Month: May 2018

What opportunities are there for this modality/issue/resource? 

The demonstration of pedagogy was apparent throughout the modality, elements from prominent learning theories like embedded assessments (behaviourist) and information seeking through search functions (cognitivism) were incorporated within the video library (Mishra, 2002). Constructivism has been coined as the learning theory that best supports online learning environments and while they claim that knowledge is acquired when the context is meaningful and relatable, I found myself having a hard time relating much of the content to my own corporate work experience. TED-Ed seems to produce and build content at random, with curiosity being the stimulus and less about tactical skill development. So with that, to continue leveraging TED-Ed as a hub for relevant learning content, I would like to see them expand their platform to support specific corporate learning content much like Lynda.com and even Youtube. However, that is more of a personal opinion as I enjoyed the amount of thought and design that went into each educational video from TED-Ed and I think the corporate world could benefit from that diligence. By recommending this though, I feel like I’m asking a doctor to all of a sudden become a lawyer because it would personally benefit me. I think the TED-Ed is doing what it has set out to do, and that is not necessarily to support the needs and wants of the corporate learning environment. So, although my recommendations are related to them steering away from their core culture, I do think that this platform is serving the purpose it has wanted to serve, so I will take elements that worked for me and stick with what has worked for me in the corporate environment, Lynda.com.  

Mishra, S. (2002). A design framework for online learning environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(4), 493-496.

What concerns do you have about this modality/issue/resource and why? 

 My initial concern when experiencing the TED-Ed modality was how or if it could be incorporated in the corporate learning world. As I continued to explore the platform, it became evident, that for my own organization and my needs as a Training Manager, TED-Ed would not be my first choice for a platform or destination to leverage within my company. The topics and content available fell short in terms of specific and relevant information that would benefit my organization. Even though I was able to access information and draw my own conclusions throughout the modality, this was more so because I was motivated by curiosity rather than true skill development. Within the context of my organization, where we train retail staff on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis, the information on the TED-Ed site was not specific to the needs of our organization (and I’m sure that’s the same for others if I’m being honest). The goal of TED-Ed is to spark curiosity with learners and influence classrooms all over the world and for that, I feel like they are succeeding in what they have set out to do. However, as my role as a Training Manager evolves to one that involves collecting and curating content, I still feel that Lynda.com, Youtube, and Google provide more variety and options at this time.

Although I’ve presented this as a concern, I think it’s more of an observation as it’s not as though TED-Ed advertises itself as a destination for corporate learning. They are doing what they’ve set out to do and they demonstrate a solid level of credibility through their pedagogical and design collaboration in my opinion. I was interested to see how and if there could be a crossover from classroom targeted content to the corporate world, and in some industries, I’m sure there could be some topics and content that could be deemed as relevant, just not for mine at this time.