Learning Adventures - A New Approach for Transforming Real and Virtual Classroom Environments - Discussions

Your Name and Title:

Gary S. Stager, Ph.D.

Executive Director

School or Organization Name:

The Constructivist Consortium

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Area of the World from Which You Will Present:

Torrance, CA USA

Language in Which You Will Present:

USA

Target Audience(s):

Educators, administrators, policy-makers, teacher educators

Short Session Description (one line):

Learn how online learning can reflect the best traditions of progressive education

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

The emphasis of the learning adventures is on the learning process while traditional assignments focus on product. My students provide constant formative assessment, expertise and assistance to their classmates since they share the same virtual space 24/7 and because their work is public. The teacher's role shifts from one of judgment to one of supporting each learner. Even face-to-face classes benefit from non-coercive open-ended transparent learning adventures. Critical factors of learning adventures will be presented as well as their theoretical foundations.

Dr. Stager has been online since 1983 (unless you count using an acoustic coupler five years earlier), was instrumental in creating Pepperdine University's Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program in 1997 and has written online courses for Classroom Connect, Generation YES and Logo Computer Systems, Inc. He began leading online collaborative constructionist projects connecting classrooms in the 1980s.

In this session, Gary will reflect on his experiences teaching online, designing course content and observing children enrolled in online courses in order to challenge some the conventional wisdom about distance learning and offer examples of how online learning requires an amplification of the best teaching practices if it is to realize its potential for all learners. Elements of effective project-based learning wil also be explored.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

http://constructingmodernknowledge.com

http:stager.tv/blog

Replies

Co-Chair

Lucy Gray November 6, 2011 at 8:54pm

The deadline for submitting your revisions to this proposal is November 7, 2011 at 5 PM CST or 23:00 UTC. Email Lucy Gray at elemenous@gmail.com if you make changes and need your proposal reviewed again.

We will not accept revisions after this time. If you choose not to revise, we appreciate your ideas and we hope you'll consider applying next year.
Gary S. Stager, Ph.D. November 1, 2011 at 3:19am

Collaboration and real-world problem solving over great distances are implicit in the description I wrote. Would it be better if be better if I had sprinkled the term, "global," throughout the proposal.

I read the conference mission and it doesn't define "global awareness," "global competency" or "global context."

One would think that my 25 years of experience leading global collaborative online projects and expertise in project-based learning would be desirable.
Co-Chair

Lucy Gray October 27, 2011 at 11:29am

Gary, need more ties to the conference mission in your description!

http://globaleducation.ning.com/notes/The_2011_Global_Education_Con...

Thanks,

Lucy
Co-Chair

Lucy Gray October 21, 2011 at 6:28am

Thanks for your submission to present at the 2011 Global Education Conference. Your proposal looks promising, but could benefit from some additional language that ties your work to the conference theme of global collaboration. The conference seeks to present ideas, examples and initiatives related to connecting educators and classrooms around the world with an emphasis on promoting global awareness and instilling global competency in students. This is not a general education conference nor a technology conference. Please review your submission and adjust accordingly, so that participants clearly understand how your work fits into the mission of the conference.

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