EDUC 8845 Module 4 Blog

I don't know if my network has changed the way I learn, but enhanced it. I still learn best when I process the information on my own, then develop questions that will usually lead to more questions. Once I identify the first set of questions, I start to find answers. I will usually Google the topic and look for all the information I can find. And being someone who always wants to know "why", any answers I find usually only lead me to more questions. After I've read through what I find on my own, I will usually ask my friends, colleagues, mentors, and classmates for their insight. I like to have as many viewpoints on a topic before I can form my own conclusions and thus "learn" a concept. This seems like a very cumbersome task just to learn something, but it is the process that works best for me. This doesn't mean I do this for every single thing I need at the time. There is a difference between learning a concept and using the information for the given task and then dismissing it. Technology allows me to not have to remember everything. If I have the foundation for learning a concept, then I can apply that knowledge for given situations, use that information for the intended purpose and then discarding it. We have become a society that thrives on instant gratification. I don't need to remember a phone number, I can program it as a speed dial or look it up each time. The time involved in looking it up is less than it would take to "learn it", so why bother?

Learning is no longer rote memorization of facts that can be applied to any situation. Instead, learning is about developing the skills to find the most current information apply it to the situation and develop an informed conclusion.

EDUC 8842 Module 4

Tools for engaging students are just like any other tools. It is important to have the right tool for the job, but the right tool is different for everyone. For example to tighten a screw, someone might use a power drill, electric screwdriver, old fashioned screwdriver, and some may just use a kitchen knife. All of these tools will work and do the job effectively for that individual. As graduate students in Ed Tech, we more likely to use the power drill because it is the most efficient and the newest type of technology for the job. However, someone older or not comfortable with the tools may use the old fashioned screwdriver or knife because it is what they know. As educators, we have to remember this as we build our classes. Online learning is a growing part of the education world, so often times we will get students who "just getting online" is as technologically advanced as they get. Having too many bells and whistles in the classroom could be overwhelming to a new online student and thus their learning opportunities are diminished.

I teach at the local community college, and many of our students are non-traditional students returning to school for either retraining or new career paths. We still have our fair share of traditional age students who have grown up in the world of technology and enjoy the bells and whistles. The challenges I face are finding ways to merge the different generations into one learning community and incorporating "just the right amount" of technology into the courses. I would love to be able to use virtual worlds more than I do because of the many opportunities they offer, but the feasibility of this is minimal at this time. The obstacles include hardware issues and user skills. Anderson says that in order to be able to a meaningful learning experience, there must be a social presence where students feel comfortable enough to be able to engage. If I introduce a whole new world, some students will become overwhelmed and shut down completely. This is definitely not conducive to a positive learning environment. The same is true for collaborative learning. Some students enroll in online classes to avoid social interactions. If the course has too many group projects, then these students who are not comfortable in group settings will not succeed. There has to be a balance of learning activities to encourage students to explore outside their comfort zone for different learning opportunities, but still have enough content in their comfort zone for them to adequately learn the material.

The diagram below shows my vision of the elements critical to creating an engaging learning environment. I provided some examples of tools I use in the classroom, but these tools will vary based on the subject matter. An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education by David Glenn (2009), poses the argument that matching teaching styles to learning styles isn't always right. I agree with Glenn that content will drive many of the tools necessary for the course delivery. For example, a computer programming class may have more group projects than a theory class. The theory class will have more discussions about various topics to stimulate critical thinking and analysis.

 

References:

Anderson, T. (2004). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Edmonton, AB: AU Press.

Glenn, D. (2009, December 15). Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students. The Chronicle of Higher Education .

 

EDUC 8842 – Module 3 Blog

After doing the readings and watching the videos, the conclusion that I have come to is that just like curriculum has changed to meet the needs of distance learning and the new age of students, so does assessment. The questions we ask about participation and grading are built on the old paradigm of coursework. I believe that participation grades are like class participation grades in a traditional classroom. They are subjective in nature and are not indicative of a person's understanding of the material. Now, having said that, I still believe that participation, especially in a distance education class is an important part of the learning process. As a distance teacher, I try to grade participation based on the quality of the individual's post and response. While Student A may be an outgoing and well spoken individual who is very knowledgeable about the subject and can provide a detailed posting full of personal experience, it does not diminish Student B's post that is well written and contains more researched material than personal perspectives. If both posts meet the academic standards I have established for the post, then both are equal in score. Student A's post may provide more assistance for other students because of the personal experiences, and thus he/she may have more responses than Student B, but again it does not mean that Student B should receive a lower score. The rubric provided for the posts should be based on accuracy of information, and demonstrates an understanding of the concept. That understanding may be textbook or real life experience. Both are valuable to the overall community.

A certain level of "forced involvement" is common for any online course. Most courses include a weekly discussion and mandatory participation. Primarily my students are adults, and I believe they have the right to participate or not participate in the discussion boards. Their decision of level of participation is up to them, as long as they understand the consequences of their actions. Posts that do not answer the question, are not well written, or lack depth, will not receive full credit. Responses to classmates are like those we have in our class. Reponses such as "I agree" or "Good answer", with no additional dialogue are not graded. The role of the instructor is to help facilitate the discussion, encourage students to elaborate on their thoughts, and develop students' written communication skills. However, I also believe that students have a right to fail. If they choose not to participate, then they must accept the consequences. I teach at the college level, and I tell my students they are adults and I will treat them as such. They will get out of my class, what they put into it.

EDUC 8842 – Video Outline

Hi Everyone,

I apologize… I got my weeks screwed up. I lost a week somewhere in the shuffle of a new semester for my work.

For my project, I'm looking at something like this:

 

Part 1:

Video Introduction

This will consist of various pictures in a random arrangement with a voice over with an introduction to the project, as well as what will will be covered in the video.

