Critique Siemens’s “metaphors of educators.” Which of these metaphors best describes the role you believe an instructor should take in a digital classroom or workplace? Is there a better metaphor to reflect your view of the role of instructors?
Siemens’s
(2008) stated it best in explaining today’s instructor in a role of a lifetime
i.e. virtual classroom teaching “…Whether seen as
master artist, network administrator, concierge, or curator, the established
expertise of the educator plays an active role in informing and evaluating the
activities of learners. Educational institutions face a challenge of reframing
their interactions with learners.” (Siemens, 2008, p. 17). To this I say “it’s
a revolution in education” as instructors are scrambling to refine their role
and identity in a new online classroom arena.
Folks, it is collaborative efforts involving instructors, students,
peers, people around us, and our surroundings that teaches life’s lessons and
educate us along our life’s journey. Should you ever feel empty to learning
meaning you are learning the same thing over and over and over then you either
have information overload or you have yet to come across a topic that peek your
interest and trigger your passion for more. The same scenario can play out in a
virtual classroom where students feel empty in the learning process. Again, it
takes collaboration from all of us because everyone has experience and build
knowledge to share with others. If sharing did not occur in learning then
learning is at stagnate.
This is my view on Siemens’s models
of instructivism…enjoy the video.
Cheers,
Lynda Marshall
Reference
Siemens, George (January 27, 2008). Learning
and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and Designers. [PDF].
ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://itforum.coe.uga.edu/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
Hi Lynda,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree, learning is collaborative, regardless of the learning environment and teaching tools. I also like how you described lifelong learning. As I begin to understand this concept, I see how teaching in higher education is more about developing lifelong learners. Particularly because our school culture is to generate industry-ready young hospitality professionals. I often float between teacher, trainer, and mother. Great post, Lynda!
Monica
EDUC 8845
Thanks for responding to my post Monica. I just recently read an article in Faculty Focus web site that address how higher educational institutions are focusing on employment after graduation in addition to providing life long learning. The new trend now for our graduates is to be able to seamlessly transition from school to the workforce.
ReplyDeleteLynda