This review explores literature relating to adult learning and andragogy, new media in online education, and social presence and learning with new media. According to CNN.com, the popularity of distance education has spread from colleges to earlier grades, as students in more than one-third of U.S. school districts take courses over the internet or through video conferencing. Distance learning has definitely become part of many students’ lives. From adults to elementary aged students, the use of technology is becoming more relevant in education.
Adult Learning and Androgogy
According to Burge (1988) andragogy is a set of principles for helping the learning process of adults (adult learning). Distance learning provides flexibility in scheduling and independent studies. Eduscape.com says distance learning can also address barriers of time, distance, physical disabilities, personal, and professional responsibilities. Adults are in different stages of their lives and have various responsibilities. The need for diverse instruction is very much apparent. “The majority of adult learners express a desire for more but not complete partnership in planning, organizing, delivering, and evaluating of courses. The basic premise of the learner-centred approach proposed by the principles of androgogy rest a great deal on the cognitive maturity of adult learners”(Burge, 1988). There is no specific difference in adult learners’ learning or cognitive styles and variations of psychosocial, intellectual, or moral and other development continua. Clearly there is a need for differentiation.
Burge gives examples of the four R’s to guide adult learners into the world of distance education. Responsibility, both the learner and facilitator have responsibilities. Relevance as it applies to content, process, past experience, and learning outcomes. Relationships operate in three dimensions: interpersonal, integration of cognition and affect, and relativistic and contextual nature of higher order thinking. Rewards, facilitators need to discuss with the learners potential rewards.
New Media in Online Education
There are several different electronic tools that are being introduced in distance learning courses. Technology continues to evolve on a daily basis and so does online courses. From online notebooks, blogs, podcasting, streaming video and audio, instant messaging, and wikis, the world of technology has emerged in today’s classrooms.
According to Williams & Jacobs (2004) blogging is a contraction of the term ‘web logging’. Blogging has become firmly established as a web based communication tool. Blogs have been widely used in online courses as a tool for students to communicate their views and ideas of specific issues. Blogging allows you to share information in a relaxed setting wile others are able to comment on your thoughts. “The efficiency of the blog with the associated hyperlinks, RSS syndication and comment features provides a model for communication that can fit into the very busy lifestyle of academics and technologist who are engaged in this field.”(Schroeder, 2003).
A podcast is a digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed over the Internet using syndicated feed for playback on personal computers or portable media players. “Podcasting is a part of the so-called Web 2.0 that depends on push technologies to deliver content” (Morales, 2006). Morales and Moses go on to say that podcasting has revolutionized education by enabling up-to-date content, addressing multiple intelligences and allowing for anytime/anywhere delivery of instructional content. The main advantage of using podcasting in educational courses is that it allows for immediate availability for large audiences via downloads or subscriptions notification systems. The only downside I see to podcasting is that it does not allow for visual components of lectures.
Outside of education, podcast are used for enjoyment. Many people are now downloading talk shows and commentaries via podcast. Information is made easily available through podcastings. Students are able to use portable media devices such as MP3 players and I-Pods to listen to educational podcast allowing flexibility and mobility to instruction.
Technology had definitely evolved over the years. Podcasting and blogging have provided an excellent delivery method for instructors, students, and staff. These technological tools have made designing online courses much easier. New media has definitely made taking online courses a lot more flexible and enjoyable for students.
Social Presence and Learning with New Media
New media has revolutionized online courses. With the use of podcasting, blogs, and wikis, the need for social presence has faltered. The days of having to sit in a classroom and listen to lectures, or work in small groups has transformed. Through the use of blogs, students are able to communicate in a setting that allows for anonymity. Students can openly share their thoughts and opinions without being scrutinized publicly. Blogs have allowed for more student centered involvement. When sitting in a face to face lecture, not all students participate, and not all students fully understand the topic being lectured on. Through podcast and blogging, you have the flexibility to talk to the class and ask questions for clarification without feeling embarrassed. Social interaction is now taking place via the web. Online courses are allowing flexibility to take in all of the information and the ability to work at a pace that is comfortable for the learner.
