I’ve read the above (Week O: Reflections on Ambitions) twice.

[First time was as part of my rummaging around site ‘catching-up’ in Week 2 (or 1 as you’ve labelled it) having got off to ‘bad start’ – with confusion about enrolment, course start time, etc. – in Week 1 (or O as you’ve numbered it). Second time was after Allison (with two ‘ls) courteously replied to my email to her (responding to hers about my access probs) in which she hotlinked it – picking on my observation about feeling confused.]

I wonder does anyone else have a nagging feeling the ‘linearity’ – ?asynchronicity – of posts and the nature of online communication – ‘typed words left in the past’ – not only make comprehending any present ‘signin’ strange but also somehow does it only ‘fit’ a certain ‘sort’ of person?

I’m struggling to clarify – in my own mind let alone on this screen – what I mean. Pause. Reflecting whilst reading the screen yesterday – see ‘catch up’ above – I noted how it was interesting that (some) participants wanted to be able to geographise participants asap. Even in the (Week 0) webinar an Irish guy pursued this pointedly in the Q&A – clearly pleased when another Irish guy tuned in and they talked to each other direct – presumably as they could now arrange to meet (get past? cyberspace). Arguably the IT had ‘enabled’ this to happen, them to do this, of course, but still, equally, it didn’t satisfy a need for them to communicate per se other than with IT. Pause. I’m thinking the hardly mind blowingly insightful thought that IT doesn’t ‘appeal’ to everyone – that the ‘nature’ of it actually puts some off. That for some it’s only ‘tolerated’ to the extent it makes itself redundant, i.e. enables face-to-face connection (perhaps with new contacts). (NB I’m not suggesting this applied to the Irish guys – I’ve no idea).

Why I’m pursuing this is I’m thinking about my students. I’ve been musing that I’m not going to bother with struggling with the bewildering maze of the ocTEL online screen – too ‘ugh’. I’ll simply tune in to the (archived) Youtube webinars (not having 24/7 computer access signing in during live sessions is problematic anyway). I anticipate ocTEL people immediately ‘saying’ (i.e. reading/thinking) this is fine.. if this is all I want. (It isn’t.) But I wonder how many of my students feel alienated – if racked up us ‘enabled’ – by IT – privately ‘compromising’ pursuing their learning by cyber solitude (for the reasons I am)?

My initial thought is I’ve sometimes thought they seem to have been after I sense they ’emerge’ – i.e. make themselves ‘visible’ (via tutorials, before/after class, in surgeries, in direct emails to me), with ‘voiced’ queries, points that suggest my ‘voice’ online and theirs ‘off’ whilst now ‘heard’ by (me), demonstrates each of us are/were in different ‘worlds’.

This suggests to me that maybe IT ‘enhances’ only one ‘sort’ of learning. Though I dunno what these different learnings are.

I think maybe in many of the places I’ve taught people – including (especially?) the IT/techie providers make a mistake in thinking what THEY’RE (no italics) offering enhances (or should be used to) what I (no italic) offer. But maybe we’re on about different learnings.

At least in the present form I’m thinking a) the ocTEL approach is great for some sorts of learners – but not others – and b) it’s very ‘cumbersome’ in ways that non-IT enhanced isn’t. Or maybe… maybe it’s that ocTEL just makes evident the cumbersomeness that is hidden (or of which I wasn’t aware) in the non-IT enhanced learning?

Laugh. I’ve recently finished teaching an advanced PG course in strategy – to students from a wide variety of national and cultural backgrounds, many of whom learned English/Globish as another language. It included a session on Institutional theory. I remember stressing the importance of understanding basic concepts – organizational field, agents, decoupling, etc. – and subsequently seeing a summary of the theory in another context – a book about the history / purpose of Biz Schools (Khurana: From Higher Aims to Higher Hands). This included a discussion about what is a profession, etc. Got the feeling from many of the posts that Learning Techies in particular see themselves as apart (say from ‘teachers’). Reminded me many Learning Techies I’ve known gripe about teachers not embracing Technology but don’t (want) to see how their attitudes drive their customers, the people many of them genuinely want to help, away. Come into MY (no italic) world (leave yours). Make MY (no italic) world yours. Laugh: what happened to ours?

But is OURS .. theirs? Does the cyber world equate/translate/fit with the mind – learning space – of our students (in relation to the subject being taught). The interesting bit in the discussion about professions/institutional theory related to the (politics of the) boundaries.

Hmm. Does this constitute an appropriate post/response? Is it just ‘inappropriate, unacademic (verbal) dribbling’? Dunno. Gotta go. Computer session time about up.

