Technology has begun to allow me to really push myself in my own learning, as well as my students in theirs. eLearning has allowed my students and I to connect in a variety of ways and answer some very difficult questions. Downes (2005) comments that learning has shifted from being a prepackaged set of modules to a large stream of information that the student then utilizes for their own devices. Questions that wouldn't really have been able to be asked or answered in a standard 60 minute class simply because of time constraints are possible by utilizing this self-constructed stream of information and learning. No longer do students have to finish everything by the end of class - they have a number of digital options available to collaborate with myself and group members. No longer do students have to memorize reams of facts in order to successfully answer a question - they have access to these facts and are now tasked with utilizing them. eLearning technology has caused my classroom to have the potential to exist at any time in a student's day. Finally, as Downes (2005) discusses, my students are no longer contained to simply themselves and their classmates - the entire world is open to them and they can receive feedback and comments from all corners.
I set my classes up in a blended model in an effort to take advantage of these communication and collaboration resources. I appreciate the ideas of Siemens (2004) and his connectivist theory of learning where the learner connects with others in an effort to create their own knowledge. Similar to the construction of knowledge this is an extension of constructivism which focuses on the external parties to the learner as well as the content itself. Because of this theory I ensure that my students connect with each other and myself on a very regular basis. While I only see them three hours a week I am in constant contact through my chosen LMS (Edmodo). This allows me to set a challenging question or problem and interact with students as they engage in answering it. I am able to guide them, and their fellow students are able to guide them, on their journey towards a solution.
My students take advantage of cellular technology and an "always available" internet connection on a regular basis. As Squire and Dickers (2012, p. 457) comment, a cellular device in a classroom can “...change learning practices, particularly in informal contexts through interest-driven learning.” I see this often in my classes when students are interested in a particular subject and they can look up a bit more information "on the fly". I'm certainly excited about the possibility of my students having access to the wide variety of information they need in order to solve the challenging problems I hope to be able to pose. I regularly tell them that they have the largest collection of human knowledge ever created in their hand and that they should utilize this!
All of this amazing teaching, however, is only possible if the social constructs and societal requirements placed on my students are aligned. I believe that eLearning is advancing well and providing me with the tools required to achieve some amazing things. I've seen a number of blog posts showing off the awesome work students all over the world are doing with technology and eLearning. In my experience, however, it takes a certain type of student that is willing to engage in this style of learning in order for it to be successful.
Challenging problems are becoming rarer for students - because of the constraints of the curriculum, the time frame and a large variety of extra curricular activities, deep, challenging, thought provoking questions are being utilized less and less in the classrooms I have observed. Thus, as students reach a room where challenge is seen as an opportunity and engagement is expected outside of the regularly scheduled math block, it they can become daunted and defensive of the request. Thus, in addition to posing useful and important questions to students I am also faced with the task of engaging them in this style of learning. I attempt to utilize a number of tools that eLearning provides such as video, images, external resources and an "always on" discussion area, however, it's up to the students to take advantage of these tools.
While this complaint has been heard for as long as there has been teachers, I am excited about the possibilities that eLearning provides. The tools are being generated, the structures are being put in place with changing curriculum, now all it will take is a group of motivated teachers and students (myself one of them!) who is ready to take on yet another entertaining challenge.
References
Downes, S. (2005, October). E-learning 2.0. eLearn Magazine: Education and Technology in Perspective, Retrieved from http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=1104968 (accessed March 2014)
Siemens, G. (2004). A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved March 4, 2014 from http:/www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Squire, K. & Dikkers, S. (2012). Amplifications of learning: Use of mobile media devices among youth.Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 18 (4), 445-464. Retrieved from: http://con.sagepub.com/content/18/4/445.abstract [Accessed: 4 March 2014].