Tag: learning

Learning Community, Micro-Blogs

Teaching with Twitter

Laura Pasquini

Some college students may be introduced to instructors & courses that ENCOURAGE micro blogging with Twitter.

Twitter is becoming a fast buzz in both media and celebrity circles, however, I think that more teachers are beginning to realize the power this social media tool for learning.

Here are a few benefits for professors who experiment with Twitter as a teaching tool:

  • source of news
  • opinions of peers
  • gain knowledge from experts
  • live & archived tweeting in class
  • capture lecture content
  • add depth to lecture material
  • build a learning community inside & beyond the classroom

For those faculty/instructors who might consider tweeting in class, I might recommend that you start up your own Twitter account and play with it. Also, be sure to read up about strategies &tools that to optimize learning with Twitter.

I personally like TweetDeck (an Adobe Air-based app) to organize & categorize my tweets. I can clearly see my messages, replies and content areas I am interested in at a quick glance.  Some categories I use for tweets include Higher Ed, Web Tools, Career Research, T.O., Students, etc.

Are YOU tweeting with your students? If so, please share!

K-12, Learning Community, Learning Technologies

Social Networks Are for the Kids.

Laura Pasquini

Silly adults. Social networks are for kids (too)!

Although my interests lie in technology use in higher education, I stumbled upon an interesting article, Child-friendly social networking tools, in the eSchool News.

Many child-friendly applications have been created for students in the K-12 realm, which include various security and privacy features to keep educators at ease.  These arenas allow schools to develop online learning communities within their classroom, schools and/or school districts.

compkid

The article describes more specifics about the following tools:

I think an introduction to these types of technologies in school at an early age is excellent. This provides  a great classroom model and hands-on experience for the instruction with various tools, i.e. wikis, blogs, and more! Students learn to design, create, share and interact with their peers online for learning.

Most students in higher education are VERY aware of social networking tools.  The only issue is that many college students would not think to utilize these online technologies to support learning and academic success (unless their current faculty is ‘hip’ to the technology jive).   To best support academic learning in the later years, instructors need to use these online resources during formative, educational years.

Higher Education, web 2.0

Higher Education 2.0

Laura Pasquini

worldonshoulderswos

Technology has become quite accessible, especially in higher education. Whether you like the term web 2.0 or have caught the social media bug, the fact is, technology is present in many learning environments. The “alternate” forms of education are no more – it’s now just learning.

“Web 2.0 technologies and open education learning design, employed by imaginative teachers, create a landscape of learning–collaborative, problem-based, experiential–that is closer to our nature than the ranked, single voice classrooms so abundant in recent times. The single voice classroom developed because of the lack of other ways to help students learn. We no longer lack the resources and tools to develop learning designs that fit how people learn.”c/o Why Web 2.0 is Important in Higher Education, T. Baston, Campus Technology

Although this though is not widely embraced by faculty and administrators alike, it will be the challenge for the new generations of students entering into our colleges and universities.

Here are some interesting comments about this Campus Technology article’s message about web 2.0 in higher education:

Wed, Apr 15, 2009

I want someone, an actual human to talk to. Interaction with other humans. and the Web is not personal. I enjoy learning on line but getting the information and hearing the emotional delivery of a lecture is critical.

[Who is talking about online lectures? We are talking about engaging students in 2-way conversations online. Dialoging about relevant course material. Sharing ideas, thoughts, facts and opinions.]

Wed, Apr 15, 2009 

I still don’t see this. With the busy lives most of our students (mine are older) live, they need a lot of direction to get things done. My job as an instructor (I hate the instructor/professor paradigm) is to provide them with the initial stimulation to show them what they need to know and to make it interesting enough for them to pursue later (Web?). My students actually WANT me to talk to them, to help them see the framework things can be seen in, and to set the challenges for them. I wouldn’t dare say this always happens, but I try. And it is congruent with my own experience. I always loved great lectures from people who thoroughly understood and integrated knowledge (perhaps that’s why I still spend so much money on Teach12.com). I don’t say this as a Luddite. I’ve been involved in technology education for 25 years, and I am still uncertain where it can help ….

[GREAT! Keep talking to your students in-person… then engage & challenge them online and beyond the classroom/office hours environment – to share research, ask questions, and grow your learning community.]

Perhaps the misconception for technology in higher education is the thought it has to be ALL or NOTHING. I would encourage educators to think more broadly on how to support those adult learners, and seek out online mediums to to compliment and make your teaching practice more effective to cultivate learning communities at your institutions. It is never about the technology, it’s really the reason and purpose it plays in education.

Learning Community, Learning Technologies

Goodbye Textbooks, Hello Open-Source Learning!

Laura Pasquini

Here is a very interesting TED talk by Richard Baraniuk about the vision behind Connexions, his open-source, online education system.

Imagine a world without textbooks in schools.  Knowledge would be shared and modified for various courses.  The materials would be online, free and accessible for the entire world.  Welcome to the knowledge ecosystem!

This talk is a few years old, which means much of what Baraniuk is talking about has and will continue to transform the traditional classroom experience. Resources like Flat World Knowledge already exist to share textbooks and course materials with college students.

How has (or will) open-source learning made an impact to your learning environment?

Conference, Higher Education, Learning Technologies, Professional Development

TIDE is Coming In for Developmental Educators

Laura Pasquini

The Technical Institute for Developmental Educators (TIDE) will be held at Texas State San Marcos from July 26-31, 2009.  This is an interesting, hand-on technology workshop sponsored by Texas State University, CRLA and NADE fo higher ed folks interested in utilizing technology in their work.

Those who should attend include:

  • Developmental educators in higher education who want to learn more about how to use technology
  • All expertise are welcome; workshops beginners to advance
  • Both PC and Macintosh platforms will be available
  • Project support for initiatives at respective institutions
  • Opportunity to receive 3 hours of graduate credit or continuing education credit.

There will be at least 6 mini-course sessions (3 hours each) throughout the week, to introduce various learning opportunities with technology and enhance skills.  There will also be daily mentoring group meetings to debrief and support project development.