Learning to Change-Changing to Learn – video

Some really nice points in here about communities of practice, learning and how technology facilitates this.

Week 19 Activity 4: Mobile learning, ownership, formal learning

Pettit, J. and Kukulska-Hulme, A. (forthcoming) ‘Mobile 2.0: crossing the border into formal learning?’ in Lee, M.J.W. and McLoughlin, C. (eds) Web 2.0-based E-learning: Applying Social Informatics for Tertiary Teaching, Hershey, PA, IGI Global.  http://learn.open.ac.uk/file.php/4473/Block3/ebook_h800_b3_week19_pettit-and-kukulska-hulme_mobile2_l3.pdf

1. How, specifically, are you bringing or might you bring Mobile 2.0 into your own learning and/or teaching – using that latter term broadly to include support of various kinds?

My learning: Mobile 2 – reading and contributing to forums via mobile phone.  Group blog contributions from phone.   Using dead-time.

My support of teaching: forums. Mobile versions of web pages and econtent to give choice

Announcements by text – as we know students don’t read the notice boards (online) or emails very well. This enables us to keep things shorter and succinct. Twitter would be good here to. A quick tweet on something that’s online with a link would be good. EG we’ve just added the past paper for Course101 here.

2. How far does this involve using and accommodating learners’ existing practices, and how far does it involve them in adopting new practices or new devices?

Need to get a device that works for you; as the study says, if the device doesn’t do it for you then you’ll forego the advantages of anytime-anywhere access for improved usability in a fixed locaton/time. Need to get practiced in reading/writing on a device and not on paper.  A change that needs to be practiced and perservered at.

3. How far, if at all, would any new practices/devices affect a sense of ‘ownership’ – the practitioners’ and/or yours?

You may recall, from the paper in Activity 2, Stephen Downes’ claim that ‘the students own education’ (2006). This is an issue you will explore later in Block 3 as you examine personal learning environments.

If a student has given us their mobile number and we use it for texting then it’s ok. they give us their emali adress so why not this too. I think the ownership issue is more relevant to using things like facebook for learning as this, to me is the student union.

4. When you read the interview data from the six practitioners – see the section headed ‘Experienced practitioners’ mobile practices’ – do you recognise the picture conveyed there? How far do mobile devices blur the distinction between personal and professional areas of your own life? Do you have a view on whether this is desirable?

The data here is the same as the students interviewed in Activity 2. Yes things are blurring. For example I often do personal stuff at work, but then I also do work stuffat home. People complain if I say I’ll be checking my emails while on holiday but I know it’s all balancing act and with a busy professional, student and home life I need to fit things into my day when and as convenient. Now if I could only find a way to cut the commute and save myeslf 1.5 hours a day, the cleaning, ironing and sleeping…

In my most recent employment, and therefore work email address change I decided to keep my work email separate from my personal email. Many people have all emails coming to work. I decided to keep it separate for to enable people to have proxy access to my mail when required without having to worry about personal stuff and when I left a job, being able to fwd emails without the personal stuff too. However, if someone walks in and I’ve got google.mail open it looks bad compared to the person next to me checking their personal email in the work system as it’s not obvious.  The other blurring is with studying this course, which is totally for my work purposes and career but I’m doing it all in my personal time.

Week 4 Activity 1: Defining Learning

This week we were looking at the social dimensions of learning as another continuum (individual-social) to look at alongside the AM and PM continuum. Not instead of.

A1. Defining Learning Summary

We were all asked to (without doing any research) define learning. My definition was

“Learning is the means or process by which people consciously and subconsciously acquire knowledge either formal or informally, consciously or subconsciously, individually or collaboratively, through experience or observation, trial and error, pushed by formal learning outcomes or pulled by personal desire.

The learning process results in changes to behaviour, feelings, opinions, abilities and often other peoples’ views of the individual who is showing a change as a result of their learning.  The way that formal learning is applied/used will differ depending on the motivation to learn but the way that informal learning (ie learning from just being) may be applied subconsciously.”

I found it really hard not to focus to much on the role of acquisition in learning , although I have used the term in the first paragraph showing that I feel that learning has 2-parts (at least) – the acquisition and then the results of that acquisition – ie how the learning is used, experimented with and then reformed. (IE the Kolb learning cycle must have influenced my definition).

Anthony’s definition was short and sweet:

Learning:
the acquisition of facts or concepts;
individually or collectively;
intentionally or unconsciously;
which can be used either alone or in combination;
to create knowledge;
that satisfies a particular need;
cognitive or practical;
in either a personal or professional context.  (Berry, A. (2009) H800 les6 09 W4 A1 3rd March 2009 09.35

Eddy suggested that this was too much focused on the Acquisition metaphor.

