S.J.E.Hobbs@open.ac.uk
Thu, 26 Nov 1998 16:06:02 +0100
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 16:06:02 +0100 From: S.J.E.Hobbs@open.ac.uk Subject: RE: [ifets] Technolgy and Lifelong Learning
Dear Arun,
OK I am responding!!!
I think that Dr Edwards was taking a still commonly held misconception
that if 'courses' are written by an expert teacher, accessing them later
in a 'personal and private' way means that no other teachers are
necessary hence one excellent teacher teaching an unlimited number of
students rather than students being dependant on the vaguaries of
individual, accessible teacher's standards.
My disagreement with this aspect of her statement, and the reason that I
put inverted commas around 'courses' is that I believe that a course (or
probably I mean 'learning experience') in any medium should differ from
a 'book' with respect to human contact.
If information is made available in ANY form (and I agree entirely that
new technologies offer us many very useful and appropriate ways of doing
this) it is like a book in that it IS that 'personal and private'
experience. What makes an excellent learning experience in any medium or
mix of media is the integration of information with interaction with
peers, practitioners, teachers, tutors. My experience with the MAYDAY
project (ref. below) and more recently with the extremely successful
tutoring system (both on-line through conferencing/email and
face-to-face) at the the OU UK have reinforced this view.
Even those absolute believers in technological supremacy are seeing the
need to integrate 'coaches', 'friends', 'learning assistants' into
materials to simulate this contact and dialogue. Lots of fun and lots of
research money to be had here in Intelligent Educational Systems design.
The only problem from my point of view is that this is something that
PEOPLE do better and do naturally. Even a supply (replacement) teacher'
gives better help to a student in a class they have never met before
than the best Intelligent on-line Tutors for all their powerful models.
(See the refs at end of email for examples from MAYDAY project, not
current but the issues in them have still not been addressed. (Cropp was
my maiden name!))
Getting rid of the reliance on a 'teacher' as the sole source and owner
of all knowledge and wisdom is, in my opinion, one of the major
advantages of using WWW links and multiple sources in courses, but in
doing so we should NOT 'throw out the baby with the bath water'. The
'baby' we need to hang on to is the interpretative role that other
people and their differing attitudes and responses to information bring
to a well rounded, thoughtful/thought provoking learning experience.
Is totally 'private learning' like solitary sex? OK, but not really what
it is about? (Please, no-one take offence!)
I hope that was 'stirred up' enough for you Arun!!
Samantha
REFS from MAYDAY project
Sussex, R., Cumming, G. and Cropp, S. (1994) 'Apprenticeship and
interaction; language learning in the MAYDAY software environment.' In
Ryan, M. (Ed.), APITITE 94 Conference proceedings. Proceedings of the
Asia Pacific Information Technology in Training and Education Conference
and Exhibition, Brisbane, June-July. (pp. 793-799)
McDougall, A., Cumming, G., Sussex, R,. & Cropp, S. (1995). Learner
modelling by expert teachers: Learner Information Space and the
Minimal Learner Model. In J. D. Tinsley, & T.J. van Weert (Eds.), World
Conference on Computers in Education VI. WCCE95: Liberating the
learner. Proceedings of WCCE95 (6th IFIP World Conference on Computers
and Education), Birmingham, UK, July. (pp. 733-
742)
-----Original Message-----
From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi
[mailto:tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de]
Sent: 26 November 1998 13:23
To: International Forum of Educational Technology & Society
Cc: Dr. Bob Leamnson; Kinshuk
Subject: [ifets] Technolgy and Lifelong Learning
Dear IFETS Forum Members, Dear Bob, Dear Dr.Kinshuk,
I am watching very closely the ongoing discussions regarding,
Technology
and Tomorows. And, I would like to add some more important threads to
the
ongoing discussion to put some flame, to stir up.
Today, when I was reading past issue of Communications of ACM (CACM)
Magazines, there I found surprisingly the following statements re.
Lifelong Learning (article) written by Dr. Carol Edwards in the May 1993
Issue of CACM.
Dr. Carol Edwards writes...
Technology can make the lifelong learning a reality. With electronic
tools, people can learn virtually any time and place they choose without
obstacles such as poor transportation, fear of street crime, or lack of
expert teachers (this I can not understand). Technology makes learning a
private and personal experience, and seems to motivate learners - a
particularly important factors for adults and children who experiences
difficulty with traditional educational methods..
(COPYRIGHT: CACM, May 93)
More in next mails...
Any thoughts??
Kind Regards
Arun
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ARUN KUMAR TRIPATHI,c/o Braun,Luetgenholthauser Strasse 99
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E-mail: <tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Research Scholar, Internet Search Expert, Department of Statistics
University Of Dortmund, EDRESOURCE Listserv Moderator
MEMBER, IEEE Computer Society: http://www.computer.org
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