Week 13- Blog 7

Clark & Mayer, Chapters 10-12
Wow, I can't believe the end of the semester is near!  I have learned so much from this course and I am so glad that I decided to step out of my comfort zone to try something new.  I wish that all my courses were designed similar to this class, it has definitely kept me engaged and motivated.
Okay, on to summarizing what I have learned through reading Chapters 10-12 in Clark & Mayer's (2003) text.
Chapter 10 focuses on worked examples, "a step-by-step demonstration of how to solve a problem or perform a task" (Clark & Mayer, 2003, p. 173).  Clark & Mayer (2003, p. 177) recommend four guidelines regarding best use of examples in e-learning:

• Worked examples should replace some practice exercises for novice learners.
• Principles regarding best use of text, audio, and graphics are applied to present worked examples.
• Worked examples are job realistic and diverse to build useful mental model for procedural and principle-based tasks.
• Training in self-explanation of examples is available.

My Design Proposal does not necessarily have explicit worked examples for my participants (it is a running community), but my site does have videos that provide step-by-step demonstrations, such as How to Prevent a Running Injury.  The videos would most closely align with guideline #2 in which I use graphics to illustrate the examples.  Text is placed closely to the graphics, applying the Contiguity Principle, (Clark & Mayer, 2003) in which important details contained within the video are emphasized with the use of text and instructions for the participants before and after viewing the video is placed directly above and below the video viewing box.  Also, the Modality Principle (Clark & Mayer, 2003) is utilized because the videos contain audio to explain the demonstration and complex information is highlighted/emphasized with graphics to direct the eye of the viewer.
My Design Proposal could also support guideline #3 in which the context of the videos can be transferred to the real-world.  Experts demonstrate or explain the tasks in the videos in real-world context. Most of the videos are for near transfer (procedural tasks) such as How to Strength Train for Running, so it is ideal that the videos can be played multiple times and are easily accessible for knowledge transfer into working memory.
Chapter 11 discusses collaborative learning and the features of collaborative assignments that contribute to classroom learning.  Clark & Mayer (2003) state that participants who study together often learn more than those who study alone and collaboration and structure contribute to better learning.  My running community will have a discussion forum set up with certain topics such as "Beginners," "Gear & Equipment," and "Nutrition" for participants to discuss, share ideas and knowledge, and also share resources.  There will be guidelines for the participants to follow for each discussion and some question prompts, so the discussion will be semi-structured, however, I do want the participants to feel a sense of autonomy when they participate so it will not be rigidly structured.
Chapter 12 focuses on learner control, in which learners have the option to make certain choices such as selecting the topics they want, control of the pace of progress, and bypassing some lesson elements (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Clark & Mayer (2003) state that learners like control, however, learners with little prior knowledge or the subject and learners with poor megacogvitive skills do not excel in learner-controlled environments.  Clark & Mayer (2003, p. 234) recommend three guideline for the best use of learn control to optimize learning:

• Use learner control for learners with high prior knowledge or metacognitive skills and/or in lessons or course that are advanced rather than introductory.
• When learner control is used, design the default navigation options to lead to important instructional course elements.
• Include advise based on valid test questions to help learners make effective instructional decisions.

I think back to educational programs I had to complete for work and remember that I liked the programs that allowed more user control, especially on subjects that I already had some prior knowledge.  As suggested my Clark & Mayer (2003), I like to control the pace of the program and that there is some type of navigation option that is easily accessible on every screen.  I also like the "fuel indicator," to determine how much of the assignment I have completed.
After reading the entire Clark & Mayer (2003) text, I look at programs that I use at work and try to analyze if they have applied the Principles discussed in the text.  I also make sure to apply the Principles to other projects that I develop for other courses.  The information that I have gained from this course is going to stay with me for a long time (it has transferred into my working memory)! Ha!
Reference:
Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R.E. (2003). e-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Week 11-Blog 6

Clark & Mayer: Chapters 7-9, 14

            After reading Clark & Mayer’s (2003) book, I had no idea how much thought went into designing e-learning; but it all makes sense now.  I compare it to after my husband became a City Planner: I didn’t realize that every little detail, down to park benches, light posts, garbage cans, and signs were carefully placed and planned according to city ordinances.  I remember my husband going round and round with businesses over the square feet of their signs and that no LED lights could be used.  Who would have thought? 

