Reflections - Activity 6.3 - what does a learning technologist do?

Sources

Lisewski, Bernard and Joyce, Paul (n.d.) ‘Examining the five-stage e-moderating model:
Designed and emergent practice in the learning technology profession’, [online] Available from: http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resourcepage/view.php?id=90970&direct=1 (Accessed 24 November 2008).

Oliver, Martin (2002) ‘What do Learning Technologists do?’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International , 30(4), pp. 245-252.

What do learning technologists do?
I've only been assuming this postion for a few months now and I can really relate to both the Oliver and Lisewski articles.

Yes... I see a big part of my job as a Education Technology Specialist (i.e. Learning Technologist) is having a certain amount of autonomy in how I interact with "clients", yet little if any authority to direct change, instead its a matter of presenting experiences, ideas and suggestions (expertise) to "guide" a "client" to another way to realize their instructional objectives. They typically seek me out formally (via email requesting an appointment) or informally (over lunch or a chat in the hall). Yet critical to it is fostering a non threatening relationship with potential "clients" so that they feel comfortable about discussing such things. It sounds curiously similar to a relationship that you might find between a patient and a therapist, where there's a need for "confidentiality", and the building of "trust" or building a non threatening, safe environment for open dialogue because in many cases, the potential client feels insecure about raising the issue. They often apologetically present themseleves as unfamiliar with something, feeling vulnerable in doing so, so that they realize they need to learn more, that they are depending on me for guidance.. yet ultimately the final decision on "if" they will move forward rests with them.

Curiously enough, I've never seen such a "soft skill" presented in any LT job description. While the expertise, experience and rhetorical discourse are important, I've discovered just how critical nurturing this sort of relationship is to realizing the next step - being "invited" to enter into such a dialogue and then present one's expertise or opinions to help inform opinion. Thus the point made about "investing considerable time in building goodwill and strong collaborations across the institution" (Oliver p 249)

I'm equally curious about how many others in the cohort share this observation.

I also see a strong need to be challenging things ... even those presented by my colleagues in the department. They have been tempting me to use "off the shelf" solutions (with best of intentions I might add) .. yet I've resisted on the very grounds mentioned by Lisewski - the need for them to be challenged as to their relevance to our context. At issue here, is the use of screen cams from Atomic Learning and my insistence on the need to use self authored screen cams using Jing. This on the grounds that Jing produced resources are easy to produce, easier to access and invite greater familiarity and thus more built in support for our end users - namely faculty. Atomic Learning videos are more difficult to get to (require password and then navigation to a set example), and are not context specific .. thus requiring the "target learner" to build the relevance and context themselves .... to understand the purpose of the support resource.

Reflections - elearning professionals defined

Sources

Lisewski, Bernard and Joyce, Paul (n.d.) ‘Examining the five-stage e-moderating model:
Designed and emergent practice in the learning technology profession’, [online] Available from: http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resourcepage/view.php?id=90970&direct=1 (Accessed 24 November 2008).

Oliver, Martin (2002) ‘What do Learning Technologists do?’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International , 30(4), pp. 245-252.

Refinement of my earlier definition based on readings of Oliver and Lisweski

earlier definition of an elearning practitioner

An elearning professional is one who consistently engages in reflective practice, and consistently seeks engagement with other elearning practitioners to test and refine one's understanding of good practice, constantly internalizes, constructs and applies these ideas to improvve the quality of their elearning efforts - specifically in one's ability to address the needs of the students one seeks to serve.

the refined definition of an elearning practitioner / professional

An elearning professional is one who consistently engages in reflective practice. This involves using models, templates, learning theories, etc. that have been presented by others in the field but resisting the temptation to immediately accept them .. Instead, they should be judiciously used to "guide" teaching practices.

As an elearning professional, one should be prepared to contest and challenge current practices ... especially as to how useful they are in one's local context. By doing so, one contributes to the development/refinement of a body of knowledge and expertise that informs their professional practice and that of others.

