I couldn't pick one. So the five cases…

[imogenbertin]

Oh dear. Why am I always disagreeing with the question? “Decide which one of Mazur, Mitra, Siemens, Cox, Keegan you think is more powerful and relevant for you.”

None. On the one hand each has elements that I can and do try to use. On the other hand I have some disagreements with each. So how can I pick one? I prefer to pick ‘n mix!

Mazur: great tactics for lecturing engagement (I’ve done a baby version of this using PollEverywhere and it went down particularly well when doing social media inductions for librarians…). But do all subjects really lend themselves to this kind of approach? I am sceptical of the idea of the “Aha!” moment. I think they probably do exist in hard science subjects but I never recall experiencing this in my learning. If I think of subjects I’ve studied in recent years such as horticulture, what questions COULD you ask that students at a basic level could answer? Lots of subjects are informational. You gradually assimilate enough information on situational tactics to carry out actions that have successful consequences. You then have to measure those consequences and try to figure out if they were consequences or coincidences.

Mitra: well, I’ve used his videos with students since 2010 in trying to get people to think about social media and digital media and affordances of IT. But I like to add Donald Clarke’s blog post as a caveat:  http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ie/2013/03/sugata-mitra-slum-chic-7-reasons-for.html
I don’t think the kind of “photographic memory” recall that Mitra champions is important any more – what is important is being able to refind (yes, I said re-find) information, evaluate and apply it. Just beyond the end of the clip duration is some very important information about Mitra’s views on motivation and the role of teachers – this is also highlighted in the comments to Donald Clarke’s blog.

Siemens: a really persuasive innovator and I am in sympathy with a lot of the arguments favouring constructivist approaches. Yet I’ve failed to complete his LAK courses twice – last year and this year. They are impossible for me because I cannot actually find and assimilate the basic informational content to acquire new knowledge (e.g. to understand Bayesian probability). Global distribution of knowledge with access to expert tutors and knowledgeable peers does not abrogate the need for an introductory guide to basic concepts. We know MOOCS don’t (yet) do coaching and credentialling, so they HAVE to get better at sense making. That means my hobbyhorse, UX and navigation, has to improve or MOOCs will “never catch on” in a meaningful way… but don’t let me get distracted on that.

Cox: Unfortunately I really couldn’t watch the Haptel stuff in detail as I am phobic about teeth, but I get the idea that it’s cheaper and more systematic and provides faster feedback. I wonder what the students think though, and whether it affects their communication skills with patients to first be introduced to these core skills in a virtual world?

Keegan: Learning through paranoia. Game playing can be engaging but also off-putting to learners. I think this could be very unfair and exclusive as an engagement method.I particularly don’t like the manipulation of the students’ own right to decide how to use their time by not making the assessment clear e.g. using the game to get them to watch un-assessed videos. Let alone the other ethical issues. I think this is a really retrograde idea, equivalent to beating multiplication tables into children through fear. Also not scalable – huge time involvement. What did this actually TEACH the students? What were the objectives? All male learners except one tells you something… And Helen’s own admission that the unengaged remained unengaged – 5 out of 30.
I found this exercise frustrating until I completed the rest of the week’s content and found Fred’s Emergent Learning Model which I suddenly realised is probably what I do, in my muddling way, and which to some extent this helped explain to me why I find a lot of the widely accepted pedgagogical and “TEL” models dissatisfying. Still, none of this is “scientific” enough for me. I have always found educational research frustrating because it is so anecdotal and subjective. Bottom line: I’m unconvinced about anything to do with TEL yet despite being a practitioner!

[MeganSanderson]

I really enjoyed your post. I looked at Seimens and Keegan. An interesting idea in Seimens talk to me was the notion of using personal learning spaces rather than ones provided by the institution. On the one hand, it would teach students about public professionalism and creating professional learning networks, a much overlooked skill. Too often students focus merely on what it takes to pass the course, instead of focusing on what knowledge they can gain and apply. Perhaps encouraging these personal learning spaces would shift their focus. On the other hand, if I am a student, I’m not sure I want to post for the world to see when I’m only just learning the concepts. Students are constantly forming and reforming their ideas and opinions. Perhaps students need the instituational space to practice.

Keegan’s ARG was fascinating to me. I couldn’t stop watching. “Who IS Rufi Franzen?” Like one of the other members commented, was the deception really necessary to engage students in the game? It seems like you could work out a way around that when designing the story. I loved that the students (with some exceptions) and the instructor were fully engaged in the course. It was refreshing to see an instructor so excited about her class. She was just as obsessed with the puzzle as the students, but from a different vantage point. While watching though, some limitations immediately came to mind: 1) Can you replicate this? The game was very specific to this multimedia class…so the experience gained on Twitter, blogs, facebook, etc. all directly related to the class itself. This would not be the case with other courses. 2) Students coming up through the grades would certainly be aware of the use of this ARG, thereby making it ineffective. So, is an ARG a one-time shot?

I too find educational research to be frustrating…well, limited more than frustrating. There are so many variables out of ones control that “scientific” is difficult to achieve.

Megan

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