When reading through reading materials one always meets unfamiliar words that can lead to confusion and reduced understanding. These words cannot be simplified through the use of a standard dictionary because they are distance education context specific.
3 questions about the text (unfamiliar words, confusing passages or ideas)
Question 1 Does Competency-based education (CBE) mean the absence of curriculum?
Blackburn, Porto and Thompson (2016) discuss competency as andragogy suitable approach to learning. They claim that CBE is applicable to the field of adult education. So I am confused as to whether using this approach would still require a curriculum. If so then what informs it. Is the curriculum from the vacuum or informed by the competencies of the previous learners. Linking CBE with digital badges is an idea that somehow might work for the developed world but not necessarily for the developing world where people need the usual accreditation proof like certificates, diplomas, etc. Question 2 How are learners’ preferences used to inform curriculum when the curriculum design circle is five years? Bray and McClasky (2014) contend that Personalized Learning allows learners to choose how they want to learn. This approach is said to be learner-centered. But I am wondering what would happen with the approach in a context where curriculum is designed 5 years before it reach the learner. I am not how the curriculum design circle works at other institutions so it would be nice to get a context-based explanation.
Question 3 How can mobile learning take physical space into account in facilitating learning at a distance? Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler (2013) postulate that ‘design should take account of both physical space and the networking capabilities of the new technologies’. This statement is confusing to me as I believe that mobile learning can take place anywhere. If mobile learning is so flexible then why should physical space be of concern.
2 predictions based on one of the resources (what will happen next)
Prediction 1: Social networks will play a more prominent role in the facilitation of teaching and learning
Dron and Anderson (2014) assert that more people are connected through social media. Here they do not only learn what the learning material provides for them instead they engage critically, share new resources and create new knowledge based on their contexts. These authors suggest that there should be interlinks between technological tools. This means that soon learners will be able to engage in their discussion forum through social media tools instead of having to log-in to different platforms.
Prediction 2: Research on the impact of Mobile learning in teaching and learning will soon increase Sharples (2013) laments on the paucity of ‘evidence base of comparative studies and large scale deployment’. He states that current research focuses on the reasons people should use to mobile learning to facilitate teaching and learning. The research also looks at factors leading to the success of mobile learning. I think there will be a rise in research because academics use mobile learning for formative and summative assessment, academic peer engagement and learner motivation.
One connection based on the resource (connect to something you know or have experienced)
The NMC Horizon Report (2016) has laid out various technologies that they will dominate higher education. As much as I agree with these technologies, I argue that it is pointless to introduce new technologies in a context where pedagogy is not foregrounded. I also argue that the presence of technologies does not mean automatic and uninformed adoption without considering learning objectives. The technologies shared in the Horizon Report can be adopted and used by different higher education institutions at different times depending on their learning objectives and technology integration plans.
References Blackburn, R., Porto, S. C., & Thompson, J. (2016). Competency-based education and the relationship to digital badges. In Lin Y. Muilenburg and Zane L. Berge (Eds.), Digital badges in education. Trends, issues, and cases (pp. 30-38). London: Taylor and Francis.
Bray, B., & McClasky, K. (June, 11, 2014). Personalize your learning environment. ISTE International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/ArticleDetail?articleid=11
Dron, J. & Anderson, T. (2014). Issues and challenges in educational uses of social software. In J. Dron & T. Anderson (Eds.), Teaching crowds: Learning and social media (pp. 275-298). Available online at http://klangable.com/uploads/books/99Z_Dron_Anderson-Teaching_Crowds.pdf
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., and Hall, C. (2016). NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Traxler, J. (2013). Designing for mobile and wireless learning. In H. Beetham and R. Sharpe (Eds.), Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age. Designing and delivering e-learning (pp. 180-192). London & New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. Available online at http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/30668884/file1.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1470068637&Signature=LEPe8d4vy4ovsEZQdx0lvm3%2B0Uk%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DDescribing_ICT-based_learning_designs_th.pdf
Sharples, M. (2013). Mobile learning: research, practice and challenges. Distance Education in China, 3(5) 5–11. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/37510/2/sharples.pdf