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Schools, Schooling, or Schooled in a Digital Age

The future of schools may change dramatically due to digital technology, traditional instruction may prevail, or some combination or new changes and traditional instruction may come into being.  I propose that that it is likely that we see a combination.  “Going forward, learning may be far more individualized, far more in the hands (and minds) of the learner, and far more interactive than ever before. This constitutes a paradox: As the digital era progresses, learning may be at once more individual (contoured to a person’s own style, proclivities, and interests) yet more social (involving networking, group work, the wisdom of crowds, etc.).”(Weigel, James, Gardner 2009) They point out that how learning occurs in society has changed over the years due to the social structures, purpose, and technology available for learning.

Dramatic changes have occurred in who is taught, what is taught and how instruction takes place since the formal schools of Ancient Greece but that change has not happed quickly and many aspects of schooling remain surprisingly familiar. The students have expanded from a select group of aristocrats to the masses, and content has expanded from a focus on the great thoughts of a few authorities to the vetted information of common texts, and pedagogy is based on new evidence based information. However, while all that is true, teaching and learning remain recognizably consistent over millennia.

We ask questions, make symbols, and use tools. We act in a social context. These are fundamental elements of humanity that have remained consistent throughout civilization. The specifics have changed over the centuries but core characteristics of being human have not. I suspect that they will not. How these characteristics manifest themselves has and will continue to change in formal learning environments. However the fundamental nature of man as an information seeker will remain unaltered. It suggested that digital technology will alter the nature of man. “ Indeed, there is mounting evidence that the learning preferences and styles of youth are effected by their digital engagement. (Weigel, James, Gardner 2009) I would be surprised if such adjustments in mans physical structure have not occurred before to adjust to new learning environments. The malleable learning capacity of man is perhaps what remains most recognizable over many generations.

As we design learning environments in an attempt to control or at least steer student’s unceasing learning we are engaged with a constant struggle “ aligning goals for learning with what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is assessed (both formatively and summatively). (National Academy of Sciences)

We attempt to base instruction on the learner as we “attempt to discover what students think in relation to the problems on hand, discussing their misconceptions sensitively, and giving them situations to go on thinking about which will enable them to readjust their ideas. ( Bell, 1982a:7). Accomplished teachers “give learners reason,” by respecting and understanding learners’ prior experiences and understandings, assuming that these can serve as a foundation on which to build bridges to new understandings (Duckworth, 1987). It is the connection to what the student already knows and how the student views the world that allows for learning to occur. Great knowledge can be transmitted but remain illusive to the learner if it is not in a form that is recognizable. Digital tools allow teachers to have a better profile of the learner than ever before. Use of these tools in combination with an empathetic relationship provides the foundational steps necessary for learning to occur.

While the focus on what a student already knows allows the learner to start their journey to greater understanding the question remains: what should they be learning?  The focus on knowledge allows us to both reinforce the traditional “rutted paths’ and to survey the landscape. (National Academy of Sciences)  At one time the dissemination of information was the challenge of education.  Now, digital media makes information ubiquitous. The challenge is to establish common references that lead to new understanding rather than mindlessly repeat what is already known. Adding value to established knowledge by navigating the “landscape” and adjusting the reference  points so that as a society we can common to a greater degree of alignment with the truth of the world.

Digital tools that accommodate formative and summative assessments which produce information that can be used to customize instruction on a daily basis is the aspect of digital technology that holds the most immediate and apparent promise for improving education. If sound decisions are made about what to teach then we should be better at making sure that students learn. It is interesting that the content is becoming skill based and less definable as the information about the learner is becoming more definable.

As the content becomes less static it becomes increasingly more difficult to decipher the effectiveness of instruction even as the tools to measure the effectiveness increases. S\this seems analogous to subatomic particles that cannot reveal both their location and momentum simultaneously. Constructionists seem to have a solution to his dilemma. Have students build a digital artifact. This allows for their to be an” object” about which a conversation about learning can take place. One of the biggest problems in education has always been how do we have a conversation about what a student is truly thinking and steer them to the “correct’ thinking. Having code and outcomes based on that code reveals student thinking not just to the teacher but also to the student. It is formative self-assessment in it’s most primitive digital form.

Our nature as seekers of information and our desire to add value to that information dictates that we will always have traditional instruction that is recognizable over millennia while circumstances will always dictate the form that the information takes. Indeed, our survival as a species most likely depends upon our ability to continue to learn and apply that learning in new situations. Creating and being successful in new learning environments is perhaps the most important of those situations as the speed at which effective learning by high percentages of the worlds population becomes necessary for survival

Rooted in the Past, Prepared for the Future

How do we come to know? What does it mean to know? How do the answers to these questions inform the decisions we make about learning? These are questions that have been asked and answered many times in Western Civilization since, at least, the dawning of the Golden Age of the Greeks.  The questions have changed due to changes in culture, politics, economic concerns, and development of new technologies. Likewise, the answers have been modified and categorized under many names as epistemology has evolved over millennia. Siemens adds to the storyline with his idea of Connectivism as a way of knowing. However, this does not diminish the epistemological models of the past. I would argue that each model is appropriate to come to understanding if, how, when, or where we come to attain knowledge. Each epistemological model is appropriate to various learning environments.

