[GraphDesProject]

And also her TED talk http://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4.

[GraphDesProject]

Thanks for this link. I am not sure I agree that nothing new would emerge without a group. However, I do believe in my own teaching and learning practices that concrete actions help you think with more clarity (ie making notes or visualising with diagrams). We insist that our design students of all ages do this in order to prompt more (emergent/divergent) thoughts. So, re my post above to Niall, I wonder if group work or discussions aren’t just another alternative method of making thoughts concrete leading to more thoughts….That’s how it work for me (as well as people giving me useful links!)

Sancha (@GraphDesProject)

[GraphDesProject]

Yes, I wonder about this as I said in my earlier post. I think I often perfer to work/study alone (tho I do like to discuss ideas and throw them around with others to get more clarity). My younger son (11) said he felt groups “held him back”.

[GraphDesProject]

Hello,

I have been scouting round seeing if I can find some academic papers on homeschooling and the best I have found so far are these two sites that gather research on the topic. ICHER.org was affiliated with the uni of Indiana (I think) but now seems independent and NHER seems to be led by the homeschool community. http://www.icher.org/research.php  http://www.nheri.org/ I’m beginning to plough my way through the docs (some of which are quite old).

Sancha (@GraphDesproject)

[GraphDesProject]

I liked Mitra…but then I got sent some links that made me feel guilty… See my post in this forum called Collaboration is Key and replies from Phil Tubman . Mitra and educational colonialism? The wall booths are all derelict. Also, taller boys ousted all the others and took over. So it doesn’t seem to be as feel good as we were discussing yesterday. Agree about Keegan though. Sancha (@GraphDesProject)

[GraphDesProject]

I read these two linkss with interest….When I saw the videos I didn’t immediately think of educational colonialism (but it took my feel-good mood away and the images of abandoned hole in the wall booths was v. depressing); I was more interested to know more about the findings in a systematic way. It seems my gut feelings about the dynamics of the groups of kids was right. I’d like to find out more about the importance (if any) of WHAT the kids looked at. I also have had second thoughts about the collaboration aspect – so it doesn’t work with singleton kids??…but I have seen my own two do this on countless occasions (especially when the question is one of their own making, like how well did reviewers rate Skyrim or what does this toy/game/cd cost, or how do I obtain and work this mod in Minecraft etc etc. Oh yeah, and they can do regular schooly stuff like find out about a chosen river for homework etc. My younger son has found out all kinds of things by himself on his laptop – things I don’t understand or know are there. But over and above all of this I’m still interested to see some more theory about why this curiousity/motivation/challenge/playing works.and how we can get this across to unmotivated learners. And in answer to your other post – yes, I think the tutor – or the motivator of the question (which might be of their own making) is really important. In the Mitra context is is presented as a change from regular school, naughtily sending out the teacher, which of course is going to motivate them. As for scaffolding and motivation by homeschool mums, well that is being studied at the moment, I uberstand, bit too early for any reports yet. But my kids have a role model of a constant learner looker-upper so I guess that helped their ethos.

I’ll look for some homeschool/mainstream links. It is just something I’ve noticed over the last 20 years or so. The idea of unschooling was popular when my elder son did this (aged 12-14), letting people find out their own stuff and become experts. He immersed  himself in music design, completely teaching himself the music; and since graduating is a designer and musician full time (shameless plug as proof – http://youtu.be/Oy-hqZ389EI). He entered these communties of practice through his own efforts. It is this kind of allowing learners to do their own thing that homeschooling championed ages ago (tho they don’t all do this and many follow set curricula as if they were in schools). I’ve always tried to bring as much discovery learning to my mainstream design students as I can get away with. I’m not sure if I would say that successful HE mimics homeschooling or vice versa. Creating independent learners is I think the key to it and “teaching” the processes of learning rather than cold facts. I am not sure how much useful theory there is about homeschooling; much of what homeschoolers circulate amongst themselves seems to be a bit knee-jerk; but I’ll see what I can find.

I think your point about fitting the tech in is important – so much is brought in for the sake of a contemporary tick box. It has got to make life easier (as blogging for recording design processes does, for example) and I don’t like the assumption with TEL that older methods go. If it works then use it. But yes, I have found that getting personality across as an online tutor is difficult and can make the experience less warm. I once read that all learners are much more interested in the tutor’s private life than they are in the subject!!

