The power of a story

When it comes to storytelling revealing a greater idea or lesson, I recently came across one that truly expanded my perspective on technology, creativity, and what it can do for people.   Aside from the obvious lesson of the story, it inspired me to plan on taking a class or workshop outdoors to project part of a lesson on the side of a building using a projector.  The story led me to consider whether the change in setting might increase learning and openness to ideas for some concepts or lesson.


You must watch to the end to understand the potential for creative learning technology. James Powderly. The Creators Project http://creat.rs/a8NEFR

Does it matter what learning medium we swim in?

When presenting information to learners using face-to-face and eLearning (blended) medium, or just eLearning, we often wonder whether it will work for everyone. We have all, at some time, heard someone say they cannot learn online, that they need a class of students.  Others prefer an eLearning setting where they do not have to interact face-to-face. So what do we know about how we learn and what works?

Authors Akkoyunlu and Soylu (2008) examined the use of blended learning and the subsequent student perspective as it related to their learning style.  Probably the most common understanding of learning styles shared by educators revolves around the notion that people learn primarily through visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation.  This theory has been expanded by many to describe learning styles.  For this study the authors used David Kolb’s learning style theory that suggests adults, when learning new information or skills, have an individual preference for the methods and process by which they learn. His three styles include Accommodators (tactile, experiential), Divergers (reflective, interpersonal), Assimilators (self-directed, curiosity drive) and Convergers (concrete, practical).  In this study students were identified through an assessment as being divided between Divergers and Assimilators.

To examine student perspective the authors designed a 50 item questionnaire.  The majority of items (35) were used to identify students’ reaction to the use and features of the blended model while 15 items provide the students’ overall views of the experience and environment. The authors also measured student achievement based on scores of assignments and exams, projects and other medium.

The study concluded that Divergers had a less favorable view of blended learning than Assimilators.  This is not surprising given that Kolb described this group as needing social interaction and shared learning more than Assimilators.  Blended learning does offer less socialization than face-to-face formats

The study did not reveal any significant differences in achievement.  Both learning styles succeeded on assignments and other measures

The final aspect of student perspective measured by the study was how frequently and actively students participated in discussions and activities in the blended course.  The results indicated that Assimilators were more active.  This is also supported by Kolb’s belief that Assimilators preferred engaging in debate and discussion more than Divergers  

A key suggestion that grew from the study was for instructors’ to recognize how their own teaching style may impact students’ achievement and experiences in a blended format.  This is crucial as evidence suggests that instructors tend to deliver courses from their own learning style perspective. We teach the way we learn.

Akkoyunlu, B., & Soylu, M. (2008). A Study of Student's Perceptions in a Blended Learning Environment Based on Different Learning Styles. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 11(1), 183-193.

Five great places to get ideas

Here are five of my favorite sites to help come up with new ideas, make use of a good story, make learning effective, and find material for your training and presentations.

Let this site browse and search for places you would never find.  stumbleupon
This page is a wonderful tool to help keep your thinking right  Logical Fallacies

For times we need a little more practical ideas  10-biggest-breakthroughs-in-the-science-of-learning/

A fun resource for presentation ideas and  embedded visuals footagefirm.com

I thoughtful perspective on storytelling   The Drawing Board