EndNote & Zotero

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/30/qt

This is pretty interesting and raises questions about open source.  Apparently EndNote is suing the creators of Zotero over a new version of Zotero that can convert Endnote files into Zotero files that can then be freely shared.  I'm curious to know how people feel about this.  Does EndNote have a case?  Is Zotero a Robin Hood of sorts? Or, are they destroying capitalism?

Factors Influencing Learning (Part II)

Our group discussion was very helpful for a couple of reasons. First, it solidified in my mind that the two factors I have chosen to focus on (motivation of the learner and authenticity) are critical in the learning process (although I admit that my view as them being the "top 2" isn't necessarily gosepl truth). As we talked about each of our individual views, we kept coming back to the same theme--differences among individual learners and the context that the learning is taking place in. I also realized that we had a lot of the same ideas, but that we sometimes used different language or terms to describe those ideas.

At times we discussed particular strategies that would lead to effective learning and attend to the factors that we believe are most influential (e.g. if we believe that emotion has an influence on learning we should do things that bring the learners emotions into the process); without fail, we would think of times when a particular strategy would not be effective or even detrimental. Usually these "catches" had to do with situations in which a particular strategy would not be effective for a particular learner. I am realizing more and more that it is nearly impossible to design a learning environment or learning activity that is a perfect fit for each and every learner. It seems like part of the challenge of a designer is "satisficing" or deciding what strategies will be an adequate fit for the majority of the learners (given that this is some sort of group learning environment like a class or seminar).

Factors Influencing Learning (Motivation & Context)

This was a really difficult question for me to address because I feel like learning is impacted by so many factors and that many of those factors are very interrelated.  But, to narrow it down to two factors I started by trying to identify my most significant learning experiences and then thinking about what they might share in common.  The things that I believe about learning have largely been shaped by experiences that I have had.  Interestingly enough, neither of the experiences that I will focus took place in a formal educational environment.  

The first was my LDS mission to Toronto Canada (yes I realize you just rolled your eyes thinking, "how cliche", everyone at BYU would say that--I would agree with you, a lot of people would say their mission was a tremendous learning experience and I think that there are good reasons for that which I will try to articulate here, so keep reading!).  No one forced me to leave home and spend two years in Canada riding dog sleds, living in igloos (just kidding, but it does get extremely cold) and talking to complete strangers about religion of all things.  I made a conscious choice to be a missionary and that led to a whole host of behaviours that enhanced my learning (I woke up early, read and studied, and then went out and tried to apply the things that I was learning whether that was specific doctrines, teaching methods, or the language--eh!).  There were a lot of what I would call sub-factors that helped my learning, but most of them were driven by my personal motivation.  The other thing that made my mission experience powerful in terms of my learning was that it was contextual and authentic--I was learning to be a missionary by being a missionary.  That didn't mean that I was thrown into the deep end without a life-jacket (although it felt that way at times), but it was a cognitive apprenticeship of sorts where I started as mostly a passive observer working with a seasoned missionary and then progressed to the point where I was the seasoned missionary.  The important thing was that the things I learned in my studies were things that I could use in my missionary experiences; likewise, my experiences drove my learning as well by helping me refine my ideas and raising questions in my mind that took me down new learning paths.  There was no real formal system for this learning, but it happened and happened much more effectively than I had ever experienced in a class I had taken.

The second experience that came to my mind as I considered learning was a job that I had as an undergraduate student here at BYU.  From my Sophomore to Senior year I worked as peer mentor in the Freshman Academy program at BYU (the same program that Brian Chantry in our class works for now as an administrator).  During my last summer as a peer mentor I was asked to assist three faculty members in doing research for a book they were planning to write focused on mentoring relationships.  While this was a formal assignment and I reported back to these faculty members, I was given all of the freedom in the world in terms of what I read, how I organized the information, and the questions that I pursued in my research.  So, essentially, I still had a great deal of choice and that impacted my motivation to learn.  Additionally, because I was also working as a peer mentor during this time I was able to let my research impact the way I carried out my mentoring role.  Specifically, I was working on developing a peer mentor training program to help new mentors understand their role and "become mentors".  So, the things that I was learning in my research had direct application to this other project that I was working on.  I read and wrote more during those 4 months (by a long-shot) than I ever did during an academic semester as a formal student, but I enjoyed it because I was in control and I was using what I was learning (I was also going to be teaching/coaching in a high school setting that fall and felt that what I was learning had a lot of implications for that work).  

