There are different beliefs about the role of educators in the learning process. Identifying the differences between learning models can be difficult. Therefore, using metaphorical roles can assist with understanding. Siemens (2008) uses metaphors to describe four of these different opinions. These learning models describe educators as a master artist, network administrator, concierge, and curator (Siemens, 2008).
John Seely Brown compares the role of an educator to that of a master artist and the classroom to an art studio. In this setting, the educator observes the work of the students and praises exemplary work. Students derive inspiration from not only the educator but from each other. “The activities of all students can serve to guide, direct, and influence the work of each individual” (Siemens, 2008 p. 15).
Clarence Fisher’s theory gives educators the role of network administrator. This model suggests that educators are responsible for assisting students in creating learning networks. Students acquire information from within their networks. The educator helps the students make connections between different sources to increase knowledge and addresses any possible gaps within the individual networks (Siemens, 2008).
Curtis Bonks uses the term concierge to describe the role of educators. In this model, educators lead learners to different resources and learning experiences. The educator then steps back, providing minimal guidance, while students explore and learn on their own (Siemens, 2008).
Siemens believes that educators should hold the role of curator. According to Siemens (2008), “a curatorial teacher acknowledges the autonomy of learners, yet understands the frustration of exploring unknown territories without a map” (Siemens, 2008 p. 17). Within this model, students are free to explore knowledge and information within boundaries of the field.
Each of these learning models addresses the need for student autonomy with the educator being an expert in the field. However, the way the educator interacts with students throughout the learning process differs for each. I believe that in a digital classroom, educators should hold the role of curator. Without a guide, students could become lost in the vast amount of information and knowledge found on the Internet.
I relate a curator to a zoo keeper. A zoo keeper is an expert in the field and has a plethora of knowledge and information to share. He provides time for visitors to explore and discover based on personal interest. He sets up groups for visitors to explore with and learn from. A curator encompasses the roles of master artist, network administrator, and concierge. It provides a balance that allows students to explore and discover personal learning without ending up in the lion’s den.
This only displays four prospective roles of educators in a digital classroom. Bernard Bull provides additional roles here and suggests that educators need to take on multiple roles.
Resources
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved fromhttp://itforum.coe.uga.edu/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
Video Presentation Responses
On Saturday, February 16, 2013, LeAnn Morris, Sharmaine Sharusan, and I met synchronously on Skype as a learning community to discuss our video presentations. Our meeting lasted roughly 55 minutes.
Responses to my learning community:
LeAnn:
Shar:
Additonal responses were made to the following:
Marha:
Lori:
Allison:
Credibility of Online Learning Video Presentation
Annotated References
Allen,
E., & Seaman, J. (2013). Changing course: Ten years of tracking online
education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group and Quahog
Research Group, LLC.
Presents the research findings on
the state of online learning in the United States. This was the tenth year this research has
been conducted. Surveyed items include
the growth in online education, perceptions and acceptance of online learning
by faculty, as well as the effectiveness of online education in comparison to traditional
educational settings. Statistical graphs
portray the changes occurred during the varying time frames.
Raj,
S., & Al-Alawheh, M. (2010). A Perspective on Online Degrees Vs.
Face-to-Face in the Academic Field Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of
Learning International Networks Consortium. Cambridge, MA; LINC.
Described the perspectives of
employers in regards to the acceptability of online distant education programs
of online doctoral degrees. Delivers
insight into the minds of hiring officials from multiple fields depicting the uncertainties
surrounding online graduate degree programs.
Suggests new approaches to instructional design for online courses could
improve these perceptions.
Richardson,
J. (2010). Online Credentials: A State of Wariness. School Administrator, 67(8),
18-22.
Discusses the skepticisms found in
personnel directors towards individuals with a graduate degree that was
primarily obtained online. School
districts are noted as being reluctant to hire administrators without a
traditional education. Research suggests
that individuals with a degree obtained online are viewed as under qualified to
potential employers.
Shelton,
K. (2011). A Review of Paradigms for Evaluating the Quality of Online Education
Programs. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume IV,
Spring 2011(Number I).
Sinow,
R. &.-B. (2012). The Value and Acceptability of an Online Degree in Hiring
Gatekeepers’ choice for Employment in the Multimedia Production Industry. Proceedings
of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and
Higher Education (pp. 1918-1927). Chesapeake: AACE.
Describes the acceptability of
online degrees in the multimedia production industry. Studies show that individuals with experience
in online learning are more likely to accept online degrees. Hiring personnel from technology-based fields
find online degrees more credible than that of management fields. Limitations to peer interaction is viewed as
a weakness of online education. General acceptance
of online degree programs rises.
Udegbe,
I. (2012, March). Attitudes of Prospective Human Resource Personnel towards
Distance Learning Degrees. Online Journal of Distance Learning
Administration, XV(1).