As an elearning professional, one should recognize the unique nature of the postion. Such a role grants them a high degree of autonomy (i.e. entering into a discreet client / consultant relationship).. but equally important is to understand how the role typically does not grant them authority to direct others as to what should be done. Yet concurrently, they are often expected to be positive agents for change in the institution.

With such an understanding, an elearning professional is ensuring that they are putting forward their best efforts to realize "quality elearning " that addresses the needs of their sponsoring institution's students.

Activity 6.2 - The Profession of Learning Technologist

Source

Oliver, Martin (2002) ‘What do Learning Technologists do?’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International , 30(4), pp. 245-252.

Wow!!
This has been a tremendously useful article to me for a number of reasons.. Number one? It's given me a clearer sense of the unusual nature of the educational technologist position - one that in essence, I have but with a different wording - Senior Educational Technology Specialist.

The three categories of LTs

• new specialists - multiskilled, going from place to place with learning technology as the core of their identity
• academics who have incorporated learning tech into their existing professional identity
• learning support professionals who are in non academic roles but support access to and effective use of learning technology

I really have to wonder which of these three classifcations I and others in my H809 cohort fall into. (create a survey) . I have always considered myself an educator first and directly involved in the use of technology in education for at least fiften years now. In the last 10 years I've worn the EFL instructor hat but that's also been a field active in finding ways to integrate technology to realize learning outcomes.

I feel I've aspects of all three....

LTs need each other .. but why aren't they connected and where are they to connect?

No 1 ranking was the need to keep abreast of current developments in learning technologies. Yes.. and typically not directly supported or assessed by my current employer.. seems to be too little time to realize this... thus fostering my need to network with others to see how they realize this ... I've been actively seeking out such online communities and have found them in all shapes and sizes. To make the task more manageable, I've chosen to connect with those that are from back home.. But noticeably absent is any work on similar online communities in the Gulf region thus encouraging me to perhaps realize this to support networking amongst other LTs in this region.

Typical job description? collaboration

Oliver mentioned a three step process .. essentially

• Step 1 - identify opport for collaboration w/ discipline based academics
• Step 2 - provide meaningful input to the collaboration (tech advice) and using the opport to learn more about the collaborator's values, concerns, and context
• Step 3 - select, adapt, and present relevant "cases", expertise, research material, to support, challenge, foster refection for critical discussion with collaborator

Note that this suggests an advising role but an LT is armed with a fair amount of knowledge that can in effect direct the instructor in their selection of tools to meet instructional objectives. This really rang true to me - personal experience with it and it was conforting to see this spelled out in such clear cut terms. An LT is in effect, a change agent - armed with information about tech, but also armed with an understanding of learning theories so that there is some understanding of how the tech can be integrated into instruction. At least one very important, missing ingredient to make change happen .....?

Context is king!

However, for any of this to happen, understanding the "needs' or "interests" or "culture" of the instructor has to be seen as a clear cut starting point before anything can be realized. Oliver's use of the term "learner centered model for professional development" summarizes this.. and is something I've direct experience in doing, each time I work with a faculty member. I still struggle with the description of this being a model of professional development as "expert learning".

Professional aspect?

This need for specialized knowledge and deeper understanding of a variety of elements -

• managing change,
• collaborating with a wide variety of clients
• understanding pedagogical frameworks / learning theories

Self monitoring of when and how to introduce, integrate, impart such information to the benefit of a client - drawing on knowledge (from experience, from reading, from networking with other LTs) much like a doctor does to help a patient (?). Inferring a fair amount of autonomy when collaborating with a client ...

Key processes?

• Collaboration (which requires huge amounts of time to build goodwill and trust)
• Specialist expertise (understanding of current developments / issues in elearning; strategies to help uncover and address them)
• Rhetorical skills (to influence development and decision making by others)
  

autonomy + lack of authority + initiator of change

Key weakness? Perception of LTs by those they seek to serve

Credibility in the eyes of academics. "If (LTs) cannot establish their credentials with hte academics, then it is unlikely that fruitful dialogue will follow, since the collaborator will see them as a service provider rather than an expert."