Siemens (2008) makes metaphors of teachers to master artists, network administrator, concierge and curator. As master artist, the teacher is there to guide, and students learn from each other as well as from the expertise of the master artist. As network administrator, the teacher is able to help students make connections when learning. As concierge, the teacher leads or guides the student to resources they may not have known existed. The curator creates an environment where individual learning can take place.
I think the curatorial teacher is best in a digital classroom. The curatorial teacher sets the stage for learning to take place. Learners are now comfortable with using technology, but can download information faster that they can interpret and use it. The curatorial teacher must make sense of all of the tools that are readily available to learners and create an environment for authentic problem solving.
Creating comfortable interactions between students and the instructor is one of the most important aspects of the online classroom. This can be done through blogs, chat rooms, wikis, email, peer-based learning, a discussion area, and an FAQ area.
There are many tools available to nurture authentic, collaborative problem sovling such as iPods, wikis, smartphones, and learning communities. These can promote interaction and effective group assignments.
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Kiana,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Your description of the curatorial role of the teacher is outstanding. A question, does this role only apply to the online environment or do you believe it could apply to a more traditional classroom setting?
George
I believe it could apply to a traditional classroom as well. In most cases, traditional classrooms are integrating technology, so the teacher there also has to be a curator of sorts.
ReplyDeleteKiana,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job explaining the importance of teachers in an online setting and demonstrating how important the teacher-student relationship is to actual learning. I also agree with you that Siemens’ (2008) metaphor of a teacher, as a curator, is the best. Teachers and students have the ability to access the same information. However, the curator must organize the information, so they can meet the learning outcomes. As the instructor develops the framework for learning, he or she needs to incorporate and participate in synchronous and asynchronous group interactions. By interacting with learners, they can guide them into meeting the learning objectives. In addition, instructors who understand learning theories will have more tools that allow them to develop differentiated instructional tasks, which makes the learning environment conducive for all learners to be successful.
Oops, I forgot to site my reference for Siemens (2008), so here it is now.
ReplyDeleteLaureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author.