On the afternoon of 11st Jun., Dr. Curtis J. Bonk, the founder of Course Share--a well-known e-learning website in the US, also a professor from the Department of Instructional Systems Technology of the School of Education of Indiana University, delivered an inspiring lecture titled Learning is Changing: MOOCs, E-Learning, The OpenWorld, Translation and Interpreting Learning, and Beyond , in which he shared with us how technology has dramatically changed education and brought about new opportunities.The lecture was sponsored by the Center for Teacher Development of GDUFS and organized by the Center for Translation Studies.
Dr. Bonk began his lecture by briefing on the history of evolution of education technologies and the current trend of learning. As he sees it, learning has turned more mobile, collaborative, online, blended, ubiquitous, massive, informal, open, video-based,and personal. In addition, in the world of Web 2.0, education is increasingly more flipped, gesture-based, global, modifiable, comfortable, shareable, and flexible. With many technologies, thousands of organizations and scholars are sharing their course materials, expertise, and teaching ideas globally, thereby expanding learning opportunities and resources even further.
Then in the 2ndpart of his speech, Prof. Bonk shared with both students and teachers his easy-to-apply and widely acclaimed framework for addressing more diverse learner needs called the R2D2 Model (Read, Reflect, Display, and Do) model. While detailing best practices he has seen around the globe, Dr. Bonk also discussed how his two methods can be expanded or altered to fit one’s particular preferences and needs and to arouse student motivation, collaboration, interaction, and general engagement in the learning process. Highly practical as his ideas and methods are, Dr. Bond received successive rounds of applause during the whole speech.
Dr. Bonk, as a globally reputed expert on education technology, has published a series of book in this regard, such as Electronic collaborators, Handbook of BlendedLearning:Global Perspectives, Local Designs, Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing, The World is Open: HowWeb Technology is Revolutionizing Education Adding Some TEC-VARIETY: 100+ Activities forMotivating and Retaining Learners Online. In the coming few months, his latest book MOOCs and Open Education Around the World will be published globally.
