Archives For Learning

Will Academia Ever Get It?

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 17, 2012 — Leave a comment

student readiness

The recent McKinsey report Education to Employment: Designing a System that Works reveals that despite a world wide shortage of skilled workers less than half of students think their education prepares them for employment. Unfortunately almost three quarters of the institutions surveyed believe that they are doing a good job of preparing their students for entry level positions in their field of studies. My recent experience as the Vice President Academic of a small liberal arts University confirms that most faculty, administrators and staff believe their institution is doing a wonderful job at preparing students when in reality they are not. How can so many seemingly intelligent people be so wrong and not fully grasp the changes that society is facing and the need for our educational system to adapt?

I have been considering this question for over 30 years and unfortunately, I haven’t seem any significant systemic changes in the educational system since my time as student in grade school–but this may be about to change. Yes, we are using technology like whiteboards instead of blackboards and some institutions are even dabbling with digital content but for the most part any advances in technology are used to make the delivery of information more efficient. We even give our Learning Management Systems names like “Blackboard” to help preserve the notion of information delivery in the traditional sense.

I think a significant part of the problem is that those who are really good at doing school as students come back as instructors and administrators–it is a self perpetuating system. In the extremely popular TED Talk Do schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson makes the argument that if aliens were to visit our school system they would simply see it as system established to produce University Professors. This perhaps explains the disconnect between what the business world and students expect and what the educational system provides. Most instructors are convinced that the system is doing a great job because they are delivering the content in the same way that they had it delivered to them. They did very well in the system so they are living proof that the system works well. They do unto their students what was done onto them and so on. As we see from the data most of these people in the system do not see any problems. Fortunately, those outside the education system see the need for reform and the power of disruptive innovation is about to change the education system in ways that will be beyond the system’s control.

In the recent Forbes article One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Khan Academy Is Reinventing Education author Michael Noer argues:

No field operates more inefficiently than Education. A new breed of disruptors is finally going to fix it.

The article highlights Salman Khan’s Khan Academy which is a collection of over 3000 short video clips that can be used in a just in time basis to help understand and learn many mathematical, scientific or other technical concepts. The videos themselves are really not that high in aesthetic quality so many traditional instructors are quick to dismiss them on this basis. But this is a classic example of a disruptive innovation. The disruptor often from outside the industry (Sal Kahn is not even a teacher) comes in and fills a need that the incumbent market leader ignores. Kahn upstages the educational establishment with his instructional videos that can be accessed for free that enable the learner to learn at their own pace and master concepts before they move on. Kahn has not discovered anything new and his presuppositions have been well researched by educational theorists. Self paced differentiated instruction and the promotion of mastery based learning work well. We see small pockets of these methodologies all over the world–the ideas are nothing new. It simply took an outsider to the educational establishment to make it work in a way that the educational system couldn’t.

Perhaps this is the secret–perhaps it will take those outside of the educational system to help the educational system to change. The Forbes article points 15 Classroom Revolutionaries who are exploring disruptive technologies that may change the way we teach and learn.

Perhaps the best place for out of the box ideas is from outside of the box.

In 21st century learning, Change, Innovation ,
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Redefine How You View Education

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 11, 2012 — Leave a comment

“There’s a saying which says, ‘If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to help build theirs.’ Redefine how you view education. Understand its true meaning. Education is not just about regurgitating facts from a book or someone else’s opinion on a subject to pass an exam.” [4:13]

In Learning 2.0, Video - Wednesday Watchlist , ,
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A Domain of One’s Own – A Learning Portfolio by Any Other Name

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 11, 2012 — Leave a comment
https://chronicle.com/blogs/techtherapy/2012/12/05/episode-101-giving-everyone-at-college-a-domain-of-ones-own/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Episode 101: Giving Everyone at College a ‘Domain of One’s Own’ – Tech Therapy – The Chronicle of Higher Education via kwout

Jim Groom the director of teaching and learning technologies at the University of Mary Washington has a propensity for creating great names for some very common things. Several years ago Groom referred to the approach to teaching and learning practices that results from a do it yourself (DIY) attitude as “edupunk” and the name stuck. Groom latest great name is “A Domain of One’s Own” which refers to a net presence or space that faculty and staff are given to experience the full power of the web and create a net identity that they control and own even when they leave Mary Washington University.

Groom argues that this is more than just an eportfolio or learning because there is so much attached to this portfolio idea and unfortunately, due to poorly designed commercial software this generally refers to a repository of artifacts that are collected in a digital folder. A domain of one’s own goes well beyond this limited notion and challenges the students and faculty to create their own space and choose the tools and resources that they wish to use to set it up in the way they desire.

Taking ownership of one’s learning space should be central to the learning environment in higher education and it is refreshing to see institutions like Mary Washington promoting this important aspect of the learning environment.

Hats off to Groom for yet another great name for a simple but fundamental idea.

Listen to the full podcast…

In 21st century learning ,
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When is Homework Worth the Time?: Evaluating the Association Between Homework and Achievement in High School Science and Math

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 4, 2012 — Leave a comment
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/26/homework-an-unnecessary-evil-surprising-findings-from-new-research/

Homework: An unnecessary evil? … Surprising findings from new research via kwout

Alfie Kohn reviews a Indiana University School of Education survey that finds little correlation between time spent on homework and better course grades for math and science students. The survey did reveal a positive relationship between homework time and performance on standardized tests but all this demonstrates is a correlation not causation. Furthermore, the correlation was modest and the resulting one to two hours of homework only result in an increase of two to three points on a test. Kohn warns:

Thus, a headline that reads “Study finds homework boosts achievement” can be translated as “A relentless regimen of after-school drill-and-skill can raise scores a wee bit on tests of rote learning.”

