Module II Project Presentation

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My project presentation is on the Glogster (my first Glogster attempt!) You are welcome to view and feel free to comment on the Blog or the Glog J

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Module II Project Presenation

Digital Literacy in my Work

‘Supporting information age Literacy in Higher Education’ is an interesting article by Justin Marquis. It outlines the eight essential skills needed for students to become leaders in the digital age.

I always encourage students to use new technology in the class specially if they are presenting and communicating. Prezi was a good experience which made the presentations more interesting and alive. Also, maintaining a Blog really helped them in reflecting on their learning process. As to develop their analytical thinking and application, assignments are designed which entail seeking information from a variety of sources. For example in one of my Finance courses, while comparing two financial institutions and coming up with recommendations, students need to search online sources as well as meet the manager and gather task specific information. Projects based on real life situation help build their critical thinking. They get an opportunity to apply the skills they have learnt during the semester in the course to solve real life problems. Integrative projects have proven to be very useful in some of my courses where my part of the course complements the other course and students use both the courses as building blocks to complete structure. This plays a very important for them in understanding the bigger picture.

With overabundance of information available at a click away comes the temptation for short cuts such as plagiarism. Transparency, accountability and a proper bibliography are pivotal to authentic learning. Safe assign should be used and students should be encouraged to submit drafts periodically and a presentation & oral defense must accompany the report to ensure that it was really a product of teamwork.

Change and the 21st Century Learners

Should teaching methodology be any different in 21^st century compared to before? This question is addressed in the two articles ‘The 21^st century learner’ by Dr. Michael Rodgers and ‘Authentic Lwaerning for the 21^st century’ by Marilyn M. Lombardi.

Both the articles emphasize the shift from conventional lesson delivery to the use of new technologies that are available in the field of education. I agree with the teacher’s role as no longer being that of the professor dispensing facts and theories. Faculty must learn to communicate in the language and style of today’s students facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Moreover, the traditional learning space of classroom which was physical in nature can be connected with a virtual space for a blended learning approach.

Authentic learning can only happen when students learn-by-doing. The education technology with different simulation programs enable students to learn through real-world problem solving. One of the courses which I teach to bachelors offers them a similar learning experience. Business decision simulation is a capstone course which gives students a simulated real business environment. They compete against other business companies in a macro environment. Make real life business decisions and face the outcomes.

As for the concept or rather distinction between ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrant’ which was coined by Marc Prensky, I partially agree with it. Siemens critique of the above is his opinion; I don’t take any offence as being referred to as a digital immigrant. I consider myself a proud digital immigrant, why because I learnt and adapted to technology as and when I needed to. I did not grow up in a digital environment because there was none at the time but that did not pose a learning barrier. Rather, it’s been a challenging and invigorating experience learning various education technologies to engage students and facilitate authentic learning.