I enjoyed this course and feel that I have gained a great deal of knowledge regarding open and distributed online learning. My biggest takeaway from the course is thinking of ways to incorporate the different topics of inclusive learning, accessibility, UDL principles, identity, values, and personalized learning into my classroom, whether it is online or not. I want to create a safe and inclusive environment that encourages participation among my students when I become a teacher. This course has taught me different ways of participating and communicating through blog posts, with peers, and with professors, as well as how I will create a safe space for my students by protecting their privacy and allowing participation in ways they feel most comfortable.
Thank you all for following along with my blog posts and engaging with them!!
This week’s readings reshaped my understanding of what it means to be “inclusive” in online and open education. This week’s readings urged me to consider the different complexities involved in designing and participating in open and online learning environments and platforms.Â
After understanding Funes and Mackness’s (2018) critique of open educational initiatives on inclusion, where the reproduction of exclusion occurs, there are many factors that contribute to something being inclusive due to power, identity, as well as each individual’s experiences in learning spaces.
The CAST UDL (Universal Design for Learning) framework offers a different approach to accessibility that addresses the diverse needs of all learners. Through the three key principles of multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression, the reading and videos examine the design of the environment and learning experience rather than the barriers within the learner as an individual. It is about educators designing instruction that accommodates learners’ diverse learning needs. After watching the video, I am interested in how the Cast UDL can be implemented in all online courses without institutional commitment and involvement with resources.Â
The Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) emphasizes the importance of understanding diversity and uniqueness within each individual. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the inclusive design recognizes, values, and respects each person’s individuality and views them as unique. In order to achieve universal fairness and inclusion, IDRC seeks to approach inclusive design through adaptability and involvement.
After reflecting on all the readings, I began to understand the difficulty in designing open education to allow and promote an environment that is both accessible and inclusive. There are pivotal factors involved in creating an inclusive and accessible online environment that extend beyond simply making content open and free. This week has deepened my understanding of what it means to design and participate in learning that is accessible and inclusive for learners. My inquiry is about understanding how open educational environments can be designed to prioritize learner autonomy and inclusivity without simply reinforcing dominant norms.
References:
About UDL. UDL On Campus: About UDL. (n.d.). https://udloncampus.cast.org/page/udl_about
Funes, M., & Mackness, J. (2018). When inclusion excludes: A counter narrative of Open Online Education. Learning, Media and Technology, 43(2), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2018.1444638
Philosophy. Inclusive Design Research Centre. (n.d.). https://idrc.ocadu.ca/about/philosophy/
This week’s material has prompted me to reflect on what meaningful engagement through online learning platforms entails in comparison to traditional educational roles and learning.
Barnes (2016)Barnes (2016)Â highlights instructor presence as a key factor in cultivating students’ learning. He creates an engaging and authentic community.Through interactions, teachers provide feedback and communication to their students, encouraging open communication and a setting that provides a secure and welcoming space for people to work together and express who they are.Â
Similarly, Stewart’s (2016) Podcast promotes networked pedagogy, where students’ roles are to build knowledge through participation in digital networks, which, through student participation and collaboration, creates a sense of autonomy over their learning. It is important to understand that the idea of “network pedagogy” seeks to design for equity, discourse, and student representation, making sure that all students feel at ease, even when some platforms may establish hierarchies and divisions.
