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 ,
permalink

How to Face the Digital Future Without Fear

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

Ben Hammersley editor-at-Large for Wired magazine and guru of the digital age points to the realities we must face as a result of the impact of Moore’s Law. For example he discusses the impact of disruptive innovation and the Kodak example of inventing the digital pictures but not seeing how the initially substandard technology would grow to eliminate film photography.

If you see something coming down the line and you are dismissing it because it is not very good it is going to kill you in 10 years time. The inevitability of the tides of Moore’s Law make this so.

Hammersley argues that this very rapid rate of change puts us in a position of alway having to prepare for a future that we won’t be able to fully imagine. This rapid change is a fundamental force that is driving society forward. He offers the following example and challenge:

These weird fundamental forces are of the fact that every time you get a new phone it is out of date, every time you get a new laptop it is out of date… this is a fundamental driving force for the future of humanity. For those of us who understand it or learn to understand it, it is our responsibly to go out to other people, to go to our friends, colleagues relatives and specifically go to our politicians and our elected officials and tell them about these changes in the way we have to think.

These fundamental forces of change are part of our present reality and Hammersley argues that we are not doing a good job of preparing for the future because most of our leaders are confused by the present. His closing statement summarizes this challenge that we face:

“Right now, we have entrusted our future to those who are confused by the present and that is no way to go forward into the future.”

Are you doing your part to warn those in your sphere of influence about these fundamental forces of change? Are they listening?

In Change, Innovation
permalink

Make it a Really Good Day

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 6, 2012 — Leave a comment

Thanks to my wife Marilyn for passing on this wonderful and inspiring video.

In Video - Wednesday Watchlist , ,
permalink

Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

Dwayne Harapnuik —  December 5, 2012 — 1 Comment

In Video - Wednesday Watchlist
permalink

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
permalink