Blogical Discussion – Learning 2.0 – Dealing With The Loss Of Traditional Authority
Online learning is the best thing since the Graphite Shaft Driver. A much better adaptation than correspondence courses, online learning enables the learners to take the information and construct their learning. The collaborative efforts resulting from discussion forums, wiki’s, and blogs help the students to create a learning network. The benefits are enormous. Why then, do I have a twinge of insecurity about the process?
As I was paging through multiple blogs in search of the perfect discussion topic I came upon a treasure. Jeff Cobb writes a blog called Mission To Learn . Listed on his sidebar is a free e-book that he has written called “Learning 2.0“.
Learning 2.0 is a 100 page quick-read document that clearly describes the paradigm shift that is taking place within the Web 2.0 friendly classroom. The traditional classroom setting was teacher centric. The teacher was the expert with all of the knowledge and the student was the passive recipient. There was always some sort of institution behind the teacher providing additional authority. In the new paradigm, the expert model completely breaks down. The geographical constraints are removed and culture becomes learner-centric. Collaboration is used to make connections. Jeff Cobb writes “One of the key characteristics of the Learning 2.0 environment is the ease and speed with which these connections can be formed. And, as they form, one of the effects is that the teacher’s role as authoritative, dominant conduit of knowledge weakens. Learners themselves begin to drive many—and, in some cases, all—aspects of the learning experience, including the creation, co-creation, and sharing of key knowledge. Everyone is a learner, but everyone also has the potential to be a teacher.”.
How will teachers choose to deal with the paradigm shift? Will the insecurities caused by the loss of authority become fuel for a shift in roles?
The ultimate job of a teacher is to raise the students up to a level that they could not get alone.
on April 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm
The ideas brought up in this post are all right on the mark. We are definitely in a major shift when it comes to how we visualize learning. For some this shift just seems natural and for others it is a terrifying prospect. As Joan stated in one of her earlier posts where you find yourself in this dilemma may be determined by your “status” in the digital world. The reality of today’s classroom is that most of the natives sit in the small desks and the immigrants tend to be the tallest person in the room. I still recall standing in the Apple store trying to figure out the iPhone menus standing next to my 8 year old son who was wiping through the menus, taking pictures and making calls. It is crucial for those of us who have been successful immigrants to support, mentor, and teach the hesitant immigrants among us.
So while many teachers may feel this loss of authority, they are also feeling insecurities about being the person in the classroom who is struggling the most with the changes brought about by the digital revolution. The video Paying Attention brings up some of these struggles.
on April 2nd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Hi Lisa,
I admit that I am a recovering teacher! : ) I have much to learn and I am rather quickly being introduced to the wide range of possibilities that online learning can provide for my students and me! I think the idea of students constructing their own meaning of knowledge is fine – to a point. We must be vigilant to that which is off base, down right wrong, or misleading. We certainly must make sure we direct our students to the right information and that they don’t go off on a tangient, right?
Here’s a question for you: Do you use the word “entrophy” from the standpoint of cosmology, or chaos theory? : )
Sue
on April 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I think there will be difficulties in embracing the shift to a student centric model because of the reasons mentioned by Sue and Chris (insecurities and giving too much control to students). I also think that even the most technologically savvy teacher is going to be challenged to meet the standards and allow student centered projects. From what I have recently experienced, teachers have less and less control over what is taught and how it is taught. Generally speaking, the curriculum is demanding and teachers feel that they must rush through topics to make sure they fit everything in before “the tests”. Teachers have to be creative and invest time to make sure their lessons meet the standards, use technology, and do so in a reasonable amount of time. If decisions were left up to teachers, I think the shift might be easier. It just doesn’t seem to me that our educational system right now lends itself to a lot of student driven learning.
on April 3rd, 2008 at 6:07 am
Thanks for the link to Mission to Learn. I downloaded his ebook and am looking it over.
Cobb points out in his post dated March 26th You Want Me to Pay for Learning?! what he sees as legitimate purposes for out-of-pocket education. When comparing his list to middle and high school teacher roles, there are really a couple of roles I can legitimately play on this new playing field. Using Cobb’s terminology I can identify these roles as follows.
The Facilitator guides the learning experience by doing things like posting new and relevant materials periodically, leading and participating in discussions, and answering questions. This describes a lot of what I am presently doing with technology in my class.
The Curator is someone who has made the effort to bring together otherwise fragmented and dispersed learning materials into a coherent form more than simple aggregation. The curator does so with an eye towards ensuring quality, consistency, relevance, and usability. This indicates a significant shift, in my mind, from the facilitator; and may be the evolving role of the educator who uses Web 2.0 in the middle and high school setting.
I believe there will always be a role for the professional educator in the development of our young people. This does not mean the role of the educator is unchanging. Lisa, you raise a terrific question in asking what that role will be.
on April 4th, 2008 at 8:10 am
It is amazing how we seem to have the same concerns and issues in both countries!
