Open Learning - Ups and Downs

I don't think that I have had the experience Open Learning as it seems a bit unlikely for the time being because of the fact that most of the lessons in Turkey are teacher-directed. I may have had some minor lessons which were quite flexible and technology-involved, but I'm not sure whether these are in the category of Open Learning.
However, if I had such experiences, I think that they would be great in many senses. First of all, Learners decide what, when and how learning will take place based on their needs and question. Secondly, because this process is technology involved, learners would construct, evaluate and revise their studies and understanding using technology. Another important point is Open Learning provides a wide range of sources of materials and tools, through which learners can extent and enhance their learning and cognitive capabilities.
Lastly, thanks to Web 2.0 tools, the interaction of users can effectively help learners exchange ideas, contribute and get guidance from their peers which is one of the most important principle of social view of learning.
Despite all these, Open Learning may not be favorable in some senses. Because it is the learners who decide what, when and where to learn, I think that the quality of its practice will be mainly depend on learner's choice. Another aspect that because the teacher and students don't see each other and some students like learning when teacher is present, this situation may be disadvantage for such learners, which might also be less motivational for these learners. Lastly, if students are not involved in some video-meetings and all students don't participate during Open Learning process, they may be disadvantageous in developing their oral/speaking and social interaction skills .

My customized PLE

Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century as PLE

To my mind, the lesson Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century that we are studying online recently is one of the best example of Personal Learning Environment (PLE from now on) judging from my experiences. Actually, there are many reasons why it is an example of PLE.
One of the very first one is the fact that we have the control of our learning and we can manage our learning. That is, I can look for the topics, which are getting more and more each day, that I'm interested in the website and blogs and pick the one I like and in this way direct my learning process.
Another important point that makes our recent learning environment a real PLE is that our website is not processing on it's own, but integrated with some other Web 2.0 technologies like blogs and forums. In this way, we can express and share our thoughts and findings with our colleagues while they also can do the same thing and we can mix our ideas and find the exact information we are looking for. In fact, with the beginning of using the forum, we have a more flexible and convenient Web 2.0 tool and it has became much easier to create a discussion environment to exchange ideas and collaborate.
As well as these, when using, sharing and trying to get the information, learning becomes more learner centered and we create and control our own knowledge that we need and we are interested in, which is the the main characteristic feature in the process of PLE phenomenon.
Lastly, thanks to Web 2.0, which also consists our website, blogs and forum, we can add, modify, change, share, collaborate, upload, download and post our ideas and impressions about a topic. In simple words, we create and form what we learn and this is what makes PLE which is not a learning system, but a learning environment.

My Learning Contract

Topic: German Language

Purpose: learning the basics of that language, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and voicing, and listening and speaking.

Resources: 

• Grammar: I need a website that either presents information about the subject or I can watch a video which is also about content.
• Vocabulary: I need a website that supply me the vocabulary of that language through many interactive ways like puzzles, games, etc. instead of just listing out the words.
• Pronunciation: I need another interactive website that let me hear the pronunciation of the word I want to learn (sometimes by just clicking on the word) and enable me to test the way I voice the words after recording my pronunciation and checking.
• Listening: A website that provides me with listening activities through mp3s and podcasts according to my level is the what I need for this phase.
• Speaking: I need a interactive speaking website that presents the opportunity to communicate with native speakers via either audial or audial and visual conversations to enhance speaking skills.

Strategy: 

       I would try to get enough information either by reading information or watching the interactive lessons on the websites like YouTube and practice my knowledge by using some tests and exercises presented on websites. I would try to learn vocabulary through different web-based activities which muck like doing on a paper, but most times more enjoyable than paper because of doing with a different tool. As for Pronunciation, I'd access to some websites either present me a text and I hear the pronunciation when I click on the word I wonder about or some other websites that instruct us first and check our pronunciation and voicing by checking whether it is similar or not. Listening is the lucky skill because there a lot of websites through which I would listen the texts and issues that I want regarding my level and do some exercise about it when listening. Lastly, there are some speaking clubs and friend finding websites that you can not only find the person who talk the language you are learning, but you can talk and see the person through the website  in a interactive way to practice your speaking as well. These are all the options that I can access and use to learn not German language, but any language.

