Distance Learning - Anderson

Anderson, T. (2005) ‘Distance learning: social software’s killer ap?’, paper presented at Breaking Down Boundaries conference, Adelaide, 9–11 November 2005.

Anderson notes that there is an inherent challenge in matching individual learning with building learning community support. True learner freedom would mean that the learner controls the whole of their learning experience. Mostly when we talk about freedom focus on freedom of:

·         Time

·         Space

·         Pace

·         Media

·         Access

·         Content

Definitions of social software defy definitions as social tools are still evolving. However social software can enhance distance learning through:

·         Presence tools – like Facebook’s who’s online

·         Notification- RSS

·         Filtering – not letting spam through

·         Co-operative Learning support

·         Referring-monitoring students actions

·         Student modeling- capturing learner profile helps adapt

I stumbled across some examples of use by Anderson on this webpage with examples of collaborative activities using social software tools.

In the Theory and Practice of online Learning, edited by Anderson (2008) there are many articles and examples of practical ways of supporting and planning online learning.

Chapter 6 looks at how different technologies can be used in online learning. We covered many of these in block2, but it’s worth revisiting to remember their uses as we start thinking about designing our own activities.

Streaming audio – supplement f2f lectures, with prerecorded or guest speakers. Can also be used in music or language classes.

Streaming video – prepared lectures, practical demonstrations etc

Audio chat and voice over internet protocol – communication, language based learning

Web- Conferencing – emulate classroom sessions. Very good for brainstorming sessions.

Instant messaging – mostly good for immediate communication, rather than content delivery.

Peer to peer file sharing – making connections with learning objects, sharing knowledge

Blogs – networking opportunities, knowledge sharing, reflective.

RSS – sharing information in timely fashion, knowing when content updated (eg RSS to web forums)

Wikis – brainstorming activities, collaborative work, e-portfolios, FAQ

Virtual worlds – practice skills and try out ideas in safe environment.

Digital games – reinforce learning, keeping interest in a task

Back in February I attended a webinar by Jane Hart about using Social Media for training within business. Like Anderson, she believes that Social Media (SoMe) can be used to enhance training, as most learning takes place outside of formal settings, and the website is a community development to share discussions and tools on how to do this. Through SoMe one can find things, keep up to date, build networks, communicate, share resources, collaborate, and improve productivity. Certainly in my experience, we are always looking for free tools that allow us to collaborate in our projects, as volunteers can often be spread over huge geographical areas. There are a number of resources and case studies available on the website that highlight the role that social media could play in learning.

Mark Berthelemy, in his Learning Conversations blog, has ten tips for choosing and using social media. As I have mentioned before, most of what Mark talks about is getting to know the users- the learners. He also picks up on Salmon’s 5 staged model approach.