Jason, while the article is fascinating, Alexandra Juhasz falls into the
same trap as many of us comparing a traditional approach to education
with a new approach. Because of binary principles, we force the new
approach (constructive education supported by Web 2.0) to play by the
same rules as the old approach (traditional education). Even the choice
of words in the dichotomies communicates to the reader that the new
approach may be less acceptable (her conclusion). What if the "paradigm"
is changing and the old rules don't apply anymore? Of course, asking
that question creates the same dilemma that Newtonian physics faced when
introduced to Quantum theory. How does one execute an "unbiased
analysis?" I congratulate Alexandra for attempting to make some progress
in understanding on-line education, and certainly there are lessons to
be learned. I think, however, that the use of binary comparison does not
serve her well in her study. Do I have a better idea? Unfortunately not,
other than to suggest that Alexandra simply report what she observed
rather than trying to build conceptual models. The empirical approach is
more reliable when we don't have the perspective to look at binaries
from a completely equitable vantage point.=20
Joel
_________________________________
Joel Backon
Director of Academic Technology / History Teacher
Choate Rosemary Hall
333 Christian St.
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-697-2514
=20
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-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Johnson, Jason P Mr
WRAMC_Wash DC
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 7:56 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Web 2.0 Teaching - Food for Thought (UNCLASSIFIED)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED=20
Caveats: NONE
There is a very interesting article on Open Culture by a teacher who's
course on YouTube was entirely conducted on YouTube. In the short
article she neatly summarizes and creates issue pairs (she calls them
binaries) that exist in tension and should definitely be pondered by
anyone using communications technologies to extend or displace the
traditional classroom:
1. Public/Private
2. Aural/Visual
3. Body/Digital
4. Amateur/Expert
5. Entertainment/Education
6. Control/Chaos
While she determines the implementation of the technology altered the
classroom paradigm for the worse, it is not hard to see solutions for
many of them in a course that is properly married with the appropriate
technology.
"Thinking through education on YouTube, after teaching a class using its
many resources and even greater limitations, I found that the
specificity of the site, and some of the features more generally of Web
2.0, served to unsettle six binaries that typically structure the
academic classroom. As these rigid binaries dismantle, the nature of
teaching and learning shifts (I'd say for the worse). I'd like to
briefly name and explain these dismantling binaries here (with
illustrative clips from some course videos)."
http://www.oculture.com/2008/04/teaching_on_youtube.html
_J
___________________________________
Jason Johnson - Program Director
Web Services Branch - Walter Reed Army Medical Center Ingenium (ISO
9001:2000 certified)
Office: 202-782-1047
Cell: 202-262-0516
jason.johnson@ingenium.net
jason.p.johnson2@us.army.mil=20
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED=20
Caveats: NONE
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