READING TEXTS WEEK 1 Topic: E-Learning

Before you begin your course, we'd like you to read three

short texts about e-learning.

Teaching and learning is essentially a form of

communication. So first, we'll look at what the technology

involved in e-learning is, and how it supports different forms of communication in an online classroom.

We'll then look at the approaches that both underlie e-learning and determine the uses we make of technology

so as to be able to reflect on the implications of these new learning tools.

Estimated Study Time: 2 hours (maximum)

READING TEXT 1

The Technology of E-Learning

In this text:

What are the different forms of electronic communication? How far do they support interaction between tutors & learners, and

learners and learners? Which forms will be most important for you as e-learners and e-

tutors?

1 - Forms of Electronic Communication

Online Learning is often used interchangeably with the term Open or Distance Learning (ODL).

By Open Learning, we mean there is some degree of flexibility concerning the leading organizational questions:

Who can study? What do they study? Where do they study? When do they study? How do they study?

By Distance Learning, we mean some degree of separation in space (where) and time (when) between teacher and learner.

It is clear that there will be variations in the models of ODL different courses have (strong and weak versions, if you like). From an e-tutoring viewpoint, the questions of most interest and relevance are when, where and - crucially - how.

Nowadays CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) is used extensively to support traditional face-to-face classroom learning (think of emails, web pages, etc.). It is also true that much e-

learning takes place in some kind of ODL context. There are 2 diagrams in this section, in which we try to classify the technology involved in E-Learning (and indicate how it is used). As

you look at the figures, do so with this question in mind: Which mode of electronic communication will be most important to me as an e-learner?

Figure 1 Forms of Electronic Communication in Traditional and Virtual Classrooms.

Mode of

Communication

Face-to-Face Electronic

Synchronous

Electronic

Asynchronous

One-to-one Conversation Individual Tutorial

Online chat Telephone

E-mail

One-to-many Lecture Streaming Audio or

Video

E-mail

Many-to-many Role Play

Debate Discussion Mixers Tasks

Video

Conferencing Audio Conferencing Chat room

Conference

Forum Discussion List Newsgroup

(Adapted from Maier & Warren, 2000)

Figure 2 Interaction

* F2F

* computer conferencing

*video conferencing

Net-based Learning * Audio conferencing

*Radio

*TV

*Correspondence

Independence of time and distance

READING TEXT 2

Models of Learning and E-Learning

In this text:

What educational theory underlies e-learning? How are these principles reflected in the roles and

responsibilities of e-learners?

2 - Philosophical Principles 0f E-Learning It is important to emphasize that CMC and the new technologies -

ICT - are not in themselves a new approach to teaching and learning, although you might be misled into thinking so if you believe some of what you read.

While new communication technologies have the potential to change the way we go about teaching and learning, a principled pedagogical approach to using them is required. In other words, it's not the technology that comes first, its pedagogy and a theoretical framework. ****************************************************** Stop & Think

Look at the following quotation, and decide what key issues you think it suggests about the theory and practice of E-Learning.

Extract 1: The dominant issue in education today is not access to

information. In fact, making sense of the quantity and quality of material they are exposed to is a serious challenge for students. Because of this information explosion, and the accompanying

advances in communications, new approaches are required. The goal is to give students the abilities and strategies required to manage this over-whelming breadth and depth of information. In working towards this goal, educators began to realize that the only

long-term solution was to construct an educational environment in which students would not only learn, but where they would learn to learn. The focus of education is shifting to the development of critical thinking and self-directed learning abilities that can serve

the individual over a lifetime.

(Garrison & Anderson, 2003: 11, 12)

Now read the following text. It refers to a number of important terms which capture the approach to e-teaching and e-learning.

Choose what you feel is the appropriate word or phrase from those in italics to complete the gaps in the text.

construction learner training interaction collaborative dialogue constructivist collaboratively continuity

transmission responsibility & control

For a number of years now, ELT methodology has evidenced a greater concern with questions of HOW people learn and not just

with WHAT is learned. (1)____________ has now become a familiar item in our professional vocabulary. Instead of handing over knowledge, teachers are asked to spend more time handing over or helping learners to develop the tools for acquiring this knowledge

and any future kinds of knowledge and skill. We can place this changing emphasis in ELT in a wider educational context, with special reference to one of the most influential

approaches underlying e-learning. In crude terms, we can talk about the shift from a (2) ________ model of learning to a (3) _________ model. It embodies the recognition that Teaching

Learning (teaching does not equal learning).