            I feel like Clark & Mayer’s (2003) book has helped me a great deal think about how to design an e-learning program; things that I did not think were relevant before reading this book.  I thought that in order to make programs more interesting, there had to be some “flare” to the screen, like extra pictures or funny statements.  However, after reading Chapter 7, I realize that I was completely wrong and I was actually depressing learning.  The Coherence Principle states that one should exclude extraneous information in the form of: 1) entertaining stories related but not essential to the instructional objective, 2) background music and sounds added for motivation, and 3) detailed textual descriptions (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  This unnecessary material can depress the learning process by distraction, disruption, and seduction of the learner (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Background music and sound can overload the working memory, therefore the learner may experience heavy cognitive load and learning will be depressed (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  I like the example of the arousal theory, that emotion affects cognition and learners will learn more from multimedia presentations that include sounds and music (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Clark & Mayer (2003) counter this theory with John Dewey’s rationale that adding interesting adjuncts to an otherwise boring lesion will not promote deeper learning.  How true!  Adding extra pictures and graphics on the screen could also depress learning, especially if only used for decoration and have no connection to the content being presented.  Again, Clark & Mayer (2003, p.121) state John Dewey’s argument that interest cannot be added to an otherwise boring lesson and; “adding extraneous pictures can interfere with the process of sense-making because learners have a limited cognitive capacity for processing incoming material.”  Adding extraneous words to lessons may also result in poorer learning and Clark & Mayer (2003) state to stick to basic and concise descriptions of the content to promote learning of the target material.

            Chapter 8 describes applying the Personalization Principle: that writing in a conversational style of writing that uses first and second person language will induce the learner to engage with the computer as a social partner resulting in instruction that resembles human-to-human conversation (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Using words like “you” and “I” can be a way to prime appropriate cognitive processing in the learner (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Clark & Mayer (2003) also warn not make the conversation too informal because that could distract the learner; one should write with sufficient informality.  After reading the examples that were provided, I could certainly tell the difference between writing formally and informally; I preferred the informal writing because it made the directions seem easier to follow.  I had to re-read the formal directions a few times to understand exactly what I was supposed accomplish.  Clark & Mayer (2003) also talk about pedagogical agents, or onscreen coaches.  The evidence and research presented support the use of a pedagogical agent in e-learning and Clark & Mayer (2003, p. 144) suggest, “that the agents words be presented as speech rather than text, in conversational style rather than formal style, and with human-like rather than machine-like articulation.”  I remember when I bought my very first computer in undergraduate school and I think I bought Word 1998; the little “paperclip” cartoon would emerge on the screen and ask if you need help.  He communicated through text and he would knock on your screen to get your attention.  I did think he was pretty helpful when I first started using Word, but after awhile, I was like, “okay, you can go away now!”  Good thing there was the option of turning him off; but he was helpful when you needed him.

            Chapter 9 describes the design, layout, and frequency of effective practice in e-learning.  I thought this was a good chapter because I often thought that games like Jeopardy would be something fun for learners, but in fact, it was not promoting psychological engagement in which learners are not selecting, integrating, and retrieving new knowledge; the learner is simply recognizing or recalling information that will not promote learning that will transfer to the job (Clark & Mayer, 2003).  Clark & Mayer (2003, pp.152-153) recommend four guidelines for effective practice in e-learning:

1.   Interactions should mirror the thinking processes and environment of the job.

2.  Better learning results from more practice questions interspersed throughout the lesson.

3.   Practice questions should be formatted to be consistent with the media elements principles summarized in Chapters Three through Eight.

4.  Learners should be trained to provide their own questions when they are studying from receptive (expository) materials.

The content that I found the most interesting in this chapter is the relationship between practice and expertise: “skill development and expertise are strongly related to the time and efficiency of deliberate practice...the more a person practices, the better he or she gets regardless of initial talent and ability (Clark & Mayer, 2003, p. 162).  This section made me hopeful that my running, specifically my speed, would improve with more and more practice. Ha!  I also realized a mistake I made in an interactive quiz I developed within a PowerPoint presentation that I presented last semester after reading this chapter: the directions, question, response, and feedback should be provided on the same screen.  I had the directions, question, and responses on one screen, but when the learner clicked on the right or wrong answer, it hyperlinked them to another screen with feedback.  Now I know that I need to design my quizzes differently after reading this book!

