So, about this knitting thing; it
turns out that it’s a lot harder than it looks. Did you know that when you cast
on, all those slipknots are supposed to be kept loose, not tight? The GIFs on
the WikiHow did not mention that bit. The video (from GoodKnitKisses) I was
using to doublecheck instructions did not make that clear either. Six attempts
in and continuing to fail, I opted to try another video (this one from HobbyLobby) to see if a different perspective might help me discover what I was
still doing wrong. This was where I heard about the slipknots needing to be
loose enough to still move up and down the needles. That would explain why the
stitch part of the process wasn’t working out so swell.
Ah,
yes, the stitch part. It’s not going
well. I follow the GIFs and I fail miserably and the videos go about the same. I
get the basic idea but when it comes to execution…you know that scene in Iron
Man (2008) where Tony’s testing his thrusters for the first time and he flips up
and over, crashing into the ceiling and landing somewhere behind his toolboxes
and just groaning? It’s the knitting equivalent of that. I’ve been trying to do
the knit stitch – the videos all agree that it’s the easiest for beginners –
and more often than not the supposedly simple part of slipping the stitch from
one needle to the other goes less nice-and-easy and more tangled-mess. I think
part of this may be due to the yarn and needles I am using. I’m limited by what
I could find quickly in China and, hampered by the language barrier, I had to
go with a “that will have to do” approach on the supplies. The examples in the
videos are almost all being done with thick, smooth wool and large needles and I
am deeply regretting not being able to follow their lead on those selections.
Another drawback I am finding is that
the learning experience feels isolated. I watch the videos, look at the GIFs,
try it out, see if it works, try to figure out why it doesn’t work, watch
different videos to see if they vary the information enough to give me clues
towards what mistakes I’m making, try it again – but all of it’s done on my
own. There are no classmates I can bounce ideas off or compare progress and
process with. There’s no instructor to ask for clarification or for specific
help or information. It’s just me. Moving forward, I would like to try posting
more on social media to see if it could mitigate some of the isolation and
provide feedback.
When it comes to the resources I’m
using, as I said, I’ve been alternating between the GIF-infused WikiHow entry
on knitting and various YouTube videos. I like the GIFs because they breakdown
the process action by action, each GIF demonstrating a single action in slow
motion. What I like most is that the actions are on continuous repeat, thus
eliminating the need to constantly pause and rewind like with the videos.
Additionally, I liked the advice and commentary Hobby Lobby provided in her
videos, although her demonstrations are on the small side and a little too
quickly paced to follow easily. GoodKnitKiss offered a better pacing and a
large visual on her demonstrations, but her explanations were less clear. Thus
the bouncing back and forth.
All
of this to say that my progress hasn’t been visibly all that much due to all
the restarts. On the bright side, I am doing phenomenal learning how not to knit.
This
info-graphic was created for educators and is intended to provide them with
ideas for assistive technology devices that might boost the learning potential
of students suffering from ADHD. It is important to note that the effectiveness
of these tools would naturally depend on the unique needs of the individual
students.
For this project, I
am going to learn to knit using only YouTube, social networks and internet help
forums as my guides. I chose knitting for this project for two reasons. First,
the most significant reason is simply because it is something I am interested
in doing. So many people in my life have impressed upon me the enjoyment that
can be found in knitting, my cousin being one of the biggest. In addition, I
follow a lot of authors on Facebook and Twitter, such as Ilona Andrews and
Devon Monk, who have created some amazing things through their knitting. Seeing
such passion, such creativity, I could not help but be intrigued by its medium.
Second, I feel that knitting is an ideal task for demonstrating developing
skill. It is an activity that clearly shows improvement and is popular enough
to provide a wealth of YouTube videos, blogs, and social media networks to
consult. In other words, I will be able to not only be shown how I am supposed
to be doing it but also to ask social media when it goes wrong and videos alone
cannot assist me. Given the time
constraints, the intention of this exercise will not be to knit a specific
item, such as a scarf or blanket, but rather to begin a project and continue to
produce stitches for as long as possible. If all goes well,
hopefully the biggest challenge I face is trying to dissuade my cat from “helping”
me.
