MOOCs & Haptic Technology

[DavidDawson]

The key message for me from this exercise is that the technology or technologies used to enhance learning should be appropriate for the purpose for what they are used. Technology used for a particular leaning situation/context should be ‘fit for purpose.’
 
            Haptic Technology
Haptic technology is relevant/of interest to me because I work in an area that delivers courses for nursing and paramedic students. I am not directly involved in developing the skills needed by these students.
 
The haptic technology used (in this instance) to develop the skill of drilling a tooth is used for that purpose. That is, for helping students to develop the skill of drilling a tooth. This is a single but vital aim. So, this example is essentially about the technology. Very sophisticated technology but technology just the same. The emphasis in the document is about how this technology allows students to experience closely what it is like to drill a tooth. This is achieved by enabling students to experience visual and tactile sensations as well as feedback on what they are doing while drilling a tooth.
 
Haptic technology in this example is very useful and powerful way for students to learn. Effective learning techniques are also employed in that students are given immediate feedback on how well they are performing the skill and they can repeat the exercise until they get it right. It is about achieving competence and this is an effective way of helping students to achieve it.
 
So, in my view, this is a powerful technology for teaching a skill like drilling a tooth. Other abilities, like knowing and understanding the anatomy and physiology (and maybe pathophysiology) are not developed. At least not developed to a large extent although this technology might be helpful in helping student to develop these abilities because it provides a vehicle for them to apply what they have learned in these areas.
 
So while this technology is not directly useful to my teaching it is relevant to the area in which I work. It is a powerful technology for achieving its purpose of developing a skill.
 
 
MOOCs
MOOCs are relevant to me in that I teach subject that is delivered entirely online. The same subject is also delivered on campus and could be said to be blended to the extent that lectures and supporting materials are made available online through WebCT.
 
The subject I teach is, Mental Health and Wellbeing for Paramedics.” The intent of the subject is to prepare students for work in an emergency ambulance organization in a psychological sense. This is done, in part, by attempting to develop resilience.
 
The speakers about this MOOC describe how they used the technologies available to develop participants’ knowledge and understanding. And this, in my opinion, is the key point, that they used a ranged of technologies to achieve their teaching aims. So it is an eclectic approach and entirely suitable to their objective/s.
 
It seems that key pedagogical ideas were used, like scaffolding, in the development of knowledge. This was (in part) achieved by providing information and having students interact with reference to this information. Students also brought their own knowledge, experience and context to this process. So this approach provided a potentially powerful environment and/or context for learning to occur.
 
This approach is directly relevant to me because the subject I teach is about developing resilience in paramedic students and this is achieved by teaching ways of coping (with reference to a model of resilience) and then applying that knowledge to demanding/stressful events they have experienced. And to share this with other students. Part of the sharing process involves students giving feedback to each other about how they coped and how they might be better able to cope in future. In this way, the aim is for students to gain new knowledge and then to apply it to their personal experience and to develop coping skills that they might use in the future when they are in the world of work. (Part of all this activity is to help students to recognize when a situation is beyond their coping skills and to get help).
 
Using this approach online is potentially powerful and very useful. It has potential but there are caveats that apply. As the speaker says in the video, students need the skills to navigate a MOOC environment. In my view, these skills are needed for any online environment that encourages engagement and goes beyond simply providing information.
 
In the reading relating to the ‘emergent learning model’ the writer identifies (some of) these skills when he writes, “It became obvious very quickly that I had to design for new learning skills; learners needed to be able to plan their learning, to search for and evaluate the resources they found, and then discuss them and moderate those discussions.” An issue that arises here, for me, is how do students acquire these skills. It seems to me it is often assumed that simply demanding that students use these skills will develop them. I think that these skills need to be made explicit and they need to be taught/developed. There is no prescription (I know of) for achieving this. A ‘horses for courses’ approach is needed.)
 
I don’t think that the two examples involving haptic and MOOC technology are directly comparable in terms of how powerful they are. They are both powerful in that they are able to achieve their objective/s. The MOOC is more relevant to me because of my teaching objectives but only for that reason.
 
The key message for me out of this exercise is that technology has to be ‘fit for purpose.’ I interpret this as meaning that it is necessary to articulate learning objectives and provide some activities by which they might be achieved. In my view students shouldn’t be limited I how they demonstrate achievement of these objectives. (Demonstrating achievement of learning outcomes shouldn’t be limited to essays or exams, for example). However, this is an issue of assessment and probably not pertinent here.
 
It should not be the case that facilitating learning is compromised or modified to meet the constraints of a particular technology. When learning outcomes and activities have been identified then the best way to achieve them should be identified. This includes identifying which technology or technologies are best for the job or are ‘fit for purpose.’
 
 

[Tom Buckley]

Appropriate technology appropriately used is kind of very important to me. Sometimes in a rush to raise engagement of everyone we grasp for things that actually aren’t properly planned, thought out or appropriate for a learning outcome or task. This in the end proves counter-productive. This is why I feel ‘appropriate’ is the most important word in learning technology lexicon.

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