            Chapter 14 is good summary of everything that we have read throughout the chapters and Clark & Mayer (2003) do a good job of providing an outline and describing four examples of e-learning programs and how they would change the designs based on their guidelines.  This chapter helped to pulled the concepts together and apply them to real e-learning programs. I like the summary of guidelines provided on p.274-277; I have all the elements in one section for easy reference.

            This has been a pretty rough couple of months for me personally.  Our dog of 12 years passed away in March and now my Aunt is in hospice dying of terminal cancer.  She was diagnosed in March and the doctors’ gave her up to six months to live without chemotherapy and 3 years with chemotherapy.  So, I thought that I would go up to Minnesota to visit with her after this semester, in May, but her condition has drastically changed in the past week and her cancer is far more spread than realized.  I am devastated that I will not be able to see her before she passes away, which will be any day now.  I hope to make it to her funeral, but I am beyond stressed with three classes and multiple projects.  Thankfully I have a good support system and I know that I will make it through the last couple of weeks.

Reference:

Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R.E. (2003). e-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

WEEK 9-BLOG 5

The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education

Webinar with Curtis Bonk December 3, 2009, The Future of Education

I know this webinar is a little dated, but I searched the Future of Education website for any archived webinars with Curtis Bonk, since we are reading two of his books.  I found a webinar in which Curtis Bonk discusses his The World is Open book when it was first released.  I thought it would be a good webinar to view to supplement and enhance my understanding of his ideas.  

First of all, Curtis Bonk is quite a character!  The moderator of the webinar even asked if he had interests in drama since he is very animated and used props during his interview.  He was quite entertaining to watch and listen to!

            Curtis Bonk started the interview with mentioning The World is Open book is available on his website, worldisopen.com, for free as an e-book, but is titled The World is More Open. He states that there is more content in the e-book.  I was wondering this as I was reading his book, “why aren’t I reading this book as an e-book?”  So, it looks as though it is possible to read the book for free online and perhaps it would provide more information that the print book.  It would definitely be worth looking into for more resources and information.

            Curtis Bonk explained that his 10 Openers are a way of opening up education for anyone to learn anything from anyone at anytime.  He says he is not trying to reform or restructure schools, but rather explain what is possible.  He talked about how there are thousands of ways one can learn from a seventeen-year old, for instance, and that people should not be overwhelmed with all the different ways, but instead, focus on understanding at least of few of these options.  If people understand and use the few options, then they can get excited about learning, find new information on their own, be self-directed in learning, and learn in informal settings.

            Curtis Bonk elaborated on how people and companies are moving towards sharing content and collaborating with others.  In his experience, some of his best work has been with collaborating on projects.  He used the example of Best Buy, Intel, and IBM, major companies that were once secretive, but are now fostering collaboration and sharing information and content to attract workers and bring people into the company.  Now, many companies rely on systems such as Google Documents, Ning, WikiSpaces, and PBWiki to share and collaborate.  During 1999-2001 many companies used language like “smart,” “knowledge,” and “collaboration,” but were unable to define these terms and what it meant to learn.  Companies during this time would just throw out terminology to sell a product, but in reality, there was nothing to sell because they did not know what these terms actually meant and entailed.  Bonk stated that he found it “depressing” that many companies use “virtual world” or “social networking,” and they don’t know how to define or use it.

            Bonk also talked about Free Learning Zones, characterized by Opener #10, Networks of Personalized Learning.  He states that the webinar we are participating in now is a Free Learning Zone and the reason why he participates in them is because he likes doing it, builds reputation, builds a brand, and is a way to expand the audience.  He talks about Worldbridges, which provides free Webcasts to connect people in learning forums that want to discuss, interact, and collaborate with diverse people from around the world.  Jeff Lebow started Worldbridges after quitting his job because he wanted people to use the Internet to create global Webcasting, not for monetary gains.  Also, something Bonk said really stuck with me, “you do not need the Internet to be impacted by the Internet.”  How true is that?!  He gave the example of the 1KG Program where kids without Internet access make connections and new careers just from people that visit.

            Bonk states that innovation (dissemination and sharing of ideas) and technology is changing so fast that many people tend to opt-out due to fear.  The WE-ALL-LEARN and R2D2 models are so important because they pull in a new announcement that happens and people are able to find new technology.  Many educators fear what it taking place (technology) but then many think, “heck lets try it and see what happens.”

