Ashley,

Your comment about “what type of learning is happening” on social media is interesting to me as I haven’t typically associated learning with social media. However, more recently I have seen it being used more in academics and/or for learning, but I still see it more as a way to escape reality and find some more entertainment from those around you. I also agree with you that networked learning is not utilized nearly as much in undergrad compared to grad school, as witnessed by my own experiences in undergrad.

Stephen,

I can relate to what you mentioned about how blogs could be great resources to look up for information, but that you wouldn’t typically go to a blog site to look up information when I need it. Also, I agree with you that I will not go to social media to look up anything serious, but go to get a break from work and find something that will make me laugh. If I happen to cross something that is serious I might take a look but usually will try to keep moving to something happy and entertaining. For something serious, I try to search out a trustworthy source to gather more documented information.

Your comment about “chairs in a room, arranged in rows and columns so all the students face the front of the class room” is interesting. It made me think of online courses because they are not taught that way. It is important to note that online courses can be especially useful for nontraditional students (such as adult learners). For example, “Nontraditional students with outside responsibilities can benefit from the flexibility online courses offer” (Green, 2015). In addition, “Online school removes the stigma of being older” and allows students to “attend distant campuses” (Green, 2015).

Green, D. (2015, November 6). 3 Challenges Online Education Helps Adult Learners Overcome. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/2015/11/06/3-challenges-online-education-helps-adult-learners-overcome

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Good topic! I usually don’t blame communication technology for creating a distraction. Rather, I blame the disengaging boring atmosphere and environment that is already present in the class. My understanding is that engagement itself is an outcome of the interplay of several factors, e.g., course content, teaching method, teacher’s competency, class size, etc. If these factors are strong enough to make the class an interesting one (proper class size, effective teacher, etc.), chances are high that every student is engaged even when he/she possesses a device. Sometimes the most boring content could be delivered with such passion and expertise that grab everyone’s attention. This physics class (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FfKaIgArJ8) is an example. Before we blame technology, we may need to ask questions such as “what percentage of professors deliver their course content with passion and competency?”, “what percentage deliver their course content in the most boring traditional ways?”, ‘How many professors bother themselves to make their classes interesting like that physics professor did?” etc. If the students’ perception is that a professor is simply repeating or reading from a set of slides in the most boring way, they feel they do not need it. Therefore, they become disinterested and disengaged because they do not find a value in listening regardless of having immediate access to a device or not. On the other hand, there are many educational applications (e.g., Kahoot) that are quite engaging especially for freshman students. In short, my opinion is that if the professor sets proper strategies to deal with technology in advance and spends enough energy to make the class interesting, communication devices could work as supplementary tools to make the classroom experience more fruitful.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I too have gone back and forth about keeping a blog for the work that I do within higher education. After much debate, I believe that blogging about your academic achievements and the work that you’re doing in your field could be extremely beneficial for you. Within your professional blog, I think it is okay for you to add points about your professional life but you do not have to tell people everything. You could possibly tailor it to how your personal life blends in with your professional and academic life (if at all). I think this would be the best of both worlds for you. Best of luck and I hope you start your own blog soon!

Lehi, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I completely agree with your statement about the mentality of many of our faculty today. It’s unfortunate that many take joy in watching heir students suffer simply because they have the ability and authority to do so. I’m of the mindset of, I suffered and I don’t want those working with and under me to suffer as well. I want to be a shield and begin a revolution to treat students with decency and respect; to challenged them to expand their comfort zones; to help the get uncomfortable with things that previously made them comfortable but to do so in a way that creates an environment of care. There’s so much more to be said about this particular topic and I hope that we continue to dive deeper into it as the semester progresses!

The part of your blog that I enjoyed the most is your mention of community within the classroom; thank you! I feel in academia that we often forget that our classrooms are a community created by the students and professors in the shared space. Sometimes this community is thriving and other times it may be fighting to survive. As we move further into the 21st century, professors and students must be cognizant that classroom community is not only created and cultivated by those in one shared classroom space, but it also happens online (i.e. blogs and websites, social media) and around the world with other colleagues. While I’m still figuring out the usefulness of blogging in the classroom, I do believe that it aids in creating a brave space for professors and students alike to disseminate information and learn and grow with each other.

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First, I absolutely love the title of this blog; it’s very enticing. Second, although I’m pursuing a masters in higher education administration I do understand your vantage point some since my bachelor’s is in kinesiology (science & medicine). I’m reflecting now on how network learning apply in my classes and within that field. I don’t know if you’ve ever watcher Grey’s Anatomy but there is an episode in which the interns and attendees are attempting to get the Chief of Surgery to utilize social media to engage with other doctors while he completes a complicated procedure. Although the Chief is initially reluctant, by the end of the episode, he’s enjoying the outreach and opportunity that social media is providing him. He’s able to disseminate information quickly and efficiently. I’m hoping that is how I’ll feel about blogging/social media and networked learning by the end of this course.

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Thank you for not following the prompt! I wish I could have taken invertebrate biology from the Russian professor you mentioned. It sounds like a wonderful and meaningful way to learn the subject. And I’m guessing more of that “content” stayed with you after the class than would have been the case in a “normal” lecture class.
Lectures are definitely not the only / best approach for STEP courses. I think they have their place in a range of curricula, but there are more student-centered, curiosity inspiring approaches that work better most of the time. I’m glad you enjoyed Mike Wesch’s talk and look forward to the semester!

You might want to check back on the Campbell piece as I think you have misconstrued his argument by conflating it with Kuh’s. You’re both likely more in agreement with Campbell than you think.