eLearning: Myths, Magic, and Motivational Opportunities

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e-Learning Myths, Magic, and Motivational
Opportunities
Dr. Curtis J. Bonk Indiana University and
CourseShare.com http//php.indiana.edu/cjbonk cjb
onk_at_indiana.edu
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• E-Learning Myths

II. E-Learning Magic
III. E-Learning Motivational Opportunities
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I. E-Learning Myths.
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Myth 1.Instructors can just teach the same way
they always have.
10 Myths of Technology Integration
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Vanessa Dennens (2001) Research on Nine Online
Courses (sociology, history, communications,
writing, library science, technology, counseling)
Poor Instructors Good Instructors

• Little or no feedback given
• Always authoritative
• Kept narrow focus of what was relevant
• Created tangential discussions
• Only used ultimate deadlines

• Provided regular qual/quant feedback
• Participated as peer
• Allowed perspective sharing
• Tied discussion to grades, other assessments.
• Used incremental deadlines

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Myth 2.I must have a technology background to
use effectively.
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You Just Need a Different Mindset
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Myth 3.My college or university cannot afford
the technology.
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Nicenet is Free!
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Myth 4.Learning is not improved when using
technology.
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Brains Before and After Technology Integration
After
Before
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Basic Distance Learning Finding?

• Research since 1928 shows that DL students
  perform as well as their counterparts in a
  traditional classroom setting.
• Per Russell, 1999, The No Significant Difference
  Phenomenon (5th Edition), NCSU, based on 355
  research reports.
• http//cuda.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdiffe
  rence/

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Myth 8.If I wait long enough, it will go away.
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Lets brainstorm comments (words or short
phrases) that reflect your overall attitudes and
feelings towards online teaching
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Feelings Toward Online TeachingThe Online
Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April,
2001)(Note 94 practitioners surveyed.)

• Exciting (30)
• Challenging (24)
• Time consuming (22)
• Demanding (18)
• Technical issue (16) Flexibility (16)
• Potential (15)
• Better options (14) Frustrating (14)
• Collab (11) Communication (11) Fun (11)

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II. E-Learning Magic.
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Magical Technology Ideas

• Represent knowledge with graphing tools
• Take to lab for group collaboration or a Web
  search.
• Use e-mail minute papers for formative feedback
  on the class.
• Have students do technology demos.
• Put syllabus on the Web.

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Inspiration
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More Magical Technology Ideas

• Experts via video/computer conferencing
• Teleconferencing talks to tchrs experts
• Collaborate with students in other campuses or
  countries
• Have students generate Web pages/pub work
• Students make Web link suggestions

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It Works!!!
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Videoconferencing at IU
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Can a community magically occur online?
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How Facilitate Online Community?

• Safety Establish safe environment
• Tone Flexible, inviting, positive, respect
• Personal Self-disclosures, open, stories telling
• Sharing Share frustrations, celebrations, etc
• Collaboration Camaraderie/empathy
• Common language conversational chat space
• Task completion set milestones grp goals
• Other Meaningful, choice, simple, purpose...

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The Center for Research on Learning and
Technology, Indiana University
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Learning to Teach with Technology Studio
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Overview of TICKIT

• In-service teacher education program
• Rural schools in southern Indiana
• Yearlong, 25 teachers from 5 schools
• Primarily school-based
• Supported by participating school systems, Arthur
  Vining Davis Foundations and Indiana University

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III. E-Learning Motivational Opportunities

• FRAMEWORKS!

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1. Models of Technology in Teaching and
Learning(Dennen, 1999, Bonk et al., 2001)

• Enhancing the Curriculum
• computers for extra activities drill and
  practice CD
• Extending the Curriculum
• transcend the classroom with cross-cultural
  collaboration, expert feedback, virtual field
  trips and online collaborative teams.
• Transforming the Curriculum
• allowing learners to construct knowledge bases
  and resources from multiple dynamic resources
  regardless of physical location or time.

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2. Reflect on Extent of IntegrationThe Web
Integration Continuum

• Level 1 Course Marketing/Syllabi via the Web
• Level 2 Web Resource for Student Exploration
• Level 3 Publish Student-Gen Web Resources
• Level 4 Course Resources on the Web
• Level 5 Repurpose Web Resources for Others
• Level 6 Web Component is Substantive Graded
• Level 7 Graded Activities Extend Beyond Class
• Level 8 Entire Web Course for Resident Students
• Level 9 Entire Web Course for Offsite Students
• Level 10 Course within Programmatic Initiative

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3. Instructor Hats

• Assistant
• Devils advocate
• Editor
• Expert
• Filter
• Firefighter
• Facilitator

• Gardener
• Helper
• Lecturer
• Marketer
• Mediator
• Priest
• Promoter

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4.
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Push to Explore "You might want to write to Dr.
XYZ for...," "You might want to do an ERIC
search on this topic...," "Perhaps there is a URL
on the Web that addresses this topic..."
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But there problems
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Problems Faced

• Administrative
• Lack of admin vision.
• Lack of incentive from admin and the fact that
  they do not understand the time needed.
• Lack of system support.
• Little recognition that this is valuable.
• Rapacious U intellectual property policy.
• Unclear univ. policies concerning int property.

• Pedagogical
• Difficulty in performing lab experiments
  online.
• Lack of appropriate models for pedagogy.
• Time-related
• More ideas than time to implement.
• Not enough time to correct online assign.
• People need sleep Web spins forever.

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How Avoid Shovelware?This form of structure
encourages teachers designing new products to
simply shovel existing resources into on-line
Web pages and discourages any deliberate or
intentional design of learning strategy.
(Oliver McLoughlin, 1999)
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Must Online Learning be Boring?
What Motivates Adult Learners to Participate?
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How Bad Is It?

