II.THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE I-EXPERIMENT TEACHING MODEL
“i-experiment” aims to explore a blend of online and offline within the teaching paradigm of “using practical and theoretical methods to improve education and sharing school wisdom through online interaction”[10].
The concept of “i” is based in the English vocabulary. There are a number of words beginning with “i” that suggest the idea of information technology, such as iPad, iPhone, Internet, Individual, Interactive, Inform, Instruct, Integrated, Interesting, Idea, Ideal, Intelligent, Innovation, and Inspire. Its homonym in the Chinese vocabulary is “love”, which expresses feelings or actions such as admiration, respect, care, fondness, willing to help but unable to do so, love me, love my dog and many others. This homonym is used here to link the surface meanings of “i” and “love”, thus integrating technology and culture.
“Experiment” usually refers to an operation or action carried out in order to test a scientific theory or hypothesis. In its usage here it has four levels of meaning. The first is to reform learning approaches, with a focus on target orientation and problem orientation, as well as inquiry and experiential learning; the second is to highlight the use of both the mind and the body, presenting a vision of teaching and learning by doing, forming solutions to problems through individual and team thought, creation, design and other conceptions, and taking action; the third is to emphasize the scientific spirit; the fourth is to underline the full demonstration of wisdom, infinite creativity and their continuous realization to reach high-level achievements.
“Online interaction” means people and things working interactively, including sharing innovative achievements online and getting online guidance from other parties.
To sum up the above concepts, the vocational education model constructed by “i-experiment” is interpreted as “learning through online activities, doing through lively cooperation, and getting pleasure through pleasant work”. In the era of personal media (we-media), platforms give each student the chance to fulfill their potential and display their knowledge, and to make individualized and practical achievements. Like-minded people with dreams throughout China and the world at large learn and help each other. Specifically, the “i-experiment” teaching model in vocational education focuses on online and offline cooperation and embodies the collective wisdom of teachers and students in learning activities from the perspective of teaching. It provides a connected teaching environment that emphasizes the maximum utilization of social education resources from the perspective of the teaching organization. Equal priority is given to the unification of sensibility and rationality from the perspective of the teaching approach. Therefore, the model can also be considered to be “constructing intelligent action”.
The technical implementation of the “i-experiment” teaching model can be understood through a “one-two-three-four-five” structure. One stands for one objective: the cultivation of learners with technical skills. From the perspective of the core of school management, learners are centered “to have all the students taught with what they want to learn, and put into practice and fulfill themselves with what they have learned”. An ecological and intelligent learning environment is also created to put learner support in place. Two stands for two dimensions: the interaction between the use of mind and hand, theory and practice, and knowing and doing. Learning by doing and experiential learning are highlighted for learners. Knowledge of the background, relevant principle and related techniques of an issue will enable the students to draw knowledge from case studies. Three stands for three links: the first link is online learning sharing by uploading words, photos or videos to the online “i-lab”; the second link is the online interaction of teaching and learning with possible choice of course resources and participation in discussion and mutual evaluation; the third link is basic practical experience, organized according to the needs of individuals. Four stands for four functions. The first is display. With a number of labs opened for “i-experiment” on the Internet, the achievements of the students and teachers can be exhibited in the corresponding labs. The second is evaluation and guidance. Expert teams are invited by each lab to comment on the works on display and to expand the knowledge of the teachers and students. The third is the course supermarket. Many related multi-media courses are dynamically added to the website, allowing learners to choose their requests. The fourth is to evaluate and redeem points. An evaluation system for learning results in each project lab is able to accumulate points for works submitted by individuals and groups through expert evaluation and display to other web users. Points are also accumulated through evaluation of course learners’ learning actions and learning results, and individual and collective points can be exchanged for relevant products or service. Five stands for support. The first is multi-functional online platform support, which satisfies the functions of uploading, downloading, saving, playing, searching, pushing, multi-terminal presentation, and one-stop services, among others. The second is support from the government and related educational departments. All the activities, as teaching activities for public benefit, are guaranteed sound and sustainable development under the instruction of the government and educational authorities and with assistance from the schools and relevant institutions. The third is support from industry expert teams. Under the instruction of the experts, the scientific nature and strong learning quality of the tasks is guaranteed. The fourth is support from relevant enterprises. Enterprises are encouraged to participate in public benefit activities, shaping a pattern where enterprises, schools, students and other relevant parties all win, while sharing wisdom, responsibility and benefits. The fifth is support of internship bases. Since learning is an interactive process, offline experiential learning has the ability to gather likeminded people and help them grow together.