http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/ Blog of P. Clint Rogers, PhD: Culture, Training, and Technology Specialist Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:32:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-150 Joseph Sat, 15 Sep 2007 04:23:04 +0000 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-150 Some like it hot; some like cold. Some like it in a snack, packaged and sold. Some like it hot; some like cold.
Some like it in a snack, packaged and sold.

]]> http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-172 belleMinjuan Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:53:19 +0000 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-172 Thank you for posting the photo and commenting on my ice cream bar. Constructivism is still having a hard time in China. Knowledge-transfer is still the dominant teaching philosophy. With 3000 students in one class, it's impossible to have anyone participate and construct. Also, the assessment system, does not encourage knowledge construction. Students are practical, teachers give them what they want. Thank you for posting the photo and commenting on my ice cream bar. Constructivism is still having a hard time in China. Knowledge-transfer is still the dominant teaching philosophy. With 3000 students in one class, it’s impossible to have anyone participate and construct. Also, the assessment system, does not encourage knowledge construction. Students are practical, teachers give them what they want.

]]> http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-175 Clint Mon, 17 Sep 2007 01:57:49 +0000 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-175 "Impossible" is such an interesting word. What seems impossible from one vantage point or paradigm - is not only possible, but essential from another. I am thinking of "classes" (better talked about as "communities") much larger than 3,000 being perfect for participation, because there are a lot more people to help each other along the way (for example, look at the family history community online). I agree that the current "knowledge transfer" model of schooling, with its assessment strategies included, does not easily lend itself to student creativity and participation - but I wasn't thinking about the way things traditionally have always been done. Although some knowledge transfer will always be a part of education, I was thinking of how we can do better than making that the central part of education, but instead only a step along the way. How things can be done better, not just the technology, but the paradigm and model of schooling changing. When you say "students are practical" I think what you mean is that students want the shortest possible path to getting a degree and then exchanging that degree for a job. I agree that is the way a lot of students think. What I am talking about is a different kind of education - one in which the degree is not the most important thing, but what is important is who you become and what you create, internalize, and share with others in the process. “Impossible” is such an interesting word. What seems impossible from one vantage point or paradigm - is not only possible, but essential from another. I am thinking of “classes” (better talked about as “communities”) much larger than 3,000 being perfect for participation, because there are a lot more people to help each other along the way (for example, look at the family history community online).
I agree that the current “knowledge transfer” model of schooling, with its assessment strategies included, does not easily lend itself to student creativity and participation - but I wasn’t thinking about the way things traditionally have always been done. Although some knowledge transfer will always be a part of education, I was thinking of how we can do better than making that the central part of education, but instead only a step along the way. How things can be done better, not just the technology, but the paradigm and model of schooling changing.
When you say “students are practical” I think what you mean is that students want the shortest possible path to getting a degree and then exchanging that degree for a job. I agree that is the way a lot of students think. What I am talking about is a different kind of education - one in which the degree is not the most important thing, but what is important is who you become and what you create, internalize, and share with others in the process.

]]> http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-178 Clint Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:46:35 +0000 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-178 One more thought... Take for instance the simple case that you have any ordinary class. Then make it a part of the students grade to teach someone else what they are learning in class. They will naturally be more interested in learning and internalizing the information, because they know they have to teach it to others. In the ideal case, they will also find new ways to understand the information as they adapt it to the needs and situation of their learners - perhaps even enhancing it beyond what the original teacher did. Also this might even make the teacher a little more accountable for teaching things that are relevant and interesting. I had one class at university that was like this, and I remember more from that class than almost any other. I heard of one professor that even gave grades to students based upon how well their learners did on the final! That seems a little extreme to me, but he thought it was a great thing. This all is only one aspect and possible configuration of a larger paradigm issue, but I think it starts to get to the point that the traditional model of "knowledge transfer" can be improved upon. Thanks for the good comment - it helps me clarify what I mean. Feel free to continue to point out any difficulties you see in anything I say - I like that. One more thought…
Take for instance the simple case that you have any ordinary class. Then make it a part of the students grade to teach someone else what they are learning in class. They will naturally be more interested in learning and internalizing the information, because they know they have to teach it to others. In the ideal case, they will also find new ways to understand the information as they adapt it to the needs and situation of their learners - perhaps even enhancing it beyond what the original teacher did. Also this might even make the teacher a little more accountable for teaching things that are relevant and interesting.
I had one class at university that was like this, and I remember more from that class than almost any other.
I heard of one professor that even gave grades to students based upon how well their learners did on the final! That seems a little extreme to me, but he thought it was a great thing.
This all is only one aspect and possible configuration of a larger paradigm issue, but I think it starts to get to the point that the traditional model of “knowledge transfer” can be improved upon.
Thanks for the good comment - it helps me clarify what I mean. Feel free to continue to point out any difficulties you see in anything I say - I like that.

]]> http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-180 belleMinjuan Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:09:13 +0000 http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/09/14/hi-from-shanghai-and-mobile-learning-at-prof-shens-e-learning-lab-jiao-tong-university/#comment-180 All sound so difficult!-:) I take the "impossible" back, it should be "challenging". The cell-phone mLearning we have been doing here, helps a lot! Students were interacting more with each other. The essential problem is, (deeply rooted in the Chinese educational system), that students don't want to interact. Many of them just want to get a degree and move on. To get a grade, they don't need to interact. They only need to know about the final exam and prepare well for it. All sound so difficult!-:)
I take the “impossible” back, it should be “challenging”. The cell-phone mLearning we have been doing here, helps a lot! Students were interacting more with each other. The essential problem is, (deeply rooted in the Chinese educational system), that students don’t want to interact. Many of them just want to get a degree and move on. To get a grade, they don’t need to interact. They only need to know about the final exam and prepare well for it.

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