Distance education

I think you guys nailed the top application for this technique/technology other than student-facing uses: Pro-D. I was crafting a post about it and then there it was in the next section! (I'll share it anyway as I have a link to a cool study I think everyone would really dig) I think there’s a fantastic opportunity here in the realm of teacher professional development. According to this recent study https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-04482-001, when teachers were given evidence based literature to counter misconceptions they were found to accept the evidence only to revert to their old ways a short time later. >>>The evidence of this study points to a need for ongoing supportive interventions rather than one-and-done PD day workshops as is common here in Canada and elsewhere. Microlearning modules seem like an excellent platform to facilitate this for the reasons you’ve highlighted.<<< Some side notes: (1) “According to an ATD report, the average amount of time for an ideal microlearning module is 10 minutes.” - this was based on a poll where they asked people what they thought was best. This is not scientific in any sense and gives no indication of systematically finding the optimum of an efficacy curve, which I think deserves further study if it hasn't had already. (2) On "What makes “micro” micro? " Perhaps there is no time limit or minimum. The nature of microlearning might mean that the length of a module suits the content, context, or both. (3) Microlearning was initially introduced as stepwise, each step with goals toward a larger goal. But the science supposedly supporting microlearning was actually in support of REPETITION specifically. Not to say that the definition was wrong, per se, but this is a specific detail that should be emphasized and should inform microlearning module design >> Steps are not enough. Learners need iteration, which is one of the ideas behind the “spiral” model of learning. (This notion is conspicuously absent from the “4 defining characteristics”)<<

I've noticed children are often the inspiration behind learning technology start ups. My son is what inspired my vision for an innovative learning technology. A problem is just a problem until it affects your personal life, then it becomes a problem that needs fixed. It can be a strong motivator. I also think it is significant that he piloted his app to demonstrate its potential value and scalability before asking for a larger investment. In other words, a Minimal Viable Product is a quick and effective way to find out just how promising your vision is.

Social Media in the classroom can take so many forms that don't necessarily come to mind first. Simply websites like Google Classroom, Socrates, and Weebly have the ability to foster a social platform for students to engage, collaborate and share ideas and work with each other. The use of social media in the classroom can highlight and enhance learning in so many ways - it provides an outlet for those students to share in the conversation "online" when they would not otherwise feel comfortable sharing ideas, it provides enhanced accessibility, allowing students to use it from home and elsewhere, and it is simply an additional platform engaging students with different learning styles; all of these factors greatly increase participation and thus learning from each other.  All the while, educators can promote responsible use of social media, as its use outside of the classroom will certainly be part of students' every day life.

I am looking at Microlearning from the unique perspective of a teacher whose student population struggles with learning disabilities and/or behavioural difficulties, and as such, think that Microlearning is, and will continue to become an even more effective way of teaching our students. In my experience, these students have so many things to focus on in a given lesson - the anxiety stemming from the text in front of them, the fact that they have to remember 2- or 3-step (or more!) instructions from a teacher before beginning a task, the fact that they have ADHD and are easily distracted by various external stimuli as it is, etc... Microlearning can help alleviate some of these anxieties and help students retain more information, particularly those who struggle with attention. More and more classrooms are seeing the effects of overstimulated and highly distractible students, thus I do believe that this topic is important not only in the special education classroom, but in the mainstream ones as well. From my experience teaching grades 2 and 3 in a class full of students struggling with dyslexia, ASD, and ADHD, lessons that go over a 10 minute mark of strictly instructional time results in a quick decline in student attention, interest, and thus retention. I would be very interested to learn more about the field and find ways to weave it into my teaching practice on a more consistent practice. I know Microlearning seems to have the goal of providing lessons/learning experiences for those who are busy and always on the go, but I think it can have a two-fold goal by also targeting distracted learners.