This is related to the Learning Design that I explored in week 4's reflection. I and my team had come up with an LD for the learning objective of "creating website".
We got several feedbacks for our LD, particularly about the direction of arrows that connecting task and resources. From the feedbacks, we understand that there are cases when the resources affect the tasks (whereby arrow pointing from triangle to rectangle), not just the tasks that affect the resources (whereby arrow pointing from rectangle to triangle).
For example: notice the arrow that connects the triangle of "book" and the rectangle of "read relevant chapters". The arrow pointed out from the rectangle to the triangle. This direction shows that the tasks affect the resources, while actually the correct notion will be the resources is the one that affecting the task, thus the arrow should be pointing out from the triangle to the rectangle.
We revised our LD during the tutorial, and finally came up with this new and more neat LD =).
Oh, and I also got to know the difference between resources and supports (been confused on how to differentiate these two).
For example: we've been quite confused on how to place "software" in our LD. Is it a support? Is it a resource? Software is used as a tool to help the learner to create the website, so doesn't that mean that "software" is a support? But according to the reading, "software" is categorized as resource. Humm...?
Ms Jodie told me that resources are whatever tools and, well, resources, from which the learners get the knowledge/skill which later will be applied in performing the task. In the other hand, supports are the forms of feedback, reviews, or advises the learners get from the teachers/instructors or peers that will help them to improve their performance.
So, according to her explanation, "software" should be counted as "resource", not "support".
Lol, I don't think I explained the difference well, but yeah, I just sort of know how to differentiate them now.
This week we were exploring tasks and performances: the different types of them, the objectives behind them, etc.
There are actually several types of learned performances or "learning outcomes" (as quoted from the reading). They are: verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, and motor skills.
1. Verbal information aka declarative knowledge is when the learners are able to state that they know something. For example "I know that rose is red". By giving the statement, the learner shows the evidence of verbal information that they have acquired.
2. Intellectual skills involve the ability of the learners to actually carry out of some actions, not just to state them or talk about them. So, continuing of the above example, now the learners are able to actually 9and correctly) point out to a red thing that is called rose.
3. Cognitive strategies are the ability to engage in self-monitoring, self-guiding activities that make possible the executive control. They are ways of managing the process of learning, remembering, and thinking. After achieving this learning outcome, learners are expected to able to use particular strategies to help them learn something and recall them.
4. Attitude is an acquired internal state that influences the choice of personal action toward some class of things, persons, or events.
5. Motor skills are functioned to make possible the precise, smooth , and accurately timed execution of performance involving the use of muscles.
Besides those types of performace (or, well, learning outcomes), I also get to know 2 types of relationships between different kinds of skills needed in task performance. Ok, so basically, in performing task, we need to have specific skills. Like for example, my task is to get the definition of "acquaintances". In performing this task, I need to have the skill of reading or finding the correct dictionary.
As I said before, there are 2 types of relationship among skills. 1. Flowchart visualizes an orderical relationship. It means that one skill depends on the other skill, one skill can be performed only after the learners are able to perform the "prerequisite skill". Example: you can only search the definition "acquaintances" word in dictionary after you have the reading ability.
2. Hiearchy tells us that the skills are independent to each other. No fixed sequence, no order. Learners can just do whatever skill they want to do first.
The other knowledge I gained from this week's readings is about goal analysis and how it influences the type of tasks that we need to perform.
Well, I just basically sum up the reading. Don't have any specific thing to reflect about.
From the fictious e-learning case introduced in the beginning of the reading, I get the understanding of the importance of doing needs assessment before creating a whole plan of learning system. Needs assessment will help the creator to get a sense of understanding about what the teachers' and students' need and expect from the learning system. Needs assessment will ensure that each task, resources, and supports in the learning process won't go wasted and operate well according to their expected functions. Lastly, needs assessment ensures that the students are able to obtain the knowledge that they really need, not just wasting their time to learn something that they don't even know about its purpose. From a thorough needs assessment, teachers are also expected to be able to do their best performance in assisting the students to achieve the learning objectives. Well, just to summarize, I think needs assessment exist for ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole components of a learning activity.
As common student, the only thing that I know about a learning process is to follow the lesson plan made by the teacher, do as best as I can to meet their expectations (that are also stated in the lesson plan), and finally accept my grade.
I never know the process of making such lesson plan; the objectives behind it; or the tasks, resources, and supports that are explored in it. That's why, when I touched this week's topic about learning design, I feel quite interested to it: to know that there are 4 types of framework for a learning design typology (rule-based, incident-based, strategy-based, and role-based), and to explore the different meanings of triangle, rectangle, and circle in a learning design.
As I said earlier, there are 4 types of learning design framework. a. Rule-based design is those that are primarily comprised of closed tasks whose completion requires the application of some form of rules, procedures, or algorithms (Conole, Dyke, Oliver, & Seale, 2004). I think this is the most familiar framework for most student. We grow up in school, assuming that the more we match to the formula/procedure/expectation that is set by the teacher, the higher the grade we will get.
b. Incident-based design is a learning activity that is based around learners' exposure and participation to events or incidents of an authentic and real nature. It requires learners to reflect and take decisions based on the actions and events (Conole et. al., 2004). I don't think I get to experience this type of framework too much. The closest learning experience is perhaps analyzing the business case study? Humm... I wonder.
c. Strategy-based design is based around tasks that require strategic planning and activity (Conole, et. al., 2004). Is doing a research and surveys for one of my modules counted under this type of learning? Well, we did make planning of how to conduct the research and survey, came up with strategy of how the research would go smoothly, etc.
d. Role-based design is achieved through learners' participation as players and participants in a setting that models a real-world application (Conole et. al., 2004). I think I will experience this learning activity from the project. I will play the role as an educator and come up with my own lesson plan/learning design.