            Bonk very quickly reviewed some of the 10 Openers (time was running out) and I thought it was interesting that he hesitated even putting the first opener into the book because he thought it was the least important.  He stated he was shocked that it had taken-off (e-books), and in fact, Openers 1,4, and 10 have really taken off since the release of his book, which he didn’t expect.  In discussion of Opener 4, he stated he was surprised when President Obama put $50 million aside for free high school and community college courses.  He thinks this is a smart direction for the country to go because there are so many children, especially males ages 16-22, that are dropping out of high school and college that this is a great way to help prevent students from dropping out.

            Bonk talked briefly about the macro trends: the piping, the pages and participatory culture.  He stated that these trends are converging and if any of the Openers were to happen it would be a revolution and the fact that all 10 Openers are happening is phenomenal.  He thinks this will be a “learning century.”

            During the question and answer session, someone had asked how we deal with the enormous amount of content available.  Bonk stated that it is important to look at the quality of the information and he uses sites that have peer evaluation embedded within the content.  He also thinks that you should provide a guide for yourself, like he provides to his students.  He gives them 10 resources, but gives them the option of choosing 4-5 to focus on; that way they are not overwhelmed and receive a palette of options in which some may be text, video, etc.

            Finally, a question, which I often wondered as well, is how one gets Administrators on board with technological changes in the classroom?  Bonk says that there are four levels the Administrators go through: awareness, resistance, understanding, and usage.  He recommends having the Administrators try the technology out for themselves; have them use WikiSpaces and “feel” the benefits of the technology.  We should show the Administrators what is possible and give them real-world experience in collaborating in order for them to get on board and try something different.

            I really enjoyed this webinar and even though it is from 2009, the information is still relevant and supplements the book well.  I recommend that you check out this webinar; Bonk is pretty entertaining!  I have learned a significant amount from reading his book and now can further tie the elements together after watching this webinar.

WEEK 8-BLOG 4

This week’s discussion was based on Curtis J. Bonk’s book, The World Is Open, covering ten trends that make up “WE-ALL-LEARN” for understanding technology and the impact on learning.  Instead of a structured asynchronous discussion, our class was divided into two groups for a live chat discussion based on three macro trends that provide the superstructure for the ten educational openers (Bonk, 2009).  First, our group defined what the three macro trends are and gave examples of each.  The first macro trend is the availability of tools and infrastructure for learning, or the pipes (Bonk, 2009).  The “pipes” are the online infrastructure, such as Internet access and bandwidth, and “provide the infrastructure for the management, supply, and distribution of free and open educational content” (Bonk, 2009, p.53).  Bonk states the first, seventh, and ninth openers relate to infrastructure issues: web searching in the world of e-books; electronic collaboration; and real-time mobility and portability (Bonk, 2009).  An example of the “pipes” is the convergence of bandwidth, storage, and processing speed, which has “fueled the uploading and indexing of books, articles, videos, audio recordings, and other content online” (Bonk, 2009, p.56).  Google Book Search is an example of the enormous effort for people to access the world of books with just the click of the mouse.  Another project, Open Library, allows one to comment or review books, and the thing that I like about Open Library is there are no links to publishers or advertisements to try to get you to buy the book; it is either available to read or not there at all.

The second macro trend is the availability of free and open educational content and resources, or the “pages” (Bonk, 2009).  Bonk (2009) states “although piping is important, online educational resources must be available, useful, and needed” (Bonk, 2009, p.23).  The second macro trend aligns most closely with the fourth and fifth openers: leveraged resources and open courseware, and learning object repositories and portals (Bonk, 2009).  A good example of open courseware (OCW) is the availability of MIT’s course content and resources online, for free.  By early 2009, MIT had 1,890 classes online, with over 35 million people around the world accessing the content, and 750,000 translated courses (Bonk, 2009).  What a terrific way to provide free, quality educational materials to people all over the world with access to the Internet.  Even if you do not have access, you could find someone to upload the material to CD or print the material and send it to you.  I think this is a wonderful program providing education to people all around the world, where they may not have the opportunity or the access to quality education, or perhaps they are unable to go to school because they have to work, this way they can learn on their own time at their own speed.

