Children with adult responsibilities

Recently I've observed what I sense may be a growing theme among high school and college students. Almost all of my 16-year-old son's friends work - and many of them have to. The vast majority of my college students work multiple part-time jobs or a full-time job in addition to a full load.

This is not like the days of ole' when I was in high school when kids only worked during the summer or maybe weekends. Kids today have more responsibilities and multiple demands on their time.

Given that, what happens when we as facilitators begin to treat high school and college students as adult learners - at least in the andragogical terms of tying new learning concepts to existing knowledge and experience, explaining why something is important to learn and getting buy-in before beginning learning experiences, etc.

Reflective journals and humanism

Because of technology's influence on education in recent years, I think we've seen a shift to the right in philosophy (from classicalism and behavioralism to pragmatism and humanism). Malcolm Knowles said adult learners were self directed, built knowledge based on previous experiences, had to see an application or reason to learn something so they could apply the new knowledge right away (forgive my paraphrasing).

These are characteristics of humanism and align with the shift in focus of the student from passive to active, the focus of the teacher from sage on the stage to facilitator, and the growing awareness that students have different learning styles and strategies and are there is more than one appropriate way for students to learn. Humanism also points to learning that is social and constructed.

I've been working on my prospectus and the literature points to growing acceptance of a learner-centered approach to education. Simply put, students who are more actively engaged in the learning process (whether in the classroom or online or somewhere in between) tend to have better learning outcomes. Reflective journals are a good example of a learning component that engages the learner.

Having said that, one criticism of humanism is that it can become permissive. The focus is on learning rather than teaching and concepts such as assessments must be clearly communicated or students can become disoriented and disengage.Thus the pros and cons (or cautions) of learning components such as reflective journals.

Writing for the eye vs. writing for the ear

The use of IM language in education . . .

One of the online universities that I teach for has synchronous weekly seminars. The students all pile into a big chat room and I facilitate the discussion. They know the general topic before the seminar begins and receive participation points for making substantive comments. Because the seminar is one hour it is very fast-paced and there is an acceptance and understanding of misspelled words and shortcuts such as IM phrases.

But, more importantly, it's conversational. The intent is to develop social interaction in the virtual classroom and to facilitate learning through communication. That's the purpose.

I say that to say this: professional writers understand that there is a distinct difference (and talent) in writing for the eye and writing for the ear. If you've ever heard a television or radio commercial that sounded "fake" or stilted, you've witnessed an example of a writer who wrote for the wrote sensor. When we write for the eye, we write for print.

The printed word is most easily comprehended and digested when there is clear and correct grammatical structure. Paragraphs, commas, proper grammar all facilitate easy reading which improves comprehension.

The verbal or broadcast word is most easily comprehended when it's conversational, natural, and we hear phrases used in everyday speech. This type of scripting ignores the parts of grammar that deal with complete sentences and sentence construction. Concepts like verb agreement and avoiding jargon and slang are important because they improve understanding and comprehension - if, again, that is the goal.

There are very, very few writers who are talented and effective in writing for both styles - the eye and the ear. The reason is simple: they use very different (and often opposing) concepts and structures to be effective in facilitating communication.

I think we keep coming back to this point over and over again in articles, books, etc. There are simply different standards and styles that work best in facilitating communication for the eye (print) or for the ear (speech and broadcast).

Computer literate? Internet savvy? Techie?

I posted the following on the discussion board of my Language, Literacy, and Culture course. It's been haunting me for some time since I have taught microcomputer applications several times (the course at RSU that meets the computer proficiency requirement set by the State Regents) and also am interested in online learning and hybrid formats for course delivery.

Is there a difference between being literate with the computer, the Internet, and newer technologies such as various MP3 players? The proliferation of communications mediums as a result of technology has inspired marketers and advertisers to replace courses such as "promotional strategies" and "principles of advertising" with updated concepts such as "integrated marketing communications" that consider the rapid growth of new media.

If a common definition can be found, then who determines the definition? Prospective employers or academia? Taking it another step, who determines the methods used to test this proficiency?

In Oklahoma, computer literacy is defined by the State Regents as demonstrating proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office software including Windows, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Some universities additionally require the database program Access. Testing is done via a computerized exam called SAM produced by Thompson Learning. I know from experience that there is a learning curve in becoming proficient in using SAM to take exams.

These are some of the issues that intrigue me when dealing with online and hybrid course delivery formats.
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Jones, Steve (2002). The Internet Goes to College: How Students Are Living in the Future with Today's Technology. Pew Internet and American Life Project, Washington, DC. Retrieved from website: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/28/22/3c.pdf

This article describes a broad-scale study completed in 2002 that asked college students about their academic and social use of the Internet. The point is clearly made that college students in the United States have grown up with digital information and find technology such as the Internet to be as ordinary in their lives as, say, the refrigerator. The findings in this study are generally consistent with the concepts discussed by Donald Tapscott in his 1999 book, “Growing Up Digital” that describes characteristics, values, and implications of a generation born into a digital world.

The study lists three primary findings:

• “college students are early adopters and heavy users of the Internet,
• college students say the Internet has enhanced their education,
• and college social life has been changed by the Internet.” (Jones, 2002, p. 1).

