The Invasion of the

1
The Invasion of the New Learner Empowered with
Technology

• Joyce Malyn-Smith, Ed.D.Education Development
  Center
• David M. Smith, M.Ed.
• Kaplan University

2
EDC

• Learning is a liberating force in human
  development.
• Janet Whitla, Former President EDC
• How do we inspire sustainable change around the
  world?
• Bridge research and practice
• Pursue comprehensive solutions
• Collaborate
• Focus on questions that matter in peoples lives

3
EDC Body of Work Technical Skill Development

• Career Development (1970-present)
• National Skill Standards (92-99)
• School to Work (90-98)
• Techforce (1996-00)
• IT Career Cluster (1999-2004)
• IT Across Careers (2000-present)
• ITEST (2003-present)
• Power Users of ICT The New Learner
  (2003-present)

4
Skill Development Model
Traditional Model
Level of Performance on Skill Standards Community K-Life K-12 Work Based Learning 2 Year College 4 Year College Employ-ment
Expert x
Refinement x
(Proficient) Mastery x x x
Practice x x x x
Introductory x x x
5
Skill Development Model
Skill Development of Todays Youth
Traditional Model
Level of Performance on Skill Standards Community K-Life K-12 Work Based Learning 2 Year College 4 Year College Employ-ment
Expert x
Refinement x x x
(Proficient) Mastery x x x x
Practice x x x x x x
Introductory x x x x
6
Power Users of ICT are New Learners

• Individuals who break out of the confines of
  traditional learning, demographic, or
  technological barriers by constantly using,
  sharing, creating, producing or changing
  information in creative, innovative and/or
  unintended ways so that they become force
  multipliers in their own environments.

7
Global Collaboration
8
Developing Economies Communities with less ICT
Access

• Role of ICT in accomplishing Millennium goals by
  2015
• Potential Impact of Power Users on workforce,
  economy, education system
• How can Power User Initiative relate to bridging
  the digital divide?

9
Collaborators

• International Policy Makers
• Researchers
• Business Leaders
• Educators
• Young Power Users of Technology
• Foundation Representatives

10
Power Users SymposiumCosta Rica, August 2005
11
First International Symposium on Power Users of
ICT - 2005

• Philippines Team How would you use technology to
  develop a global culture of peace?

12
Power Users SymposiumCosta Rica, August 2005
13
New Learner Profile

• Expert learners/Strategic thinkers
• Self-directed learners
• Experiential learners
• Time on task/persistent
• Carry skills and knowledge from one setting to
  another
• Reject limits
• Problem solvers
• Out of the box thinkers

14
New Learner Profile

• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Team players sharing/receiving info
• Culturally tolerant
• Build social networks and personal identities
• Technically skilled
• Learn these things outside of school with friends
  Pattern recognition
• Technology-based logic embedded in thinking

15
Power Users at WSIS 2 Tunis, November 2005
16
Recommendations to WSIS 2

• Engage Youth
• Expand and Deepen Research
• Build Global Awareness and Inform
• Leverage and Connect Investments
• Translate Research into Action/Practice

17
ITEST Learning Resource Center at EDC
NSF Innovative Technology Experiences for
Students and Teachers (ITEST)
jms
18
Fig. 4.9 COQS index of digital literacy. The
total population and youth (age up to 24). EU
member states, EU average, Switzerland and the
USA. Average value of the groups, separated in
countries  
19
Studies Indicate

• Time on Task - Teens spend more time on
  technology than traditional pass times and
  learning tools
• (Pew, Census, Kaiser)
• Youth as Creators of Content (Pew)
• Research on Cognition - Experience
  builds/strengthens connections, reduced use
  breaks down connections
• (Plasticity, Attention, Visual Acuity)

20
Certiport Study

• 382 Centers responded to survey
• Research focused on 3 key areas
• Learning style preferences of Power Users
• Power Users influence on how teachers teach
• Power Users impact on peers and teachers
• Findings
• 69 Power Users influence what they teach
• 66 Power Users influence how they teach
• 48 noted that Power Users exhibit helping
  behaviors
• 55 stated Power Users facilitate learning of
  others
• 84 stated Power Users have positively influenced
  their learning/knowledge of ICT