Siemens asks a very interesting question …Are “the connections that enable us to learn more important than our current state of knowing?” He argues that  ”learning (as actionable knowledge) can reside outside ourselves” and that the nodes which connect us to many others applifies our knowledge. Analogously, I wonder, is the microscope more important than the cells on the slide? Are the tools that give access to new information and processes more important than what we already know? If we accept that, as constructivism holds, we create meaning as we interact with our environment then the present knowledge has a considerable influence on how new knowledge formed. Or, if we accept the notion that knowledge resides within then the influence of our present “knowing” on our future “knowing” is even greater. Where knowledge resides continues as an open ended argument.

The emphasis Siemens places on “the connections between sources of information”, which, “ create useful information patterns” provides something new to learn about, perhaps even a new learning environment, but does not qualify as a new epistemological model. I would argue that while the nodes now reside in a digital format they are only representations of internal thought, and while the lightning speed at which interaction occur in the digital age speed communication and increase connections they still have their roots in human thought and derive meaning and order from these inceptions.

I would not quarrel with the principals of Connectivism only with the argument that places connections above our present knowledge base.  I argue that he has oversimplified our current knowledge base and ignored the rich complexity of thought that already exists. Siemens treats our current knowledge as so many trivial objects that are just waiting to be enriched by multiple interactions. I agree that diversity of opinions does seem to lead to learning and knowledge. But not that the interaction is somehow more important than the opinions themselves, which are rooting in a rich complexity of thought. Learning can occur in “non-human appliances” through connecting specialized nodes but not with the claim that our capacity to learn is more important than what we already know. Not to say that capacity to learn is not critical, and perhaps more critical than it has ever been, but it should not usurp the rich knowledge that already exists.

What I do very much agree with is that the we need to engage in the “fuzziness” of learning in chaotic environments that challenge us to make sense of or discover the patterns that exist. The “half-life” of the knowledge that results from learning experiences is much reduced and requires that act more quickly than ever before in sharing or responding to new knowledge. The knowledge is changing so fast that we must be engaged in the learning conversation constantly or we risk being irrelevant. Indeed the connections are critical but equally so should be our roots in traditional values and knowledge. It is more important than ever that we are aware of and act upon our core values and beliefs and not be swept away by the momentum of the group think created by our digital connectedness.

VOLT Learnings

After understanding the importance of constructivist education I use the term establishing an effective learning environment to describe the task of a teacher instead of simply teaching. Whether f2f or digital, a learning environment must be created where students can effectively collaborate to create understanding. I have learned that this is possible in the digital environment.

The structure of this course has allowed for the exploration of topics using various forms of digital media, which has been a series of new learning experiences. But even more importantly I have learned that the specific reflections of those in the course are as valuable as the original source material. Additionally, I have learned that the discussion interactions has lead to growth in understanding.

It has been the combination of learning experiences that has allowed me to progress in my understanding of Virtual OnLine Teaching. I have learned that a variety of tools is continually being developed that support the improvement of teaching and learning in the digital environment. The combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities, the posting of discussions about articles and videos, and the use of blogs as a reflection tool have all helped me to understand that there are many tools that can be combined in various ways to create an effective digital learning experience.

The learning environment has continually improved due to the fact that the exchange of information between participants has been established and then encouraged. It is not just that the opportunity for learning from each other exists but that it is imperative to learning. I have found that reading the discussion posts of fellow participants is a valuable and inherently worthwhile activity.

I have learned that the use of digital learning environments to promote social learning while providing access to a wide variety of sources facilitates the creation of value added opportunities. It is these value added opportunities that engages students and evolves the shared knowledge base. Digital learning environments hold the promise of allowing for authentic life-long learning from each other.

Graduation!

The good news is that the last of my four children graduated from college last year.

The bad news is that I promised them that I would take them to Hawaii if they ALL graduated college. This is the beginning of the end. The beginning of our trip and end of their education and my money!

The sunrise on day one was a fitting greeting to paradise.

A ride to Waimea Canyon State Park on day two brought beautiful sights of the interior of the island. The background for many movies none of which can capture the vastness of the canyon.

Plenty of time to explore the beaches. They were full of interesting side pools as well as flora and fauna.

Mom and Dad enjoying a rest after many long years of poking and prodding, sometimes referred to as parenting.

Dad finally catching up to the tortoise after racing to the K-16 finish line for many years.

Leeping into the unknown after graduation!

Treacherous paths remind us of years gone by.

And finally we arrive at the end of the rainbow.