Technology as a Trigger for Transforming Christian Approaches to

Education

James DalzielProfessor of Learning Technology & Director,

Macquarie University E-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE)

james.dalziel@mq.edu.au

www.melcoe.mq.edu.au

AGORA launch, Macquarie Graduate School of Management, October 9 th 2013

Overview

• Technology as a Trigger

• Three examples– Learning Design

– The Flipped Classroom

– MOOCs

• Reflections on Christian approaches to education

• Discussion

Technology as a Trigger

• The problems of today’s technology and children

• Sometimes technology in teaching is just a fad

• Sometimes technology in teaching helps us think more deeply about how and why we teach as we do

• The difference lies mostly in us, not the technology– So technology can be a trigger to reflection, but no guarantee

Technology as a Trigger for Transforming Christian Approaches to Education?

• Technology in the Bible?

• A Biblical context for today’s comments:– Matt 9:12-13 “Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a

doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ ” (NIV)

– Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (NIV)

Learning Design

• By describing “good teaching ideas”, these can be shared with other educators– Help educators go beyond simply “delivery” of content

– Part of educational reforms where the focus is on what students actually know and can do, rather than what did the teacher teach

• Learning Design is not simply about new e-learning software, but also about communities of educators sharing good teaching ideas– For more on Learning Design see: www.larnacadeclaration.org

Learning Design

• “LAMS” (Learning Activity Management system) was created to realise the vision of Learning Design– Together with the online LAMS community for sharing

– LAMS is freely available as open source software

• LAMS can be used on its own, or integrated with other systems, such as Moodle and others

• LAMS is now used by thousands of educators in 80+ countries and translated into 33 languages– LAMS community has 8000 members and 1500 sequences

Predict – Observe – Explain: Content example

Predict – Observe – Explain: Preview (student view) of Content Example

LessonLAMS – Full Author: Change anything about template

LAMS Community – Repository Summary

The Flipped Classroom

• While content for learning has always been available (eg, textbooks), now many free resources on the internet– Eg, Khan Academy videos, Scootle

• Teachers can “flip” the classroom – content is covered outside class, while in-class time is used for practical exercises, discussion and debate

• Allows for more effective use of teacher time for providing feedback, compared to delivering content

The Flipped Classroom

• Provided that students complete the pre-class content, practical activities and discussion can be more engaging

• The flipped classroom offers opportunities for deeper learning through discussion, reflection and debate– Particularly relevant to Christian approaches to knowledge, eg:

• The great themes of literature – Love, betrayal, injustice, fairness• The foundations of science – Where did the universe come from?• Interpreting history – Is it all progress? Was Hitler evil or mistaken?• Caring for our world – Why should we care? How should we care?• The nature of people – The bedrock of so many assumptions• Economics – Is money the key incentive? What to do about

poverty?

MOOCs

• What is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)? – Even the definition is hotly debated!

• Key elements are fully online university level courses:– Mostly self-paced video and exercises, some include

collaborative activities

– Despite prestigious university backers, not accredited by these universities

• Although other universities are starting to offer some credit

– Not just self-paced courseware – typically have a weekly structure and automated assessment for progress

MOOCs

• The potential disruption from MOOCs is not really about online learning (though this is a prerequisite)

• The challenge is accreditation, and changing “business models” of university education– Finding great lecturers is no longer limited by geography,

time or entrance requirements

• MOOC courses open to anyone, eg school students– Great opportunity for advanced study (gifted and talented)

3

More than MOOCs

• In terms of teaching and learning, Austrade report rightly explores the wider landscape of change and technology– Competency-based approaches to learning (including Badges)

– Flipped classroom approaches to teaching and learning

– Learning Analytics & adaptive learning

– MOOCs

– Open Educational Resources

– Assessment and credentials/accreditation

– Free/low cost online universities

See Report: http://www.austrade.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/4553/Austrade%20Report%20-%20More%20than%20MOOCS%20-%20Final%20web%20version%20130213.pdf.aspx

Major MOOC players and supporters: http://chronicle.com/article/Major-Players-in-the-MOOC/138817/

SJSU uses MITx edX materials

• “During SJSU’s fall 2012 EE98 Introduction to Circuits Analysis course, SJSU Lecturer Khosrow Ghadiri used the MITx 6.002x Circuits and Electronics materials on the edX platform. His class, comprised of 87 students, viewed the MITx video lectures and completed MITx problem sets outside of class. During class, Ghadiri facilitated 15 minutes of questions and answers, and then devoted the remainder of the class to peer and team instruction and problem solving using materials developed by SJSU faculty members. Early indicators have been remarkably positive. Although the numbers of students were small and classes differed on many factors, the pass rate in the blended class was 91 percent, and the pass rates in the conventional classes were as low as 55 percent.”

http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2013/sjsuedx-expansion/

MOOCs

• MOOCs indicate ways that the “business model” of higher education might change in the future– “Disaggregation” of components of university experience

• New structures could arise for combining traditional higher education (HE) with reflection on Christian ideas– Imagine a hybrid degree of traditional content and Christian

reflection for teacher training, psychology, medicine, business…

– Christian reflection with a mixture of MOOCs, intensive face to face sessions (eg week/weekend away) & online discussion

• Doesn’t require buildings or everyone in one place – virtual campus

Technology as a Trigger for Transforming Christian Approaches to Education?

• A Biblical context for today’s comments:– Matt 9:12-13 “Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a

doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ ” (NIV)

– Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (NIV)

– John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (NIV)

Some Implications for Christian Approaches to Education

• Learning Design illustrates the idea of teachers collaborating to share effective teaching ideas– Potential for Christian educators to collaboratively develop a

library of effective lessons – I’m keen to facilitate!• Both for general use and for Christian approaches to education

• Flipped classrooms can foster deeper learning– Especially about the most significant ideas of life

• MOOCs might one day lead to hybrid HE structures for reflecting on Christian ideas during higher education

Discussion

• Suggest you choose one of the topics:– Learning Design, Flipped Classroom or MOOCs

• Explore with those at your table how it could connect with your practice as a Christian educator

• Consider taking action: What could you do next?– How could you help your students learn more deeply?

– How could you share teaching ideas with colleagues?