Russell, I think you’ve touched on some excellent points, and possibly answered some of your own questions in the process. You state:

“the ocTEL approach is great for some sorts of learners – but not others”
and
“Does the cyber world equate/translate/fit with the mind – learning space – of our students[?]”

You are entirely correct. This style of learning is not for everyone. It is very much a ‘learning bazaar’ where one looks around, finds bits that interest, and explores them. It may be that others with similar interests tag along, or one’s exploration may be solo; either way, the learning is very personal, personalized, and individual.

The ocTEL course is modeled in the connectivist MOOC style. Participants build knowledge together through establishing and exploring connections between each other and each others’ experiences. It is very self-regulated, self-motivated, and self-defined. There are many paths, and none are ‘wrong’. The weekly topics, resources, and activities are a recommended starting point for each participant’s own exploration. There is little to no direct instruction, the tutors are facilitators and guides to the participants’ personal learning experiences.

Where does IT and tech-enhanced learning fit with this? You state:

“…it’s very ‘cumbersome’ in ways that non-IT enhanced isn’t.”

There is no single IT solution for all of learning, nor for all instructors. Technology can enhance learning, but it can also detract when not applied properly. Could a course like ocTEL happen without technology? Sure, but the pace would be dramatically slower. Readings and resources could still be examined, meet-ups for discussion could happen, even the highly-touted “Personal Learning Network” could exist, as they existed before technology exploded on the scene. The technology is enabling us to do these things at a much more rapid pace, and with increased and easier access to loads of information.

Connectivist MOOCs aren’t for everyone, just as independent study courses aren’t for everyone. Yes, it can feel like the “Learning Techies” are in charge lately, but that doesn’t mean TEL has taken over. It’s also not black-and-white, all-or-nothing TEL. Courses and learning environments can be blended, too, using technology where it’s appropriate and face-to-face traditional methods where they are most appropriate. In many ways, blended environments can be superior to fully online environments because they play to each platform’s strengths.

It is evident you have strong feelings about TEL. I hope you continue to explore with us on ocTEL, and find a path that is fulfilling.

Hello Russell,
Thank you for a very interesting post. You make some very pertinent and philosophical points about learners’ online experiences, both in ocTEL and generally. I am not sure that I can provide any form of resolution for the issues you raise, however, I am eager to engage with them.

With respect to asynchronicity in forum discussions, sometimes there can be a sense of words left “in the air”, but .. sometimes when the forum members are deeply engaged in discussing a topic that important to them and they find a like- mind far away whose ideas resonate with their own, it can be a very positive experience. I don’t think the forum discussion can approximate a lively face-to-face debate, however, it can brings people and ideas together, which may never have had the opportunity to meet before, and therein lies its benefit, I think.

I do agree with you that IT does not appeal to everyone. Nor can it appeal to everyone. For many, IT is just a necessary tool to accomplish goals that cannot be achieved otherwise and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that perspective. One did not have to love a phone to use it for what you needed. Apart from technophiles, I think most people use technology to the point of redundancy and then move on. A person may research flowers online, not simply to be online, but ultimately to go into his garden and plant flowers. IT was useful only in so far as it took him closer to his goal.

I have met many students for whom online learning is not a viable option for them. Not because they are poor students nor even because they are not tech savvy. No, these are students who complained of feeling a deep sense of isolation in online learning. Again, I am thinking of some young ladies I know who are tech savvy and connected with their tablets, kindle fire, ipod minis, smart phones and on and on. Yet they did poorly taking online classes and preferred to return to face-to-face classes. I found their situation an interesting riddle, these young people who should have been been ideal candidates for online learning, rejected it.

I have imagined many reasons and theories to explain their behaviour, but, *shrug* I am still guessing really..

I would agree that the ocTEL approach will work for some and not for everyone. I say this because people attach certain connotations to the word “course”, they have certain expectations of what a “course” entails and they will find that ocTEL does not really fit any of those. So for them, it may be a very disconcerting experience. For others who are familiar with the concept of a MOOC, they will fall right in.

Learning Techies seeing themselves as apart from teachers: Yes, I agree, that does take place. There are some learning techies who see themselves as techno evangelists to reluctant teachers, ignoring the realities of teachers’ lives and practice. Techies who take this approach, and not all techies do, have generally come to learning technology from the technology side of the equation. They know the technology and what it can do, but hey don’t know about teachers, learners and learning contexts. The usual consequence of this discrepancy is that very little that is positive happens. This story is as old as Skinner’s teaching machine and will continue to happen because many of us can only see the world from our perspective. Lasting change tends to be incremental and usually takes place around the edges of practice where there is least resistance. I think in understanding that, we don’t get too caught up in the ebb and flow.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

best,

Kathy