Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

Hello! 

When I was in my 20s, I embarked on a five year trip around the world. This adventure brought me to work in various parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Europe) where I learned vernacular languages and became acquainted with diverse cultural backgrounds. 

To my great surprise, the adventure did not conclude with the end of my voyage. On the contrary, my escapades continued when my professional career started as a regional reporter and then as a national correspondent (Radio Canada). Later, the journey intensified with my quest for active learning in education. 

When I first embarked on this educational journey, my map of the educational world was vague. The exploration started with theoretical landmarks: from the classical behaviorist model to the more recent constructivist approach. 

Soon, didactic explorations brought me to reflect on my views of teaching and learning. The more I travelled on the long path to erudition, the more I conceived the teacher as a facilitator and the learner as a creator of knowledge. 

These reflections motivated me to write papers focused on the importance of media awareness. I created multimedia activities empowering students to produce their own artifacts and communicate their view points. 

Finally, I realized that the advent of digital technologies presented opportunities to undertake daring new pedagogical enterprises! 

• Was it possible to have the students as the protagonist of their own learning?
• Could we fathom the likelihood of re-writing the educational script, in order to advance 21st century skills?

My studies helped me discover student-centered approaches and apply empowering communication technologies to support their learning experiences. 

I am looking forward to futher explore novel learning strategies in ETEC 565. 

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E-Learning toolkit: Web design and HTML authoring

Write an entry for your course weblog about your experience here (on your “Home” page and posting a new entry). 

Note: I was not sure how to interpret the above instructions. Therefore, I added comments on this “home page”, while also creating a special posting for all my toolkit experimentation reflections.

 My experience: 

How labor intensive was the process? What worked well? What was challenging? What surprised you? 

I was intrigued by the story boarding guidelines. As a film teacher, I use storyboarding, but in a different way. However, it was easy to relate to the various suggestions because I have often come across badly designed web sites in the past: 

• Avoid too much information; not too little either
• Be consistent in the way it is structured; designed
• Use relevant images
• Clear print
• Easy to follow numbering system
• Good overall design

Embedding video and audio: 

• It can be a tricky experience. On YouTube, it can be easy to do. However, the size of the film may cause some problems with the loading process.

WebCT vs.  Moodle: 

I played with the WebCT platform that was created in addition to our ETEC 565 course. After formatting Moodle for the course assignment, I found WebCT more appropriate for higher learning. The presentation seems more organized. In Moodle, one must use a very strict approach to avoid piling too much information in one section. 

As an exercise, I ended up creating a website for my student’s films using Google sites: http://sites.google.com/site/cdstudentfilms/Than-Tun-Win (it is password protected for safety reasons. If you would like to view the site, please contact me.) 

It is always a challenge to construct such a webpage. I had to decide which films to include; in what order; with what kinds of titles and fonts… In the end, it helped to use the “what sucks” check list. This was a worthwhile exercise. I had wanted to do this for a very long time, but had not yet selected the right platform. I had initially tried a blog, but found that after only a few additions, they were asking me to pay. 

This platform allows me to store my students’ films without having to worry about the price or the storage space. I can embed the films if they have been uploaded on my student’s e-portfolio, on YouTube (most have, except for the ones who were too long or experienced some uploading complications). 

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Synchronous Communication Tools

My experience with Skype 

For the evaluation rubric that we produced in a group, we communicated on WebCT, by email, on Google docs and finally, on Skype. I tried to participate, but unfortunately, my system did not allow me to connect. So, I managed to contribute to the conversation by following the changes on Google docs. In the end, I took on the responsibility of finalizing the rubric’s presentation. 

This kind of systematic problem has happened to me more than once when trying to chat online with colleagues or students. The issues seem to mainly come from the system’s safety settings. At school especially, it can be extremely difficult to disable these settings because so many people use the network. Usually, these precautions are in place to avoid unwanted emails, for example. 

This is an activity that I will have to pursue in the future. 

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Social Media

My experience with Facebook 

Write an entry for your course weblog about your experiences (on your “Home” page and posting a new entry).  

• Who “owns” materials posted by members?
  • It belongs to FaceBook
• For what purposes can these materials be used?
  • Date can be used to steal information or sell products
• Would using each site be appropriate with your students?
  • Another question might be: since students are using these platforms, how can we inform them on the way to use them safely?
• In your opinion, how well are the privacy interests of members represented?
  • With the recent changes on Facebook, it has been a challenge to decide whether or not to keep the account. I am aware of the fact that some schools do not allow teachers to use Facebook with their students. In my case, it is the main reason why I use Facebook: to be able to easily contact my family, friends and old students.
  • Of course, this leads me to ponder quite extensively about what I post in my messages. For one thing, I usually use abusive language neither in person, nor in writing. So that was not an issue for me. However, I am aware of the possible abuse of pictures from strangers, for instance.
• How would this inform my own participation in these social network sites?
  • When I first create my account, I accepted almost everyone who asked to be my friend (they were usually my students). Now I have become more careful. I also know that Facebook analyses what we write and sends publicity related to our conversations, etc. So, I minimize my interaction on this medium. For me, it is a place to connect briefly. For more in depth conversations, there is always the email option and the old fashioned and very personal telephone call.
• What did you discover? What surprised you? What are the implications for education?
  • This might be interesting to share with students in the future. There is a lot of backlash lately about Facebook’s privacy settings and people are developing tools and ideas…

1. http://www.quitfacebookday.com/ May 31 is Quit Facebook Day 

2. http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook will scan your Facebook page and alert you to improper privacy settings 

3. http://www3.untangle.com/saveface will set your Facebook privacy to Friends Only (automatically) 

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Weblogs

My experience with weblogs 

Write an entry for your course weblog about your experience here (on your “Home” page and posting a new entry). How labor intensive was the process? What worked well? What was challenging? What surprised you? 

