Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

Pam McKinney here live blogging the final keynote from the LILAC conference featuring Professor  Alison Littlejohn, Dean of learning and teaching in the faculty of social sciences at the University of Glasgow.  Allison began by outlining the neo-liberalisation of the higher education sector, positioning students as consumers and the rise in importance of the national student survey.  Allison was involved with a project called “learning literacies in the digital age” which outlined the need for learning to focus on processes and literacies, not content. Allison discussed the power of MOOCs to disrupt education, and to give people the opportunity to learn in a different way, using digital technologies. 

If someone asked me about my most frustrating teaching moments, I would not have to think twice; nothing can be more discouraging than a group of bored students, doing something only because they are told to do it. At the same time, if asked about my worst experience as a student, I get the same image of a boring lecture or activity, with my mind starting to wander elsewhere, thinking of what I will be doing after… In either case, personally, I strongly believe that it is the teacher who can work the magic and make the learning experience more exciting, engaging, and interesting.

Encouraging student commitment ultimately brings better results than the external motivations of reward or punishment. These seven self-persuasion strategies will get you started.

Understanding what a child's brain needs is central to instruction.

As an educator, I have an embarrassing confession: When I was younger, I was an incredibly difficult student.

Read something? … On a good day, maybe I’d do some skimming.  

Prepare ahead of time? … Nah, another student will do the talking.

Pay attention in class? … What for? Why does this even matter to me?!

There within that last cringe-worthy question lies the problem. For anyone who has been at the front of a classroom, you know that one of the greatest obstacles to learning is student apathy. To help overcome this barrier, I recommend the “motivation step,” a brief, introductory discussion designed to articulate why the material is significant to a student’s real-world success.

It can be hard to keep students motivated over breaks as they lose their day-to-day structure and are surrounded by more distractions. However, students have deadlines that demand attention over this unstructured period, and with the help of edtech for higher education, you can do your bit to help them stay motivated.

Motivational problems can be a barrier to change. It requires "unlearning" behaviors with thoughtful effort and energy. The brain needs extra reactivity and concentration to recognize a new behavior or skill, but making changes can take up energy and trigger stress. Here are 5 eLearning motivation strategies to help increase learner participation.