for E-Learning

There are a significant number of educational institutions that ignore the advantages of Information Technology and Web services, and even more specifically Social Software, in the learning process. According to Professor Ph.D. Mariana Jurian and Senior Lecturer Ph.D. Logica Bănică, the concept of Social Software was introduced by Terry Anderson within a context of distance education as ‘networked tools that support and encourage individuals to learn together while retaining individual control over their time, space, presence, activity, identity and relationship’ (Jurian, M., & Bănică, L., 2010). Social Software includes Wikis, Blogs, Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and My Space, RSS feeds and Social Bookmarking just to name a few. Of these technologies, Jurian and Bănică argue that the following are most relevant in the context of teaching and learning: (1) Social Networking Services (SNS) – internet-based social spaces designed to facilitate communication and collaboration; (2) Wikis – websites that allow users to collaboratively add, remove and change content; (3) Blogs or Weblogs – online public writing environments; and (4) RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) – a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works such as blog entries.

Social Software was not created for educational purposes; however the three main characteristics of social networks - personalization, socialization and transparency - are relevant for education. The approach to include Social Software technologies in e-learning systems allows students to invest themselves in their own self-governed activities. This is done by supplying students with tools for personal projects and by engaging them in social networks.  In order to have a better impact on the student, the learning experience must be active, social, contextual, engaging and student-centered. To achieve this goal the Social Software provides many advantages: (1) encourages contact and cooperation among students; (2) develops active learning; (3) gives prompt feedback; (4)emphasizes time on task activities; (5) communicates student and teacher expectations; and (6) respects individual ideas and his chosen ways of learning (Jurian, M., & Bănică, L., 2010).

The shift toward more personalized learning environments implies the restructuring of the educational processes. The educational use of the Web usually depends on the educator-preferred model of learning. The use of technology in the learning process suits two popular models of learning: constructivist and collaborative. Both differ from the traditional behaviorist model of learning which assumes that the goal of teaching is to efficiently transmit knowledge from the expert to the learner (Jerman-Blažič, A., Jerman-Blažič, B., & Novak, F., 2010).  Social Software tools can be adopted into a robust pedagogical framework, while addressing four theoretical concepts of Constructivism: (1) Vygotsky’s ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD) and scaffolding through the ZPD with the help of the MKO (More Knowledgeable Other) - Social Software can provide an environment that supports scaffolding; (2) Active participation from the student including learning through shared projects is another critical component of good pedagogy - Social Software acts as a space in which collaboration and cooperative learning can occur; (3) Another component to a constructivist learning environment is the opportunity for a student to publish their works and promote feedback and reflection - blogs are excellent examples of this; and (4) Learning occurs through participation in shared communities (Ferdig, R. E., 2007, February).

What are the educational benefits of using Social Software for e-learning? According to a case-study by Shailey Minocha (2009), in a course where students used blogs, the educator found that knowing more about the student’s requirements through the blog saved time and was beneficial in directly addressing the student’s needs. Using a blog in English and Composition courses would allow the educator to follow the learner’s progress through a writing assignment and comment as the compositions are being created. The use of the Social Software in this manner would also give the educator a heads-up on students that were struggling with their assignments. The use of a Wiki in a Science course could help facilitate a group experiment project where each member of the group is responsible for a certain portion of the experiment. The Wiki would provide a collaborative workspace for the group members to post their progress on their part of the experiment. The Wiki allows the students to follow what each other are doing, as well as allow the educator to follow the Wiki to see that each member of the group is participating as they should.

The use of Social Software for e-learning does not have to be complex. We tend to focus on the next great technology, but basic simple tools such as email can promote innovative learning. If we don’t provide students a social situation in which to learn, they will find ways to socialize themselves. We need to research and promote best practices on how to utilize these technologies for teaching, learning and social networking while keeping students safe. We as educators would be remiss to ignore the benefits that Social Software presents.

Jurian, M., & Bănică, L. (2010). NEW SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES FOR E-LEARNING. Analele Universitatii Maritime Constanta, 51(13), 132-137.

Ferdig, R. E. (2007, February). Editorial: Examining Social Software in Teacher Education. Journal of Technology & Teacher Education. pp. 5-10.

Jerman-Blažič, A., Jerman-Blažič, B., & Novak, F. (2010). Social Software Tools in Vocational E-Learning: an Empirical Exploratory Study. International Review On Computers & Software, 5(6), 731-739.

Minocha, S. (2009). A case study-based investigation of students' experiences with social software tools. New Review Of Hypermedia & Multimedia, 15(3), 245-265. doi:10.1080/13614560903494320

Vygotsky
Social Development Theory

The theme of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s (1896-1934) Social Development Theory is that social interaction plays a central role in the development of intelligence. Vygotsky (1978) states: ‘Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).

