learning theories

Connectivism & Connective Knowledge in Action

On 01/29/2011, in Canada, learning theories, participation, teaching & learning, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Connectivism & Connective Knowledge in Action — from ZaidLearn

This is my first reflection (posting) for the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course (CCK11), which is a 12-week open online course facilitated by Stephen Downes and George Siemens. This course will explore the concepts of connectivism and connective knowledge and explore their application as a framework for theories of teaching and learning. Participation is open to everyone and there are no fees or subscriptions required…

From DSC:
The contents for Connectivism and Connective Knowledge looks like this:

Week 1: Connectivism?
Week 2: Patterns
Week 3: Knowledge
Week 4: Unique?
Week 5: Groups, Networks
Week 6: PLENK
Week 7: Adaptive Systems
Week 8: Power & Authority
Week 9: Openness
Week 10: Net Pedagogy
Week 11: Research & Analytics
Week 12: Changing views

Tagged with: Canada • connect • Connectivism • learning theories • MOOCs • personal learning networks (PLNs) • teaching & learning • web-based collaboration

Learning Landscape Model Video

On 01/03/2011, in corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, learning theories, memory, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Learning Landscape Model Video — from Will Thalheimer

The Learning Landscape Model is:

…based on the fundamental cognitive architectures of learning, remembering, and prompting as three distinct cognitive operations, all of which are needed to maximize workplace learning-and-performance results. While previous models have often forgotten forgetting or forgotten prompting mechanisms (like job aids), the Learning Landscape is complete. Perhaps more importantly, it is actionable, for example, it can be utilized to have productive discussions between us as learning professionals and our business partners. Finally, the Learning Landscape Model can be used to improve learning measurement significantly over the 4-levels or roi models.

Check out the video of the Learning Landscape Model…

Tagged with: cognitive psychology / computing • corporate / business world • corporate training / universities • instruction • instructional design • learning • learning ecosystem • learning theories • memory • training • workplace

Next Generation Learning

On 12/27/2010, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, change, collaboration, communications, digital learning, emerging technologies, future, innovation, learning ecosystem, learning theories, multimedia, new media literacies, podcasting, research, by Daniel Christian

Next Generation Learning — from The Great Ideas Conference
Excerpt:

Learning is undergoing drastic changes. Access to technology has allowed us to engage in a range of new media activities including blogging, co-creation, gaming, instant messaging, podcasting, social networking, social sharing and video creation. These new forms of media allow us to communicate and collaborate in new ways.

Next Generation Learning at Great Ideas 2011 will look at what the research says in terms of how people learn differently with the use of these new forms of media and how to successfully apply and implement the research in your association. No other time in history has there been this type of convergence for associations providing learning and education. It will also be a learning lab that models unique, innovative education formats including hands-on interactive activities to live-streaming to facilitated Peer2Peer Roundtables. Come experience the content and see new ways to involve others in learning.

Tagged with: collaboration • communications • digital learning • emerging technologies • future • innovation • learning ecosystem • learning theories • multimedia • new media literacies • podcasting • research • social learning

Connectivism and Changing Times: Learning for a Socially Wired World

On 11/18/2010, in Canada, convergence, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, learning theories, social learning / networks, trends, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: Canada • Connectivism • convergence • future of higher education • game-changing environment • higher education • learning theories • social learning • trends

Questions I’m no longer asking

On 11/02/2010, in education, education technology, innovation, learning, learning theories, open courseware and systems, by Daniel Christian

Questions I’m no longer asking — from elearnspace by George Siemens

Excerpt:

I’m firmly convinced of the following:
1. Learners should be in control of their own learning. Autonomy is key. Educators can initiate, curate, and guide. But meaningful learning requires learner-driven activity
2. Learners need to experience confusion and chaos in the learning process. Clarifying this chaos is the heart of learning.
3. Openness of content and interaction increases the prospect of the random connections that drive innovation
4. Learning requires time, depth of focus, critical thinking, and reflection. Ingesting new information requires time for digestion. Too many people digitally gorge without digestion time.
5. Learning is network formation. Knowledge is distributed.
6. Creation is vital. Learners have to create artifacts to share with others and to aid in re-centering exploration beyond the artifacts the educator has provided.
7. Making sense of complexity requires social and technological systems. We do the former better than the latter.

