This morning a colleague asked for a few references on the future of distance learning. I began culling, selecting a few articles that could be used as discussion points and this lead to a second grouping of articles addressing the digital divide. These are very select references, by no means exhaustive but do represent some of the standouts I've read and used recently.
E/M-learning
Here are five to choose from – please let me know if you’d like more. The Traxler is an intro to a special edition of Distance Education, but I thought it provided some general contest for mobile education and so might be useful. Dabbagh and Kitsantas takes up the idea of personal learning environments and social media. Junco specifically looks at Facebook use and it’s impact on engagement – with a positive mention of Twitter in the conclusion. Korucu and Alkkan lay out some foundations for e and m-learning, though the English is somewhat tortured. And Wang, Wiesemes, and Gibbons bring up digital literacy, in a small way.
I avoided Freire (thinking this isn’t probably the right forum to talk about the liberatory potential of technology) and did not focus on digital literacy, though that’s an issue. I might (now that I’ve written this) go back and find one or two appropriate digital literacy references, if you think they’d be of use.
Traxler, J. (2010). Distance education and mobile learning: Catching up, taking stock. Distance Education, 31(2), 129-138. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/750315313?accountid=10267
The MoLeNET (2007) initiative in the United Kingdom, referred to later, still takes this approach, defining mobile learning as "exploitation of ubiquitous handheld hardware, wireless networking and mobile telephony to enhance and extend the reach of teaching and learning" (p. 1). According to one influential definition, the defining characteristics of distance education are: * the separation of teacher and learner which distinguishes it from face-to-face lecturing * the influence of an educational organisation which distinguishes it from private study * the use of technical media, usually print, to unite teacher and learner and carry the educational content * the provision of two- way communication so that the student may benefit from or even initiate dialogue * the possibility of occasional meetings for both didactic and socialisation purposes * the participation in an industrialised form of education which, if accepted, contains the genus of radical separation of distance education from other forms.
Nada Dabbagh, Anastasia Kitsantas, Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self- regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning, The Internet and Higher Education, Volume 15, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 3-8, ISSN 1096-7516, 10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751611000467)
Abstract: A Personal Learning Environment or PLE is a potentially promising pedagogical approach for both integrating formal and informal learning using social media and supporting student self- regulated learning in higher education contexts. The purpose of this paper is to (a) review research that support this claim, (b) conceptualize the connection between PLE, social media, and self- regulated learning, and (c) provide a three-level pedagogical framework for using social media to create PLEs that support student self-regulated learning. Implications for future research in this area are provided. Keywords: Social media; Personal Learning Environment (PLE); Self-regulated learning; Web 2.0
Reynol Junco, The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement, Computers & Education, Volume 58, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 162-171, ISSN 0360-1315, 10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.004. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131511001825)
Abstract: Educators and others are interested in the effects of social media on college students, with a specific focus on the most popular social media website—Facebook. Two previous studies have examined the relationship between Facebook use and student engagement, a construct related to positive college outcomes. However, these studies were limited by their evaluation of Facebook usage and how they measured engagement. This paper fills a gap in the literature by using a large sample (N = 2368) of college students to examine the relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement. Student engagement was measured in three ways: a 19-item scale based on the National Survey of Student Engagement, time spent preparing for class, and time spent in co-curricular activities. Results indicate that Facebook use was significantly negatively predictive of engagement scale score and positively predictive of time spent in co-curricular activities. Additionally, some Facebook activities were positively predictive of the dependent variables, while others were negatively predictive. Keywords: Facebook; Student engagement; Post-secondary education; Learning outcomes; Social networks
Agah Tugrul Korucu, Ayse Alkan, Differences between m-learning (mobile learning) and e-learning, basic terminology and usage of m-learning in education, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 15, 2011, Pages 1925-1930, ISSN 1877-0428, 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.029. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811005751)
Abstract: The need for usage of technologies which removes the boundaries of time and location increases day by day today when information and accession to information gains importance. Effect of mobile learning to education is an issue to be researched in order to provide lifelong learning. The fact that mobile devices are small and they have got with a lot of features despite their size increases interest for them. This increasing interest requires more study on these devices or causes the usage of these devices in more fields. The feature of mobile devices that enable educational atmosphere encourages individuals for their usage. Besides, it enables an educator who shares the information to contact more students independent of time and location with the usage of mobile devices in education. Mobile learning is explained in a detailed way in this study. Besides, the relation and differences between m-learning and e-learning are put forth with their details. On some important issues such as internet accession and usage status in Turkey, technological devices used in mobile learning and communication technologies are also studied. Keywords: Mobile learning; m-learning; e-learning; mobile technology; distant education; mobile devices
RuoLan Wang, Rolf Wiesemes, Cathy Gibbons, Developing digital fluency through ubiquitous mobile devices: Findings from a small-scale study, Computers & Education, Volume 58, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 570-578, ISSN 0360-1315, 10.1016/j.compedu.2011.04.013. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131511002193)
Abstract: As part of the Visual Learning Lab’s initiative of promoting visual learning supported through technologies in Higher Education, this VLL funded study explored part-time mature doctoral students’ use and perceptions of a mobile device in support of their research activities. The study was conducted by the Graduate School in collaboration with the School of Nursing at the University of Nottingham. Six students participated in the study for a period of six months. The methodology was qualitative and included semi-structured exit interviews. By re-analysing the original study (Gibbons, 2009), this paper raises a vital question about what constitutes a meaningful mobile learning experience which takes into account the different biographical and life stage factors. It challenges the ongoing debate on generational issues on uses of mobile or other digital technologies and leads to discussion of the concept of digital fluency with all learners. Keywords: Adult learning; Applications in subject areas; Distributed learning environment; Evaluation methodologies
Broadband/Digital Divide
Broadband adoption in Low-Income Communities is a lengthy document but it is based on interviews with actual users and includes a wealth of good information. 21st Century Standards is simple and straightforward for any who might not have thought about the issue before. Hobbs plan of action is solid in laying out action steps and is generally a good document, not overly technical and one of the newer foundational documents on the topic. And then we get into the Freire-zone, with Poore and also Srinivasan. Jimoyiannis, and Gravani look at creating digital literacy instruction, educator practice and adult learning. And finally Powell and Colin have nothing directly to say about digital literacy but it’s an important article, I think.