One of the main principles of Vygotsky’s theory is the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD). He believed that community plays a central role in the process of ‘making meaning’ and that social learning precedes and impacts development. Full development of the ZPD depends upon full social interaction. The range of skill that can be developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration goes beyond that which can be achieved alone.

A second principle of Vygotsky’s work is known as the ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ (MKO). This is a simple concept that refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner. The MKO can be a teacher, an older adult, a child’s peer, and adult’s child or an electronic tutor.

Vygotsky’s theory placed emphasis on (1) culture affecting/shaping cognitive development; (2) social factors contributing to cognitive development; and (3) the role of language as an accelerator in cognitive development. Vygotsky claimed that infants are born with the basic materials/abilities for intellectual development known as ‘Elementary Mental Functions'. These functions, through interaction within the socio-cultural environment, are developed into more sophisticated and effective mental processes/strategies which he refers to as ‘Higher Mental Functions’. Vygotsky also refers to ‘Tools of Intellectual Adaptation’; these ‘tools’ are culturally determined and allow children to use their basic mental functions more effectively/adaptively.

As the digital age continues to develop, many aspects of society transform to these new developments. One of these aspects of change is Education. The implementation of technology in the classroom is increasing at an astonishing rate. Technology is made available as a resource, much like textbooks, to be used by the students as they solve problems, look for information, and find ways to apply what they have learned in a meaningful way while the instructors act as coaches and guides.

Vygotsky’s theory focuses on the role teacher’s play in the development of a student. Teachers collaborate with their students in order to facilitate learning and the student takes an active role in their own learning process. The physical classroom, based on Vygotsky's theory, would provide a clustered work space for peer instruction, collaboration, and small group instruction. Like the environment, the instructional design of material to be learned would be structured to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus the classroom becomes a community of learning.

Schools today are allowing students access to a learning environment that is supportive and empowers them to develop their own personal strengths. More and more teachers are incorporating internet-based applications into their curriculum.  Many applications can be incorporated into the teaching strategy of ‘Scaffolding’. Each scaffold facilitates a student’s ability to build on prior knowledge and internalize new information. As the learner’s ability increases, the scaffolding provided by the teacher is slowly removed, until the learner is able to complete a task independently (Bruner 1982). Many internet applications are created in such a way that a student can only move to the next higher level once they have satisfactorily completed the current level.  Along with working independently, students should be encouraged to work collaboratively in groups. It is through this interaction with their peers that they are able to share their ideas and learn from each other.  Assessments then should target the students’ zone of proximal development. Students should be assessed on both their levels of actual development and potential development.

Collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in a shared physical space, but today these peer learning relationships can be formed from a distance through cyberspace. Technology is a stimulating tool that students can use to moderate and develop their own learning within themselves, thus making Vygotsky’s theories actually easier to incorporate in the 21^st century.

REFERENCES:

Bruner, J.S. 1982. "The organization of action and the nature of adult-infant transaction." In The Analysis of Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

SOCIAL MEDIA

Ø  What group did you join in diigo and why?

o   I chose to join the group ‘iPad for Education’. I am interested in what the iPad has to offer for the student. This group contains links to content from those also interested in this subject. By following this group I will have access to lots of content on how the iPad can be used in the classroom to enhance the education process.

o   http://groups.diigo.com/group/ipad-for-education

Ø  What is the appeal for the young and old to network in online places like the ones you examined this week?

o   The appeal for anyone at any age to ‘network’ is the idea of staying informed and feeling connected. We like to be nosy – see what others are up to. We like to stay connected to those who we may not be able to see very often, if at all, in some cases. It’s an outlet for those with common interests and/or activities to share with each other.

Ø  If used in a classroom, how might networking websites positively and negatively affect teaching and learning?

o   If used in the classroom, networking sites could make a group project more appealing. Sometimes it is hard to get a group together outside of school hours to work on a project. Networking websites would allow the students to connect after school hours, at times when they are available to input their portion of the group project. Drawbacks to this would be those students that are economically disadvantaged, might not have access to the internet outside of school.

Ø  In what kind of site might you spend most of your time networking and for what purpose?

o   My networking site is Facebook. The purpose of this networking site for me is to connect with those family and friends that I do not have frequent contact with. I have also used the site to send out announcements and invitations to my 300+ contacts when there is an event that I think is important to advertise.

Ø  In what ways will this benefit you and what do you think might be the drawbacks?

o   I have a step-daughter, son-in-law and three grandsons that live in Virginia, and with Facebook I am able to follow their accomplishments and general development through the pictures and captions that are posted. Without this connection, we would not be able to ‘experience’ their growth and development. The invitation feature is a very quick and inexpensive way to advertise charity events, school events, church events, etc.  Some of the drawbacks would include lack of personal contact and if used often, it can consume too much of your time that could be better spent doing something more constructive, like let’s say – homework!

