Course Overview and Introduction: 9
I found the course overview clear and understandable. As this is the first teaching of this course those elements will probably be refined over time. Upon registration the hybrid nature of the course was stated follow-up was done with e-mail. The introductions were helpful particularly after the face-to-face meeting.
Netiquette was not specifically addressed but access was provided clearly and communications encouraged.
One concern was that the technical skills required were not clear. It seemed to me that those with minimal technical skills were at a disadvantage in initially getting started. It is one thing to see the tools quickly in a class but when users are on their own the unfamiliarity with those tools can be a frustration and become a barrier to working with the content. Might an introductory basic skills f-2-f class, or even a ‘minimal tech skills list’ be helpful to registrants who are not comfortable with the technology?
Learning Outcomes: 14
Outcomes and components are clearly stated. Modules are very clear and well organized. Instructions are laid out and materials and links provided and working. Expectations, grading, and evaluation all included in the initial syllabus. Guiding questions and outcomes are provided for every module.
Assessment and Measurement: 13
Again this information is very clearly laid out for the student. Expectations for each assignment are stated and the value of each is listed.
Resources and Materials: 9
These have been very valuable. The content has been excellent and pertinent to the course objectives and interests of the participants. The topics are of high value, interesting, easy to access. Additional resources are also provided for learners should they wish to explore them.
New tools are provided and the expectation that they are used in completing assignments. There has also been considerable support provided by the instructors to those with questions. Although I personally have had difficulty with one of the tools, that is not an out-of-the-ordinary issue when dealing with multiple and disparate technologies.
Learner Engagement: 10
The activities are well designed to capture the interest of the learners. They promote interaction amongst all of the participants and instructors. The instructors’ willingness to adapt the assignments and due dates was very helpful and the changes were well articulated and communicated clearly. The announcements section is informative.
Course Technology: 11
The technology is appropriate to the delivery of the course and requires the student to be an active learner. Although students have access to the technology through the school, the do need appropriate resources at home. In addition the multiple resources used outside VISTA can be a bit intimidating to the newbie.
My concern in this area is for the new user. The CMS is clear if the user has experience with web technology. For someone who has never posted to a blog, used a wiki, etc. it does take a significant amount of time to learn the navigation.
Learner Support: 6
BC seems to extend every option possible to the user in providing technical help and support. The log in screen itself provides basic and necessary information for students to be sure they have the tools they need set up, including password recovery. The Help system is easy to navigate.
Accessibility: 8
As far as I can tell all the standards have been met.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
eLearners
My apologies for coming late to this topic. It is one in which I am very interested and I appreciated the articles and videos. Some I had read/seen previously and it was helpful to review them as the topic is coming more to the forefront in discussions with teachers. It seems to me there is a wide range of eLearners from the current K-12 students who have been the most immersed in technology (Prensky’s Natives) through the 20-40 year olds who run the gamut from immigrants to natives, to those above 40 and we certainly are all immigrants. And that is a challenge.
I have tried to picture myself as a teenager with the kind of access and connectivity current students in our area at least have been surrounded with almost since birth. The main difference seems to me instant access to everything! Now we can text friends constantly, call anyone from anywhere (almost) anytime, get information on the nearest restaurant, get tickets and show times, get a map to anywhere, look up info on anyone, read books/articles/get news/follow blogs instantly! Instant access, instant gratification, instant solutions. So how do students develop the focus and self-discipline to learn to play an instrument, learn a craft, conquer a task that doesn’t come easily, develop the skills needed to pursue golf, or racing, or ballet? The shallowness and ease of ‘instant’ could be a significant barrier to learning for younger students. It takes effort to engage in analysis, reflection, production of new thinking – how do we assure students acquire those skills? Perhaps that has always been a challenge in education but is simply exacerbated by the technology now.
The barriers for the current students are not the technology, unless they do not have access of course. It is the difficulty the current education structure and many educators have in integrating the technology to make the experience of current students as engaging and relevant as it needs to be for them to learn. Absolutely it is NOT EASY! Few areas in the country have as much as we have and without the tools obviously integration is impossible. But for those with the tools, the change and work required are significant. My experience is limited to this area but I can say absolutely that it is change which is the biggest barrier. Most teachers do not seem to like change at all and will resist as firmly as possible, even when change is in the best interest of their students. Despite pay, training, ‘free’ technology, provided curriculum including on-line technology integration, encouragement, in-person support – well you name it and we have tried it - it is a constant struggle to move many teachers forward in our endeavor to improve the learning environment and positively impact student learning through technology.
