The new learning environments imply new learning spaces, new communities, new literacies, and new generations. The tendency shows that everything will be technology mediated; for instance, every single day new relationships rise from computer interaction, business are closed, games are played, and even teaching/learning processes take place online. Does it mean that people will become machines too? Are we losing our human side? It all depends on how technology is used and the role that people takes when using it.
It is known that education is a social process in which interaction among people becomes important, but how can we make of an online language learning environment and effective but still human space? The responsibility of humanizing an online language learning environment is of the teacher who will need, of course, learners’ collaboration as well. Bellow, you will be presented some tips to help you to humanize an online learning space.
Certainly the human side of an online course cannot be forgotten because it is an essential part of people’s lives: emotions, feelings, dialogues, and interactions are aspects that make us feel alive. Hence, it is teacher’s responsibility to humanize their online learning environments, creating a collaborative environment that enhances learning processes.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZkvmpE50GQ&feature=related
The 21st century is full of social, political, environmental, scientific, and technological changes and innovations. All these changes affect the educational context as well. The classroom of the 21st century has to bear in mind aspects such as the space in which learning takes place, the population it addresses, and the literacies it is preparing with and for.
Before thinking in the ideal classroom it is important to think that we cannot think only in classrooms but in learning spaces. Traditionally, learning used to take place in specialized spaces such as the classroom and the library. Now, because of the multiple possibilities offered on the web and the technological devices, learning can take place anytime and anywhere (Brown, 2005). Learning can be in virtual and/or in physical spaces.
For me, the ideal classroom for the 21st century is the one designed within the category of blended community. Blended is the category of –e-learning that incorporates face to face and online sessions (Siemens, 2004). Nonetheless, that classroom has to give also room to other categories: informal and networked. In this way, learning opportunities can be broaden. It also has to be a community that have common goals and/or practices, and issues of identity, and in which members depend on each other to achieve the learning outcomes. (Palloff, Rena and Pratt, 2007)
Now, I would like to describe the ideal classroom of the 21st century, having in mind the population it addresses: the Net Geners. According to Tapscott (2009), the Net Generation has eight norms: freedom, personalization, scrutinizes openness and integrity, entertainment, collaboration, speed, and innovation. For the norm of freedom, the classroom of the 21st century has to offer learners variety of options from where to choose and allow them to make decisions. For instance, the resource they will use for a presentation, it can be a video, a PPT or even a podcast, etc. For the second norm, we can allow them to personalize the space in which they are going to sit down or even the classroom. For the norm of scrutinize, we must have network connections and internet access so that they can search any information they might need. For the norm of integrity and openness, we need to offer them what is really appealing for them and option for the future. For the norm of entertainment we only need to be more dynamic and allow them to play in the classroom, always with an educational purpose. For the norm of collaboration we need to allow them to work in groups, create blogs, forums, wikis, and even make use of facebook. For the speed, we need to offer them multiple activities in only one class and make sure activities are not too long and boring because they will get bored too soon. We also need to have high speed connection. Finally, for innovation, we need to explore all the resources offered and make constant innovations in class so that students can feel motivated for entering the classroom.
The classroom of the 21st century has to have in mind the literacies it is preparing with and for. Classrooms cannot continue with the same traditional resources: the whiteboard and the markers they are used to work with. Daley (2003) stated that multimedia language is the current vernacular and I do agree. Hence, we need to be aware of this situation and start updating our knowledge and developing multimedia skills for being able to teach learners in the way they will really learn and face their daily life. We need to start working with new technologies and teach students how to use them in a proper and critical way. We need to have interactive boards and/or virtual boards to be displayed on students screen. Students need to have headphones to be able to record their voices and listen to their teacher, as well as record all that is said in class. We also need to have a video camera or webcam incorporated in the computers. All the students need to have their own work station, preferably laptops which are easy to move from one place to another. Connections need to be wireless to allow mobility.