So,  from these two stories, I have decided that the two factors that I believe have the most significant influence on learning are (1) the motivation/desire of the learner and (2) the context that the learning takes place in--it needs to be authentic.  I believe that there is plenty of literature to support me in those views (and probably plenty that would say that I'm wrong), but it is my experiences that have led me to this belief more than anything.  

In terms of citations relating to those views, one that comes to mind immediately is the Regeluth reading we were asked to do for next week ("What is Instructional Design Theory and How is it Changing?).  Part of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of what Reigeluth terms instructional conditions.  Two of the conditions addressed are the nature of the learner (including motivations) and the learning environment.   As far as contextual learning goes, the theory of situated learning (Lave & Wenger, see their book Situated Learning) has a great deal of support as well.  There is also a lot of support for this view in the article "Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning" that we read for class last week.

Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features

This article was extremely helpful in differentiating among the three theories that we have been discussing over the last few weeks.  I appreciated the focusing questions that Ertmer & Newby used to help give structure to their discussion.  I could explain the learning that I experienced as I read the article along cognitivist lines:  The 7 questions helped me organize information around the 3 theories and provided me with a framework around which I could build my understanding.  I'm not sure that I am all that adept at applying that knowledge at this point, but reading the article at least helped me clarify the ideas in my head.

Behaviourism:  Learning occurs as stimuli are introduced in a strategic way with the objective of illiciting a specific or desired response.  Behaviourists are concerned with what people do (observable behaviours).  Factors influencing the learning include the various stimuli that are presented, the sequence and timing in which this occurs, and the environment in which the learner finds themselves because these all have a bearing on the type of response that occurs.  Behaviourists explain transfer in terms of the learner's ability to generate the desired response in an environment similar to the original "learning environment".  This is sometimes referred to as "generalization".  The objective is for the learner to have a generalized response that occurs in a variety of environment sharing key features.  Behaviourist theory suggests that there is no real role of memory in learning because learning has to do with observable behaviours, not necessarily cognitive processes of storage, recall, etc.  Learning such as repetitive motor skill acquisition or other types of procedural tasks are easily explained by behaviourist theory.  In terms of structuring instruction, behaviourists would be likely to focus a great deal on the environment in which learning is taking place (e.g. what are the stimuli that can be controlled? How should they be introduced in a way that will elicit the desired response).  Providing the learner with opportunities to practice making the proper response would also be important.  For example, a PE teacher who views learning through a behaviourist lens would structure their class so that students have opportunities to practice particular skills and would be very intentional about providing feedback (the stimulus) in a way that would encourage the student to perform the skill to the instructors specifications (the desired response).

Cognitivism:  According to cognitivist theory, learning occurs as individuals receive, organize, store, and then retrieve information or knowledge.    Cognitivists are concerned with what learners know and how they organize that knowledge and then retrieve it.  Factors influencing learning include the cognitive processes/strategies employed for organizing, storing, and retrieving information.  This is a more learner centric theory than is behaviourism because the learner is seen as having an active role in the learning process.  The big focus here is on employing effective learning strategies.  The role of memory is critical in this learning process because it is the storing and then retrieving of information that is the measure for the success of the learning process.  According to Constructivist theory transfer occurs as learners receive information in one environment and then recall & apply it in a new or different environment.  This can only be accomplished as the learner develops rules or sets of guidelines for when and how to apply information.  So, transfer can only occur if the learner has a strategy for making judgments about new environments (e.g. their characteristics, the type of knowledge that might be needed, etc.) and then recalling information useful or pertinent in the new environment.  Learning such as reasoning, problem solving, and information-processing is easily explained by this theory.  For example, a cognitivist would say that a child who is very good at the game "Memory" experiences the success that they do because they have learned to structure and organize the layout of the game (i.e. where the various cards are) and can recall that information at the appropriate time to make "matches".  According to cognitivist theory, instruction should be structured with a heavy emphasis on the learning strategies employed by the learners.  Instructors would assist students in organizing new information and connecting it to existing information ("chunking") and might then help the learner develop strategies for effective recall.

