Category: LRNT 526

Now that we are in full swing of our critical inquiry in LRNT 526, I am going blog more to answer some of my smaller questions I have, and to summarize some of the ideas I found in my readings from the week. From my Individual learning plan that was due last week, I came up with my main question

“How can video-based learning create effective learning communities?”

For this inquiry, effective learning being described best by Anderson (2008) as being “community-centred, knowledge-centred, learner-centred, and assessment-centred” (p.47). Thinking about how I can improve the learning in my own environment, the community aspect is the piece that is missing the most. As discussed by Wendt and Rockinson-Szapkiw (2015), building community is easier to do through face to face collaboration, than it is with online collaboration. Their findings support my initial instincts that it takes more planning and facilitation to reach the same amount of community.  It is my hope that through my inquiry, I will be able to find how to utilize video-based learning to bridge the gap. One of the ways I had thought would be helpful would be to make the videos more interactive. However, as shown by Reiss (2008) more traditional and less interactive videos were the more effective for learning and retaining information. This showed that sometimes less is more, and the interactive additions may seem like a good idea, but may just fall under the category of adding tech just because it is available.  Reiss (2008) also discussed that when watching and learning from videos, you become more emotionally involved, as opposed to logically. This was an interesting concept for me, and sometime that I want to look further into. If videos are able to target the more emotional portion of our brain, would that be more effective, or less effective for learning?

As this is still very early into my inquiry, I still have lots of ideas to flush out. If you have any questions or ideas for me to consider I would love to hear from you.

Thanks,
Amanda

References

Anderson, T. (2008). Chapter 2: Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 45-74). Edmonton, AB: AU Press.

Wendt, J. L., & Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J. (2015). The Effect of Online Collaboration on Adolescent Since of Community in Eighth-Grade Physical Science. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24(5), 671-683. doi: 10.1007/s10956-015-9556-6

Reiss, D. (2008). Video-based multimedia designs: A research study testing learning effectiveness. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie, 33(3). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21432/T2FG64

As part of Team Ted-Ed, I spent this week participating in our selected 8 lessons from the Thinking and Learning section. At the start of this course, I was still unsure on what topic I would choose to focus on. Throughout participating in this weeks videos and reflection, I have decided to choose to focus on the effectiveness of the technology.

The different lessons we choose were all based around different Ted Talks, or Ted Animations. They all followed the same lesson format:WATCH, THINK, THINK DEEPER, and DISCUSS. The WATCH section contained the videos that not only varied in style but also in length from a few minutes to 12 minutes. The THINK section contained question posed by the creator or others who adapted the original lesson. The questions were either multiple choice, with the option of video hints when needed, or written responses. The THINK DEEPER section included additional resources and information to continue to build on the topic. This section was very different amongst the lessons. Some of them included only included other similar Ted-Ed lessons, while other linked you to external blog post, and further online quizzes and resources. Lastly, there as the DISCUSS section. This is where there was both open discussion (where anyone could pose a question) and guided discussion led by the creator.

Considering my topic of the effectiveness of the technology, I am interested in considering the effectiveness of each of Ted-Ed’s steps as well as the steps as a whole. As Anderson (2008a) discusses, a good online learning experience should be similar to all quality learning experiences and “will be knowledge-, community-, assessment-, and learner-centered” (p. 68).  Asking what is the purpose of each step, and what would need to be done for it to be effective? For example, what is the effectiveness of creating open discussions and collaborations within the DISCUSS section? As a teacher who currently works in a self-paced, continuous enrollment, online school, discussions and collaborations amongst students is difficult to achieve. Anderson (2008b) describes this as being a “lonely way to learn” (p. 222), and discusses how important social presence is to the learners’ educational experience. There is potential of adding more social presence into my own classroom by utilizing Ted-Ed’s establish discussion forums, if they are successful.

Moving forward, please feel free to share your thoughts on the effectiveness of Ted-Ed Lessons on engaging learning. Are you someone who prefers the traditional Ted style lectures, or the animations? Why? If it is not being graded, would you answer multiple choice questions and/or written questions? Even though all frameworks contribute to learning, which one are you most drawn to when learning new content: knowledge- centred, learner-centred, community-centred, or assessment-centred?

Thanks,

Amanda

References

Anderson, T. (2008a). Chapter 2: Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 45-74). Edmonton, AB: AU Press.

Anderson, T. (2008b). Chapter 9: Social Software to Support Distance Education Learners. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed., pp. 221-244). Edmonton, AB: AU Press.