MY BOOK LEARNING ECOSYSTEM

STUCK IN 90S LEARNING ECOSYSTEM LEARNING ECOSYSTEM

Contents Stuck in the 90s learning ecosystem............................................................................................. 2 SECTION 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 2 What is a learning ecosystem?............................................................................................................. 3 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 4 Questions to guide our digital transformation strategy: ....................................................................... 6 21st learning ecosystem environment.................................................................................................... 7 Organisms ........................................................................................................................................... 8 To dos ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Core philosophies that need to be consider in the learning ecosystem. ............................................. 11 Section 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................. 13 References ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Stuck in the 90s learning ecosystem SECTION 1 Learning has evolved. Years ago our notions about learning had their foundations in our experience of teachers or experts sharing their knowledge. But things have changed.

JULY 2020 What is a learning ecosystem? “The Learning Ecosystem is a customized online learning program that makes studying engaging, efficient, and effective. The Learning Ecosystem adapts to your needs, strengths, and weaknesses, serving you the right material at the right time and focusing on areas you need to work on most. Stay focused, engaged, and on track while you study.” (Institute, CFA, 2020). “A learning ecosystem is a system of people, content, technology, culture, and strategy, existing both within and outside of an organization, all of which has an impact on both the formal and informal learning that goes on in that organization.” (Eudy, 2018) Our learning ecosystem is a state rural school in Namibia. Our learning ecosystem did not responds sufficiently to the imperatives of 21st Century Teaching and Learning. The recent COVID-19 pandemic acutely highlighted the deficiencies of my learning ecosystem. Learners, teachers and parents are illiterate about technology and do not have access to technology tools. School do not have enough buildings and no facilities. Since, the Namibian government closed schools in March after it declared a state of emergency and carried out subsequent restrictions, learning has not been taking place at our learning ecosystem. We are still stuck at 1990 learning ecosystem. Education has been deeply affected with a lot of disruption and uncertainty. With few exceptions, schools are now closed national wide, putting additional stress on education systems in rural schools, many of which are struggling to provide quality education for all.

Introduction What considerations do disruption on this scale raise? Are there ways to mitigate the effects of protracted school closures? It seems everything is moving to the 21st learning ecosystem these days. Even our education is transferring onto the internet rather than face to face education. Many people might squabble about the disadvantages of this phenomena, but today, I want to discuss the re-imagined future learning ecosystem for our learning ecosystem. This is a pertinent topic, as the future of education is moving more and more towards shifting physical educational school online.

“The COVID-19 crisis is already having and will continue to have devastating consequences for individuals and communities across the globe, which must not be underestimated. At the same time, the crisis also provides a critical opportunity for us to learn more about the essential principles underpinning large-scale transformative change, as is needed in many education systems around the world. The hope is that we can come out on the other side of this pandemic with more evidence and lessons learned about how to expand the impact of effective social interventions and introduce new ways of working within our education systems to provide quality learning opportunities to all” (Curtiss, 2020) . There are reasons for this: many times you can learn whatever you want, it is more comfortable in a variety of ways, 21st learning ecosystem often look good on resumes, the pacing of learning is managed by the learner, and the cost of virtual education is often lower than traditional education. “If a learning ecosystem helps L&D better meet the specific needs of your organization and learners, then it may be worth the investment.” (Benedicks, 2018).

Questions to guide our digital transformation strategy: According to (MALULEKE, 2020) he suggested some of the questions to guide our digital transformation strategy:  “What does your school want to achieve?  Take a moment to consider the bigger picture to maximize your investment in ICT as a school. What are the existing pain points you wish to address within your school? How does this translate into solutions, devices and software to support these goals?  Ask yourself and your staff the following questions to craft your I CT Framework.  What type of learning environment would you like to see within your school in five years’ time? Remember you are starting from scratch, so it will be a gradual process.  How will teaching and learning process change and how will ICT support this change?  Do your staff feel confident delivering effective, engaging lessons using ICT?”  How can you achieve these goals?”

21st learning ecosystem environment It is an environment which permits learners to immerse themselves in multiple outlets for educational engagement. I will discuss how the local context will contribute to our learning ecosystem. “Today’s learners seek a learning environment that is not as obsolete as traditional classrooms but that is specifically engineered to support thinking. They prefer the learning environment that pushes their learning capacity with altering strategies and teaching practices. They want to be a part of an impactful learning setting that provides a sense of achievement while they can be adaptive and interactive with fellow learners as well as instructors. In brief, they want to be active and engaged players throughout the learning course. How to cover those needs?” (Movchan, 2018) Classrooms with 21st Century learning environments are well‐equipped with computer hardware, software, electronic whiteboards and rich digital and online curricular resources. When you enter a 21st Century learning environment, you quickly see that interactive learning, higher level thinking skills, and student engagement are pervasive, whether students are learning math, science, reading, or history. 21st Century learning environments provide opportunities for collaboration and access to relevant content that would not usually be available to the highest need students being served by these programs.

