Got there !!

A fun day in London with the family.

Shaking Hands with Martin Bean OU VC, this guy has so much enthusiasm!!

Concept Map Elearning

There are a number of concepts and themes associated with elearning. When placing on a concept grid What pattern is formed? Were they evenly spaced or in a cluster? My analysis and perception led to a grid that created a cluster towards the new side implying elearning technologies. 

1.      To what extent should we think of elearning as a distinct discipline with a need for its own concepts and vocabulary?

Learning is learning I am sure in years to come the this will become more apparent but with the introduction of m-learning could we pose the same question in this direction. I think there are clearly new technologies and practices that have come about as a result of elearning which warrant their own distinct discipline and technical vocabulary the learning technologist for example has a role of introducing technology into the classroom; do they need to be teachers or technologist? Or dare I say both.

2.      Do you think the formal–informal divide is more or less evident in elearning than in more traditional forms of learning?

Yes although I feel the advent of elearning has generated a fresh look at how we indeed learn. The introduction of social learning via the web is not new, social learning has always gone on in the playground, down the pub blah blah but with social sites enabling participation from a wider audience and the ability to join like minded group social learning has become more predominant and accepted.

The speed of electronic assessment has made testing easier and perhaps more realistic in some cases. However the vast amount of information at our disposal has meant thet plagiarism is more of an issue now. I could go on the introduction of m-learning may well exasperate it even further.

3.      Did you find any of the concepts difficult to place on the grid provided? If so, why was this?

Work based learning has always been around; the apprentice that is guided on his tools to attain a skill or profession I wasn't sure where to put this I tried to detach this from elearning however if work based learning is not the traditional approach and indeed involves using a computer package to learn a skill then it would need to move to the right. 

4.      Can you think of two different axes for such a grid that might also help categorise elearning concepts?

Initial thoughts lead me to think perhaps splitting the skills required by a teacher as opposed to a technologist and then whether the activity was an individual effort or collaborative in the form of group work.

Professional learning, Not sure about these models?

Although a rather simplistic model Dealtry, R (2004) it is easy to see how learning can be classed in this way. Of the four boxes in Table 7.1. 'A four-dimensional learning domain framework for making learning choices', by classify learning in this way it is also possible to determine the likely hood of success, it could be considered more challenging for a student that puts himself in box D rather than box A. In terms of H808 this year I would put myself in 'C' in that I am performing an unfamiliar learning task in a familiar work situation which implies a moderate risk.

Table 7.1

However in terms of Table 2 'Types of practice in continuing professional development', Clegg et al., (2002) it is not as apparent what use this serves. In the context of H808 reflection is very much a part of the course content and indeed the course assessment. I would expect to be in D for the course, reflection being directed within the course, with some slight deviation into C due to time constraints and the need to prioritise effort. In terms of my profession I should be in B it is important to reflect on teaching practice but in reality time is again a significant factor, if you consider less formal reflection then it is quite easy to comply with B what often happens is that reflection takes place and action may well follow at a later date. Again I am not quite sure of the significance of the second diagram, but I am open to enlightenment.

Table 2

References
Clegg, S., Tan, J. and Saeidi, S. (2002) ‘Reflecting or acting? Reflective practice and continuing professional development in higher education’ (online), Reflective Practice, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 131–46. Available from:
http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14623940220129924 (accessed 19 August 2009).

Dealtry, R. (2004) ‘Professional practice: the savvy learner’ (online),Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 16, no. 1/2, pp. 101–109. Available from: http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13665620410521567 (accessed 9 October 2009).