What is Learning?

I'm hoping to include some different clips and presentations from other sources describing what learning is and how it occurs. It will include a narrator introducing each clip and how it relates to the topic. I hope to include some flash media about how learning is transferred from short term to long term memory.

What is Adult Learning?

This will be similar to the first part, focusing on adult learners. I will also look at motivational aspects that affect how adults learn.

The future of learning and curriculum develop for community colleges.

Introduction of Speaker

This will be an imaginary keynote speaker for the League of Innovations Conference on Information Technology (Now known as STEMtech conference). She will be speaking about the changes in community colleges and the challenges we face as develop curriculum to meet the needs of our adult population.

Conclusions

Including summary information, references, and thoughts for the future.

EDUC 8845 - Module 3 Blog

Combining what I heard in Rheingold’s presentation and my cynical nature, what I learned is that collaboration is more about survival and the only reason we as humans collaborate is for our own personal gain. That gain may be personal advancement, or feelings of self-satisfaction. Karl Marx, said that humans are intrinsically social beings who cannot survive without the help of others. Marx believed that relations and interactions will be entered into whether we want to or not. And I believe that we all relationships serve a purpose in our lives. If it is a collaborative activity for class, then I’m going to make sure that I get what I need from the group in order to be successful in the class. Constructivism says that I “use” other people’s experiences and understandings to help me learn a concept. This is especially true if I’ve never experienced the concept and have nothing to relate it to. I have to trust this person’s account and learn from them.

I think the neat part about using technology to facilitate collaboration is the ability to form relationships in a manner that is less threatening. For example, use of blogs, wikis, and tweets can let a person integrate into a group at their own pace and create a paper trail. So, there is no more of the alleged “I did my part” pitfall of a group project. Discussion boards, blogs, wikis, tweets etc, all have time stamps to show who worked on something and when. When the last time a document was edited and by whom. This is one of the reasons I like using Google Docs. I can trust that my group members will do their part, and if they aren’t I have documentation to show they didn’t. In this day and age, faculty can create grading schemes that do not punish individuals for others actions when it is beyond their control.

I realize that my blog today is a bit on the dark and dreary side and I apologize for that, but it is what it is. And as I reflect on it, I must say that it has taught me something. My opening statement helps me as a teacher “what I heard….” Too often, I as a teacher fail to realize that what I student hears may not be what I meant, but it is what I said. Emotions and interpretations can affect how and what information is transferred between us.

EDUC 8842 - Module 2 Blog

Siemens discussed three elements that will effect distance education, global diversity, communication, and collaborate interaction. It is difficult to choose just one to talk about, but I think the global diversity is one that has had a significant impact on my experiences. I teach several online classes, but my most popular one is Introduction to Linux. The college I work for has a large military population, so many of my students are active duty military. This makes for a very diverse class. A few semesters ago, I had 20 students and only 5 were in the local area. There were 2 in Iraq, 1 in Afghanistan, 1 in Uzbekistan, and the rest were scattered all around the US. Not only was there a geographical diversity, there was a wide range of ages and experiences. The ability to have students share their perspectives and insights about the class with one another provided a very rich and engaging class. The nature of the online class allowed students time to read and process the comments. Then they can have meaningful dialogue and exchange that may not occur in a F2F class. In a traditional F2F class, the more experienced students can dominate the discussions and novices do not have time to process the comments and therefore cannot learn from it.There are so many tools available now that can increase interactions. There are webcams, web conferencing, virtual worlds, instant messaging, and interactive learning management systems. The tools are there, but what we need are people that are trained in how to use the tools. We literally have the world at our fingertips, but yet so much of learning is still in the dark ages. Distance education is still the red-headed step child of education. I know I was told one time at a residency, that my PhD from Walden was still not going to be enough to get me on faculty at an established land-grant university. I hope that someday that sentiment will change and my PhD from Walden will be regarded as if I went to University of Arizona, but I’m not sure I will see that in my lifetime.In searching for some other educational blogs, I came across one that presents arguments against distance education (http://selil.com/?p=1122). And while I don’t agree with everything that is said, he makes some valid points. Sam asks the question, “Can you know that a distance education has truly met the obligations of an education a society expects?” I believe this is what we as educational technology students must address as scholarly practitioners. If we don’t use the tools that are available properly, then we have failed to provide the educational experiences that students and society deserves. Another blog I found http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/06/18/helping-educators-bridge-the-technology-gap.aspx, talks about teaching the teachers. I’ve always felt that we talk a lot about the importance of using Web 2.0 and other technologies, but we don’t focus on making sure the teachers know how to use the tools. It’s great to want to use all the tools, but if no one spends the effort to teach those trying to use it, it won’t be effective. Teachers will either stop using it because it is too much of a hassle to learn it, or the attempts will be minimal and students will disregard it because it comes off as shabby. Things to think about… until next week.

EDUC 8845 - Module 2 Blog

I found the blog "conversation" between Bill Kerr (http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html) and Karl Kapp (http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html), to be fascinating reading. Kerr's comments felt almost like he was preaching to the choir. I also believe that there is no "one view" of how learning occurs. We've accepted that there are many different learning styles, how then can we say that one theory fits all learning styles? In research, there is always bias. It is inevitable. We put safeguards into research to minimize bias, but there is no way to completely eliminate it. As humans, we will see what we want to see. Statistics are not concrete, so they can be manipulated to "be right." I'm not saying that this is always the case, but it happens. If the numbers don't quite meet our expectations, we can change the variance or confidence level to appear to have different results. This is the same with all the "ism". There has to be a balance between them. Kerr said it best when he said " isms are important, but use them as a filter not a blinker." As the future educators we need to embrace this idea and develop educational opportunities that best fit the students' needs not our own.