There were three readings this week all of which I found easy to follow and that discussed eLearning and its history and benefits/concerns.
In the first reading (Roberts, V., Blomgren, C., Ishmael, K., & Graham, L., 2018) the authors discuss the many benefits to online learning, as well as some reasons that teachers may not use technology too much. Two benefits to open learning that are discussed are that open learning can be used for students who need more flexible options or to allow a course to be asynchronous so that students can take courses without having to be present at a set time. By allowing students to have more options, the students who may not be too great at reading or writing are able to listen or type out their learning. Asynchronous courses are also good for students in K-12, not only university (like our class). By allowing for asynchronous learning then students who may need extra assistance from parents are able to get that when it is most convenient for them.
In the second reading (Barbour, M & Labonte, R., 2018) the authors talk about eLearning organizations and practices in Canada. One fact that I was surprised by is the large number of students who use eLearning in British Columbia. In 2015-2016 there were 69, 735 students enrolled in a one or more courses and I can only imagine how much this number has grown since. Where I am from it is quite common to take a few courses online, but I never realized just how many students utilize eLearning. Another thing I thought was worthy to note was that Canada’s eLearning programs are government-funded not private. The companies involved are providing services to the government programs (content, technology, etc.) and not independent in how they run.
The final reading (Bates, 2014) talks about a lot of different topics, but one that I had never heard of is connectivism. What first comes to my mind when reading about the design principles of connectivist courses is inquiry. Inquiry is very learner-centred and open as is connectivism. There are some criticisms of the connectivist approach such as assessment strategies, or the lack of structure. These are all concerns that I would have too when first hearing about this, but in the second year of my elementary education program my class travelled to a school called the Pacific Institute of Innovation and Inquiry and some of these concerns I also had were put to ease. The students completed projects to show their learning (could be cross-curricular to show numerous course competencies) and the teachers were always there to support them and get them started when they were struggling, but after a while, the students needed them less and less because they started to become more independent and learn how to do things on their own.
Overall, I look forward to learning more about how eLearning and technology have advanced over the years and more ways that I can utilize them in the classroom.
References:
Barbour, M & Labonte, R. (2018) An Overview of eLearning Organizations and Practices in Canada. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 600-616). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Bates, T.(2014). Learning Theories and Online Learning. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/.
Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.