Hey everyone! In this blog post, I will be discussing online learning theories. There are many online learning theories, but in this blog post, I will be discussing only three, behaviorism, cognitivism, and connectivism.
In behaviorism learning theory, teachers focus on how students behave while they are learning, and more specifically how they react to reoccurring activities or assignments (stimuli). This theory was developed by Ivan Pavlov when he experimented on a dog by trying to get it to relate food with the sound of a bell. What he discovered was that over time, when he rang the bell, the dog would begin to salivate as it knew it was time to eat. When applying this to learning, and more specifically with online learning, the goal is to provide the learners with the proper stimuli, which gives them the opportunity to show a desired behavior that proves that they did indeed learn and take something out of the lesson.
In the cognitivism learning theory, the mind has significant importance on the material being learned. Cognitive processes, such as motivation and imagination, are key components of the learning process. With these key components in mind, cognitivism focuses on how the information being learned is taken in, sorted out, and saved in the mind (often compared to a computer, and how information is stored in a file, for example). When applying this to online learning, it is important to note that not every student progresses in the same way, and the way their mind might process and store xyz information is completely different from how another student does the same thing. So with that being said, it is best to let all students approach the material in a way that best suits their individual needs.
The last learning theory I will be discussing is connectivism. Connectivism has recognized the significant shifts in the way knowledge and information are taken in due to big shifts within the past twenty years, such as how the internet and technology have notably changed the way we learn in today’s day and age. Connectivism, as a whole, implies that learners should incorporate their thoughts, theories, and general information that they learn in a manner that is helpful and useful to them. With it being a newer learning theory, it accepts that technology is now going be an influential step in the process of learning and we will provide ourselves with our own opportunities to make our own choices in our ways of learning.
Synchronous learning and asynchronous learning. What are the differences? Synchronous learning basically means there is a structured time in which the teacher and students meet (could be in person or online via something like zoom) and interact with one another, with things like a lecture, or a discussion., Essentially, you are meeting in real-time. With asynchronous learning, however, there is no structured time, and students can go about doing their work at their own speed and on their own time. For example, if a student wanted to listen to a recorded lecture or do an assignment at one in the morning, they would be able to do so. So, in other words, synchronous means that you get some type of interaction with your professor at a structured time, either in person or online and with asynchronous, you learn at your own pace.
Lastly, I will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of learning in an online environment. Now, these can vary from person to person but I will just be discussing a few that I find true for most people. Some advantages of online learning include; 1) typically a more affordable cost, especially for college students. 2) Ability to do things at your own speed, as long as it is in by the set due date. 3) Accommodates many learning styles 4) Being able to do work wherever you want. Could be from home, at a library, or on a beach. Now, onto the disadvantages. 1) Screen time. Sure, this could be avoided by breaking up your work into small increments or by doing things such as printing off materials, but not everyone has the ability to do that and in turn, it creates an issue where sometimes you're staring at a screen for hours on end. 2) With a lack of motivation, it can become very easy to procrastinate, especially if you are doing work in a home environment where there are a lot of distractions that make it harder to focus. 3) Technology issue. Technology is great, but sometimes you run into wifi problems, or a particular website not working. This, in turn, slows down how quickly you can get something done. Now, there are many more advantages and disadvantages but I only listed a few, and again, what may be an advantage for one person, might be a disadvantage for another.
That’s it, for now, hope you guys enjoyed reading!
https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1154117.pdf
https://elearningindustry.com/learning-theory-of-cognitive-development-elearning#:~:text=Cognitivism%20recognizes%20that%20not%20all,feel%20best%20fits%20their%20need.
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/connectivism-learning-theory2105.html#:~:text=Connectivism%20is%20a%20relatively%20new,make%20choices%20about%20our%20learning.
I liked how you compared the mind to a computer, the brain holds so much data and works just as hard as some technology does! One thing I found that was new and interesting to me was the advantage and disadvantages of online learning, while technology can be a wonderful thing, it can certainly hinder the learning process. What learning theory do you find to be the most important in online learning?
ReplyDelete