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Slide 1: Mark Bullen LALCO 2008 Aguascalientes, México
Slide 2: Introduction Not a learning objects expert  Expertise in DE, e-learning  Sophisticated user  Perspectives of an outsider 
Slide 3: Premise Learning objects emerged from the WWW  Social software and Web 2.0 are also products of the Internet  Neither began with an educational purpose  Both are technologies in search of educational purpose 
Slide 4: Premise Underlying ideology is learner-centered and, in many ways, anti-institutional  Driven by a non-formal view of learning  Opposed to the prevailing content, teacher and institution-centered notions of education 
Slide 5: Premise  Need to approach these technologies critically and skeptically
Slide 6: Learning Objects: Beyond Technology More than creating reusable digital learning resources  About creating a truly learner-centered educational system  More than a technological innovation: a pedagogical innovation 
Slide 7: The Reality of Institutional Education An idealistic view of education  Two problems:  1) Formal education is credential-driven 2) Depends on widespread development and sharing of objects
Slide 8: Our Educational System Primarily formal  Driven by credentials  Learners tend to be instrumental 
Slide 9: Development and Sharing Who is developing learning objects?  Who is sharing learning objects  Who is using learning objects?  Examples   UBC: Master of Educational Technology  UBC: German Reading course  BCIT: Faculty collective agreement
Slide 10: Development & Sharing Open access • Opening Up Education – Iiyoshi & Kumar • The jury is still out on the sustainability of OEC (C. Mackie) • – – – – Faculty lose revenue, career rewards Content requires refinement Copyright clearance No tangible benefit to creator or creator’s institution
Slide 11: Learning Objects: Beyond Technology A technology in search of educational purpose  Pedagogical innovation ignores reality  Significant barriers to a learning objects pedagogy 
Slide 12: A Functionalist Approach to Learning Objects      Technical benefits of sharing can be harnessed without subscribing to the new pedagogy Reusability can be applied on an institutional or program level Trades and vocational training In other words we can have the technical innovation without the pedagogical innovation Global sharing, OEC approach is unrealistic
Slide 13: Web 2.0: From Transmission to Participation From learning objects to Web 2.0  Similar story  Learning objects about exploiting the distributive capability of the Internet  Web 2.0 about exploiting the networking and collaborative capabilitie 
Slide 14: Web 2.0: From Transmission to Participation User-generated content  The power (or wisdom) of the crowd  Data on an epic scale  Architecture of participation  Network effects  Openness 
Slide 15: Web 2.0: From Transmission to Participation Web 2.0 not educational  Collaborative, social and networked nature attract educators  Wikis, blogs, RSS, social networking sites allow for easy generation and sharing of content  But too often technology is driving the pedagogy 
Slide 16: Web 2.0: From Transmission to Participation Need to separate experimentation from sound instructional planning  Web 2.0 favors collaboration but there are times when transmission is necessary  Wisdom of the crowd is given equal status to wisdom of the wise 
Slide 17: Web 2.0: From Transmission to Participation  Disintermediation of information is seen as a victory for the individual
Slide 18: The Net Generation Myth Web 2.0 use in education driven by net generation hype  Research-based evidence is lacking  In fact research tends to show the opposite: that current generation is not technologically savvy 
Slide 19: Conclusion Pedagogy before technology  Educational change must be driven by need  Need must be clearly identified  Change should not be driven by the technology 