This week of our learning journey has been focused on the role and importance of our learning environment, that during the past year of COVID19 pandemic has moved our classrooms to online surroundings. And I think that the topic is really interesting, especially that everyone has different literacy for digital tools, experiences, needs and opinions about. It is all shaping our experience of education in the digital era.
All of us have been exposed to virtual tools some extent, being it social media, communication apps, work related apps, gaming and entertainment, as well as knowledge sharing. We all might already got addicted to constant news flows, notifications and legendary ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO). Knowledge and experience with usage of these solutions is certainly impacting our experience with online learning. Another very important aspect is the conditions to work and learn remotely from home, as we all have different housing conditions, family situation and internet connection.
But what seems the most important is the importance of building trust that can feel very hard online, or even impossible. I have been thinking about it for some days already and concluded that it is equally hard to achieve online as face-to-face. Building trust is in my opinion about honesty and keeping up our promises, as well as admitting that we are not perfect, and we also have our issues and challenges in every situation. It also comes down to respect and active listening (Rogers and Farson, 2015). Similarly, I think that the effectiveness of learning is not about the tool, nor mode, but the content. Despite very few areas of education there are really hard to teach online (mostly artistic, like sports, music, painting), many areas that can be easily and effectively passed online when the teacher is well prepared (e.g. lecturing on theories, phenomena, techniques and case studies). I think that it is all about the people and their attitude to given task, so it’s always crucial that we stay positive and open in our common journey forward!
Rogers, C.R. and Farson, R.E. (2015). Active listening. Martino Fine Books, Eastford, USA
Open Learner Damian 
4 replies on “My thoughts on Digital Literacies in Learning”
To create a safe and trustworthy learning environment is a inherent challenge to all educators in teaching situations. What have you found in tips and tricks from others to help you move ahead? I had a colleague who always said that it is more important how you say something than what you say. It is of course an idea in need of both moderation and modification, but still it tells us about the importance of the setting wherein the content rests. Shall, for example, content be presented or found?
/Lars
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Great reflections
A colleague of mine once said that it is not what you say, but how you say it that matters. It is of course a view in need of some scrutiny, but at the same time something to give a good thought when engaging in education. Perhaps being positive and open are good to focus, or at least being open to what those we educating are expecting to learn, and how. Some start their learning journeys from lines of text, or from rows, pictures, experiences, stories, ….. Shall we adapt or keep to that one way is better than another. Sir Ken Robinson’s RSA animated TED-talk is interesting in that respect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
/Lars
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I caught up on the contemplations about trust. I think learning in general needs some level of trust – in the expertise of the teacher, in the trustworthiness of the information, in the safety of the learning environment. The last one I find especially challenging in an online environment. For trust to be created it takes interaction. Interaction in an online environment leaves out many aspects: body language, tone of voice if only written text is used, facial expressions if the cameras are not turned on. For some, expressing themselves only in writing or leaving their webcam turned off can enhance the feeling of anonymity and thereby safety. For others this anonymity may hinder communication and the creation of trust. Certainly no trust is created by e.g. obliging everyone to keep their cameras on.
In our PBL group we have discussed the level of openness in different situations, including teaching and online communication. The readiness of people to open up varies from individual to individual and between different settings. Some are more willing to speak -or show- up from the beginning, while for others it takes more time to get confident with new people as well as with new tools. Taking this into account may help in creating trust within the group and thereby enhancing interaction. Interaction creates trust, trust enhances interaction – and somewhere along everyone in the group will find their way to join the ride.
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The recogntion that the learning is a common journey bodes well for your learners whether online or IRL (in real life).
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