Mbati, L. (2013, December). Online social media applications for constructivism and observational learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 166-185. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1579/2709

Category: Theory-into-practice – Constructivism

The author of this paper sought to examine the experiences and usage of online social

media that foster constructivist learning. She used a qualitative approach in an attempt to

understand why, despite the potential benefits of Web 2.0 tools for synchronous and

asynchronous interaction as well as knowledge sharing between users, “there is inadequate

utilization of online social media applications in learning management systems for pedagogical

purposes.” According to the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, constructivism emphasizes the

importance of the active involvement of learners in constructing knowledge for themselves based

on existing knowledge they inherently possess.

Included in the analysis at Web 2.0 tools are the concept of sharing user-generated

content such as wikis, blogs, and discussion boards. A meta-ethnographic study explored

experiences of lecturers and students regarding online applications found in learning

management systems. The researcher included study relevant study results that both cited

reasons to expect higher adaptation among educators and students, and also the challenges that

may exist. There are several interactions with technology (e.g., discussion boards) that were

found to support the constructivist learning. They include the technology aiding in the elicitation

of prior knowledge, stimulating cognitive dissonance, usage for reflection, and stimulating other

criteria. The most cited limiting factor is lack of sufficient knowledge regarding the pedagogical

benefits. Learning Management Systems (LMS) also “vary widely from one to another in terms

of sophistication and adaptation.”

I consumed this study while relating it to my experiences as an ‘online’ student at

Georgia Southern. Compared to the majority of the implications in the article, it appears Georgia

Southern’s online content delivery and engagement methods are ahead of the curve with usage of

Web 2.0 tools as a part of the GoView LMS and a critical component of many assignments.

During my first year in the program, I have utilized variations of all of the Web 2.0 tools and

functions under study, as required by the different courses. As an undergraduate in the early

1990s, there was nothing internet-related about the way my content was delivered. Having now

completed a year of graduate school, I cannot imagine a learning environment that didn’t include

those tools. With such a radical shift in content delivery models in a short period of time,

institutions must adapt to technologies that advance learning objectives aligned with pervasive

learning theories, or risk becoming irrelevant.

Beeson, M. (2013). Using podcasts to express counter-narratives: Meaningfully integrating technology in elementary social studies. Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology, 9(1). Retrieved June 3, 2014, from http://www.rcetj.org/index.php/rcetj/article/view/186/275

Category: Professional Practice

Evidence shows that educational leaders are indeed purchasing a lot of technology, but

not necessarily using it effectively in the classroom. This writer’s goal is for her preservice

teachers to understand how to make the use of technology integral in planning, not an

afterthought. The research is specific to social studies content delivery on the elementary school

level. The inquiry here is not just about understanding if learning environments are supported by

the right tools, but to also answer questions regarding how they are implemented specific to

certain disciplines. For social studies specifically, the paper cites “integration of technology

encourages the use of various instructional methods that motivate students in a subject area they

typically deem boring.” The author references the Technological Pedagogical Content

Knowledge framework, which “represents teacher knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and

content as having overlapping relationships.” The use of technology in education is also now

integrated into national curriculum standards.

The use of relevant suggestions by the writer was most useful. Suggestions for social

studies included online simulations of historical events, video games that could ‘transport’

students to another era, and virtual field trips (VFTs) that allow students to “access historical

sites and resources without leaving the school.” In a case study, the author talked about the

normal limitations put on the study of Rosa Parks, without expanding the narrative to include the

connection to the Civil Rights Movement, Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Dr. Martin Luther

King, Jr. She included in her paper a week-long assignment that prompted students to develop a

counter-narrative to the traditional story (having introduced the fact that some sources state Rosa

sat on the first row in the ‘black section’ of the bus, and not the absolute front row, among other

discrepancies with the police report.) Inserting UDL principles, the teacher suggests podcasting.

For instance, students with learning disabilities have the opportunity to record podcast multiple

times, while gifted students use the podcast to edit, modify and perfect work before sharing it

with peers.

