Although the instructions say “read all instructions before assembling”, when it comes to purchasing something that needs to be assembled, I am one of those types of people who will dig into trying to assemble, and will read the instructions as I go along instead of reading the complete instructions first. This probably says a lot about the way I learn. Some people prefer to know the theory and basis of something before moving to practical application. I learn better if I can mix hands on experience with theoretical understanding. Many people learn that way, and yet educational systems tend to focus on learning for the “instructions first” type people. For those of us who are educators, there are incredible opportunities due to technology to either bring experiences into the class room or to allow students to be in a context outside of the traditional classroom where technology can allow students to interact with sources which give theoretical or broader understanding of what they are experiencing. At NTS where I teach, we have designed a pilot program which will begin in just a couple of weeks which explores this type of learning by allowing students to be in a global context, but to have connection to interactive learning experiences which integrates practice with theory. I will be posting more about this exciting new initiative over the next few weeks, but for now I have attached the link to an interesting podcast which is an interview with Chris Dede who teaches at Harvard. The focus of this interview is the integration of learning styles with technology. If you have creative ideas for me, I welcome your thoughts.http://www.educause.edu/blog/jcummings/ChrisDedeonEmergingTechnologie/166539
2 comments:
Dr Wesley,
I appreciate your work and enjoy reading your blog.
I do have concerns with the education model shifting towards more online classes. I have experienced online classes through NTS. They do provide an environment of transmitting information, stats, ideas, etc. However, face to face relationships provide the context for interpretation, contextualization and application. I even wonder the value of this comment through the use of technology.
I enjoyed your article about "Yes We Have More Tomatoes." The tension between relational missions and money seems to be relevant to educational institutions. My opinion is that technology is being embraced more for its ability to fund the development of the educational institution than it is for relational mission of making "more preachers, better preachers."
All this is just my opinion knowing that I do see all perspectives. Maybe, the pilot program is connecting online classroom environment with local relational dialog. I do like how NTS is partnering with schools such as MVNU.
Jonathan
Jonathan,
Thank you for your excellent comments which reflect the challenge which we all face in a changing global environment. Finding a good balance for community (whether that be a learning community at NTS or a community of a local church) is a challenge in which we have to engage. If you google "Chris Dede" at Harvard, he has some excellent sources on Youtube as well as printed pieces which wrestle with these same issues.
I absolutely agree with you that any online or technology based learning should always move us into incarnational models and not be simply a matter of learning data which is disconnected from community.
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