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ELI 2018 Key Issues Teaching Learning

Key Issues in Teaching and Learning

https://www.educause.edu/eli/initiatives/key-issues-in-teaching-and-learning

A roster of results since 2011 is here.

ELI 2018 key issues

1. Academic Transformation

2. Accessibility and UDL

3. Faculty Development

4. Privacy and Security

5. Digital and Information Literacies

https://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-strategic-brief-digital-literacy-in-higher-education-II.pdf
Three Models of Digital Literacy: Universal, Creative, Literacy Across Disciplines

United States digital literacy frameworks tend to focus on educational policy details and personal empowerment, the latter encouraging learners to become more effective students, better creators, smarter information consumers, and more influential members of their community.

National policies are vitally important in European digital literacy work, unsurprising for a continent well populated with nation-states and struggling to redefine itself, while still trying to grow economies in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent financial pressures

African digital literacy is more business-oriented.

Middle Eastern nations offer yet another variation, with a strong focus on media literacy. As with other regions, this can be a response to countries with strong state influence or control over local media. It can also represent a drive to produce more locally-sourced content, as opposed to consuming material from abroad, which may elicit criticism of neocolonialism or religious challenges.

p. 14 Digital literacy for Humanities: What does it mean to be digitally literate in history, literature, or philosophy? Creativity in these disciplines often involves textuality, given the large role writing plays in them, as, for example, in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s instructor’s guide. In the digital realm, this can include web-based writing through social media, along with the creation of multimedia projects through posters, presentations, and video. Information literacy remains a key part of digital literacy in the humanities. The digital humanities movement has not seen much connection with digital literacy, unfortunately, but their alignment seems likely, given the turn toward using digital technologies to explore humanities questions. That development could then foster a spread of other technologies and approaches to the rest of the humanities, including mapping, data visualization, text mining, web-based digital archives, and “distant reading” (working with very large bodies of texts). The digital humanities’ emphasis on making projects may also increase

Digital Literacy for Business: Digital literacy in this world is focused on manipulation of data, from spreadsheets to more advanced modeling software, leading up to degrees in management information systems. Management classes unsurprisingly focus on how to organize people working on and with digital tools.

Digital Literacy for Computer Science: Naturally, coding appears as a central competency within this discipline. Other aspects of the digital world feature prominently, including hardware and network architecture. Some courses housed within the computer science discipline offer a deeper examination of the impact of computing on society and politics, along with how to use digital tools. Media production plays a minor role here, beyond publications (posters, videos), as many institutions assign multimedia to other departments. Looking forward to a future when automation has become both more widespread and powerful, developing artificial intelligence projects will potentially play a role in computer science literacy.

6. Integrated Planning and Advising Systems for Student Success (iPASS)

7. Instructional Design

8. Online and Blended Learning

In traditional instruction, students’ first contact with new ideas happens in class, usually through direct instruction from the professor; after exposure to the basics, students are turned out of the classroom to tackle the most difficult tasks in learning — those that involve application, analysis, synthesis, and creativity — in their individual spaces. Flipped learning reverses this, by moving first contact with new concepts to the individual space and using the newly-expanded time in class for students to pursue difficult, higher-level tasks together, with the instructor as a guide.

Let’s take a look at some of the myths about flipped learning and try to find the facts.

Myth: Flipped learning is predicated on recording videos for students to watch before class.

Fact: Flipped learning does not require video. Although many real-life implementations of flipped learning use video, there’s nothing that says video must be used. In fact, one of the earliest instances of flipped learning — Eric Mazur’s peer instruction concept, used in Harvard physics classes — uses no video but rather an online text outfitted with social annotation software. And one of the most successful public instances of flipped learning, an edX course on numerical methods designed by Lorena Barba of George Washington University, uses precisely one video. Video is simply not necessary for flipped learning, and many alternatives to video can lead to effective flipped learning environments [http://rtalbert.org/flipped-learning-without-video/].

Myth: Flipped learning replaces face-to-face teaching.

Fact: Flipped learning optimizes face-to-face teaching. Flipped learning may (but does not always) replace lectures in class, but this is not to say that it replaces teaching. Teaching and “telling” are not the same thing.

Myth: Flipped learning has no evidence to back up its effectiveness.

