I think “A Conceptual Model for Understanding Self-Directed Learning in Online Environments” is a very useful and interested article. The authors Song and Hill tell us how is self-directed learning (SDL) important to the people and what is the relationship between SDL and the online learning.
I am taking 5 courses and work almost everyday now. The main reason to choose this course is convenience. I don’t have to come to school everyday and I can do my assignment whenever I have time. However, in this situation, the SDL plays a very important rule. The students must have high level independent ability. Also, they should do all the work, including reading, writing and thinking on their own initiative. Self-directed learning is not a new topic for us. Since the first time we went to school, the teacher has taught us to do the homework by ourselves. When we became older, the teacher told us to read some extracurricular text book in order to get better knowledge. The purpose for doing those is not only to get better grades but to improve our SDL. As a last year graduated student, I believe that the SDL is not only useful for the study. It is also very important for the future work.
Taking online courses is the last step to practice the SDL in our school life and it is helpful for future. After reading this article I am all the more affirm that taking online courses is a right choice.
Here is a very fun link. You can do a self-test to see whether or not the online courses are right for you.
http://www.cvc4.org/student_prepare/quizaccess.htm
Have fun!!!!!!
http://www.cvc4.org/student_prepare/quizaccess.htm
Have fun!!!!!!
5 comments:
Hi Zheng.Ai
I really enjoyed reading you blog on the SDL article. I too like the convenience that SDL learning gives us taking this course. For myself, I too am in 5 courses 3 of which are 3000/4000 biology/biochemistry variety all of which take up 95% of my time. Thus the independence that we are granted with this course allows us to find our most convent time to complete our various assignments. However, I feel that this independent learning atmosphere does much more for us then convince. The independent learning atmosphere really allows us to see what life will be like outside of school. You wont have a teacher to run up too and explain how to do something, instead you will have to fend for yourself. To me this course really shapes you for the real world experience. I really liked how you have described how SDL is build up from grade 1 all the way to university. Reflecting about it now, it all really makes sense. In order to create a life-long learner you need to develop the appropriate skills such as discipline, motivation, and creative problem solving skills.
I really liked to survey you had linked at the bottom of you post. I liked how you could test in technical skills as well as student skills because as a SDL online learner you need to have a firm handle on booth in order to succeed.
Zheng’s Blog is an interesting and beautiful blog, and the most important thing is I get lots of useful information from her article. Her article which about SDL not only explaining what SDL is, but also relating to our real studying life to prove her opinion. After reading her article, I have thought about how SDL important in my life. Just like she said, since the first day we came into school, we already had experienced SDL. Especially when we began to study in university and began to access some learning way such like taking online course, getting studying information from web ct, and researching sources from web site, we have feel how SDL affect our life. In addition, she also mentioned many advantage of taking online course, for instance “I don’t have to come to school every day and I can do my assignment whenever I have time.” I believe, after reading her blog you might not can get some professional information directly from the original source but you can simple understand what the original author’s main point in his article.
I have done the test you mentioned in your response. It is really interesting test and the result shows that I am not a good self-manage students. Like Betty said,I have the same reason for taking this course because I don't have to go to the class and I don't need to spend lots of time on it, but I found it is wrong.I almost miss to finish this assignment till my friend remind me because I haven't read the module very clearly. Like the test result shows I have to improve my reading skill. And also, because this is an online course, I have to chance to meet the professor so actually I have to spend more time on it because I have to learn everything by myself.
Finally, I wound say it is a realy good test to recommed me some skill for the online-learning.
After reading your response to the Conceptual Model of SDL, I have begun to see a few things that I did not when I responded to the Song and Hill article.
I always thought that during our earlier schooling years, students were not given enough freedom of choice or forced to really invest ourselves in SDL. I was convinced that students were enabled and given all information, rather than being forced to figure things out for ourselves. I never really took into consideration the outside work from school that we were asked to do.
I guess after reading your response, I have now slightly shifted my thinking to that of: growing up, students are slowly given opportunities to build onto our SDL skills...however, I am still not convinced that we are given enough opportunities.
Oh, by the way...I quite enjoyed your link to the quizzes...they've also helped to motivate me, as I am so very far away from the university right now (I live in Nunavut), some days it is very hard for me to stay on course. Thanks!
Hello Zheng,
I m also an International student like Abhijit and yourself. I m from
Bangladesh. I have been completing my fourth year at U of L with a major
in General Management.
Your article regarding Self Directed learning is not only interesting to
read but it also contains interesting insights as you have used the
example of childhood when we were given home works and assignments to
complete on our own. However, when I was in the early years of my Junior
school, we did not have much access to internet. We hardly had a computer
at home. Therefore using help of online resources was out of question but
things have changed like no tomorrow over the years, today we have online
libraries, public websites such as Wikipedia as well as numerous sites and
links regarding topics whether they are academic in nature or not.
Our hands in terms of SDL have stretched million miles today in terms of
gaining knowledge due to technological advancements and use of blogging,
using public forums etc.I love this course since it has helped me to meet
so many people in order to share knowledge with the help of blogging that
that my conception regarding SDL has entirely changed. Earlier in my life,
I always thought Self Directed Learning only helped us to learn alone.
However, I realized the usefuleness of it doing online finally since it
provides the option to join people on their other blogs and by
participating and posting comments on their ideas.Self Directed learning
is one of the most important medium for Online education where the learner
educates themselves by studying and researching alone although not in
isolation but in company of self and others as it was stated in the
definition of SDL according to section C of The International Encyclopedia
of Education (second edition) by T. Husen & T. N. Postlethwaite that
self-direction does not necessarily mean all learning will take place in
isolation from others.
If you are interested in further researching of SDL, you might want to
read this journal that I found while I was browsing.
http://home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra/sdlhdbk.html
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