Facilitating e-Learning: Myths, Magic, or Just a Lot of Bonk?

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Facilitating e-Learning Myths, Magic, or Just a
Lot of Bonk?
Dr. Curtis J. Bonk Indiana University and
CourseShare.com http//php.indiana.edu/cjbonk cjb
onk_at_indiana.edu
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I. E-Learning Myths
II. E-Learning Magic
III. E-Learning Bonk
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I. E-Learning Myths.
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Myth 1.Instructors can just teach the same way
they always have.
10 Myths of Technology Integration
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Vanessa Dennens (2001) Research on Nine Online
Courses (sociology, history, communications,
writing, library science, technology, counseling)
Poor Instructors Good Instructors

• Little or no feedback given
• Always authoritative
• Kept narrow focus of what was relevant
• Created tangential discussions
• Only used ultimate deadlines

• Provided regular qual/quant feedback
• Participated as peer
• Allowed perspective sharing
• Tied discussion to grades, other assessments.
• Used incremental deadlines

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Myth 4.Learning is not improved when using
technology.
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Brains Before and After Technology Integration
After
Before
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Basic Distance Learning Finding?

• Research since 1928 shows that DL students
  perform as well as their counterparts in a
  traditional classroom setting.
• Per Russell, 1999, The No Significant Difference
  Phenomenon (5th Edition), NCSU, based on 355
  research reports.
• http//cuda.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdiffe
  rence/

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Myth 6.There are no models or best practices
for teaching with technology.
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Part I. Best PracticesWho are some of the key
scholars and players???
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Lets brainstorm comments (words or short
phrases) that reflect your overall attitudes and
feelings towards online teaching
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Feelings Toward Online TeachingThe Online
Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April,
2001)(Note 94 practitioners surveyed.)

• Exciting (30)
• Challenging (24)
• Time consuming (22)
• Demanding (18)
• Technical issue (16) Flexibility (16)
• Potential (15)
• Better options (14) Frustrating (14)
• Collab (11) Communication (11) Fun (11)

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What are your e-learning myths???
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II. E-Learning Magic.
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It Works!!!
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Can a community magically occur online?
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How Facilitate Online Community?

• Safety Establish safe environment
• Tone Flexible, inviting, positive, respect
• Personal Self-disclosures, open, stories telling
• Sharing Share frustrations, celebrations, etc
• Collaboration Camaraderie/empathy
• Common language conversational chat space
• Task completion set milestones grp goals
• Other Meaningful, choice, simple, purpose...

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Facilitating Electronic Discussion

• Provide Guidelines and Structure (e.g. assign due
  dates, times, and points)
• Instructor modeling better than guidelines
• Deadlines motivate but also limit participation
• Be patient, prompt, and clear
• Constantly Monitor, Converse not Dictate
• Weave and Summarize Weekly
• Foster Role Play, Debate, and Interaction

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The Center for Research on Learning and
Technology, Indiana University
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Learning to Teach with Technology Studio
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TICKIT Goals

• Knowledge, skill, confidence
• Thoughtful infusion of technology
• Help schools capitalize on their technology
  investments
• Deeper student learning
• Leadership cadres in schools
• Link schools and university

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• TICKIT Training and Projects
• Web Web quests, Web search, Web edit/pub.
• Includes class, department, or school website.
• Write Electronic newsletters, book reviews.
• Tools Photoshop, Inspiration, PowerPoint.
• Telecom e-mail with foreign countries Key pals.
• Computer conferencing Nicenet.org.
• Digitizing using camera, scanning, digitizing.
• Videoconferencing connecting classes.
• E-Learning HighWired.com, MyClass.net,
  Lightspan.com, eBoard.com

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Overview of TICKIT

• In-service teacher education program
• Rural schools in southern Indiana
• Yearlong, 25 teachers from 5 schools
• Primarily school-based
• Supported by participating school systems, Arthur
  Vining Davis Foundations and Indiana University

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Not everything is magical!
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Online Technology Pushes Pedagogy to the
ForefrontFrank Newman J. Scurry, Chronicle of
Higher Ed, July 13, 2001, B7.