21st Century Information Literacy Standards for the Digital Learners of New York
A standards guide for learners in K-12 schools, higher education, libraries, and life-long learning. These Standards are based on, and aligned with, national standards from: the American Library Association (ALA) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Hobbs, Renee(2010) Digital and Media Literacy: A plan of action Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy
Hobbs’ plan of action focuses on helping people of all ages not simply to use digital tools but also to discover both the pleasures and the power of being well-informed, engaged and responsible consumers and producers of information. Although investments in technology have increased significantly in recent years, Hobbs notes that simply purchasing the latest educational tools and technologies does not necessarily lead to digital and media literacy. Many American parents mistakenly believe that simply providing children and young people with access to digital technology will automatically enhance learning. But by encouraging digital and media literacy education, citizens will have life skills necessary for full participation in their communities.
Poore, Megan (2011) Digital Literacy: Human Flourishing and Collective Intelligence in a Knowledge Society. Australian Journal of Language & Literacy; Jun2011, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p20-26, 7p
How is digital literacy important to human flourishing? With so many students today using online and digital tools such as Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and smartphones, this paper investigates the implications for educators in raising students' levels of digital literacy. Using Pierre Lévy's work on collective intelligence as my starting point, I explore the types of digital literacies that both teachers and students will need to develop if we are to make the most of new technologies as humanity emerges into a new 'knowledge space'. At a time when some fear that the digital age is taking the whole human person out of the teaching and learning nexus, I argue that we have a responsibility to raise our own and our students' digital literacy as it is this that will help us follow what Paulo Freire famously called our 'ontological vocation' to become more fully human in the digital age.
Srinivasan, Ramesh (2012) Rethinking Digital Cultures and Divides: The Case for Reflective Media. The Information Society. Vol. 28, Iss. 1, 2012
Research exploring the means by which new media technologies can shape development within marginalized communities worldwide has began to move away from discussion limited to technical and infrastructural, to consider the interactions, beliefs, and values of local communities. Yet most projects continue to focus on enabling communities to access external information, rather than on the possibility of using media to catalyze community reflection and thereby developmental activity from within. This article shows how this promise can be actualized by providing an overview of an experimental project that made available a set of video cameras to a carefully selected group of community members in a ritualized, largely nonliterate village in Andhra Pradesh, India. It concludes that policymakers, researchers, and practitioners would benefit from considering the possibilities that reflective media hold to generate collective action and consensus building, and that these possibilities can synergize with the need to develop scalable projects.
Jimoyiannis, A., & Gravani, M. (January 01, 2010). Digital Literacy in a Lifelong Learning Programme for Adults: Educators' Experiences and Perceptions on Teaching Practices. International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence, 1, 1, 40-60.
The study presented explores aspects of adult learning on digital literacy in the context of a lifelong learning programme for social cohesion in Greece. The article outlines the framework of the digital literacy subject and underlines its associated objectives regarding adults’ knowledge and competence in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The exploration draws upon the experiences and perceptions of eight adult ICT educators. The findings reveal that the educators tried to use flexible instructional practices that were adjusted to adult learners’ needs and interests. Common effective instructional practices used were: ICT competence sessions, interdisciplinary and multi-literacy lessons, ICT-based projects, individual instruction sessions. Additionally, the article reveals the difficulties that adults faced in the course of developing ICT literacy skills. The article ends with implications for the design of adult digital literacy courses in lifelong learning programmes, and for the preparation and development of the ICT educators in the years to come
Maria C. Powell and and Mathilde Colin. (2008) Meaningful Citizen Engagement in Science and Technology: What Would it Really Take? Science Communication September 2008 30: 126- 136,
Citizen engagement in scientific and technological issues is in vogue in recent years, and a variety of projects intended to engage citizens in science and technology is occurring worldwide. However, few academics and governments attempting to “engage in engagement” are clear about their goals and desired outcomes, and whether or not the processes they facilitate are likely to meet these ends. What are the goals—explicit and implicit—of institutionally sponsored projects that aim to engage lay citizens in science and technology? Are these exercises likely to meet these goals? and what kinds of processes could nurture more meaningful engagement, what are the barriers to this kind of engagement, and how might these barriers be overcome? Based on the experience of the authors, this article explores these questions and provides 10 recommendations for more meaningful engagement of citizens in science and technology.
