Extending the Conversation, Sakai TWSIA 2010

Extending the Conversation
Joshua A. Danish
Assistant Professor
Indiana University
June 16, 2010
Using Sakai to Promote Ongoing Reflection and Communication Between and Around Class Sessions

Sneak Peek
Extending the Conversation, Joshua Danish
(#IUp574)
www.joshuadanish.com

Forget the technology (for the moment) and focus on activity.
Tools
Subject (Student)
Object
Outcome
Division of Labor
Rules
Community
- Adapted from Engestrom, 1987. See also Cole, 1996 for a more in-depth discussion of activity theory

Computational Technologies in Educational Ecosystems
Graduate Level Survey
Different Approaches to Using Technology in Education
Variety of Student Backgrounds (MA and PhD)
Learning Sciences, Science Education, Human Computer Interaction
Range of technical abilities, interests, and knowledge

Course Objectives
Provide students with broad exposure to technologies used in education
Provide students with a survey of the theoretical approaches to incorporating technology in education
Help students develop personally meaningful models of how technology can be implemented in educational contexts of relevance to them

Able to engage in critical, grounded discourses about the role of a range of technologies in educational contexts of interest to them
To develop a “model” of how technology fits in education
(Lesh, 2003)
Modeling
Personal
Peer-reviewed
Iteratively refined
Discuss readings before class
Critical, rich, grounded discussions
Answer real-world, messy questions
Activity
Existing
Desired
Course
Twitter
Blogging
Oncourse
Discussions from experience
Reading for the “obvious” connections
Minimal discussion outside of class

Modeling cycles across class sessions
3: Post reflection on model and readings
4: Respond to peers
2: Update Model
1: Course readings
5: Instructor feedback
7: Groundwork for next week
6: Classroom activities, discussions, etc.

Oncourseas a hub for all models and update information
Oncourseblogs and wikis
4: Respond to peers
2: Update Model
1: Course readings
Personal blogs that support comments

4: Respond to peers
2: Update Model
1: Course readings

Models prompting dialogue: a tongue-in-cheek example
S1: Then I made this new model last week. It is somewhat tongue-in-cheek […] This model is the opposite of the Computer Clubhouse*.
S2: […] I'm not sure about the EXTENT to which you intend it as satire. Are you embracing the Computer Clubhouse model (in which tools are made accessible but are not forced into students' hands)? […] I read an interesting post this morning over at Technollama
* In response to selections from Kafai, Y., Peppler, K., & Chapman, R. (2009). The computer clubhouse: Constructivism and creativity in youth communities.

Models prompting dialogue: a tongue-in-cheek example
S1: The EXTENT of satire is that the difference between the iPad and the Computer Clubhouse is, as I understand it, the Computer Clubhouse is a center for students to gather specifically with the intent to create…
Joshua (in class, paraphrased): There was a lot of discussion over the week about the Computer Clubhouse’s culture of creation… How does this differ from the other models we read this week? What did you all like about it?

Develop a collaborative dictionary of big ideas, authors, and technologies
Post 5-10 messages
Post 5-10 edits, comments, or updates
Produce a useful persistent artifact
Wiki-Dictionary

Wiki-Dictionary: A range of goals
Mine:
Closer reading
Identification of key terms
Debate about meanings and import
Evidence of what the students are noting
Students’*:
Understand some key terms
Share the ideas they were most interested in
Satisfy the requirements
Less interesting than models and other work
≈
* Inferred from course comments and engagement

Tweeting to extend course-related conversations
Optional “experiment” reflecting upon course topics
Forum (using hashtags) for discussing course content
And course-relevant content
Hosted within Oncourse for range of entry points
Powerful feedback loop, but use cautiously!

The #IUp574 hash-tag and possible snow-ball effect

The #IUp574 hash-tag and possible snow-ball effect
Join us to see what’s next!
http://twitter.com/#search?q=IUp574

The Consulting Project: Cross-Class, Messy Conversations
p574: Technology in Education
How does learning theory help me design educational technology?
540: Online Learning Theory Course
How can I leverage technology in my teaching?

The Cross-Class Consulting Project
Success!
Students mostly found it challenging, authentic, enjoyable
Small number of instructor questions also read as authentic
Answers were rich, detailed, and synthesized across readings
Students pushed beyond their “gut” responses
Students consistently exceeded the requirements
Next time
More time to get to know the other class / refine questions
Address perceived expertise

The Cross-Class Consulting Project
In one student’s words:
“A project like this has forced (in a positive way) me to think critically on the readings, and how they apply in practice. […] In the past I really only revisit articles in writing a paper. In that respect it gives me a chance to pick and choose how I shape an argument. With a project like this I have to examine the needs of another and find the fitting theory. Here's a bonus, I really enjoyed it.”

6/15/10
Summary of Course Activities

Integrating Activities
Online activities should flow into and out of in-class activities
Thinking about the Activity System extends to arranging Oncourse to support students’ activities
Oncourse as a hub that brings everything together
Representations that relate information
Deep linking to ease navigation

Arranging Oncourse to Support Activity
June 15, 2010

June 15, 2010
Course outline, arranged by Unit with direct links to
readings,
group lists,
Assignment submission,
and other course information.

June 15, 2010
Links to other course related technologies and information.

June 15, 2010
Access to an extended community within a secondOncoursesite (the Cross-Class Hub).

June 15, 2010
Most common destinations all present in navigation

June 15, 2010
Automatic highlight of current week

Implementing Technology / Activity Innovations
Evolution v. Revolution
Adding “innovations” incrementally
Choice in tools, public exposure
Requiring v. Promoting participation
The Dictionary v. the Models / Cross-Class hub

Acknowledgements
Indiana University School of Education Initiative to Enhance Distance Education
Dan Hickey and Kylie Peppler
Noel Enyedy & William Sandoval for their help in developing a prior iteration of reading list
Richard Lesh for discussing the modeling approach
The open source and free software communities
Maggie Ricci and the Indiana University TLTC
The students!

Questions, suggestions, or thoughts?
Email: jdanish@indiana.edu
Twitter
Course-related: @DrDanish
This talk: #IUp574
Other: @JDanish
http://www.joshuadanish.com/talks

Extending the Conversation, Sakai TWSIA 2010

by Joshua Danish on Jun 15, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1

Statistics

Extending the Conversation, Sakai TWSIA 2010 — Presentation Transcript