Outcome Evaluation:

As I pointed out above, through exercises, games, puzzles, quizzes presented online, I can check and evaluate if and how much I have learned and on which points I should work more. Even it is not as much as Grammar and .vocabulary, this is the case also for skills as well. I can check my pronunciation and listening skills by listening directly from website for many times, moreover, in these websites, I can also record my sound and check the accuracy of my pronunciation in a further step. Because speaking is a skill that can be evaluated after a long-term process, I can ask for feedback from the people I'm having conversation with after some experience. Taking all these conditions into consideration, I think that I will be able to check the extend of my task I have completed and I will be able to judge the success and failure that I have arranged on my own and hundred percent I'm responsible for.

What is Web 2.0?

There is a video about Web 2.0 that I liked and wanted to share with my friends. To watch, click
Web 2.0

Articles on Changes in Learning and Teaching

Web 2.0 Tools in Teaching, Learning and Research

In his research, the author points out  the necessity of change in the education, because he thinks that learning also has changed. He adds that the factory modelling of schooling is dying and customization, collaboration and creation are the new model. In this sense, he emphasize on socialization comes with technology, especially with web 2.0 Tools. According to him, Web 2.0 Tools enable:

1. Socialization, students can use the language and skills they are learning to build networks and develop relations with real people. He also says that Web 2.0 tools enables
2. Creativity, students can work with others to construct and share real knowledge.
3. Creativity, students can create genuine products in a wide range and combination of media to high standards  that will have a real audience.
4. Authenticity, the tasks and activities they do and the people they communicate with are real and motivating.
5. Sharing, students can share what they have created and learn from each other.

Traditional Versus Modern Teaching Methods

In this article presented as blog, the author discuss difference between the traditional and modern teaching methods and the difficulties the students were facing in the past with the traditional methods and the advantages the new methods brings to us. The author points out that the teaching and learning were carrying out with the help of chalk and blackboard in the past. Students were even trying to understand the difficult mathematics and geometric diagrams. However, with the advent of technological equipments like smart boards, both learning and teaching has became much easier and fun for teachers and learners.

How Technology is Changing Education as We Know It

This article focuses on the changing and developing technology and how it affects education. It says that technological changes shaped the education from the beginning and the digital revolution has increased the speed education is transformed. Apart from that, the internet and other developments have changed the way education is attained, measured and developed.

1. Convenience and availability: thanks to distance learning programs, many people who were living in a town and lacked of college and university reached higher education.
2. Pedagogy:  technology also shaped pedagogy and the art of teaching. Instructors can create and supply their teachings in a exciting way. With videoconferencing, teachers can get in touch with experts who are unable to visit the classroom in person. Teachers and learners can also use e-mail, video chats and instant massaging for communication and exchange of information and knowledge. Also thanks to blogs and forums, teachers and students can discuss and exchange what they are learning and have learned.
3. Research: The libraries have also been the first thing that come to minds in terms of teaching. However, with the advent of online information, students can access whatever they are looking for or wonder about regardless of their time and place for free.

References:
http://edudemic.com/2012/01/tech-changing/

http://teaching.ezinemark.com/traditional-versus-modern-teaching-methods-7d308a3c7699.html

http://www.slideshare.net/norhisham/teaching-learning-research-on-web-20-in-education