Discusses the attitudes of human
resource personnel towards obtaining online degrees. The majority of those surveyed believed
traditional campus-based universities provided a more rigorous experience. Nearly 43% of respondents stated that they
would not hire someone with an online degree.
Overall, only a third of employers surveys had favorable attitudes
towards online learning.
Vukelic,
B. &. (2011). Employers' evaluation of online education. Annals Of DAAAM
& Proceedings, 1471-1472.
Research studies conducted in
Austria discovered employers held negative opinion towards applicants with
online degrees. 90% stated that online
degrees did not provide adequate skills and/or knowledge for successful
potential employees. It was noted that
often it is difficult to differentiate between degrees obtained online and
degrees earned from a traditional academic setting.
Zain-Ul-Abdin,
K. &. (2010). The acceptability of online degrees in teacher training and
hiring. Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher
Education International Conference 2010 (pp. 995-1000). Chesapeake, VA:
AACE.
Provides research findings on high
school principals’ acceptance of potential teachers with licensure degrees
obtained online. Findings showed that
95% of those surveyed would not hire a teacher with an online degree. Meanwhile, 99% stated they would choose an
applicant with a traditional education over one with an online degree. The participants’ reasoning was that online
programs could not provide adequate socialization required of effective
teachers.
Additional
Resources
Todd
Oppenheimer clips retrieved from YouTube:
Images
retrieved from:
Static versus Dynamic Technologies
I believe I fall somewhere between static and dynamic on this continuum. According to Moller (2008), "The middle-of-the-road approaches allow learners to interact with the content." However, in thinking of distance education, I believe that higher levels of learning occur when using more dynamic tools. In order for me to move towards dynamic technologies, I must first gain a deep understanding of how to use the technologies. While I have experience in Google Apps, wikis, and Dropbox, I don't feel like my level of knowledge is enough to be able to successfully integrate them into a distance education setting. Research shows that a teacher's experience with the technologies is more important than teaching experience (Fahy, 2008). Therefore, as I increase my abilities with the different dynamic tools, I will become more effective as a distance education educator.
Fahy, P. (2008). Characteristics of Interactive Online Learning Media. The Theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 305-340). Edmonton: AU Press
Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools. [Unpublished Paper].
Reply to LeAnn
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/02/module-5-moving-toward-dynamic_3.html?showComment=1360441368126#c6055820194136637570
Reply to Shar
http://docshar.blogspot.com/2013/02/module-5-static-versus-dynamic.html?showComment=1360441780522#c256110228732031420
Engaging eLearners Graphic Organizer
Learners today are using a variety of technological tools
that can be brought into educational settings to enhance learning. Blogs, Skype, email, and streaming video are
tools that many individuals use frequently for personal use. These same tools can be used in online
learning. Blogging is a phenomenon that is widely
used throughout society. From DIY
projects to instructional activities, society utilizes blogs to enhance their personal
knowledge on topics of their choice.
Blogs can be an effective tool in an online setting. Students can explore blogs of experts in the
field to increase knowledge. Ibraheem
Almuhanna states in his blog that blogs offer a place “where authors can
express themselves and reflect on their knowledge while getting feedback and
comments from readers”. Blogs can also
be an assessment medium. Students can
create their own blogs and write on assigned topics to portray knowledge. This gives students the opportunity to gather
feedback from individuals around the globe instead of just the course
instructor.
Wikis are widely used throughout multiple fields. Collaboration is getting a lot of press, and
schools and educators are being urged to incorporate collaboration within their
instruction. Implementing wikis in an
online setting provides students with tools to collaborate with peers from
across the world. Students can work
together to complete a final product.
In addition, since wikis track changes and page edits, it is easy for
instructors to identify individual contributions for assessment purposes. The benefits of this free tool should not be
overlooked.
Isolation is a major concern for many entering an online
setting. However, video conferences
tools such as Skype can help alleviate this problem. Skype has the capabilities of recreating the
face-to-face aspect that many feel is lost through online education. Synchronous discussions can occur in online
learning. Research has shown that using
a variety of tools that are appropriate for specific instructional tasks can
make distance, or online, learning just as effective as traditional learning
(Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford, 2006).
Almuhanna, Ibraheem (2012).
Online learning tools and communication guidelines. Retrieved from: http://onlinelearningstrategies.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-world-wide-web-offers-many.html
Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006).
Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College
Teaching,54(1), 190−193.
Comments posted to:
LeAnn Morris
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/01/module-4-graphic-organizer-engaging.html?showComment=1359305805732#c2650712318728670290
Martha Bless
http://marthabless.posterous.com/
Comments posted to:
LeAnn Morris
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/01/module-4-graphic-organizer-engaging.html?showComment=1359305805732#c2650712318728670290
Martha Bless
http://marthabless.posterous.com/
Assessing Collaboration
Module 3
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
In distance education, designing
instruction that incorporates a collaborative learning community can be a
difficult task. However, assessing
individual student contribution on the given task can be a greater challenge. While it is acceptable to alter instructional
methods to meet the demands of our ever changing society, we hold tight to the
traditional methods of assessment.
