EVOKE IT...

As I study the abilty of a student to learn and apply the learning theories that develop an engaging and effective setting, it was AMAZING that I came accross this "game" in my web connections. As you watch the trailer, ask yourself - what kind of positve connection and understandings can students build from participating in this project? This is exciting,emersive, and completely on target for engaging students in active and productive problem solving. Can they use this learning in real life? Absolutely! Thank you for developing something positive to involve students in a crtical thinking in a collaborative attempt to change the world. Really insipiring!

http://blog.avantgame.com/2010/01/urgent-evoke.html
http://blog.urgentevoke.net/2010/02/21/the-4-rules-of-evoking/

EVOKE trailer (a new online game) from Alchemy on Vimeo.

Now, how has my view changed?

I don't think in my studies I have "changed" my opinion about the way I, personally, learn. I have had many years to practice and experiment on what works for me. I am still a visual/auditory learner. But I do see where my connectivity has enhanced and expanded my ability to provide support for things I want to understand to a deeper extend or maybe don't understand quite fully. I even now will search out Youtube videos after I read to support my learning and provide me with that 'mode" of delivery. I still have to "see" and "hear" things. This made me a very predictable learner in class. I fit very well into the traditional lecture model. Although, I have to say, after I learned it, if I didn't use it...I don't remember it. I can see now where a different instructional approach may have saved that understanding in a manner that would have enabled me to retrieve it later for a different application. I know that we were taught concepts in isolation and they had little meaning in context sometimes. Socialization was discouraged in class, and now it's expected professionally. Perhaps they and "we" should take our own advice for a change and "begin with the end in mind"

Technology has not just become an integral part of my learning, it's finally my friend, and my co-teacher as well. I can't begin to think I can predict what my students will need to know ten years from now in technologicaly, but I can offer what I can in reasonable and practical applications of existing technologies and web based features. I can attempt to keep up with trends in emerging devices and content applications through professional learning communities, blogs, and forums. I understand where I can go to get information, and how to find resources if I need them. These skills I will pass along to my students, in authentic, project- based lessons for instruction. And as for that thing that I always hated to put together,"group work"- I think I shall have to take a second, third, and fourth run around it to see if I can wrap my mind around the possibilities and benefits.

Yes, my view from here is beginning to change, maybe ever so slightly, but it's a start. I have a feeling before its all over, many things will take on different perspective and that's very exciting. Hopefully, I too will create designs that can engage students and give them an excitement to learn, even if it's just to learn something new just for the heck of it. Lifelong learning, here we come.

Connectivism Cont. ...

Wow, I thought I had it covered, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many more connected features were woven into my everyday life, learning, and professional activities. Not until recently did I stop to consider how rapidly technology has changed and how much it had become a part of my daily life. In the days of learning to type on the old Smith Corona in high school (you will know what I am talking about if you are a baby boomer) I never envisioned the extent that technology and being connected would develop my life. Because my learning is influenced though the filters of my past and present experiences and how I socialize the information, I now can see too how the way in which I approach and process learning has also evolved due to the infusion of technology and social networking. Text messages, smart phones, social networking, search, share, collaborate, create... I am connected 24/7, and trust me, when I’m not, I crave it…seek it out, and feel disconnected and somehow disassociated from the world without it. And I’m not even a digital native! A phenomenon of connectivism has risen to the forefront of my understanding and my interest, and now leads me to consider its implications in instructional design.

Oy vey…here are the few others that came to mind after I constructed my map: These are just the tools I use frequently. The list is much longer for those tools/resources that I use occasionally.


Youtube
ItunesU
Google
Yahoo
Alta Vista
Google Scholar
EBSCO
ERIC
IDEAL
MarcoPolo.com
Unitedstreaming
Discovery Education
EduForge
NACOL
Del.icio.us
Wimba
Eluminate
Google Groups
Linkedin Groups
Yahoo Groups
Google Reader
RSS feeds
Webtreker
Pbworks
Wikispaces
Wikipeodia

These days I seek to pursue learning in a combination of some old and some new ways- I need content that is relevant and meaningful. As a busy adult learner I don’t have time to jump through hoops of meaningless facts memorized in isolation. I don't have trouble with motivation, but I now appreciate the student centered model which allows me to investigate, (dig in…collaborate, discuss and construct my understandings.) This approach has proven to be so much more efficient. I find that the material is much more meaningful when I construct it myself, and I retain the content in context to a greater degree. It makes my learning meaningful and puts my understandings in real life, useable context. I like creating and constructing authentic products. They don’t waste my time and they provide me with processes and concepts that are easily translated into application.

My current approach to learning is to use emerging technologies, in relevant contexts, to construct understanding. I search for, read, and create information; then view lectures and models via the web. Even now, many of the basic ways in which I have always approached learning are still very strong in me I consider myself to be a visual learner. I still like the teacher lectures and demonstrations; so now, even though I can’t receive them in person, I seek them from a variety of web-based sources I love Youtube, ItunesU, and Second Life. I like the content “on demand” and available to me whenever and wherever I need them. I enjoy discussion threads and forums with peers and professionals that bring me different perspectives and understandings. Though F2F classes are not a viable option for me, online and asynchronous online classes are a terrific and practical option for me to pursue my continued education. Now, with a variety of new tools and some understandings of how I learn and what works best for me, I feel like I have evolved from a teacher centered traditional learner to an active learner whose application of a connectivist approach allows me to shape and transform my understandings to real, meaningful applications.