I have downloaded the file and will read it at another time but it looks quite good. Perhaps it too should be a class text?
This paradigm shift is coming faster then many of us think. But what is exciting to me is that it is further down the “evolutionary” road to the “sage on the side” rather then the “sage on the stage”. Who would not want that? If our students are empowered to further their own learning through the “teaching” of web 2.0 then they are also learning critical thinking skills and higher level learning. In this world of the 2 second sound bite that our young students have grown up on, then having them motivate themselves to learn through technology is a win-win situation for everyone.
on April 4th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I feel that this paradigm shift will be dealt with on an individual basis. Some teachers will embrace this shift and others won’t. Some won’t ever accept the shift, simply for the mere reason that they don’t except change. Change is inevitable, sometimes for the worse often times for the better.
The concept of teacher as the authority kind of bothers me. When I think of authority, I don’t automatically associate the term with teacher. Authority for me conjures up terms like gate keeper, obedience, judge, and enforce. I see a teacher as more of a facilitator or guide making the shift in roles a natural progression in a Learning 2.0 environment. The ending sentence says it all –
“The ultimate job of a teacher is to raise the students up to a level that they could not get alone.”
on April 4th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Thanks so much for the mention of the Learning 2.0 eBook here – and for the great discussion your post prompted. I agree that “It just doesn’t seem to me that our educational system right now lends itself to a lot of student driven learning.” It will interesting to see how things evolve in the next few years. There is, of course, pretty much no way to prevent student-driven learning whether the system is ready for it or not. One of the key factors that tends to make change happen (for better or worse) is a crisis in the existing existing environment. I think we may move from “insecurity” to crisis at some point in the not too distant future. (The “takeover” of the session with Marc Zuckerburg at the recent South By Southwest conference, for instance, feels a bit like a warning shot for all who would presume to assert invalid, unwanted, or inept control.) –Jeff
on April 4th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
When talking about students and learning, it strikes me that online learning is far ahead of traditional classroom learning. With an online class, students are already poised at their keyboards, the world literally at their fingertips. With just a little encouragement, students are ready to leap out into the world at large, researching, linking, learning, in short, using web 2.0 tools. As the best classes evolve, course designers will make courses more student-driven. Teachers will pose questions, students will deliver the information in the form of learning. Students will be teaching each other, guiding other students toward vital information and discussion on the topic at hand.
“Regular” classrooms will lag behind. Teachers will remain the “sage on the stage” until all students have access to their laptops during class. At that time, engagement will be complete. Students will spend their class time doing research, rather than passively listening to the teacher.
on April 4th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Great post Lisa!
My concern with Web 2.0 is the motivation level of the students. I feel like the students must be able to independently and intrinsically want to learn and pursue information. I think Web 2.0 gives great opportunities for students who are already interested in the subject matter. Basically, if a student is a “good” student, the method of learning/teaching is not at critical (they will learn regardless) as for students that need guidance.
I think at a high school level and below, it is important to have a teacher as the central person to go to. I don’t think Web 2.0 is going to have a change in the way students learn. Students always learn better if they have personal connections and connections between prior knowledge and new knowledge. This is not going to change with accessibility of the Web. I think we need to remember that Web 2.0 is another tool we can use in education but it is not the only one.
on April 6th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
This shift will be difficult for many in the regular classroom without training and models to follow. I think many teachers are comfortable with the roles of sage on the stage. Yet we all know of teachers who have already been practicing the facilitator role and doing a great job of it. We know that it promotes critical thinking and encourages students to take charge of their own learning. This leads to a desire for life long learning which we know is necessary in this rapidly changing world. We who have been teaching for many years have seen a change in the type of students that we work with which is requiring a shift in the type of teaching that we use.
on April 6th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I’m thinking about your question, “Will the insecurities caused by the loss of authority become fuel for a shift in roles?” What do you mean by insecurities? Whose insecurities, the teacher, the student, the parent? I don’t think this is a loss of authority, rather it’s a change. It’s still a teacher-centric classroom, even with all of the social networking tools. Teachers are still keeping the class focused on topics and are moderating discussion tools. Learners don’t drive (to quote Cobb), they may enhance the learning experience. It’s up to the instructor to be on top of his or her game. Insecurity can only come with not being ready or at ease with your students’ knowledge base. As a teacher, use your students’ abilities to help in the process of learning. As we have all learned from our experiences with students and from our experience in this class, students love sharing. This is what we should use to strengthen our classroom.
When I looked at Jeff Cobb’s information about the 60 second lectures, all I could think of was Sesame Street. Many years ago, I told my colleagues that Sesame Street had forever changed education into quick, short sound-bytes and teachers would have to change their techniques to accommodate this new learning style. I call this the Sesame Street ADD lesson. And this is how the University of Pennsylvania’s 60 Second Lecture series has evolved to meet the needs of their students.
I think we have been shifting all the time as teaching and learning is a process.