References:
Burge, L. (1988). Beyond andragogy: some explorations for distance learning design. Journal of Distance Education, 3(1), 5-23.
CNN.com retrieved on 10/18/07
Glogoff, S.(2005). Instructional blogging: promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate 1, 1-6
Morales, C. & Moses, J.(2006). Podcasting: recording, managing, and delivering the classroom experience. Educause Evolving Technologies Committee.
Schroeder, R. (2003). Blogging online learning news and research. University of Illinois at Springfield.
Sparks, P. & Mentz, L. (2006). Electronic note passing: enriching online learning with new communication tools. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2(4), 1-6.
Williams, J. & Jacobs, J. (2004). Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces in the higher education sector. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(2), 232-247.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Michele,
I liked your use of comments by CNN and Eduscape, it would have been interesting to see the original articles. Is that one-third of K-12 districts? How do they define 'distance education'? Now I want to find out if my district offers distance learning in any form to K-12 and how many students are taking the opportunity. Your comments on social presence were a new angle too; instead of asking how we can increase social presence in distance learning, your review accentuates the positives of minimizing that aspect of learning. Nice new perspective and fun to read.
Hello Michele,
Great review, I do feel like I can make comments and not be embarrass when I post in blogs, but sometimes I wonder if this keeps students like myself from participating or voicing our opinions in other aspects of our lives and work. I do enjoy the flexibility that online courses allow and will definitely continue taking them.
Michele,
I enjoyed reading your comparision between the various types of media that is used in the classrooms of today. Blogging has grown on me over the last several quarters and I tend to be more open regarding my comments using a blog than I would be in a classroom setting. I have little exerperience using the wikis, but I would defintitely like to learn more about them and see how they are used in the classroom. I think it would benefit most of the students if they had alternative methods of communicating with each other in a classroom setting.
Great review!
James
You never know until you try right?
Before using Blogs in Dr. Newberry's classes, i never kept one and honestly looked at them as a waste of time and really like write a journal for the world to see (and why would I do that?). But obviously, there are different uses for blogs both professionally and personally. I actually enjoy the idea of blogs and for some reason it make interaction a little more appealing than email (at least for me)
Interesting that we're talking about students' timidity about asking questions in a classroom, when we're assuming "adult learning." I would think the timidity we see in secondary school would be filtered out by the time you reach an adult classroom, which is composed of students who have already *survived* both high school and adolescence. Maybe I'm wrong.
The relationship between kids and their technology is fascinating to those of us who want to engage kids in learning, but there are many roadblocks:
1) Up to adulthood (my rule of thumb, maybe a good question for research), students experience varying degrees of "creeped-out-ness" using email with adults.
2) Many kids also don't feel that adults belong in their world of social networking. ("*You* have a myspace?!" "You" in this example sounds almost identical to "eeuww" for a good reason.)
3) Many adults whose only exposure to social networking is through the MSNBC stings feel the same way as kids: normal adults won't go into MySpace or Facebook.
3) iPods and PSPs are for playing, not working. Who wants to use a toy for doing homework?
4) If they could figure out a way to do it, administrators would be happy to confiscate all personal media players at the schoolyard gate and (possibly) return them as kids leave school.
I think it is interesting that adults consider students devices as toys. Most of the “toys” that students are using are actually just part of the learning curve for what they will need to make it in their life. I learned this weekend that there are programs that can read the text you find on the internet to students. A younger student, or at a lower level, and use this program to summarize the information for them. Imagine the possibilities that will exist for them in the future. The main speaker at the Technology Conference this weekend pointed out that some companies are using the results of a computer game called World War something to hire people. It is because of the higher level thinking skills that are required to play the game.
I know that I am beginning to like this blogging now that I am able to figure out how to use it. I know that I used a WIKI in a past class and it made working with a team really easy and successful. It was discussed how teachers could set up WIKI’s in their classrooms to assist students in working together on a project. Maybe if NCLB goes away we can in fact get back to teaching students how to be creative, cooperative and successful in mastering their own learning.
Kathy
Post a Comment