However, as we’ve grown to learn that traditional lecture-based
instruction is not always (or mostly) the best method to maximize student
achievement and performance, educators have vastly remained stagnant in
assessing. This unbalance may be why
assessing collaboration or “group work” so difficult for educators in kindergarten
through grad school.
In order to prepare our students
to meet the demands of our ever-changing society, our philosophical shifts must
occur within instruction AND assessment.
Building learning communities that foster collaboration requires student
participation (Palloff & Pratt, 2007).
The amount of information recall as student obtains is no longer our
main concern. However, the ways in which
students use their knowledge to improve the overall success of the group is
key. Collaboration is often product
focused, but assessing the final product does not give a fair or clear picture
of individual student performance.
George Siemens offers multiple suggestions on how to change our
assessment models to match our instructional goals (Laureate Education Inc.,
2008). Peer and self-assessment provide
instructors with insight on how individual contributions lead to final
product. Educators need to assess
collaboration work based on the contributions made by individual students and
how those students fostered interaction throughout the group (Laureate
Education Inc., 2008). Wikis and
learning management systems can track individual contributions throughout the
entirety of a project and assist in accurately assessing participation in
collaboration efforts. This can help
ensure that the product was completed collaboratively by all members of the
learning community.
Not everyone openly embraces
collaboration in a learning community.
Often, individual accomplishments were acclaimed in the past and due to
the definition of collaboration, some can have a “loss of self” mentality
(Laureate Education Inc., 2008). This
can lead to failure for not only the individual but the group. Jeffery Hammond reminds us in his blog of the
significance of communicating the individual importance of each group
member. Without individual
participation, the group will be unsuccessful.
Instructors and learning communities can take measures to prevent this
from occurring. In the very beginning,
instructors need to ensure that every student feels welcomed and clear and direct
expectations are provided, and learning communities should create a team
charter that explicitly defines individual roles and expectations from within
the group (Palloff & Pratt, 2007). If
this fails, the instructor should step in to mediate without dominating the
group or relinquishing control from the active members (Palloff & Pratt,
2007). Regardless of preventative
measures, there will be times when a student refuses to participate or
participates in a negative manner. This
is why clear and concise expectations given at the start is so important. The groundwork is laid and assessments should
be given based on the initial expectations and charter. Active participants should not be negatively
assessed based on these behaviors. The
instructor may need to reconstruct groups in order for the active participants
to be successful.
Collaboration is an effective and
meaningful instructional strategy that will provide students with the skills
needed to collaborate in the corporate world.
Designing appropriate assessments for collaboration is essential for
successful and productive collaboration learning communities.
References
Laureate Education, Inc.
(2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Blog replies to:
LeAnn Morris
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/01/assessing-collaborative-efforts.html?showComment=1358101719892#c5821701707820266493
Karen Wagoner
http://wagzz1.blogspot.com/2013/01/assessing-collaborative-efforts.html?showComment=1358102334829#c4082333498262476745
LeAnn Morris
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/01/assessing-collaborative-efforts.html?showComment=1358101719892#c5821701707820266493
Karen Wagoner
http://wagzz1.blogspot.com/2013/01/assessing-collaborative-efforts.html?showComment=1358102334829#c4082333498262476745
Module 3 Storyboard
The Credibility of Online Learning
Introduction to Dr. Kaye Shelton
Introduction to Dr. Kaye Shelton
Narration
|
Visual
|
Introduction
to online learning
|
 |
Growth of
online learning
|
Graph of
expansion
|
Public’s
perception
|
Image(s)
of individuals
|
Introduce
Kaye Shelton
|
Picture of
Kaye Shelton
|
Online Credentials:
A State of Wariness
|
Human
Resources
|
Kaye
Shelton’s work
|
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring141/shelton141.html
|
Research
findings by Monica Jeancola
|
Data
|
Do online
degrees meet the needs of employers?
|
 |
Best
Practices
|
Video on tips
for students and employers
|
GetEducatedDotCom
|
Video Clip
from GetEducatedDotCom
|
Diploma
Mills
|
Signs to
spot them
 |
Accreditation
|
Images of
nationally or regionally accreditation
   |
Sloan-C
Quality Scorecard
|
Different
indicators from score card
|
Student
perspective
|
Video
clips of students describing their satisfaction with online
degree/traditional degree.
|
Conclusion
|
Future of
online universities
|
Lori Dodd
LeAnn Morris
http://leannmorris.blogspot.com/2013/01/module-3-video-storyboard.html?showComment=1358101984852#c7745180229869516553
Karen Wagoner
http://wagzz1.blogspot.com/2013/01/story-board-draft-1-wagoners.html?showComment=1358102599849#c2096970535602520804
Posts