The third macro trend is a movement toward a culture of open access to information, international collaboration, and global sharing (Bonk, 2009).  Bonk (2009, p.53) states the third macro trend “is the creation of a culture that collaboratively builds, negotiates, and shares such knowledge and information: a participatory learning culture.”  The sixth, eighth, and tenth openers relate to this trend the most: learner participation in open information communities, alternate reality learning, and networks of personalized learning (Bonk, 2009).  An example of the third macro trend is YouTube.  Bonk (2009, p.208) states “YouTube demonstrates the need for tools that allow individuals to generate content rather than simply passively browse content online.”  Although YouTube is usually thought of for entertainment videos, there is a significant amount of educational and informational videos that are posted to the site.  For example, last semester, I have to present a narrated PowerPoint that included video and interactive quizzes.  I had not a clue how to put this together, and most of the information I found was for a PC, in which I own a MAC.  So, I went to YouTube and found several videos people had posted of them instructing how to add a video to PowerPoint via MAC.  It was great because they went through step by step with the camera pointed at their computer screen.  I could pause and write down the instructions or watch the video several times.  It was helpful that the videos were rated and had comments/reviews so I could quickly decide if they were worth watching or not.  YouTube was an extremely helpful tool and was instrumental in the completion and success of my project.  After I presented the PowerPoint to my class, I had several comments and questions as to how I integrated the video and interactive quizzes into my PowerPoint, so I provided the links to the videos, thus sharing information and building knowledge of the community.

During the chat session, our group also discussed Activity Theory quite extensively, selecting it as the philosophical perspective that aligns the most with the three macro trends.  Farres and MacDonald (2006, p.166) state “activity theory is concerned with the relationship between consciousness and activity and is composed of subject, object, and community and the elements that mediate these interactions (i.e., tools, rules, and roles).”  Activity Theory indicates that context relates directly to the activity and that people are the driving force of the system (Farres & MacDonald, 2006).  There are four main assumptions of Activity Theory: 1) consciousness and activity are interdependent, 2) all actions and behaviors are intentional or goal directed, 3) higher cognitive functioning within an activity system is mediated by tools and signs, and 4) activities evolve over time within a culture, and attention needs to be paid to the evolution of the activities over time (Farres & MacDonald, 2006).  The central component of the framework is the activity that is composed of a subject, an object, actions, and operations (Farres & MacDonald, 2006).  The subject is the individual or group in the system; objects are the physical or mental products being sought (which is being acted on by the subject); and the operations relate to how the actions are carried out (Farres & MacDonald, 2006). 

Finally, our group chatted about how to validate knowledge from open sources. We agreed that a person should check the credentials of the author/owner of the website, cross-check references, identify the source of funding for the site (determine if there is bias), check the date of the information to make sure it is current, and check to make sure the information has a complete list of works cited.

I enjoyed the chat session; it was something different and new.  The only downside was as I was typing a thought, the conversion often veered onto another subject and I missed an opportunity to make a comment or the comment was too late.  Overall, I thought it was a good experience and I still learned a great deal. 

This has been a difficult week for me; we had to put our dog of 12 years asleep (Bailey) due to complications from pancreatic cancer.  Our hearts are truly broken, but I believe he is in a better place.  It was difficult to sit down and concentrate on course work, but in a way it took my mind off of the loss of our dog.  This week’s reading was very engaging and I have explored many of the sites the book has mentioned, adding them to my bookmarks.  So, I’m thankful Spring Break is here...I can take a little break to catch my breath and heal my heart.

References

Bonk, C.J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Farres, L.G., & MacDonald, C.J. (2006). Activity theory and context: An understanding of the development of constructivist instructional design models. In A. Dias de Figueiredo & A. Paula Afonso (Eds.), Managing learning in virtual settings: The role of context (pp.164-179).

