Make Your Brain Happy by Learning Something Online

All I can say is that I knew it all along. Jacqueline Barnes of Litmos LMS says that “our brains love learning online.” Or I guess it would be more accurate to say that research is possibly indicating that certain aspects of the online experience help us to enjoy the learning process a bit more.

A closer look at the research shows that it is not really just anything and everything about online learning that help us learn better, but specific concepts and ideas focused primarily on engagement, social presence, encouragement, and immediacy. What I don’t see in the research is any mention of long lecture capture videos, digitizing standardized tests and uploading them online, 500-slide death by PowerPoint modules, or any of the other standards that we typically see in online courses.

In other words, the bad, boring teaching concepts that have been bad, boring teaching concepts for centuries will continue to be bad, boring teaching concepts no matter how much technology we wrap around them. [ahem.... iBooks 2?]

So many times when I read about certain colleges putting “free courses” online I cringe – when all they are really doing is putting popular lecture captures online. I have tried to watch these free videos and no matter how well spoken or humorous the professor is, I just can’t sit there and watch to the end without my attention wandering.

What these recent studies don’t necessarily say directly – but they still possibly prove – is that our brains are happy when we are actively engaged in the learning process. Passively sitting there and staring at the screen for a long time? Not so much. I hate to admit it, but that is why I have never been able to get into the Khan Academy that much. If you love it – great. I just need more engagement and less “sit and stare.”

Is Apple Introducing Something New, or Just Glamming Up the Same Old Ideas?

So today Apple announced some new apps that will basically make it easier and cheaper (assuming you secure a loan to buy an iPad in the first place) to create, publish, and purchase eTextbooks. Or iTextbooks? I confess I haven’t tried the tools or watched the keynote yet – just read a few reports on it.

It also seems like there is now an Apple version of an LMS app of some kind for iTunesU.

I am sure all of this looks pretty cool and works great… but is this really change or just turning the same old model education model into a sexy Hollywood version of itself?

A walled garden is still a walled garden even if it is designed by Apple. Passively reading a textbook is still passively reading a textbook even if you add in some cool swipe motions and 3-D video.

The question still remains – do we really need textbooks and LMS’s for education? Whether you like active learning, social learning, open learning, de-schooling, or any other buzzword from the fringes of education, we all realize that sitting and staring at something for hours at a time with only the occasional move/swipe of the hand is not the best way to learn something.

Sure you can add more interaction and 3-D graphics to textbooks, but we already have a tool for that in the technology world. It’s called a game. What will be the line between interactive iTextbooks and games? At some point we might just need to get over the stigma that some educators have about games and just eliminate the “textbook” category all together. Or maybe that is the path Apple has started us on.

I guess we’ll see once people dig in and start using these apps. I’m sure it will be fun… But will it be Transformers 3 or The Matrix?

About This Presentation:

This was a co-presentation with my co-worker Harriet Watkins at EDUCAUSE Southwest Regional Conference 2010 and the Texas Distance Learning Association 2010 Conference. Here is the abstract:

Rapid changes in online learning concepts – such as learning communities, personal learning environments and complexity – are driving a need to dismantle the Learning Management System as we know it. LMS software programs and instructional design theories are in danger of becoming obsolete if they don’t evolve. Students need a place to connect and collaborate at complex levels rather than hide inside a “walled garden.” Two colleagues at UT Arlington will present a new paradigm that is intended as an innovative alternative to the existing LMS concept as we know it.

This is an upgraded and updated version of our ‘Will Web 3.0 Make Us Change the Way We Educate” presentation from 2009.

About This Presentation:

This was a co-presentation with Tim Gottleber of DCCCD at NUTN 2009.  Here is the abstract:

“Edupunk” is defined as an approach to teaching that results from the do-it-yourself (DIY) attitude of some educators that are leaving behind corporate controlled technologies and pre-defined applications for the more open and less controlled arena of Web 2.0 technologies. In the rush to ride the “web 2.0” bandwagon, many educators and administrators are left in the dust when I comes to knowing what product is being delivered for the investment of time and capitol. This session will examine issues related to the identification and development of distance learning content; the use of outside tools in online courses; and the changing and evolving role of LMS services and content as online learning technologies and pedagogy continue to advance.

Full Title:

When the Future Finally Arrives: Web 2.0 Becomes Web 3.0

About This Publication:

This is a chapter in Web 2.0-Based E-Learning: Applying Social Informatics for Tertiary Teaching by IGI Global.  My chapter examines how the World Wide Web could possibly change over the next ten years into a concept commonly referred to as “Web 3.0,” and how these changes might affect education. It examines how Web 3.0 concepts such as cloud computing, the semantic web, and the three-dimensional web are currently being explored and realized. A possible future online learning scenario is also described and analyzed to help visualize these possibilities for education. My hope is that understanding how the Internet may change distance education in the next several years will help educators be better prepared for the future of online learning.

Full Title:

Moodle: the Intersection of Course Management System and Social Networking

About This Publication:

This is a chapter in The Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, published by IGI Global. My chapter discusses research conducted on the relationship between social connection and success in online courses and examines how some tools in Moodle – such as blogs, Wikis, and chat rooms – can be used to support learning. Additionally, instructional design issues that can be addressed with these tools are also explored.

See also the Table of Contents (search this web page for my name)

Traditional bullying is a violent behavior that has occurred in the school setting for years. However, as social networking increases through Facebook and online platforms, cyberbullying has become a significant issue among students. While this phenomena is studied in public schools, very few scientific studies are available addressing the perceptions of college students in regards to cyberbullying. I am assisting with a study, led by Dr. Katie Crosslin of Texas Woman’s University, to better understand TWU students’ perception of cyberbullying, as well as identifying their experiences as victims and/or bullies.

Full Title:

Elearnspace: Duplication theory of educational value

My Thoughts:

A more balanced approach to the future of higher education. Despite what some say, it still has great value.

Full Title:

Official Google Blog: Enhanced accessibility in Docs, Sites and Calendar

My Thoughts:

Finally - a website taking accessibility issues in Cloud tools seriously. Good start Goole - now keep going!

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elearnspace › Stanford AI MOOC: let’s try transparency

My Thoughts:

Interesting look at some issues that are arising from MOOCs. I would say that really any course could use the transparency and passionate learners that MOOCs need, but new formats like this of course need it all the more.

Full Title:

Google announces Dart programming language | ExtremeTech

My Thoughts:

This language could be for "Googlecentric" problems. I've always wondered why no one has created a programming language to solve education-centric problems. Like something that detects bad course design and blocks it from uploading.

My Thoughts:

Great rationale on the use of mobile devices. Also some good practical ideas. When teachers can start using new technology in this way, arguments against usage quickly disappear.

My Thoughts:

Interesting diagram of social learning. Probably a good way to explain it to people that are resistant to the idea.

My Thoughts:

Theoretical models that help us move away from the "sage om the stage" model? Sounds promising, but I would bet that many teachers already use this model without even knowing it.

Full Title:

Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian

My Thoughts:

A bit harsh but honest look at the state of academic publishing. The story would be different if it wasn't public funds that paid for these articles in the first place.

Full Title:

The Narrowness of Thought in Higher Education Reform

My Thoughts:

I agree that most thoughts on higher education reform really miss the mark. Whether they are too focused on saving money, or too bent on throwing out the baby with the bathwater, I have also felt that most "reformers" need to still go back to the drawing board.

My Thoughts:

Interesting alternative to LMS assignment tools. Or maybe for those who are creating their own courses DIY style.