1. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Learning today… Provincial Territorial Distance Education Association September 25, 2006 Iqaluit, Nunavut

2. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies What is the purpose of education? Culture: –To educate in? –Preserve? Prepare for employment? Prepare for life? To give life?

3. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies What does it mean to learn?

4. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

5. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies …people are actually quite poor at complex logical calculations, but are very good at quickly recognizing patterns, interrupting ambiguous information, and learning Beinhocker The origin of wealth

6. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies What is the nature of change?

7. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies What is the nature of change?

8. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Lifestyle Cultural diversity Students are working more Learning from multiple sources (and institutions) Practical, implementation Expectation of relevance

9. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies "By obsolete, I mean that our high schools-- even when theyre working exactly as designed--cannot teach our kids what they need to know today ….Training the workforce of tomorrow with the high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about todays computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. Its the wrong tool for the times." http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=5586

10. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies How are we reacting? Not well… We are solving todays problems with yesterdays solutions –Duplicating functionality of old tools –Doing more of whats not working Our primary concern is not money or technology: Its about vision

11. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies But is this practical? Clear aims through decentralized means Channels of content delivery must align with the skills of learners (i.e. where they live digitally) Context-games Repurpose in multiple spaces New tools (2B mobile phones, 820M Computers) (BusinessWeek)

12. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies What types of tools? Functionality: Two-way flow Brings in all voices Keeps people as individuals Adaptive Networked in nature (scalable, flexible) Examples Blogs Wikis Podcasts Social: –Social bookmarks –Tags End-user content creation and classification LMS

13. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

14. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Balance Centralization with decentralization Content with conversation Self-directed with guidance Amateur with expert Individuality with group Innovation with tradition Immediacy with reflectivity

15. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Balance… Requires diversity Multiple approaches Valuing uncertainty Understanding tensions Knowledge as process/flow…and as product

16. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies World wide enrolment in higher education will almost double in the next 25 years (90 million: 2001, 160 million: 2025) (As cited by Diana Oblinger: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI063001.pdf) http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI063001.pdf

17. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies How do we move forward? Public education –Teach learning for life –Teach reflection, critical thinking, creative thinking –Use technology to augment and extend, not determine learning (Nunavut, Manitoba, remote communities, Aboriginal

18. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies We need new spaces and new structures of learning

19. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

20. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies

21. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Our learners need new skills To see shades and continuums To use emergent (not predefined) problem solving (or opportunity engagement) To navigate a digital landscape To accept uncertainty, tolerate ambiguity, comprehend chaos To build, create personal learning networks To be whole (acting in light of entire image)

22. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies Why not try this… Let them own the tool (but on open standards) We supply content and foster conversation Thats it. Blend eportfolios with education (from an early age) Give learners control so they have a life history Create our content to fit into their space (RSS feed – they subscribe to each course)

23. Learning Technologies Centre www.umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= 1923618305363771016&pr=goog-sl