Connectivism in My World

Ok, so I start here, but where IS here???

I have begun to consider my present and future as a instructional designer? How do I determine the strategy and materials most appropriate for (1) the audience, (2) the objectives/outcomes, (3) and the sustainability of the learning. I keep in mind that learning theories are varied and plentiful, and they all espouse valid foundations for delivering and understanding content, but they are "tools"; and therefore, as a designer, it is important to select the right "tool" for the job. I have found some helpful links to information that can help me sort through some of my questions. Ok, how can I chose the best model?

(1) First, know your instructional audience:

Florida Gulf Coast University offers clear and concise information to prospective designers, providing guiding considerations that help to give a definition to the target learner taking the classes: they walk the designer through questions that consider a student's prior knowledge and learning styles, technical abilities, and experience with online learning skills (i.e. self- motivated, independent, organized etc.).

They offer much, much more in the form of priorities to consider in the development of curriculum, organization ,and delivery. The site is user friendly and well organized. It is concise and well presented; a very good resource for beginning designers.

http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/designDev.html

elearning space also gave me very good information about further considerations for the development and design of online learning modules.

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

For example eleaningspace presents some additional information to consider.

Significant trends in learning:

• "Many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime.
  
• Informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning experience. Formal education no longer comprises the majority of our learning. Learning now occurs in a variety of ways – through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks.
  
• Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime. Learning and work related activities are no longer separate. In many situations, they are the same.
  
• Technology is altering (rewiring) our brains. The tools we use define and shape our thinking.
  
• The organization and the individual are both learning organisms. Increased attention to knowledge management highlights the need for a theory that attempts to explain the link between individual and organizational learning.
  
• Many of the processes previously handled by learning theories (especially in cognitive information processing) can now be off-loaded to, or supported by, technology.
  
• Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed"
  

As the design model is the foundation on which the instructional concept is created, it is a matter using good information (assessment results and observational information we gather) to selecting the appropriate design for the best possible outcome

For me, learning and teaching at the K-12 level begins with understanding that I am dealing with a new generation of digital learners: This is a controversial issue that I would love to gather more information on. Is it relevant to consider the evolving (digital) learning characteristics of Generation "Y" ? Some say "yes"; others, "no".

What do you think?
http://learning-2.learnhub.com/lesson/1528-gen-y-and-digital-learning-styles. Digital Natives, Are They Really Skilled at Multitasking?
vs. http://www.openeducation.net/2009/09/23/digital-natives-are-they-really-skilled-at-multitasking/

I would love to get your opinion... Digital Natives, Are They Really Skilled at Multitasking?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZM6nUhKW8

Here are a few more interesting links I'd like to share:

+ The Blank Stare: Developing Foundational Cognitive Structures

http://dyslexia.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/developing-foundational-cognitive-structures/

Jean Piaget - Intellectual Development

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-piage.html

Instructional Design & Learning Theory

http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm

By Peter J. Patsula,
Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul. 1999

http://www.patsula.com/usefo/webbasedlearning/tutorial1/learning_theories_full_version.html

Learning Theory and Instructional Design

Gregory McLeod

http://courses.durhamtech.edu/tlc/www/html/learningmatters/learning_theory.pdf

And the Journey Begins...

I browsed many pages recently looking for just the right sites to begin to build my educational design e- toolbox. I found a few sites that I liked very much. The first site 'The ION network' or Illinois Online Network , provides a comprehensive variety of resources " ION Seeks to Promote the Effective Use of Networked Information Technologies, to Enhance Traditional Classroom Instruction, and to Build the Foundation for Developing, Delivering, and Supporting Online Education Throughout the World." The range of information covers a broad spectrum of online educational resources, blogs, tutorials, and professional development. So whether you are a facilitator looking for asynchronous discussion strategies, or a designer looking for a perspective on instructional design models or learning styles in the online environment , this is the place to look. The site is an academically sponsored site from the University of Illinois and it is a must see for the online educator or administrator.


The e-earning coach is another tool I found in my web travels . This site was created by Connie Malamed and provides the e-designer with a breadth of information and resources for discussion which include: design, understanding a variety of learning issues, and current professional articles. The site provides a nice section for discussion on medias and e-learning 2.0 in general. The RSS feed is available to participate in and stay current with ongoing interaction and new post ,and the site is not specifically focused for the educational institutions, but has a nice open content that appeals and applies to the business and private sector, as well as the academic community. I liked the discussions on using social medias as a learning tool and the emerging "cloud computing" that includes wikis and POD casts and various software tools. Really, check it out . It is user friendly, absolutely usable tools and information, easy to navigate, and inviting to participate (not pretentious or intimidating what-so- ever)


The final link for today is one that I found as a part of the Linkedin social network. If you haven't already set one up, my understanding is that this is one of the foremost networking mediums for professionals. Now I know why. I searched this group for any connections to educational design, and BANG, tons of communities! I think that this venue is emerging and still developing; however, the idea of a community based upon our specific needs as instructional designers is awesome. I have subscribed to Instructional Design & E-Learning Professionals' Group and will continue to participate and monitor the discussions which are relevant to topics of learning, software and media, legislation, and technology trends. This site provides job resources, and great opportunities to build professional connections and networks within the field of instructional design and e- learning.