I am an instructor and I have been aware of a disconnect between my teaching approaches and the online learning management system (LMS) I am provided with by my organization. Until I read Dron (2014), I did not realize the tension I experience has to do with “disruptive technologies” (p. 245), namely the linear and inflexible environment of the LMS and the soft technologies, such as social media communication tools and the teaching approach I use with my students.
Dron (2014) identifies behaviorist and cognitivist approaches in the early years of distance education as the reasons for the creation of the inflexible and somewhat linear distance learning designs, hard technologies. The tension I have experienced when I endeavour to create a social learning environment, is a feeling of constriction and limitation. I like to approach teaching with the lens of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development and I believe an increase in students’ ability to interact with each other, share their formally or informally acquired knowledge, when co-constructing new knowledge, is an important aspect of social learning (Goldman, Carroll, Kabayadondo, Cavagnaro, Royalty, Roth, Kwek & Kim, 2012). I foster this human connection and support interactive engagement of my students which has me continuously seeking opportunities to include social media tools on top of my LMS. Dron defines this process of using “teacher-invented technologies” (p.245) with a hard technology, a disruptive technology. This disruption, between what I am trying to create and the limitations of the organizational technology and the institutional policies, often challenge my pedagogical beliefs and create a frustration Dron explains so well when he states “ [the] process of change and learning defines all of our educational systems, albeit sometimes it seems as if the change happens in almost geological timescales” (p. 261).
I find I need to be mindful when introducing changes into LMS, so I do not create too great of a rift between the institutional systems and my teaching. I am curious if any other instructors are working within this push and pull of disruptive technologies?
References
Dron, J. (2014). Innovation and Change: Changing how we Change. In Zawacki-Richter, O. & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda. Athabasca, AB: AU Press.
Goldman, S. et.al. (2012). Assessing d.learning: Capturing the journey of becoming a design thinker. In H. Plattner, C. Meinel & L. Leifer (eds). Design thinking research: Understanding innovation. (pp. 13-33). Berlin: Springer.
Hi Anita,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and thoughts on “disruptive technologies” (Dron, 2014, p. 245). I really connected with you when you mentioned that you foster and support a learning environment that includes human connection as well as an interactive engagement where students can share their knowledge. This echoes what Merrill (2002) stated where “learning is promoted when learners are engaged” (p. 43). He continued to mention that learning occurs when the knowledge that was previously acquired is built upon by new knowledge. This new knowledge is then used in new applications and is incorporated in the learners’ experiences. I find that some of the faculty in our program need to be creative to ensure that they do not lose this opportunity of learning and connection with other students. Fortunately, our organization has a person who can support the faculty when designing/amending their curriculum when using our LMS which is Blackboard. Our faculty can explain what they would like to incorporate and have something to support what they are teaching. By talking to the Blackboard specialist, a few faculty members found out about Articulate 360 which can be incorporated into the LMS. This application can help a person to design interactive eLearning content. Here is a link that may interest you https://community.articulate.com/articles/get-up-to-speed-on-articulate-360-what-s-included.
Cheers,
Joyce
Reference:
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59.
Hi Joyce, thank you for your remarks. I was able to look into Articulate 360. It looks like interesting software and I would love to be able to explore it. The cost of it may be prohibitive for my College, as I am having a difficult time getting them to even invest in Collaborate currently. However, you provided me with some good food for thought as I reflected on my online courses and the tools I have used in the past. As we have worked through the readings and activities of this current course I am realizing more and more, it is not the glitz and shine of a course design, but my intend of what I want my students to be able to experience that dictates its success. One of the elements of importance, in any course I have taught, is my own social presence. Gunawardena and Zittle (1997, as cited in Aragon, 2003) explain social presence simply as the act of making oneself be perceived as real in an online environment. Social presence creates a feeling of comfort in participants and increases engagement (Aragon, 2003). Engagement is high on my list of intended outcomes when I design online environments for students. Regardless of the tools I use, if I make sure that I am connected to my students and present in my online courses, then students feel engaged. Would you agree?
Reference
Aragon, S., R. (2003), Creating social presence in online environments. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education,100, 57-68.
Great post, Anita!
I have also found the inflexibility of LMS so frustrating at times. The larger platforms (Moodle, Blackboard, EdX, etc.) seem highly customizable at first until I have an idea from the classroom that I just cannot figure out how to translate online. Especially if I am seeking to preserve the generative, interactive engagement you described so well. Fortunately, as a freelancer, I don’t have to worry about creating too great a rift with the learning management system (LMS) of my institution. Though it also means, that depending on the client, I may not have access to quality, expensive, LMSs like Articulate360 that Joyce mentions. But I do plan in a way that’s mindful to not overload the learners with too many new platforms, links and plug-ins that distract from the clarity of the course. As Dron says, an “important aspect of managing change is not just selecting but in deselecting technologies” (2014, p. 259).
It seems that social softwares as you have designed might be the key to building “human-centered, experimental, collaborative, and metacognitive” learning as you described (Goldman, et al., 2012, p. 16). I haven’t heard of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development. Could you speak more about how you use it when you incorporate social media in your design?
Dron, J. (2014). Innovation and Change: Changing how we Change. In Zawacki-Richter, O. & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda. Athabasca, AB: AU Press.
Goldman, S. et.al. (2012). Assessing d.learning: Capturing the journey of becoming a design thinker. In H. Plattner, C. Meinel & L. Leifer (eds). Design thinking research: Understanding innovation. (pp. 13-33). Berlin: Springer.
Hi Kate, thank you for your reply to my post. You ask to explain more about Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development. I am an early childhood educator and Vygotsky has informed and shaped my field in significant ways. His theory states that all cognitive development takes place within a social and cultural construct. He describes learning to take place first through social interaction with other learners and secondly through the Zone of Proximal Development (Bodrova, 1997) , in which a learner is prepared to learn, but will need the guidance of a facilitator to reach the next stage of acquiring knowledge. “This means, there needs to be an interaction between the learner and the teacher for learning to take place” (Fielding, p. 46). In my role as educator I have found that even though Vygotsky based his theory primarily on child development, it is still very relevant in my work with adult learners. It supports my social presence as an educator. As I described in my reply above to Joyce “Gunawardena and Zittle (1997, as cited in Aragon, 2003) explain social presence simply as the act of making oneself be perceived as real in an online environment. Social presence creates a feeling of comfort in participants and increases engagement (Aragon, 2003).” Vygotsky inspired me first to realize the role I play as an educator when it comes to support learning and Aragon further confirmed this role for me. What approach have you followed thus far in your field?
References
Aragon, S., R. (2003), Creating social presence in online environments. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education,100, 57-68.
Bodrova, E., (1997). Key Concepts of Vygotsky’s Theory of Learning and Development, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education,18(2), 16-22.
Fielding, R. (1989). Socio-Cultural Theories of Cognitive Development: Implications for Teaching Theory in the Visual Arts. Art Education, 42(4), 44-47.