This article went beyond the most common themes on the use of technology in education

by also seeking to qualify how we plan for its use, and how we evaluate its effectiveness. The

paper referenced extensive research in the field and did an excellent job of synergizing the input

of a wide array of though-leaders in the field. As we go forward, we must understand that

technology is not supplemental to content or simply a delivery method, its use must be integrated

into learning objectives.

Bafile, C. (2012, June). School races to promote reading through podcasts. Education World,. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech252.shtml

Category: Professional Practice

The author of the article published the output of a case study, during which she gathered

data from Malissia Bell about her incorporation of technology into education. As librarian and

student technology leadership program coordinator for Brandeis Elementary School in

Louisville, Kentucky, Bell searches for long-term projects which allow students to teach other

students and staff members about aspects of technology.

Bell created a program called Race to 500. In the program she challenged her students to

create podcasts about books they read – with a goal of reaching 500 podcasts. If successful, she

would publish the podcasts on the school’s website. Starting with students written book reviews,

then having them covert them to podcasts and subsequently post the files to a website allowed

the educator to foster the convergence of learning objectives with multiple tools and

technologies. It is widely accepted now in pedagogy that these concepts are no longer mutually

exclusive. Students used Audacity for sound recording, then Movie Maker to add images,

animation and other graphical elements. Hoping to foster “trickle down technology,” the 5th

graders were instructed to train the 4th graders, who in turn trained the 3rd graders. It is

interesting to note that the staff thought 3rd graders were most prepared for their assignments, as

they were aware of the project and had the opportunity to view the podcasts of the older students

as a matter of preparing for theirs. All students were also asked to have their parents create

podcasts.

With consideration for Universal Design for Learning principles, the coordinator

“wondered how others -- early childhood classes, students in the ESL program, kindergarteners,

the hearing impaired, struggling readers -- would respond. But it turned out that the students she

worried about the most created the most precious podcasts.” For example, a student who had a

stuttering problem found out that he could edit out his stuttering during the podcast.

This article brought focus to the creativity those in education must employ to meet the

holistic learning objectives of Digital Natives, the impact of public and private partnerships (a

private grant was used to purchase the recorders), and potential solutions to engaging entire

communities (parents, families) in the learning process. It is personally impactful as students are

bringing skills to the classroom that I have only recently acquired – such as podcasting and

screencasting. Educators will be expected to be versed in these 21st century solutions if we are to

guide the learning process.

Sheehy, K. (2011, November). Rural students lost in connectivity gap. U.S. News & World Report,. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/11/22/rural-students-lost-in-connectivity-gap?int=96e908

Category: Professional Practice/General Interest

This article provides a very interesting perspective on the digital divide that keeps 50% of

Americans living in rural areas of the Unites States out of the internet connectivity loop. The

article focused on a town in Missouri where internet access is spotty and limited. Though

classrooms are more connected than home environments, both are likely to provide access

through the antiquated dial-up technology. Albert Bryant, a math teacher at a local high school,

notes that the computers used in the school lab are the same ones he used when a student at the

school – over 7 years ago. The implications of this financial, political and technological divide

are many. Alarmingly, some of these students are still hand-writing lengthy assignment papers.

Unlike many articles on technology in education, this one focused on the students who

are categorized as Digital Natives, but still struggling to join the digital revolution. It was

insightful in its synthesis of the roles of the student, schools, communities and governments in

bridging this gap. According to Bryant, “Missouri's adoption of the Common Core State

Standards, a state-led initiative to set a consistent bar for student achievement across the United

States, means students will complete their national standardized tests online, and some questions

require that students have prior knowledge of basic computer skills…If students score poorly on

the exams, the school's funding is impacted, further hindering its ability to invest in technology.”

Like the aforementioned, this article exposed several reasons why this rural issue should not be

treated as a local issue.

Since most of America’s economic drivers are based in large cities, we must be careful

not to assume all communities in our country are advancing in the digital age at the same pace.

