teaching & learning

The Teaching Professor Conference [Faculty Focus]

On 03/04/2011, in adjunct faculty, blended learning, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, faculty/staff, hybrid learning, instructional design, pedagogy, professional development, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

.Some of the sessions being offered include:

Innovative Assessment Techniques
Teaching the Nontraditional Adult Learner
Designing Educational Experiences that Promote Deep Learning
Developing an Academic Honesty Program that Works
Modeling Writing for Developmental Learners
Computers in the Classroom: Evidence of Student Engagement (Not Distraction)
Fostering Student Engagement in Online Learning Environments
Integrating Emerging Technology in the Classroom and Beyond
Setting Up Your Hybrid Course for Success
Engaging Millennial Students in the Basic Course

Tagged with: adjunct faculty • blended learning • educational technology • emerging technologies • engagement • faculty-staff • hybrid learning • instructional design • pedagogy • professional development • professors • teaching & learning

Alan November: The Emerging Culture of Teaching and Learning

On 03/01/2011, in change, flipping -- inverted learning, K-12 related, productivity / tips and tricks, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: best practices/tips • flipping -- inverted learning • K-12 • student-related • teaching & learning

Live Internet video for language learning

On 02/25/2011, in ideas, internet, languages and translation, online media, pedagogy, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Live Internet video for language learning — from Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton

Web-based video is a hot topic in 21st century language education. The Internet offers a cornucopia of options for language students to include video and television in their target language in order to help them learn the language. Researcher Elizabeth Mejia points out that “video” can mean a variety of things including popular films, documentaries, television advertisements, materials produced by textbook companies to accompany their books and accompany classroom instruction, educational broadcast and amateur videos made by teachers and students.

Tagged with: ideas • internet • languages • online media • pedagogy • teaching & learning • translation

Learning Without Frontiers — recordings from Jan 2011

On 02/18/2011, in learning, professional development, teaching & learning, UK, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: learning • professional development • teaching & learning • UK

Online learning marketplaces — find a course, teach a course. Most likely a piece of the T&L future.

On 02/18/2011, in learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, love of learning, marketplaces, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The disruption continues. A sampling of the current online-based marketplaces / exchanges (pictured below) most likely represent a piece of the future teaching & learning landscape. Find a course, teach a course.

Tagged with: exchanges • marketplaces • online learning • student teaching/teacher education • student-related • teaching & learning • teaching online

Banned in School — with further reflections

On 02/18/2011, in ethics, faith, internet, morals/values, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Banned in School — from The Innovative Educator by Lisa Nielsen

From DSC:

This item caught my eye because this very sort of thing prevented me from helping some of our remote student teachers this week. The schools that they were in did not permit access to the servers that provided web-based collaboration software. The reasons I picked up from the email-based correspondence was that the schools were concerned about the misuse of such technologies — based upon actual acts of digital vandalism they had occurred at their schools or other schools.

Though I understand the concerns of the administrations — especially in light of the litigious society that we live in — I couldn’t help but reflect upon how incredibly unfortunate that — again — a small percentage of bad apples ruins it for the rest of the students.

What can we do to promote better digital citizenship? Ethics? Morality?

I agree with Lisa when she asserts that it is no longer acceptable to have disconnected teaching and learning environments. It is not ultimately beneficial to ban teachers and students from the Internet.

P.S. If we can’t help our student teachers out in such matters, it makes change all the more difficult to implement.

Tagged with: digital citizenship • ethics • faith-wisdom • internet • morals/values • policy • teachers • teaching & learning

The Fisch Flip in Michigan: Dale Eizenga on flipping traditional lecture and homework routines

On 02/16/2011, in chemistry, faith, flipping -- inverted learning, Michigan, pedagogy, strategy, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

The Fisch Flip in Michigan: Dale Eizenga on flipping traditional lecture and homework routines — from singaporeeducationdirectory.com

Excerpt:

Today I had the opportunity to spend time visiting with teachers and students at Holland Christian Schools in Holland, Michigan. One highlight of my day was the following five minutes of sharing by Holland Christian Schools’ chemistry teacher Dale Eizenga. Dale explained how access to a variety of technology resources has enabled him to flip the traditional in-class lecture and at-home assignment model of learning. Using software and websites, Dale records many lessons for students and makes those screencast videos available online and via the school’s podcast channel.

