Learning and Teaching in the Digital Age

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tengku Shahrom (DrT)

UNITAR International University
tengku_shahrom@unitar.my
24th March, 2013

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Our Shared Problem...

For the first time we are preparing students for a future we cannot clearly describe.
David Warlick
http://communications.nottingham.ac.uk/podcasts/

Introducing technology into education

http://aproposofnothing.files.wordpress.com

New and emerging technologies...

http://www.weirdthings.org.uk

...are often met with opposition.

Innovation Prevention Department

Introducing computers into schools

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
http://aproposofnothing.files.wordpress.com

We are battling against a common enemy....

ignorance

If you think education is expensive...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

...try ignorance.

What is wrong with school?

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. Albert Einstein

http://gradeproud.com

Does education need transformation?

"In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad."
http://thescholasticdiary.wordpress.com

- Nietzsche
Source: Chambers English Dictionary

Young peoples outof-school experiences with technology can mean that students find the presentation of school curriculum less challenging, less relevant and less engaging.
Source: http://community.learningobjects.com

http://encefalus.com/

http://flickr.com/photos/thomcochrane/416206133/

Education is changing for young people as they experience self-directed learning, (mostly outside school) about things that interest them.
Source: http://community.learningobjects.com

Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.
http://arts.anu.edu.au

- Paulo Friere

Does education need reform?

The wish to preserve the past rather than the hope of creating the future dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the young" - Bertrand Russell
http://flickr.com/photos/shu1/6065783/

The School Computer Suite...

http://www.hseb.utah.edu

Objections from educators

Mobile phones are banned in most schools because... ...they are distracting and disruptive. The phone becomes the focus of attention, inappropriate images/videos can be taken and sent, leading to invasion of privacy and loss of teacher control!
http://i.dailymail.co.uk

Half of teens send 50 orthe Mobile phones are more text messages a day, natural communication or 1,500 texts a month, and tool ofthree choice for younger one in send more users. than 100 texts a day, or Arethan we preparing this more 3,000 texts a month. (2009for statistics) generation the future

or for the past?

Source: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones.aspx http://blog.roadandtravel.com

What are the needs of todays learners?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56155476@N08/5667863948/

Learners will need new literacies

Social networking Privacy maintenance Identity management Creating content Organising content Reusing and repurposing Filtering and selecting Self presenting
http://www.mopocket.com/

anytime

personalised

anyplace
http://ithalas.com

Trends in Education
Just for me
Apprenticeship model Standard Curriculum

Just in case
Bespoke Curriculum

Just in time

Personalised Learning

Just for me

Personal Learning Environment

Personal Learning Environment

A system that helps learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes providing support for learners to

set their own learning goals

manage their learning

communicate with others

User Generated Content

What does a personal learning environment look like?

Personalised Learning
Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. - Dr Suess
http://images.fanpop.com/images

Personalisation of learning means ensuring that individual differences are acknowledged

Personal Web Tools

Generating Content

Sharing Content

Organising Content

Personal Web Tools

Generating Content

Blog

Mashup

Wiki

E-portfolio

Sharing Content

Tagging

Organising Content

Personal Learning Environments

PLEs are not only personal web tools and personal learning networks. PLEs are much wider than this, taking in experiences and realia, as well as learning through TV, music, paper based materials, radio & more formal contexts.

Personal Learning Network

Personal Learning Environment

Personal Web Tools

Learning content is not as important now as where (or who) to connect to, to find it. PWTs are any web tools, (usually Web 2.0) chosen by learners to support their lifelong learning.

Source: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2010/07/anatomy-of-ple.html

Learning to learn Critical thinking

http://socialenterpriseambassadors.org.uk

Collaboration Creativity Reflection Evaluation

Why social media?

Social media use 2011

>200Million
95 million tweets/day

2 Billion views/day 24 hours/minute

Source: http://www.browsermedia.co.uk

The global context...

Social media use There are 5 is on the rise with billion mobile over 750 million phone users on connections. 3 Facebook and 24 times as many mobile phones Data consumed in hours of video as computers on 2010 for mobiles uploaded every 2.8 exabytes minute on the planet. Data consumed in Youtube. 2009 1.1 exabytes
Source: BBC News 2010

With access to Social Media everyone has a voice

http://www.uksmallbusinesswebsites.co.uk

What are the new pedagogies?

Education
Educere (latin) = to draw out what is within = to bring out potential

Education
Educere (latin) = to draw out what is within = to bring out potential

Socratic discourse is based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas.
Image source: http://laescueladeateanas.files.wordpress.com

Self Organised Learning

We cannot manage self-organised learning for our students. We can only create conducive environments within which students will organise their own learning.

Formal and Informal learning

Formal Learning Informal Learning

20%

80%
Source: Cofer, D. (2000). Informal Workplace Learning.

Networked learning
Understanding how networks work is one of the most important literacies of the 21st Century.

- Howard Rheingold

http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu

Making Connections
In connectivism, learning involves creating connections and developing a network. It is a theory for the digital age drawing upon chaos, emergent properties, and self organised learning.
(Its not what you know but who you know)

http://www.pestproducts.com

Source: Wikipedia

Social Networks...
Redefine community, friendship, identity, presence, privacy, geography, power relationships
http://www.guardian.co.uk

Enable learning, connections, collaboration, sharing, exploration

Adapted from Couros, A. (2010)

http://strategicdc.com

Social Networks...
Redefine community, friendship, identity, presence, privacy, geography, power relationships
http://www.guardian.co.uk

Enable learning, connections, collaboration, sharing, exploration

Networks form around shared interests, ideas and objects

Adapted from Couros, A. (2010)
http://strategicdc.com

Deleuze & Guattari

Rhizomes

Anarchy of the Web

Rhizomatic learning

http://archbold-station.org

...multiple, non-hierarchical entry and exit points in data representation and interpretation.

Rhizomatic learning
Steve Wheeler, University of Plymouth, 2008

In the rhizomatic view, knowledge can only be negotiated, [and is] a personal knowledge-creation process with mutable goals and constantly negotiated premises.
Community as curriculum: The users become the arbiters of what constitutes knowledge
Source: Cormier, D. (2008) http://davecormier.com/edblog/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/

Paragogy

The kinds of learner support

These are often provided by peers

Social support

Technical support

Academic support
Reference: (Carnwell, 2000)

Traditionally the domain of the teacher/tutor

Image source: http://businessinnovationfactory.com

We are seeing peer-based learning networks where students are learning as much from each other as they are from their mentors and tutors. John Seely-Brown

What will be the new teacher roles?

Any teacher who can be replaced by a computer.... .... should be.

- Arthur C. Clarke
http://aproposofnothing.files.wordpress.com

A computer once beat me at chess...

...but was no match for me at kickboxing.

http://woodforthetrees.files.wordpress.com

Content curation Collaboration

Co-learning
Facilitation Learning support Inspiration!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/2760560588/

Doctors save lives.

http://www.taranakicareers.co.nz

Teachers make lives.

Digital Content Curation

www.scoop.it/t/future-school

We need to trust the innate ability of learners to self assess.

- Derek Robertson
E-Assessment Scotland, 2010

Ipsative assessment...

...where a students learning is measured against previous attainment. This is observed in games where players are constantly trying to better their own previous top scores.

Triadic assessment

Triadic Assessment (Gale et al, 2002)

Tutor Assessment

Multimedia brought the world into the classroom... Smart technologies will take the classroom out into the world.
www.canada.com

The future?
All too often today we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.
http://www.newcastle.edu.au

- John W Gardner
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_flowers-lost-gardens-of-heligan.jpg

Thank you!
E: tengku_shahrom@unitar.my