Although, Net Geners’ naturality is to know how to deal with technology, our responsibility, as teachers, is to teach them to be critical and to learn how to deal with all the information offered on the web, so that they can make the best decisions. The classroom of the 21st century has to develop in students critical skills. Fjeldstead (1991) said “think critically about the meanings of what you are seeing, hearing, sensing, and experiencing” (as cited in Bamford, 2003). We need to make learners to see the different perspectives from which an image, movie, song, web page, and any content can be analyzed. By doing this, we are helping digital natives to be critical and be able to make informed and assertive decisions on what they can do with the multiple options from which they can choose and start constructing meaning.
21st century classroom need to be implemented with technological devices otherwise netgeners will choose not to learn with/from us. Classes must be student centered; it means we have to be aware of and address learners’ needs, likes, interests, and learning styles. Prensky (n.d.) said “most useful education for the future is not happening at school. It’s happening after school, particularly in personal robotics clubs, etc., and on the entire Internet – it’s happening in games. It’s not on a test…So they go to what is really turning them on.” We need to make of classrooms the place where they are turned on, the place in which they choose to pay attention, collaborate, construct meaning, learn and share “(learners’) attention spans are not short for games, for example, or music, or rollerblading, or for spending time on the internet, or anything else that actually interest them. It isn’t that they can’t pay attention, they just choose not to” (Ibid). The classroom of the 21st century has to be designed having in mind learners and what they will really pay attention to.
The classroom of the 21st century needs to change the organization and resources. It needs to have enough light, comfortable and mobile chairs, desks for group work. It needs to be big, warm and comfortable. Videoconferencing facilities, wireless networking connections, Internet access, projectors, and devices to capture and spread, for further reference, what happened in class; need to be implemented in physical and virtual learning spaces. The classroom of the 21st century has to be flexible, collaborative, self-directed, autonomous, mobile, networked, interactive, and student centered. By doing this with the classroom of the 21st century, we will have motivated students learning meaningfully because “when learning is pleasurable, it can happen even more rapidly” (The New Media Consortium, 2005).
References
Bamford, A. (2003) The Visual Literacy White Paper. Adobe Systems. Retrieved from http://www.adobe.com/uk/education/pdf/adobe_visual_literacy_paper.pdf
As we already know the new technologies has brought lots of changes to all life fields: home, work, family, interaction, and relationships, to mention some, are some of the aspects that have been influenced by technology. Of course, education is not the exception.
Technology has brought with it a new generation, “Net Geners”, who grows up surrounded with any kind of technology, and for whom “technology is as natural as breathing” (Tapscott, 2009). This new generation has also different skills, regarding literacy, because they not only have the traditional literacy, reading and writing, but also understand the multimedia language and can deal with computers without any problem.
Net Geners, make teachers and educational system change as well. Teachers can not be any longer as they used to be, they need to change the methodology and resources they used to use. They need to start thinking that classes need to be students’ centered rather than teachers’. Nonetheless, teachers’ changes and improvements would be not enough if the place and/or environment where learning takes place are not improved as well.
Learning used to take place in classrooms with a white board and the teacher’s desk in front, with little or no interaction opportunities, and strict control of space. With the new technologies the concept of a classroom has changed into learning space because learning does not only take place in classrooms but also outside of a formal space. Prensky (n.d.) said “most useful education for the future is not happening at school. It’s happening after school, particularly in personal robotics clubs, etc., and on the entire Internet – it’s happening in games.”
Brown (2005) said learning is taking place anywhere and anytime. Classroom is not the only place where learning takes place. Now, even hallways and corridors are spaces to learn. Besides physical spaces, virtual learning spaces have also arisen. Currently, students can get virtual guidelines, classes and interaction. The only thing they need is to have internet access. By having a wireless internet connection and a laptop, even the park can be a learning space.
To address new learners’ interest, likes and skills, we need to start changing the classroom organization and resources. Videoconferencing facilities, wireless networking connections, Internet access, projectors, and devices to capture and spread, for further reference, what happened in class; need to be implemented in physical and virtual learning spaces.
Modern learning spaces are flexible, collaborative, self-directed, autonomous, mobile, networked, interactive, and student centered. “learning and the space in which it takes place are of the utmost important” (Brown, 2005). Hence, we need to start changing the concept we have of the classroom and start enhancing new learning environments.