For those of us more mature eLearners the barriers do not seem to be lack of thinking skills, ability to focus, etc. It is the often confusing and ever-increasing basic technology skills that are critical to the ability to function with technology. I have listed below some of the more critical barriers I encounter in working with teachers and other adult eLearners. These barriers seem much less onerous to eliminate than changing pedagogy in the classroom but that has not been my experience :
• Fear/distress: as educators we know that feeling fear seriously impacts how much a student is able to learn. Assuring teachers that they truly cannot break the computer/board or whatever and that if it does break we can fix it for them it helpful but it comes back to the person developing the basics for themselves so they are no longer afraid.
• Lack of understanding of how the electronic world is organized: my overall classification for this is ‘where’s your stuff’ when I am working with teachers. Attending to the basics of how a teacher’s electronic world at school is organized is truly critical.
• On-line navigation: as educators we learn definitions and create acronyms constantly when it comes to our curriculum. If a person/teacher is to learn on-line there are definitions and acronyms that must be familiar to avoid confusion and getting lost.
• Basic troubleshooting: there are a few basic coping skills that any computer user should acquire. Unfortunately my experience is, I think, pretty universal. If I am fixing something and ask the user if they want to know what is going on so they can do it themselves the next time, the answer is usually ‘no, I don’t care, please just fix it.’ Understandable in the press of time and too much work, but not truly helpful long-term for the user.
For at least the last 20 years technology has been present in education and resisted in education. Early on certainly no one knew if there would be a positive impact on student learning from the technology, but that is no longer in question if the technology is integrated appropriately. Hopefully the next 20 years will reverse that resistance and education will embrace the technology in which our students are immersed to provide the educational environment that will meet those students’ educational needs.
I have tried to picture myself as a teenager with the kind of access and connectivity current students in our area at least have been surrounded with almost since birth. The main difference seems to me instant access to everything! Now we can text friends constantly, call anyone from anywhere (almost) anytime, get information on the nearest restaurant, get tickets and show times, get a map to anywhere, look up info on anyone, read books/articles/get news/follow blogs instantly! Instant access, instant gratification, instant solutions. So how do students develop the focus and self-discipline to learn to play an instrument, learn a craft, conquer a task that doesn’t come easily, develop the skills needed to pursue golf, or racing, or ballet? The shallowness and ease of ‘instant’ could be a significant barrier to learning for younger students. It takes effort to engage in analysis, reflection, production of new thinking – how do we assure students acquire those skills? Perhaps that has always been a challenge in education but is simply exacerbated by the technology now.
The barriers for the current students are not the technology, unless they do not have access of course. It is the difficulty the current education structure and many educators have in integrating the technology to make the experience of current students as engaging and relevant as it needs to be for them to learn. Absolutely it is NOT EASY! Few areas in the country have as much as we have and without the tools obviously integration is impossible. But for those with the tools, the change and work required are significant. My experience is limited to this area but I can say absolutely that it is change which is the biggest barrier. Most teachers do not seem to like change at all and will resist as firmly as possible, even when change is in the best interest of their students. Despite pay, training, ‘free’ technology, provided curriculum including on-line technology integration, encouragement, in-person support – well you name it and we have tried it - it is a constant struggle to move many teachers forward in our endeavor to improve the learning environment and positively impact student learning through technology.
For those of us more mature eLearners the barriers do not seem to be lack of thinking skills, ability to focus, etc. It is the often confusing and ever-increasing basic technology skills that are critical to the ability to function with technology. I have listed below some of the more critical barriers I encounter in working with teachers and other adult eLearners. These barriers seem much less onerous to eliminate than changing pedagogy in the classroom but that has not been my experience :
• Fear/distress: as educators we know that feeling fear seriously impacts how much a student is able to learn. Assuring teachers that they truly cannot break the computer/board or whatever and that if it does break we can fix it for them it helpful but it comes back to the person developing the basics for themselves so they are no longer afraid.
