- Observe the impact of the “default” classroom on teaching practices & student learning
- Define reasons to discover and allow wider access to learning spaces
- Identify some of the available options for students to represent their learning
This session begins at the first few moments any teacher enters their physical classroom or their LMS, and the lingering effects of that event on their teaching practice and that of their students. Through the lens of Dewey, McLuhan, and Lisa Lane, the session explores the impact of the “default” and the shaping of possibilities beyond the classroom and beyond the LMS. We will look toward a future of the best possible opportunities for student learning, as well as teacher learning.
“It is simple information technology being used by one community to reshape another one. It is this type of aggression that we exert on our own youngsters in what we call "education." We simply impose upon them the patterns that we find convenient to ourselves and consistent with the available technologies." - Marshall McLuhan
“They are encouraged to “plug in” their content under the appropriate category instead of envisioning a translation of their individual pedagogical style into an online environment. Blackboard “tends to encourage a linear pathway through the content,” and its default is to support easy uploading and text entry to achieve that goal.” - Lisa Lane
DISCUSSION
- What are the impacts of the “default” classroom on teaching practices & student learning?
- What are the reasons to discover and allow wider access to all learning spaces?
- Why offer diverse options to students to represent their learning?
RESOURCES
I was asked in the session to share some of the printed examples I shared. They are below.