In summary of last weeks chat I felt that we are all understanding the importance of the design of our learning courses. I feel that we are all starting to understand the difference between the positivist and the constructivist paradigms, and it seems that we all lean toward the constructivist. We covered the difference between an instructor/facilitator and the actual designer. Dr. Ge stated that even as instructors we could learn to design a great class. We discussed the importance for the instructor to be a good coach, esp. in the constructivist paradigm and the importance of evaluating the learner’s ability. We got off course a little but can say that even that was very helpful. Dr. Ge assisted the students in discussing the class project and I believe we have a little better understanding of what will be expected of us. Overall I felt that it was well worth the hour or so we spent online.
As far as what I have learned so far, it is amazing. I never knew so much went into designing a successful online course. It gives new meanings to the things that I have had to do in past online courses, they were not just things to keep the learner busy, and they were designed to promote interaction and deeper learning. I am by history a student that can chew things up and spit them out in order to receive a good grade, this class has made me stop and think about the way I have learned in the past and has also caused me to really think about the way I plan to teach in the future. I have learned the difference between a community and an online community. Both are groups of people that interact to build knowledge learn and shape their respective community, but the virtual community’s area dispersed geographical and interact using the Internet. I learned that the importance of building and designing a virtual community that is successful is not always an easy task. It requires communication between the learners and the leaders, knowing your audience, having specific goals and objectives that is communicated to the members, leadership is very important as well as interface design, the class must be user friendly and technical support must be available. I have determined the difference between content and context. I think the thing that has surprised me the most about the things I have learned through this course is the difference in the paradigms of teaching and learning. The constructivist and the positivist differ in many ways, but what I think is the main difference is the delivery of information. In a constructivist paradigm the instructor’s role is to develop strategies which will support the students understanding, as well as the learners role is to construct meaning from the information. The constructivist calls for assignments that require problem solving and critical thinking, not just memory or reproduction. I have also learned the difference between virtual and reasoning space, and the importance of the instructor or designer to engage learners in activities that use analysis, debate, criticism, and by using discussions, and team projects. I have also learned a whole new vocabulary throughout this course.
I have learned through my readings the importance of social interaction, in making a successful online class. Social interaction includes: involving dialogue, discussion and sharing of ideas in a way that constructs learning as a social process. By creating a safe environment students will overcome shyness, and begin sharing their ideas with others in the course, it is important for the instructor to value students and the little contributions that they make and affirm them as a person. It is also important for lectures to be carefully thought through their planning for learning. The readings all seem to point to a constructivist paradigm, from story telling, to allowing students to be in charge of their own lecture. The common themes include involving the students in communication, whether it is, discussion boards, online chats, or web blogs. They also stress the importance of the instructor being skilled in promoting the discussion and debate.
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8 comments:
Shelly - I think we all have learned about the importance of social interaction in online class design and delivery. I really liked what you said about there being a difference in the paradigms of teaching and learning. Communication, like you said, is the key to assure that learning is expanded to more than just a set of curricula. Now if we can just incorporate all this new knowledge (and vocabulary) into our own online class design!
Good blog!
Karla
First I really liked the comment, “I am by history a student that can chew things up and spit them out in order to receive a good grade…” I know that I am the same way, however having been a student of Dr. Ge’s before I also knew that I was in for more than how to create a web page with a bulleted list of instructions on it. I like you had to graps the differences with the constructivist and the positivist points of view and like you, I learned that reasoning space can be constructed through analysis, debate, blog comments and other tools.
By the way, this was a very easy blog to read...good job!
Shelly, I appreciate your summary of what you have learned. We certainly have learned alot already in this course. I found your explanation of constructivist and positivist to be a good review of what I have read and studies thus far. I am both excited and reserved about designing my own course, however I look forward to learning the method of doing so.
Julie
Shelly, thanks for sharing and for your honesty. I think I was once that same kind of learner, where I wanted to get the good grade without necessarily retaining the information. I like your summary of what you've learned so far because it was also a good review for me. Good Job!
Shelly, I agree that you have to know your learners and your resources. I never knew that blogs were used for education and had never even watched a podcast prior to this class. I love learning about all the new technology that is available for teachers, and I think that this course is a great way to get started with virtual learning. I really think that universities should require all virtual classroom educators to take a course such as this. This is an elective for me, but I'm seeing the value just like everyone else.
"it is important for the instructor to value students and the little contributions that they make and affirm them as a person" I think you raise an important point with that comment. I believe that this is an essential element in motivating learners. As a classroom teacher, I have seen students who would rather fade into the background because they feel they have little to contribute or their ideas do not matter. When I showed interest in their thoughts and contributions or expressed value in what they gave to the class, they blossomed and wanted to contribute more. I possess the same innate desire to be valued as a positive contributor. Finding ways to do this in an online environment will be essential in enhancing our students' ability to learn and to become self-directed learners. Thanks for that valuable comment! Nancy Cline
I have been very impressed by how quickly all the non-IPT students have assimilated the different learning theory concepts! It's only been a little over six weeks and you seem to have a good grasp of positivist, constructivist, and social learning paradigms.
I was also a student who could regurgitate information and get a good grade. Funny, but the courses where that was required never seemed to get me interested. I've seen this with my own children, too. If something was too easy, and they didn't really have to think about it, they didn't value it much. The concepts that we have to "wrestle with" seem to stick and be much more engaging.
Good point Shelly- you mentioned in past courses that you felt like some of it was busy work. I have too! Now, I am thinking that actually driving, parking, going to a physical class room- sitting and waiting, then listening to an instructor read from the textbook, is indeed busy work! I know we will continue to learn tools in this class that goes right along with developing online nursing education.
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