IFI7101 Essay "Learning at hybrid places"

Introduction
With new and hybrid places the whole concept of the learning system will change. New opportunities and new values will arise. More and more are people using different environments to get information, communicate and learn. Now it is important to give them exactly what they want, but it is still important to remember that less is more.

Basically there is no difference whether you are looking for the information in your personal interest or in coordinated learning activity. That is why I think my thoughts written in this essay can pretty much describe the whole knowledge discovery in the web.

In e-learning „leaner“ is in focus. New environments, designs and facilities should support learning act and be leaner-centred. There is no one and only fixed and bulletproof solution for learning. It is important to think which kind of result and learning activities would be best to consolidate new knowledge.

Key points
According to Hargadon, the key points for education in a Web 2.0 environment are:
From consuming to producing
From authority to transparency
From the expert to the facilitator
From the lecture to the hallway
From the „access to information“ to „access to people“
From „learning about“ to „learning to be“
From passive to passionate learning
From presentation to participation
From publication to conversation
From formal schooling to lifelong learning
From supply-push to demand-bull

Problems
Of course some problems and questions arise. Like when there is no teacher-student relationship and „closed“ and one-way addressed knowledge any more, is not it a bit insecure according to data used? The same questions refer to another problem, what about fair competition between people? When you have no „shelf“ to put your ideas on and everything is out to see for everyone all the time, does not it change the whole idea of competition?

The most important themes and problems to be solved that Nordgren’s is pointing out in educational institutions in order to provide the future learning environment are:
• Students owning their learning
• Standards and curricula that guide rather than dictate
• Constructivist teaching strategies that empower students
• Trust and adult supervision
• Democracy and empowerment
• Global Workforce Competence: Making schooling relevant to the workplace

Definitely new facilities affect the collective brain, on the one hand more varied information is available but on the other hand some aspects may come out more than they would do in not so facilitated environment.

New aspects in learning
These upper points made me think. E-learning as a process gives a lot of freedom but at the same time more duties and responsibilities. What happens if these criteria are not suitable for some leaner and there is no force coming inside? Is e-learning not suitable then at all? Or is there something to do, to make it work?

Answers to these questions would be a personal learning contract. This would lead the whole learning process to the whole new level. Students would not learn for grades or parents but for themselves. And like that it is suitable for everyone and supports different types of learning activities.

As I already mentioned, I think that e-learning needs more responsibility. Everything you say or do is out to see for everyone (usually) and you have to be more careful and stable in words and actions that are being taken.

But at the same time, this opportunity to see others working process gives ideas and knowledge not only according to the product (team work outcome for an example) but also how to achieve the best results in process.

Importance of the communication and the environment
E-learning needs even more communication than the regular learning process. One reason is the distance and information holes are more easy to come and because there is no face to face relationship (that much) it is not so easy to make yourself fully understandable, understand others the way they want to, explain and reexpalin yourself.

Also it is important to find suitable environment. There should be just enough facilities, but not too many. Also it would be good, if the environment is already familiar to all who have to work with it. The web page should be easy enough to not make the user think too much. Thus, the best solution is to use the system, which generates the associations, and people can recognize elements and so the page would seem logical.

I've often faced the problem, where the page tries to provide as much information as possible, but it is confusing and actually people get less information than they would get from the less informative page. Guess the Pareto principle meets us everywhere. The same principle works with search and filter systems, if there is too many opportunities and categories given to find information, it may actually complicate the search, or it just takes too much time.

There should be enough „air“ in the given information to make it more understandable. People do not read, they scan. Excessive words should be avoided, to make the page and the text clear and understandable.

Usually people don’t look for the best solution or the best answer to their question, they are looking for a satisfying solution and accept it. We just scan the pages, look for the information which is needed in the case and do not go deep into the page to understand everything. That is why all the information should be easily founded. The most important things should be founded most easily.

New aspect - geotaging
Nowadays e-learning is abandoning the geographical borders and distances. There is no problem to work or communicate in real time where ever you are. One new aspect that helps the global communication and learning activity is geotaging. For an example it helps you find the local-specific information and also identify where (geographically) the content came from. Geotaging saves time and provides more information than user would get without it. It helps to find partners and carries the information about virtual contacts geographical locations.

Summary
New facilitated hybrid places offers solutions for many unsolved questions but because it is still quite new and developing field there would be many changes in e-learning process that will make the process even more valuable.


References:

- Steve Hargadon blog: http://www.stevehargadon.com/2008/03/web-20-is-future-of-education.html

- Steve Krug „Don't Make Me Think”
review available: http://www.smileycat.com/miaow/archives/000175.php

IFI7101 Final Concept Map

This is my final concept map - the way I see New Media.

It was a real challenge to put all the necessary tags on the map like one system but I thing the outcome should fulfill it's purpose.

