Pedagogical foundations of Webbased LMS: a comparative analysis

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Pedagogical foundations of Web-based LMS a
comparative analysis

• Mart Laanpere, MartL_at_tpu.ee
• Centre for Educational Technology
• Tallinn Pedagogical University
• Estonia

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Introduction

• My background math physics teacher, school
  headmaster, MSc in educational technology from
  University of Twente, doctorate in eduational
  science, lecturer of educational technology in
  TPU, head of Centre for Educational Technology
• Estonia 1,3 million inhabitants, less than a
  millon speak Estonian language, the smallest
  continental nation state with the higher
  education provided in own language

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Roadmap

• Evolution of educational technology
• Languages of/in education
• Rorty ecology of vocabularies
• Pedagogical neutrality of LMS
• WebCT a pedagogically neutral LMS
• IVA a pedagogically biased LMS

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Evolution of the educational technology

• M.Eraut four approaches to RD in educational
  technology
• Descriptive vs. Prescriptive
• External vs. Internal (with regard to the
  educational community)
• The user interface (structure, functionalities,
  vocabulary) of educational software has impact on
  users' behavior and thinking (e.g. PowerPoint
  promotes linear-hierarchical thinking)

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Languages of education

• Languages of theorists and practitioners in
  education (http//tip.psychology.org)
• Powerful and weak languages
• Examples instructional design vs. Didactics,
  competencies, learning goals and effectiveness,
  strategies and tactics, teacher as project
  manager, psychologist...
• Civil war between educational paradigms
• Education and medicine teaching and learning as
  curing from stupidity

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Language speaks us

• Heidegger language is a house of being
• Gadamer language speaks us, language as a virus
• Rorty incommensurability of competing
  vocabularies heroes in the domain of research
  are the poets who are able to re-describe the
  field in a new way, with new words (metaphors
  which later turn into strict terminology)

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Pedagogical neutrality

• Pedagogical neutrality before e-learning era
  avoiding the unwanted impact of teacher's
  religious (Noddings 1993) or political (Kopelson,
  2003) beliefs to his/her teaching practices.
  Pedagogical neutrality implies the avoidance of
  preferred paradigm, ideology or religion.
• Pedagogical neutrality as an important criterion
  for selecting the best LMS

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Questioning pedagogical neutrality imperative

• Friesen applications that are truly
  pedagogically neutral cannot also be
  pedagogically relevant
• E-learning as a chance to strengthen the
  positions of pedagogy and pedagogical language in
  knowledge society
• Avoiding the de-theorizing the domain of
  e-learning
• Pedagogical neutrality and affordability of LMS

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What is LMS ?

• Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Learning
  Content Management Systems http//www.edutools.or
  g
• LMS managing virtual learning processes
• Presentation
• Self-study (excercises, reflection, mindtools)
• Individual assignments
• Group discussion and collaborative assignments
• Assessment
• Learner management, monitoring, grouping, stats

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Pedagogically neutral LMS WebCT

• Home page www.webct.com
• Initially a set of common Internet tools (Web
  pages, forum, chat)
• Avoidance of pedagogical vocabulary
• Main tools content (linear set of Web pages),
  forum, chat, quiz, dropbox, whiteboard, group
  presentations, student homepages, tracking

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Pedagogically biased LMS IVA

• Home page www.htk.tpu.ee/iva
• Open source, free software, developed in TPU
• Intuitive user interface (metaphors)
• pedagogically non-neutral (social constructivist)
  foundation, based on Jonassens 3 C-s
• Context authentic, meaningful
• Construction personal, reflective
• Collaboration problem-based, social negotiation

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Jonassen three C-s
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Discussion