Web 2.0 tools have revolutionized social interaction on the web, what about learning?

What are the implications of new technologies and eLearning 2.0 for teachers?

ELEARNING 2.0

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

TEACHERS TODAY

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

eLearning 2.0 Wiki for eTwinning Conference 2011

Context of my research

Researching online communities

• PhD/Doctoral Programme in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning: supervisor Dr Julie-Ann Sime

• Part-time distance learning, University of Lancaster, UK• Two years learning in an online cohort + two years thesis

• My research area: online learning communities (Holmes, 2010)– Influence on competence development ? – Influence of social aspects ?

• Blog: http://holmesbrian.blogspot.com/

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/centres/csalt/csalt/tel_docprog.htm

21ST CENTURY INFORMATION SOCIETY

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• Digital universe grew from 487 billion to 800 billion gigabytes (0,8 Zettabytes) in 2009

• In 2020 the digital universe will be 44 times as big as it was in 2009

• 70% of the information will be generated by individuals

What kind of challenges will this set for learning/teaching?

21ST CENTURY EKNOWLEDGE

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• Knowledge is constantly changing and being modified, socially constructed in collaborative networks and learning communities, under continuous scrutiny and critique, challenged, updated and developed in innovative and informal groups, contextualized culturally and socially.

• Knowledge is not owned by academics or teachers, but transparent and shared and inherently shifting.

What sort of skills do we need to cope with the growing amount of information and continuously changing knowledge?

KEY SKILLS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

21ST CENTURY KEY SKILLSINFORMATION • searching

• parsing• analyzing

• synthesizing• critical evaluation• presenting

COMMUNICATION • listening skills• oral skills (passing

information, conversation, socializing…)

• writing skills• ICT skills

• foreign language skills• understanding nonverbal

messages• understanding cultural

context

LEARNING TO LEARN • joining and creating networks

• sharing information• learning style

• cooperation and collaboration

• meta-cognition• attitude

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

How can we integrate practicing and learning these key skills in all different school subjects across the curriculum?

FRAMEWORK FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

Research background

Web 2.0 & social media in education

• Web 2.0 is not just a technology, it is a philosophy: participative, active, shared. Knowledge is dynamic, distributed, situated

• Learning is not the primary goal, but the outcome of participation• Progressive education tends towards this philosophy, but tensions remain

Comparison of buzzwords from social media and from ‘progressive’ education (Ryberg, 2010)

ELEARNING 1.0 VS. ELEARNING 2.0

eLearning 1.0 eLearning 2.0

• teacher-to-student • peer-to-peer

• teacher centered • student centered

• knowledge acquisition • knowledge construction

• end-product oriented • process oriented

• read-only content • student-generated content

• lectures • conversation

• individual • community

• learning software • collaboration

• content based learning• project, inquiry or problem

based learning

Research results

Web 2.0 can support (more) effective learning

“…bringing up new things, makes my students want to pay attention. and they really liked that a teacher of them knows some things that they dont!! now i know where to find sources to make my lessons more interesting, more fun, more colourful”

“Of course it has changed everything because we are not only using the textbook, which is so boring and difficult for them, but they are creating something new starting from what they learn at school”

“I feel good, when you see that their ideas come to life and that they have good ideas and they share their ideas with their mates”

Research results

And teachers also benefit from using web 2.0

“It helped me to know my pupils better ... It helped me to know my pupils and their abilities in computers.”

“I learned to use them in my classroom. I thought at the start that it would be difficult but when we start to make practice in this lab, I started to use them… I become more competent in deciding what I can use in my classroom.

“Now, I feel more confident and quite well prepared for working with web 2.0 tools in my everyday life and especially in my professional life.”

LEARNING PYRAMID

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMESSurvey results

Research results

Online collaboration and communities

Collaboration …involves discussion, practice and explaining to othersencourages reflection, critical thinking and meta-cognitionhelps relationships to grow and a group to become a community

A community …encourages mutual supportengenders trust, reciprocity and shared valuescan help with self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem

What role do you think teachers play in supporting online collaboration between pupils in a community?