Several things are notable here. First, Dale didn’t read about Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, or Karl Fisch, online or in print. He stumbled upon this instructional model when his school provided all teachers and students with a robust digital learning environment. That not only includes access to laptops (for everyone in grades 6-12) but also an online learning management system (Moodle,) robust digital curriculum resources, school-supported options for sharing videos online, AND certified educators supporting technology integration. There are a lot of ingredients to this situation, and that’s critical to understand.

Secondly, Dale addresses in the video how some students struggle with this SHIFT to a “lecture at home on video” model. Dale still shares some lectures in class with students. He mixes it up. Dale explains this model forces students to “own their learning” in ways they may not have needed to in a traditional lecture-in-class setting. Dale relates this as “more of a college model,” where students are responsible for THEIR OWN learning. Dale explains his instructional role as one where he surrounds students with learning resources, and then assists students as they access / utilize those resources. When students aren’t “getting it,” he’s able to talk with them to find out if they’ve watched the podcast video which applies to the current topic or skill, and find out what students need specifically to master new content.

From DSC:
The folks at Holland Christian are doing an awesome job! Keep up the great work over there!

Tagged with: chemistry • faith-wisdom • flipping -- inverted learning • Michigan • pedagogy • strategy • teaching & learning

The Higher Education Landscape — by Mel Netzhammer

On 02/15/2011, in accreditation, assessment, budgets, business side of he, change, curriculum, higher education, learning, legislatures / government / legal, policy, staying relevant, teaching & learning, trends, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
As I was reviewing Mel’s presentation, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing amount of pressure colleges and universities will be under towards “standardization” — or at minimum, institutions may need to accept much of what has occurred at another school. The costs are too high not to — and the expectations from parents, students, legislatures, and the general public may force this to occur.

Along these lines, I think that the dynamics of teaching and learning change when we talk about the cost of an education going from a few thousand to 150,000+ for 4 years. Expectations are one thing that change; Mel’s presentation points to this a bit. But I also wondered…how will institutions of higher education differentiate themselves if these pressures for portability continue to build? How will they keep from becoming a commodity?

Also noteworthy was Mel’s slide re: what students can ultimately DO as a result of their educations — this may become more of the Holy Grail of Assessment.

Tagged with: accreditation • adding value/not a commodity • assessment • budgetary • curriculum • financial aid • higher education • learning • legislation • policy • staying relevant • teaching & learning • trends

Toward a science of learning

On 02/14/2011, in adjunct faculty, faculty/staff, metacognition / metacognitive skills, teaching & learning, trends, by Daniel Christian

Toward a science of learning — from InsideHigherEd.com by Diana Chapman Walsh

In travels around the country, I’ve been seeing signs of a trend in higher education that could have profound implications: a growing interest in learning about learning. At colleges and universities that are solidly grounded in a commitment to teaching, groups of creative faculty are mobilizing around learning as a collective, and intriguing, intellectual inquiry.

This trend embraces the advances being made in the cognitive sciences and the study of consciousness. It resides in the fast-moving world of changing information technology and social media. It recognizes and builds upon new pedagogies and evolving theories of multiple ways of knowing and learning. It encompasses but transcends the evolution of new and better measures of student learning outcomes.

…

I know that this essay is loaded with fighting words. But I believe we need, and are now beginning to see, ways to reframe the problem of learning outcomes, ways that might galvanize positive energy and support within a faculty. Imagine “the administration” saying to faculty, in effect: We want you to be learning all you can about who your students are now, how they learn and what they need to know in order to be successful in a world that is changing faster than we can imagine much less anticipate. And we want you to have the resources and collegial connections you will need to make the pursuit of that question an exciting and fruitful complement to your scholarship. From learning science there are stunning advances that need translation before they can be brought successfully into classrooms, findings and possibilities that at least some faculty might find inherently fascinating if they were approached right, offered a supportive culture with meaningful incentives and rewards and scholarly payoffs.

