A4PorterTaschdijan

A4PorterTaschdijan

To Do

• please work as a group (minimum: 2 members; max: 6 members) and submit one answer as a group (clearly identifying the members of your group)
• read Fischer, G: "Lifelong Learning - More Than Training", Special Issue on Intelligent Systems/Tools In Training and Life-Long Learning (eds.: Riichiro Mizoguchi and Piet A.M. Kommers), Journal of Interactive Learning Research, Vol. 11, No 3/4, 2000, pp. 265-294. http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/lll99.pdf
• reflect on the following statement about Lifelong Learning:
  • "If the world of working and living relies on collaboration, creativity, definition and framing of problems and if it requires dealing with uncertainty, change, and intelligence that is distributed across cultures, disciplines, and tools-then education should foster transdisciplinary competencies that prepare students for having meaningful and productive lives in such a world."
• in your statement, address the following issues:
  We are asking "YOU" questions - use this as an opportunity to discuss your individual experiences among the members of your group → you can answer individually or find the largest common denominator

Part 1

• do you agree with this statement?
• what does the statement mean for YOU?
• do you prepare yourself to be a lifelong learner? what are your most important activities you undertake?
• does your education at CU prepare you for being a lifelong learner?
  • which activities are most important for this objective?
  • which activities are "in the way" to achieve this objective?

Part 2:

• which support from Information and Communication technologies (or: which Digital and Social Systems) are most important for lifelong learning?
  • describe requirements for them
  • describe your personal experience with them

Group response

1. Members of the Group

Amanda Porter & Zac Taschdijan

2. Statement Part1

Very nice work

Amanda's Response:

I completely agree with this statement on several levels. First, in order to accept such an argument, one must agree with this statement's assessment of the world. Here, the world is characterized as a place of constant change, uncertainty, and fragmentation. Drawing on my own experiences both in my professional life and in academia, this version of the world resonates with me a great deal. Second, following this version of the world, one must agree with this statement's suggested action for living in this world. The capacity to act or simply "go on" is seen as requiring some kind of interaction that is collaborative and drawing on multiple sources of knowledge. And finally, one must agree with the most basic assumption, which is that learning, as both a process and a product, is the generative mechanism that will enable meaningful and productive lives. For me, this means several things. It means that I must constantly be aware of my environment, because as it changes rapidly, it will be important to at least have a sense of the basic patterns and trends that are taking place. It also suggests that I will need to be very attuned to my relationships with others, and in particular, become very conscious of interacting with those who may not share my same values and background. Ultimately, this boils down to a requirement that I become self-aware, reflective, and flexible in my own identity. In some sense I feel that I do prepare myself to be a lifelong learner through my critical analysis skills. As a graduate student, I am constantly honing my ability to critique what is presented to me as a "given". In this sense, I always try to look beyond what is known to demonstrate how things come to be constructed. This is a focus on better understanding practice in a contextualized way; this gives me the tools to then approach concepts and phenomena with a greater understanding. My hope is that such skills will lead me to the ability to construct new ways of understanding and knowledge. My education at CU has been central to this process. Engaging with others in my seminar work has been a truly interdisciplinary and rewarding experience. Some of the best activities for promoting and ethic of lifelong learning come from discussions in class. This provides a forum for creation and reflective that actively engages others. However, as a teacher, I do lament the reliance on exams and multiple choice testing of undergraduates. To me, this skills that one needs to perform well on an exam is the opposite of what lifelong learning entails.

Zac's Response:

I agree whole-heartedly with this statement. Maybe it's naïve, but I would think that most people in higher education today, as either students or teachers, would agree with it to one degree or another. The idea of life long learning is one that is almost a requirement for most successful people in today's world. As Professor Fischer says, most professional problems (i.e. problems encountered in a work environment) do not themselves to simple, clear cut solutions. One might argue that they never really did, but given the level of technical complexity that many jobs now require, the nature and difficulty of these problems has been compounded.

My own experience with life long learning comes from a family tradition of intellectual curiosity which has been manifested in a number of ways. I come from a long line of scientists, university professors, authors and other intellectuals. The question of "how do you prepare yourself to be a life long learner?" is really a question of culture and character. It's my view that life long learning stems from several environmental factors: 1) being raised in a culture that values knowledge (academic, professional, "intellectual" or otherwise). 2) Learning in a school environment that fosters intellectual curiosity as opposed to rote "instructionist" learning. 3) A professional environment that requires some amount of retooling to successfully compete. 4) A nuanced and interdisciplinary view of problem solving.

I think the best preparation for life long learning comes from an innate enjoyment of learning. This is often expressed by voracious and omnivorous reading, writing, research, field observation, experimentation, musicianship, traveling, art and other acts of creation in whatever topics and media you take an interest in. I do all of these things to one degree or another. Someday I would like to have a club for children and adults that brings back the idea of the 19th century "gentleman scientist". We would use period equipment to collect, catalog and sketch specimens from our environment. We might even dress the part! What fun!

3. Statement Part2

Amanda's Response:

One of the most important types of support and ICT can offer is flexibility and customization. Obviously tools must be flexible to respond to the rapidly changing environment and the potentially diverse people that may need to employ similar tools. Customization is important because it translates that flexibility into a standard that can be relied upon by a given person or group in a given situation. Additionally, customization allows a person to begin to construct their identity in various tools. As we begin to rely more and more on ICTs in our lives, it is important that these tools provide a space for self-expression. In this sense, ICTs must be simultaneously flexible and structured. My own experience with the wiki in this class and others provides an excellent example of that requirement. I am able to have my own space in the wiki (profile page) where my picture and information allows for self-expression. Yet, as a collective structure, the wiki suggests that certain types of interaction should take place. Interaction that also requires that I am cognizant of this space as constructed by many others. Perhaps this provides the balance between the need to be an individual and the need for social inclusion.

Zac's Response:

I would contend that the most important aspects of life long learning are not technological but cultural. However, any technology that can foster an interest in learning (i.e. make learning fun), will play an important role. In my own experience, the technology that was most instrumental were interactive science and technology exhibits at The Exploratorium and the Deutsches Museum. This technology illustrated concepts in a way that nothing else could. Their manipulative, interactive elements appealed to my instincts as a kinetic learner. Constructivist toys like chemistry sets, model rockets, microscopes and electronics sets also help develop early interest in experimentation and provide a physically manipulable aid for externalizing and analyzing ideas. Of course a basic computer provides an incredible platform for doing this also. When paired with connectivity and the right software, it can be a wonderful tool for experimentation and learning on many levels.

To conclude, this subject left me with a couple of questions:

1)How does technology account for different types of learning styles (e.g. visual, auditory, etc)? Constructivism is important, but if you learn by physically manipulating objects, how can "regular" computers (i.e not requiring special TUIs) support such a learning style?

2)How can we use computational media to learn abstract concepts based on constructivist methodology? Could you use a computer to learn philosophy for example?

3)Is learning ever "wasted"? I would argue that even if content knowledge is never applied, the act of learning teaches us things that we apply later. For example taking the LSAT will teach you how to be a better taker of standardized tests regardless of whether you enter law school.