Throughout my research into the various learning theories above, I learned that each theory argues for a different instructor and learner roles. The two that stood out to me where constructivism and connectivism. Constructivism argues that humans acquire knowledge from their experiences whereas connectivism argues that technology has created non-linear learning and that this learning can be used for the learners benefit (“Constructivism”; Siemens, 2005).
I feel that both are applicable for online learning. Constructivism encourages problem-solving, peer-to-peer group work, and instructor facilitation. In an online learning environment, all of these aspects are important for a successful course. As an instructor’s role in an online course is to mentor and facilitate learning and thus they are not always readily available the importance of peer work and problem solving is significant (textbook, 2017). Through the lens of constructivism learner’s can work with their peers through online discussions and group projects, share their experiences, and learn together.
I teach contemporary art and art history, so peer to peer discussion is crucial. This includes discussing and interpreting artwork, and critiquing one peers artwork. Right now, I am building visual art online courses and the majority of my students will Generation Y and Z. Most of them will be 1st year students and thus, feeling and building a sense of community online will be important to their learning experience. I feel the connectivism supports a peer-to-peer learning experience and I plan on incorporating tools such as the Mural Brainstorming tool and other collobarative resources to encourage peer learning.
Constructivism is also a useful theory for online learning because it incorporates the learners experience with technology and maximizes. The majority of my learners have used the internet to “self-teach” and connectisvism provides method for using their desire to use the internet to learn while encouraging them how to find accurate information and make multidisciplinary connections with it (Giesbrecht, 2017). Learning how to find and use information online can help them build both their technical art skills (drawing, painting, Photoshop etc) and their theoretical skills as research is a pivotal aspect of contemporary art.
Connectivism also focuses on creating networks including using social media etc. When learning of art and visual learning, social media plays a key role in today’s environment (Goldie, 2016). Learners are continually viewing images and taking information from and it is my role as the instructor to show them how to read and understand images. In addition, to know what they may be trying to communicate or how they may try to manipulate the viewer.
Connectivism encourages the instructor to curate and guide the learners through their knowledge and connection forming experience. As an instructor, I can use visual networks to create research activities and encourage students to use this research to communicate their own visual message. Learners can then put their creation back into a visual network and see how new connections may form. These visual networks could be youtube, instagram, VSCO, flickr etc.
Construcvism and Connectivism both support my learners online and provide different methods for expanding my learners knowledge and learning network. I feel that both are useful in different ways, and in some cases compliment each other.
References
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2016). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Goldie, J. (2016). Connectivism: A
knowledge learning theory for the digital age? Medical Teacher,38(10), 1064-1069. Retrieved from http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/118043/9/118043.pdf
What
do you know about these generations that will be important to consider in designing
your course? What possibilities exist with making assumptions about our
learners and their learning needs? How can you overcome some of these potential
challenges?
Objective
Questions: What have you learned about working with different generations of
learners in an online forum?
Throughout the assigned videos and readings, and my own
research I have found that designing successful courses online for multiple
generations requires a variety of different styles, tools, and methods of
engagement in order to guide learners through a course. In scholar Michael Marmon’s (2018) research on social
presence in online learning, he highlights the importance of creating online
course that are well structured and organized because he found that online
students are often challenged by both the content of the course and the
“fundamental skills that support learning in an [online environment]” (p.69).
This is especially relevant for generations that are “Digital Immigrants” as
outlined by Marc Prensky’s (2001) two categories of learners; which is informed
by generations different exposures to technology throughout their lifetime. He
described the two as “Digital Natives” and Digital Immigrants,” Digital Natives
are the Net-Generation or those who have grown up in the digital world whereas,
Digital Immigrants are those who were exposed to the digital world later such
as the Silent Generation, Babyboomers, or Generation X. Prensky’s research
shows that many of the Digital Immigrants are teaching Digital Natives and as a
result, the technology gap causes some tension in the learning environment
because “today’s students think and process information differently” (p.1). He argued for a teaching methodology that
incorporates “legacy content” such as traditional learning methods (reading,
writing, lectures) with “future content” such technology, robotics and the
politics associated with them (p.1). Together, he proposed that this method
creates an environment where intergenerational teachers and students can be
successful as both learner and instructor.
Caroline
Koh’s (2015) research on teaching the net-generation and 21st-century
learner’s, provides methods for teaching them and she suggested motivating
students with virtual labs that provide instant feedback and interactions with
peers and instructors. Alongside a variety of embedded resources such as online
tools, forums, and documents. Some of these methods are echoed in research on
teaching different generations (“Teaching across Generations,” 2014) where the author outlines the characteristics
given to each generation and proposes both suggestions for each generation and
suggested strategies for all students (figure 1).
Figure 1
The authors argue that
creating a variety of learning practices will appeal to all generations of
learners in addition to acknowledging that the characteristic placed on
learners in each generation may be biased. The author asks us to question the
validity of these generation labels because of their bases on specific class,
racial and social background. Therefore, working with different generation
online requires insight into their generations exposure to technology,
generation-specific characteristics as well as an awareness of different global
and local backgrounds.