Fact: Flipped learning research is growing at an exponential pace and has been since at least 2014. That research — 131 peer-reviewed articles in the first half of 2017 alone — includes results from primary, secondary, and postsecondary education in nearly every discipline, most showing significant improvements in student learning, motivation, and critical thinking skills.

Myth: Flipped learning is a fad.

Fact: Flipped learning has been with us in the form defined here for nearly 20 years.

Myth: People have been doing flipped learning for centuries.

Fact: Flipped learning is not just a rebranding of old techniques. The basic concept of students doing individually active work to encounter new ideas that are then built upon in class is almost as old as the university itself. So flipped learning is, in a real sense, a modern means of returning higher education to its roots. Even so, flipped learning is different from these time-honored techniques.

Myth: Students and professors prefer lecture over flipped learning.

Fact: Students and professors embrace flipped learning once they understand the benefits. It’s true that professors often enjoy their lectures, and students often enjoy being lectured to. But the question is not who “enjoys” what, but rather what helps students learn the best.They know what the research says about the effectiveness of active learning

Assertion: Flipped learning provides a platform for implementing active learning in a way that works powerfully for students.

9. Evaluating Technology-based Instructional Innovations

Transitioning to an ROI lens requires three fundamental shifts
What is the total cost of my innovation, including both new spending and the use of existing resources?

What’s the unit I should measure that connects cost with a change in performance?

How might the expected change in student performance also support a more sustainable financial model?

The Exposure Approach: we don’t provide a way for participants to determine if they learned anything new or now have the confidence or competence to apply what they learned.

The Exemplar Approach: from ‘show and tell’ for adults to show, tell, do and learn.

The Tutorial Approach: Getting a group that can meet at the same time and place can be challenging. That is why many faculty report a preference for self-paced professional development.build in simple self-assessment checks. We can add prompts that invite people to engage in some sort of follow up activity with a colleague. We can also add an elective option for faculty in a tutorial to actually create or do something with what they learned and then submit it for direct or narrative feedback.

The Course Approach: a non-credit format, these have the benefits of a more structured and lengthy learning experience, even if they are just three to five-week short courses that meet online or in-person once every week or two.involve badges, portfolios, peer assessment, self-assessment, or one-on-one feedback from a facilitator

The Academy Approach: like the course approach, is one that tends to be a deeper and more extended experience. People might gather in a cohort over a year or longer.Assessment through coaching and mentoring, the use of portfolios, peer feedback and much more can be easily incorporated to add a rich assessment element to such longer-term professional development programs.

The Mentoring Approach: The mentors often don’t set specific learning goals with the mentee. Instead, it is often a set of structured meetings, but also someone to whom mentees can turn with questions and tips along the way.

The Coaching Approach: A mentor tends to be a broader type of relationship with a person.A coaching relationship tends to be more focused upon specific goals, tasks or outcomes.

The Peer Approach:This can be done on a 1:1 basis or in small groups, where those who are teaching the same courses are able to compare notes on curricula and teaching models. They might give each other feedback on how to teach certain concepts, how to write syllabi, how to handle certain teaching and learning challenges, and much more. Faculty might sit in on each other’s courses, observe, and give feedback afterward.

The Self-Directed Approach:a self-assessment strategy such as setting goals and creating simple checklists and rubrics to monitor our progress. Or, we invite feedback from colleagues, often in a narrative and/or informal format. We might also create a portfolio of our work, or engage in some sort of learning journal that documents our thoughts, experiments, experiences, and learning along the way.

The Buffet Approach:

10. Open Education

Figure 1. A Model for Networked Education (Credit: Image by Catherine Cronin, building on
Interpretations of
Balancing Privacy and Openness (Credit: Image by Catherine Cronin. CC BY-SA)

11. Learning Analytics

12. Adaptive Teaching and Learning

13. Working with Emerging Technology

In 2014, administrators at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, began talks with members of the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) leadership about starting a CBE program.