21
Expert Learners vs Novices

• Experts (in any given area) are different from
  novices in the ways they organize, represent and
  interpret information this in turn affects their
  abilities to remember, reason and solve problems
  (How People Learn, 2001).
• Novices focus on the superficial or rudimentary
  steps in a problem solving process. To become
  experts students need to develop the ability to
  teach themselves.
• John Bransford, 2001

22
Expert Learners

• Experts recognize patterns, chunk various
  elements into patterns that represent meaningful
  information to them.
• Experts organize around big ideas. They have
  acquired a great deal of content knowledge that
  is organized in ways that reflect deep
  understanding of their subject matter. They
  develop a sensitivity to patterns of meaningful
  information.
• Experts flexibly retrieve important aspects of
  their knowledge with little attentional effort.
  Experts approach problem solving in these ways.
• John Bransford, 2001

23
Power Users as Expert Learners

• Power Users of Technology are self-directed
  learners, seeking new information and skills in a
  just-in-time framework, relying on the internet
  and their networks of peers in their virtual
  communities to become self-directed, expert
  learners.

24
Power Users as Computational Thinkers

• Think like computer scientists
• Patterned thinking
• Algorithmic thinking
• Break down big problems into smaller, more easily
  solvable problems
• Reuse of parts of solutions

25
For All Children

• The Power Users Initiative deals with what
  people can learn about children who have
  developed sophisticated technology skills. It is
  just on example of changing patterns of learning,
  challenging schools. It raises important
  questions on behalf of educators.
• Ulf Lundin
• Executive Director European Schoolnet, 2003

26
New Learners
Curriculum Implications

• David M. Smith
• School of Information Systems and Technology
• Kaplan University

27
Kaplan University

• School of Information Systems and Technology
• Professional School Orientation
• AAS, BS, 22 Advanced Start, MSIT, MBA Degrees
• Kaplan Higher Education -75 campus-based schools
  nationwide
• Kaplan Virtual Education Online High School
  Program

28
New Learners Curriculum Implications

• New Learners and Curriculum
• On-Line lessons for Campus-Based Schools
• Related Issues

29
Confused by Terms?

• Millennials1 People born between 1982 and 2000
• Also called Generation Y, Twixters, Digital
  Natives, etc.
• A generational name, like Baby Boomers
• Refers to ALL people in the Group
• Power Users of Technology2 /
• Users Empowered with Technology

1. Neil Howe and William Strauss
2. Joyce Malyn-Smith, EDC

30
Power Users of TechnologyNew Learners

• Individuals who break out of the confines of
  traditional learning, demographic, or
  technological barriers by constantly using,

sharing, creating, producing or changing
information in creative, innovative and/or
unintended ways so that they become force
multipliers in their own.1 1. Joyce
Malyn-Smith, EDC. 2002
31

• Curriculum Strategies for Engaging New Learners

32
Self-Directed, Experiential Learners

• Recognize Learning which has taken place outside
  of school.
• Assess prior learning
• CLEP Exams
• DANTES
• Certifications Prior Learning Portfolio
• Course Credit (or waiver)

33
Self-Directed, Experiential Learners

• Challenge Exams
• Allow students to test out of courses
• Give students credit for portions of course
  they already know
• Experiential Learning Portfolios
• Students demonstrate learning to meet course
  outcomes
• Reviewed by two Faculty

34
Partial Course Credit?

• Modularized Content and Resources
• Matrix of Learning Outcomes, Resources,
  Locations, Access

35
Active Learners

• Hands On Learning Activities
• Lab Exercises
• Online Simulations
• Games

36
Time on task / PersistentJust in Time Learners

• Provide Open Access to
• Course Materials
• Resources (including Labs)
• Faculty
• Technical Support
• 24/7 School Concept