IFI7101 Social Interaction in New Media

This is my second concept map. I enjoyed doing it much more than the first one. I even find it somehow addictive :)

This map describes social interaction in new media and shows terms related to it.

How does a community serve as a “cultural interface” to mediate communication with computers?

This is a hard question, even purely grammatically ;)

However..

Communities connect and contain users who's characterizations are in some point overlapping and who have similar interests. Culture is one thing in our background, that influences the other parts of it. And our backround knowledge have an effect on everything we deal with. That’s why culture has a big part in forming communities and shaping their working mechanisms.

IFI7101 What is New Media?

This is my first concept map - ever. For me concept maps are more easy to follow and understand than plain text but like it turned out, their not that easy to draw up.

The most important thing that characterizes and defines new media is its ability to change and evolve all the time.

In new media, the medium is the message!


Its hard to define is new media a technology or a culture. These two are so connected in new media, that one without the other would not exist in this term.

As a minded and cultured human being I would like to say that the answer to this question is a culture, but I can't.

IFI7139 Week VII

Although our group is doing our team work about game design and I freely chose this topic, I’m not that familiar with this area. That’s way this week I learned pretty much about games and game design in general.

We had 2 Skype meetings where we made some decisions about our work.
• Week 1 - Games in general, history and main genres
• Week 2 - Roles
• Week 3 - Different game development tools
• Week 4 - Game design overview
• Week 5 - Group work on a game design document
• Week 6 - Presentations and evaluation

The only problem that still remains is the time, I really have to learn how to schedule my work properly.

IFI7139 Week VI

Important elements in an e-learning course

Beginning of the course, structure and working plan introduction- Everything depends on the start. If there are misunderstandings at the beginning then there would be no success.

Feedback- It is important ta make clear if there are some mistakes and give feedback during the entire course, then there’s a change to learn by doing.

Evaluation- Evaluation criteria should be clear and understandable and fair.

Communication- There should be a way to communicate as much as needed.

Structure- The course should be structured logically and be easy to follow.


This week I learned about the learning theories:
-Behavioral learning
-Cognitive learning
-Constructivist learning
-Social-constructivist learning

I have learned about these different theories in the past, but it was necessary to repeat them over. It was interesting to see all these different learning games and environments.

Our group work is moving on smoothly ;)

IFI7139 Week V

My learning contract is really full filling its purpose. I still have the same problems that I want to eliminate and same things I want to learn and its reminding me this all the time.

IFI7139 Week IV

First of all I have to say, that my experiences with e-learning can be considered as new, so maybe I think I do not have the whole picture yet. In the light of these courses which I have had, I would say that one good example is „Ethics and Law in New Media“. I really like the wikiversity environment, because it had everything we needed, but nothing overmuch and the Skype conversations worked well, were interesting and easy to follow. In ELNM we blogged every week (like in most of the e-courses it seems to be) and the blog environment was our choice. Clear and simple!

Not so good examples for me are the ENIM courses. The page is full of different opportunities,everything is mixed up, theres no one way hierarchy, dozens of forums and to many places to look for information, too many different information categorisation. Also I do not like when the course insist daily participation (even if there is nothing to do) and all you actions are being followed and minuses are coming for every undownloaded file (even if you got this five from some course mate). In sum not the knowledge and experience count, but right clicks on the right time and in the right oder.

Components of course design:
Identification-Firstly it is important to describe, what the course is about, its goals and what knowledge the course should provide.
Method- What methods and facilities are needed.
Structure-How do the course look like, what are the topics, tasks ect.
Choosing the materials-What kind of text, videos, clips, pictures ect. have to be presented (or gained).
Choosing the environment-In which environment the course will be held in. Which environment supports the course structure.
Feedback- How is the feedback arranged.
Evaluation-How to evaluate the participants. On what a final grade will be based on.

The most important thing I learned this week was that everything should be ready by the right time, otherwise some complication may arise ;)

But according to the reading materials I found out that there are several methods and models and it is ok not to agree with everything and combine the suitable one for yourself.

Our group worked very well this week. We are in contact regularly.

IFI7139 Week III

Planning the design of an e-learning course by Deborah C. Hurst and Janice Thomas the group should consider five principles:

1. The deadlines must be met. This project was important to all.
2. Whoever was best able to lead on a particular task would do so.
3. Each member would contribute 150% to this project, and endeavor not to let the other team members down.
4. Team members would raise a flag (let others know about tasks not likely to get done on time).
5. Team members would pitch in to complete work as needed.

This week the five recommendation for effective teamwork were the most useful for me:

• Work hard in the beginning to develop a trusting environment. Without it, nothing will work. Trust builds as relationships build in online teaming, and therefore must be present in online team development.
• Expect shifting of roles and leadership. Sometimes the teacher will be the taught and the leader must learn to follow.
• Employ as many forms of interaction as possible in the initial phases of the collaboration. If possible, face-to-face is probably the ideal way to kick off. However, most of us do not have this luxury, and there is growing evidence about and experience with online kick-offs, such as the learning module discussed above.
• Open communication is critical to any team endeavor. Determining how to encourage it in your particular online world is your most critical task.
• Employ good project management practices. Agree how you will work together. Plan the work. Assign responsibility. Monitor progress. Celebrate success.