Building on an existing project at CPCC for identifying the elements of a digital learning environment (DLE), which was itself influenced by the EDUCAUSE publication The Next Generation Digital Learning Environment: A Report on Research,1 the committee reached consensus on a DLE concept and a shared lexicon: the “Digital Learning Environment Operational Definitions,

Figure 1. NC-CBE Digital Learning Environment

Chromebooks and Math

integrate Chromebooks into Math

Embedded Librarianship in Online Courses

Embedded Librarianship in Online Courses

Mimi O’Malley, October workshop w inquiries@libraryjuiceacademy.com
http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/
https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/news/?p=559
This class will start with simple ways librarians may embed their skills remotely starting with the LMS especially through the use of portal tabs, blocks, eReserves, knowledge bases, and student/faculty orientations. We’ll then move on to discussing how to bring the traditional face-to-face BI session (which librarians know so well) into the online class through the use of team teaching, guest lecturing, and conducting synchronous workshops. We’ll explore in the 3rd week how the librarian can become more influential in online course design and development. The session concludes with an examination of the ways librarians can evaluate whether or not their virtual efforts are impacting student access to library resources as well as possible learning outcomes.
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more on embedded librarianship in this iMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=embedded+librarian

Blackboard-Moodle breakup

LMS market after Blackboard-Moodle breakup

  • Two of the leading learning management system companies are cutting ties after a six-year partnership —  a split that Inside Higher Education reported was likely “messy.”
  • U.S.-based Blackboard and Australia’s Moodle separately announced the end to the partnership, which will mean that Blackboard won’t use the Moodle name in the future, but its Moodlerooms product will be maintained.

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more on LMS in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=LMS

gamification in online learning

34 TOP TIPS FOR USING GAMIFICATION IN ONLINE LEARNING

34 Top Tips for using Gamification in Online Learning

1. KNOW WHAT YOUR GOAL IS

2. DESIGN YOUR GAME MECHANICS TO DRIVE POSITIVE BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES

3. CREATE A BUZZ AROUND THE LAUNCH

4. WELCOME WITH A BADGE

5. KEEP IT FUN

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE

7. LET LEARNERS CREATE AVATARS

8. MAKE PROGRESS OBVIOUS

9. MAKE ALERTS OBVIOUS

10. USE LEVELS TO DEFINE A LEARNING JOURNEY

11. START WITH EASIER, SHORTER LEVELS

12. MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROGRESS

13. WEIGHT YOUR POINTS ACCORDINGLY

14. GIVE MORE REWARDS TO USERS WHO ARE LESS ACTIVE

15. USE INTRINSIC REWARDS TO SPARK BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE

16. LET LEARNERS EXCHANGE POINTS FOR PRIZES

17. USE EXTRINSIC REWARDS SPARINGLY

18. LET THE LEARNER BECOME AN EXPERT

19. TIE LEARNER GOALS TO LARGER COMPANY GOALS

20. CREATE AN AREA FOR COMMUNITY

21. CREATE DISCUSSION GROUPS

22. INTEGRATE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

23. MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GOOD

24. MAKE SURE IT’S ON BRAND

25. CATER FOR EVERY TYPE OF GAMER

26. TEST!

27. ANALYSE

28. ASK FOR FEEDBACK

29. KEEP CONTENT FRESH & REGULAR

30. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH BADGES!

31. GROUP BADGES IN SETS

32. USE LIMITED EDITION BADGES

33. GENERATE ENVY

34. ENCOURAGE COMPETITION

a tour of the Academy LMS, the world’s #1 gamified learning management system

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more on online learning in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=online+learning

Social Learning and Gamification

Beyond The Buzz Phrase: Social Learning And LMS Gamification In Real Life

When: Thursday 26 July 2018, 11:00 PM – 12:00 PM

Adobe’s Senior Learning Evangelist, Katrina Marie Baker in our webinar, and find out how you can easily transform your learning by taking a deep dive into the 2 smartest learning breakthroughs of the decade: Social Learning & Gamification 🚀

During this session, you will:

• Learn how to blend social learning into existing courses using an LMS
• Discover how gamification can be aligned with your business objectives
• Come upon the latest learning tech tips to help you drive engagement
• See examples of how gamification and social learning can be both employed in Captivate Prime LMS

Are social learning and gamification the new fashion that will dominate the future of eLearning? Let’s find out together!

