Philosophy of VirtCamp

VirtCamp is unlike any other orientation you may have attended. The two main goals of VirtCamp are:

1) To ensure that students have at least the minimal/basic technological skills necessary to succeed in an on-line academic environment

AND

2) To establish the foundation of a strong team or community necessary for a rich individual learning experience situated in the context of a community of practice of co-learners.

VirtCamp is an integral part of the Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology program(OMET) at Pepperdine University, an academic program which is predicated on the notion that the learner is the heart of the educational process, that learning to learn is is lived out through the shared experience of students and professors alike, that knowledge is constructed rather than transmitted/received. VirtCamp introduces the student to a pedagogy that "leads people to challenge the system, to take risks... that the best teachers of the people are the people themselves..." (Myles, Kohl & Kohl, 1998). Students are expected to engage their values and experiences in the learning process as they analyze problems, learn to effectively engage the power of community in constructing knowledge, to be able to move beyond operating in memory mode and to be engaged in the thinking anew process which yields fresh perspectives and new approaches needed for effecting change. (Isaacs, 1999). The words of Myles Horton, the founder of The Highlander School, a change agent who saw great value in learning through real life experiences to effect real and substantive societal change, aptly describe one of the tenets of VirtCamp: "Anything worth doing [has] to be done with other people." (Myles, Kohl & Kohl, 1998).

VirtCamp operates under the premise that people have the capacity within themselves to develop the ability to govern themselves, that the expertise which exists among the students are based on experiences that can be instructive even if it cannot be seen at the present moment (Myles, Kohl & Kohl 1998), that learning can and does take place within a community without centralized expertise (Stager, 2003). VirtCamp will allow for the students to practice in an environment which values process over product. Through carefully designed activities and projects, it is expected that students will reflect on the process of knowledge construction and be encouraged to celebrate the learning which comes through learning how to learn.

The student, who is ultimately responsible for her own decisions and learning experience, will learn to learn in a community of practice, with "a group of people who interact, learn together, build relationships, and in the process develop a sense of belonging and mutual commitment." (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002).

Seymour Papert's Eight Big Ideas Behind Constructionism give word to what we expect to do beginning with VirtCamp and then continuing throughout the OMAT experience:

1.      The first big idea is learning by doing. We all learn better when learning is part of doing something we find really interesting. We learn best of all when we use what we learn to make something we really want. VirtCamp participants will be engaged in several concrete projects and learning experiences that support and make real the concept of learning by doing. The underlying purpose for these projects/experiences, as stated above, is for the participants to learn through the process rather than merely to accomplish a task alone.

2.      The second big idea is technology as building material. If you can use technology to make things, you can make a lot more interesting things. And you can learn a lot more by making them. This is especially true of digital technology: computers of all sorts including the computer-controlled Lego. Technology is an inherent and necessary part of this program. However, it must be understood that technology is used to enhance and make more effective the learning process. VirtCamp will allow the participants to share their knowledge and expertise with one another as well as learn how to ask for and access help.

3.      The third big idea is hard fun. We learn best and we work best if we enjoy what we are doing. But fun and enjoying doesn't mean "easy." The best fun is hard fun. Our sports heroes work very hard at getting better at their sports. The most successful carpenter enjoys doing carpentry. The successful businessman enjoys working hard at making deals. VirtCamp is filled with exercises that will take participants beyond their comfort zone. The challenges inherent in the projects are a result of people learning new things in new ways, in new settings with new people. Again, it must be stressed that it is the process of learning that is valued. Knowledge is constructed in the process of construction and not at the end of it.

4.      The fourth big idea is learning to learn. Many students get the idea that "the only way to learn is by being taught." This is what makes them fail in school and in life. Nobody can teach you everything you need to know. You have to take charge of your own learning. This may be a new experience for some participants. VirtCamp introduces some participants to a pedagogy which requires active participation from each learner. Learning is an active and engaging process in which learners own their own learning and shapes the process for themselves. Although there will be opportunities where tacit knowledge is shared (i.e., tech details), how the participants apply that tacit knowledge to make it explicitly their own depends on the participants themselves.

5.      The fifth big idea is taking time …the proper time for the job. Many students at school get used to being told every five minutes or every hour, "do this, then do that, now do the next thing." If someone isn't telling them what to do they get bored. Life is not like that. To do anything important you have to learn to manage time for yourself. This is the hardest lesson for many of our students. The limited time that we have for VirtCamp, coupled with the availability of our professors who will engage with the participants in the learning process, will determine parts of the schedule. We will make this schedule clearly known to you at the outset. We will make every attempt to create blocks of time and space that will allow for students to take time to be effectively engaged in the learning process on the main project, which is free from central expertise.

6.      The sixth big idea is the biggest of all: you can't get it right without getting it wrong. Nothing important works the first time. The only way to get it right is to look carefully at what happened when it went wrong. To succeed you need the freedom to goof on the way. Mistakes are viewed as valuable learning opportunities. We seek to learn throughout the process. A victory comes when we learn something. Defeat only comes when there is nothing left to be learned.

7.      The seventh big idea is do unto ourselves what we do unto our students. We are learning all the time. We have a lot of experience of other similar projects but each one is different. We do not have a pre-conceived idea of exactly how this will work out. We enjoy what we are doing but we expect it to be hard. We expect to take the time we need to get this right. Every difficulty we run into is an opportunity to learn. The best lesson we can give our students is to let them see us struggle to learn. The beauty of VirtCamp is that it is shaped and molded by its participants. We believe in the value of individual experiences that come to inform the collective experience of a group. We encourage students to remain engaged in the struggles, for therein lies the greatest opportunities for growth and development.

8.      The eighth big idea is we are entering a digital world where knowing about digital technology is as important as reading and writing. So learning about computers is essential for our students' futures, BUT the most important purpose is using them NOW to learn about everything else. Again, effective useof technology is to enhance the learning, moving us from the abstract to the concrete. Technology must be used to broaden our horizon, deepen our understanding, and enrich our learning experience. We learn technology through the active engagement in it. We seek to make technology attend to our needs rather than only learning how to tend to its needs. (Gershenfeld, 1999).

References:

Horton, M., Kohl, J. & Kohl, H. The Long Haul, AnAutobiography. New York & London: Teachers College Press, Columbia University

Isaacs, W. (1999).  Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together. New York: Doubleday

 Wenger,E.,  McDermott,R. & Snyder, W. (2002).  A Guide to Managing Knowledge: Cultivating Communities of Practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press

Stager, Gary. (2003) Newsgroup Postings; news://news.pepperdine.edu/pep.gsep.ed634.5alive

Gershenfeld, N.(1999). When Things Start to Think. New York: Henry Hold & Co