Didactics training technologies (2008/2009)

Learning outcomes

E-learning has progressively shifted the focus from strongly structured and planned paths (mainly focussed on the arrangement of contents and on the course format) to the creation of learning communities and communities of practice mainly focussed on processes of interaction and building, management and sharing of knowledge on line.
In this context, the course aims at:
-Providing students a general background on e-learning, on learning communities and on on-line communities of practice,
-Offering the possibility to take part (through the course website) in a community of practice which enables everyone to share his/her experience and knowledge and to reach a deeper understanding of the issues studied during the course,
-Helping to reflect critically on the use of the web for the educational processes, starting with the experience of participation in a on-line learning community within the course.

The course will deal with the following issues:
-Learning technologies supporting the creation of learning communities and communities of practice,
-Phenomenology of “being on line” and specificity of the “web” learning context,
-On-line community of pratice and new learning formats,
-On-line professional communities,
-On-line community of pratice as a drive to a reconsideration of didactics tout court as “theory of the learning contexts”.

Bibliography:
TRENTIN Guglielmo, La sostenibilità didattico-formativa dell'e-learning. Social networking e apprendimento attivo, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2008.
WENGER Etienne, Mc DERMOTT Richard, SNYDER William M., Coltivare comunità di pratica. Prospettive ed esperienze di gestione della conoscenza, Guerini e Associati, Milano 2007.

Oral exam. The assessment will include also an evaluation of the student’s personal course notes (diary) (to be written during the course, following the indications given by the teacher), the quality of interaction on line and the personal contributions on the course website.

Notes:
Course activities:
-Teacher’s lectures. Active interaction by the students will be fostered,
-Practical exercises, group activities on concrete cases which will be shared during the lectures and on the web,
-Partecipation to an on-line learning community, by sharing personal knowledge on the web and discussing on the course issues (access to the website will be possible after registering with the teacher).