Save your spot here now http://ow.ly/EqYP30kV0qQ

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more on social learning in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=social+learning

Embedded Librarian and Gamification in Libraries

***** reserve space: register here | запазете си място: регистрирайте се тук *****

Open Discussion: Embedded Librarian and Gamification in Libraries

by invitation of New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria: https://www.nbu.bg/en
May 14, 9-11AM, New Bulgarian University.

short link: http://bit.ly/embed18

Live stream: https://www.facebook.com/InforMediaServices/ and recording available (предаване на живо и запис)

 

 qr code NBU

 

 

 

Live stream:
https://www.facebook.com/InforMediaServices/
and recording available
(предаване на живо и запис)

backchanneling: @scsutechinstruct ##NBUembed

Archived Discussion
https://www.facebook.com/InforMediaServices/videos/1532459913531167/

Video 360 excerpt from the discussion:

Семинар „Embedded“ библиотекари и геймификация в библиотеките:
Съвременни американски практики“, 14 май 2018 г., 9.00 ч.-11.00 ч.,

Embedded Librarian and Gamification in Libraries from Plamen Miltenoff

Preliminary Information and Literature. Please do not hesitate to share in the comments section your ideas, suggestions and questions
предварителна информация и литература по дискусията. Не се колебайте да споделите мнения, препоръки и въпроси в “Comment” секцията:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/10/03/embedded-librarianship-in-online-courses/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/08/24/embedded-librarian-qualifications/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/05/04/lms-and-embedded-librarianship/

“Embedded librarianship” also mentioned in:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/05/27/handbook-of-mobile-learning/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/08/18/digital-humanities-and-libraries/

Gaming and Gamification and Education:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/04/18/engage-with-dungeons-and-dragons/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=iste+standards

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For more information and for backchanneling please use the following social media
за повече въпроси и информация, както и за споделяне на вашите идеи и мисли използвайте следните канали / социални медии:

Facebook:

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/SCSUtechinstruc/status/984437858244145152

LinkedIn discussion on VR/AR
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2811/2811-6391674579739303939

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even more info

The embedded librarian from doberhelman

The Embedded Librarian: Using Technology in Service Delivery from Pavlinka Kovatcheva

Embedded Librarian-ALA 2011 from Info_Witch

Toward a Sustainable Embedded Librarian Program from Robin M. Ashford, MSLIS

The Embedded Librarian: Integrating Library Resources into Course Management Systems from Emily Daly

Embedded Librarian in Higher Education from Shahril Effendi

Ilago 2016 presentation: Next Steps in Embedded Librarian Instructional Design from Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen





BUT WAIT

how does embedded librarian relates to the emerging technologies in the library?

Emerging Technology Trends in Libraries for 2018 from David King

mobile apps education

5 questions to ask before your university goes mobile

Here’s how to evaluate the potential for mobile solutions

Before they set foot in their first class, incoming college students face a maze of requirements and resources that will be critical to their success. So-called “student supports” abound. Yet forty percent of first-year students don’t return the following year, and a growing number report information overload as they navigate campus life amid newfound independence.

The nine in 10 undergraduates who own smartphones are probably familiar with the xkcd about it. College-aged Americans check their devices more than 150 times per day. So it should be no surprise that a growing body of research suggests that mobile solutions can play a critical role in enhancing the student experience.

1. Is the mobile app native?
We’ve all had the frustrating experience of using a smartphone to navigate a page that was designed for a computer. But when designing native mobile apps, developers start with the small screen, which leads to simpler, cleaner platforms that get rid of the clutter of the desktop browsing experience.

As smartphones overtake laptops and desktops as the most popular way for young people to get online, native design is critical for universities to embrace.

2. Is there a simple content management system?

It’s also critical to explore whether mobile apps integrate with an institution’s existing LMS, CMS, and academic platforms. The most effective apps will allow you to draw upon and translate existing content and resources directly into the mobile experience.
My note: this is why it is worth experimenting with alternatives to LMS, such as Facebook Groups: they allow ready-to-use SIMPLE mobile interface.

3. Does it allow you to take targeted action?

At-risk or disengaged students often require more targeted communication and engagement which, if used effectively, can prevent them falling into those categories in the first place.

Unlike web-based tools, mobile apps should not only communicate information, but also generate insights and reports, highlighting key information into how students use the platform.

4. Does it offer communication and social networking opportunities?

Teenagers who grew up with chatbots and Snapchat expect instant communication to be part of any online interaction. Instead of making students toggle between the student affairs office and conversations with advisors, mobile platforms that offer in-app messaging can streamline the experience and keep users engaged.