Anthony explains this further: “As a language teacher I am influenced by Krashen’s differentiation between learning (instruction) and acquisition (learning by experience). I think that Krashen spoke about apprenticeship as acquisition – that combination of knowing and doing, which from a language perspective is evidenced by the ‘professions’ developing their own genres which either include or exclude depending on the level of enculturation”. (Berry, A. (2009) H800 les6 09 W4 A1 6th March 2009 10.36)

Paul Kenney offered a very brief definition “Learning is to develop understanding of a task or discipline” (Kenny, P. (2009) H800 les6 09 W4 A1 1st March 2009 09/31) But others in the group questioned that understanding often comes before ability to do something, the example used was children learning to speak. They often understand what they hear but are unable to speak it themselves, in fact understanding comes before ability. (See Silver, K. 2nd March 2009, 22.55 and Stoermer, E. 2nd March 2009 16.12)

Mike introduced the idea of learning in isolation, some people questioned in terms of understanding it as learning from books – so it’s not completely isolated as there is an author there too. In support of Mike’s suggestion, examples were given of a naturalist exploring insects without any prior reasrach or information, another example given by Sharon was if you put your hand in a fire, you’ll soon learn that it’s hot without anyone/thing having to teach you this. But then the question of this being research and not learning arose. (See thread starting with Gilbert, M. (2009) 2nd March 2009, 17.22)

Roxine used the term “accumulative” to show that we are learning all the time, which also reflects the cyclical nature or process nature of learning that many of us identified.  Beaumont-Sempill, R. (2009)    H800 les6 09 W4 A1  3rd March 2009 11:36

Simon C offered this definition “So my definition would be: “Learning is the radiation of knowledge. Some are too thick skinned to be effected while others are illuminated.” Cowan, S. (H800 les6 09 W4 A1 5th March 2009 20.50)

We were then instructed to look up some definitions of learning.

Sharon suggested these two, among others:

“This definition comes from the free online dictionary – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/learning

1. The act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill.
2. Knowledge or skill gained through schooling or study. See Synonyms at knowledge.
3. Psychology Behavioral modification especially through experience or conditioning.
….

This third definition is taken from the Open University Open Learn site – http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=160207

Learning is an interactive process between people and their social and physical environment which results in changes to people’s knowledge, attitudes and practices.” Clark, S. (2009) H800 les6 09 W4 A1 3rd March 2009 08.24

As Simon A pointed out, and as I found, many definitions were either written from the acquiusition metaphor view but some referred to learning as a process, as did many of us in our own definitions. Simon introdced the difference between learning and cognition, ie what is learning and how do we learn.

“Learning:
The acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, or study, or by being taught.

Cognition:
The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses.” (Allan, S. (2009) H800 les6 09 W4 A1  3rd March 2009 09.57)

Week 5 Activity 1 – Media and learning

Update 15th March

Keith pointed out on the forums that “In week 5, Saloman argues “Different media…exert differential influence on learning” . This is in contradiction to the Grocery Truck analogy, right?” Aquilina, K. (2009) H800 les6 09 Week 5 14 March 2009 09.23

Very good point.

Activity 1

How do you think the grocery truck analogy might be an inappropriate conclusion?

The influence on achievement depends on other things, such as the status of the recipient, what they want to do with the delivery content, what other external factors may effect their application of the content.

Different media will create different reactions in people depending on their perception.
The comparative studies only tested factual recall, I don’t think this is a valid way to test deep learning and ability to apply learning.

What about those students who are not in a controlled environment but who are in a conventional teaching environment – what if they seek additional media outside the classroom. The controlled conditions of these tests are not in fact a reflection of reality. You cannot assume that students only learn what happens in the classroom, but also all the other learning processes that happen outside it.

Implications to your own learning
1. Do you prefer certain forms of representation to a greater extent than others? If so, why do you think that is the case?Does this preference apply to everything you attempt to learn or does it vary from one type of learning task to another.

I believe I prefer a combination of representation. If I am learning from a lot of prose, I prefer to print the documents that read off the screen. I also learn from watching moving images (videos.) I learn particularly well from talking and doing. Web simulations, and audio/video conferencing tools help me with this. Web 2.0 tools such as blogs (although a simple diary would be enough) help me with the “talking” bit as I can talk to myself about it. I like diagrams where relevant and like orderly information – so process maps are good. I’ve recently experimented with mind maps and found this useful but it works better with effectively structured articles. When reading print I need to highlight words and make notes (as above). I cannot just read a document and let it sink in. I like to use Web 2.0 tools as I rarely use a pen anymore and my writing is atrocious.

