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'Blended' learning and the social media revolution

So, this socio-constructivist, all fingers to the keyboard, online, blended-learning thing is the way forward, isn't? Everybody should get online and interact. It's the business!

I have been considering recently what I will investigate for my MA dissertation and I have decided to research interaction in the discussion forum of a VLE (virtual learning environment) that forms a part of all our courses. The reason however for my interest is not that I think it's a great new thing that everybody should get into. My interest is the people who do not find it useful and have no intention of becoming involved in such a form of interaction. I think this to be far more informative than investigating the people who are so enthusiastic about it all.

In a workshop recently where we discussed the first inklings of our dissertation research ideas, I presented my intention to investigate the on site students of our group and their non-interaction with the discussion forums on Blackboard. To put this in context, this a multinational group of experienced teachers, some of whom are taking the Educational Technology and TESOL course, rather than just TESOL. They know about the principles of socio-constructivism, the suggested benefits of interaction in learning and some are considering the potential of blended learning in their own school environments, whether with moodle, wikis, blogs or whatever.

In the workshop I mentioned above, I chatted to a colleague whose beliefs I will condense into the following vignette.

"I haven't got time to spend on the Blackboard discussion environment. It's a waste of time. There are so many other things to do on this course and with all due respect to everybody else here, I just don't want to spend time in discussion with them, when they don't really know any more than I do. I prefer to spend time reading the views of experts in books or journals and listen to or talk with the tutors, who are experts in their field. I'll learn from them because they know more than me.

How can people spend so much time on the internet, it's so sad, go out and do something less boring instead. Why don't people just get a life? The last thing I want to do is spend my time sitting in front of a computer writing to people. These happy-clappy discussion workshops are bad enough. Ok, I admit I'm perhaps not very sociable, but I have my family and friends and I socialise with them, that'll do me thanks - no offence. Also, on the discussion forum, I don't want to spend time writing my opinions when they might be crap. I mean, then everyone will think, 'What an idiot!', he doesn't know anything.

Frankly, I have no desire to take part in these discussion forums, it's just not for me."

In a nutshell, and interrupted by the group discussion, this is what I understood of his perspective. The words are not exactly the same, though some expressions are. The ideas were not necessarily expressed in this order and he was egged on a bit by another participant with similar views. However, I think this gives a good reflection of this person's opinions.

Is this opinion wrong? Can a person with these opinions be an effective teacher? What do you think?

Considering there will be many teachers and students the world over who share some or all of these opinions I think care needs to be taken with proposing any form of online interaction, either for teacher development or with students. There is never an answer for everything when dealing with people, so it is dangerous to suggest that the internet has as many 'answers' as some people suggest. Some people don't like reading, some people don't watch TV and some people don't want to use the internet or social media. In fact, some people just aren't actually very sociable. Everybody's opinion is valid.

This is a revolutionary time in education, where the internet is being used in many attempts to increase flexibility in course design and modes of interaction in higher education, state education and even private language schools. Is this reliance on the internet as flexible as it seems or will it force those who are not interested into using it more because they have to? Will it discriminate against those who can't afford the technology or a broadband connection? Are the opinions expressed in the vignette above valid, or should this guy just get with the times?

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