Within the readings, Martin Weller’s (2020) Chapter explores the idea of connectivism, which can be explained as learning as a process of forming connections between people, ideas, resources, or platforms.Â
All of these resources expand my understanding of digital education and how it necessitates rethinking and creating new identities, communities, and spaces where students feel comfortable and connected, thereby better supporting their digital learning, which may be something they aren’t accustomed to. This is a dynamic process where teachers must be present, and the learning space should be a co-constructed environment where students feel safe to collaborate and connect within relationships, technologies, and commitments. I have personally had great experiences with online instructors and horrible ones. The ones who provided feedback and communication were the ones that I felt supported my overall learning and learning space. For me personally, the instructors who put in the most effort getting to know the students were the ones I felt more comfortable talking to; having said that, the classes that I felt comfortable with and where my learning was supported were the classes I did the best in as well, I saw the results, through the teacher’s involvement as well as my participation, the co-construction is what worked in achieving the goal in the end.Â
Resources:
Curating Episodes that Have Most Impacted My Teaching – Teaching in Higher Ed says:, Networked Pedagogy with Bonnie Stewart | totallyrewired says:, & Group Work Task: Networked Learning : | debsphdblog says: (2019, August 3). Networked pedagogy. Teaching in Higher Ed. https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/networked-pedagogy/
DeWaard, H., Barnes, C., Taleo, W., Nerantzi, C., Mitchell-Holder, S., Spellman-Cann, S., Hendricks, C., Roberts, V., Luong, E., Krasheninnikova, L., Grant, K., Al-Freih, M., Bartoletti, R., Bali, M., & Whitney Kilgore. (2016, November 14). Where’s the teacher? defining the role of instructor presence in social presence and cognition in online education. Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning. https://pressbooks.pub/humanmooc/chapter/wheres-the-teacher-defining-the-role-of-instructor-presence-in-social-presence-and-cognition-in-online-education/
Weller, M. (2020). “Chapter 17 – 2010 Connectivism.” 25 Years of Edtech. AUPress. https://read.aupress.ca/read/25-years-of-ed-tech/section/198057f5-1a3e-4436-a4b8-c6e1a3e0bd69#ch17
After my last update on for my project, I have further analyzed my specific interest, and have invested time into researching and exploring microlearning by looking into its impact on retention and attention span, which are two major aspects of effective learning.
Can Microlearning Compete with Traditional Education?
After more research, I have found articles that look further into my interest regarding retention and attention span in the comparison of microlearning and traditional learning.
Through the article that highlights student retention and attention span I have learned that…
Microlearning enhances retention among students of the content they are learning while also accommodating the modern student’s limited attention span. Microlearning accommodates these aspects and has been shown to yield significant results in increased student retention compared to traditional learning.
According to Mostrady et al. (2024), Microlearning is emerging in today’s digital education due to its flexibility, engagement, increased retention, and alignment with modern attention spans. Microlearning, in comparison to traditional learning, is discussed as a means to improve long-term retention. For example, in the article, the argument is made that breaking content into short, focused lessons reduces cognitive overload and enhances knowledge retention, especially when used in conjunction with repetition and reinforcement, according to Mostrady et al. (2024). This can be directly compared with traditional learning, in the format of lectures that take more time and require students’ attention for longer periods, with a lower rate of retention compared to microlearning. Microlearning also aims to improve learning outcomes by enhancing knowledge retention and reducing cognitive load for students. Microlearning is effective because it allows learners to learn at their own pace and directly supports those with lower attention spans.
This article discusses how teachers can plan their lesson plans, as well as displays and explains students’ attention spans. This provides a background for students’ attention spans. This article is helpful because it prompts me to consider how I can integrate microlearning into my own classroom, taking into account students’ attention spans and utilizing effective planning tools to create a successful and engaging learning environment with microlearning. As a future teacher, I ask myself: Are there specific concepts that I can use microlearning to make more engaging for students? If so, what does that implication look like?Â
Here’s a TikTok that I came across, discussing microlearning in comparison to Traditional learning with a direct correlation to retention and the modern-day attention span…
With my background in education and my current aspirations towards teaching, I have seen firsthand students whose attention spans are very short. I also have personal experience from my schooling that I can attest to. At first, I heard my dad mention the idea of microlearning in an Instagram video that kept popping up on his feed. I immediately thought of how that could be something I could base my project on and learn more about! So, I first found definitions of what that meant and examples of how that type of learning is distributed. After I understood the basics, I delved further into the advantages and benefits of microlearning to identify what specifically interested me. I learned that I have an interest in students’ attention spans and retention from microlearning compared to traditional learning. I further gathered information from TikToks and articles to find more information about this comparison between different learning methods.Â
So here’s my process of how and what I learned!
Thanks for listening and joining in on my learning about microlearning! This isn’t the end for microlearning for me, I am determined to find ways to engage my students in different ways of learning, and microlearning will definitely take part in that!