When I learnt to read music and play instruments in my childhood I learnt from print. When I learnt languages I found I was able to interpret the printed word better than the spoken word however when I learn things now, like music and languages, I find it helps to listen and,, with languages, write out my own interpretation of how you pronounce the word, especially with languages such as Greek.

It depends on the subject, I hate to read about history and never read newspapers, but enjoy watching historical documentaries and sometimes the news.

Saloman rightly points out that it depends also on your schemata, or already possessed knowledge of the subject. I’m finding a lot of these papers on H800 hard to read because I don’t know much about the subject and if I was in a lecture about the same subject, in real time, I’d like to think I could stop the lecturer and ask questions if I’m struggling to understand it. Also having had a break from formal learning I wonder if my capacity to interpret the academically written word has declined and needs to be practiced again – a bit like the piano. I can’t just sit at the piano anymore like I used to. My fingers have lost the muscle memory of many of the notes and my ability to read music has declined when I play a piece that has a larger number of notes (I mean further up and down the keyboard) but I know that a little dedicated practice should bring it back.

Note any implications to you as somebody who supports learning of others.
My reflections above make me realise that we have to be aware of the representations people have become used to using and the “bad” habits their brains have got into. So we have to help them re-learn how to learn and immerse them back into learning carefully. (I support mature students, average age 35 with at least 10 years out of education, like me). We also need to be aware of the demands students have for new media tools. They keep asking for video because this is what they are used to using in their lives, but we have to be careful with this due to the fact that Saloman found that people don’t engage as deeply in interpreting the knowledge with TV over the printed word.

Saloman’s interpretation of how the interest will be using in learning, reflects the participation metaphor (cf Sfard) and although this was written in 1997, it is relevant to web 2.0 and how we perceive the potential of web 2.0 in education – nodes of interaction, knowledge, team work, self-motivated learners.

Because the DLMBA is a distance learning course assessment is difficult. Most modules are assessed by either 100% written assignment or 100% written examination. In particular the exam is in contradiction to the philosophy of the MBA in that it’s about deep learning, learning from others, application of learning at work. An exam tests recall and to an extend application to a case study, but doesn’t test the individuals ability at work. The examination is difficult for people who are writing in a second language, and as I found in a 3 hour exam I did in 2003, hand-writing for 3 hours was very difficult given that I never write anymore. The marker would have found it much easier to mark my work if it had been typed and I may have done better.

We are certainly following the grocery truck analogy on the MBA, in fact it is seen by potential students as an advantage of the 3 variants. “1 MBA, 3 modes of delivery”. But this is due to the negative perspectives by employers around the world of a DL MBA over a FT MBA but we’re certain this is changing so the market demands this generic approach. Potential and current students seem to worry a lot about what their certificate will say, and we have to be very reassuring that there is just one certificate that simply says the Warwick MBA, not how they achieved it. We are currently using wbsLive (virtual classroom software) to replicate exactly what the lecturers do at the induction day – this article disputes what we’re doing. But I could defend we’re doing it as part of our long term plan. At the moment we are doing this as part of the process of training and immersing the presenters in the resource for use for real T&L at a future point.

Key comments on Saloman (1997)
So the socially held views of different media appear to affect the way learners handle them, the depth in which they engage with them. (So we have to bear this in mind for using things like 2nd life, and other Web 2.0 tools if they’re deemed to be a social tool, and not an educational tool, will serious learning take place.)

Coming to comprehend something means networking (The participation metaphor) . However Saloman says refers to free associating, searching, creatively which ” is not the way that school-based acquisition….of knowledge is supposed to go.” – (The Acquisition metaphor)

Saloman expresses concern though that the benefits of the Internet knowledge nodes, also have weaknesses. It allows for “undisciplined, free-associational, yet tempting wandering among various nodes (“web surfing”).” What he says is that people searching one topic easily get lead down a different route. But what’s wrong with this, isn’t this free learning. Why should learning be so prescriptive. This reminds me of the model of learning in H808, where a topic was introduced and you found the readings yourself, giving you ownership of your learning because you were learning what interested you, but within the learning outcome requirements of the course.

In today’s context this is relevant in thinking about Web 2.0 tools and the fact the current and future generations of students are web-savvy and able to multitask. But going back to the articles from earlier weeks about digital natives, of course it is dangerous to assume that all people born in 1988 will be au fait with social networking.

All notes from this article and Activity 1 are here.