For the lecture activity, we made a learning design sequence. We explored the meanings of triangle, rectangle, and circle in an LD, also the arrows that connect each shape to the others.
Above is my team's LD. Our learning objective is to make "our students" able to create a website.
There are three main theories/perspective explaining the learning process of individual. Cognitivism theory believes that people were all born with curiosity and have an intrinsic motivation to know. Behaviorism argues that learning process is shaped by reinforcement and punishment. While socio-cultural states that learning process doesn’t just involving the individual learner, but also involving the use of tools drawn from the surroundings.
When I was children, the learning processes that took place mostly applied cognitivism theories. As a child with no prior experience of the world, I developed inner motivation to study about everything surrounding me. No one forced me to study about anything, yet I found that it was important to study our surroundings. There was only inner motivation at that time, but its presence was made greater by the need of to quickly make sense of the world.
However, as I was moving to formal education, most of the learning process that took place was under behaviorism and sociocultural theories. The sociocultural was a good theory in underlying the education process, as I understand that learning process will be made quite possible without the assistance of learning tools, such as mnemonic devices and language. However, there was a change in the motivation of my learning process. There was only slight of self-motivation to study. All the hard work for studying was brought by the motivation to get a good grade and high rankings, not by the motivation to actually understand about the topic itself. The learning process is now shaped by the reinforcement and punishment through good or bad grade.
However, as I was digging my learning experience in university, I found that I applied cognitivism theory again. One of the reasons that had brought back my self-motivation to study is the fact that I chose my major by myself. I know that I’ve been liking this subject the whole time and I just feel that I want to know more about the subject. I’m also quite free to choose any modules I want to read. No one forces me to study. I found the inner motivation back.
Well, I still have concerns over grades and how to maintain it. But now I enjoy the learning experience more, because I understand that achieving a good grade is not the one that have made me decided to study about this area.
The learning methods in university are also more variable. It’s not merely engaging yourself in reading, listening, and taking notes of what the teacher dictates you, but you got to engage yourself more in the learning process itself. Sometimes you need to reflect some theories on your own and present it through your own understanding and perspective. This way, the learner has become the centre of the learning process again, not the teacher. University incorporates all the three theories altogether into a compact learning process. And I found that this method is actually the most effective of all.
*Edit: As part of Assignment 2, the followings are blogs I have read and commented on http://natalie3204.blogspot.com/ http://wansong.wordpress.com/ (commented on) http://eeelearning.wordpress.com/ http://justanotherlearningjournal.wordpress.com/ http://fa-elearning.blogspot.com/
The simplest definition of e-learning is a learning process that makes use of technologies as supporting tools.
Examples of technologies that are common being used are the Web, chat-based forum, interactive TV, videotape, etc.
The activities engaged in e-learning are including team collaboration, document management publishing, synchronous/asynchronous communication, and course-work submission.
With the technological advances, e-learning offers several benefits for both the students and instructors. This learning process is known to be low-cost compared with traditional learning process; it is consistent, yet customized; it is timely and dependable; it is universal and scalable; and it offers time and place convenience as its most obvious benefit.
However, there are also challenges to the growth of e-learning. E-learning is mostly hindered by the bandwidth and infrastructure limitation; the lack of training for the instructors; and the need to invent new learning culture and training organization.
Below is the e-learning 'concept-map' that my team has created for our first assignment.
NUS is one university that engages e-learning in much way. E-learning’s existence is obvious here. We have IVLE, the virtual learning environment site that must have the most hits among all sites entered by NUS students; we post questions in forum; have contacts with lecturers and tutors through emails; upload and download presentation slides and assignment; and watch quite a number of videos during the lecture. One of my exchange student friends even said that NUS is way too technological, having even the slightest contacts with traditional learning tools, such as chalk and blackboard.
I found that this whole experience of e-learning is very much enjoyable, effective, and efficient. Let’s take one example of the webcast. Having webcast as the ‘replacement’ of a lecture does not merely imply that a student is being lazy to go to school. There are some students who really can’t make it for going to school due to some circumstances, such as having part-time job or lack of transportation. Webcast also works for a tool to review. I myself found that I, somehow, can concentrate more by watching webcast. Webcast is more manageable as I can just go back to it anytime I need it, run it faster or slower, or even pause it in times I need to take notes of something.
Another example is the Internet forum. I found that Internet forum is the most suitable place for Asian students to interact with each other, asking questions, answering them, discussing interesting issues related to the subject, etc. This is because Asian students are known to be more introvert and less expressive than, say, American or European students. The absence of student’s physical being encourages the student to speak up more. The asynchronous characteristic of the Internet forum also allows the student to have more time to think about his/her question and to put it in the best manner.
Outside of formal education (like university), e-learning has also expanded to other forms of education, such as home-schooling. I have one friend did home-school through a service provided by one high school in the US. What she all needed to do was just to watch the lectures through webcasts from her home, email her teachers for questions, and upload her homework online. Through e-learning, she was able to get the US education that she wanted without paying too much expense.
Despite all the positive benefits gained from e-learning, I realize that such technology is limited to only certain numbers of societies. However, looking at today’s technological advances, higher education level of teachers and instructors, and better technological training for teachers and students, I believe that it won't be too long for all societies to enjoy the benefits of e-learning equally.
Oh, and I also got to know the difference between resources and supports (been confused on how to differentiate these two).