Reflective
Questions: How does this fit with your experience? What has your own learning
been like related to interacting and learning with different generations?
In my experience as an instructor, I worked
primarily with students from the “Y” and “Z” generations. And as a late millennial, near the border of
Gen Z, I recognized and empathized with the descriptions of the millennial and
Gen Z characteristics. Like White’s (2015) description of them, I grew up in
the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, have been conditioned to believe that
you need a University degree to get in the door, and was raised with technology
at an early age. I grew up with myspace then facebook and Instagram, and find
that social media plays a large role in my life and education. I found as an
instructor that I could use my knowledge of technology and social media to
engage students but, also that students would constantly be challenging me with
new resources that I was not aware of. However, another challenge has been
teaching students from different countries who have experience with different
learning styles and expectations. For example, some of my students from other
countries feared failure more than others or struggled with assignments
centered on critical thinking. In addition, some students were more comfortable
engaging in peer discussion whereas as other preferred solitary work. This
experience showed by the importance of being aware of intergenerational and
international classrooms as “Teaching Across Generations” touched on.
In developing an online and taking online
courses, I have found that I have a high expectation with the level of
technology and the design and structure of a course. And I feel that the
upcoming generations hold these expectations as well. In Liam Morgan’s research
on Y learners, he found that “One of the most consistent themes
to emerge from the diaries was the students heightened awareness of what was
available in terms of ICT and multimedia and being able to make judgments about
their effectiveness (p.167). I also find that while technology
may be a learner curve for some learners, well-designed courses and web-tools
are usually user-friendly and made to be quite clear for many different types
of users. Therefore, while some online tools may not be accessible for
everyone, I do find that the ease of design helps everybody. When I took an
online course, I found that the instructor was hands-out and did not take the
time to check-in or introduce themselves to the students. There was also no
peer-to-peer interaction that Marmon (2018) argues is vital in an online
course. However, they aren’t as easy to incorporate and teach other generations
and types of learners. It is not accessible for everyone, however, I do find
that the ease of design helps for everybody.
Working
with other generations have been very rewarding for me and I have found that I
get along with baby boomers (as the Tammy Erickson [2008] described). I find
that there mutual learning that happens when working with baby boomers and
Gen-Xers. I teach them about some of the latest resources and they guide me on
navigating the workplace. As a student, being taught by digital immigrants I
found that my instructors often used traditional learning sources which is what
I grew up on and am comfortable with. However, I found that there is a need to
engage other learning methods because of the various new ways people in the
millennial and z generation are learning to learn, and are teaching themselves
to learn (gaming, online resources/courses, etc).
Interpretive
Questions: What does this new learning mean to you? What new insights do you
now have? How has your thinking changed because of this learning?
From
all of the readings, I learned that when designing an online platform it has to
incorporate learning methods that are accessible to all generations as well as
people with different learning styles. In order to do this, I will need to
incorporate tools that are user-friendly, encourage peer engagement, and are
interactive. This challenged me to think
about how I can successfully create an online course that incorporates
different tools while still making it easy to navigate through all the content
in clear and concise delivery. As Marmon (2018) pointed out, students will be
challenged by both the course content and for many of them the online platform.
Some
of the articles reminded me of my own experience working with inter-generation
and international students, and the different content delivery they may be
accustomed too and the learning hurdles they may have. I have new insights on how digital immigrants
or natives can incorporate legacy and future content, that appeals to both of
their learning needs as well as instructors teaching needs. Lastly, the
readings changed how I think about peer-to-peer interactions online. They
showed the importance of it and the importance of creating intentional spaces
for these interactions online.
Decisional
Questions: How can this new learning be applied in your online course?
In order to minimize the learning curve for
all generations, I am going to focus on developing the course layout to create
courses that are easy to navigate and intuitive. I am also going to incorporate
multiple web tools with diverse uses such as video chats, quizzes, and games. I
will do this to appeal to the learning styles and comfort levels of various
generations and learning styles. Lastly, I will incorporate social engagement
through forums to encourage peer communication and give the students a sense of
community. I will also try to incorporate a peer project which will encourage
students to work together and also share their experience taking an online
course and any challenges they may have.
Reference
List:
Koh, C. (2015). Motivation,
Leadership and Curriculum design Engaging the Net Generation and 21st Century
Learners / edited by Caroline Koh.
Marmon, M. (2018). Enhancing
social presence in online learning environments / Michael Marmon, editor.
Morgan, Liam. (2012).
Generation Y, Learner Autonomy and the Potential of Web 2.0 Tools for Language
Learning and Teaching. Campus-Wide Information Systems,29(3),
166-Wide Information Systems, 2012, Vol.29(3), p.166-176.
Prensky,
M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon,9(5),
1-6.
One of the challenges I am facing while developing online courses is how to engage and educate learners effectively. Online learning can be a transition for both the educator and student – throughout my certificate in eLearning there are some specific learning strategies I’d like to build on:
1-effective ways to engage learners and educators.
2- course layout and structuring options that limit distractions/confusion.
Micaela's E-Learning Blog 