Using content curation in the blended and online classroom is essential in today’s world of overwhelming information. Content in the form of infographics, images, text, articles, podcasts, etc. is being created in such volume and all of it is available. In the digital world curation is important because it allows the instructor to sort through, catalog, and share information with their students. Instructors in both online and blended learning environments can seek out and organize the information they find most valuable to a topic and create a learning path.
In the blended and online learning classroom students need to develop self direction and self motivation and having content curated for them already can help them to know which information is important for their learning.
The ability to think critically and to be able to see and construct up alternative views of any issue, problem or field of interest are of the essence for those interested in learning how to make sense of the world. (Why Curation will Transform Education)
In the traditional academic world learning is organized around subjects but the real world is a complex web of situations. All of the separate subjects a student studied in school become intertwined and students who have those self direction and motivation skills will be able to navigate these complex situations.
Curation helps the student focus on relevant, important, and valuable information. The online/blended instructor can help steer that focus by leveraging existing content, curating that content, and sharing the content with their students. With social media, anyone can curate content easily. Instructors can share content in it’s original format and use different sources and types of content. Variety of content is good for learners and instructors can make it personal in the way the instructor organizes the content. Imagine keeping your students engaged by creating a larger conversation around the content you curate.
In the online/blended classroom content curation helps makes sense of the of overabundance of information, it connects students to broader concepts, allows them to use and see different sources and content types.
Good, R. (2012, August 9). Why Curation Will Transform Education and Learning: 10 Key Reasons. Retrieved March 05, 2017, from http://www.masternewmedia.org/curation-for-education-and-learning/
Kelly, D. (2012, October 29). Is Content Curation in Your Skill Set? It Should Be. Retrieved March 05, 2017, from https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1037/is-content-curation-in-your-skill-set-it-should-be