Constructivism:  According to constructivists, learning occurs as individuals make meaning from their lived experiences.  Essentially, what we "know" stems from the experiences that we have and the way that we interpret these experiences.  Thus, our knowledge is dynamic and highly influenced by subsequent experiences.  Factors influencing learning include the learners environment and the context in which it takes place, as well as the cognition of the learner and how they make sense of their experiences (e.g. reflection upon experiences).  A constructivist would view memory as always under construction and that there is not a well-defined "known" that can be remembered.  Rather, we remember past experiences and use what we know from those experiences to make sense of new experiences.  Transfer is facilitated by opportunities for the learner to practice and learn in authentic environments that closely parallel the setting in which knowledge will be used or applied (Situated Learning dictates that the learning & application settings should be identical).  Constructivist theory best explains advanced, nuanced learning like that experienced by individuals as they develop expertise.  Learning that occurs in ill-structured or dynamic environments is also easily explained by Constructivist theory.  Instructors who have constructivist leanings would be very mindful of the context in which learning is taking place and would do all they can to make sure that learning takes place in an authentic way with opportunities for the learner to be exposed to multiple perspectives and a diversity of experiences so as to develop a more refined knowledge.  The instructor would also need to help the learner develop metacognitive skills to facilitate more effective reflection and meaning-making.

Private Universe

The film clip that we viewed in class today, Private Universe, was fascinating.  In it, there are various examples of individuals being taught concepts or ideas, but then holding onto their previously held "private" beliefs.  One of the interesting questions that was raised in class was "How do we tell people that they are wrong?".

That question seemed critical so I found myself thinking about it for the rest of our discussion.  As I listened to the comments and suggestions that were made it seemed to me like our first mistake might be assuming that we always have to tell a person that a belief that they have is incorrect.  After hearing some of the suggestions that were made and seeing how this happened in the clip I decided that a better alternative would be to help individuals see that the beliefs they are holding need to be modified.  That way they are coming to that conclusion on their own rather than having it forced on them (which I think generally leads to rebellion or discouragement--like the red-faced teacher in the clip).  

It probably isn't possible to have learners see their errors in every case, but we could do a lot more to place learners in environments and engage them in activities that could help them uncover their private beliefs and see how they match up (or do not match up) with the ideas of others (classmates, the instructor, experts, observed reality, etc.).   Aaron mentioned that rubrics can be a way of doing this when it comes to writing.  A novice writer could compare their writing to samples of more expert writing and an accompanying rubric that illustrates what a "skilled performance" looks like.  This will probably not lead to tremendously improved writing overnight, but having the opportunity to see how more advanced writers communicate could go a long way to helping a novice improve their performance.  I think the same thing can be seen in athletics when coaches tape their athletes performances and then review the tapes with the athlete so that they can actually see what their performance looks like; this may also include watching footage of more skilled performances.  I think that this is especially common in highly technical sport-skills (e.g. the discus & javelin throws, swimming strokes, gymnastics, etc.).  

A personal experience that I had that I think is related to this concept was a time-log activity I saw used in a St. Dev. 158 course taught here at BYU.  First-semester students participating in a Freshman Academy learning community were asked to, on a sample weekly planner sheet, map out how they would use their time in an "ideal week" and then were asked to track their actual time usage over the course of a week and then compare it to the ideal.  This was eye-opening for most students because they were not aware of how they were using their time (usually it was quite ineffectively).  This changed their "belief" about how they used their time and was much more effective in initiating change in time-use than I believe a "time-use lecture" might have been or if a teacher or peer mentor had tried to convince the student that they needed to change the way they organized their time.

Metacognition & Self-Regulation

Today we discussed the concept of metacognition and its implications for learning & instruction.  Metacognition is commonly referred to as "thinking about thinking" and involves making plans for how to learn, monitoring progress towards learning, and generating or eliciting feedback that can be used to improve learning or performance.  Someone who practices metacognition asks questions like "what do I want to learn? "how will I learn it?" "how am I doing?" and "how will I know if I have been successful?"

It seems like one of the foundational goals of education should be to help learners develop these metacognitive skills.  Acquiring these metacognitive habits seems to be one of the initial steps in becoming life-long learners.  It is interesting to me that lifelong learning is one of the Aims of a BYU Education; however, I'm not sure that very many of the courses that are taught on campus attend to this issue of metacognition.