Tagged with: education • educational technology • innovation • learning • learning theories • open • teaching & learning

The Moodle Philosophy

On 10/01/2010, in learning theories, pedagogy, by Daniel Christian

The Moodle Philosophy — from synergy-learning.com by Joel Kerr (emphasis below from DSC)

It is often said that Moodle is designed with pedagogy in mind. The developers are very transparent about the philosophy they use when making decisions about the direction of Moodle, a philosophy that focuses on what is best for the learner.

The design and development of Moodle is guided by a “Social Constructionist Pedagogy”, which can be explained in terms of four main related concepts: constructivism, constructionism, social constructivism, and connected and separate.

Tagged with: learning theories • Moodle • pedagogy

Richard Culatta’s Instructional Design site

On 09/21/2010, in instructional design, learning theories, by Daniel Christian

Richard Culatta’s Instructional Design site

Also see:

Tagged with: instructional design • learning objects • learning theories

Apollo Group joins learning technology partnership with Stanford University

On 09/17/2010, in education technology, interaction design, interactivity, learning theories, research, by Daniel Christian

Apollo Group joins learning technology partnership with Stanford University — from businesswire.com
Partnership brings together academic researchers and select industry partners to study interactive communications and technology; Apollo Group’s Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti to serve as visiting scholar

Through the partnership, Apollo Group and Dr. Wilen-Daugenti will work with Stanford University faculty and researchers studying basic issues about the design and use of modern technologies and their impact on today’s learner. Apollo Group will also participate with Stanford faculty members and graduate students to explore the role technology can play in higher education organizations, with a specialization in distance learning.

“Technology today is changing at an extremely fast pace, which impacts both enterprise and educational institutions, requiring them to keep up with the latest trends,” said Dr. Wilen-Daugenti. “Students are increasingly exposed to the latest technology in their lives, and seek access to it in their work and education environments. Through this partnership and visiting scholar program, we hope to address this issue and find ways for higher learning institutions to more readily use technology to address the needs of today’s students.”

Tagged with: cognition • cognitive psychology / computing • educational technology • for-profits • interaction design • interactivity • learning theories • research

Forget what you know about good study habits

On 09/07/2010, in instructional design, learning preferences, learning theories, memory, student-related, by Daniel Christian

Forget what you know about good study habits — from the NY Times by Benedict Carey

Take the notion that children have specific learning styles, that some are “visual learners” and others are auditory; some are “left-brain” students, others “right-brain.” In a recent review of the relevant research, published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a team of psychologists found almost zero support for such ideas. “The contrast between the enormous popularity of the learning-styles approach within education and the lack of credible evidence for its utility is, in our opinion, striking and disturbing,” the researchers concluded.

…

Cognitive scientists do not deny that honest-to-goodness cramming can lead to a better grade on a given exam. But hurriedly jam-packing a brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students quickly learn — it holds its new load for a while, then most everything falls out.

“With many students, it’s not like they can’t remember the material” when they move to a more advanced class, said Henry L. Roediger III, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis. “It’s like they’ve never seen it before.”

When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its contents for far, far longer. An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in more overall study effort or pay more attention, dozens of studies have found.

No one knows for sure why. It may be that the brain, when it revisits material at a later time, has to relearn some of what it has absorbed before adding new stuff — and that that process is itself self-reinforcing.

From DSC:

Re: research on learning styles…I would really like to know if these students were interviewed/reviewed in terms of which methods they preferred to learn by…which methods made learning more interesting…more fun..more efficient.

I’ll bet you “good students” can learn in spite of a variety of obstacles, issues, and/or teaching methods…they’ll learn what they need to in order to get the grade.

But which method(s) do they — as well as less “successful” students — prefer?
Which methods produce a longer-term ROI (besides just making it past the mid-term or final exam)?
Which method(s) are more engaging to them?
Which method(s) take less time for them to absorb the material?

We want students to love learning…but if you don’t like something, you surely won’t love it.

Tagged with: cognitive psychology / computing • instructional design • learning preferences • learning theories • memory • ROI • scaffolding • student-related

How to integrate multimedia for effective learning

On 08/27/2010, in elearning, instructional design, learning theories, multimedia, online learning, training / L&D, by Daniel Christian

How to integrate multimedia for effective learning — from theelearningcoach.com

Integrating the multimedia assets of a course can raise a host of issues. In my world, this can be as simple as explaining to a client why screens of text with an out-of-sync voice over will not be effective—to more complex issues, such as determining whether an animation will promote greater comprehension than a series of stills.

