FET8604- "Learner- Centeredness"

Let me here share you my own thoughts about "learner-centered" from my experience as online learner and face to face learner. When I was f2f learner, the instructor or teacher use to be the center of class "Instructor- centered" because he/ she is the one who dominates the class. Learners do not play a big role in classes as the instructor do the whole job. However, when I started learning online, I have noticed the difference myself. I realized the importance of my role as a learner. I appreciated the value of online learning because I was able to seek after knowledge in a different way and without any limitation. I am able to interact with my peers, my instructors, and course content. I am able to share my thoughts and experience without any limitation as I used to have in f2f classes due to the little time we have sometimes for the interaction.
In online learning, we become "Learner- Centeredness" because we have different unlimited roles. That's how can I describe this term in my point of view as f2f and online learner.
Looking to read others comments regarding this term.
Regards,
Laila

FET8604- digital natives, digital immigrants ( Prensky, 2001)

One of the best enjoyable articles that I read through this semester is Prensky article, "digital natives, digital immigrants". below is my reply to the discussion regarding this article.

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I enjoyed reading Prensky's articles which really struck the chord on me. It's true that learners of this generation find it too difficult to learn from books as we used to do that in our schools and university. I still remember when I was in university I get bored of just sitting in and listening to the lecturer. Most of the time I feel sleepy and not able to focus. However, when some of our instructors try to change the routine by showing us the Movie of the story we are learning about, I pay much attention because I enjoy watching the movie besides understanding the story more than I read it only.
What I am intending to say that when teachers try to use some different methods of technology in class, it helps students a lot to understand the lesson. Prensky has discuss that the new generation are much interested with the video games, computer games, etc and it's the teachers roles to cope with us by trying to use the technology within their teaching by calling them digital immigrant.
I don't know which term shall I call myself with but I was much interested with technology since its beginning. Till now, many teachers and instructors don't like to use the technology within their teaching. For example, the blended learning is much used now in most of the universities around the world because using the online web discussions is an effective way to enhance face to face teaching. However, some teachers are still using the same old technology which is the overhead projector to show some points of the lesson. This kind of teachers do not like changing the methods of teaching although they should be native immigrants.
How about the rest? Have you ever thought about using the blended learning module in your courses? What about the other teachers surrounding you? Do they like to change their teaching method or not?
It will be lovely to have more discussion about this topic because I enjoyed reading this article a lot and it's more great to discuss it here.
Regards,
Laila

FET8604- Education and the Internet

Education is a powerful tool on the global educational environment and the Internet has enabled a new era in human collective activity.

I am a fan of the internet since the first time I used it because I found it helpful in gathering information I used it mostly for looking for good friends who can share me the same interests in some electronic forums, for tourism, general information and for my study too. However, I valued the Internet benefit mostly as a powerful tool when I heard that I could learn through the internet in the best universities while I am at home. The internet is like a huge library for me. I could write one key word where I can get thousands of links for my search. The education by using internet is unlimited as it's the case in traditional learning where we have to stick with one book.

The power of internet is that learners can share their knowledge freely in their blogs, wikies, educational websites. In other words, the Internet has provided us with different options where we can share our knowledge with others.

Laila

FET-8604"Transforming" in my learning experience.

I have to admit that all my learning experience in school and college were much "Transmission" and "Generative" where we have to repeat the same information we had in classes in our tests. However, the first time I could experience the "Transformative" approach in my learning experience was when I started studying online. I was able to seek after and gain knowledge through the interactivity I have it with my peers and facilitators.

I consider my experience in online learning transformative because I felt that I am able to learn in a different way by discussing and analyzing thoughts we read in course contents by reflecting our own ideas and connect our experience as learner to some events or theories. In addition, I consider it transformative because it has changed the way I used to receive knowledge from others and the way we are assessed and evaluated. In other words, I realized the value of assessment in online environment because we have authentic assessment where it tests our deep understanding about the course content. In other words, the assessment is transformative in a way we enjoy doing it because we reflect our understanding and could evaluate our learning through the different activities of assessment.

Laila

FET8604- Identify a "dilemma" in online learning.

One of the dilemmas that faced me as an online learner was in my first semester in University of Southern Queensland. I was taking two courses at the same time and I thought it might be normal to take two as they told me. One of the courses has a practical side where I have to learn the principles of designing websites and know how to design by writing HTML codes. That was too difficult for me as a novice learner in online learning environment because to be online learner means that I have to learn by myself the skills that I don't know in designing. Besides, sometimes I got some slight mistakes in designing which was little bit difficult for me to express what my mistake was. Not to forget that I thought that to be a novice learner means that I am the worst in my class. I faced many difficulties with writing in both courses in my first semester because I didn't have the research writing skills nor the academic writing skills of writing a research or even a reflection. I didn't know what does a reflection mean? What I felt in my course that our facilitator is treating us as we know everything since we are a postgraduate students. In face to face, teachers may know when their students feel lost through the expression on their faces that they are not able to do a particular assignment or any kind of activities.

Another important point that I was underestimating my skills as Online learner and it was my mistake to tell one of my instructors that I am a novice learner because instead of getting help or a guidance how I can survive in that course, I was criticized that I shouldn't think at all that I might get a good mark because others are better than me and I can't compare my skills to their long experience.

Two weeks ago, I was invited as a guest speaker in a class to speak about my experience as online learner and students asked me which skills the online learner needs to obtain to be able to study in this environment. I answered them that it's too important to obtain research skills and be self independent where we seek after knowledge instead of getting the knowledge from the instructor in face to face environment.

Laila

FET5601- Activity 1.2 What is Flexible learning?

Do we really need to read articles defining Flexible Learning while we are online learners in a flexible learning environment?
As online learner, I could define Flexible learning as the flexible method of learning where learners can study any where and any time. In addition to that, there is a flexibility in communication between learners to learners and learners to their facilitator which make the learning method much flexible.
Not to forget the other online facilities provided within our online learning such as, Online library which using it is more flexible than the traditional one where we spent hours sometimes to search for information.
I will try to check some of the websites provided about Flexible learning and see how much it's related to my own definition and understanding about flexible learning.
Regards,
Laila

FET5601- What's Instructional Design?

I have met the term of Instructional Design a lot since I started my studies in my program. I am not sure that I know what's all about? I do remember once in one of my previous courses here in USQ, we were asked to design a web course for specific learners. I chose to design English course for Education Technology students. I tried to design the course in a way that could meet my objectives of offering my course in a different way. What do I mean by different way? I didn't want to design English course like any course that has the same regular tasks provided for each skill of the language.

Therefore, instructional design in my point of view is to design a course where you can find it challenging to come with creative tasks fits the materials included within the course.

What I wrote above is just my own understanding about Instructional Design before starting reading any article in Module 1. I will come back later to see if I was close from my initial comprehension of Instructional Design or I was far away from it.

Regards,

Laila

Joining Groups

It's the weeked here in Oman. At last I was able to assign myself in a group in my two courses. I joined Industry group in FET5601 and we are only two members in that group. I have also assigned in a new group in FET8604 and waiting somebody to join that group. I hope that I will not be lifted alone in that group.

Regards,

Laila

Hi from Laila

Hi all,

I was intending to create two blogs at the same time to use it as a reflective diary for my two courses that I am enrolled in this semester and they are:

FET8604- Online Pedagogy and Practice
FET5601- Instructional Design for Flexible Learning.

Somehow, I felt that these two courses are related to each other. So, I decided to create one blog for both of them so it could make it easy for me to refer to some facts that I need from the other course.

I will try to post a thread each time for each course to reflect my thoughts regarding the literature review or my own reflection.

Regards,

Laila