Las Redes Sociales en la Educación (Social Media in Education)

Interesante artículo de dos partes, en el que se presentan distintos aspectos relacionados al uso de las redes sociales en la educación.  Los autores analizan el impacto de los medios sociales en la educación, a la vez que presentan la resistencia al uso de los mismos en la sala de clases. También presentan ejemplos reales de cómo los maestros, los estudiantes y los administradores se conectan a las redes sociales para crear un mejor entorno de aprendizaje y reformar la educación pública.

  http://www.edudemic.com/social-media-in-education-2/

http://www.edudemic.com/social-media-in-education-2/

(In this two parts article, the authors analyze the impact of Social Media on the education sector while also empathizing with educators on their resistance to the use of it in the classroom. They also present real classroom examples of how teachers, students and administrators are connecting social media to create a better learning environment and reforming public education.)

Tecnologías Emergentes en 20 años + (Ilustrado) (Emerging Technologies in 20+ years)

El proyecto "Envisioning Technology Research Foundation" organiza las tecnologías emergentes en seis categorías distintas a través de una interesante infográfica en la que proyectan el uso de las distintas tecnologías en los próximos 20+ años.  Las categorías incluyen: aulas digitalizadas; aprendizaje a través de juegos interactivos (gamificación); apertura de la información; desintermediación; computación tangible; y estudios virtuales/físicos.  

Muy interesante para aquellos que nos preguntamos que nos depara el destino en cuanto a la educación...

(Projecting twenty-plus-years into the future, the Envisioning the Future of Education Technology infographic illustrates and arranges emerging technologies into six distinct categories. Worth exploring, the categories include: digitized classrooms; gamification; opening of information; disinter-mediation; tangible computing; and virtual/ physical studios.) 

Referencia:

Zappa, M. & TFE Research (2013).  Envisioning the Future of Education Technology.  Envisioning Technology. Recuperado de: http://envisioning.io/education/index.php

My Networks: A Connectivist Point of View of Facilitating Learning

Networking has definitely changed how people do things, behave and learn.  I can still recall the long hours spent at the university's library when I was finishing my bachelor's degree.  Before the availability of the actual technological tools I had to spend a lot of time trying to locate the appropriate information.  Now all I need is my computer and my networks.    

The wide range of digital tools available continues to grow, and  many teachers are now using them to facilitate learning.  I am a very visual and auditory learner, so tools like the Podcasts and educational videos better suit my learning style.  During my coursework I had also experienced the use of one of the tools I consider being one of the most useful collaboration learning tools:  Google Docs.  

Acquiring new knowledge for me now is a "computerized" matter.  It is interesting how people have adopted the term "google it" meaning searching for information using the Google site's search tool.  I have also adopted different sites to search-in when I have unanswered questions.  In conclusion, I have to say that learning for me nowadays is a totally different experience.

Learning Theories and Educational Technology

Two very important questions that all people passionate about learning through technology should reflect upon:

• How do you believe people learn best?
• What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?

What do I believe?

Learning is defined as a persisting change in human performance or performance potential (Driscoll, 2005). There are many theories about how people learn. And I believe that all of them are pertinent to specific learning situations. I believe that people learn best when different techniques are used so their learning styles can be fulfilled. Shirley (2010) classifies learners into three basic groups: the listening learners, the seeing learners, and the touch/experience learners. There is no better learning style, they are just different from each other.

Educational technology has a long history. As I watched a YouTube video about the History of Educational Technology I reflected upon how it has influenced learning and how learning theories influence educational technology. Educational technology is defined as the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources (Richey, 2008). While learning theory is defined as a set of constucts linking observed changes in performance with what is thought to bring about those changes (Driscoll, 2005). I believe that learning theory is fundamental when designing the activities that will help people learn and improve their performance through those technological processes and resources.


References:

Driscoll, M. P. (2005).  Psychology of learning for instruction.  Boston, MA:  Pearson Education.
Richey, R.C. (2008). Reflections on the 2008 AECT Definitions of the Field. TechTrends, 52(1) 24-25.
Shirley, R. (2010).   Which one are you?  Retrieved from: http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/how-do-you-learn.htm