Week 1 Review

In many communities across the United States, the most difficult access to education is among the impoverished or disadvantaged populations. Disadvantaged populations often lack the resources to seek opportunities that may help them change their quality of life. Open access to educational opportunities could enhance disadvantaged populations’ quality of life, social inclusion and community engagement through strengthening self-confidence, social skills and providing essential access to other free resources for further assistance in personal, professional or academic arenas.

In “”Neomillenial” Learning Styles Propagated by Wireless Handheld Devices”, Dieterle, Dede, and Schrier discuss some of the strengths and limitations of using WHDs for educational purposes (2007). Globally, there continues to be an increase in the usage and acquisitions of WHDs such as smartphones, iPod Touch and personal media devices or handheld computers. The mobility and computing power of WHDs allow for enhancement of learning experiences through deeper sensory engagement. The Harvard Graduate School of Education began integrating WHDs in academic courses during the 2003-04 academic year to study the effects of WHDs for ubiquitous learning (http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~hdul/whd-overview.htm). One such learning event, “Reliving the Revolution”, allowed participants to walk the present-day site of the Battle of Lexington while collecting information and view the historical site virtually through WHDs. Participants role-played and collected information from the virtual site and virtual characters programmed to assist them in piecing together data that may lead them to determining who fired “the shot heard around the world”. These types of events using WHDs support neomillenial learning styles through:

1. Collaboration
2. Self-directed learning
3. Mobility
4. Authenticity
5. Role-playing

A couple of other readings discuss the challenges of traditional academic institutions and the need to break away from formal education. Ivan Illich was renowned for his views of the disabling effects of institutions through marketing knowledge as a commodity which decreases accessibility of education (Infed, 2011). Young discusses “What Traditional Academics Can Learn From a Futurist’s University” through unconventional learning events like Singularity University (2009). Singular University is a non-accredited program that admits 40 students and relies on funding from corporate sponsors that discusses advances in technology and futurism. The inaugural class was asked to develop technological projects that “could help at least a billion people around the world”. The program had three phases in its 9-week summer session:

1. Lectures by experts in business and academe
2. Students chose one of four areas of focus for further study
3. Student groups work on the “world-changing student projects”

Although most sessions revolved around technological advancements and their uses in helping the world, students also listed the top 10 challenges posed by the concept of Singularity U. and brainstormed solutions to those challenges.

References:

Dieterle, E., Dede, C., & Schrier, K. (2007). “Neomillennial” learning styles propagated by wireless handheld devices. In M. Lytras & A. Naeve (Eds.), Ubiquitous and pervasive knowledge and learning management: Semantics, social networking and new media to their full potential. Hershey, PA: Idea Group, Inc. Retrieved on June 24, 2010, from http://www.fas.org/programs/ltp/emerging_technologies/humanities/_Media/dieterle_schrier_chapter_02.pdf.

Infed on Ivan Illich. Deschooling, conviviality and the possibilities for informal education and lifelong learning. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-illic.htm (Ivan Illich. Deschooling Society (New York: Marion Boyars. 1970).

Young, J. (2009).What Traditional Academics Can Learn From a Futurist's University. Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/What-Traditional-Scholars-Can/48369/