The article discusses that most college students today began using computers between ages 5 and 8. They regularly (often daily) use email and instant messenger programs, and network with peers. They regularly use the Internet for academic and social purposes. They are adept at computer skills needed to use applications such as the Internet and instant messenger.

A seemingly logical but inaccurate assumption is often made, then, that college students who are Internet literate are also computer literate, and that the two areas of literacy are the same. But a look into how the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education define computer literacy and computer proficiency says otherwise.

I know from personal experience that my 18-year-old son who is a college freshman has set up an extensive instant messenger system on his desktop that links to friends’ cell phones for text messaging. He has edited skating video and mixed audio for customized CDs touting his and his friends’ skating abilities. He downloads music to his iPod. He also phoned last Sunday night for the third Sunday evening in a row (the deadline for weekly assignments is midnight on Sundays) for help in an English Composition course that he is taking online. Most of his frustrations stem from not being able to readily access clear directions for assignments and understanding how to send them to the instructor. He asks questions such as “what is rtf (rich text file)?”

Beginning in 1998, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education required degree-seeking students at Oklahoma state colleges and universities to demonstrate computer proficiency. They defined computer proficiency to be “the competent use of a variety of software and networking applications” that could be demonstrated by taking a high school or college course that met the requirement or by passing the school’s assessment for those courses (Oklahoma Higher Education, 1998).

As explained on the University of Oklahoma (OU.edu) and Rogers State University (RSU.edu) websites, for example, computer proficiency and computer literacy are defined as demonstrating proficiency in Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, (sometimes) Access, and basic networking skills (including user names and passwords and using an Internet browser (which are quickly covered in a session about Microsoft Windows when students learn how to access their student email account).

Computer literacy as defined by the Higher Regents is a graduation requirement for degrees at four-year Oklahoma colleges and universities. Therein lies the rub . . . and the danger.

Is there a difference in being computer literate and being Internet literate? Whose definition of literacy should be used and in what context? Which skills are needed for success and in what context? Do instructors assume that students who are Internet-literate also computer literate? Do students assume that because they may be Internet literate that they are also computer literate? Do instructors or students make that distinction before it becomes an issue? This will be the issue that I address in my research paper for this course.

References

• Jones, Steve (2002). The Internet Goes to College: How Students Are Living in the Future with Today's Technology. Pew Internet and American Life Project, Washington, DC. Retrieved from website: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/28/22/3c.pdf
• Oklahoma Higher Education (1998). “Policy Statement on Undergraduate Degree Requirements and Articulation.” Chapter 2, Section 5: Standards for Education, p. 102. Retrieved 1-30-06 from website: http://www.okhighered.org/policy-proced/Chapter%202/chpt2-section-5.pdf.
• Rogers State University (2006). Retrieved 1-30-06 from website: http://www.rsu.edu/academics/bulletins/bulletin.asp?Y=five&P=compSc
• Tapscott, Donald (1998). Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation. McGraw-Hill, New York. University of Oklahoma (2006). Retrieved 1-30-06 from website: http://casweb.ou.edu/home/students/information/info_current_complit_qa.html#requirement

The Internet

Tonight I'm going to lead a small group discussion at my church about the Internet. They think I'm a techie. Actually I'm a marketing/business person who can talk to engineers. My masters degree is in telecom management from OSU which is basically their MBA program with some network engineering in lieu of some finance courses.

But I didn't have any personal experience with blogs until this class - so just in time!

This fits nicely with my dissertation topic which will look at the hybrid format for educational delivery - specifically which components are most effectively delivered online and which are most effectively delivered in a traditional classroom setting.

I did a study last fall at Rogers State University (where I am a member of the business and technology faculty) about concerns of students when selecting an online vs. traditional classroom course. I collected quantitative information but did include one open-ended question which provided some rich insights about format preference among university students for courses they select. Boiled down in a nutshell - and I'm not a qual research (in fact am taking qual 1 this semester) - it appears that those who prefer the online format are working mothers (and parents but mostly women) who want or need a degree for job advancement. They are juggling multiple demands and need the flexibility that an online course can provide regarding work pace and choice of working on classwork any time during the night or day.

So now I'm wondering about the learning components delivered by a student blog . . . and, no doubt, that is why Dr. Stansberry has prescribed this format for us as a learning activity. I'm eager to experience it firsthand.

Blogging from a marketer's perspective

Which came first? The need to blog or the technology to support blogging? From a marketer's perspective, products and services are developed to meet customers' needs and wants. From a technologist perspective, technology advances can prove solutions to needs and wants we may not even know we have.

Countless nostalgic articles have been written about how the times have changed over the past several decades. It has been said that half of all knowledge known to humankind today has been discovered, developed, or created within the past 100 years. Given that pace, is technology opening doors for new products and services? Are our needs and wants changing? When does leading edge become bleeding edge?

In the case of blogging, the more prolific of us have always been predisposed to putting thoughts on paper. In private, these became diaries. If published, they became memoirs.

But blogging differs significantly (in my opinion) from journaling and writing a diary because of the mere fact that it's public. Sharing private thoughts in a public fashion? Seems like an oxymoron. So why the appeal? Who benefits? Do blogs contribute to the public domain of knowledge or are they insights into personal thoughts and opinions now given a public platform via technology?

Perhaps of most interest to me is this question: how can blogs be used most effectively to facilitate learning?