References:
Mostrady, A., Sanchez-Lopez, E., & Gonzalez-Sanchez, A. F. (2024). Microlearning and its effectiveness in modern education: A mini review. Acta Pedagogia Asiana, 4(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.53623/apga.v4i1.496
Learning, A. N. (2022, November 1). Maintaining student attention in the classroom. Notre Dame Learning. https://learning.nd.edu/news/maintaining-student-attention-in-the-classroom/Â
In the article What’s next for Ed Tech? (2019) by Selwyn et al., the idea of educational technologies is explored, more specifically, how these technologies are shaping the future of learning; this article takes a deep dive into the hope for a more inclusive aspect to learning and highlights some potential concerns about ed techs inclusivity including concerns around inequities in access, and language as well as the overall increasing of automation of learning, taking away from traditional education, along with the datafication and surveillance of students.Â
This article prompted me to think more critically about how, often in society, we assume that more technological advances and tools are equivalent and lead to better learning. Still, in reality, there is a more complex way to discuss and analyze this. Some of these platforms, where learning is moved to, can feel unmotivating for students, and they may feel as if their learning is being digitized and constantly tracked without being fully supported in their learning process of the material. As a society and users of new technology, we must confront the inequalities and ecological instability. We also tend to view digital education as “clean” when, in reality, Ed-tech comes with a significant environmental footprint.Â
After analyzing the content this week, let’s consider alternatives that better impact students, reduce the ecological footprint of edtech, and contribute to mitigating climate change. We need to make it a priority to consider the costs and innovate ways that create more sustainable and ecological upgrades rather than focusing solely on speed. I have attended many online schools and universities, and now, more than ever, I have entirely transitioned to online learning. Yet, we students aren’t aware of the ecological costs of the technologies we use every day, and it seems the institutions aren’t either. There must be a way to implement digital technology in a manner that minimizes its ecological impact while also raising awareness about the effects of technology on climate change.
References
Ferreira, G. (2024, November 28). Learning, media and technology what’s next for Ed-Tech? critical hopes and concerns for the 2020s. Learning, Media and Technology. https://www.academia.edu/41047564/Learning_Media_and_Technology_Whats_next_for_Ed_Tech_Critical_hopes_and_concerns_for_the_2020s
I have an update on my findings regarding my free Inquiry topic of Microlearning. I have researched what Microlearning is and what platforms are used to distribute the learning. I have also looked at the benefits of Microlearning and how they compare to traditional learning.
Look at my last post for my original plan and what I researched last week!
Microlearning is a teaching approach that delivers content in short clips, passages, and other formats, ranging from 2 to 10 minutes. It is delivered through videos, social media, quizzes, and infographics, which are highly relevant to what current generations use daily on their mobile devices.
Some platforms help facilitate the engagement and rise of Microlearning, including Duolingo, TikTok videos, YouTube clips (such as TED Talks), Instagram Reels, and Khan Academy’s short lessons. All of these platforms are examples of Microlearning in today’s society.
Microlearning Examples
Microlearning can occur in many different ways! This video explains 4 examples of microlearning that are used today!
1: Infographic: This could include visual charts, posters, maps, or timelines.
2 : Videos: This could be a YouTube video, a Tiktok video or an Instagram reel!
3: Short Scrolling Pages: This could include apps with information pages divided by categories of knowledge.
4: Quizzes – This could include a google form quiz or a kahoot!
After researching Microlearning and more specifically its benefits I have further narrowed down my topic by exploring my personal interests and questions related to it. I have begun exploring the rise of Microlearning and whether it is something that can compete with traditional education. After researching the benefits I am intrigued by the level of student content retention and how It compares to traditional learning in terms of student attention spans.
My plan was to further narrow down my topic depending on my interests around the topic, after looking through the benefits of microlearning in comparison to traditional learning I have gained an interest in learning about student retention and attention span. I plan to further research these benefits and how they relate to traditional learning, as well as relate on my own personal experiences of learning.