Week 6-Blog 3

Webinar: John Seely Brown, "A New Culture of Learning"
On February 25th, I went to the FutureofEducation.com website and listened to the recording of the webinar with John Seely Brown from February 22nd.  John Seely Brown and Douglas Thomas have a new book out titled, "A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change."  A description of the book on the webinar states, " the 21st century is a world of constant change.  In A New Culture of Learning, Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown pursue an understanding of how the force of change, and emerging wave of interest associated with these forces, inspire and invite us to imagine a future of learning that is as powerful as it is optimistic."
John Seely Brown (JSB) began the webinar with talking about how education needs to be transformed, not thrown away.  We need to build up the edges (i.e., after school programs, ecology around the schools) in order to pull the core (i.e., central school system) to the edge.  JSB used the example of a school in Chicago where they built up the multi-media in after school programs, which empowered the students, making them come "alive." The increased interest, motivation, and activity of the students really made the core take notice and become more serious about mentorship and ways to create an elevated edge.  JSB says that the practices around technology are building up the edge, NOT technology itself; this has led to the steady change that is currently going on in education.
JSB also talked about the teacher becoming more of a guide or a co-learner/co-explorer with the students instead of an authoritarian.  There would be a shift in power to more of a partnership between the student and the teacher, therefore, making learning more powerful and fun for each.
JSB compares learning as to what happens inside a petri dish; it is a bounded environment with powerful nutrients where exploration happens.  There is constant change where boundaries matter.  The boundaries or constraints can be transformed into resources; we can work with them and they can become resources in a powerful way giving people new ways to use things in unexpected ways.
JSB used the example of a one-room school house where the teacher and students are constrained to one room, but re-implement these boundaries into a powerful tool by having students learn and teach from each other instead of having the teacher instruct all students at once(where students are at different learning levels).  I liked when JSB made the comment, "the best way to learn something is to teach it."
JSB also talked extensively about how students should show their accomplishments.  He called standardized tests "pathetic," which really made me laugh!  He introduced the idea of a student portfolio that shows what the student has created throughout the school year(s), this way the student can meet the teacher, reflect on past work, think about what has worked, what didn't work, and ways to improve and build on his/her work.  A portfolio highlights the student's creativity and passions and also allows the teacher to know more about the student.  JSB suggested that students write essays surrounded around making the portfolio and express how they feel about it (reflect).  He stated that the test that students take today "make no sense," and students lose motivation(often falling asleep in class).  We need to start shifting the focus of learning from the explicit (learning about) to tacit learning (learning to be).  If we encourage students to follow what they are passionate about, to reach their goals, then they don't have to constantly memorize facts and just worry about what questions will be on test.  The students will be motivated to learn when we empower their personal passions.
JSB also talked about the notion of playing, that from birth we figure out how to make the world stable and build our own frame of reference.  However, when we start attending school, we have information poured into that framework, therefore having to rebuild that knowledge.  Our world is in a state of constant disruption, but by playing(finding our orientation, our passions) we can build our knowledge and learn new things.
JSB used the term agency: how does one imagine something that is different from where they are at now and what can one do about it?  He states that agency has been stripped away in today's education; the feeling that students' can make a difference, they need the structure that provides useful constraints that can be built into resources to let them act, learn, and make the world different.
Learning in the collective is another subject JSB touched on.  He stated that when people are stuck on something, they ask the collective (or group of experts/professionals/peers) on ideas on what to do.  Then  once a person tries the suggestion(s) he/she returns to the collective on whether the idea(s) worked (giving feedback), therefore, making the collective smarter.
They last topic that JSB covered was gaming, massively multi-player online games (MMO).  JSB describes this as an ideal learning environment, where participants are operating in the collective (described above).  The MMO is a great example of how groups function, build knowledge and absorb ideas from each other.  MMO participants post new ideas/strategies on how to game, therefore, there is a flood of knowledge sharing, constant fluctuations and experimentation, and healthy competition among participants.
I really enjoyed listening to the webinar with JSB; I like the idea of learning in the collective and students having portfolios to highlight their work, their passions.  I know that JSBJSB said, sometimes teachers do not have all the answers. This was a great interview with JSB and encourage anyone reading this blog to log onto FutureofEducation.com and listen to the archive.

Week 4- Blog2

Summary of Renninger & Shumar’s Chapters 10-12 (Possibilities for Communities):

