Another great article about lectures.

http://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/27/why-lectures-are-dead-or-soon-will-be/

Are Traditonal Lectures Dead?

Personally I love to give lectures! I feel I'm good at it, I have lots to share, I'm funny, and gosh darn it people like me! But really it isn't about me! Students need to play an active role in their learning, I believe in student centered learning. Lectures seem to bore many to tears,  thus we must make them interactive, involving technology and student participation. Here is a recent journal entry I wrote for the 3240 Media Enhanced Learning course I'm taking at VCC.

Journal Two: Are Traditional Lectures Dead?

Objective:

            In this day and age we are all wired and wirelessly connected to an endless matrix of knowledge that we can access at anytime, a time appropriate for our schedules. Bowen, J.A (2012), p.187, states “The widespread availability of Web-based content means that those hours could be better spent improving learning rather then reinventing mediocre or even great lectures”.  Today’s learners have many roles and responsibilities, as educators we must make in class time as engaging and productive as possible. Ambikairajah, E., Epps, J., Sheng, M., & Celler, B. (2008) p.152, maintain “ studies have shown that students prefer to study in their own time, when they are less fatigued, rather then attending regular structured classes”. We now know that students expect a lot out of a class is they are going to take the time to attend a real time lecture, therefore a traditional old fashioned lecture will likely not make the grade.

Reflective:

            I would be a liar if I said I have not given a theory lecture that created a room filled with bored, unengaged, learners that seemed to be drifting elsewhere. According to a study of 211 university students reviewed by Mann, S., & Robinson, A. (2009), p.243, “Results reveal that 59% of students find their lectures boring half the time and 30% find most all of their lectures to be boring. The consequences of being bored included students missing future lectures and there was also a significant association between level of boredom and grade point average”. When I reflect on the research I have done and the learners in my own classroom it is clear to me a traditional lecture on its own is not enough. I have been teaching for five years, within the first year I soon understood standing and delivering in the conventional sense was not reaching my audience. I immediately starting educating myself on ways to make my class engage and participate. The 3240 Media Enhanced Learning course is helping me to cultivate new ideas and draw new sources of inspiration.

Interpretive:

            The students that enroll in the hair design program in which I teach tend to be very visual and hands on learners. My students have told me I keep lectures interesting with humor, role playing, and sharing real world stories from the field. Well that is flattering I know lecturing is not the most suitable mode for many course objectives and learner, I have to keep lecture time short and relevant. Hairdressing students thrive when they are presented with live demonstrations and video presentations. This past year I started to text my student’s videos before and after lessons, I chose content that represented what we were about to learn or had just learned. While I provide live demonstrations that I feel are excellent I can not always assume all students are having a good day or are able to keep up.

 In a recent study comparing video material to live lecture Ramlogan, S., Raman, V., & Sweet, J. (2014), p.32, state, “Video has the advantage of offering media-rich audio and visual stimulation covering a wider spectrum of learning styles or preferences. Video has the ability to be forwarded, rewound, or repeatedly viewed allowing users to peruse the content within their own time at their own pace”. At the present time our department as a very old and lacking curriculum with very little technology or online presence. I find this very frustrating and feel it is a great injustice to our students. I personally hope to be involved in future curriculum development for the Hair Design Program. I visualize videos of all lectures and demonstration materials online for the students to access, many times our ESL learners cannot keep up in class, this would be so beneficial for them. Nast, A., Schäfer-Hesterberg, G., Zielke, H., Sterry, W., & Rzany, B. (2009), p.1042, studied a group of students presented with traditional learning and e-learning, “ making lectures available online and on-demand was highly welcomed by our students and has had a positive impact on the total number of students benefiting from the lectures. This indicates that the students did not view e-learning as a replacement for traditional teaching methods, but rather as a valuable addition”. I feel lectures will always have a role in the classroom but they are changing in shape, format, and accessibility. Technology is required to bring lectures to a whole new level and is vital to keep the lecture alive and well, not to mention engaging to the learner.

