Critiquing the article “Online Learning Propelled be Constructivism”
https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=recent_fac_pubsTo Bigen, let’s start by summarizing the main points mentioned in the article. We Know in the traditional approach of teaching the learner receives data from both the instructor and the subject book. When online teaching started to take place in the world, almost the same lecturing method was being applied where the instructor is the content provider and the student is almost a passive receiver. Whereas, the Constructivist approach changed this working method. The learner turns to be in continuous interaction with these three components: the content, the facilitator, and the peers. The high-speed connections side by side with 21st-century technology are the tools of such a process. In this method, the learner can do the most job to educate himself according to his needs and interests. The following table included in the article shows clearly the differences between the traditional and constructivist method in learning:
Since the content of learning now is available abundantly to all via the internet, the traditional boundary of the educational institution has started to disappear. Learners in this way work collaboratively to share the knowledge and perspectives with the other. Moreover, everybody can contribute to the construction procedure of this open-sourced knowledge network by creating new knowledge or by adding or even modifying the already existing one.
A serious challenge arises when adopting a constructivist approach in online learning when an enormous amount of information is published in cyberspace where the value of the quality of this data and not the quantity of it gets so significant.
During our last session, we had a group discussion to reflect on this article. This discussion was split into three rounds.
In the first round each person identified what he/she agreed within the text and here are the points shared:
I agree with this kind of constructivism learning method because it makes every person less dependent on others, the teachers and the educational institutions, to get educated.
It makes all kinds of knowledge available to every individual easily and freely and therefore democratizes learning.
Ultimate possibilities for interaction with unlimited information resources and with participants in the learning process.
Making the person able to contribute in the construction process of knowledge makes him/her more responsible towards the learning operation.
In the second round we shared the points we argue with and here are some of them:
As mentioned in the article, missing reasonable standards for publishing in a lot of online resources made cyberspace crammed with an excessive amount of errors and unnecessary information. That makes the learner in front of challenges how to find or choose quality content.
Again, this online learning propelled constructivism to enhance dissociability regarding the learners because it leads them to more isolation from society. It is always important to know that social skills are never less important than the other skills that the learner receives while he/she gets educated.
In the 3rd round each person identified what parts of the text he/she wants to Aspire to (or Act upon):
Although it is so clear how online learning methods are improving very dramatically and which directions they are going, I have not noticed it until I read this article. I know now how I need to prepare myself and get familiar with this kind of trusted open source knowledge network in order to lead my students towards these sources. In this way, we can get the benefit of them and even contribute to the global knowledge construction to set ourselves apart from outdated teaching methods.
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