5. Does it empower your staff?

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more on mobile in education in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mobile+education

definitions online learning

Online learning here is used as a blanket term for all related terms:

  • HyFlex courses – hybrid + flexible
    “hybrid synchronous” or “blended synchronous” courses

    • Definition:
      The HyFlex model gives students the choice to attend class in person or via synchronous remote stream and to make that choice on a daily basis. In other words, unlike online and hybrid models which typically have a fixed course structure for the entire semester, the HyFlex model does not require students to make a choice at the beginning of term and then stick with it whether their choice works for them or not; rather students are able to make different choices each day depending on what works best for them on that day (hence the format is “flexible”) (Miller and Baham, 2018, to be published in the Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Teaching Statistics).
    • Definition from Horizon Report, HIgher Ed edition, 2014. p. 10 integration of Online Hybrid and Collaborative Learning
    • Definition from U of Arizona (https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/itet/article/view/16464/16485)
      Beatty (2010) defines HyFlex courses to be those that “enable a flexible participation policy for students whereby students may choose to attend face-to-face synchronous class sessions or complete course learning activities online without physically attending class”
  • Online courses
    • Definition
      Goette, W. F., Delello, J. A., Schmitt, A. L., Sullivan, J. R., & Rangel, A. (2017). Comparing Delivery Approaches to Teaching Abnormal Psychology: Investigating Student Perceptions and Learning Outcomes. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 16(3), 336–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725717716624
      p.2.Online classes are a form of distance learning available completely over the Internet with no F2F interaction between an instructor and students (Helms, 2014).
    • https://www.oswego.edu/human-resources/section-6-instructional-policies-and-procedures
      An online class is a class that is offered 100% through the Internet. Asynchronous courses require no time in a classroom. All assignments, exams, and communication are delivered using a learning management system (LMS). At Oswego, the campus is transitioning from ANGEL  to Blackboard, which will be completed by the Fall 2015 semester.  Fully online courses may also be synchronous. Synchronous online courses require student participation at a specified time using audio/visual software such as Blackboard Collaborate along with the LMS.
    • Web-enhanced courses

Web enhanced learning occurs in a traditional face-to-face (f2f) course when the instructor incorporates web resources into the design and delivery of the course to support student learning. The key difference between Web Enhanced Learning versus other forms of e-learning (online or hybrid courses) is that the internet is used to supplement and support the instruction occurring in the classroom rather than replace it.  Web Enhanced Learning may include activities such as: accessing course materials, submitting assignments, participating in discussions, taking quizzes and exams, and/or accessing grades and feedback.”

  • Blended/Hybrid Learning
    • Definition

Goette, W. F., Delello, J. A., Schmitt, A. L., Sullivan, J. R., & Rangel, A. (2017). Comparing Delivery Approaches to Teaching Abnormal Psychology: Investigating Student Perceptions and Learning Outcomes. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 16(3), 336–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725717716624
p.3.

Helms (2014) described blended education as incorporating both online and F2F character- istics into a single course. This definition captures an important confound to comparing course administration formats because otherwise traditional F2F courses may also incorp- orate aspects of online curriculum. Blended learning may thus encompass F2F classes in which any course content is available online (e.g., recorded lectures or PowerPoints) as well as more traditionally blended courses. Helms recommended the use of ‘‘blended’’ over ‘‘hybrid’’ because these courses combine different but complementary approaches rather than layer opposing methods and formats.

Blended learning can merge the relative strengths of F2F and online education within a flexible course delivery format. As such, this delivery form has a similar potential of online courses to reduce the cost of administration (Bowen et al., 2014) while addressing concerns of quality and achievement gaps that may come from online education. Advantages of blended courses include: convenience and efficiency for the student; promotion of active learning; more effective use of classroom space; and increased class time to spend on higher- level learning activities such as cooperative learning, working with case studies, and discuss- ing big picture concepts and ideas (Ahmed, 2010; Al-Qahtani & Higgins, 2013; Lewis & Harrison, 2012).

Although many definitions of hybrid and blended learning exist, there is a convergence upon three key points: (1) Web-based learning activities are introduced to complement face-to-face work; (2) “seat time” is reduced, though not eliminated altogether; (3) the Web-based and face-to-face components of the course are designed to interact pedagogically to take advantage of the best features of each.
The amount of in class time varies in hybrids from school to school. Some require more than 50% must be in class, others say more than 50% must be online. Others indicate that 20% – 80% must be in class (or online). There is consensus that generally the time is split 50-50, but it depends on the best pedagogy for what the instructor wants to achieve.