Decisional:

            As I reflect on the course readings and research that I have reviewed I find myself even more aware of the urgency to revamp traditional lectures and learning. The students in my classroom are frequently young, mature, and international. All three of these groups have their own learning challenges and needs, which can often be impossible to meet by a lecture or face-to-face class time alone. Even though I try to speak at a moderate pace and try to chose language that is easy to understand I still sense students in the room that are not able to follow. I spend a great deal of time after class helping those students to find clarity on a topic. I feel if our program had a better e-learning center students could be more self-directed with their learning, helping themselves to understand the course materials. Furthermore todays instructors are as busy as ever and often lack prep time or an assistant, an online supplement to a course would certainly provides some relief to the teachers workload. I can not count the times I have re-watched or referred back to videos and content for the 3240 course, it has been very valuable. In closing this exploration I conclude that lectures are still of value providing they embrace technology and create a more interactive opportunity for the learner. I see all humans as life long learners, but we are learners with limited time and attentions spans. We are obligated to ourselves as well as our learners to be relevant and intentional, nobody has valuable time to waste. Moving forward I aspire to create a classroom that is more interactive both in real time and online. In being honest with myself even I find the traditional ways of yesterday boring and disengaging. I’m very grateful for the encouragement and inspiration the 3240 Media Enhanced Learning course is providing me.

References

Ambikairajah, E., Epps, J., Sheng, M., & Celler, B. (2008). A new mode of lecturing for self-directed learning—virtual classroom on a DVD. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1007(1), 152-161. doi:10.1063/1.2937602

Bowen, J.A (2012). Teaching naked: how moving technology out of your college  classroom will improve student learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Mann, S., & Robinson, A. (2009). Boredom in the lecture theatre: an investigation into the contributors, moderators and outcomes of boredom amongst university students. British Educational Research Journal, 35(2), 243-258. doi:10.1080/01411920802042911

Nast, A., Schäfer-Hesterberg, G., Zielke, H., Sterry, W., & Rzany, B. (2009). Online lectures for students in dermatology: A replacement for traditional teaching or a valuable addition?. Journal Of The European Academy Of Dermatology & Venereology, 23(9), 1039-1043. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03246.x

Ramlogan, S., Raman, V., & Sweet, J. (2014). A comparison of two forms of teaching instruction: video vs. live lecture for education in clinical periodontology. European Journal Of Dental Education, 18(1), 31-38. doi:10.1111/eje.12053

In the last two months I've been busy taking three classes towards my Provincial Instructors Diploma. I have learned so much about instructional delivery, assessment of learning, and media enhanced learning. I have decided to share some of my journal entry's from the 3240 Media Course. They outline the thoughts on how and why social media is a great tool for the classroom.

3240 Journal One (Chp.1to3):

Using Facebook As A Collaborative Learning Tool:

More and more I hear my fellow educators complain about smart phones and tablet usage while they are delivering a lesson, I understand this frustration but I believe we must embrace these powerful tools. Today’s multi-tasking student is using a social media platform countless times a day, while there are many Facebook seems to be a universal. Galagan, 2010,p.27 maintains, “Today’s classrooms have become centers of multitasking. People are texting, tweeting, managing their calendars, and processing email while trying to follow the instructor and take notes. For most people born after 1977, doing many things at once is a natural state off affairs”. I feel as instructors we have an obligation to our leaners to stay relevant by using tools that both encourage learning and embrace methods preferred by todays learner.  In a fast paced world social media provides an accessible tool for connectivity, collaboration, social and cultural awareness, and all other processes we attribute to learning.

Objective:

Using social media in both the classroom and remotely provides a wonderful opportunity for student engagement and opportunity to develop a community. As an instructor of hair design I find my learners to be visual and creative, they are very stimulated by images and videos of hair colors and styles they would love to create. Constantly they show me images they have found on Facebook pages and want to know how to create these looks. As a result it occurred to me that Facebook could be an excellent extension of our class and provide a learning center where students can share and discuss ideas. To me this represents learning distantly and building on what they have learned in class. The idea of this online beehive buzzing with activity, even when I’m not there is an exciting one.  Students will have an opportunity utilize self-directed learning, as well as teaching each other and challenging each other. According to Johnson, 2014, p.82, “the Wed. 2.o revolution has resulted in a golden age of self-publishing. The tools for sharing ideas and creative efforts through text, photos, movies, and sound have never been easier to use or more powerful. Most creators want to share their work and get reactions to it, so it’s not surprising that giving students opportunities to create for a broad audience can increase their level of engagement and their investment in creating high-quality products”. As I look forward to starting my new class of Hair Design, I visualize a Facebook page and community to actively have my students participate on.

