Month: October 2005

It is not easy to criticize wikipedia. What could be wrong with experts creating free online content and filling in the blanks when another expert forgets to include something or gets a fact wrong? The process sounds great, but is it real and who is involved?

See an analysis of quality issues (The Register). Wikipedia is interesting and worth exploring, but under the present model it should not be regarded as definitive or a model of quality communication. Perhaps traditional advice for evaluating Internet sources should be applied – e.g., who is the author, is the author an expert, does this treatment match positions/data provided elsewhere?

See related arguments offered by Richard MacManus.

I came across this CNet article on educational blogs because another blogger was excited to see this topic covered. What struck me about the excitement expressed by the blogger linking to the CNet site was that the comments to the main article were ignored. The comments dismissed blogs as an unproven classroom activity promoted by those focused on being recognized as innovators rather than on improving student performance. So, I encourage you to read this article and learn how some educators are integrating blogs, but also read the comments and recognize why some educators object.

I can’t help thinking the answer is somewhere in between. It is true that there is little evidence that student blogs promote learning. I do not doubt that in the proper situations blogging might be quite useful, but I am not certain these circumstances have been well defined. If blogs encourage students to think about what they read and hear, this has to be a good thing. However, what students write about and whether what they have to say seems reasonable are critical. Shallow and faulty comments are no better than thoughtless memorization.

Concerns that the educational enterprise is failing to maintain the nation’s economic superiority are simplistic. International changes resulting in economic shifts involve many factors. Some of these factors simply concern basic financial realities such as costs and salaries. The solution may not be to do more of the same. The economy needs at least a few individuals with the motivation and the creativity to think on a higher plane. Sure, basic skills are necessary for advanced problem-solving and creativity. However, if early experiences with the basics are dull, overly repetitous, and disconnected from personal experience, the number of young learners willing to push through will also be limited. A focus on “the basics” and educational rigor are not necessarily the same things.

UND has an annual psychology conference – Northern Lights. The regional conference mostly allows undergraduates and graduate students to present their work.

One unique feature of the conference has been the ability to attract some of the most prominent names in psychology. This year’s keynote was provided by Dr. Albert Bandura. According to the introduction, Dr. Bandura is perhaps the most well-known psychologist behind Frued, Skinner, and Piaget.

Anyone who has taken Introductory Psychology probably remembers the modeling study involving the Bobo doll. Young learners become more aggressive after witnessing an adult act agressively toward a bobo doll. While not as widely recognized, Bandura has also made significant contributions in understanding the importance of self-efficacy.

Now, as an 80 year old patriarch. Bandura is applying the concepts of modeling and self-efficacy to some of the big problems of the world. Bandura is involved in the use of “serial dramas” to promote positive behaviors (literacy, family planning, aids awareness, gender equity) in impoverished countries. Serial dramas are radio or television programs somewhat like “soap operas”, but focused on more socially conscious themes. These programs include certain common features:

• models involved in negative and positive behaviors
• vicarious motivation – characters experience consequences for their actions
• attentional involvement – emotion, interest – that help viewers/listeners identify with the characters in the programs
• environmental support – contact information, epilogues following shows provide opportunities for action

Google translation of article describing Taru – a program in India
Radio programs in Mexico

These examples offer a very different model of the educational use of technology. I wonder if a similar approach would work in the U.S. Probably not – there are too many messages and such programs would likely attract a much smaller proportion of the audience. Maybe students should do their own programs. They would learn from creating the content and from the content produced by peers.

This is the last post associated with last weekend’s Beyond Boundaries conference. It took me a little while to get to this.

I try to attend sessions or read materials on copyright whenever I can. I tend to interpret copyright standards conservatively and I wanted to hear someone defend a more liberal perspective. A couple of J.D.s presented so I took note.

One thing I have noticed is that everyone wants to characterize what he/she has to say as “information” and not legal advice. This session was no different.

The information presented in this Powerpoint is intended only as a general introduction to this topic and does not constitute legal advice.

I am never sure what that means. Is it –

I am not going to claim this as legal advice unless you are my client.

Everyone has an opinion – this is mine.

No one knows for sure until we go to court.

The J.D.s reviewed the position of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univerities system. You may find the resource of value.

The TEACH act is of particular interest to me. This act is an effort to provide distance educators the same Fair Use opportunities as classroom instructors. One of the problems with legal wording for me is that it is imprecise. One such phrase associated with the TEACH act is “systematic mediated instructional activity.” While the intent of the TEACH act is laudible, my interpretation has been that the law does not help distance educators much because distance education often functions in a different way than face to face classroom instruction. Classroom instruction is typically synchronous and distance education is often asynchronous. In other words, resources in distance education are often made available and used by students at multiple points in time. Many approaches to distance education do not involve the instructor and all students being online at the same time. So, I have wondered, would it be allowable to create web pages with embedded fair use content for review by students at different points in time? Would this be considered mediated instruction?

It appears the answer is no.

Put simply, educators may not electronically deliver works for student viewing outside of regular classroom time

.

At least I think this means “no.” What does “regular classroom time” mean in distance education?

“An i-School has to be focused on more than some aspect of technology or computer science,” von Dran said. “It has to look at the intersection between technology and people, because it’s all about the focus on information for people.”

eSchool News offers an article on I-Schools for I-Society (information society). These doctoral level programs address issues of how information is generated, stored and used and the impact of changes in these processes on society.

The article did not offer much on information and information delivery in relationship to the education enterprise, but I would assume the process of education would be interesting to study within the perspective these programs are taking.

The Digital Story is a blog (with podcasts) dedicated to those wanting to improve their digital photography. The site is new, but the author claims he will explore a wide variety of techniques for capturing digital images. The site contains several options for adding the site to your RSS feeds.

Yahoo now has a podcast portal. The site does not offer a “main category” for educators, but the search function (series or episodes) generated plenty of hits.

The “in thing” is to use your iPod to listen to podcasts. The iTunes music store and access through iTunes on the desktop provides a convenient way to get the audio into your iPod. I must admit I don’t use my iPod in this way. Mine sits on my desk except for the “road trip” I have the opportunity to make now and then. Grand Forks is not the kind of city that requires the use of an iPod during the daily commute to work. I listen to podcasts from one of my desktop computers.

As portals compete for attention, I would suggest the advantage will go to the portal providing the best search features. iTunes has a different advantage in the integration with music content and access through the iTunes software, but in the long run may not offer the best search capabilities. We will have to see how capabilities develop around content.