• Many faculty members are still concerned whether
  the technology is simple and reliable enough to
  use for more-sophisticated learning tasks.
  Increasingly, however, better software is
  emerging that engages students in more effective
  learning.

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Timeout for a break from our sponsors
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III. E-Learning Bonk

• FRAMEWORKS!

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1. Reflect on Extent of IntegrationThe Web
Integration Continuum

• Level 1 Course Marketing/Syllabi via the Web
• Level 2 Web Resource for Student Exploration
• Level 3 Publish Student-Gen Web Resources
• Level 4 Course Resources on the Web
• Level 5 Repurpose Web Resources for Others
• Level 6 Web Component is Substantive Graded
• Level 7 Graded Activities Extend Beyond Class
• Level 8 Entire Web Course for Resident Students
• Level 9 Entire Web Course for Offsite Students
• Level 10 Course within Programmatic Initiative

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2. Four Key Hats of Instructors

• Technicaldo students have basics? Does their
  equipment work? Passwords work?
• ManagerialDo students understand the assignments
  and course structure?
• PedagogicalHow are students interacting,
  summarizing, debating, thinking?
• SocialWhat is the general tone? Is there a
  human side to this course? Joking allowed?
• Other firefighter, convener, weaver, tutor,
  conductor, host, mediator, filter, editor,
  facilitator, negotiator, e-police, concierge,
  marketer, assistant, etc.

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Still More Hats

• Assistant
• Devils advocate
• Editor
• Expert
• Filter
• Firefighter
• Facilitator

• Gardener
• Helper
• Lecturer
• Marketer
• Mediator
• Priest
• Promoter

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3.
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Push to Explore "You might want to write to Dr.
XYZ for...," "You might want to do an ERIC
search on this topic...," "Perhaps there is a URL
on the Web that addresses this topic..."
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But there problems
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Problems Faced

• Administrative
• Lack of admin vision.
• Lack of incentive from admin and the fact that
  they do not understand the time needed.
• Lack of system support.
• Little recognition that this is valuable.
• Rapacious U intellectual property policy.
• Unclear univ. policies concerning int property.

• Pedagogical
• Difficulty in performing lab experiments
  online.
• Lack of appropriate models for pedagogy.
• Time-related
• More ideas than time to implement.
• Not enough time to correct online assign.
• People need sleep Web spins forever.

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How Avoid Shovelware?This form of structure
encourages teachers designing new products to
simply shovel existing resources into on-line
Web pages and discourages any deliberate or
intentional design of learning strategy.
(Oliver McLoughlin, 1999)
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How Bad Is It?

• Some frustrated Blackboard users who say the
  company is too slow in responding to technical
  problems with its course-management software have
  formed an independent users group to help one
  another and to press the company to improve.
• (Jeffrey Young, Nov. 2, 2001, Chronicle of Higher
  Ed)

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Intrinsic Motivational Terms?

1. Tone/Climate Psych Safety, Comfort, Belonging
2. Feedback Responsive, Supports, Encouragement
3. Engagement Effort, Involvement, Excitement
4. Meaningfulness Interesting, Relevant, Authentic
5. Choice Flexibility, Opportunities, Autonomy
6. Variety Novelty, Intrigue, Unknowns
7. Curiosity Fun, Fantasy, Control
8. Tension Challenge, Dissonance, Controversy
9. Interactive Collaborative, Team-Based, Community
10. Goal Driven Product-Based, Success, Ownership

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Intrinsic Motivation

• innate propensity to engage ones interests and
  exercise ones capabilities, and, in doing so, to
  seek out and master optimal challenges
• (i.e., it emerges from needs, inner strivings,
  and personal curiosity for growth)

See Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic
motivation and self-determination in human
behavior. NY Plenum Press.
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1. Tone/Climate Social Ice BreakersA. Readiness
Checklist

1. The amount of time I can devote to this class is
2. I am a self-motivated individual.
3. I am a good time-manager.
4. I complete whatever I start.
5. I am not a procrastinator--I like to get things
   done today and not put off for tomorrow.

