Garage Band Literature! Blog 7

Everyone knows textbooks are going digital.  Even Steve Jobs was meeting with textbook publishers to circumvent states approval of textbooks by including them with I-pads (Young, 2011). Whether it was/is a great idea or a great sales pitch, I’m not sure. 

Although some professors are using freely available online resources for their students, others are beginning to be e-book publishers.  E-textbooks are portable, customizable, searchable and interactive and, of course, cheaper (Smith, 2010). Combining articles, book chapters and other pieces of material an instructor wants to present is a great way to gather all the information for which a student will be held responsible in one place at a desirable price.

Although the e-book advantages seem apparent, there are some professors that are still hesitant to make the change. They are fearful of technical problems that could affect a student’s ability to study. Also, while the cost of the book appears attractive, little mention is made of the fact that you have to purchase the device – whether a computer or e-book reader. Some students have a general reluctance to study from an e-reader, accustomed as they are to traditional text. In other words, they don’t feel that is their learning style. There are also eyestrain and battery limitations. (Nicholas and Lewis, 2010).

What are the challenges for the academic world to move forward with electronic textbooks?  Foster and Remy, in their article for the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, suggest the following criteria:

• Content: Must be accessible especially for those with disabilities such as visual impairment
• Navigation: Students will want to be able to highlight sections, input footnotes, end notes and other learner-specific aids.
• Personal Editing: Students need to be able to extract information for the purpose of writing or archiving.
• Collaboration:  Students want to be able to share and receive information with others.
• Faculty-generated content and course readers.
• Image Support: Color images, graphs, charts and the like.’
• Support for specific disciplines such as mathematical signs or musical scores and playback.
• Continued access to up-to-date content.

Young, J. (2011, October 25). Steve jobs had hopes of disrupting textbook market [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/steve-jobs-had-hopes-of-disrupting-textbook-market/33912?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Smith, S. (2010). E-textbooks and content delivery. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: CCSP. Retrieved from http://tkbr.ccsp.sfu.ca/bookofmpub/files/2010/04/thebookofmpubdl.pdf

Nicholas, Arlene J. and Lewis, John K., "Learning enhancement or headache: Faculty and e-textbooks" (2010). Faculty and Staff -Articles & Papers. Retrieved from http://escholar.salve.edu/fac_staff_pub/29

Foster, Gavin and Remy, Eric. E-books for academe: A study from gettysburg college. Research Bulletin, (21). EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0921.pdf

Blog 6: Learning with Projects and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Similar to problem based learning in its critical thinking and collaborative process is Project Based Learning (PBL) The nature of project-based learning (PBL) is developing skills and content by engaging in logical tasks that involve the skills and content to be learned, have personal relevance for students, and provide real-world context for learning (Warlick, D. 1999). They are alike in that they are student-centered learning exercises. Whereas Problem Based Learning is presented with a problem, Project Based Learning is centered around a task. In other words, it starts with an ending. The essential elements of PBL are explained in this Buck Institute of Education video.

Integrating technology into the process can provide the following outcomes:

• Access to information is flexible as to time because information is available at the convenience of the user. 
• Elimination of geographics in the formation of teams. 
• Ability to preserve interactions through transcripts and logs to assess student involvement, contribution and understanding 
• Introduces multimedia literacy.
• Emphasis on the learning process and idea development as opposed to content iteration (Dirckinck-Holmfeld, 2009).

Adult learning poses many challenges but the engulfment of technology into the process brings communication tools that allow for global conversations, virtual networks for true collaboration on projects and problems to produce professional products with potential for universal application.

Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L. (2009). Innovation of problem based learning through ICT: Linking local and global experiences. The International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 5(1). Retrieved from EBSCO host.

Warlick, D. (1999). Raw materials for the mind. Raleigh, NC: The landmark project. project-based learning in undergraduate educational technology. Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Florida, USA. http://faculty.education.ufl.edu/cathycavanaugh/docs/PBL2040.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8

The Problem Is The Curriculum

Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay in the problem longer.”

Problem Based Learning (PBL) isn’t a new phenomenon. Its practical origins are rooted in medical studies from the 1970’s. Evolving as a result of patients who present with problems or symptoms  that are sometimes unexplainable and complex, Problem Based Learning  is not a theory but more defined as a method or process of evaluating, constructing meaning, thinking critically, direct inquiry, collaborating with peers and arriving at an answer or alternatives. 

It has become a curriculum choice in many universities and professional learning settings that is growing in acceptance and progressing to multiple disciplines of study.  The PBL format is even more attractive because study groups can be formed synchronously or asynchronously in a technology-based world. Web-based PBL’s are supported by numerous free or minimal fee sites which are available for students to collaborate as a group, retreat into self-directed inquiry and then return to collaborate once again to assimilate everyone’s discoveries and present informed alternatives.

There isn’t a delivery method such as lectures that encourage passive information receipt.  It is an active and interactive process - the curriculum is the problem and is usually illogical or ill-conceived.  It does not have only one answer but viable answers and the assessment centers around the true viability of the answers presented.

Some of the advantages of PBL are:

• Easily adaptable to web-based research and technology instruction via integration and collaborative applications such as Googlegroups, PBWorks, and Wikis. In house corporate trainers use such formats as Microsoft Outlook or iVisit for video conference or outsource their employee learning systems to companies such as Cisco, Intel, or Ratheon.
• Empowers learners to think critically; analyze and solve complex, real life problems; find, evaluate and use appropriate learning resources; work collaboratively; demonstrate effective communication skills; and become lifelong learners (Duch, Groh, & Allen, 2001).
• Involves several learning strategies such as self-directed learning, collaborative learning, student centered learning, and experiential learning.
• The collaborative aspect of problem solving encourages negotiation, interdependence and emerging leadership skills. David Hopkins  has an extensive list for collaborative benefits.
• closely aligned to problem-solving processes required in the workplace (Bataray & Bay, 2009)

Bataray,M., Bay, OmerB. (2009, December). The effects of problem-based learning on the classroom community perceptions. Computers & Education, 55, 43-52. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03601315

Duch, B., Groh, S., & Allen, D. (2001). Why problem based learning? A case study of institutional change in undergraduate education. In B. Duch, S. Groh, & D. Allen (Eds.), The power of problem-based learning (pp. 3–11). Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Hopkins, D.,(2010), Benefits of collaborative learning.. Retrieved from  http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/eresources/benefits-of-collaborative-learning-elearning/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhismExIwU&feature=related