• Lack of understanding of how the electronic world is organized: my overall classification for this is ‘where’s your stuff’ when I am working with teachers. Attending to the basics of how a teacher’s electronic world at school is organized is truly critical.
• On-line navigation: as educators we learn definitions and create acronyms constantly when it comes to our curriculum. If a person/teacher is to learn on-line there are definitions and acronyms that must be familiar to avoid confusion and getting lost.
• Basic troubleshooting: there are a few basic coping skills that any computer user should acquire. Unfortunately my experience is, I think, pretty universal. If I am fixing something and ask the user if they want to know what is going on so they can do it themselves the next time, the answer is usually ‘no, I don’t care, please just fix it.’ Understandable in the press of time and too much work, but not truly helpful long-term for the user.
For at least the last 20 years technology has been present in education and resisted in education. Early on certainly no one knew if there would be a positive impact on student learning from the technology, but that is no longer in question if the technology is integrated appropriately. Hopefully the next 20 years will reverse that resistance and education will embrace the technology in which our students are immersed to provide the educational environment that will meet those students’ educational needs.
CMS Comparison
Being from a school district I evaluated two open source (FREE!) CMS packages. Sakai 2.5 (www.sakaiproject.org) which is relatively new on the scene in 2005 and Moodle 1.9 (www.moodle.org) which has been around about 10 years as I first remember it in 1999.
In both systems I set up demo accounts to be able to explore the packages. The table below on shows the tools in both systems.
Moodle 2.0 was due out in July and I had hoped it would be available for this project but unfortunately it was not so I did look at 1.9.
Both are open source and so rely a great deal on a community of developers. Sakai does have some commercial partners who provide some support whereas Moodle does not.
Moodle has a much larger user base having been around for twice as long as Sakai. But the Sakai user interface and up-to-date web 2.0 tools make it very appealing. It will be most interesting to see Moodle 2.0 and find out if it will be as clean and navigable as the current Sakai version.
Reviews of Moodle by users are generally positive. The system is characterized as flexible, powerful, and customizable. Instructor control of look and features, and features operate correctly.
Reviews of Sakai were very limited – most were on Sakai sites of one kind or another which I tend to discount.
One main difference is the amount of “significant development and support costs” for Sakai as reported in a couple of articles. Moodle is reportedly much easier to set up, run, and support. Certainly with double the amount of time on the ground that makes sense. That factor alone would sway my decision toward selecting Moodle.
The table used originally to organize this information does not transfer to this software. The first listed is Sakai, the second is Moodle.
SaKai Moodle 1.9 (2.0 due July 2010)
Learning Tools
Forum/Discussion Yes Yes
Announcements/Blog Yes Yes
Assignments List Yes Yes
File upload/download Yes Yes
eMail Yes No
Chat Yes Yes
On-line notes, text Yes Yes
Wiki Yes Yes
Calendar Yes Yes
Navigation Tabs, Links List Links List, ‘Jump’ menu
Whiteboard No No
Languages Yes Yes
Templates Yes No
Presentation Area Yes No
Teacher Tools
Ability to create structure: folders/menus/forums Yes - files, folders, podcasts, images, presentations, modules Yes - Choices so student controls progress through lesson with Branch Table; Upload files, images, MP3, folders
Gradebook Yes Yes
Registration, Roles, Grouping Yes Yes
Authentication/safety Yes Yes
Replication/Editing Yes Yes
Hidden options No admin example access Yes
Activity Reports Yes Yes
Testing Test & Quizzes Audio or text – MC, T/F, short answer
Glossary Yes FAQ, definitions
Survey Tool Yes Yes
Tech Specs/Support Yes Yes
Open Source
SCORM compliant Yes Yes
On-line community Yes Yes
Tech Support Undetermined – corporate sponsors available $1200 per year
Help Yes Yes
In both systems I set up demo accounts to be able to explore the packages. The table below on shows the tools in both systems.
Moodle 2.0 was due out in July and I had hoped it would be available for this project but unfortunately it was not so I did look at 1.9.
Both are open source and so rely a great deal on a community of developers. Sakai does have some commercial partners who provide some support whereas Moodle does not.
Moodle has a much larger user base having been around for twice as long as Sakai. But the Sakai user interface and up-to-date web 2.0 tools make it very appealing. It will be most interesting to see Moodle 2.0 and find out if it will be as clean and navigable as the current Sakai version.