I also thought that Bransford drew an interesting connection between metacognitive abilities and the transfer of knowledge to new settings and events.  From an instructional design standpoint this seems critical.  A good test of whether or not our instruction has led to metacognition is what happens to the learner once they leave our formal learning environment (e.g. do they keep learning?).

A thought that just came to me is the partaking of the sacrament each week is an opportunity to engage in metacognitive practices.  We reflect on how we are doing in terms of the covenants we have made and resolve to improve in certain areas.  Just a simple thought.  

Situated Learning, Legitimate Peripheral Participation, & Families

Yesterday during a a church meeting I got to thinking about situated learning theory and its connections to a lot of the things that Latter-Day Saints believe and practice, particularly with regard to families.  The theories of Situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation suggest that learning occurs as individuals become members of communities of practice and participate in those communities as viable members (although there role will likely be very minimal to begin with).  This allows learning to be contextualized and encourages the application and use of knowledge in authentic environments.  

The speaker I was listening to yesterday focused on families and their role in our spiritual development and I started to see a lot of connections to these theories that we have been discussing in our 520 course.  In families we each have roles, some more substantial (mother/father) and others more "peripheral" (a child who has responsibility to make sure that all of the garbages get taken out the night before trash day).  But, each member of the family contributes to the overall success of the family through their role.  A child learns how to be a member of a family, and ultimately how to be a parent, by being a participating member of a family when they are young--observing, asking questions, chipping in with family work, etc.  As time goes on, they assume more responsibility within the family and may play more of a role in decisions that are made within the family.  Eventually, they leave the home and begin to establish their own community of practice where they enter into the roles of mother or father and begin to apply things learned from their parents/siblings and build on this knowledge by making sense of their own experiences as parents.  

This idea of legitimate peripheral participation, I think, can also be seen on another level.  We as Latter-Day Saints also believe that we have a Heavenly Father and that his greatest desire for us is to become like him and be part of an eternal family.  We become legitimate peripheral participants in this plan or process as we take responsibility for children as parents and help them to grow and develop.  In this process we are learning and, ideally,  becoming more like our eternal father.  There is still much we don't know, but the opportunity to take part in the divine plan provides learning experiences for us that we could not have in any other way.

I am a dad of two weeks, so I guess these things are on my mind much more than they have been in the past.  I just thought it was interesting how the things we are learning in class have implications for so many aspects of our lives, and maybe particularly in our spiritual lives and in our families.

Web 2.0--Getting Paid For Class Notes

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/19/knetwit

This article describes a new start-up company designed to combine elements of social networking sites with note-taking services.  Knetwit is a site where users can upload notes, study guides, papers, tests, etc. and then generate "koins" each time their content is downloaded by another user.  These "koins" can then be redeemed at an online store or for straight cash through PayPal.  

The site creators hope that eventually Knetwit will become a respected source of academic information for both students and faculty; however, critics are questioning whether it is advisable to trust "average Joe's" to upload credible content that actually passes academic standards.  The example the author of the article uses is a student uploading an all-nighter C- paper and whether that is a good thing or not.  This raises interesting questions about the concept of the Wisdom of Crowds and whether giving everyone a voice and freedom to contribute their two-cents leads to increased "wisdom" in the long run.  For instance, can content on Wikipedia be trusted and what is the incentive for users to contribute accurate content?  The interesting thing about knetwit is that it capitalizes on users self-interest--they only get paid if their content is downloaded.  So, if a person wants to make money of this endeavor they need to post something that has value for other users.  I wonder if that will improve the quality of the content that is posted?  

What if we were paid for each time one of our peers visited this blog or viewed content that we have included on our PLE?  Would we take it more seriously or would it make what we do too artificial?  What role do incentives like this play in design?  Do they improve learning?  

Alcoholics Anonymous & Situated Learning

I thought that title might generate a little bit of interest.  But, you'll have to read the posting (or at least scan to the end, to see the connection.

So, I really enjoyed today's discussion in class because I think that I have more leanings towards situated learning than any of the other theories that we have read about or discussed.  My most meaningful learning experiences have occurred in situ as part of authentic activity.  What I like most about this theory is it takes into account the context in which learning takes place, the influence of social interactions, and has an emphasis on transfer/application of knowledge.  

