Eric Mack and Tim Casey
Folks in the Vermont office are participating in a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) on The Digital Learning Transition hosted by the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University and the Alliance for Excellent Education's Project 24. It is designed for school and district leaders involved in planning and implementing K-12 digital learning initiatives. Over 2,500 schools around the country are meeting in small teams to participate in the course. This is a great opportunity to gain insight into the market and act as catalyst for interdepartmental discussion on digital learning and Middlebury Interactive’s place in the market. Any non-Vermont based employee interested in participating in the MOOC or receiving the resources we use, please contact Tim Casey, tcasey@middil.com, or Eric Mack, emack@middil.com.
Our goal is to use the blog as a forum to recap and continue the discussion from our Friday meetings. We encourage everyone in the company to share their thoughts and resources on the topics and how they relate to the company.
Recap
Last week was the soft launch of the course. After working through some very slow and basic videos (it is a course run by NC State after all) we ended up having a great discussion as we worked through some of the discussion board posts from schools.
What is a flipped classroom?
-What do parents need to do to support a flipped classroom?
-How can Language Clubs and MIL content support a flipped classroom?
How do we balance online with offline in the classroom?
-How can teachers utilize digital content, but put it in the larger context of face-to-face learning?
How do we engage the digital generation?
-How to we connect project based learning with their life?
How do you structure the role of a mentor/teacher/parent in an increasingly digital world?
Again, please share your thoughts on any or all of the topics above. Remember to check back follow up on other's posts.
"How do we engage the digital generation?"
ReplyDeleteGamification. Make things fun and engaging, challenging and surprising, rewarding. This generation has grown up with game consoles in their homes. Make things exciting and they will engage themselves.
I agree that gaming elements are important, and gaming is changing. It's not just about earning points. Do you know the game Mindcraft? Creativity, strategy, observation and perception are huge components.
ReplyDeleteI think we need pose a more broad question and ask how do we engage students. I see students today having shorter attention spans and seeking to be engaged to think more than ever. Two topics discussed last week that are not mutually exclusive are project based learning and gamification. In our digital world we can make the mistake of blurring them.
ReplyDeleteHere is a TEDx talk I watched in a gamification MOOC that I think applies well to our company. It discusses a teachers strategy in implementing gamification and its pittfalls in creating a balanced classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qlYGX0H6Ec
Take a look at this link to Smartblog on Leadership, in which John Seely Brown makes the case for why high-level World Of Warcraft players make better employees than Harvard MBAs.
ReplyDeletehttp://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/09/25/big-think-925/
Interesting. Thanks for this post. I would like to pose a few basic questions: What is digital learning? What is the purpose of digital learning? In the long run, will digital learning improve education? Why or why not? Don't get me wrong. Technology can be used toward positive and constructive ends, like we are trying to do here at Middlebury Interactive Languages. But there are some very bright people who challenge the assumption that the transition to digital learning is synonymous with improvement in education (see for example "Friedman Certifies the MOOC!" http://bigthink.com/rightly-understood/friedman-certifies-the-mooc or "iPhones have consequences" http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/10/002-iphones-have-consequences-45)
ReplyDeleteBut to answer the question: "How can teachers utilize digital content, but put it in the larger context of face-to-face learning?" I personally dislike the use of the word "content", as if all we are giving to students is a bag of information to play with. Although that may be fun, and although it can be useful to some extent, a teacher's job isn't just to transmit information. A good teacher tells. A better teachers shows. A great teacher inspires. Maybe a better question might be: "How do we harness digital power to help ignite a spark that kindles a fire for the passion for learning, and particularly a fire for the passion of learning a new language?" I have many thoughts on this topic as it applies to education in general, but one thing that has always seemed like a productive possibility for Middlebury Interactive Languages is the possibility of selling the composer itself, along with training for teachers to build their own courses. I can imagine teachers of any language in any country using the product... a Russian teacher in Australia, a French teacher in the Czech Republic, a Japanese teacher in Chile, an English teacher in Saudi Arabia... all of these teachers drawing "content" from a Middlebury database, and creating "content" of their own (which could be added and organized in the Middlebury database). Obviously teachers would be free to use whichever products are already built, but a teacher could adapt the template to his or her own specific teaching environment. This idea could apply to various areas of language teaching, including higher ed. and government, each teacher receiving training to create materials that are specific to his or her own class. To take this even a step further, teachers could then train students to create their own courses. For students who really want to learn a language, creating a language course of their own would cement listening, speaking, writing and comprehension skills better than any passive reception of "content". Of course, students could adapt their own courses to their particular interests and vocabulary sets, and build upon it throughout the years as they progress in fluency. It would almost be like making a highly advanced set of flash cards that could be accessed at any moment, and reviewed at any time for a refresher course, especially before travelling to a foreign country or implementing the foreign language in an educational or business setting. In any case, it is a good question to consider, how digital technology can be used to enhance face to face teaching and learning, but since this blog is digital, and not face to face, it would take longer to explain. Just some ideas on the topic.
ReplyDelete