My Personal View of Learning Communities

Introduction:
Learning Communities are mostly operationalized through collaboration, cooperation and partnership. The shared goals are achieved through working together and potentially building or creating new knowledge. But in Education circles, the term “learning community” has become common place. It is being used to mean any number of things, such as extending classroom practiceinto the community; bringing community personnel into the school to enhance the curriculuum and learning tasks for students; or enganing students, teachers and administrators simultaneously in learningthrough the used of different motivational tools in easy learning and teaching.
Learning Communites are one way we may build the commonalities and connections so essential to our education and our society.

Body:
LEARNING COMMUNITY
The Learning Community approach fundamentally restructures the curriculum, and the time and space of students. Many different curricular restructuring models are being used, but all of the learning community models intentionally link together courses or coursework to provide greater curricular coherence, more opportunities for active learning, and interactions between students and faculty.
The concept of “Learning Communities” is currently one that is to the fore of much educational and organisational literature and discussion. As well as information and communication technologies have facilitated the emergence and rapid growth of learning communities whose members interacts from remote corners of the globe to form online learning communities. “Learning Communities can take many forms” according to Barbara Leigh Smith of The Evergreen State College.

ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITIES
-or (OLC) is a type of learning where the learners use new type of technology in imparting knowledge to their partners or team. Learning objectives may be proposed by an instructor or may arise out of discussions between participants that reflect personal interests. In an online community, people communicate via textual discussion (synchronous or asynchronous), audio, video, or other Internet-supported devices. Blogs blend personal journaling with social networking to create environments with opportunities for reflection. Aside from Online Learning Communities, there are some types of learning processes that Mr. Guevarra had given to us.

E-LEARNING
-another type of learning is E-learning wherein it compromises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching, which are procedural in character and aim to effect the construction of knowledge with reference to individual experience, practice and knowledge of the learner.
E-learning is essentially the computer and network enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. It refers to electronic applications and processes to learn. E-learning applications and processes include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom and digital collaborations. “to develop the skills and competencies needed in the 21st century, in particular to ensure that learners have the digital literacy skills required in their descipline, profession or career.” – Bates (2009)
Jones, P.R., Laufgraben, J.L., and Morris, N. (2006) “developing an empirically based typlogy of attitudes of enetring students toward participation in learning communities”.
I really believed that without the noble educators, this new systematic way in imparting knowledge won’t take place in the old way of teaching. That is why Educational Technology were organized.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Its main goal is to improve the old ways in teaching and make all things easy or interesting to the learners.
Educational Technology is an array tools that might prove helpful in advancing student learning. It relies on a broad definition of the word “technology”. Technology, can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines or hardware. Some modern tools include but are not limited to overhead projectors, laptop computers and calculators. Aside from applying Educational technology in our curriculum, there are some benefits that will be gain by learners. Following are:

BENEFITS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Some benefits that learners gained from using technology in learning are easy-access-of- internet, more knowledge about computer-based lessons, all the subjects will be more interesting and easier to learn , can become easier to monitor and maintain student work, enhance student learning, can motivate students to pursue learning and can cause a big help not just to ourselves but also to the next generation.
3 PHASES OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
The 1st phase talks about how the teacher teaches her students using technology in delivering dynamic lessons. Some examples of this technologies are by projector, using power point presentation and many more.
The 2nd phase talks about on how students learn in their subject matter through the help of internet. It also includes web searches, free online dictionaries and a whole lot more.
The 3rd and the last phase is all about on how the student response in what he have undersstood in their online discussion and how he will going to publish he’s knowledge nor share it to his website. This phase is all abput the student as a producer, publisher, audience and peer reviewer.

“Learning takes place through conversations about content and grounded interactions about problems and actions”. The Teaching Profession (2006)
Gabelnick, Faith; MacGregor, Jean; Mathews, Roberta S.; Smith, Barbara Leigh (1990) “learning communities are curricular structure that link different disciplines around a common theme or question”.

As a student and a future educator, I really prefer the used of technology so that learning takes place. In this case, it will not impart learning throughout the subject matter easily but it can also help the learners begin their courses while at work and finish them at an alternate internet equipped location.
“if you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. Attributed to both Andy McIntyre & Derek Bok

CONCLUSION
So, I therefore conclude that there is no question that higher education tends to get caught up in “fashionable” programs innovations, and learning communities could certainly be considered an example. It is also a one way of improving the old styles of teaching, wherein teachers often used chalkboards , some hanged visual aids that really makes the classroom session so annoying. Through technology, learners will be motivated to enjoy learning by the useof new hi-tech gadgets that will really catch the students attention. Lets face it! We are now on 21st century, so we must stop the martyrdom using the old styles of teaching and embed the use of information and communication technologies within the curriculum.


REFERENCE LIST

- Purita P. Bilbao, Ed. D.; Brenda B. Corpuz, Ph. D.; Avelina T. Llagas, Ed. D.; Gloria G. Salandanan, Ph. D. (2006) “The Teaching Profession”
- Andy McIntyre & Derek Bok
- Gabelnick, Faith; MacGregor, Jean; Mathews, Roberta S.; Smith, Barbara Leigh (1990)
- Norwood, J. (2007). “Learning Communities to Increase Students Achievement”
- Jones, P.R., Laufgraben, J.L., and Morris, N. (2006)
- Enrique Guevarra (2010) “Educational Technology (Advancing educational technology for humanity)”.

E-Learning

comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching, which are procedural in character and aim to effect the construction of the effective learning. Helps all the learner to learn their subject matter in the easiest way.

Educational Technology

Educational Technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. Also called a Learning Technology. It is really important to all learners nowadays to experience the new type of hi-tech technologies used in teaching.