EduBlog Game One - Round 4 Instruction

This is the final round of EnRoLE's first blog game. In the first round we have asked you to write an additional 100 words in response to the three incomplete sentences. Three teams were also formed. In the second round, each member of each team was asked to work on a different sentence from the first round. In that round, the number of words have been reduced to 50. In the 3rd round, the exercise was repeated again reducing the number of words to less than 25.

A big Thank you to everyone for your tremendous successful inspirational stimulating effort. We now have a colourful collections of ideas on three different aspects of the same issue - improving learning. Let me repeat them again:

We all spend many years as students. As yet, your learning may or may not have included any online learning experiences. If you have had such experiences this is great. Describe in EXACTLY 100 words your most memorable, exciting, stimulating, interesting, etc. online learning experience. If you have no prior experiences, think of your most innovative learning experience and use that to shape your reply. Use your imagination to invent ideas about an online learning experience as a student and complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
My best times as an online learner have been when...

As educators we have accumulated great insight and vast implicit knowledge of how and when learning is at its best. This game will help us to reach a common point of agreement about one or more aspects about all that insight and knowledge. The task invites you to adopt a role as an experienced learning designer. This may not be you now, so use your imagination. Complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words. (You can end this sentence and add more to arrive at your 100 words).
Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .

Risk brings with it opportunity. And we take risks because of the opportunities beyond the risk. For example, 33 years ago, I risked the majority of ALL my future income to marry my wife. Today I still feel it was a good decision. Innovation is a risky business that also provides great opportunities. This game seeks to understand the kind and nature of risks in innovation. Thinking of yourself as a teacher trying to innovate a new online learning approach, complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .

After two weeks of hard work, everyone is eager to know who has won the first blog game hosted by EnRoLE. Before I can announce the winner, I need your help one more time. Please vote for the winners. Remember I have asked you to work your entry to "PLEASE AS MANY PEOPLE" as possible. Well, it is because your chance of winning depends on that.

Here is the rule of the voting:

The entries for the 3rd round is listed below in our three primary colours. You cast ONE vote each to the entries which is NOT your team colour. In other words, you are not going to vote for your team's own entries.

Send your vote to me, by email (albert dot ip dot w dot c at gmail dot com) by midnight Eastern Australian Standard time TUESDAY 28th August. In your email, please use "eduBlog game voting" as the subject, state the colour of the team and the number which gets your vote. That means each email I get should have two votes for two different teams. I will tally the vote and announce the winners here before NOON Wednesday, 29th August.

The entries are:

Red team, to be voted by the members of BLUE and GREEN teams only. The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .

Red 1:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to step ‘outside the square’ and to promote solutions which add to learner’s curiosity and flexibility.

Red 2:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to provoke learners’ thinking in different ways by learning ‘outside the square’.

Red 3:

...challenging learners to "step outside the square", extend themselves and strive for enlightenment. Risk can cause discomfort but is essential in the process of change.

Red 4:

Motivation, taking risks, provoking different ways of thinking and providing opportunities for personal growth in a stimulating and interesting environment.

Red 5:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .to motivate, extend others beyond themselves & personal growth, to reach conclusions otherwise concealed, painful for the teacher, invigorates and kills boredom of education !

Red 6:

…allows facilitators to ‘step outside the square’ and open their minds to the possibility of more innovative and effective learning.

Red 7:

Being different to become more flexible, innovative, motivate, and be able to promote learning and better learning environment for the learners and facilitators as well

Red 8:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is motivation and the creation of new opportunities to stimulate learning and personal growth. However risk must be balanced with opportunity to avoid disengaging the learner.

Red 9:

.....to enhance motivation, thinking “outside the square”, moving beyond the comfort zone, but needs to balance opportunity with risk; beware of “egg on your face”

Blue team, to be voted by the members of RED and GREEN teams only. My best times as an online learner have been when . . .

Blue 1:

…when reading such excellent material as that posted by Carol Russell, KLai, newtownbob, kaly, MargaretS, Stuart, oliviapaulik, Rochelle, felicityelias, Ping and the entire Red Team.

Blue 2:

I’m so glad to be in Red team with every member, because we have the same interest on the opening sentence with “My best time…”.

Blue 3:

I agree with Mat and Kaly, it just too difficult to decide so I created a blog with all your comments. Please see http://asonlinelearners.blogspot.com/

Blue 4:

on-line learning complements other modes of learning, not replaces them. It's great for flexibility in time, pace and style, that is, it's best when it can be individualised

Blue 5:

… I am comfortable sharing ideas with a sense of communal interaction. Learning while cruising but immersed in face-to-face interaction with time to reflect.

Blue 6:

…I immerse myself in discussion boards with reflective communal interaction and participation, especially when it compliments face to face learning; I find these environments challenging.

Blue 7:

On-line learning provides challenges when used to enhance other modes of teaching by providing an unlimited pool of resources with interaction at your own pace.

Blue 8:

... I have been absorbing, asking, blending, cruising, connecting, considering, constructing, conversing, discussing, experiencing, fantasising, interacting, networking, participating, posting, reading, reflecting, thinking and sharing.


Blue 9:

. . . I felt comfortable and personally connected with others. It gave me a flexibility to learn, access information and reflect in my own time.

Blue 10:

My best times as an online learner have been when the online platform included me in an international community of learners and offered a variety of learning pathways and outcomes relevant to my offline life.

Blue 11:

My best time as an online learner have been when online learning was used as a supplement to face to face learning, and I was able to get feedback and support from different sources.

Blue 12:

Online learning encompasses blended learning techniques. As Educator I prefer to teach a "face". Learning is not a system, it's about cognitive, psychomotor and behaviour.

Green team, to be voted by the members of BLUE and RED teams only. Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .

Green 1:

the participants have sought out the learning, the learning outcomes are clear, the learning interaction effectively represents the needs of the subject and is challenging.

Green 2:

Students are motivated, respected, challenged, yet feel safe to make mistakes. Activities are engaging, relevant, and facilitated by someone well organized who models effective learning.

Green 3:

When the learner feels motivated, supported, safe, and diverse and uses innovative ways of constructively aligning objectives with assessment process and everybody learns together

Green 4:

When the learner feels motivated, supported, safe, and diverse and uses innovative ways of constructively aligning objectives with assessment process and everybody learns together

Green 5:

When the learner is motivated by meaningful context, the teacher is organised and prepared. Activities are engaging and have relevance. Feedback is prompt and constructive.

Green 6:

learners are actively participating, collaborating and contributing to their learning because they feel safe, respected, supported and encouraged to do so by peers, topic and teacher

Green 7:

…principles of active learning are utilised effectively to engage, immerse, motivate, and challenge targeted learners. Considerations for differing learning needs and constructive feedback are evident.

Green 8:

The learner feels motivated, respected, comfortable, supported, safe, challenging and encouraged under the learning environment in which goals and objectives are quite clear and attainable.

Green 9:

the student is challenged by a task relevant to the instructional objective, ensuring the student is motivated to complete the task and accordingly absorb the lesson.