Understanding and learning outcomes
May 9, 2014µ
Gardner Campbell examines "the seemingly endless fascination with 'learning outcomes'" and the ingenious idea that "teachers should think about what they believe should happen in the student as a result of the class." But this, he says, leads toward a behaviourist paradigm and away from "the cognitivist turn" that has characterized education in recent years. It leads toward 'specific knowledge'. "Two of the words we must never, ever use are 'understand' and 'appreciate.'" - we are told that these are vague words, when (as Chronicle blogger Robert Talbert says) we should specific words to describe outcomes. Mushy objectives can't be measured. But it's not so much that they're mushy (and here I'm reading into him a bit) but they're complex. The paradoxes that seem to abound in learning are actually reflective of the underlying nature of learning. More...
A new talk sketched daily
A new talk sketched daily, by fan Stefani Bachetti
Kate Torgovnick May, TED Blog, May 6, 2014
I actually like this Tumblr feed featuring a sketch of a new TED talk every weekday (at a certain point the author has to run out of TED talks but that will be a while). I think that what really shows up in these diagrams is the essential similarity between TED talks - the compelling story, the one-line message, a few compelling figures or data sets, the emotional strings. More...
Disrupting Colonial Mindsets: The Power of Learning Networks
Disrupting Colonial Mindsets: The Power of Learning Networks
Catherine McGregor, In Education, May 16, 2014
This paper offers an example of "how one particular teacher-learning network—the Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network (AESN) in British Columbia, Canada, offers a powerful example of how teacher learning networks can enable deep and transformational change among participating teachers and leaders." It merges the concept of the community of practice with the need for non-hierarchal and inclusive leadership. More...
Why Connectivism is a Learning Theory
Why Connectivism is a Learning Theory
Geoff Cain, Brainstorm in Progress, May 1, 2014
Yeah, this is kind of how I see it too: "Most of the criticisms I have read of Connectivism boil down to the new theory is not like the old theories." This is asserted in by Geoff Cain as he explains why the 'incompleteness' (David Wiley's concern) of connectivism doesn't mean it's not a theory. More...
Visualizing my understanding of connectivism
Visualizing my understanding of connectivism
Matthias Melcher, x28’s new Blog, May 1, 2014
Connectivism, as I describe it, suggests that there are different types of knowing networks. A human neural network is one. A society (or social network) is another. A neural net computer program is another. So far so good. But Geoff Cain asks the question: "how are these related? The recent criticisms show that it is difficult to reconcile these two." I would point out that there is no particular requirement that they be reconciled. More...
Amplify (Corrected Link)
Amplify (Corrected Link)
Corrected link for Amplify. Sorry about that. Also worth noting along the same lines is SoftChaos's Webstractor, a product that allows you to save, edit and merge web pages. Very frustrating though - the site provides absolutely no installation instructions and does not even tell you whether it works on Windows or Mac or whatever. More...
Beyond an Institutionalized Learning Environment
Beyond an Institutionalized Learning Environment
This article is interesting because it describes e-learning in the Philippines and because it looks at an approach especially appripriate to a nation characterized by "a lack of adequate landline facilities and Internet connections in far-flung and traditionally underserved areas of the country": SMS and instant messaging. More...
Virtually Perfect
Virtually Perfect
This is a very good article, one of the best of the year and certainly the best I've seen on this topic at this level. It describes how various universities are building and using mobile production suites to capture and display learning resources (such as, say, classroom lectures), taking as its point of departure the Georgia Institute of Technology's Big Bertha system. More...
Should We Be Using Learning Styles? What Research Has to Say to Practice
Should We Be Using Learning Styles? What Research Has to Say to Practice
Seb Schmoller brings us two nice - and critical - reviews of learning styles. As the authors note, "There is... a strong intuitive appeal to the notion that we all have individual preferences and styles of learning." It is, indeed, an intuition I share. More...
The Dynamic Approach to Learning
The Dynamic Approach to Learning
There isn't a whole lot that's revolutionary in this interview with Jonathon Levy, but his assessment of the field is consistent with mine: "The field is marked by a juxtaposition of new technology and old pedagogy." Consistent with his previous work, Levy proposes a dymanic workplace model of learning. More...