• Some frustrated Blackboard users who say the
  company is too slow in responding to technical
  problems with its course-management software have
  formed an independent users group to help one
  another and to press the company to improve.
• (Jeffrey Young, Nov. 2, 2001, Chronicle of Higher
  Ed)

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Intrinsic Motivational Terms?

• Tone/Climate Psych Safety, Comfort, Belonging
• Feedback Responsive, Supports, Encouragement
• Engagement Effort, Involvement, Excitement
• Meaningfulness Interesting, Relevant, Authentic
• Choice Flexibility, Opportunities, Autonomy
• Variety Novelty, Intrigue, Unknowns
• Curiosity Fun, Fantasy, Control
• Tension Challenge, Dissonance, Controversy
• Interactive Collaborative, Team-Based, Community
• Goal Driven Product-Based, Success, Ownership

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Intrinsic Motivation

• innate propensity to engage ones interests and
  exercise ones capabilities, and, in doing so, to
  seek out and master optimal challenges
• (i.e., it emerges from needs, inner strivings,
  and personal curiosity for growth)

See Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic
motivation and self-determination in human
behavior. NY Plenum Press.
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1. Tone/Climate Social Ice BreakersA. Readiness
Checklist

• The amount of time I can devote to this class is
• I am a self-motivated individual.
• I am a good time-manager.
• I complete whatever I start.
• I am not a procrastinator--I like to get things
  done today and not put off for tomorrow.

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1. Tone/Climate Ice Breakers

• B. Eight Nouns Activity
• 1. Introduce self using 8 nouns
• 2. Explain why choose each noun
• 3. Comment on 1-2 peer postings
• C. Two Truths, One Lie (Kulp, IBM)
• Tell 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself
• Class votes on which is the lie

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2. FeedbackA. Learner-Content Interactions
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2. FeedbackB. Anonymous Suggestion Box

• George Watson, Univ of Delaware, Electricity and
  Electronics for Engineers
• Students send anonymous course feedback (Web
  forms or email)
• Submission box is password protected
• Instructor decides how to respond
• Then provide response and most or all of
  suggestion in online forum
• It defuses difficult issues, airs instructor
  views, and justified actions publicly.
• Caution If you are disturbed by criticism,
  perhaps do not use.

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3. EngagementA. Electronic Voting and Polling

• 1. Ask students to vote on issue before class
  (anonymously or send directly to the instructor)
• 2. Instructor pulls our minority pt of view
• 3. Discuss with majority pt of view
• 4. Repoll students after class
• (Or Delphi or Timed
• Disclosure Technique)
• anonymous input till a due date
• and then post results and
• reconsider until consensus
• Rick Kulp, IBM, 1999)

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3. EngagementB. Annotations and Animations
MetaText (eBooks)
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4. MeaningfulnessA. Job or Field Reflections

• Instructor provides reflection or prompt for job
  related or field observations
• Reflect on job setting or observe in field
• Record notes on Web and reflect on concepts from
  chapter
• Respond to peers
• Instructor summarizes posts

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5. Choice A. Web Resource Reviews
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6. Variety A. Just-In-Time-Teaching

• Gregor Novak, IUPUI Physics Professor (teaches
  teamwork, collaboration, and effective
  communication)
• Lectures are built around student answers to
  short quizzes that have an electronic due date
  just hours before class.
• Instructor reads and summarizes responses before
  class and weaves them into discussion and changes
  the lecture as appropriate.

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7. CuriosityA. Synchronous Chats

• Find article or topic that is controversial
• Invite person associated with that article
  (perhaps based on student suggestions)
• Hold real time chat
• Pose questions
• Discuss and debrief (i.e., did anyone change
  their minds?)
• (Alternatives B. Email Interviews with experts
• C. Assignments with expert reviews)

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8. Tension A. Role Play

• List possible roles or personalities (e.g.,
  coach, questioner, optimist, devils advocate,
  etc.)
• Sign up for different role every week (or for 5-6
  key roles during semester)
• Reassign roles if someone drops class
• Perform within rolestry to refer to different
  personalities in peer commenting

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Role 5 Idea Squelcher/Biased/Preconceiver

• Squelches good and bad ideas of others and
  submits your own prejudiced or biased ideas
  during online discussions and other situations.
  Forces others to think. Is that person you
  really hate to work with.

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Role 7 Idea Generator Creative Energy/Inventor

• Brings endless energy to online conversations
  and generates lots of fresh ideas and new
  perspectives to the conference when addressing
  issues and problems.

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Role 8 Conqueror or Debater/Arguer/Bloodletter

• Takes ideas into action, debates with others,
  persists in arguments and never surrenders or
  compromises nomatter what the casualties are when
  addressing any problem or issue.

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Role 10 Slacker/Slough/Slug/Surfer Dude

• In this role, the student does little or nothing
  to help him/herself or his/her peers learn.
  Here, one can only sit back quietly and listen,
  make others do all the work for you, and
  generally have a laid back attitude (i.e., go to
  the beach) when addressing this problem.

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9. Interactive A. Critical/Constructive
Friends, Email Pals

• Assign a critical friend (based on interests?).
• Post weekly updates of projects, send reminders
  of due dates, help where needed.
• Provide criticism to peer (I.e., what is strong
  and weak, whats missing, what hits the mark) as
  well as suggestions for strengthening.
• In effect, critical friends do not slide over
  weaknesses, but confront them kindly and
  directly.
• Reflect on experience.

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10. Goal Driven and Products A. Gallery Tours
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1. Low Risk lt-------gt High RiskJob Risk Continuum
2. Low Time lt-------gt High TimeTime Continuum
3. Low Reality lt-------gt High RealityAuthenticity
Continuum
4. Low Cost lt-------gt High CostExpense Continuum
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Final advicewhatever you do