Although we know it can be advantageous to present content through multiple forms of media, the big question is how to integrate the mediums.

When deciding on these issues, I use two principles from cognitive science as guidelines that I think you’ll find helpful too. One is known as the Split-attention Effect and the other is the Redundancy Principle. Both principles are important.

Also see:

Book Recommendation:
Multimedia Learning by Richard E. Mayer

Tagged with: cognitive psychology / computing • e-learning • instructional design • learning theories • multimedia • online learning • training

Advanced personal learning — from Engineering’s Grand Challenges

On 08/23/2010, in change, disruption, education technology, engineering, intelligent tutoring, learning ecosystem, learning preferences, learning theories, personalized/customized learning, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: 1:1 • change • cognitive psychology / computing • customized learning • disruption • educational technology • engineering • intelligent tutoring • learning ecosystem • learning preferences • learning theories • personalized learning

Cisco’s vision for learning – by Marcus Lim

On 08/10/2010, in 21st century, digital learning, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, learning theories, telepresence, tools, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Here are some slides from a Cisco WebEx presentation by Marcus Lim

. .

Tagged with: 21st century • Connectivism • educational technology • emerging technologies • learning theories • telepresence • tools • videoconferencing • Web 2.0 • web-based collaboration

Connectivism in the Enterprise — G. Siemens

On 07/15/2010, in business, Canada, instructional design, learning theories, social learning / networks, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Connectivism in the Enterprise — G. Siemens (July 2010)

Organizations are today faced with continually evolving markets, rapid knowledge growth, competitive pressures from emerging countries, and increased complexity in business development and strategy execution. This climate requires an evaluation of how existing learning, knowledge management, and capacity building activities support organizations in fulfilling their mandate and vision.

Traditional course-based learning and development is not sufficiently agile, flexible, or context-driven to address the pressures facing the enterprise. Three primary concerns exist with course-based learning and instructional design…

Tagged with: business • Canada • Connectivism • instructional design • learning • learning theories • social learning • social networking • workplace

An introduction to Robert Gagne’s Instructional Design Model – from C. Pappas

On 06/25/2010, in instructional design, learning theories, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: cognition • cognitive psychology / computing • instruction • instructional design • learning theories

Learning styles or not — the bottom line seems to be that people learn differently

On 06/23/2010, in learning preferences, learning theories, online learning, pedagogy, by Daniel Christian

Differentiating learning by ‘learning style’ might not be so wise — from Clayton Christensen

First, some quotes from Clayton:

A study commissioned by Psychological Science in the Public Interest called “Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence,” by Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork, finds convincingly that, at this point, there is no evidence that teaching to different learning styles—specifically meaning to a student’s apparent preferred modality such as visual or auditory—works. The authors therefore conclude that using scarce school funds toward doing just this doesn’t make sense.

Of course, there appears to still be some disagreement. According to a March 25, 2009 article in The Journal of Neuroscience titled “The Neural Correlates of Visual and Verbal Cognitive Styles” by David J.M. Kraemer, Lauren M. Rosenberg, and Sharon L. Thompson-Schill, there is some evidence that teaching by learning style could make a difference.

Moving outside of this particular debate, this doesn’t change the fundamental point that people learn differently. People don’t disagree with this. There is clear evidence that that people learn at different paces. Some people understand a concept quickly. Others struggle with it for some time before they understand it. We know that explaining a concept one way works well for some people, and explaining it another way works for others whereas it baffles the first group. We also know that this can differ from person to person depending on subject area. One of the key reasons online learning seems to be better on average than face-to-face learning is because time can become variable in an online learning environment so that students can repeat units and lectures until they master a concept and only then move on to the next concept.

From DSC:

What’s the best way(s) to apply all of this? What makes the most sense in how we operationalize the delivery of our content? In my studies on instructional design, there are so many theories and so much disagreement as to how people learn. If you ask for consensus, you won’t get it. So my conclusion is this:

Provide the same content in as many different ways as you possibly can afford to provide. Let the students choose which item(s) work best for them and connect with them. If one way doesn’t connect, perhaps another one will.

Also…yes, we can probably all learn from just text if we have to. But was learning fun that way? Was it engaging? Was it the most effective it could have been? Was learning maximized for the long-haul? Would it have been helpful to see the same content in a graphic, simulation, animation, or in a video?

Tagged with: cognitive psychology / computing • learning preferences • learning theories • online learning • pedagogy

Previous Entries Next Entries

Learning Ecosystems