37
Time on task / PersistentJust in Time Learners

• Want to keep going until task / challenge is
  completed.
• Beyond Regular Hours
• Expect Access to Resources, Information, Content
  When they need it.
• 24/7 School Concept

38
Just in Time Access

• Web-Based Access to Course Materials and
  Resources
• Open Lab Access
• Online Simulations
• Video Clips
• Faculty email, IM

39
Carry skills knowledge from one setting to
another

• Integrate Projects across Courses
• Allow work created in one Course to meet
  requirements in other courses
• Create Connections among Courses / Learning
• Portfolio approach throughout college
  curriculum

40
Problem Solvers / Collaborative Learners

• Problem-Based Learning
• Scenarios
• Case Study Projects
• Team Projects

41
Sophisticated technical skills/expert
knowledge/spikes

• Keep New Learners involved in the Course
• Recognize and build on their strengths
• Mentoring of Other Students
• Classroom Technical Support
• Assist other students with Computer / Software
  questions

42
Engage New Learners

• Use the technology they use.
• Create a course BLOG
• Podcasts
• Streaming Media
• Digital Community sites
• Maintain a Web Presence
• RSS Feeds
• Cell Phone / PDA

43
On-Line lessons for Campus-Based Schools
44
Lessons from Online

• Content vs. Delivery and Access
• Develop for Your Learners
• Familiarity with Technology
• Student Profile
• Do your Students include Power Users?

YES
45
Outcomes Based Courses

• Three Parts to Outcome Statement
• Action verb statement
• Student will Describe, Create, Explain
• Product - How will you know they did it.
• Through writing a paper, completing a quiz, etc.
• Criteria for Successful Completion
• With a grade of, signoff by a client,

46
Process

• Identify Course Outcomes
• Learning to take place, Not tasks to complete
• Develop Unit / Lesson Objectives
• Learning in this unit
• Content Items - Tasks, Activities to demonstrate
  achievement of Unit objective
• Resource Items - Identify what the student needs
  to complete the work in the unit

47
Learning Matrix
Learning Outcome Content Item Location Unit Used
Describe 4 Functions of a computer Flash animation Content Server 1
  Game - Label   1
  Reading Chap.1 pp 6-9 1
  Project 1   2
  Final Project   10
Evaluation / Assessment Rubric C-M-S 2, 10
48
Resource / Course Development

• Create a Development Team
• Faculty
• Content Expert
• Course Developer
• Instructional Designer
• Course Design Package
• Media / Special Materials Development
• Interactive Media, Videos, Games,
  Flash/Captivate/Camtasia, etc.

49
Resources for Students

• Online Access Maximize Student availability
• Instructor lecture / Notes
• Case Studies
• Templates
• Project information
• Web-Based Resources

50
Combining Online and Face to Face

• Face-to-Face In-Class / Lab Instruction
• On-Line Access to Resources
• On-Line Discussion / Blogs
• Electronic Project Submission
• On-Line Gradebook

51
Web-Based Delivery

• Content Management System
• Content Servers
• Web Servers
• Internet Access for Students

52
Technical Support for Students and Faculty

• Online Help Desk,
• Instant Message
• E-mail
• Phone Support

53
Related Issues
54
New Learner Issues

• Sporadic knowledge / Knowledge Spikes
• Help students expand knowledge and connect to
  important concepts and frameworks
• Limited vocabulary
• Help students articulate what they know and can
  do and understand the value of their abilities

55
New Learner Issues

• Limited organizational frameworks
• Help students connect and fit what they know
  within larger concept frameworks
• Limited historical contexts/lessons
• Help students fit what they know within larger
  historical contexts/lessons

56
Other Issues

• Intellectual Property
• Course Content is the Property of the Institution
• Course Development Contract
• Faculty develop course content as Work for Hire
• Released Time Part of Course Load
• Additional Compensation

57
Other issues

• College Resources
• Financial
• Faculty
• Staff
• Student Technology

58
Questions and Comments

• ?

59
David M. Smithdsmith4_at_kaplan.edu

• Contact Information
• Joyce Malyn-Smith
• jmalynsmith_at_edc.org