wesleyp's blog

The article “Smart People or Smart Contexts” echos some of the previous arguments that we’ve covered earlier in the semester; explaining that learning limitations exist when traditional teaching methods separate the student from the material with the only connection between the two  coming from the teacher attempting to “transfer knowledge into the head of the learner.” Students learn more effectively when they are put in control or in hands on situations.

My favorite quote from the article is “Talent development is a process that involves doing, not acquiring.”  If a student is learning how to drive, you can only teach them so much without letting them get behind the wheel and learn for themselves. We all know that no matter how much time is spent in the classroom learning how to drive, it is the hands on, driving with the instructor experience that proves to be the most beneficial. When I’m behind the wheel and my mother starts be a back-seat driver, she always lets me know how many years she’s been driving; not how much time she has spent in the classroom or how much time she has spent reading about driving.

The article also states that talent and the ability to learn is not held within an individual, but in the interaction and environment that is being utilized. I find this interesting because it is stating that the ability to learn by anyone is only as strong as the learning environment that has been created for the students. For the most part, I can agree with this argument. Throughout college, I have seen students take advantage of tutoring sessions and group studying techniques that enriched their ability to comprehend materials from the most difficult courses. This allowed them to get the A’s and B’s while other students failed. They weren’t just naturally “smarter”, they just sought out the learning environments that helped them beyond what the instructor provided.

Please follow the link below to view Breanna & I’s very first Prezi creation! It is a summary of the “Knowing Knowledge” article by George Siemens, followed by a couple questions to head up the discussion.

Knowing Knowledge – George Siemens

1) After reading and reflecting on your own ideas concerning e-learning, how would you define your own personal philosophical orientation, and how does it affect your e-learning? Is it a “purist” acceptance of one of the philosophies outlined in the reading or is it a conglomeration of several?

I define my own philosophical orientation on e-learning to be a conglomeration; a mix and match if you will. To evolve, adapt and learn, I find it virtually impossible to choose one learning philosophy. One of the most important things to know about technology is that is it always changing and improving; and we need to do the same. If there are complimentary philosophies for learning, we should be open to using them. While I do agree that it is important to find something that works and to continue using it, but one should always be on the lookout for alternatives that can be added to your “bag of tricks.”

I would say I would work best in an environment that combines progressive, humanist and analytical.

I prefer the progressive philosophy because it involves experimentation and problem solving. This keeps students engaged and feeling  involved in their own learning; not just being taught with the masses like the liberal/perennial approach. Next, I like the humanist approach, as it focuses on interaction and cooperation with others for self growth and self evaluation. Finally – I find certain parts of the analytical philosophy useful as it focuses on lifelong education although I do disagree with the separation of society and education.

2) What latest trends in e-learning or social networking do you think are more damaging to e-learning in the long run, if any?

I think integrating social networking in digital learning environments is very powerful, but the “damaging” part could be drawing the line between social and educational / professional use. We’ve all heard how it is important it is to monitor what kind of images we post of ourselves on Facebook, and to clean up the language of our status updates, but I think there is much more to be conscious of . If we are connecting with our classmates in these digital networks like Facebook and Twitter for class – we are also opening up our personal lives at the same time.  All of a sudden our classmates, who are potentially strangers, have access to our friends, contact information, interests, and even our locations via status updates. 99% of the time this information could be completely harmless, but it might present the question: “Should we have separate accounts on social networks for our “social” and “educational” lives.

Granted, most sites have “lists” and “limited profiles” that we can take advantage of, but not everyone knows how to take advantage of that. Some users are just now joining these networks to meet class requirements. The last thing I want to do is offend a classmate or professional contact by joining a group or making a comment that may offend them. I find myself being very careful trying to separate the two uses, but I am finding it difficult with most of my social networking experience being for social purposes.

Describe an online learning module that was most beneficial to me.

As a web designer and ecommerce developer, I have learned a lot from using tutorials and training modules for open source content management systems like Magento and Joomla. Their communities offer a blend of videos, forums, PDFs, screen shots and even flash tutorials to help you learn and develop your own web site. They have support to contact if you can’t find an answer through any of the other mediums, and the professional relationships that can be built through interacting with other users are very valuable.

Describe an online learning module that was NOT beneficial to me.

When I was employed as a sales rep for Dell, we had monthly training sessions; and they had their own digital platform that was so painful to sit through. The powerpoint slides didn’t match the audio, voting polls never added up to the right number of participants, and it was too easy for the listeners to deactivate listen-only and interrupt the presenter. The worst part was – to take official attendance, we had to call in to a 1-800 number and listen to the entire meeting through our personal cell phones.

What makes a good online learning experience?

If the learning experience is synchronous and in presentation format, it should be to the point, and the images compliment the slides. If there is a lot of information to be processed; the presenter should accompany the presentation with a PDF with the in-depth information because with an over-load of text, one can easily be distracted. If the purpose is educational; I think learning modules should be interactive and not too linear. The user should be able to jump around between topics, as I feel it helps them stay engaged. Also – a search feature is so important for quickly accessing information.

-Wesley Parsell

Hi Everyone!
I graduated from BGSU in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Technology, with Visual Communication Technology as my major, and I have studies in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. I have been interested in entrepreneurship since I was young, and I have experimented with many different ventures over the years. A BGSU classmate and I started a digital media company called Twistup Media during college and continue to grow that as we both take on other opportunities.

I am interested in cloud computing, social networking and I have a growing interest in learning / teaching using digital platforms.

I have always had a strong interest in technology, and most of my life is digital. My goal is to learn how to take my passion for the internet and technology; and combine it with what I can learn from the Learning Design program to use it in a positive way. Whether I end up training new employees or teaching college classes, I want to obtain the best methods for  teaching and learning to benefit both my “students” and myself.

I am VERY excited about the Learning Design program and getting to know my classmates and instructors!