I really liked the metaphor in the Brown, Collins, & Daguid article of learning as a tool.  Essentially, situated learning views learning as a tool and suggests that we only know how to use that tool or knowledge by having an authentic experience with it in context.  I really like the idea that knowledge or learning is linked to the activity and setting in which it is acquired.  This has really interesting implications for the way that our school systems and classrooms are structured.  I would venture a guess that there are only a few classrooms where teachers take the concept of context into consideration.  It makes a huge difference to ask ourselves the question "How and when will this student be using this knowledge?".

Cognitive apprenticeship is an excellent strategy for pursuing learning under the auspices of the theory of situated cognition.  Cognitive apprenticeship takes advantage of the power of social interactions in the learning process.  More specifically, a mentor or expert facilitates the learning of a novice.  The key here isn't just observation, but "making the invisible, visible".  A good mentor helps a protege see or understand the cognitive processes behind expert actions so that the novice can begin to think like an expert.  The mentor then invites the learner to "practice" or participate in the process or task, providing feedback and promoting reflection along the way so that the learner can make meaning from their experiences.  I thought our discussion about failure was pretty interesting today.  Failing is part of the learning process, but it is critical that the "failure" be followed by feedback and reflection so that the novice is left having learned something, not just discouraged.

I read an interesting book over the summer that relates to this idea of cognitive apprenticeship, legitimate peripheral participation , and communities of practice.  In Situated Learning:  Legitimate Peripheral Participation Lave & Wenger use a number of communities of practice to illustrate situated learning.  One of these communities is Alcoholics Anonymous.  I am not familiar with AA, but apparently, it is an excellent example of situated learning.  New members are slowly integrated into the group by participating at the periphery of the group initially (e.g. making simple comments at occasional points during meetings).  Through observation and simple participation these "apprentice alcoholics" become what AA calls "non-drinking alcoholics" taking on more and more of an active and central role as time goes on (culminating with tellling their personal stories in large meetings and mentoring newcomers in their efforts to battle alcoholism).  This example helped me realize that there are communities of practice everywhere and that this sort of learning happens more often than we think.  I also think that the Aaronic Priesthood with its process of integrating young men into the community of the priesthood is an excellent example of a community of practice.  The best priesthood leaders are those that are mentors and help young men learn to think and act like priesthood holders.

Traditional vs. Hybrid Courses

http://tinyurl.com/6cygfv

This article raises some interesting questions about the value of hybrid courses (some face-to-face interactions and some online work/interactions) as compared to traditional courses (all face-to-face).  The study has some credibility issues because the two courses that were compared to each other were on the same campus and there isn't a lot of information provided relative to class sizes, student demographics, etc., but it does raise some interesting points.

What I was intrigued by was that the article indicates that there did not seem to be any differences in student learning, but that students in the traditional classroom seemed to be more satisfied or pleased with their experience.  That got me thinking about student/learner satisfaction with their learning experiences.  Does it matter if they are "satisfied"?  If they learn, but are dissatisfied, is that a problem?  Essentially, I guess I wonder what role satisfaction or pleasure plays in the learning process.  From a gospel perspective it seems like real learning should leave the learner and the teacher "uplifted and edified".  If one or both are dissatisfied with the experience, does that mean learning hasn't occurred?

Constructivist Theory

I thought that this article was interesting (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/15/brown)

Brown University takes a very unique approach to the way they structure their curriculum.  It seems to be aligned with constructivist theory pretty closely.  They have very few "required" courses; instead, they allow students to essentially build their own program as long as they meet a few very loose guidelines.  A lot of academics have bristled at this philosophy, but it raises interesting questions about student engagement and their active participation in constructing their own knowledge.  Very different from the approach most universities take (i.e. students are required to take a long list of courses or a course from a variety of different categories).  It seems like most universities operate under somewhat of a behaviourist mindset in that they believe that if students complete a prescribed set of requirements (the stimulus), they will automatically emerge at the end of their college experience with a general set of knowledge and skills (the response).  