Reviews of Moodle by users are generally positive. The system is characterized as flexible, powerful, and customizable. Instructor control of look and features, and features operate correctly.
Reviews of Sakai were very limited – most were on Sakai sites of one kind or another which I tend to discount.
One main difference is the amount of “significant development and support costs” for Sakai as reported in a couple of articles. Moodle is reportedly much easier to set up, run, and support. Certainly with double the amount of time on the ground that makes sense. That factor alone would sway my decision toward selecting Moodle.
The table used originally to organize this information does not transfer to this software. The first listed is Sakai, the second is Moodle.
SaKai Moodle 1.9 (2.0 due July 2010)
Learning Tools
Forum/Discussion Yes Yes
Announcements/Blog Yes Yes
Assignments List Yes Yes
File upload/download Yes Yes
eMail Yes No
Chat Yes Yes
On-line notes, text Yes Yes
Wiki Yes Yes
Calendar Yes Yes
Navigation Tabs, Links List Links List, ‘Jump’ menu
Whiteboard No No
Languages Yes Yes
Templates Yes No
Presentation Area Yes No
Teacher Tools
Ability to create structure: folders/menus/forums Yes - files, folders, podcasts, images, presentations, modules Yes - Choices so student controls progress through lesson with Branch Table; Upload files, images, MP3, folders
Gradebook Yes Yes
Registration, Roles, Grouping Yes Yes
Authentication/safety Yes Yes
Replication/Editing Yes Yes
Hidden options No admin example access Yes
Activity Reports Yes Yes
Testing Test & Quizzes Audio or text – MC, T/F, short answer
Glossary Yes FAQ, definitions
Survey Tool Yes Yes
Tech Specs/Support Yes Yes
Open Source
SCORM compliant Yes Yes
On-line community Yes Yes
Tech Support Undetermined – corporate sponsors available $1200 per year
Help Yes Yes
Monday, July 26, 2010
On-line vs. F2F
This is so very interesting! At this point I think it is the extension of the time the instructor can interact with the student that is one of the most positive and most unique aspects of on-line learning vs. face-to-face. In my classroom with students and especially now in classes for staff if a student is having difficulty there are a number of options I can provide to support that student. But most of them are external to me as the teacher. I can provide additional materials, restructure or redirect the learning activity, provide in-group support, perhaps another student to help (or a parent when I was teaching at elementary). But unless it is during a break/lunch/before or after class I cannot sit down and devote an undetermined or unlimited time to a student. I anticipate that on-line I will do the same thing I currently do with e-mail or voicemail. Assess the question or request for information, determine the appropriate materials or response, and reply. If it takes 2 minutes or 2 hours that is TBD by me as the instructor. The technology gives me the asynchronous access and the time.
As a companion to that factor is the flexibility of being able to work anywhere within the 24/7 period that I can. As a night-owl I often far prefer working in the evening and into the night hours to the early morning.
Another huge positive is equality of access for all participating students in an on-line class. Particularly as I will be working with teaching staff they have an extremely wide span of skills, interests, personalities, and fear-factor. Teachers who are having difficulty especially with the technology will, I hope, be willing to let me know individually so I can provide assistance and support. Often in a F2F class teachers are unwilling to show that they don't know or don't understand something and that can negatively impact their learning throughout the entire class.
As a companion to that factor is the flexibility of being able to work anywhere within the 24/7 period that I can. As a night-owl I often far prefer working in the evening and into the night hours to the early morning.
Another huge positive is equality of access for all participating students in an on-line class. Particularly as I will be working with teaching staff they have an extremely wide span of skills, interests, personalities, and fear-factor. Teachers who are having difficulty especially with the technology will, I hope, be willing to let me know individually so I can provide assistance and support. Often in a F2F class teachers are unwilling to show that they don't know or don't understand something and that can negatively impact their learning throughout the entire class.
