Sorry, this is late. I ended up getting lost in research and writing the final paper. Then when attempting to post this, I was no longer able to log in to my blog. Either way, the final reflective-summary is completed. I hope you enjoy it.
Throughout this course, I have focused on the intersection of pedagogy and technology. I wanted more knowledge and understanding of them individually in the hopes of creating a better understanding of the individual factors that could determine how they could be combined into a single domain of knowledge. The idea of affordances in technology was a common topic of exploration. Initially, I felt affordances were the features that the technology brought. However, over time it changed to the actions enabled by the technology. Simply viewing affordances as features focuses on what it can do rather than what it should do. For example, a laptop has physical features that enable it to be a great doorstop. Still, I feel most would agree that it is not an appropriate use of the technology. This exploration brought me down a black hole-shaped pit of affordances and signifiers that is become a hotspot of contention in the academic world. If you are interested in the affordances/signifier debate, I highly recommend exploring Norman’s work (2008).
As I explored articles using educational VR, I often felt a sense of incoherence. Not in the sense that individual articles did not make valid observations and points, but viewing the field as a whole made it hard to compare, contrast, and combine ideas. The field seemed to lack awareness of others, and I struggled to comprehend why. While I was reading Fowler’s work, I noticed he referenced the need “to move away from research that starts with an analysis of the technology then seeks to derive learning benefits, often from loosely defined or implicit learning approaches” (2015, p. 420). It was there it hit me; VR-based research lacked theoretical consistency. As researchers, we lack a common perspective that encompassed the terminology to compare and contrast our ideas.
I began to focus my studies on how to utilize existing theoretical concepts in VR in the hopes of creating a better understanding. I found TPACK a great fit as it is derived from constructivism and balanced the technological, pedagogical, and content needs (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The constructivist alignment was emphasized through its learning by design approach, which aligns with VRs natural affinity to learn by doing. Another theory I explored was experiential learning (Lewis & Williams, 1994), which was first conceived as another learning by doing approach focusing on adult learners. However, I found it lacked the technological affinity to interweave technology and pedagogy confidently.
Reference
Fowler, C. (2015). Virtual reality and learning: Where is the pedagogy? British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(2), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12135
Lewis, L. H., & Williams, C. J. (1994). Experiential learning: Past and present. New directions for adult and continuing education, 1994(62), 5-16.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x
Norman, D. A. (2008). Signifiers, not affordances. Interactions, 15(6), 18–19. https://doi.org/10.1145/1409040.1409044
Well, as we all know, some things are better late than never. With that being said, you’re done with your final paper, so it’s a win-win. Firstly, I would like to say that having had the opportunity to work with you over the past year on several projects has been rewarding. You introduced me to new books, research and the endless possibilities of Virtual reality within education.
We have seen the pedological uses of virtual reality have expanded significantly over the last year. Do you feel that the research you came across was an old way of thinking and did not consider future uses? I agree with you that it is essential to clearly understand the benefits of any technology rather than just focusing on its uses. Virtual reality has endless possibilities for its uses. However, does it have benefits for all those infinite possibilities?
I look at my son, who would spend all day in his online virtual world of Minecraft with his friends If I let him. At first, I looked at his gaming as a waste of time and energy. Then I realized that some pedagogical benefits allowed him to create worlds and experience each one unique in its way. It also allowed him the opportunity to interact with his friends at a time when they all needed it the most. This, to me, was the most significant benefit. However, it is hard to determine a definitive measurement of what those benefits entail with current research as you know it is dependant on many factors.
Congratulations on your next adventure your thesis. I look forward to following along with your research as it is something that I have a great interest in as well.
Cheryl,
First, thank you for the kind words. It most definitely was a two-way street.
Second, I am honestly not sure if the research is outdated in the sense that it is not relevant today. My issue was it was not always grounded in theory and used the technology’s potential instead of describing how it could fit into current epistemologies. I most likely lack the breadth of depth needed to give a fair assessment of the field.
You do touch on a point that will need to be addressed someday. That is how do we realistically and authentically assess student learning. If we move towards a more experiential-based approach, pen and paper tests most likely will not be testing the same skills as the activity. Today, we focus on the end product and give some idea of quantity through rubrics or related means, though with VR, where the learning is more about the experience, there may not be an end product. This leaves me to ponder the signifiers of learning and how best to observe these.
Mike, it’s been awesome taking this journey with you from day one of the MALAT and learning of your passion and dive of using VR in the classroom. Believe it or not, I feel that I’ve been learning along with you (maybe not that much, but…) about this technology and its eventual uses in education, with every project you write about. I can appreciate the sediment about finding the benefits learning can provide when using tech, as opposed to using and writing about technology period. I’ve always felt if something positive can be gained or learned from an assignment, then you’ve done your job as an instructor and I for one can’t wait to see what you discuss and uncover next.
Thank you Ash. Make sure we stay in touch!