Learning Theories: Behaviourism, Cognitive Information Processing, and Constructivism

Today's class discussion on various branches of learning theory was quite interesting to me because we were making a lot of connections between concepts and really helping each other to learn (as opposed to listening to one person give a lecture).  It was was also entertaining to hear everyone's perspectives on the various theories and to see which direction we lean in.  While we each probably have a learning theory that we feel a closer kinship to, I think the comment that was made today about having an "eclectic lens" is probably pretty accurate.  While I think I probably see things with a constructivist view, I also agree with some of the premises of the other two learning theories we discussed today:  Behaviourism & Cognitive Information Processing.  I'll provide a summary of my understanding of each of the theories below.  Before I forget, I thought that Dr. Graham's clarification of the difference between learning theories & instructional theories was very helpful--learning theories are used to help explain how learning occurs, while instructional theories are focused on specific pedagogies or instructional strategies.  I think that some of the conflicting ideas that were brought up in class were probably a result of a misunderstanding between these two categories of theory.

Behaviourism:  This theory explains learning as an adaptation in behaviour based on the introduction of various stimuli and that those stimuli illicit specific responses within the learner or "organism".  I understood this to mean that behaviourists are less concerned with the learner (i.e. their past experiences, prior learning, cognitive processes, etc.) and more concerned with manipulating the learning environment so that particular stimuli are present.  The behaviourist would explain any change in behaviour (or learning) as a response to particular stimuli that were introduced or applied.

This discussion took me back to the Child Development course I took as an undergraduate and the discussion we had about behaviourist theory and its implications for raising children.  This was probably on my mind because of the recent addition my wife and I have had to our family (little baby Anna whose picture I have attached to this posting).  I actually saw my wife operating under a behaviourist perspective just yesterday.  We were giving Anna her second bath and hoping that she would react a little more positively than she did during bath #1.  After the bath was over my wife laid Anna on the bed and spent about 15 minutes stroking her head, her legs, her feet, etc. and speaking to her in soft tones.  While she was doing this she told me that she wanted our daughter to think of bathtime as a special time that was enjoyable and that she would look forward to.  Although she wasn't thinking about behaviourist theory explicitly, I think that she was thinking of her soft touches & soft tone as a stimulus of sorts and that it would elicit the response of less crying during future bath episodes.  I'm not sure yet that it will work, but it is an interesting idea.  

During our discussion of Behaviourist theory I was also intrigued by how our gospel perspective might influence our view of behaviourism.  It seems that the behaviourist interpretation of learning doesn't really attend to what is happening inside the learner,  but focused purely on outward and observable behaviours.  My view of the plan of salvation is that it is intended, not just to elicit particular behaviours from us, but rather to help us become something (see Dallin H. Oaks October 2000 General Conference Talk "The Challenge to Become" http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=e810a1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1).  A Behaviourist approach would seem to suggest that "learning" could occur without any real change in thinking or character, just as long as behaviour changes.  Maybe this is one level of learning; however, the type of learning or becoming that I believe Heavenly Father would have us experience seems to be much deeper and represent a change in nature (both behaviour and motive or intent).

Cognitive Information Processing:  This theory seems to be concerned with the way in which information is stored in memory and how it is retrieved.  It is all about structures and models that represent the way in which information is organized or stored within the organism or learner, particularly processes explaining how information moves in to and out of long-term memory.  A cognitivist (is that even a word?) would say that learning has taken place if a student can recall or retrieve information that was previously inputted.  The illustration of the way that a computer works was very helpful for me (e.g. Inputs--CPU--Memory--Outputs).

Constructivism:  According to constructivist theory, knowledge is "constructed" or formulated by the learner as they seek to make sense of their experiences.  This suggests that the learner's knowledge is very dynamic, changing and adapting in response to the learner's experiences & perceptions of those experiences.  It is important to recognize that constrictivism is an epistemology (a way of explaining how we come to know things) rather than an ontology (a way of thinking about what exists or what is real).  A constructivist could hold either a relativistic or objectivist ontology--they may or may not believe that there is an absolute truth.  An objectivist who also views themself as a constructivist would hold the view that an individual develops a perception of truth based on their experiences and that the more experiences they have, the closer their perception of truth comes to reality.  Relativists would refute this claim by saying that there is no absolute truth, only a socially constructed truth for each situation or setting.  Constructivists view learning as something that happens within a particular context and that knowledge is context specific.  This has some interesting implications for instructional design because it seems to suggest that learning environments need to be contextual or authentic and that learning is often a social process that relies heavily on collaboration and exposure to varied perspectives and instructional methods (this variety of experiences helps the learner construct a richer understanding & knowledge).  I read a book a few years ago (The Wisdom of Crowds, Malcolm Gladwell) that seems to have a loose connection to this idea.  In it the author discusses the conditions necessary to have a "wise crowd" or a group that can arrive at innovative ideas, solutions, predictions, etc.  By having a diverse crowd, with a multiplicity of perspectives and ideas, we can arrive at a closer approximation of what is true or real.  