Gaming

Virtual Reality

Researching gaming this week as an educational tool has been an eye-opening experience. When I think of ‘gaming’ I think of hours wasted staring at a screen, graphic violence and youngster exposed to inappropriate content. This assignment has made me sit back and look at gaming from a whole new perspective.

Schools are beginning the transition from blocking web-based games to integrating them into their classrooms and curriculum (Horizon Report, 2011 K-12 Edition). Many educational games take real world applications and turn them into fun learning tools – having students invent, implement solutions, solve social issues, budget money, and evaluate supply and demand and much more. Students are engaged in ways that they have never been before.

One of the gaming sites I investigated further was IndustryPlayer. This site allows for students to make strategic decisions as an entrepreneur and see the consequences of their business decisions. This method of learning gives the students a more realistic ‘feel’ to managing a company as compared to more traditional teaching methods. Simulation games such as this ‘offer second-by-second decision making that takes players over and over through the loop of decision, action, feedback and reflection that is the basis for all learning’ (Edutopia, Prensky 2007). This ‘loop of learning’ encourages the learners to practice in order to earn the reward of ‘leveling up’.

Next I looked into World Food Programme’s (WFP) Food Force game. This game allows students to tackle the challenges of delivering food aid in emergency responses. Players are required to pilot helicopters, airdrop food and negotiate with armed rebels. This game of humanitarian effort gives kids the benefit of learning how to cooperate, collaborate and work in teams; make effective decisions under stress; take prudent risks in pursuit of objectives; make ethical and moral decisions and much more (Edutopia, Prensky 2007).

The third site reviewed was that of ‘Virtual Cell’. This site is an exploratory virtual/visual education environment. There is substantial research reporting computer simulations to be an effective approach for improving students’ learning. Three main learning outcomes have been addressed: conceptual change, skill development and content area knowledge (Strangman, N., & Hall, T., 2003). ‘Virtual Cell’ is a science-based learning site that takes learners on virtual journeys through cells and parts of cells. As I worked my way through some of the videos, I was amazed at the detail of the graphics and how each aspect of a cell or part of a cell was explained in simple terms that were easily understood. I am not that into science, but this site actually made me interested in learning more about cells!

Simulation, Virtual Reality and Gaming have come a long way in the last ten years. As more demand for these education tools begin to emerge, we can expect to see to more content available for delivery to our students. We as educators would be remiss if we dismissed these technologies as nonsense and time wasters. These educational tools can be used to teach children in ways that they have not been exposed to before. Before using these tools with our students, we need to educate parents on the advantages as well. With parental support, use of gaming in the classroom will add more learning opportunities for students at all learning levels.

‘To win you have to get in the game and stay in the game’

IndustryPlayer:

http://www.industryplayer.com/

Food Force:
http://www.wfp.org/how-to-help/individuals/food-force

Virtual Cell:

http://vcell.ndsu.nodak.edu/animations/atpgradient/movie-flash.htm

Internet Ethics in the Classroom

Controversial and Ethical issues related to using the Internet in the classroom

It looks like this ‘Internet’ thing is here to stay. So we might as well embrace it and start using it.  But how?  As we look for ways to bring the Internet into the classroom and teach students how to use it, we must also be socially responsible and address the ethical and controversial issues that come with using these materials that we now have access to.

Brewster (2010) tells us that the Internet Archive has just doubled the number of books for the print-disabled, Coyle (2010) reports that C-Span is making its entire archive available free and open and Cornell removed all restrictions on its digital public domain holdings (Internetarchive 2009).  The amount of data and material that we have access to is multiplying at a dizzying rate.

Not all ethics and controversy is related to the user interface side of the Internet. On the flip-side, there are still issues being addressed with the content made available on the Internet. An issue in the forefront is that of ‘orphan books’ (Peter 2009). Orphan books are those writings that do not have a known author. The controversial issue surrounding these ‘orphan books’ is how they should be copyrighted – if at all.

From the user-interface side, sitting in front of a keyboard, as we come across data that we find fascinating and useful, we must take the necessary precautions to give the authors of these works their proper accolades and not use it in a way as to present it as our own works, aka plagiarism.

Along with plagiarism, there are copyright laws, and they DO apply to the Internet!  You can’t assume that just because it’s on the Internet, that you can snag it and make copies and distribute it.  Educational Institutions should have Internet usage policies to address copyright laws and have both parents and students sign the form. 

