Online Learning: Hyper Linking Higher Education to the Future

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Online Learning Hyper Linking Higher Education
to the Future

• Ray Schroeder, Professor Emeritus
• Director, Technology-Enhanced Learning
• Margaret Maag EdD, RN
• Assistant Professor of Nursing

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Emerging Trends and Practices

• Noble and Worthy Mission
• Bringing learning to the disenfranchised
• Those who have not been served by traditional
  classroom settings
• Interesting (and exciting) times!
• New tools, new techniques, new theories!
• After centuries of sameness (since printing
  press) we now are confronted with a new context
  in higher education

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New Context

• Higher education is far different than just a
  decade ago -- We are no longer alone!
• University of Phoenix now 150,000 online
  students around the globe
• We are no longer a monopoly of private and public
  non-profit institutions
• For-profits and soon international alternatives
• Students have a choice competition is emerging
  in ways never before contemplated
• The student has been granted consumer power
• First trend DIGITAL NATIVES

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Breaking the Division

• Mark Prenskys Digital Natives, Digital
  Immigrants
• Our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an
  outdated language (that of the pre-digital age),
  are struggling to teach a population that speaks
  an entirely new language.
• Natives are used to the instantaneity of
  hypertext, downloaded music, phones in their
  pockets, a library on their laptops, beamed
  conversations and instant messaging. Theyve been
  networked most or all of their lives.

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Digital Natives

• So if Digital Immigrant educators really want to
  reach Digital Natives e.g. all their students
  they will have to change. Its high time for them
  to stop their grousing, and as the Nike motto of
  the Digital Native generation says, Just do it!
  They will succeed in the long run and their
  successes will come that much sooner if their
  administrators support them.
• Who are the Millennial Students?

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Millennial Students

• Millennials Rising The Next Great Generation,
  Neil Howe and William Strauss 7 descriptors
• Special
• Sheltered
• Confident
• Team-Oriented
• Achieving
• Pressured
• Conventional
• They expect Student Centered Learning

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Technologies and Techniques

• How do we connect with the digital natives the
  millennial students?
• Time-shifting technologies
• Encourage interaction - engage
• Facilitate individual communication
• Utilize their means of communication digital
• Meet them where they are on their turf

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Learning Theories

• Dr. Margaret Maag, University of San Francisco,
  School of Nursing
• Seton Hall University Graduate, BSN 1978
• Applying learning theories to online teaching and
  learning

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Personally, Im always ready to learn, although
I do not always like being taught. -Winston
Churchill
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Learning Theories

• Behaviorist, Cognitivist, Constructivist
• Mental Representations
• Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
• Connectivism

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Learning Theories

• Behaviorist
• Thorndike, Pavlov, Skinner
• Learning observable behavioral changes
• Cognitivist
• Craik, Tulving, Ausubel
• Learning motivation, thinking, memory,
  reflection
• Construcitivst
• Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner
• Learning observation, processing,
  interpretation

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Learning Theories

• Mental Representations
• Paivios Dual Coding Theory
• Verbal and nonverbal subsystems
• Words/pictures enhance cognitive coding
• Interactive imagery
• Research supports use of images text

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Learning Theories

• Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
• Mayer extends Paivios theory
• Pictures animation
• Text narration
• Computer-based multimedia presentations
• Prior knowledge influences integration of
  pictures and text in working memory

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Learning Theories

• Connectivism
• A learning theory for the digital age
• Personal knowledge is a network
• Personal to network to organization
• Know where to locate up-to-date knowledge

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Just Do It Right!

• Motivate learners
• Promote meaningful learning
• Encourage interaction collaboration
• Give timely constructive feedback
• Look at the whole person
• Learner and learning process at the center

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Sampling of New Technologies

• Innovative trends and practices
• Blogs
• Podcasting and Enhanced Podcasting
• Wikis
• RSS
• Gaming simulations

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Blogs

• WeB LOGS BLOGS
• Since 1997
• Reverse chronological order
• Quick and easy way to publish instantly and
  internationally
• Provision for responses
• http//iteslj.org/Techniques/Johnson-Blogs/
• http//grandtextauto.gatech.edu/2004/08/06/teachin
  g-with-blogs

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Blogs

• How are blogs used in education?
• Faculty members sharing info with students
• Online discussions
• Students in virtual study groups
• Students sharing creative writing with world
• Online journaling
• E-Portfolios
• Anonymous evaluations
• Incredible reach last 24 hours for OLU

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Podcasts

• iPOD broadCAST PODCAST
• Born out of blogs
• Audio blogging using MP3 or MP4 format
• Listened to online or through iTunes
  auto-downloaded to an iPod
• Dr. Margaret Maag USF
• http//feeds.feedburner.com/NursingEducation
• Dr. Burks Oakley University of Illinois
• http//burkso2.blogspot.com

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Podcasts

• Podcasts recorded outside the classroom
• Skype (Voice over Internet Protocol)
  computer-to-computer or telephone or via iTalk
  microphone
• SHU Podcast
• Ed-Cast An International Collaboration to Enhance
  Access and Knowledge via podcasts freely shared
  across institutions

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Vodcasts

• Video On Demand broadCAST VODCAST
• Video files commonly in blogs that can be played
  on a computer or a video iPod
• Some example sites
• http//www.vodcasts.tv/
• http//research.uchicago.edu/highlights/science/in
  dex.shtml

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Pod/Vodcasts

• How are Pod/Vodcasts used in education?
• Lecture delivery
• Those who miss class
• Review of lectures
• Slider-bar for review of concepts
• Voiced discussion boards
• Providing richer communication
• Student project delivery
• Enabling audio/video multimedia

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Wikis

• Wiki Hawaiian term for quick
• (e.g. wiki wiki buses)
• Online shared space for composition
• Normally, anyone with access can edit
• Wikipedia
• http//www.wikipedia.org/
• Wikispaces
• http//rayschroeder.wikispaces.com/
• http//rayschroeder.wikispaces.com/shu

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RSS

• Rich Site Summary / Really Simple Syndication
• Online XML files pointing to updates
• http//people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/blogge
  r_rss.xml
• Aggregators
• http//newsisfree.com
• Enables instant sharing of resources
• Blogs, Podcasts, Vodcasts, Wikis
• Dynamic pages
• http//people.uis.edu/rschr1/oluinfo.htm

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Gaming - Simulation

• Millennial learners are veterans at digital
  gaming and simulation
• More hours spent with x-box than prior
  generations spent with books
• Comfortable mode of learning
• http//www.merlot.org/search/ArtifactList.po?keywo
  rdsimulation

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Theory References

• Athabasca University. (2004). Foundations of
  Educational Theory for Online Learning. In T.
  Anderson, F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and
  Practice of Online Learning. (pp. 3-31).
  Available at http//cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/
  .
• Mayer, R. (2001). Multimedia learning.
• Cambridge, England University Press.
• Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations A
• dual coding approach. Oxford, England
• Oxford University Press.

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Theory References

• Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism A Learning
  Theory for the Digital Age. Available at
  http//www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.h
  tm.

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Technology Sources

• Educause has published a free E-Book on the
  topic Educating the Net Generation (July, 2005)
• http//www.educause.edu/EducatingtheNetGeneration/
  5989
• Online Learning Update more than 5,000 postings
  since 2001
• http//people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/blogge
  r.html

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Contact Information

• Ray Schroeder, Director
• Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning
• University of Illinois at Springfield
• schroeder.ray_at_uis.edu
• 217-206-7531
• ---
• Margaret Maag EdD, RN, Assistant Professor
• School of Nursing, University of San Francisco
• maag_at_usfca.edu
• 415-422-2017