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1. Tone/Climate Ice Breakers

• B. Eight Nouns Activity
• 1. Introduce self using 8 nouns
• 2. Explain why choose each noun
• 3. Comment on 1-2 peer postings
• C. Two Truths, One Lie (Kulp, IBM)
• Tell 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself
• Class votes on which is the lie

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2. FeedbackA. Learner-Content Interactions
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2. FeedbackB. Anonymous Suggestion Box

• George Watson, Univ of Delaware, Electricity and
  Electronics for Engineers
• Students send anonymous course feedback (Web
  forms or email)
• Submission box is password protected
• Instructor decides how to respond
• Then provide response and most or all of
  suggestion in online forum
• It defuses difficult issues, airs instructor
  views, and justified actions publicly.
• Caution If you are disturbed by criticism,
  perhaps do not use.

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3. EngagementA. Electronic Voting and Polling

• 1. Ask students to vote on issue before class
  (anonymously or send directly to the instructor)
• 2. Instructor pulls our minority pt of view
• 3. Discuss with majority pt of view
• 4. Repoll students after class
• (Or Delphi or Timed
• Disclosure Technique)
• anonymous input till a due date
• and then post results and
• reconsider until consensus
• Rick Kulp, IBM, 1999)

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3. EngagementB. Annotations and Animations
MetaText (eBooks)
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4. MeaningfulnessA. Job or Field Reflections

1. Instructor provides reflection or prompt for job
   related or field observations
2. Reflect on job setting or observe in field
3. Record notes on Web and reflect on concepts from
   chapter
4. Respond to peers
5. Instructor summarizes posts

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5. Choice A. Web Resource Reviews
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6. Variety A. Just-In-Time-Teaching

• Gregor Novak, IUPUI Physics Professor (teaches
  teamwork, collaboration, and effective
  communication)
• Lectures are built around student answers to
  short quizzes that have an electronic due date
  just hours before class.
• Instructor reads and summarizes responses before
  class and weaves them into discussion and changes
  the lecture as appropriate.

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7. CuriosityA. Synchronous Chats

• Find article or topic that is controversial
• Invite person associated with that article
  (perhaps based on student suggestions)
• Hold real time chat
• Pose questions
• Discuss and debrief (i.e., did anyone change
  their minds?)
• (Alternatives B. Email Interviews with experts
• C. Assignments with expert reviews)

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8. Tension A. Role Play

• List possible roles or personalities (e.g.,
  coach, questioner, optimist, devils advocate,
  etc.)
• Sign up for different role every week (or for 5-6
  key roles during semester)
• Reassign roles if someone drops class
• Perform within rolestry to refer to different
  personalities in peer commenting

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Role 8 Conqueror or Debater/Arguer/Bloodletter

• Takes ideas into action, debates with others,
  persists in arguments and never surrenders or
  compromises nomatter what the casualties are when
  addressing any problem or issue.

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Role 10 Slacker/Slough/Slug/Surfer Dude

• In this role, the student does little or nothing
  to help him/herself or his/her peers learn.
  Here, one can only sit back quietly and listen,
  make others do all the work for you, and
  generally have a laid back attitude (i.e., go to
  the beach) when addressing this problem.

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9. Interactive A. Critical/Constructive
Friends, Email Pals

• Assign a critical friend (based on interests?).
• Post weekly updates of projects, send reminders
  of due dates, help where needed.
• Provide criticism to peer (I.e., what is strong
  and weak, whats missing, what hits the mark) as
  well as suggestions for strengthening.
• In effect, critical friends do not slide over
  weaknesses, but confront them kindly and
  directly.
• Reflect on experience.

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10. Goal Driven and Products A. Gallery Tours
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1. Low Risk lt-------gt High RiskJob Risk Continuum
2. Low Time lt-------gt High TimeTime Continuum
3. Low Reality lt-------gt High RealityAuthenticity
Continuum
4. Low Cost lt-------gt High CostExpense Continuum
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Final advicewhatever you do