ENGAGING IN CONVERSATION WITH PROFESSOR BONK

Curtis J. Bonk, Professor, Indiana University

OVERVIEW:

This week we had a guest speaker via Teleconference. This was a fun session. I enjoyed the enthusiasm and surrounding the information that was being presented. I was great to hear and see how innovative people are being with educational topics of interest. I get the message that people are looking for means to make extreme impact and revolutionize the ways we obtain, process and utilize information for advancement within given fields. Spending time with Professor Bonk made for a very entertaining experience. He was eating dinner in another state (with a three hour time difference), while presenting to us in real-time and informing us of developments in e learning globally over the course of five years. So I had multiple experiences going on at once, which was very fun and sent home a powerful message; we are on the brink of transcending barriers to education.

ENGAGING IN CONVERSATION WITH PROFESSOR BONK:

After the first twenty minutes of listening to our guest speaker, I could see Professor Bonk and Professor Kim being friends; only because they have this enthusiasm surrounding the e learning revolution and both are admiate about promoting the cause. Professor Bonk has written prequels and sequels surrounding the topic and seeks to use these texts as a means of promoting society changes in how individuals are educated.

So what is Professor Bonk’s big idea? Capturing Technology and how it is “Changing the World”.

A Few Questions From the Austin Peanut Gallery That I Hope to Have Answered During This Presentation:

1. What has made information worth while sharing where we do not exclude the individual?

2. How do we hope to benefit as a nation, considering the fact that we are spearheading this evolution of educational technology?

3. Who are we really taking into consideration as we are doing this?

4. What amount of educational value are we placing on e-learning?

5. How much time and money is being invested?

6. What teaching methodologies are being incorporated and for what audience?

Things that have happened globally that have changed the world and learning.

UCLA Summer Digs Program (Meg Sullivan): Blog posting on their digs

Michael Perham and Zac Sunderland Summer 2009: youngest sailors to sail around the world solo and us the web to broadcast live. Learning from them online about their experiences.

David Thomas, Archeologist, La Trobe University, Australia (Discovery News). He has become one of the most famous archeologists.

Ten Forces that Opened the Learning World:

Web searching in the World of e-books

E-learning and Blended Learning

Availability of Open Source and Free Software

Leveraged Resources and Open Courseware

Learning Object Repositories and Portals

Learner Participation in Open Info Communities (You Tube)

Electronic Collaboration and Interaction

Alternate Reality Learning, Simulations and Virtual Worlds

Real-Time Mobility and Portability

Networks and personalized Learning

The World is Open.com (a book he wrote): maps out how we went from a culture that did not share information, to a culture that extends education, so as to make it accessible to all.

He is watching the progression of digitized knowledge and I get the impression that this is a race to conceptualize educational technology, do it, do it well and be a master in the field. Everyone wants real estate in this arena and there is a lot of room to be as innovative as you possibly can. Society as a whole is gravitating to it and is willing to invest mounds of money into the field. It was at one time that tech groups were not serving up enough educational technology and now that there is a huge demand, corporations are ready to supply this demand. It would appear to be an exciting time in technology (this is the feel that I get from Professor Bonk).

For those who are not buying in to these technological advancements. E learning is being mandated for completion of a credential, degree or diploma. The reason is because it has become evident as to wear we are going as a nation and hopefully, globally. Access to large masses of information in rich detail creating what may be close to an authentic experience. This is considered to be just as valuable and relevant as sitting in a classroom, if not more so.

Professor Bonk then posed a question to us with regard to online learning. First had we ever taken an on-line class and how was it? Ricardo shared that his entire undergrad was online and while he had one good class the others were poorly instructed, as he didn’t feel that the teachers knew what they were doing. Professor chimed in on supporting his belief that educators do need training and exposure so as to optimize the amount of information available to enhance the learning experience. And more and more teachers are now; more than ever; being required to take some technology class in order to complete their credential or degree. I personally can recall having to take a tech class before completing my multiple subject credential.

Lots of people use e learning as a means promoting their learning platform.

AN AMAZING STORY EXAMPLE!! A retired biology professor from Cal enters back into her field of research and by way of conducting a broadcast online; she is turned into a celebrity within hours. Phenomena’s like this are happening all over.

Okay I am going to stop now so I can further engage in the last 60min of the presentation.

Bye!!!