Tagged with: adjunct faculty • cognition • cognitive psychology / computing • faculty-staff • metacognition • teaching & learning • trends

Will higher education split?

On 02/11/2011, in budgets, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, legislatures / government / legal, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Will higher education split? — from Stephen Downes

Excerpt:

Sir John Daniel and Stamenka Uvali-Trumbi asks provocative question: “Will higher education split over the next decade or two into a public sector focussed on research and a for-profit sector doing most of the teaching?” The evidence? The communique from UNESCO predicting “massification” of higher education, Wildavsky’s book on global universities, and Salmi’s commentary on world class universities, Tony Bates’s article on the future of higher education, and Archibald and Feldman’s book on the costs of higher education. He could have added many other sources (and especially digital sources), such as this week’s call for a $10,000 degree from Texas governor Rick Perry, or Paul Kiser wondering whether state-run higher education is doomed.

Also see:

Dr. Tony Bates’
2011 Outlook for Online Learning and Distance Education (PDF)

Tagged with: budgetary • change • cost of getting an education • disruption • future of higher education • game-changing environment • higher education • legislation • new business models in he • teaching & learning • Walmart of Education

‘Social teaching’ company bets buy-in from Capella Education

On 02/06/2011, in adjunct faculty, change, cost of getting a degree, disruption, faculty/staff, global / globalization, higher education, internet, marketplaces, mobile learning, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, social learning / networks, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, by Daniel Christian

‘Social teaching’ company bets buy-in from Capella Education — from The Chronicle by Josh Fischman

The basic idea behind Sophia is to identify the best teachers for any concept, put their instruction for that concept online, and students all over the world can use these “learning packets” free of charge. For example, a professor who has a really great lesson on how to factor polynomials can package that lesson—complete with video and any other materials—on Sophia, and search engines like Google will let students find it and use it.

From DSC:
Will the Forthcoming Walmart of Education turn out to be that we teach each other, free of charge? Online marketplaces and exchanges continue to appear; the game-changing environment — filled with disruption and change — continues to develop.

But know this, teaching is tough. It’s not easy, and it’s not an exact science; it’s also an art.

Our minds — and the ways in which we learn — are unbelievably complex. After decades of trying, scholars still do not agree on how we learn. There are numerous learning theories out there (still) and though we’ve come a long way, there are no silver bullets of the teaching and learning world.

So if you decide to be a teacher, you better get ready to spend some serious time honing your craft…otherwise, your ratings on these types of sites will plummet and few will see your modules/contributions. conversely, if you are an effective teacher, your ratings will reflect that and your contributions will be seen/linked to quite frequently — from people all over the world.

Also see:

Tagged with: adjunct faculty • change • cost of getting an education • disruption • exchanges • faculty-staff • Global learning • internet • marketplaces • Mobile learning • new business models in he • social learning • teachers • teaching & learning • teaching online • Walmart of Education

The Kennedy Center’s ArtsEdge

On 02/04/2011, in art, ideas, K-12 related, social learning / networks, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: art • connect • Connectivism • ideas • K-12 • teachers • teaching & learning

Tagged with: K-12 • student-related • teachers • teaching & learning

“Learning about learning” — an excellent resource re: learning theories

On 01/29/2011, in adjunct faculty, faculty/staff, formal learning, informal learning, instructional design, learning ecosystem, learning theories, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I’d like to thank:

Doug Lynch, Dr. Stanton Wortham, and Elliott Masie for recording these videos and for sharing their insights/expertise
The University of Pennsylvania for making these items available
Capella University for including the above resource in a course that I’m currently taking from Dr. Katherine Emmons entitled, “Learning Theory and the Educational Process.”

2/8/11:
Note/correction from my original posting:
Doug Lynch and Stanton Wortham are not at Penn State, but rather they are at the University of Pennsylvania; Elliot Masie is an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tagged with: adjunct faculty • faculty-staff • formal learning • informal learning • instructional design • learning ecosystem • learning theories • pedagogy • teachers • teaching & learning

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

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