Many parents are concerned about the privacy of their children. It is imperative that we make known to even the youngest of Internet users, the fact that they should NEVER give out personal information to ANYONE on the internet – that includes filling any form that asks for your name, age, phone number or location. ‘Stranger Danger’ and ‘Big Brother is watching’ take on a whole new meaning when dealing with cyber-space.

Before a student gets behind the wheel of a car, a student must study and practice the rules of the road and pass a test in order to obtain a license – they have proven that they have learned and retained information.  Students in the classroom should have to go through the same process in order to use the Internet – study appropriate usage and ethics and pass a test before getting behind the keyboard of a computer with a ‘license to surf’.

‘Ethically Surf without Controversy’

'In the Clouds'

with

TechLearning.com

The assignment 'In the Clouds' has been a lot of fun! I did not realize that there were so many online collaborative learning sites already in existence. The possibilities are endless as to the resources that teachers have available for them to assist them in educating students at any age.

The first site that I chose to explore was 'dynamo.dictionary.com' . The goal of this website is 'to empower word discovery and learning.' This site allows its users to build their vocabulary through the use of dictionaries, a thesaurus and even playing word games. What I like most is the ability to create your own word list. As you create your word list, definitions become available for you to choose from or you can create your own.  Then you 'tag' your list to help you and others find the list through a search. Students can study the new word list by matching, listening to the words or using flashcards. A creative and interactive way to stimulate the learning of words.

The next site that interested me was 'IXL.com'.  IXL.com makes math practice fun. It allows teachers and parents to monitor the progress of their students (Pre-K thru grade 10) and motivate them through interactive games and practice questions. This site is unique in that is actually allows you to choose your state standards (Ohio 2010 Common Core State Standards) and has practice questions that are linked to each standard. The site also allows parents and teachers to chart the progress of a student as they work through the practice questions and attain higher skill levels.

The third site that I thought might be useful as an education tool is 'Kerpoof'. Kerpoof is a website that encourages students to have fun discovering things and being creative. Students can make a drawing or artwork, tell a story, or  make an animated movie and vote on other movies, stories and drawings that other people have made.  This site would offer an enjoyable and interactive way for students to complete writing assignments in English and Composition classes and other courses such as science and social studies where a presentation or report is required.

The use of tags, tag clouds and social bookmarking is revolutionizing the way our educators approach teaching and the way our students learn. By using tags and social bookmarking, educators can influence the online content a student has access to for their particular course/subject. Students spend less time surfing the web for relevant data for research and the chance of getting useless, incorrect and inappropriate material is greatly diminished.  Through social bookmarking educators are able to track a students research progress by seeing what items the student has tagged and bookmarked. The same concept applies to students, as they can see what their classmates have tagged and bookmarked for research projects. Of particular value to an educator might be the ability to collaborate and share common content for their area(s) of study with their colleagues. The concept of tags and social bookmarking is not going away. In order to maximize the potential of this new technology, educators and students need to continue to explore how the use of these online tools can assist in the learning process.

Blogging & Twittering

BLOGGING
Blogging is yet another technological outlet for letting people know your thoughts. A blog can be an online journal for your personal life, or a way to share information and ideas with those who share the same interests. Blogging makes sharing ideas entertaining and effortless and starting a blog is very simple.  The video clip 'Blogs in Plain English' states that the use of blogs creates a 'community' of sorts with those who participate. There is great value and relevance to incorporating blogging into classroom curriculum. Teachers can use this form of technology to engage the students in blogs with students in other schools, states and even countries. They could have students create blogs at the beginning of the school year and end with a contest for the 'Best Blog', 'Most Commented on Blog', 'Most Creative Blog', etc. Most kids like to be able to use technology to express and 'brand' themselves. 

Blogs in Plain English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

TWITTERING
Twittering is a form of micro-blogging. By answering the questions 'What are you doing?' in under 140 characters, people can stay connected in a way that has never been seen before. What I find most intriguing are the statistics presented in the YouTube videos 'Tweets for Education' that indicate 52% of 'tweeters' are age 35 and older. With that said, can twittering be a useful communication tool in
K-12 classrooms? There is a lot going on inside of a students head, and it's hard to discern what they are learning and how they are applying what they are learning. Twitter can give insights to what a student is thinking and what they have learned and that can help educators make teaching more relevant.

Twitter in Plain English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o&feature=player_embedded

I set up my twitter account for the first time - I would fall into that '35 and older' category. I thought I would follow News Channel 11 for news feeds and Barack Obama for a peak into the life of a president. Should be interesting, as my first tweet was one word - 'AMEN' in repsonse to an Obama tweet “There’s nobody who can’t serve. Nobody who can’t help somebody else.”—President Obama speaking at an #MLK2012 service event.

Happy blogging and twittering! (or is it tweeting?)