Kohn also points out that while the survey revealed a modest correlation between homework and standardized test scores he reminds us more importantly that the survey revealed

There was no relationship whatsoever between time spent on homework and course grade, and “no substantive difference in grades between students who complete homework and those who do not.”

Perhaps the most accurate prediction that came out of this article was that despite the data showing the homework is not worth the time or effort many people would offer platitudes about its importance and would be afraid to give it up. The concluding paragraph is following by comment confirming Kohn’s prediction:

many people will respond to these results by repeating platitudes about the importance of practice, or by complaining that anyone who doesn’t think kids need homework is coddling them and failing to prepare them for the “real world”… Those open to evidence, however, have been presented this fall with yet another finding that fails to find any meaningful benefit even when the study is set up to give homework every benefit of the doubt.

This is a sad commentary on our educational system. Even when the data is clear study after study that homework is not beneficial you still have people in the system commenting that they would not be willing to take the risk of NOT assigning homework and having to deal with irate parents or school administrators. Fear is holding back our children’s and our future.

Read the full WSJ article…

In Change, Learning 2.0
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eBooks vs Books

Dwayne Harapnuik —  November 27, 2012 — Leave a comment
http://tablets-textbooks.procon.org/#pro_con

Tablets vs. Textbooks – ProCon.org via kwout

“The mere formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.” Albert Einstein

We would be wise to heed Einstein’s advise as we look at this debate but we should also be aware of the agendas and bias that are present in the way an argument is presented. For example comparing tablets to textbooks is not a fair comparison for tablets or textbooks because the two are essentially different. A tablet is a computing device that can be used as an ereader as well as many other things and a textbook is simply a compilation of pre-digested information. The Tablets Vs. Textbooks ProCon.org website is a classic of example of how we can get mired in senseless debates of comparing apples to to oranges. The site also demonstrates that when the comparisons are NOT well defined and remotely equivalent the debate can actually limit well informed decisions and progress. Several years from now we will look back at the pros and cons listed on this site and many other similar sites and add the following statements to the growing list of ill informed statements that about other technological changes. It won’t be too many years until we add the following:

Tablets enable students to cut corners or cheat on schoolwork.
Tablets increase the number of excuses available for students not doing their schoolwork.
Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use.

to this growing list of foolish predictions.

“Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.” From Federal Teachers, 1950

“Computers give students an unfair advantage. Therefore, students who used computers to analyze data or create displays will be eliminated from the science fair.” From a science fair judge in Apple Classroom of Tomorrow chronicles, 1988

Putting the above illformed debate aside we can now deal with a personal observation regarding the power of ebooks and the limitation of traditional print books that will have an impact on learning–or at least have an impact on my learning. This past week my son suggested that I would be interested reading the book Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide by Barbara Coloroso that he was reading in his Social Studies class. I often read what my boys read and was looking forward to the discussions this book could start so after learning that I could not get copy of this book in a digital format I agreed to have my son to pick up a paperback copy from his school library. A few pages into the book made me realize that this was not just a light read and that I was going to have to start making notes if I wanted to be able to refer back to the powerful points the author was making. Unfortunately the book was in print I had to repeatedly stop and transcribe sections of the text. I found having to do this not only frustrating it interfered with my flow of reading and interfered with my learning process.

Some may question how transcribing text interferes with learning and may even argue that the act of writing out the test is actually helpful for learning. Since getting my first iPad back in May of 2010, I have moved over to ebooks and found that the ability to highlight and make notes directly on the book I was reading was an extremely important aspect of using ebooks. Highlighting and making short notes as I read directly on the book enabled me to enter into a state of flow that I have not experienced with traditional text based books. In his book Flow, Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as:

“being completely involved in an activity for its own sake…your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

I was not aware that I could even enter into this state of flow while reading until I started using ebooks. I am not only able to read much more efficiently but am able to emerse myself much further into the material. While I am not able to quantitatively demonstrate that I am learning more effectively with ebooks I believe that I am and we do know from the research that this type of positive reinforcement does contribute to improved learning. This is also significant when one considers that I have read over 75 books in a digital format on Kindle, Kobo, iBooks or several other ereaders I have used in the past couple of years. When you add the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of articles that I have read in a digital format on my iPad the impact of digital text on my learning has been profound.

About the only advantage traditional books have over ebooks is that they don’t require recharging. However they do require a decent light source which isn’t required with an ebook so even this perceived advantage can be questioned. As I get older and require even stronger reading glasses the advantages of ebooks over traditional print are even more profond when you consider how easy it is to change the size and format of the text.

Like most perpetual readers I have a several stacks of books that I have purchased and am planning to read. Unfortunately, these stacks of print based books are not declining because I prefer to read digital text as opposed to print. I have re-purchased several of these books in a digital format so that I could read them more efficiently and I sense that if I am to make any progress on that stack will have to re-purchase electronic versions.

I have read thousands of books, most being traditional print and am looking forward to reading thousands more and unless I have not other option those future books will be ebooks. I challenge anyone to come up with any reason why a print based book is better than electronic text. Despite reading thousands of books and even have a Masters in Library Science I really couldn’t care less about books. I actually don’t like them. What I do like is ideas and insights that they contain and how they help me to learn.

It shouldn’t be about the books is should be about the learning.

In ebook, Learning ,
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