Networks for Lifelong Learning: A Tale of Two Students — from novemberlearning.com by Alan November
Excerpts:
Where to begin in leading this shift? There are many possible first steps. This article focuses on two broad areas of digital design that can provide the foundation for an empowered culture of learning:
- Multimedia content
- Online communities of social interaction with classmates and professors
I have experienced this transformative shift of expanding the boundaries of learning with my own college-age children. My daughter, Jessica, graduated from university in 2010 and my son, Dan, will graduate in 2017. They both will earn equivalent grades at two different but highly competitive universities. How they studied, how they were supported in their learning, and how they interacted with classmates and professors represent two different worlds. Both of my children are convinced that Dan, the younger sibling, will be much better prepared for the world of work because of this transformation.
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Here are five guidelines for leaders who are planning to maximize the investment in network technologies to improve teaching and learning:
- Provide all students with immediate access to subject content in all formats (full text, video, audio)
- Support a community of learners who can continuously help one another
- Provide educators with insights into how students are thinking in online communities
- Encourage educators to teach students to “learn how to learn”
- Allow students to continue to tap their campus networks as a lifelong resource