Flexibility and mobility in the learning process
I think that this topic about flexible and mobile learning needs to be much more highlighted in education environments. More and more courses are now distance-based, to offer a opportunity for the students to study, work and being a social person at the same time, and the most important, to study what time of the day/night you prefer or are able to, that sounds flexible. This is also in the same trend as the society, which is in a constant state of change and we have to follow it. But how do we do? That’s a good question. From my point of view as a teacher in higher education, I´m responsible for two distance-based course for nurses who study to become specialist in the elderly care, these courses are 10 weeks courses, with 2 days at campus and the rest of the studies are in the learning Management System called Ping pong, which provides a variety of different tools to use, but I see, that the teacher don´t use them or probably they don´t know about them. Our library or IKT-educator offers a lot of different small courses or activities to take part of for the teacher, but many don´t take these opportunities, WHY, it´s sad, we want to retain our students, of course, but how can we do that, when we don’t give the right “equipment” for that? As a student, you need to get the studies going, along we the family life, work and recreation, and sometimes economic problems, it´s very important that the students already from the beginning can see the advantages and what is means already at the beginning of the course, so we can reduce the workload the see or feel, and sadly will drop off……………. And also as a teacher, have a look at the course you are responsible for, how can the learning activities become more flexible and mobile, are the study environment mobile and flexible, can we make it more interactive for the students? In e-learning in higher education the student is recognized as a co-producer in her och his learning process, in which individualizing, flexibility and openness, seems indicated as important issues in this context, and there need to transparency, including structure, materials and resources. In other words, a learning based on flexibility, accessibility, interactivity and individuality, have a look at http://eadtu.eu/ and now, all of us can start our new, more mobile and flexible education strategy.
”Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.”
John Cleese
villywonka 
You raise a question that seems to pop up everywhere when it comes to teaching and digital technology, why does praxis change so slowly? In your case there is help to be had, and still teachers don’t actively develop their teaching. Perhaps it’s too much to handle for a single teacher, and there is research that suggests that the whole faculty needs to be involved for a lasting change to take place. Thank you for your interesting post!
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Yes, that´s also what I think, it has to be in the direct environment and maybe the only offer to chose for the teacher, I mean different activities but they are all formed by the digital technology so you are forced to do it, similar to this ONL course
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It is definitely a challenge, and one that I am really interested in as part of my studies. Why do so few teachers take advantage of the amazing tools and capacities that are easily accessible thanks to flexible and mobile technologies? Is it fear, or lack of priority, or lack of time? Or perhaps a feeling of discomfiture at using tools that are different and not what they associate with learning? Your post has provoked many thoughts for me; thank you!
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I have thought a lot of why things are not changing more when it comes to methods and ways of teaching, even though most educators seem to agree on the need of change as everything else is changing. I’m working as a librarian in higher education now but I started as a teacher. Same things were discussed 20 years ago when I started my teacher education but it still hasn’t been any “real change”. Is it the school system and higher education system that is so hard to change? Maybe the challenge is more an organisational issue than a “teacher problem”?
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Good question, do you think it´s a national problem or is it international this dilemma? How do you think we could attack this kind of problematic situation?
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I think i’s international and that there are many ways to attack the dilemma. As Martha talks about in the webinar there has to be a change in many ways; people, pedagogy, politics & prices. I think the system has to be changed on a higher level than on a teacher level so political decisions could be helpful. To change teaching methods and students opportunities to flexible learning you also have to change the whole curriculum and the assessment system.
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Well, I don´t know if I agree with the comment that there are a bunch of excellent tools just there for the using (Ping Pong, which you mention, is really more of an information management system than an online learning environment – even if you consider the more advanced services… in my humble opinion). In any case, as commented above, the change needs to come from higher up – at least in the context of Swedish Universities (where I work), since (a) students have a right to expect the same kind of tools used throughout their education and (b) we buy learning platforms wholesale. Therefore I and my colleagues can really only use extra tools temporarily, and not as a permanent part of a course.
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