I often wonder how often I should renew my lectures (videos). Anatomy and physiology stays pretty much the same, isn’t changing. How long can I use the videos I make, I mean if the content hasn’t changed?
In the ONL course, developed by educators that are experts on online teaching, the newest source in topic one was seven years old. And that is on a subject that changes rapidly. They still use 7 year old youtube videos by David White (Visitors and Residents 2014), a 9 year old video by Doug Belshaw (The essential Elements of Literacies 2012) and an JISC guide from 2014. I guess my two year old videos aren’t bad then.
I agree with David White (2014a), age is not a factor when it comes to online learning. Some of my students often don’t even know how to google properly, let alone know what sources to trust online. Exactly like White (2014a) says even if the students are engaging on the web in a personal context, it might not translate into more formal context, like online learning. I completely agree with that. While some of my colleagues close to retirement do very well with technology, know what sources to trust etc.
White (2014b) talks about visitors and residents as a continuum. Visitors don’t leave a trace online, I come to think of my own mother. She pays her bills, sends a few emails and reads the newspaper, that’s it. Typical visitor in other words. While residents live out a portion of their lives online and leave a social trace. I guess I am somewhere in the middle. Yes I have Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, but I don’t post a lot about my personal life or my opinions or at all for that matter. Also, I do make videos for my students, but the videos aren’t public you need to have the link to watch them.
While I was watching Doug Belshahaw’s talk on Ted (2012) a few of the points he made really popped. 1. Kids are native users of technology. For example, when my son now 6yrs was 1yr and I was reading books to him, he really wanted to klick on certain things. And at that point he had never used a pad or smartphone. 2. The pictures and photos that we post on social media, and how they can easily be transformed into something else, and even used in commercials etc. That actually happened to me. I was on Facebook and suddenly saw my own face in a commercial for anti wrinkle cream. I contacted the person who had used my picture and it was taken down immediately. 3. Costumer service. Belshaw (2012) was talking about the fact that you call a number, give them x amount of information and is still being tossed around. That was 9 years ago and we are still being tossed around spending so much time on these “customer service calls”.
JISC (2011) talks about the fact that being digitally literate changes over time and across contexts. JISC (2012) presents a seven elements model that includes; media literacy, communications and collaboration, career & identity management, ICT literacy, learning skills, digital scholarship and information literacy.
Still 10 years ago, when talking about digital literacies, most people thought about the ICT literacy, how to be able to use digital devices, applications and services, but there is so much more to it. For example media and information literacy. Are we able to critically read and produce academic and professional communication. David White (2014b) points out and what is relevant might change in time and context as well. Is what is published in a vetted journal important information (like we usually think today), or the information that has the most hits on Google etc. Communication and collaboration is something I personally think is hard for a lot of students. Even if a course for example is on line, you need to collaborate and you need to communicate to the others, both students and teachers, in a respectful manner. To adopt learning skills in technology rich environments take time. Just like it took time in elementary school to find ways to sit still and learn the alphabet and later more complicated things in school.
So far I can say thet the ONL course has been intense. Very interesting, but intense. Webinars, twitterchats, PBL meetings, articles, videos, blogging and research. The discussions in the PBL group have been very interesting and useful. Don’t think we always stayed on the topic, but that’s okay I think. Also our presentation wasn’t the best, but we did what we could with the timeframe we were given. In the next topic I will be one of the leads, so we’ll see how that goes.
References:
White David (a). (2014, Mar 10). Visitors and Residents [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI
White David (b). (2014, Mar 10). Visitors and Residents: Credibility [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO569eknM6U
Doug Belshaw. (Mar 22, 2012).The essential elements of digital literacies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78
JISC (2014, Oct 11) Developing digital literacies http://web.archive.org/web/20141011143516/http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/digital-literacies/