Traditional Teaching vs Modern Teaching Methods

Without doubt,
        They way we were learning and are learning have a big gap between when compared to the past. I think that this gap is unquestionable. In the past, to which I also witnessed, our learning practice was depend on "chalk and talk". The teacher would come to class and talk, students would listen for 45 or 50 minutes and the lesson would finish after. There was just theoretical instruction. What's worse, the students would not move or contact with each other during these lessons.
        However, today, despite some exceptions, the ways of teaching and learning have changes to a great degree.   Instead of chalk, teachers are carrying tablets, computers and projector clickers now. It's quite unusual to come across a class without technological visual and audial assistants, which play a great role in recent teaching and learning practices. These assistants are computers, projectors, speakers and especially smart boards. I think that we can describe smart boards as threshold of technology in education and training which is getting more usual in classrooms.
        I can say that many of our teachers have changed their way of teaching. Because I think that they are also aware of the changing learning environment and think that traditional teaching methods have not only little effect, but it can really be boring for students as well because of inactiveness and passivity of learners. I also think that educators are aware of the fact that it is very difficult to keep up with the other developed countries with the traditional chalk methods, but modern, technology-supported teaching is a necessity.   Because of all these reasons, I think that educators and teachers have changed their way and method of teaching.
        Inevitably, there are still teachers confined themselves to the traditional teaching methods. Unfortunately, I myself witnessed such teachers even in my university. My observation and reflection for such lessons is the fact that they are really motionless and boring compared to the ones address to you visually, auditory in which and you are active. I think that the main reason why some of our teachers still keep on using these methods is because they have either little or no knowledge of using technology and are not good enough to use technology to support their teachings.

Traditional "chalk and Talk" Method

Modern Instruction Method

My Experience of Webpublishing Tools and Services

My first experience web and computer started years ago when I created an account in Windows Live Messenger. It opened the the first door of online communication for me and I have been using this tool since. However we don’t call it Messenger any more, but Skype. I use Skype to communicate with my family when I’m here in Linz and my friends who are away.

My experience of Facebook is as little as two days. This so called great means of communication did not interested me at all. But, still with the pressure of my friends, I opened an account on Facebook two years ago, however, I became aware of the fact that I was right in thinking that way and I closed  the account after two days of use. Another tool that I’m very active in and use as a mean of communication is E-mail. In my opinion, this tool is quite handy and I use it not only when I communicate with my friends who are away, but in official situations as well such as when I want to get in touch with official buildings and professors in my college.

Apart from that, I was closely following a website which was based on practises for students preparing to university entrance exam when I was in high school. After using this website, me, my friends and one our teachers decided to create and design such a website for students in our city. We did it and it was a success in the beginning, but as our exam was approaching, our focus went more on exam and we didn’t take care of it properly. But there are still a couple websites and forums that I follow and I’m interested in.

Another website that I’m recently in is LinkedIn. I created an account in this website, which is more or less similar to Facebook but is less crowded and based on business practises, with the reason of keep in touch with my managers and bosses that I worked with before and to be updated about what is happening in the world of business. For my computer course in my college, I had also a website that I created and designed last year covering  information and visual materias about myself, but although it was active a few months ago, it became inactive automatically recently.

Getting Started - Brief Introduction

Hi!

        This is Erkan Akbulut. I'm 21 years old and I'm from Batman, which is a city located in the southeast part of Turkey. I study English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Faculty of Education in Akdeniz University in Antalya, the first place comes to minds when talking about tourism. I was living in Batman with my big family before starting university in a different city and I have been living in Antalya with my brother studying the same department for 3 years now.

        My department is mainly focused on secondary school and is basically means teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). Although it's been 3 years I have been studying this department in University, I'm in the second grade as I took preparation class in the very beginning of my education in the university which means that I need to study my bachelor degree for 5 years.

        If you ask why I'm studying my current department, I will probably say that because I'm not bad in learning languages and I was interested in foreign languages even in my childhood. I don't think that I have made wrong decision as I'm quite happy my current situation. Moreover, I never get bored when I'm studying or dealing with languages, especially English. Another foreign language I want to learn most is undoubtedly German.

        As for my hobbies, the activities I like to do in my spare times are doing bike trips, travelling and, without doubt, photographing. I generally spend my weekends either have bike trips with my friends or jogging to find new places to practise photography. On the other side, cooking is something that I'm not good at and I don't like to do. In my apartment with my friends, I usually try to make up for this by washing the dishes in which I'm better. Finally, another thing that I like to do is following what is going on in the world of technology and spend my times dealing with computers and their softwares.