Chapter 10 reviews the systematic patterns of change that network-based learning communities undergo over a period of time that ultimately lead to the termination of the community, also defined as a “life cycle” (Levin & Cervantes, 2002).  Levin & Cervantes (2002, p.270) state the “lifecycle of network-based communities can lead to more productive learning by communities of learners distributed across the world...can help create powerful learning environments for diverse sets of learners.”  Six stages in the network project life cycle include the: (1) proposal, when the activity for the activity is proposed; (2) refinement, the idea is refined through communication by the proposers; (3) organizational, time schedules and planned procedures; (4) pursuit, activity is carried out; (5) wrap-up, proposer of activity thanks participants for contributions; and (6) publication, aimed at attracting future participants (Levin & Cervantes, 2002).  Levin & Cervantes (2002) describe a case study of the Zero-g Project, which I thought was quite interesting because of the diversity of the participants involved: from novice (students) to experts (NASA scientists).  This learning community was successful due to several factors: clear project goals and purposes, availability of resources and support (educational and technical experts), wide range of curricular areas, teacher flexibility, strong and consistent leadership throughout the life cycle, timely and adequate feedback to participants, and a solid orientation that motivated participants.  Reading this chapter made me realize the importance of understanding the way activities within a learning community unfold overtime and that there is continuous development. Also, as the stages progress, the role of each participant also changes.  The leader of the community may also have a different role as the community progresses through the life cycle, but he/she always remains active and engaged in the process.

Chapter 11 (Nolan & Weiss, 2002) state that the commonality between offline and online communities are the possibilities offered for learning.  What makes it difficult to determine if online communities actually exist is the sense of space; there is no physical location to attach itself (Nolan & Weiss, 2002).  Nolan & Weiss (2002) argue the online community is actually a community because it is constructed and the only difference between an offline and online community is that people make conscious decisions to inhabit cyberspace.  Nolan & Weiss (2002) describe several learning locations for learning in virtual communities: (1) Curriculum of Initiation and Governance, requiring that the individual(s) make the decision to create and maintain the virtual site and location; (2) Curriculum of Access, accessing and becoming socialized to the virtual community; and (3) Curriculum of Membership, the actual engagements in the community, purposes for the site, and the gains people expect from it.  Nolan & Weiss (2002) describe in detail, four online communities to help readers understand the sense of location and expectations that each group creates for its community.  In the MOOkti example, I found it interesting that the creator had an intended purpose for the site, but placed no limitations or condition on participation, therefore, external participants shaped the site into fulfilling their own needs and criteria (an unintended outcome of Curriculum of Initiation and Governance).  The founder had to have assistance in the initiation of the site because it developed far beyond his technical knowledge, therefore, “a small community of the administrators had already developed, and this social core became a template for interaction that new members could learn from or ignore...influenced the way in which new members manifested their own experiences in the environment.” (Nolan & Weiss, 2002, p. 309).  What is common among the four examples is they are all learning communities, there are limits to membership, purposes and goals vary, there is individual mobility, no long-term commitments, continuity among membership, and they interact and communicate within the community.

Chapter 12 describes the tools or type of technology that support a knowledge-building community.  Hoadley & Pea (2002, p.325) define a knowledge-building community where “individuals are committed to sharing information for the purpose of building understanding (knowledge) in all the participants.”  It is important that the learning community has precise goals and collaborative support from the community members.  Before developing a knowledge-building learning community, Hoadley & Pea (2002) reflected upon eight areas of inquiry: defining learning communities, examining existing practice, identifying potential changes to improve practice, finding ways that technology might effect these changes, designing and building the technology, advocating the technology, understanding the consequences of technology, and evaluating the community in respect to the original goal.  The design and building of the technology must fit into the goals of the community and what tools will work best.  However, proponents of the technology must help the community reach a productive equilibrium, that is, working with community to develop new practices or ways of working to appropriate the new tools (Hoadley & Pea, 2002). Lastly, the community should be evaluated to determine its success based on goals reached, which can vary between communities.

References:

Hoadley, C., & Pea, R.D. (2002) Finding the ties that bind: Tools for a knowledge-building community. In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 321-351). Cambridge University Press.

Levin, J., & Cervantes, R. (2002). Understanding the life cycles of network-based learning communities. In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 269-292). Cambridge University Press.

Nolan, D.J., & Weiss, J. (2002). An educational view of virtual community. In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 293-320). Cambridge University Press.