Organisms “As a species, we humans possess some unique capacities. We can stand apart from what's going on, think about it, question it, and imagine it being different. We are also curious. We want to know \"why?\" We figure out \"how?\" We think about what's past, we dream forward to the future. We create what we want rather than just accept what is. So far, we're the only species we know that does this ((Wheatley).” “Each member of the ecosystem must want the participation of the other. The actions of each will impact all. Each member has a role to play as we encounter, and cause, changes. There is a great deal of well-documented scientific evidence that we're living in an era of unparalleled destruction of species, habitats, and natural resources. Let us not contribute to schools being part of this destruction by leading without heart. The environment, the culture of a district, like all other things, is, at the end, the responsibility of every person. Teacher leaders, student leaders, parent leaders, community leaders, all can become part of the solution.” (Myers, 2018)

To dos “We are living in a time of accelerated, global, complex change, in which our human society faces increasing pressure to evolve our systems and processes to meet the demands of the 21st century and beyond.’’ (Pavel Luksha, 2018) “ A robust and well-considered school digital framework will save your school money in the long-term if you invest in the most appropriate, upgradable and long- lasting technologies.” (MALULEKE, 2020). According to (Fester, 2020) suggested points on what needs to be done: 1. Suitable and sufficient infrastructure 2. Necessary Professional development and learning which will lead to teachers and administrators embracing technology and seeing its power - the question here is do teachers need to wait for permission to empower and up skill themselves in this area? 3. The necessary processes and procedures in place: “I do understand that your institution is a state rural school, whereby the teachers, parents and learners are all not literate in the use of technology, and that access to computers and other digital tools are not available. Despite this, I do believe that your school should seek sponsorships/ donations or call upon the government to assist with making these essentials available to your school so that computers courses can be taught to the students. I also feel that a teacher with an ICT background should also be recruited for the sole purpose of introducing and teaching the learners and other teachers about computers and how to utilize these, even if it is just them being able to work on it from school.

Looking at the way the world operates today, which is very much digital and consists of online connectedness, it is all the more reason why the learners at your school, and other schools like yours, should not be left out and that provisions should be made to ensure that a computer room is set up whereby they get to explore and learn about a world that seems almost unknown to them. It will take some time to close the gap, but I do believe that the sooner it is addressed the sooner the gap can be minimized. I think it is very important to consider and look at ways in which you can make a difference to your school, by utilizing what you have learnt thus far on this course, as well as from your own experiences with the ICT’s. Consider reaching out to big companies that can assist if the government won’t. Research what options are out there as we cannot simply accept to continue life as it was pre-covid. We need to make impactful changes within our ecosystems and for all the stakeholders within it.” (GOVENDER, 2020).

Core philosophies that need to be consider in the learning ecosystem. 1. Engaging Learning content. One of the most important aspects of a successful Learning ecosystem is high quality learning content that engages and emotionally connects the learner with the Learning course. This Learning content may be in the form of text, branching scenarios or interactive multimedia presentations. 2. Continual assessment. Assessment is the key to any learning process. However, learners can only truly benefit from assessment if they are offered on a regular basis, such as upon completion of each lesson or module. This not only gives eLearning professionals the ability to track learners progress and assess how much they have acquired, but also allow learners to reflect and review key concepts so that they can commit them to long term memory. 3. Modern technologies. Modern technologies and learning tools allow learners to fulfill their specific roles in a Learning ecosystem. In essence, they give them access to the knowledge and skill set development they need to achieve their goals and offer them the chance to interact with their peers in a virtual environment. 4. A solid support structure. A solid support structure is at the heart of every successful Learning ecosystem. If learners do not have access to the help and feedback they need throughout the Learning process, then they are less likely to achieve the desired outcome. (Pappas, 2015)

Section 2 infographic

Conclusion “WE CAN’T JUST KEEP THROWING WOOD ON THE FIRE; WE NEED TO MONITOR IT AND RECOGNIZE WHERE WE NEED TO ADD MORE WOOD, AND WHEN.” (Kelly, 2013)

References Benedicks, R. (2018, June 25). Training Industry. Retrieved from https://trainingindustry.com/articles/strategy-alignment-and-planning/learning-ecosystems- what-are-they-and-what-can-they-do-for-you/ Curtiss, J. P. (2020, march 26). Brookings Institution. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/03/26/the-covid-19-crisis- and-reflections-on-systems-transformation/ Eudy, R. (2018, July 18). https://www.ej4.com/blog/what-is-a-learning-ecosystem. Retrieved from https://www.ej4.com/blog/what-is-a-learning-ecosystem Fester, M. (2020, July). uj blackboard. Retrieved from https://uj.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_31898_1/cl/outline GOVENDER, M. (2020, July). UJ BLACKBOARD. Retrieved from https://uj.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_31898_1/cl/outline Institute, CFA. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.cfainstitute.org/programs/learning-ecosystem MALULEKE, T. (2020, July). uj blackboard. Retrieved from ulink uj: https://uj.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_31898_1/cl/outline Movchan, S. (2018, April 06). Raccoon Gang. Retrieved from https://raccoongang.com/blog/what- makes-good-learning- environment/#:~:text=%20What%20Are%20The%20Factors%20That%20Make%20A,respond%2 0far%20better%20to%20praise%20than...%20More%20 Myers, J. B. (2018, May 15). Leadership 360. Retrieved from https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/leadership_360/ Pappas, C. (2015, April 30). ELEARNING INDUSTRY. Retrieved from ELEARNING TRENDS: https://elearningindustry.com/the-elearning-ecosystem-metaphor-key-characteristics-and- basic-components Pavel Luksha, J. C. (2018). Global Education. Retrieved from Educational Ecosystems For Societal Transformation: http://www.globaledufutures.org/images/people/GEF_april26-min.pdf Wheatley, M. (n.d.). Turning to One Another. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.