I came to the conclusion that e-learning needs even more communication that the regular learning process. One reason is the distance and information holes are more easy to come and because there is no face to face relationship it is not so easy to make yourself fully understandable, understand others they way they want to, explain and re-explain yourself.

Also it is important to find suitable environment for a group work or course. There should be just enough facilities, but not too many. Also it would be good, if the environment is already familiar to all who have to work with it.

At the time this assignment should have been finished I had contacted with other team members and changed contacts.

IFI7139 My personal learning contract

My objectives:
I want to learn what e-learning is, how it works, what are it’s advantages and disadvantages and different opportunities. As this e-course is a bit different from usual university courses, the most important thing form me is to find out how can I make e-learning process the most efficient for me.

What resources will I need:
First of all I would need time. Then I need internet, people (group members). For my learning process I need Skype, Google Docs, a blog (there are many options). And I really need to force myself ;)

How will I do it:
To achieve my objectives I need to take part of the course constantly, I need to finish the tasks on time and take time to finish my tasks. Only like this the course is most efficient for me. Firstly I need to get acquaint with the course (which I have already done) and mark down all the actions I need to take (different tasks, deadlines, meetings). Then I just need to follow the facilitators instructions and work out suitable solutions for assignments.

Evaluation criteria:
Self-evaluation is a really duff thing to do. But I would try to mark down criteria:
1. I have to finish all the tasks on time.
2. I have to finish the task and submit it when it is really done (not because of the deadline).
3. I have to understand everything I have read and wrote.
4. Not to be on a autopilot but to find something new about myself also (according to learning process).

Self-reflection:
Will be done later..

IFI7139 Week II

The most important things I learned this week were Nordgren’s list of important themes that must be solved in educational institutions in order to provide the future learning environment:

• Students owning their learning
• Standards and curricula that guide rather than dictate
• Constructivist teaching strategies that empower students
• Trust and adult supervision
• Democracy and empowerment
• Global Workforce Competence: Making schooling relevant to the workplace.

These upper points and rest of the text made me think. E-learning as a process gives a lot of freedom but at the same time more duties and responsibilities. What happen if these criteria are not suitable for some leaner and there is no force coming inside. Is e-learning not suitable then at all? Or is there something to do, to make it work?

As I already mentioned, I think that e-learning needs more responsibility. Everything you say or do is out to see for everyone (usually) and you have to be more careful and stable in words and actions that are being taken.

But at the same time, this opportunity to see others working process gives ideas and knowledge not only according to the product ( team work outcome for an example) but also how to achieve the best results in process.

IFI7139 Week I

More and more are people using different e-learning environments, because it is cheaper, more operative and in some opinions-even better.

Most important thing in e-learning future is „leaner“. New environments, designs and facilities should support learning act and be leaner-centered. There is no one and only fixed and bulletproof solution for learning. Before starting the course, it is important to think which kind of result and learning activities would be best to consolidate new knowledge.

According to Hargadon, the key points for education in a Web 2.0 environment are „From consuming to producing:
From authority to transparency
From the expert to the facilitator
From the lecture to the hallway
From the „access to information“ to „access to people“
From „learning about“ to „learning to be“
From passive to passionate learning
From presentation to participation
From publication to conversation
From formal schooling to lifelong learning
From supply-push to demand-bull

I totally agree with previous points but also some questions arises.

-When there is no teacher-student relationship and „closed“ and one-way addressed knowledge any more, is not it a bit insecure according to data used.

And

-What about fair competition between people? When you have no „shelf“ to put your ideas on and everything is out to see for everyone all the time, does not it change the whole idea of competition?

IFI7139 Introduction about myself

I’m Anna and I am studying Interactive Media and Knowledge Environments at Tallinn University.

I had my bachelor degree in journalism and PR in Tartu.

I’m interested in media, arts, sports, politics and reading. I love interesting people and adventures.

I work in school and I play football in FC Fauna.
I am positive and active person and I have interests in various fields.
I worked in the radio for 2,5 years and my bachelor paper thesis was „Leaders expectations to radioprogram“.

I work as a volunteer in several organisations: in youth media club, were we teach how to do media for students, in Estonian Fund For Nature, were my area is oil pollution and I’m also part of organisation, which organises the biggest dance contest in Estonia .

And I’m also a supportive person for a 12-year-old boy

In short I like children, animals and nature ;)

My experience with online learning is related to my studies, first thing what came in mind are WebCT, Wikiversity, iCampus but there are more ;)