Education is a living organism,
ever evolving, adapting, changing, and growing to suit the needs of the
individuals and the society it aims to serve. With the advancement of
technology, education has transcended its classrooms and lectures to become
more open, more mutable than ever before. With the advent of the internet, the
accessibility of education is no longer a matter of crossing distances and
affording tuitions, but instead is tied to the availability of the technology
needed to join the discourse, surf the networks, and explore the databases. Tied
to this it the fact that “educational systems around the world are under
continuous and increasing pressure to use the new information and communication
technologies to teach students the knowledge and skills they need in the 21st
century” (Brahimi, 2015, p.605). In such an environment, the rise of massive
open online courses (MOOCs) was inevitable.
MOOCs are a throwing open of
the doors of higher education; they are free courses offered online to anyone
and everyone. Cormier (2010) observes in his YouTube video, “a MOOC is
participatory. It is a way to connect and collaborate while developing digital
skills.” They are a means of distributing and building knowledge by a means
that enables students to contribute to the solidification of understanding
through the sharing of their work and ideas. As one researcher notes, MOOCs
"have been hailed as an educational revolution that has the potential to
override borders, race, gender, class and income" (Emanuel, 2013). But is
this the reality? The aim of this paper is to take a brief look at actual
effectiveness of MOOCs as an educational tool.
PROS.
Higher education courses have generally adhered to
variations of the same basic format: an instructor certified as being an expert
in the subject matter assigns readings and leads discussions on a particular
topic and students are expected to demonstrate their learning through essays,
examinations, or a combination thereof. However, the traditional concepts of
education have proven ineffective at meeting the needs of today’s learners and
a change in format (i.e. moving them online) would not change that; “new approaches
that can operate at low cost in the open” are needed (McAndrew & Scanlon,
2013). George Siemens (2005) notes, “informal learning is a significant aspect
of our learning experience. Formal education no longer comprises the majority
of our learning. Learning now occurs in a variety of ways – through communities
of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks.” The
online format of MOOCs affords facilitators the opportunity to develop
interactive and engaging programs in innovative ways. For example, “presentation
using video or broadcast is adjunct and motivates; it is not the core…carefully
constructed text-based material can feel to the student as if it is speaking to
them…using multimedia can build further ways to engage learners” (McAndrew
& Scanlon, 2013).
Additionally, MOOCs have been heralded as “vehicles for
democratizing education and bridging divides within and across countries”
(Kizilcec et al., 2017). MOOCs “expand access and opportunity for students to
participate in and benefit from higher education and reduce the cost of higher
education” (Perna et al., p.421). Entirely hosted online, they are freed from
needing students be physically present at a single brick-and-mortar location
and are thus able to simultaneously reach all corners of the globe. Similarly
cut from such restrictions as fees, size limits, and admission processes, MOOCs
are removed from the usual obstacles preventing access and enable learning to
be open to anyone wanting it. In 2015 alone, enrollment numbers in MOOCs
increased from thousands to millions, “not only in North America but also in
South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa…as well as in the Arab world”
(Brahimi, 2015, p.606) – in fact, between 2012 and 2015, of the twenty-million
registrants in MOOCs, 39% were from less-developed countries” (Kizilcec et al.,
2017) in turn sparked a global rise in the providers of MOOCs as supply raced
to meet and profit from demand.
CONS.
One of the greatest challenges MOOCs face is the reality
of what they become once the concept is carried out. As noted previously, a cornerstone of the MOOC
process is participation, however studies show that completion rates are low “regardless
of whether measured as accessing the last lecture, attempting the last quiz, or
receiving a final grade of at least 80%” (Perna et al., p.425). One study even
found that in not one of sixteen courses examined did more than 12% of those
meant to participate receive a final grade above 80% (Perna et al.). Additionally,
it has been found that many of those participating in MOOCs are in fact “already
well educated — and that they are predominantly young males seeking to advance
their careers” (Emanuel, 2013). Even in countries such as Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa which, in theory, present as prime candidates for
MOOC education, most students using massive open online courses (nearly 80% of
them) come from “the wealthiest and most well-educated 6% of the population”
(Emanuel, 2013). Thus, in this regard, MOOCs ultimately serve to preserve the education disparity that exists between socioeconomic classes rather than as the bright they were exalted as.
