The peer article that I choose to read is this one:
Shibley, I., Amaral, K. E., Shank, J. D., & Shibley, L. R. (2011). Designing a blended course: Using ADDIE to guide instructional design. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40(6), 80-85. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/873895708?accountid=7113
The three articles I read were really a review of blended learning, problem-based learning, constructivism, connectivism, and networked learning. Looking back at all of these concepts, I am looking to see the connections between the concepts and how they are practically worked out in the classroom setting. All of the articles seemed to deal in some way with the diversity of opinions on these ideas (especially constructivism), so I am learning that constructivism is not as clearly defined and understood across the world of education as I once thought it was. I remember that I used to think that everyone understood what it is and teachers just rarely use it because they are forced to teach to the test. Of course, being forced to teach to the test is true, but it seems that there are so many different ideas of what constructivism actually is that maybe many just don’t know how to achieve it in their design and implementation.
What I would like to learn more about is the application of networked learning to real life educational contexts. I talk with many professors about using constructivism, connectvism, and networked learning in their courses, but many of them feel that they just don’t have the chance to learn what to do because they never hear about “best practices.” I’m not a fan of the term “best practices,” but I do think there is a need for them to see real life examples in order to see how they can adapt them for their classrooms. Also, these examples usually talk about the ways that the technology is used to support networked learning, which is another area that faculty want help with: ideas for technology usage. So these articles will impact my design in that they give me a glimpse into what information is out there to support what I would like to design that covers practical implementations. I am hoping to develop a self-guided MOOC of sorts that would cover everything that instructors need to know to transition to connectivist/constructivist networked learning.