Reflective:

As I reflect on the idea of using Facebook with my students I’ve found myself making a mental pro and con list in my head. While there is so much positive about using Facebook as a teaching tool, there are also a lot of negatives to take into consideration.  Bowen, 2012,p.34, maintains, “ Facebook is ubiquitous; virtually all your students have profiles and spend daily time on this site. Its ubiquity makes it potentially useful for you and your classes, but it also creates many challenges. Creating a class group can be an effective supplement for your LMS”. Common challenges with using Facebook with our students are privacy issues, boundaries, and the potential for cyber-bullying. Many of us use Facebook primarily for personal use, however work, hobbies, associations, and school are rapidly becoming a common place on social media. As we move towards this we need to be conscious of privacy settings, keeping personal and professional/educational worlds separate. I feel if these two worlds are not kept separate an instructor may lose their objectivity and relevance from their students. Students may feel uncomfortable or put off if the lines between personal/professional are blurred.  In addition, we must consider cyber-bullying and the time required to monitoring the Facebook page. Anytime we as instructors encourage our students to interact on social media we must play a guiding role, one that includes constantly checking to make sure the safe learning environment is present. Even with all of these concerns I feel the collaboration and sharing that occurs on the Facebook page is valuable. Many instructors avoid using social media as they let their fears of these challenges get the best of them.

Interpretive:

More then ever I’m finding my students are busy with the various roles they juggle in life, this is simply the way it is nowadays and there is no going back. I feel creating a Facebook community for my class will be a huge asset in countless ways. Often people miss a class or were having an off day while attending class, failing to absorb the material presented this is were the Facebook community will assist in helping the student to stay on track. Commonly there is not enough classroom time or space to cover all course materials, at least not as in-depth as instructors or students may wish, yet another reason utilizing social media is an asset. Henriksen, Wu, & Dickson, 2013,p.24 maintain, “ The asynchronous nature of the Facebook system provides both a tool and environment where communication and collaboration can be enacted online independent of physical and spatial constraints”. Knowing that space and time are so scarce in today’s world it makes it easy to conclude why tools like Facebook are important allies in education. If students have the Facebook page for a resource they can rapidly bring themselves up to speed, orient themselves and each other on what they missed and get back on task. On a simple level I will post homework assignments and pertinent topics that were covered each day, without providing so much detail that my learners no longer feel a need to attend real time class. On a more advanced level I will present them with design challenges, activities where I ask them to share work they have created with each other, as well as sharing links to valuable videos and materials that inspired them.  A lot of students to not feel comfortable sharing in class, social media takes away they anxiety of sharing, it makes collaborating with others feel safe and fun. Decisional:

As I reflect on my readings, research, and thoughts I realize the importance of sharing and collaborating outside the physical classroom. The students in the Hair Design program are so visual and creative; their hunger for new looks and ideas is endless. I feel if I address the fears and risks of using Facebook incorrectly I will create a supplemental learning environment will enhance my students learning experience in a safe and secure manner. I plan to develop a Facebook page for my students to join.  They will not follow my personal Facebook profile, nor will I follow theirs. They can post or contact myself privately through our classroom page with questions and concerns. As a group we will determine the rules of our online environment, as an instructor I will monitor the page to ensure all content is free from negativity. I’m looking forward to implementing Facebook into my upcoming class this year; my goal is to see my students play a more active role in their learning. I believe having a supplemental learning environment on Facebook will address the issues presented in the fast paced world that so often challenges time and space.

References

Bowen, J.A (2012). Teaching naked: how moving technology out of your college  classroom will improve student learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Galagan, P. (2010). Burp, chatter, tweet: New sounds in the classroom. T+D, 64(7), 26-29.

Johnson, D. (2014). Why facebook belongs in your school. Educational Leadership, 71(5), 82-83.

Shaltry, C., Henriksen, D., Wu, M., & Dickson, W. (2013). Situated learning with online portfolios, classroom websites and facebook. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 57(3), 20-25. doi:10.1007/s11528-013-0658-9

In the defense of technology in the classroom. I really enjoyed this article.
https://medium.com/synapse/your-nostalgia-isn-t-helping-me-learn-141bd0939153https://medium.com/synapse/your-nostalgia-isn-t-helping-me-learn-141bd0939153

To Tweet or Not To Tweet?