Backchannel and CRS (or Audience Response Systems):
https://journals.uair.arizona.

More information:

Blended Synchronous Learning project (http://blendsync.org/)

https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/itet/article/view/16464/16485

https://www.binghamton.edu/academics/provost/faculty-staff-handbook/handbook-vii.html

VII.A.3. Distance Learning Courses
Distance learning courses are indicated in the schedule of classes on BU Brain with an Instructional Method of Online Asynchronous (OA), Online Synchronous (OS), Online Combined (OC), or Online Hybrid (OH). Online Asynchronous courses are those in which the instruction is recorded/stored and then accessed by the students at another time. Online Synchronous courses are those in which students are at locations remote from the instructor and viewing the instruction as it occurs. Online Combined courses are those in which there is a combination of asynchronous and synchronous instruction that occurs over the length of the course. Online Hybrid courses are those in which there is both in-person and online (asynchronous and/or synchronous) instruction that occurs over the length of the course.

brain research distance ed

The Implications of Brain Research for Distance Education

Katrina A. Meyer
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership
University of North Dakota
katrina_meyer@und.nodak.edu

posted on FB in 2013 https://www.facebook.com/plamen.miltenoff/posts/10100455869591041

The brain is actually three brains: the ancient reptilian brain, the limbic brain, and the cortical brain. This article will focus on the limbic brain, because it may be most important to successfully using interactive video or web-based video. The limbic brain monitors the external world and the internal body, taking in information through the senses as well as body temperature and blood pressure, among others. It is the limbic brain that generates and interprets facial expressions and handles emotions, while the cortical brain handles symbolic activities such as language as well as action and strategizing. The two interact when an emotion is sent from the limbic to the cortical brain and generates a conscious thought; in response to a feeling of fear (limbic), you ask, “what should I do?” (cortical).

The importance of direct eye contact and deciphering body language is also important for sending and picking up clues about social context.

The loss of social cues is important because it may affect the quality of the content of the presentation (by not allowing timely feedback or questions) but also because students may feel less engaged and become frustrated with the interaction, and subsequently lower their assessment of the class and the instructor (Reeves & Nass, 1996). Fortunately, faculty can provide such social cues verbally, once they are aware of the importance of helping students use these new media.

Attachment theory also supports the importance of physical and emotional connections.

As many a struggling teacher knows, students are often impervious to learning new concepts. They may replay the new information for a test, but after time passes, they revert to the earlier (and likely wrong) information. This is referred to as the “power of mental models.” As explained in Marchese (2000), when we view a tree, it is not as if we see the tree in our head, as in photography.

The coping strategies of the two hemispheres are fundamentally different. The left hemisphere’s job is to create a belief system or model and to fold new experiences into that belief system. If confronted with some new information that doesn’t fit the model, it relies on Freudian defense mechanisms to deny, repress or confabulate – anything to preserve the status quo. The right hemisphere’s strategy is to play “Devil’s Advocate,” to question the status quo and look for global inconsistencies. When the anomalous information reaches a certain threshold, the right hemisphere decides that it is time to force a complete revision of the entire model and start from scratch (Ramachandran & Blakeslee, 1998, p. 136).

While much hemispheric-based research has been repudiated as an oversimplification (Gackenbach, 1999), the above description of how new information eventually overwhelms an old world view may be the result of multiple brain functions – some of which work to preserve our models and others to alter – that help us both maintain and change as needed.

Self-talk is the “the root of empathy, understanding, cooperation, and rules that allow us to be successful social beings. Any sense of moral behavior requires thought before action” (Ratey, 2001, p. 255).

Healy (1999) argues that based on what we know about brain development in children, new computer media may be responsible for developing brains that are largely different from the brains of adults. This is because “many brain connections have become specialized for . . . media” (p. 133); in this view, a brain formed by language and reading is different from a brain formed by hypermedia. Different media lead to different synaptic connections being laid down and reinforced, creating different brains in youngsters raised on fast-paced, visually-stimulating computer applications and video games. “Newer technologies emphasize rapid processing of visual symbols . . . and deemphasize traditional verbal learning . . . and the linear, analytic thought process . . . [making it] more difficult to deal with abstract verbal reasoning” (Healy, 1999, p. 142).

 

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more on distance ed in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=distance+education

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