform my teaching strategy choice?
Those are a few questions to get us going. Now it is your turn.
Research projects in a post note card world
View more presentations from b d.
Why What How of 21st Century Learning
View more presentations from b d.
Those around me know that I have become a cheerleader for the power and promise of project-based learning as a way to promote 21st century teaching and learning. It is such an exciting prospect to me that I naively assume that all will instantly share my excitement. That obviously isn’t the case, and that is probably a good thing. Nonetheless, as I was recently looking through some of the “Best Presentations in the World” at Slideshare.com, I came across this presentation. While it doesn’t actually state anything about education or project-based learning, I contend that it perfectly articulates a core value that drives project-based learning advocates. Imagine a school that truly let the spirit of this presentation drive and direct everything in the school. Let me know what you think.
The Best Question in the World
View more presentations from Betsy Streeter.