Sancha (@GraphDesProject)

[GraphDesProject]

Ridly, I agree with a lot of what you have said, esp TEL and MOOCS being automatically linked these days. My specific interest in TEL is blogging in [design] education and how this can be best practice (or poss not). I did my first MOOC earlier this year and found it very chaotic and the advice to cherry pick was helpful but went against my old-fashioned educator ethics!! But the difference with that one (it was OLDS MOOC, if anyone cares) was that all the materials were already available and I went on ahead and got motivated when there was a hiatus (like there is in ocTEL now).  I got ill and dropped out…..no-one noticed, of course!! But that too went against my habits as an educator. However, I have got more motivated and have signed up for two Coursera arty MOOCs later in the year so I can compare for myself these free, connectivist and “proper” MOOCs to the [almost commercial and] content-led ones…they look really interesting! But my main question is how and when will MOOCs be recognised by employers and industry. At the moment they seemn to be for CPD or fun and I can’t understand how they can help all these global students get jobs when employers cannot yet judge the worth of the MOOCs they have done, or even know whatthey are!¬ Will look forward to later reading what Bill Clinton had to say about that.

I have enjoyed the connectivism of this ocTEL so far and have really tried to Tweet, follow links and leads and get into discussions…some of which are now taking place outside of ocTEL instead with other people. But next week Easter vacation is over, so we’ll see how it goes then!

[GraphDesProject]

Hello,

I have joined a couple of other groups (art and design/distance learning) but this group sounds cool and a bit rebellious so I’d like to join. I am not sure where my educating future is heading so this group sounds like it will throw up all sorts of possibilities and ideas.

Currently I tutor (prog leader)  f2f and blended learning in HE; and online distance to all sorts of uninstitutional learners, inc homeschoolers who are very forward with collaborative learning, flipped classrooms, unschooling etc.

Sancha @GraphDesProject

[GraphDesProject]

Hello, I too would like to join this group even tho I am already in the small group for art and design. I tutor HE f2f graphic design (but with WordPress as an element)  and online (private, all ages, using WordPress). I have also had experience of being a learner on a recent blended learning module on Technology in the Academic Environment, which had a large portion conducted over several months through a discussion group online – we learners also had to take turns in tutoring, or providing resources and getting discussions started and moderated. I was not overly keen on this and found it using technology for the sake of it – tho I learned about my own anxieties. We then moved on to research topics and I undertook a study of design students using blogs – which tho “finished” I am still researching. I have also recently done a MOOC (OLDS MOOC) on course design. However, I was ill and dropped out, which was fairly typical of MOOCS, I believe (I have heard, tho it may be gossip that there is a massive drop out rate). Nevertheless, the materials are all still there so I could go back and finish. Years ago I did my degree with the Open University in the days of books and tapes! I thoroughly enjoyed it; so I have some distance learning to compare TEL to.

Looking forward to the discussions,

Sancha (@GraphDesProject)

[GraphDesProject]

Hello, Like Sorcha I teach design context and analysis to practical graphic design students at HE level. This is mostly f2f but we also ask them to run WordPress blogs to record and reflect in. They have taken to this very smoothly and we have seen some grades rise because of it. I have been carrying out research into this as well, which has been fascinating for me and for the students too. I also teach online – exclusively through WordPress blogs – a variety of private design students of all ages, inc homeschoolers. I have noticed that a few mature learners abandon their projects when faced with strating a blog, even though there is plenty of help and support.

My colleague, Tim Bones, and I were yesterday discussing via Twitter the TES article about students reluctance to go with new technologies unless directed by their tutors. I’m not sure if Sorcha would agree, but we have found graphic design students can be quite pro-active with technology (possibly because it is part of their regular design practice). However, I have found that what you introduce at the start of a course will stick whereas trying to bring in new things half way through is more problematic. And indeed, not all learners are as pro-active as others. Anyway, I’m still researching design students using blogs and trying to figure out why (if) it is best practice.

Any thoughts?

Sancha

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