CONCLUSION.
It is a generally accepted fact
that learning is a life long process and, coupled with this, is the realization
that the bulk of our learning in fact happens outside the classroom. As Brahimi
notes, "Education is practiced not only inside the classroom but outside
the classroom, in the community as whole where learners can develop
collaborative learning through communities of interest, adapt courses according
to their needs, and become partners in knowledge generation and sharing"
(Brahimi, p.605). MOOCs are a means of making higher education available to
those who otherwise may not have it for one reason or another; they are, in
essence, a good idea that still require time and modification to reach their
full efficiency and potential.
Cormier,
D. [dave cormier]. (2010, December 8). What
is a MOOC? [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc
Emanuel,
E.J. (2013). Online education: MOOCs taken by educated few. Nature 503 (342),
doi:#10.1038/503342a
Kizilcec,
R.F., Saltarelli, A.J., Reich, J., Cohen, G.L. (2017). Closing global
achievement gaps in MOOCs. Science,
355 (6322), pp.251-252. doi:#10.1126/science.aag2063
McAndrew,
P. & Scanlon, E. (2013). Open Learning at a Distance: Lessons for
Struggling MOOCs. Science, 342 (6165), pp.1450-1451.
doi:#10.1126/science.1239686
Perna,
L.W.,Ruby, A., Boruch, R.F., Wang, N., Scull, J., Ahmad, S.& Evans, C.
(2014). Moving Through MOOCs: Understanding the Progression of Users in Massive
Open Online Courses. Educational
Researcher, 43 (9), pp. 421–432. doi: #10.3102/0013189X14562423
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the
digital age. International Journal of
Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 21(10). Retrieved fromhttp://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
I guess that’s as a good a way as any
to begin this introduction; who doesn’t love the classics, after all. My name
is Samantha and, while I’m Canadian (Montreal if we’re being specific) born and
bred, I am currently working and living in Beijing, China. I came over here in
November 2014 after having just worked the two years previously in London, UK
as a supply teacher, and let me just say that if this experience has taught me
anything, it’s that China can get complicated. I worked at an international
school as the Foundations teacher; what’s that, you ask? Well, essentially my class
consisted of students that were 4-6 years old, our curriculum was more-or-less
a hodgepodge collection of outcomes a former principal had put together from
several Canadian curricula, and, due to a lack of resources, I ended up
developing the program more in line with a British Year 1 class than a Canadian
play-based kindergarten environment. Technology-wise, our classrooms had
Smartboards, we were given Macbook computers to use, and, until our owner’s
husband took over and drove them away, we had our own onsite IT support who
were beyond awesome and helpful.
The school closed in October after a
battle with the landlord annoyed the local education bureau one too many times.
I’ll spare you that particular story; suffice to say it was the most ridiculous
insanity you could ever possibly imagine, but in a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy Vogon diplomacy sort of way, if that makes sense.
Bright side, I have a new job I’ll
be starting in August in Guangzhou (it’s a city in the south of China, across
the water from Hong Kong) at an IB school and, in the meantime, my old school
transferred me to one of the kindergartens (think preschool/daycare) owned by
its parent company to finish out my contract.
My learning materials are now
handmade. All of them.
Less said on that the better.
On the non-career side of things, I
will you the condensed version. My family consists of my parents and a sister
and a brother, both younger. My sister had a baby last June that is just as
cute as can be. In China, I live with a cat named Koda who is a complete and
utter loon, but keeps me sane.
For hobbies, I read – mostly urban
fantasy and paranormal romances but I’m trying to make my way through some
classics – and paint. I am big on movies (it kills me that everything releases later
in China; the new Avengers isn’t
going to be out here until May 11 and my sister is loving torturing me about
that) and television (my favourites are Supernatural, Shadowhunters, and, well, pretty much
everything else, but I’ve recently started getting into The Magicians).
And that’s my nutshell.
As for why I wanted to take this
course, with technology becoming more and more prevalent, interactive, and
accessible, it seemed like the natural choice for today’s teacher.
