Thursday, October 16, 2008
Liveblogging from the NerComp seminar on Using Web 2.0 for Teaching and Learning.
I'll be blogging each session, then posting at the end of each one. As always, expect typos and the like, as blogger's spellcheck sucks, and I'm writing too quickly. Plain text is summary and basic interpretation of the topic. Bold is stuff that stands out. Italicized are my own thoughts on the topic.
Intro session -- What is Web 2.0 and what does it mean for education?
Trent Batson and Evan Leek, MIT.
Batson speaking for now.
We start with the usual discussion about the tech (ajax, xml, semantic search) and other aspects (social sites [both social for individuals, and social in the sense that sites partner with others, as in sites that partner with Flickr or Youtube), separation of data and functionality, etc) that makes 2.0 possible.
"Web 2.0 is the cultural post-tipping point." The time when we let go of print -- no dictionaries, phone books, encyclopedias in the house, no need to read the NY Times on the bus to work, etc. Computers and the web have replaced them.
Implications: No value in just getting faculty to use tech. No need to hype tech, defend it, or be an apologist. We now need to focus on institutional reform. But can IT drive this? We can push things to a certain extent, but as long as instructors still view three classes a week and a textbook as the way to go, they won't leverage web 2.0.
Hey, he's got a chapter in Vijay Kumar's new book, Opening Up Education: The Collective Advancement of Education through Open Technology, Open Content, and Open Knowledge. I'm attending a NerCOMP Educause Live session with him tomorrow!
Evidence-based learning (eVBL), coined by Batson. Thousands of new ways to create evidence of student learning. The evidence is no longer invisible; tools like chat, forums, blogs provide active ways to demonstrate (and reinforce) learning, instead of just sitting and hearing a lecture.
Eportfolio (yay) is a major part of eVBL. Batson hasn't heard of any university that doesn't have at least some kind of portfolio initiative underway (even if just a planning or discussion group).
Batson discussing his use of e-portfolios. Collected first five papers, allowed students to look back and re-write one or two. At end of class, made students look at all twelve papers, keep ten, say why they kept those ten, and wrote a paper on how their writing changed.
Suggestion: Switch from using Pedagogy (teaching children) to Androgogy (teaching adults).
Priniciples: Let adults know why what they're learning is important. Teach them to be self-directed and use information. Relate practical outcomes.
Andogogy and eVBL: Archaeological digs, gathering evidence. But it's the reflection on the evidence that makes the evidience interesting.
Service Learning Portfolio. Person traveled to Africa, collected, reflected on photos, mixed in Web 2.0 "spices," continuous, not segmented learning, stays with the student and is owned by him or her. Web-based, transportable.
Batson is handing off to Leek, so I'll post this and start a new entry.
I'll be blogging each session, then posting at the end of each one. As always, expect typos and the like, as blogger's spellcheck sucks, and I'm writing too quickly. Plain text is summary and basic interpretation of the topic. Bold is stuff that stands out. Italicized are my own thoughts on the topic.
Intro session -- What is Web 2.0 and what does it mean for education?
Trent Batson and Evan Leek, MIT.
Batson speaking for now.
We start with the usual discussion about the tech (ajax, xml, semantic search) and other aspects (social sites [both social for individuals, and social in the sense that sites partner with others, as in sites that partner with Flickr or Youtube), separation of data and functionality, etc) that makes 2.0 possible.
"Web 2.0 is the cultural post-tipping point." The time when we let go of print -- no dictionaries, phone books, encyclopedias in the house, no need to read the NY Times on the bus to work, etc. Computers and the web have replaced them.
Implications: No value in just getting faculty to use tech. No need to hype tech, defend it, or be an apologist. We now need to focus on institutional reform. But can IT drive this? We can push things to a certain extent, but as long as instructors still view three classes a week and a textbook as the way to go, they won't leverage web 2.0.
Hey, he's got a chapter in Vijay Kumar's new book, Opening Up Education: The Collective Advancement of Education through Open Technology, Open Content, and Open Knowledge. I'm attending a NerCOMP Educause Live session with him tomorrow!
Evidence-based learning (eVBL), coined by Batson. Thousands of new ways to create evidence of student learning. The evidence is no longer invisible; tools like chat, forums, blogs provide active ways to demonstrate (and reinforce) learning, instead of just sitting and hearing a lecture.
Eportfolio (yay) is a major part of eVBL. Batson hasn't heard of any university that doesn't have at least some kind of portfolio initiative underway (even if just a planning or discussion group).
Batson discussing his use of e-portfolios. Collected first five papers, allowed students to look back and re-write one or two. At end of class, made students look at all twelve papers, keep ten, say why they kept those ten, and wrote a paper on how their writing changed.
Suggestion: Switch from using Pedagogy (teaching children) to Androgogy (teaching adults).
Priniciples: Let adults know why what they're learning is important. Teach them to be self-directed and use information. Relate practical outcomes.
Andogogy and eVBL: Archaeological digs, gathering evidence. But it's the reflection on the evidence that makes the evidience interesting.
Service Learning Portfolio. Person traveled to Africa, collected, reflected on photos, mixed in Web 2.0 "spices," continuous, not segmented learning, stays with the student and is owned by him or her. Web-based, transportable.
Batson is handing off to Leek, so I'll post this and start a new entry.
Labels: Nercomp
# posted by Adam Smith @ 6:02 AM 
