Designing New Learning Landscapes: The role of the learner, the teacher

and the systemGeorge Siemens

ABEL 2008Toronto, OntarioAugust 18, 2008

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration 4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration 4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

What kinds of questions were we asking 10 years ago?

Is technology effective in classrooms?

What’s the difference between F2F and online learning?

How do we teach/facilitate online learning?

Questions we are asking today

How do learners make sense in abundant, multi-perspective information climates?

Do we need to change our conception of “a course”?

How should we design learning in a networked world?

What are those kids up to??

ECAR, 2007 Undergraduate Students and IT

Preference for IT Use in Courses

ECAR, 2007 Undergraduate Students and IT

Most Valuable Benefit from IT in Courses

ECAR, 2007 Undergraduate Students and IT

Technology access…

Oxford Internet Institute: Internet in Britain 2007

Oxford Internet Institute: Internet in Britain 2007

Changing climate of learning and working

By 2015: 70+% of all new jobs will require PSE

Canadian Council for Learning, 2007

FT Enrolment: Universities

2000-2006: 30% increase2006-2016: 9-18% projected increase

AUCC, 2007

Signal Hill 2007 Post Secondary Fact Book

“Prototypical US industry in 10 years, if all goes well”

National Center on Education and the Economy: Tough Choices or Tough Times

Trends in Online Education

Over 2/3 of all HE institutions offer online learning

3.5 million students taking online course (in fall 2006)

20%+ percent annual growth rate since 2003

Online Nation (Allen & Seaman, 2007)

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration 4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

social, flexible, situated, contextual,active,doing

Increased focus on learner

Shift away from lecture-based

Limitless dimensions of learningCCL, 2008

An approach mismatched to need…

Complicated

To know the right answer

Complex

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

Content Creation

Communication

Collaboration

Has the design of our institutions matched the changes in our

interactions with information and with each other?

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration 4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

K-12 public schools are falling short in preparing students for the twin challenges of globalization and technological change

NY Times, Aug 2008

Tension points of education

Open/ClosedAmateur/Expert

Foster/CommandNetwork/Hierarchy

What are the change pressures?

LearnersParents

Higher educationSociety

CorporationsGlobalizationTechnology

Systems in change

Paul A. David

Technology as lever of transformation

DCSF, UK

The backlash

1. Cycles and Patterns of Change2. How We Approach Teaching3. Communication Technologies, Content

Creation, Collaboration 4. Systemic Change: Significant Pressure?5. Scenarios and Future Directions

What are the options?

BureaucracyRe-schoolingDe-schoolingMelt-down

OECD, Schooling for tomorrow

“Beyond Current Horizons aims to ensure that the UK education system has identified and prepared for a wide range of potential social, technological and cultural futures.”

• Thinwalls: http://thinwalls.edublogs.org/

What technology negates

Classrooms

Single-instructor model

Single-perspective content/idea filtering

Centralized curriculum

Network administrator

Curator

Atelier

Require a model that is

Adaptive

Scales (for content and interaction)

Reflective of all stakeholder needs

Redesign begins (partly) with the physical spaceOblinger, 2006

What do we understand about how technology is being used…for

learning?

Gaps in understanding

COHERE research

Changing face of education

What about assessing learning?

PeerDistributedMulti-perspective

Yes, but what type of model??

Development of educators

MOOC: Massive Open Online Course

Connectivism Online Coursewith Stephen Downes

http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/connectivism/

Websites and Newsletters

www.elearnspace.orgwww.knowingknowledge.com

www.connectivism.cahttp://ltc.umanitoba.ca/wordpress/

gsiemens AT elearnspace DOT org