I love weblogs. This is the platform I chose for my e-portfolio (ETEC 590). In my course about indigeneity (ETEC 521) a weblog was also created. It encouraged me to find various interesting sites that pertained to native culture and issues. I found the experience very rich on an individual basis and even more so in a collective way, since student could share their blogs and compare our findings. 

It is one of the invaluable technological tools that I have learned to use in my classes. In the film class, all my students have e-portfolios and we use wikis and blogs to embed their films and archive them for university applications. In Spanish, I intend to do the same. 

 Live Journals: 

I had a negative experience with Live Journals. One of my students, a while ago (this technology was in its infancy) created a live journal and became quite popular in China. She documented her weight loss (about 100 pounds). It was an emotional experience for her not only because she revealed her inner thoughts online (which we don’t encourage students to do presently) but she created “friends” and “enemies”. In the end, I think that it did not make her objective easier to reach. 

Like all public spaces, I always recommend extreme caution. 

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Wikis

My experience with wikis 

Write an entry for your course weblog about your experience here (on your “Home” page and posting a new entry). How labor intensive was the process? What worked well? What was challenging? What surprised you? 

As an exercise, I ended up creating a website for my student’s films using Google sites: http://sites.google.com/site/cdstudentfilms/Than-Tun-Win (it is password protected for safety reasons. If you would like to view the site, please contact me.) 

It is always a challenge to construct such a webpage. I had to decide which films to include; in what order; with what kinds of titles and fonts… In the end, it helped to use the “what sucks” check list. This was a worthwhile exercise. I had wanted to do this for a very long time, but had not yet selected the right platform. I had initially tried a blog, but found that after only a few additions, they were asking me to pay. 

This platform allows me to store my students’ films without having to worry about the price or the storage space. I can embed the films if they have been uploaded on my student’s e-portfolio, on YouTube (most have, except for the ones who were too long or experienced some uploading complications). 

_________________________ 

Adaptive technologies

Adaptive technologies that people with disabilities use when online. These include: 

• Screen reading software
• Braille printers
• Screen magnifiers
• single click mice

It’s important to realize that while many people with disabilities have access to these technologies, in my school very few do. Therefore, I usually build my online resources with a minimal need for such technologies. 

I think that the most important technological adaptation would be auditory. It may not be due to a disability, but rather because some people learn better by hearing rather than visually. This is often the case with language students (and teachers too!). 

I once had a student who was almost blind. We had to use magnifiers; enlarge photocopies, etc. It is not an inconvenience at all, but it is rare in my environment. 

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Mobile e-learning

Write an entry for your course weblog about mLearning as both an end user and course designer (on your “Home” page and posting a new entry).  

Phones have become so useful and so powerful! I now often receive email from my students with “sent from my iPod” written at the bottom. 

• What is the rationale for implementing mobile learning technologies?
  • Accessible to all and less expensive than say, cameras and microphones.
  • Behaviorist – activities that promote learning as a change in learners’ observable actions
  • Constructivist – activities in which learners actively construct new ideas or concepts based on both their previous and current knowledge
  • Situated – activities that promote learning within an authentic context and culture
  • Collaborative – activities that promote learning through social interaction
  • Informal and lifelong – activities that support learning outside a dedicated learning environment and formal curriculum
  • Learning and teaching support – activities that assist in the coordination of learners and resources for learning activities
• How does ubiquitous access to a wireless network change the dynamics of learning both in and out of the classroom & what are best practices for using mobile learning?
  • Using portable computing devices (such as laptops, PDAs, smart phones, and tablet PCs) with wireless networks enables mobile learning; teaching and learning extends to spaces beyond the traditional classroom.
  • Within the classroom, mobile learning gives instructors and learners increased flexibility and new opportunities for interaction. Mobile technologies support learning experiences that are collaborative, accessible.
  • New forms of learning are emerging. Information literacy may change as students expand their multitasking, mobile, learning-on-demand habits.
• What end-user support is important for mobile learning? How can it best be provided?
  • Example:
    • University of California, San Diego: UCSD Active Campus
      The ActiveCampus project aims to provide location-based services for educational networks and to understand how such systems are used. ActiveClass enables collaboration between students and professors by serving as a visual moderator for classroom interaction. ActiveCampus Explorer uses context (such as location) to help engage students in campus life.

References 

Educause: http://www.educause.edu/ELI/Archives/MobilityandMobileLearning/5527 

The Hidden Dangers of Social Networks: You can log-on but you cannot hide: http://www.slideshare.net/lisbk/the-hidden-dangers-of-social-networks-you-can-logon-but-you-cannot-hide 

Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning: http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Mobile_Review.pdf