More often than not today's students likely have Twitter installed on their smartphone. Tweeting has become a major form of communicating and sharing knowledge. I personally tweet with people who fit into various areas of my professional and personal life. There is endless ways we can use Twitter with the students in our class and beyond. As a Hair Design Instructor I typically have visual learners who have an appetite for beautiful images, latest trends, and how-to article or videos. One of the first things I encourage my learners to do is join Twitter, then I help them find top stylists, product companies, and other hair education entities to follow. At the same time I ask them to follow myself and their classmates. I ask my students to retweet things they found that are of interest to our field as well as send me direct tweets with links that are highly of interest to them. I often take  the tweets from my students in to consideration when I'm looking for additional techniques or trendy hair techniques that they feel are relevant to learn. Many times I have determined what is missing from my course offerings and where I need to update course objectives/outcomes by simply reviewing my students social media activity. I have provided two links below that I recently shared with a few colleagues, both these links are full of  ways and reasons to use Twitter in the classroom. I personally am so inspired to go a little deep into the Twitterverse with my class this coming year.
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/50-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-college-classroom/

https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/60-inspiring-examples-of-twitter-in-the-classroom

The Chronicle of Higher Education today quotes a university professor on using Twitter to interact with his students,”It was the single thing that changed the classroom dynamics more than anything I’ve ever done teaching,” Good stuff.

Introverts

Introverts!!!

The biggest learning lesson of my teaching career involved these reserved, sometimes quiet, highly insightful, intelligent people. In my first year of teaching full-time as a hairdressing instructor I ended up having a class with three really quiet, shy, introverted students. Immediately after meeting them I thought to myself... "hair stylists can't be quiet and shy, how am I going to make these people into stylists". These thoughts and words that would later bring me shame and in turn became the biggest lesson in my professional life.

It is a commonly held idea in the hair industry that stylist must be social, outgoing, and extroverted. I suppose my twenty plus year career in the beauty industry has driven this ideal character attributes into my head as well. These beliefs were my first mistake, rather then looking at the introverts in my class from my hairdresser perspective I should have been viewing them as an educator. When this epiphany occurred the changes within me began to occur.

Around that same time I was invited to a teachers workshop at the college during this lecture I sat in the room and listened to a strong, experienced instructor speak though I was intimidated by him another part of me was intrigued. To my excitement he began to speak about introverts. He asked for people to speak about the discipline they teach and how they thought introverts would fare in the program. I proudly raised my hand to give my point of view on the question at hand then instructor called on me to respond. I began to explain from my point of view why introverts were not suitable for the hair industry. I stated all the cliché reasons about why stylists need to be extroverted. Naturally he listened to my point of view and gently struck me down. He played the following video and asked the entire class to take it in and reflect upon it afterwards.   

Please take the time to watch this 19 minute video!
 
http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts

After watching this video in the teaching workshop that day my view of introverts was changed forever. It was the biggest "AHA" moment of my early teaching career. Introverts are so valuable to the world, in fact I think I relate to them more then my fellow extroverts. After watching the video half a dozen times I approached the introverts in my classes very differently. Rather then fear them I've helped them be some of the top students in the class and rising starts in the hair industry. Susan Cain is now one of my favorite people, she is a brilliant speaker, a author, a former lawyer and negotiations consultant, and most of all a self-proclaimed introvert. I hope you enjoyed this and spend some time looking at Susan Cain's other contributions.

http://www.ted.com/speakers/susan_cain

Facebook! Often social media and smart phones are seen as an enemy in the classroom by many instructors nowadays. Have you ever thought of implementing it into your classroom? There is endless uses and so many benefits. Learners today are well rooted in the digital world, and prefer this rapid form of communication and sharing ideas. According to Online College.org there is over 100 ways to use Facebook in the educational realm. Make a cup of tea, find a comfortable chair, and take some time to read the following article. Social Media is here to stay, its a powerful tool that educators must at least consider for our learning environment.http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/05/21/100-ways-you-should-be-using-facebook-in-your-classroom-updated/

We all know Balayage is the hottest hair coloring technique at the moment. The word Balayage is french, it means to sweep. As you may know this is a free hand, open air highlighting technique in which color/lightener is swept through the hair. Balayage has been a main stay on salon menus in New York, LA, and Paris for years. This technique has been a favorite with celebrities and models a like. It offers a low maintenance look that appears as if it was created naturally by the sun. That being said this  technique can also be used to created less natural high fashion looks, as well as the Ombre look that has been so recently popular. There is many renowned Balayage Artists but today we are all about Guy Tang! The following video features the one and only Guy Tang demonstrating his Balayage techniques, along with tips and tricks. Guy Tang is an amazing colorist, with a passionate and entertaining approach. I'm sure you will adore him like most stylists and clients do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWWdMp9DxiI