Week 2-Blog 1

It is only week two and already feel like I have learned so much!  Little did I know when I signed up for this course that I would be involved in meetings where I could discuss topics and ask questions to my instructor and my peers in real-time.  I have found the meetings to be so helpful in clarifying and reinforcing information that I have read in text.  I am also pretty impressed that I have set up a Blog site; this is something that I honestly never thought that I would participate in; what a wonderful tool for expression of thoughts and ideas.
Summary of Renninger & Shumar's Chapters 1-3:
The introduction really takes the reader through the difference between a physical community and a virtual community.  Shumar and Renninger (2002, pp.1-2) state, "virtual communities involve a combination physical and virtual interaction, social communication, and identity...physical communities can extend the range of community, and individuals can tailor their personal communities."  The breakout group that I participated in on Wednesday night (January 26th) discussed what we thought made-up a successful virtual community, which ties into the information in the introduction of Shumar and Renninger's text.  Our list included: (a) people with similar goals, purposes, and interests, (b) interaction, both formal and informal, where people can choose to participate actively or be a "lurker," (c) No concept of space or time, (d) opportunity, (e) dynamic/fluid/evolving, (f) autonomy, (g) cognitive, (h) imagination, (i) affective, and (j) strong leadership that performs frequent needs assessment on their participants.

Chapters 1-3 introduce different types of communities.  In Chapter 1, MediaMOO is discussed, and frankly, I have never heard of MediaMOO until I read this chapter.  It was interesting to read about the rise and fall of something that at the time was so cutting-edge and popular.  This really reinforces the need for strong leadership at all times (founder Amy Bruckman branched off in 1995 to start MOOSE Crossing).  Bruckman and Jensen (2002, p.32) state "enthusiasm of the leadership of the group is essential."  Another problem that MediaMOO encountered was the splintering off subgroups and new subgroups were not forming in their place.  A solution to this problem was to "adopt a distributed architecture that allows subgroups independence while maintaining connection and affiliation with the parent group" (Bruckman and Jensen, 2002, p. 26).  MediaMOO's demise was a combination of factors, but one of the most significant, in my opinion, is that it did not reinvent itself; it remained static and therefore lost the interest of participants.

Chapter 2 was pretty fun to read and in a way, I related to what the girls were feeling.  I also feel anxious and intimidated when it comes to new technology, however, I have such a strong desire to learn how to use it, that I have to overcome my fears.  I think it is terrific that the girls expressed increased interest in technology; decreased anxiety and increased technical confidence; and developed new technical skills at the completion of this study (Davidson and Shofield, 2002).  I do find it interesting that the girls would assist the boys, however, the boys were never observed assisting the girls.  I wonder why this occurred?  I also wonder if the group were not so small and did not receive so much individualized instruction, would the results be similar?  For instance, class sizes have increased to the 30's in some districts, would girls in a classroom of 30 have as much success as the ten girls in this study?  Davidson and Shofield (2002, p. 55) do acknowledge this question and admit they cannot answer it definitely, however, the authors state "the girls linked their enjoyment of this leaning situation directly to its relational qualities-the opportunities it provided to build new relationships and to further those that previously existed."  Nonetheless, this study shows that if girls encounter computers and interaction with computers in a different nature, then it could enhance interest and technical skills and open up more opportunities.

Chapter 3 highlights Math Forum, a model of a successful virtual community.  Renninger and Shumar (2002)  elaborate on several reasons why MathForum.org is such a successful community: (1) provision of autonomy, (2) supports knowledge building, (3) enhances feelings of competence, (4) reengages participants, (5) continuous process of evolution, (6) inquiry-oriented, (7) fosters imagination, (8) staff are responsive to users, (9) use of questionnaires to exchange information, (10) involves all levels of experience, (11) feeling of purpose and belonging, (12) challenged to think, (13) continuity of leadership,  and (14) dynamic set of resources.  This list is not complete, but it highlights many of the factors that make Math Forum a successful virtual community.
I did find it interesting that the three teachers featured in this chapter enhanced their computer skills and then transferred to a more affluent school system.  This makes me wonder if students at a lower SES school system are perpetually at a disadvantage due to lack of resources and high quality teachers that can provide the instruction needed to become competent in technology.

References:
Bruckman, A., & Jensen, C. (2002). The mystery of the death of mediamoo: Seven years of evolution of an online community. In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 21-33). Cambridge University Press.

Davidson, A., & Schofield, J. (2002). Female voices in virtual reality: Drawing young girls into an online world.  In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 34-59). Cambridge University Press.

Renninger, K., & Shumar, W. (2002). Community building with and for teachers at the math forum.  In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 60-95). Cambridge University Press.

Shumar, W., & Renninger, K. (2002). Introduction: On conceptualizing community.  In K. Renninger & W. Shumar (Eds.), Building virtual communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 1-20). Cambridge University Press.