If we are to be a collective group of global learners, efforts must be taken on every level – public

and private – to ensure the connectivity does just that…connects. Recent national initiatives

have carried names such as No Child Left Behind. We must ensure that in meeting goals aligned

with such initiatives, we not only concern ourselves with content knowledge, but with the

technology that has become ubiquitous with information and its delivery. Those in rural

communities are an equal part of the group of target learners and it is paramount that they are

reached and included.

Bonk, C.J., Kim, K-J., Oh, E.J., (2009). The present and future state of blended learning in workplace learning settings in the United States. Performance Improvement 47(8), 5-15. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504344.pdf Category: Research

This article, written in 2007, provides an interesting retrospective on the authors’

forecasts on how technology would be integrated in corporate environments by the “end of the

decade” – 2010. When written, corporations were not as intentional as K-12, higher education,

government and military institutions regarding the use of technology in learning/training. As a

result, the mid 2000s saw the advancement of what the authors refer to as blended learning – a

mix of face-to-face training and online learning. Based on the rate of adoption, it was imagined

that by 2010, “80-90 percent of college and corporate training classes (would) be blended…and

that more than one billion learners around the globe will be advancing their skills in this

fashion.”

A combination of the literature review and survey responses specific to this study found

that some of the challenges to advancement of blended learning include the number of

technologies, delivery methods, and implementation models that can be used to deliver

workplace learning. Responses to a questionnaire sent to 118 individuals were utilized to conduct

the survey of industry professionals. General emerging themes speak to the increasing popularity

of blended learning in the workplace. Notably two-thirds of the respondents are with

organizations already using some form of blended training. Key drivers for implementation are

accessibility and availability of learning and the quality of the learning experience. While

respondents noted that blended learning is becoming part of their corporate strategies, they also

noted that obstacles such as the rapid pace of technological change and insufficient management

support.

I found this article insightful as it treats the blended model as viable, whereas many

readings have leaned heavily toward the technology (absent the human interaction element). As a

corporate trainer I appreciate this approach, as I see first-hand the added value of question-and-

answer sessions during corporate training sessions. Technology professionals like to “white

board” information in order to clarify concepts. For these reasons, corporate trainers may wish to

continue to explore was of delivering content in a blended fashion.

Delvin, T.J., Feldhaus, C.R., & Bentrem, K.M. (2013). The evolving classroom: A study of traditional and technology-based instruction in a STEM classroom. Journal of Technology Education, 25(1). Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v25n1/devlin.html

Category: Research

This action research study followed the impact of calls for change brought on by

educational reform initiatives starting with those introduced at the turn of the century through to

those in place today. Specifically analyzed was the rapid rate of change since the No Child Left

Behind Act of 2001 relative to technology-based instruction in the STEM disciplines (science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics). In addition to changes brought on by NCLB, “the

International Technology Education Association [has since] introduced Standards for

Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology.” In a comparison of traditional vs.

technology-based instruction, the authors of the research explored the hypothesis that for all the

gains achieved through technology, there is a perceived fear that there is a negating effect:

“students cannot really focus and multi-task effectively” given the use of social media, hand-held

technology and the completion for screen time. This was in contrast to evidence from the

literature review that suggests technology as an instructional tool “enhances student learning and

educational outcomes” and “boosted both concentration and engagement.”

In delineating the prior knowledge of the research group, researchers considered the

concepts of technological literacy and technological competence. Stressed by usage of these

terms is the importance that educators are aware of the technological knowledge that learners

bring with them to learning environments. Educators also need to be self-aware of where they fit

along the technological competence continuum. “Students who perceive their instructors to be

effective users of technology report(ed) greater course engagement, more interest in the subject

matter, and better understanding of complex concepts.” The study found that students now have

an expectation that their learning environment reflect the working environments they are

expected to enter – including flexibility in scheduling and inclusion of wireless technology. The

research prescribes a paradigm shift that would completely change the model of education in

brick-and-mortar classrooms as we have come to know it.