Learners come to classrooms with their own ideas and experiences, and they will inevitably use them to interpret and construct their own version of the knowledge and skills in question, and their own

theories-in-use. This will be even truer in an e-learning context, where so much more (4) _____________ rests with the learner. Providing information is only the first step in the teaching-learning

experience; the second is to construct meaning and knowledge, and the main way of doing this is through (5) _________, with materials and information, with other learners, and with the teacher. Such a (6) ___________is at the heart of this model of

education and its new e-learning environment, and it implies a more (7) ________ approach to learning, with different roles for teacher and learner in developing effective communicative processes.

Two related points to note about this 'new' educational theory or paradigm are that it isn't in fact new, and neither is the implied role of the teacher in it. It is, rather, a return to earlier ideas about what learning involves, and the roles that teachers play. This desire

to return to earlier and perhaps better times - call it retro, romantic,

or plain unrealistic - is a familiar movement in areas of social and economic life outside education.

The educational philosopher John Dewey put forward his (8) ________ view of education in 1938. It stemmed from his belief that society and the individual cannot exist separately, and that

education is the interplay between personal interests and experience and social values, norms and knowledge. Dewey put forward two main principles of education: One is

interaction, which brings the personal and the social together, as reflected in the interaction or transaction between learner and teacher. Through interaction, ideas are communicated and shared, and knowledge is constructed and confirmed. This perspective

implies recognising a dual purpose for any educational experience: The first is to construct (reconstruct and reinterpret experience through new input) from a personal perspective, and the second is to refine and confirm this understanding (9) ________ within a

learning group, network or community. A second, related principle for Dewey was the notion of (10)____________: Knowledge will in turn provide a basis for future learning by creating the capacity to learn in learners.

(To check your answers, scroll to the end of the document.)

READING TEXT 3

Features of Online Teaching and Learning

Clearly, self-directed and constructivist learning suggest more control and responsibility on the part of the learner, and more of a facilitative role for the teacher. What does this mean in an

online environment? Networked computers can be the vehicles for learning and interaction, but education and training of whatever kind have goals

and a purpose. Learners need help in learning how to learn and in setting goals, and they need someone to design and structure their learning.

In this text, we ask you to look a little closer at what happens online, and to start thinking about notable features of this form of teaching and learning - and how they might relate to the collaborative-constructivist approach outlined in this section.

1. Read the following description of a week in the life of an e-learner. As you read, think about two points of

comparison: What are the main differences for teachers and learners in this

way of working?

To what extent do e-learning and e-technology embody the

principles of a constructivist model of education?

A Day in the Week (drawing on Maier & Warren, 2000: 100, 101; Salmon, 2000: 4-7)

1. The e-learner

Pilar is an in-service teacher doing a BA in ELT. Every two

weekends she travels about 30 km, to attend classes at her university. The rest of the time, the course is conducted online in the Virtual Tutorial (VT, as its called). She usually takes part in this three or four times a week, but a lot depends on how tired

she is when she gets home from work, or how busy her weekends are. She uses her home PC, modem and internet connection to access the VT (the phone bill is quite a lot per week, but compares favourably with her travel costs to campus).

Once she has used her username and password to access the VT,

she reads all the new messages that have been posted to the Methodology Forum since her last visit. VT doesnt have external e-mail with notification of new messages or conference postings.

There are 25 people in her class, which means that there can be

40-50 messages to look at. But sometimes very few people log in, and she feels a bit alone and frustrated when nobody has written. Most messages are short, and dont take long to read, but online is no different from the classroom, and some people

like to talk a lot!

Some discussions and tasks require quite lengthy postings, and it

can be hard to follow topics and themes. This week she is a member of a project group doing a small piece of action-research, using classroom observation, and so she copies and pastes project messages to her word-processor for later review.

There is also an ongoing discussion forum on the next BA assignment, which the tutor has set up. She posts a couple of reply messages and suggestions to this.

She then disconnects, to save her phone bill while she reads project messages. They have to present their findings for discussion by the end of the week for the rest of her class to

comment. She finally reconnects to the VT and copies and pastes her responses into new messages to her project group. Another five messages have been posted during the evening - one of them is from a tutor, saying that next weekend theyll be meeting later than normal for the class. This means she can spend the morning catching up on reading, and looking at the tutors comments on her own and other draft assignment outlines that were posted to VT.

2. Can you add anything to the following table?

Teaching &

learning

It can be done any time, any place and does not

require either teacher or learner to travel to a certain place.

