By Stephen Downes
February 20, 2004
Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg: Technology
Plumbs the Affective Learning Domain
The
affective learning domain has always been, in my opinion,
not only the murkiest but also the most controversial part
of Bloom's taxonomy. The list presented in this article
does little to quell my suspicions: what is "workforce
alignment", for example? And when "national security"
becomes an aspect of learning, how is that different from
propaganda? And when "affective-based personality
assessments are being used routinely in pre-candidate
screening," it seems to me that this means something more
than "the right personality for the right job." Affective
learning is, in the wrong hands, little more than
indoctrination - and yet, and yet, we don't want people to
leave learning with no social, cultural or ethical bearing.
I think that the author's point, that new technologies are
making affective learning possible, is well established.
This is a good thing. But as with most good things, it is
very much a double edged sword, and the author should be
aware that not everybody wants some of the things described
in this article, and when online learning, personality
testing and military intelligence gathering appear in the
same article, the time has come to sound a very clear and
distinct warning about the manner in which this new
technology is being applied. By Sam S. Adkins, Learning
Circuits, February, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Drum Sessions Protect Employees from
Burnout
I don't know whether Yamaha sells drums,
but it does sell musical instruments, and so I would be
sceptical about the study cited in this paper. But that
does not take away from the inherent value in even
considering the idea of drum sessions in the workplace.
People who ignore their cultural origins live without a
soul. By Alison McCook, Yahoo News, February 19, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Constructivism, Education, Science, and
Technology
The fall issue of the Canadian
Journal of Learning and Technology is now online. This issue represents a
significant advance, providing some of the better links
between online learning and educational theory seen in
recent years. The theme of this issue, "Constructivism and
Online Learning," offers a wealth of opportunity for
enquiry, and the authors do not disappoint. I include four
papers from this issue in today's OLDaily, starting with
this overview paper, a detailed taxonomy of different
schools of constructivism - of course, in the spirit, this
paper would have been better presented graphically, or even
as one of those online quizzes, "What kind of a
constructivist are you?" By Moses A. Boudourides, Canadian
Journal of Learning and Technology, Fall, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Self-Regulated Inquiry with Networked
Resources
Approaching learning from the point of
view of there being "extremely accessible networked
resources," the authors examine "questions about how
existing designs for learning activities should be revised,
extended or supported with different tools." This paper
sets out a "a Resource Inquiry model consisting of five
stages: (1) Set resource inquiry goals, (2) Plan for
resource study, (3) Search and select resources, (4) Study
and assess new knowledge, and (5) Critique and recommend
resources." This approach, a self-regulated learning model,
is set in the context of problem based learning,
collaborative problem solving, and project based learning.
The paper also lists a short set of tools for resource
inquiry learning: a goal setting tool, resource
repositories, study tools, resource evaluation tools, and
recommendation tools. By John C. Nesbit and Philip H. Winne
, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, Fall, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Bridging Theory and Practice: Developing
Guidelines to Facilitate the Design of Computer-based
Learning Environments
OK, first, nobody should
ever be allowed to use the phrase 'Bridging Theory and
Practice' in a title again. It has been done, done to
death, and adds nothing to the title. That said, let me say
that the first three words of this paper were the works;
what follows is the development of a modest set of three
principles of online instructional design. What they lack
in number they certainly make up for in worthiness: create
environments that include social negotiation and cognitive
responsibility; provide authentic experiences and contexts;
and allow for the development of pervasive knowledge. By
Lisa D. Young, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology,
Fall, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Social Capital in Virtual Learning
Communities and Distributed Communities of
Practice
This is a high quality paper that takes
the concept of social capital, described in lavish detail
in the first part of the paper, and applies it to online
learning. An immediate benefit of this is approach is the
drawing of a set of distinctions between virtual learning
communities and distributed communities of practice. The
authors also draw on the constructivist idea of knowledge
(as a relation between the knower and that which is known)
to diagram a process of learning in online communities.
There are many subthreads in this article: the role of
trust in social capital, negative impacts of social
capital, interaction, and cohesion. Don't miss this one.
By Ben Daniel, Richard A. Schwier and Gordon McCalla,
Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, Fall, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Six Steps to Better Interviews and Simplified
Task Analysis
Part of developing an enterprise
learning solution is determining what knowledge is needed
to perform each task in a specific job. Finding out just
what a task entails can be tricky. The gist of this article
is to suggest that cookie-cutter approaches won't work
here; eschew the standard questionaire, take your time, try
to understand the purpose (if any) of the task, and don't
settle for vague descriptions. I think this article is
better for prospective clients wondering what to expect (or
to demand) than for designers, because designers should
already know all this. By Indi Young, Adaptive Path,
February 16, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Open Access Threat to Reed's Publishing
Empire
There has been a certain amount of buzz
surrounding the release of Reed Elsevier's profit figures for 2003, as the publisher
of academic journals has managed to set new earnings records despite, as it says,
"difficult market conditions." FOS News links to slides and a webcast and notes, "see slide 32 for the
vices of open access and slide 33 for the virtues of
Elsevier." The Guardian coverage is a bit light, but
suggests that the halcyon days may be over for the
publisher; "storm clouds are gathering on the horizon," it
writes. The story has caused Reed Elsevier to respond, saying "Open access has the
opposite impact. It reduces accessibility to global
content, as of today, it has 1% market share." By Richard
Wray, The Guardian, February 19, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Nonprofit Groups to Consider New 'Code of
Ethics'
In this era when the ethics of our
political and corporate leaders are, at best, questionable,
it seems odd to read that non-profits ought to "be held to
the same standard." Obviously the managers of non-profits,
including universities, ought to behave in an ethical
manner, but we should aim for a higher standard. That said,
the author's proposals, including "Transparency, openness,
and responsiveness to public concerns," are sound, and
recommended for more than just the non-profit sector. There
is an ephasis on fiscal responsibility in this article, and
without discounting this, I would like to say that one's
ethical behaviour does not begin and end with their
treatment of money. This item and the next via ArtsJournal. By Leonard Jacobs,
Backstage.Com, February 19, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Before Teaching Ethics, Stop Kidding
Yourself
The point of this article is to
encourage would-be teachers of ethics to be honest about
including their own self interest in assessments of what we
would do in various circumstances where our test of ethics
is tested. It is hard not to read this item as an attempt
to elevate self interest as a moral principle, but I don't
think this is the author's intent (even if it is an
outcome). Recognizing one's self interest is essential, of
course, as self sacrifice is not in and of itself a moral
virtue. But neither is self interest an over-riding moral
virtue, and though in today's age it provides the ultimate
justification for most people's actions, there are good
reasons why this should not be the case. The author's
conclusion, that the moral calculus is more complex than
would-be ethics teachers imagine, is, I think, correct,
though I think I would have taken a different route to get
there. By Gordon Marino, Chronicle of Higher Education,
February 20, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
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