Nour's Blog

While reading the twitter chat that took place last Thursday, I feel like (at the beginning) there was a strong inclination to perhaps move away from or improve on the current learning models by providing more flexibility and autonomy. There is also a shift in the academic/learning world to providing education in more unique, hands-on and engaging ways. I think that that is definitely a step in the right direction, however I think that when talking about K-12 learning  without proper structure  it’s a fine balance between enough autonomy and flexibility that the students can be creative but also enough structure that they don’t let things slide and are still committed to achieving those goals.

Another thing that I found interesting about the twitter chat is the focus on K-12 learning, I personally don’t have much experience or knowledge about how open learning can be a part of K-12 education. After going through most of the chat I feel like I learned something new about open learning education and how it’s different and even similar in K-12 and higher education. So overall, I’d say a pretty interesting and educational overall.

It was only after reading Jordan and Weller’s beginners’ guide to openness and education that I realized how long open education has been around. To be honest I had never thought about it much, but I still would’ve never thought that the idea of open education, and even distance education have been around for more almost half a century (Jordan & Weller, 2017). It’s definitely really interesting to see how far open learning has come and to see what it is now considered norms within open learning. From my experience nearly all, if not all, open learning classes and/or curriculums come with some aspect of online learning, whether it’s a video class, online quizzes, or online assignments.

In contrast, it’s quite interesting to see how different teachers, across different subjects have chosen to implement open/distance learning (Major, 2015). What I find particularly fascinating is the flexibility within open learning to have varying levels  of self-directed autonomous learning vs. directed scheduled learning, as well as the contrast between classes that offer a lot of peer interaction vs classes without much student interaction.

An important aspect of open learning that is important to consider is peer interaction and its relevance to the course work, sometimes you see teachers implementing mandatory peer interaction when it’s unnecessary or even redundant and on the flipside you open learning classes with no ability for peer interaction. I think it’s really critical for open learning instructors to really ponder whether or not the class they are teaching needs mandatory peer interaction or not, as well as how much and what type. In an article written by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) it talks about the importance not only of peer interaction within an open learning class but also the type peer to peer interaction (2014). In my experience most online classes focus on trying to foster forum discussions with the whole class, but what from my experience the best form of student to student interaction is rapport building or activities done in small groups. Because as much as we hope that we can get to know everyone in the class by posting personal info publicly or by responding to one another’s ideas and discussions, it isn’t really the most effective way to communicate and build rapport with other students. The times that I have felt most engaged within an online class is when we are put into small groups either for discussion or activities.

In conclusion, I would say that an important thing for teachers to keep in mind when teaching an open learning class is how they plan to foster and encourage student to student interaction. I would strongly recommend incorporating small group activities and discussions.

Claire Howell Major. (2015). Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874 (pp. 88-105)

Jordan, K., & Weller, M. (2017). Openness and Education: A beginners’ guide. Global OER Graduate Network. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/GO-GN/openness-and-education-a-beginners-guide

Rochester Institute of Technology. (2014). Student-to-Student Interaction Online: Teaching & Learning Services. Retrieved July 29, 2020, from https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/tls/course-design/teaching-elements/student-to- student

Link to the Pod Project: https://edcipod10.opened.ca/2020/07/13/digital-equity-perspective-pod-project/

It was only after reading Jordan and Weller’s beginners’ guide to openness and education that I realized how long open education has been around. To be honest I had never thought about it much, but I still would’ve never thought that the idea of open education, and even distance education have been around for more almost half a century (Jordan & Weller, 2017). It’s definitely really interesting to see how far open learning has come and to see what it is now considered norms within open learning. From my experience nearly all, if not all, open learning classes and/or curriculums come with some aspect of online learning, whether it’s a video class, online quizzes, or online assignments.

In contrast, it’s quite interesting to see how different teachers, across different subjects have chosen to implement open/distance learning (Major, 2015). What I find particularly fascinating is the flexibility within open learning to have varying levels  of self-directed autonomous learning vs. directed scheduled learning, as well as the contrast between classes that offer a lot of peer interaction vs classes without much student interaction. I believe the level of autonomy and self-directedness of an open learning class can be a great strength or  weakness, it allows a variety of subjects to be taught under the “open learning” umbrella, however if a class that should be taught in a more scheduled and rigid way but is taught in a more flexible manner that can cause some unwanted outcomes. And I believe that’s the true test of an open learning class, whether the manner in which it is taught is conducive to learning and engaging with the material. The other aspect of open learning that is important to consider is peer interaction and its importance to the course work, sometimes you see teachers implementing mandatory peer interaction when it’s unnecessary or even redundant and on the flipside you open learning classes with no ability for peer interaction. I think it’s really critical for open learning instructors to really ponder whether or not the class they are teaching needs mandatory peer interaction or not, as well as how much.

Claire Howell Major. (2015). Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874 (pp. 88-105)

Jordan, K., & Weller, M. (2017). Openness and Education: A beginners’ guide. Global OER Graduate Network. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/GO-GN/openness-and-education-a-beginners-guide

When thinking about the blend of technology and education the first thing on my mind is privacy, I am always conscious and wary about how my data is being and who has access to it. Although one would think that within an educational institution our data is ‘safe’ that isn’t always the case (Regan & Jesse, 2018). Living in the digital age it’s not only important to be aware of how data is being collected, but also what is being collected. Take for example UVic’s VPN, students tend to use the VPN to access certain sites, folders, etc… that exist within the schools network, however how many of them are aware that because you are accessing the schools network they can see all traffic that is coming in and out of your computer. That means that anything you do at home on your computer when accessing UVic’s VPN is visible to the school and that data is being monitored and stored. That’s not to say that it’s a bad thing or that we should stop using it, it’s just important to be aware and to know what information is being shared and how.
That being said, all the advances in technology within education has greatly improved how classes are being delivered, with online forums (coursespaces for example) where you can ask questions to your peers and teacher. Even in terms of the VPN it’s a very useful tool, you  are able to access materials and items that are normally only available if you are there in person, this make it much easier for students to do there work from home and to do online classes.

References

Regan, P.M., Jesse, J. Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics Inf Technol 21, 167–179 (2019). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2

Stommel, J. (2018, September 12). Learning is Not a Mechanism. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://criticaldigitalpedagogy.pressbooks.com/chapter/learning-is-not-a-mechanism/

Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: AU Press.