Teaching/eTeaching
I am and always have been essentially a constructivist as a teacher and do not see my work as an eTeacher (is that a word?) any differently, except that there are more options for eLearning. In the classroom my approach was to try and provide as many different ways for my students to learn as I could. Since I have been working primarily with teachers for the last 13 years I have tried to be sure that as much as possible of their experience when I am teaching is hands-on with modeling, and one-to-one support when needed. With the availability of web 2.0 tools it is now possible to provide multiple methods of exposure - seeing, hearing, and hands-on options - as much as possible. The social/collaborative aspect of learning was naturally easier in the classroom than it is on-line but for many is a critical component of their eLearning experience. As an instructor I think it will be a challenge to have opportunities for those on-line students in particular to find a satisfactory level of interaction.
One of the advantages of eLearning to me is the ability to interact more one-to-one. Although that aspect could be a time issue it would seem to be one of the benefits, too. In the classroom there are often individuals who do not require/request as much time as they may need within the time constraints of the class.
Another advantage is for the student to self-pace. That will naturally depend on the self-discipline of the student. :-) One of the interesting things I have found working with adults is that some step up to the work, figure out how to attend class, get their work done, meet deadlines, etc. And some still expect to have the hand-holding provided that they would find outrageous if their own students expected it.
One of the advantages of eLearning to me is the ability to interact more one-to-one. Although that aspect could be a time issue it would seem to be one of the benefits, too. In the classroom there are often individuals who do not require/request as much time as they may need within the time constraints of the class.
Another advantage is for the student to self-pace. That will naturally depend on the self-discipline of the student. :-) One of the interesting things I have found working with adults is that some step up to the work, figure out how to attend class, get their work done, meet deadlines, etc. And some still expect to have the hand-holding provided that they would find outrageous if their own students expected it.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Reflections
I spent last week with 23 amazing teachers and principals, and five other instructors delilvering our technology professional development program. The focus of our program is to help teachers to integrate technology appropriately into their curriulum and student learning activities. This is the eleventh year offering this program and we have four groups this year. We work with each group for five days during the summer and then six more days during the school year.
Folks come in wherever they are with the technology. The teachers range from being in their second or third year of teaching to veterans of 20 years or more and they bring as wide a range of skills with them. Many of the younger teachers have a consdierable level of technology skills but little understanding of how to integrate technology in a meaningful way that will positively impact student learning. Others have minimal tech skills but a deep understanding of curriculum. It is so exciting to observe the progress they make during the week - truly amazing!
Today we are starting with a new group - these teachers came to their first session four years ago and have returned this year for the 2.0 version which is building on their previous skills and integrating web 2.0 tools. I can't wait to see what they will create this week!
Folks come in wherever they are with the technology. The teachers range from being in their second or third year of teaching to veterans of 20 years or more and they bring as wide a range of skills with them. Many of the younger teachers have a consdierable level of technology skills but little understanding of how to integrate technology in a meaningful way that will positively impact student learning. Others have minimal tech skills but a deep understanding of curriculum. It is so exciting to observe the progress they make during the week - truly amazing!
Today we are starting with a new group - these teachers came to their first session four years ago and have returned this year for the 2.0 version which is building on their previous skills and integrating web 2.0 tools. I can't wait to see what they will create this week!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Technology and Me
The advent of technology in the classroom changed my entire life. I became fascinated with the educational possibilites of technology even before my first classroom computer arrived - in 1982 I think - a Commodore 64. The software available was minimal but all of a sudden students had the ability to type what they were thinking and then make changes and corrections with the stroke of a couple of keys! It was amazing! Kids could enter information for our endangered animals unit in a database form I made and we could then generate reports on different information with the push of a button. Students could manipulate figures on a screen according to programming commands - a new way of looking at information. Somehow from that point on my experience with technology in my classroom spread to providing trainings to staff in any school I was in. That was particularly the case once the "Seed Teacher" program began in our district. The program was designed to pay a stipend to a teacher in each school to help the other teachers learn to integrate technology into their curriculum. With the state of technology at that time many of us found ourselves learning nmore about technical support than curriculum integration. Ultimately I became a full time Instructional Technology Specialist and was able to devote all my time to supporting staff, finally becoming the head of the Technology Department. That opportunity has enabled me to truly focus our district's technology resources on supporting teachers and staff, providing professional development for teachers to integrate technology into curriculum and student learning, and also to assure our schools have a stable, reliable, secure network system, hardware, software, and technical support for students and staff to access the electronic resources they need. Technology has become my career.
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