The study was comprehensive and included an Appendix with reference tables and

questions utilized during the study. The paper sought to address many variables, such as

technology in the classroom, student engagement, content delivery, political factors, issues

related to STEM content. Though the research was very thorough, it was challenging to track a

clear theme or isolate information on the stated problem and related outcomes. Still, it is obvious

that we must consider how we reach our learning objectives from numerous angles. This will

inevitably lead to a complex set of variables which must be addressed for student success. Very

important among those things are the background knowledge and the expectations of the

learners.

Garcia, E., Brown, M., and Elbeltagi, I. (2013), Learning within a connectivist educational collective blog model: A case study of UK higher education. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning 11(3), 253-262. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/131956/

Category: Theory-into-practice - Connectivism

This research cited in this article sought to explore the extent to which a newly

introduced learning theory, Connectivism, can be used to base learning and teaching activities.

Connectivism, “a learning theory for the digital age, has been developed as a theory which aims

to provide a model through which teaching and learning using digital technology can be better

understood and managed.” I reviewed another article as part of this article review series that

researched the adaptation of Constructivism to teaching with Web 2.0 technology. Interestingly,

this article also focused on the increased popularity of Web 2.0; however, the tools were

evaluated as a central factor in the emergence of a new theory instead of the adaptation of an

existing one.

In its newness, “Connectivism is not an area in which a great deal of research,

particularly empirical research, has been conducted.” It was developed with the belief that a

theory should exist which accounted for the manner in which society has changed as a result of

technological advances. Thought-leaders in the field have identified the following as some of the

key principles of connectivism: learning can reside in non-human appliances, capacity to know

is more critical than what is currently known, currency is the intent of all learning activities, and

learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes of information sources. “It is key within

connectivist learning that the individual and their network is of key importance.”

I found it very interesting to discover research on a ‘new’ learning theory. Since

beginning my study in education, I’ve only seen expansions on the popular pre-existing theories,

or works citing how those existing theories should be adapted for the digital age. It is very

insightful to see the emergence of an entirely new theory related to education. This adds a

degree of tangibility to “out of the box” thinking, and helps me to understand that solutions for

future challenges do not have to fit pre-existing models or paradigms.

Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, T., ... & Solnet, D. (2013). Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda. Journal of Service Management, 24(3), 245-267. Category: Research

This research paper evaluated Generation Y’s use of social media and its implications for

individuals, firms, and society. It presents managerial implications and indications for further

research. The authors note that Generation Y (the ‘Millennials’) was raised with technology

integrated into their lives, whereas older generations are not digital natives, but digital

immigrants. As I am a digital immigrant involved with corporate training of digital natives, I

found the subject of this research relevant and interesting. While noting that there are

differences in adaptation rates of technology between the rich and poor, as well as across

geographical lines, (e.g., USA vs. N. Korea), the researchers collectively assembled Generation

Y solely by age delineation for the purposes of this research. Those born between 1981 and 1999

are considered Generation Y for this study, although there is not universal agreement on the

exact birth boundaries of the group.

“Generation Y actively contributes, shares, searchers for and consumes content…on

social media platforms.” Their usage provides an indication of how technology may be used in

the future. These individuals have been considered the most technologically savvy of any

generation, having been born into technology and social media. For companies, “social media are

a potential source of market intelligence.” The implication is that firms, who are connected to

their consumers, stand to gain loyalty, market-share and long-term engagement as a result. The

most universal impact noted revolves around how social media has impacted how companies

hire, manage, and motivate employees.

The researchers outlined how they selected their Generation Y group, and the competing

conversations occurring around what constitutes Generation Y. The description of the

generation was well presented and included common character traits, habits, and social norms.

The authors also outlined what differentiates Generation Y from its older and younger

categorical peers. Regarding training them for today’s workforce, it is apparent that the usage of

social media affects outcomes for businesses and therefore can influence “organizational

decisions about service customization and productivity, such as how resources are allocated

between labor and automation.” From a corporate training perspective, it is imperative that we

consider the background knowledge of Generation Y trainees as we create training modules and

attempt to align content delivery methods and expected learning outcomes.