In terms of the perspectives outlined by Schuh & Barab (Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, Sociocultural/Historicism, Situativity Theory) I think that I align most closely with Socioculturalism and Situativity Theory.  I am a big believer in the power of social interactions in the learning process and believe that designers can do some things to really capitalize on group dynamics and the natural energy possessed by groups of learners, socioculturalism is something that I find myself being drawn to.  I also am a big proponent of contextual learning and the link between knowledge and the environment in which it is obtained.  I think that learning is context specific (this is why we see so many students doing well on exams, but then having a difficult time applying their knowledge in more authentic settings and the same reason why when I was a soccer coach I worked very hard to design training sessions that simulated authentic game-like settings).  I am also intrigued by the concept of legitimate peripheral participation and believe that situativity theory can help explain the process by which individuals become socialized into organizations and groups and how they learn to be functioning members of the groups (e.g. how a new student at BYU learns to be a "BYU student").  I read a book over the summer, at the suggestion of Dr. Gibbons, that explores situated learning called Situated Learning:  Legitimate Peripheral Participation that got me excited about this theory and its implications for design, particularly as it relates to my work at the university (New Student Orientation & Undergraduate Peer Mentoring).

Reflection from Class (Sept 8)

Today in class we discussed the concept of web 2.0 which I was a little fuzzy on. So, the discussion was very helpful for me. I found that hearing about all of the different examples of web 2.0 applications was the most helpful thing for me. Web 2.0 refers to internet resources that are moderated by users. In other words, individual users can go in and add, edit, delete, etc. Examples include things like blogs, wikis, social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, You Tube, etc.). In essence I feel like Web 2.0 has provided enhanced learning opportunities because of the opportunities for users to really engage with the content posted on various sites, as opposed to being a passive participant by just reading and/or watching.

We also talked a bit about the difference between PLE's and LMS's. I am excited about the opportunity to have a Personal Learning Environment (my brand new blog) because it will give me an opportunity to moderate my own learning and also share that learning with others. It will also be interesting to have a record of my reflections and musings because I think that I will be able to see my own personal development as a designer over time. It will also be a great resource in terms of articles, video clips, etc because it can be a repository of the interesting things that I have read and seen--almost like a personal library.

As far as RSS feeds go, I am intrigued by the concept, but not really sold on any particular feed right now. Hopefully as I gain a little more experience and read a little more I will find some questions/issues that I am particularly interested in and can find feeds pertaining to those areas so that I can stay abreast of developments & innovations.

Sept 8: Grad Student Productivity

Part 1 (PLE's)
Internet Research: Find the best article or video resource that you can that answers the questions:
-What is a personal learning environment (PLE)?
-What elements make up a PLE?
-How is a PLE different from a Learning Managment System?
-What are some examples of PLEs?

There is a video clip (really, a souped up slide show) at http://www.slideshare.net/AJCann/ple/ that does an excellent job of answering these questions. The presenter may be a bit biased, but the information here is very clear and easy to understand. Another one that is decent but not quite as good is http://www.slideshare.net/dkeats/beyond-the-traditional-learning-management-system-presentation.


Part 2 (RSS Feeds)
Internet Research: Find answers to the following questions:
-What is an RSS feed?
An RSS feed seems to be a way of staying informed about particular topics or keeping track of changes that occur at sites that a person might visit frequently. For instance, if I wanted to keep up with my brother's blog I could add that particular site to my RSS feed and it would notify me when he posted new pictures or published new entries.

-Find 2-3 RSS feeds related to Instructional Technology that you would like to follow throughout the semester.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Journal of the Learning Sciences
Cognition and Instruction