I have begun thinking about my topic for this project and have landed on the concept of Microlearning. Specifically what it is and how it relates to and compares to traditional learning that we see in classrooms. I also want to learn and research more about its benefits and limitations, as well as if and how its growing in modern society and the world of education.
I have collaborated with my pod partner and we will be doing separate Free Inquiry topics and projects, but as a pod group I believe the consensus was to work together and share our ideas that we have researched and discussed in our individual topics and collaborate for our Online Learning Topic presentation project!
My plan is to research microlearning by gathering definitions and understanding examples of platforms of microlearning. As well as find out what really stands out to me and intrigues me about microlearning that I can research specifically and compare it to traditional learning, as well as my experiences with traditional learning in my schooling years.
After exploring the concepts of open and distance learning, specifically the benefits and challenges of both Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) through the readings, and how these aspects can contribute to open and distance learning in ways that benefit students’ learning while also posing challenges, OER aims to provide educational content that is available and easily accessible to students, as well as reusable content. OEP, on the other hand, aims to go beyond the content and directly focus on the openness to pedagogy, which aims to allow the learners to go beyond the content and provide students with the opportunity to foster their agency, creativity and openness in understanding how the learning happens using open approaches.
These articles made me question and rethink what open education is and what it means for something to be “open.” Looking into the differences between OERs and OEPs, I am interested in uncovering if these OERs are considered open due to the implication of who gets to contribute to the knowledge students learn through these resources. What information is it? And who is producing the information? After looking into OEP, as a future educator, I am interested in the active participation part of the students learning and, as a teacher, how I can, rather than deliver content using notes and textbooks, how I can better provide an open learning space where students can have a level of agency regarding what they are learning and how they are learning it. When I am a teacher, I want to incorporate OEPs. Due to the demand for specific learning requirements and curriculum in education, entire classes would be challenging to implement entirely OEP. Still, there are many opportunities to incorporate OEP into classrooms where students can express their voices and work through open learning. Doing so, especially in the elementary classroom where I specifically want to teach, can teach students at a younger age to express their voices and learn that they have agency in their education. This can spark curiosity and creativity in students at a young age, as well as how I can implement the 5 Rs in open learning.
After understanding and reviewing the readings this week, it made me think more about online learning and online pedagogy. I then began to relate to my personal experience within online learning, specifically the time we were all forced into online learning during Covid.
Covid forced online learning and it was imposed on students, they were forced to adapt to the changes, there were no strategies for learning that were taught, or time management skills with this adjustment. In the reading (Marr, L 2018) it is highlighted how students need to be equipped with the pedagogical strategies in order to succeed and for the online learning to be effective. My personal experience with the online learning in the pandemic was a rather successful one, but it was a learning curve that a lot of people close to me unfortunately never learned, because students weren’t given the tools for them to succeed, and likewise the teachers were also forced into a realm of teaching that for a lot was foreign to them, but they had to learn to adapt to these teaching changes and learning opportunities for their students.
I struggled with online learning at the beginning of the rapid switch to online that the pandemic caused, I struggled with being immersed into the technological adaptations of zoom calls, discussion boards, etc.
And I wasn’t the only one…
The article “Effects of Self-Efficacy and Online Learning Mind States on Learning Ineffectiveness during the COVID-19 Lockdown” highlights a study that was done discussing the importance of enhancing students’ self-efficacy when it comes to the use of technology in learning content on online platforms and the relation this has on cognitive fatigue and overall focus in online learning. The study focuses on improvements that can be made to have a lasting impact on the effectiveness of online learning.
This relates to how in my experience school going online was a stressful and mentally demanding time, it was a very hard adjustment because there was so much stress and uncertainty of what we were to expect in the online learning platforms. This left students feeling disconnected due to the lack of resources and understanding that was given to students at this time.
References
Hong, J.-C., Liu, X., Cao, W., Tai, K.-H., & Zhao, L. (2022). Effects of Self-Efficacy and Online Learning Mind States on Learning Ineffectiveness during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Educational Technology & Society, 25(1), 142–154. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48647036
Marr, L. (2018). “Chapter 1: The transformation of distance learning at Open University: the need for a new pedagogy for online learning?”. In Higher Education in the Digital Age. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing
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