While reading this chapter I had a roller coaster of
thoughts and emotions running through my head.
While the concept of social learning through a masters and teaching
cohorts is intriguing and forward thinking, I would be upset if I was paying
for a class and I had to learn everything myself...why pay for it then? Now I don’t know all the specifics around
tuition but my first thought was that would not be ok with me. Perhaps this is because I am so used to
learning via the ‘push’ model where I am told what to do, how to do it and when
it needs to be finished; it is all I have known really until this class. And I’m not going to lie, I felt a bit
annoyed at first about this class and its freedom and flexibility. I was thinking if I had known about DS106 previously,
I could have accomplished the same result for free. But then I lose the credits, the guidance of
a professor, and a known, close knit group of classmates to collaborate with
and seek advice. Now reaching the end of
the this class I realized how much I’ve learned on my own and how much I’ve
explored on the web that I never knew existed.
So I guess I am a fan of the ‘pull’ concept and social learning.
Moving towards the school in New York, I was encouraged by
the findings. I love the idea of what
the Q2L School is doing and how they are going about their teaching. Their goal to use “game like learning to
connect student learning to the demands of the twenty-first century and support
young people in their learning across digital networks, peer communities,
content, careers, and media” (p. 246) is exactly why I chose instructional
technology as my masters. I want my
students to be prepared for the 21st century and in order to be
prepared; they need critical thinking, technology and problem solving skills
that are so hard to teach from a text book in the standard classroom.
Now, playing devil’s advocate...how does this concept work
with kids from all different backgrounds?
I know typically New York is fairly diverse and these students were
chosen from a lottery system, but as I was reading, I kept thing what
background did the kids have? Were they
already proficient readers and writers?
Were they at grade level in math?
Do they have internet access at home and parent support?
These are the things I have to think about
when trying to apply this concept to my situation, even though I know this case
study was 6th and 7th graders. It was also interesting to read that
“school’s resourcing and operating costs fall within the parameters of the
school’s district-approved budget” (p. 246), I would be curious to see what
that looks like and how they got all the partnerships they did. What the Q2L school is doing sounds expensive
and something my district would never consider so seeing the financials of this
all would be interesting!
References:
Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M. (2011). New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning. New York: Open University Press.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteWhen I started my graduate program I experienced frustration and dissatisfaction. Having completed my undergraduate program in the classroom, I had some doubts and assumptions within online learning. First and foremost, many of the instructors I had were not ‘professors’. They were either professionals in the field or previous graduate students of the program. The role of the instructor was to help guide the students along, but not necessarily ‘teach’ them information. My success was driven on how well I could find and learn the information on my own. So yes, I initially thought the program was going to be a waste of time and money since I perform the same tasks for free.
However, I also learned the value of social collaboration. I was not the only one frustrated with some of the assignments – having to learn on my own. But there is the kicker, I was not alone! My classmates and I were learning together. My perception changed from independent to dependent learning. Yes, I am still responsible for my learning, but I had others to share ideas and resources with. I have learned much more from my classmates in an online course that I ever did in a traditional classroom setting.
Yes, I agree I have learned a lot this class, probably more than others. I am definitely happy about how everything turned out. Online learning is different and I didn't really know what to expect when I started my program. I have learned that online learning is more on the student being independent and figuring things out!
DeleteA lack of internet and other technologies is a major pitfall for many of the studies, models, etc. in the Learning Technologies program. The Digital Divide is a real thing that cannot be ignored. I think we can embrace and integrate students' backgrounds, however, a lack of technology at home, or even at school, poses serious problems to these methodologies.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you mention that some students may not meet certain proficiencies. Unfortunately, this is part of the reason education has enacted standardization, which influences the "push" model of instruction. Its kind of like a snake eating it's tail.
Thanks for your comments, I have never heard the term 'digital divide' before but it is definitely alive in my district, much like the achievement gap. In order for me to prepare my students for the standardized tests I do feel like I have to push, no shove, everything at them very quickly. I never wanted to be one of those teachers but it is the reality unfortunately! I try my best to not just cover the material but sometimes it's hard!
DeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis and synthesis of the text with your own experience and emotions about learning. I was also somewhat frustrated reading chapter 8. “Why didn’t I read this chapter first to know what I was getting into?” This was my initial response. Then I realized it would not make any sense to me had I done that. I then thought it was kind of nice reading the chapter and reflecting on our own experiences. I like social learning in a face to face setting and being “pushed” by the professor sometimes. I thought there was significant “push” influence in our class with the assignments spelled out week by week and guidance from Remi in the form of screencast each week. The thing that was so challenging was the concept of choice, and then the choices in assignments created. Sometimes, inner turmoil would result because most of us did not know how to deliver said assignments. To Remi’s point at the beginning of the semester, I would not be enrolled in grad school to learn how to use Adobe Premiere or Adobe Audition, etc. Those things are relatively simple to pick up by means of video tutorials and communities of practice. So I too, was initially struggling with “self-teaching,” to some degree, but by the end of this course I have come to appreciate the freedom of choice and method by which I learn to deliver assignments.
The other result of the way this course was run is it teaches us to be more self-critical. I think it’s easy for students, when they struggle, to point fingers at the assignment, and then the professor, and then the school, etc. By giving students choices and freedoms it, essentially in some ways, allows them to craft their own curriculum and assignments. Then when they struggle, they have no one to blame but themselves. I think this hardens students and makes them better thinkers and tinkers to explore variety of ideas and move beyond failure to find success. I can say for several weeks, I attempted 2-3 different assignments from the ds106 assignment bank and failed or was frustrated so I moved on to something else or another assignment. Although, frankly this stinks, I learned a lot about myself and developed some ‘grit,’ which is absolutely necessary to function in this web 2.0 social learning landscape.
You bring up a really good point with the whole choice thing. One of the things I always try in my classroom is to give my students choices. It is very powerful when they have more control and then, like you said, they can't blame anyone but themselves if something doesn't work out! Parents are always complaining about something and giving kids choice is a great way to slow that cycle!
DeleteI also can relate with the emotions you mentioned. I too got very frustrated with some of the DS106 assignments but I would not want to sit through a masters class and learn how to Photoshop! A quick Google search and you can learn anything :)
Emily,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your reflection of chapter eight. I appreciate how you shared your feelings and point of view as a third grade teacher. I too have a teaching background and share your concerns. I have worked for many low income school districts. The students within these districts have populations that are fortunate to have enough to eat, someone that cares about them and their academics. Most of the students have little to no experience with technology and struggle to perform near their grade level. I think that the “pull” form of learning was a interesting experience for a graduate level course, but I cannot imagine it in many of the schools that I’ve experienced.
I totally agree Aaron! That's not to say it can't be done but I would be hesitent to be the first to try it. Something I struggle with is a lot of my students don't have computers or internet at home but they have a Play Station or an Xbox, too bad you can't give homework assignments on those before they play their games :)
DeleteThe social aspect of learning has so many possibilities for young learners. The more we push students toward these types of problem solving and collaborative skills the better they will be prepared for the 21st century, far more than any digital test can prepare them.
ReplyDelete