An online class or conference lasts 1 week or 1 month, rather than 1 hour.

Text-based conferencing is written conversation - 'like talking with your fingers'.

Asynchronous conferencing and the time for

reflection involved has the potential for more quality interaction and construction of knowledge.

The greater flexibility of online interaction in terms of when, where, who and how can lead to more

equal and collaborative relationships between

teacher and learners.

Potential for supporting collaboration and interaction

Asynchronous conferencing and the time for reflection involved has the potential for more quality interaction and construction of knowledge.

The greater flexibility of online interaction in terms

of when, where, who and how can lead to more equal and collaborative relationships between teacher and learners

Possible problems

No visual context or information to messages, and so a possible feeling that the human touch is

absent, and difficulties in building relationships. Misunderstandings can arise about the meaning of

a message in the absence of visual clues, intonation, and the possibility of instant

clarification. The public nature of the messages to a conference

can stop participation both from learners and tutors.

Commentary

Reading Text 1 (Answers)

Which mode of electronic communication will be most important to me as an e-learner?

A lot depends on the sort of distance-course model you are working with. If the emphasis is on materials packages rather than on support for them online, then print will be the most important medium for communication. But if the emphasis is on online

interaction, and the main sources of materials are the learners and tutor, then we can perhaps identify TWO main forms of electronic communication that will be central to an e-tutor's work: e-mail

computer conferencing (electronic forums or bulletin boards) Most learning will take place as part of the conference discussion group, but you will also find there is a lot of one-on-one contact

with learners through e-mail. And if you analyse the subject matter of a significant percentage of these e-mails, you may need to add another crucial factor to the teaching/facilitating and organising functions we have noted: The social aspect of e-learning

(welcoming, building relationships, encouraging, consoling, supporting and advising). This is even more important online than in face-to-face classrooms, and much of this social role is played out through e-mail.

Reading Text 2 (Answers)

(1) learner training, (2) transmission, (3) construction, (4) responsibility, (5) interaction, (6) dialogue, (7) collaborative, (8) collaborative constructivist, (9) collaboratively, (10) continuity

Reading Text 3 (Answers) One thing that may have struck you about e-learning is that its

unique qualities are both possible benefits and drawbacks. We are not trying to be comprehensive below. If you have other ideas, that's fine. You may even want to share them with us online!

Differences in e-teaching

& learning

It can be done any time, any place and does not require either teacher or learner to travel to a certain

place

An online class or conference lasts 1 week or 1 month rather than 1 hour

Text-based conferencing is written conversation - 'like talking with your fingers'

There is no turn-taking system or control over who speaks or when - anyone can ask a question

Asynchronous conferencing and the associated technology allows a number of different topics or

classes to run at the same time - for example, a conference on a language learning or skill activity, a conference on learning strategies and skills related

to it, a problems conference, a further questions conference, a quiz/test preparation conference, and so on

It is less 'intrusive' - learners and tutors can choose

when to log on, when to read messages, and when - if at all to contribute

Potential for

supporting collaboration and interaction

Asynchronous conferencing and the time for

reflection involved has the potential for more quality interaction and construction of knowledge

The greater flexibility of online interaction in terms of when, where, who and how can lead to more equal

and collaborative relationships between teacher and learners

The absence of visual context can make for less discrimination, encourage people to be themselves,

lead to more participation by shy learners Text-based conferencing allows tutors and learners

to 'rewind' the conversation and pick out key points or make different links and connections. Good for

giving praise and constructive criticism. Learners as well as teachers can set up and run

conferences/lessons

Possible problems

No visual context or information to messages and so a possible feeling that the human touch is absent, and difficulties in building relationships

Misunderstandings can arise about the meaning of a

message in the absence of visual clues, intonation, and the possibility of instant clarification

The public nature of the messages to a conference can deter participation both from learners and tutors

Without careful management by the e-tutor, messages and the information load in conferences can be overwhelming and discourage participation

E-learners are not able to access conferences on a

regular basis or for sufficient time and tutors can't control participation in the way they do in a classroom.

E-tutor and e-learner may not have the

organisational or time management skills needed to make best use of what conferences can offer

There is a high demand on the time, and moderating and summarising skills of the tutor, and on the time

and reading and writing skills of learners in this new medium.

Bibliography: Garrison & Anderson (2003) - chs 1 & 2, pp 1-21 Maier and Warren (2000) ch 4 Salmon (2000) ch 1, pp 3-21

Adapted from (2009) LAC Regional Tutoring Certificate. British

Council Mexico