12 mongrels wanted: small group for those of no particular pedigree

I think for now if we stay here, we’ll all know where to find each other! What do you think?

What I’ve found interesting so far is the way the term ‘technology’ is being used.  It seems to be that when anyone speaks of technology they’re thinking virtual learning platforms (including social networking sites) – is that what we’re limiting our definition to? What about things like powerpoint/keynote, using other forms of media in the classroom, like video-clips..and how about the use of gadgets, like computers, tablets, etc.?

I teach in the UK at M-level and use powerpoint (and I have to say, these are not simply bullet points that appear on a blank white slide – each slide has relevant photos/backgrounds, as well as animation) integrated with video-clips.  My use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) is limited to uploading readings to a site managed by our administrator and downloading student work from the same site for the purposes of assessment.  I’d love to learn more about how other forms of technology could make learning more effective and enjoyable for the students.

Staying here seems to make sense, hopping around to various other places could start to get confusing.

Hello Phil and all others I don’t yet know.

Happy to stay here – make this our electronic base room. Yesterday felt like walking into a huge university with no timetable or idea of what subject I was taking and wandering around the corridors lost, chatting to random souls until I a decided to open the door of a seminar room and wander in.

Although there are around 1000 participants it now feels like I’m on a course with 12 people.

To pick up on the ‘what is technology’ question, once upon a time pencil and paper was introduced into the classroom to replace chalk boards allowing the students to keep a permanent personal record of their learning and take their notes home with them for further study, thus introducing portability.
hmmm – sounds a bit like proto Mobile Learning with a Personal Learning Environment? And the batteries never ran out!
But, it wasn’t networked, there was no social constructivism beyond the classroom/face-to-face. So do we define TEL as to include some some of comms/collaboration ability? Was school radio TEL by that definition or just resource delivery (ie audio book?)

That’s a wonderful analogy you’ve given there SolentRoger – that’s exactly how I felt yesterday, and I wrote a comment elsewhere this morning about people tending to be happier in wee ponds than in the big ocean. It does feel like I’m on a course with 12 of us and we have a wee focus group to discuss what goes on ‘out there’ :).

I’m reckoning by all the reminiscences this morning that I can identify with (I’d forgotten about the TV on a tall, wheeled trolley with the big flaps, and listening to the radio in primary school) that you are all over 21 lol! However, having said that, I agree that so much of this is very recent – we were still using TVs like that at college just a decade or so ago (and acetates on slide projectors – and even blackboards begads!)

It was on a TV just like that where I watched the second aircraft plough into the twin towers in 2001, called in to the next door classroom by my colleague to watch it unfold. So I have a point of reference to know that all of the technology we use today is very recent and the learning curve has been practically vertical.

I’m considered in my uni to be one of the trailblazers – at the vanguard of trying out new things in teaching – and yet I know that I am woefully behind all the most recent developments and that I am having to run hard just to stand still at times. My reputation seems to be based on the principle that I’m not afraid to try out new ideas – so many of my colleagues still seem to use blank slides with just words on their powerpoint presentations. According to some student feedback, some even just read from the slides! So I’m not resting on my laurels lol

Thinking about the topics we have to tackle in this forum this week, it seems to me that the people who have ventured onto such a course as this are likely to be mostly the ones who are interested in trying new things (on the basis that the course itself filters out those not interested). However, even within that, there seems to still be a huge diversity of experience and capabilities within the group (judging by the inability of so many to set up an email filter – and yes, despite my experience in many areas, I can’t do that either lol!). So this leads me to surmise that some people will have lots of experience in some areas, some people will have a little experience in a lot of areas, some will have little or no experience – but they all come with a desire to at least try.

Will a MOOC be able to provide that? Well, the comment at the start of this post probably answers that – we’ll all sort ourselves into little groups that make us feel more comfortable and we’ll have the odd foray into new activities to stretch ourselves a bit at a time. My personal choice for now seems to be this group, a quick scan through the twitter feed of a morning and a weekly digest of the week’s news.  As they state right from the start, it won’t be possible to keep up with all the content generated – but then, is it necessary? I have this sneaking suspicion that no matter which media I choose, I might still feel that all the best posts are happening elsewhere – but then, I only have so much time and effort to devote to it, and a lot of it doesn’t interest me. As long as I end up in a few weeks with a broader understanding than when I started, and a few good ideas about how to develop my modules over the summer, then I shall think ‘job done!’ 🙂

Hi Simon – I’m sure you’ve heard all the ‘Golden Hour’ jokes before 🙂  This is on my PDR too, so I’m in it for the duration lol!

Shuna

Hi SolentRoger, I don’t think you have to include an element of collaboration in order for a tech facilitated learning activity to be considered TEL. So long as there is some form of technology used in the learning experience, I feel that this warrants using the term TEL. Where it gets more interesting, for me, is around the design of the learning activity. Once you can understand the objective(s) of the TEL learning activity, I think you can then start to categorise what form of TEL it is. I like Napier’s model of the 3E framework (Enhance, Extend, Empower) as a means by which to articulate the type of TEL experience a user is having.

It’s fine with me to stay here. In spite of all the affordances available to enhance what we want to say, I find the medium does really determine (distort, distract) the message. The first consideration is can we exchange ideas and understandings with TEL or are we only concerned with creating entertainment?
As someone who’s naturally disagreeable I’m not convinced that the whole idea of presenting learning opportunities in all sorts of media options actually results in learning. Our whole notion of attention, persuasion and influence is based in media studies the seem to me to speak only of successful transmission and reception of bullshit. What if it was possible to teach things of value rather than amuse and occupy time? Does anyone think it might catch on in education?

As a media teacher I can understand the the whole concern over ‘attention, persuasion and influence’. Knowledge about how these non face to face interactions are constructed is the key to communicationg in a TEL environment. As you rightly point out main function of the pupil teacher relationship is that of transmission and reception.