roberth

013091 e-LEARNING EXPERIENCES, MODELS AND THEORIES 1

Assessment Task 1.1 – Select a Learning Community

My views on the nature of a learning community

      The view that I have on the nature of a learning community until now was not a consideration that I have previously thought about because I was engaged within the Cartesian learning style as outlined by Seely Brown & Adler (2008, p. 20). The concept of a learning community and the impact that change will make in the way learning will proceed in the future is a real issue to me now as I see for the majority of the youth of today unable to deal with the necessary depth of understanding needed in engineering decision making. In part Engineering as a profession has not been particularly attractive to a generation of youth who over the last fifteen years have grown up with a maturing computing age and as a means of communication have readily adapted the technologies within their cohort that enable them to scan vast amounts of information (Seely Brown & Duguid (1999, p. 13). The current shortage of trained engineers has seen resurgence in the profession yet the generational change in learning styles is clearly evident in how the youth of today approach the matter. The communication modes used in their social discourse is merely extrapolated to their education and learning realm using bricolage. In defining a learning community given this revolution in communication technologies I see it as now a technology based, networked platform which allows its users to personally scan for information and then providing the navigational pathways for others to gain from that discrete personal learning. It is a dynamic, iterative and exploratory based, team-driven learning style and is literally a generation apart from the knowledge expert who passed on information in the Cartesian learning programs. As such a learning community today is action based, grounded upon and totally reliant upon its technology platform to generate information. This is poles apart from the previous text based literacy mode of individual learning followed by a sharing of the discourse and is one of the many points raised in the Executive Summary of the 2008 Horizon Report (2008, p. 6).

The nature and focus of the selected learning community –

Decorative Concrete Forum

      The focus of the e-learning community that I have selected is within a subject area that I have a great deal of experience and knowledge as a concrete technologist. I have selected a forum which deals with decorative concrete finishes, based in the United States (Decorative Concrete Forum, 2008). The construct of this community is most interesting in that it has been set up by material suppliers, equipment manufacturers and contractors within the industry segment. This is a model that is worth exploring as to its adaptability in Australia and is a key consideration in me selecting this forum. Another reason for me selecting this forum is that it allows me to engage with contractors who are ‘creating’ the final placed products in decorative concrete and gain feedback on construction techniques, construction difficulties and gaining first-hand the emerging and innovative trends in the use of the decorative concrete. Connectivity to the industry from my position as a designer and specifier of the medium with those placing the material has never been directly accessible because of contract structure. This forum addresses this issue and provides the scaffolding and bricolage to skirt around previous contractual issues which were impediments to the flow of information and impeded learning and understanding.    

How this e-community is recognised as a learning community

      I recognise this e-community as a learning community through the following actions I have tracked so far. Firstly, as a practicing concrete technologist the sharing of knowledge about concrete mix design ‘recipes’ is generally closely guarded by those experts proficient in designing concrete. If mix design advice is given it places the advisor in a position where there is the potential to be litigated against if the construction of the concrete is poorly executed. In exploring the site I was interested to see if an enquiry about mix design was treated well and by whom. In tracking the forum on Concrete Countertops an individual, ‘Halfirishman’ who was a hobbyist in this field asked for specific mix design advice. The initial responses he drew were not favourable but a genuine specific mix recipe was forthcoming from ‘Desertdog’, after which the whole tone of the forum changed and precipitated a wider audience exchange of meaningful dialogue and advice. In pursuing Desertdog’s credentials he in fact operates an internet address of URBAN Concrete Design and invited Halfirishman to telephone him if he was having problems with the advice offered (Decorative Concrete Forum, 16 March, 2008). Yes, this could be construed as a blatant act of self promotion but the interesting thing that followed from the forum was the exchange of knowledge and specific detail offered by others through the alignment of the people by the positive action offered by Desertdog. Whilst most of the forums appear to be short-lived because of job specificity, it must be realised that the forum’s audience, for the most, are practical people who want specific advice. In viewing the types of questions being asked and the participation rate by many of the subscribers I see that this site offers learning to many people in regional/rural locations in the theme of its subject matter.

The value of studying this e-community in this subject

      The value of participation in this forum to my development from this subject is three fold:

a.       As adult educator I teach and train individuals and groups face-to-face ranging from the inexperienced through to the quasi-professional at the Certificate IV and Diploma level within TAFE. Additionally, I provide training to professional engineers who were trained overseas but need skills development to Australian curriculum and practices. Upon completion of their professional skills development they will be recognised by the Institution of Engineers of Australia which will allow them to practice in Australia.  My engagement with this forum with a very similar audience cross-section will allow me to gauge how Australian practice(s) compare with the American experience.

b.      As an experienced professional Civil Engineer I decided over 25 years ago that I would focus passing my experience downwards in the engineering tiers of training, with focus on up-skilling the concrete placement contractors. Contractors traditionally within the concreting industry are for the most, trained by on-the-job skills training only, with little technical acumen in their training since there are no formal qualifications associated with this aspect of the construction trade. In engaging in this forum with those I experience I will continue to give explanation and meaning with the exchanges I make and at the same time gauge what the differences in training/ interest level shown/ detail and complexity of work being undertaken predominantly in the USA when compared to Australia.

c.       The participation in an e-learning environment is for me learning in itself as to how I might further shape and influence an industry sector for the future in its regime(s) of training. The concreting industry is currently populated by an ageing workforce and has been failing to draw youth into its ranks because of the high physical exertion required of individuals in a labour intensive industry. I expect that in participating in this forum I will be able to capture new and innovative equipment based construction techniques that will reduce the physical labour aspect of the work. This is a break-through area needed by the construction industry at large to alleviate the skill shortage for this sector of the construction industry. Simply put, if decorative concrete usage is being adopted widely in the USA, what are they doing differently to Australia that makes it a successful architectural medium displacing other traditional building finishes? 

My expectations as a learner/participant in this community

      My reasons in becoming a learner/participant in this community have been largely outlined above and my expectation from participation in this forum is that I want to understand the social dynamic of the forum as it has significant implications as to how I adapt the learnings into my education methodologies. In establishing whether learning is taking place across the tiers within the concrete industry I hope to identify the strengths and blockage points in the structure of this particular forum and be able to align the reasoning with the various social theory models proposed by Saunders (2005). This is the biggest single factor that I have to understand when incorporating e-learning frameworks within TAFE across subject arenas that are inclusive of untrained individuals through to overseas graduate engineers all of whom are gaining skills for their career development. The e-learning forum as a networked community has a social structure that grows in parallel with the learning from the particular community. I recognise that not only does an e-learning community have to have a reason of being but also it has to have a socio-climate which is conducive to engaging its audience to participate willingly.

Robert Holdom

28 March, 2008

Reference List:

Decorative Concrete Forum

http://www.decorativeconcreteforums.com/forum.php

New Media Consortium, 2008 Horizon Report

http://horizon.nmc.org/wiki/Main_Page

Saunders, S., 2005, ‘Chapter 3 – Social Psychology of Adult Learning’, in Adult Educational Psychology, J.A. Athanasou, ed., Social Science Press, Katoomba, pp. 25-71.

Seely Brown, J. & Adler, R.P., 2008, ‘Minds on Fire: Open education, the Long Tail, and

Learning 2.0’, in Educause Review, January/February, pp.16-32.

http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/MindsonFireOpenEducationt/45823

Seely Brown, J. & Duguid, O., 1999, Learning, Working and playing in the digital age. Transcript from a conference on Higher Education of the American Association for Higher Education.

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/seelybrown/seelybrown.html