PLANNING AN ELEARNING PROCESS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• Teacher's role is crucial in the planning phase:

• sets the pedagogical goals and integrates the process in the curriculum

• plans the procedures

• makes the schedule

• chooses and provides appropriate tools

• provides appropriate instructions

• When the process starts, the focus immediately shifts on the students.

Research results

Success depends a lot on the preparation

Results of my research suggest you should…• Prepare activities to encourage learning by

doing• Include time for reflection, the sharing of

stories and social contact• Be creative and make learning fun• Have clear learning objectives and

encourage shared expectations (agree netiquette: do’s and don’ts)

• Plan for collaboration with joint activities (group projects) and recognise it (assessment)

• Encourage mutual support (chat facility, café area, etc)

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• At the beginning the teachers' role is bigger in moderating the conversations and encouraging the students to take initiative.

• The teacher helps the students to find their web personality and their best learning style.

• The teacher encourages and supports, helps in crisis, but keeps distance.

• When the students face problems, they have the teacher to turn to for help.

• On the other hand, the students should be encouraged to first try to solve the problems themselves and help each other.

Research results

Moderator skills are important

Results of my research suggest you should…• Act as a role model, behaving the way you

would like your pupils to behave• Be ‘present’, but help your pupils to

become autonomous• Acknowledge good collaboration and

support those who are left alone• Encourage critical thinking through

messages that open up discussion, provoke reflection and encourage solutions

• Most of all, avoid the temptation to teach

TOWARDS THE END OF THE PROCESS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• Towards the end, the students should take responsibility of their own learning and of the process/project.

• The teacher lets the students take initiative. It's important that the students help and support each other. Teaching your peers is an essential part of collaborative learning.

• One of the most common mistakes is that the eModerator takes a central role in the conversations or imposes her/his own ideas too strongly.

• Instead, new and creative student-generated ideas and propositions are encouraged.

ELEARNING TIPS FOR TEACHERS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

• In learning, the process is much more important than the end product.

• Mistakes are an essential part of a learning process and often a very effective way to learn. They're nothing to be afraid of.

• When given a general goal, support and appropriate tools, students usually come up with amazingly creative solutions.

• Project learning is always as much learning to learn as learning the actual subject matter.

Research results

A few things to consider

• Social interaction helps pupils to get to know one another: it is the glue that binds a community

• A community is there to support learning and exists for as long as it is useful

• Balance preparation with flexibility; provide scaffolding, not a cage

• Think about how you will deal with pupils who don’t participate, fail to collaborate or behave badly

• Learn from your peers – there is now a lot of valuable experience in eTwinning

EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS

April 1st, 2011TIINA SARISALMI & BRIAN HOLMES

Possible methods• self-evaluation – reflection

• peer evaluation

• observation

• interview

• presentation

Evaluation criteria• taking part actively

• supporting peers

• creative solutions

• carrying out tasks and keeping to schedule

eLearning 2.0 Wiki for eTwinning Conference 2011

eLearning 2.0 in Google Docs

ReferencesHolmes, B. (2010) eTwinning Learning Events: Using Online Learning Communities for Teachers'

Continuous Professional Development Online Educa conference, Berlin (Online http://www.slideshare.net/holmebn/holmes-e-twinning-learning-events-5823952)

Ryberg, T. (2010) Social Media Practices and Assessment, Irreconcilable Differences or True Romance?, Online Educa conference, Berlin (Online http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/events/2010/documents/online_educa_berlin_2010/thomas_ryberg%20oeb%202010.pdf )

Brian.Holmes@skynet.be

http://holmesbrian.blogspot.com/

Thank you

tiina.sarisalmi@kolumbus.fi

This presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/holmebn/elearning-two-point-zero