For our 4th Unit, we were asked to create our digital story. For this project, I’ve decided to use Haiku to create a good looking presentation highlighting my experience with technology. Starting with my first technical experience and ending with the technology projects I’ve worked on. If you have any feedback, please let me know!

 

https://www.haikudeck.com/my-digital-story-education-presentation-lTHp3FFfpw

Alison

Over the last week, I’ve slowly taught myself how to use Moodle. I’ve watched numerous tutorials, explored the applications functionality and begun to design the appearance of my course. I’ve decided to use a “grid” appearance to make the main page look like a webpage. This way, the appearance is more familiar to learners, making it easier to navigate. It took me the better part of a week to figure out how to make the grid (our version doesn’t have the automatic grid function). My last hurdle was hiding all of the topics (so that there only appears to be a main page) which I JUST figured out this week. I was so happy, I might have yelled out “YES!”.

Now that I have Moodle figured out (at least how I want to use Moodle figured out). I’m going to begin tying all my courses elements together. Referring to the course assignment, I’ve decided to write out the plan for my course.

 

Theme:

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not an instructor. For my Moodle course, I’ve decided to base it off of a course that I took last year. I’ve reworked the communication, assessment and instructional approach to work in an online setting. I’ve used the content where applicable, as I’m not a subject matter expert in this field. Below is the Course Description which I re-wrote, but which keeps the original essence of the course.

Course Description:

This course is an historical introduction to the visual representations produced during a period of unprecedented political, economic, and cultural change in Europe. Although the syllabus unfolds chronologically, individual sessions have been grouped conceptually to allow for more intensive investigations of particularly important themes. The class is not a traditional “survey” in the sense that it does not claim to be comprehensive; rather, it will focus on constellations of ideas and objects that are most compelling.

Learning Objectives:

The learning objectives for this course we’re developed using Fink’s framework, the following objectives were developed for this course:

• By the end of the course, students should be able to look carefully at a work of art and to translate your visual responses into descriptive and analytical language.
• It is expected the students in this course will understand the evolution of modernism from 1750-1900. Students will also learn to discuss and identify the formal elements of a painting.
• It is expected that students who take this course will understand the elements and context of modernism and be able to use the knowledge acquired from this course to continue to develop their knowledge of Art History.
• It is expected that students of Art History will be able to contribute to the dialogue around Art.

They incorporate the personal, societal, university and professional expectations.

Assessment Methods/Tools:

I’ve gone back and forth on assessment in my course, particularly as I just started reading Gibbs and Simpson’s article on assessment. Right now, I’ve decided on the following assessment tools:

• Wiki Project – Using the course Wiki, students will write 2 formal analysis pieces on two separate works between 1750-1900. As a part of the assignment, they will also have to respond to a peers analysis. This will require that they apply there ability to look at a piece of art and analyze it. They will also have to research what a formal analysis is (there will be examples and resources).
  • Each piece will be worth 20% of there grade.

 

• Weekly Question Response – Each week, students will need to respond to weekly course content through an instructor lead question. This will help ensure that students are engaging with weekly content.
  • Total responses 10%

 

• Weekly Quiz – Each week, students will need to complete a short quiz, which will contain works of art, artist name and date of the work. This way, students will be able to begin recognizing works of art and their associated artists and dates.
  • Total quiz score 10%

 

• Curatorial Project – As a final project, students will need to pull together works in an online gallery using any blogging application they choose. The goal of this assignment is to engage users with what could be selected in a gallery and write a persuasive piece arguing their perspective and their curatorial perspective. Students of Art History may want to become curators. This project will give them the opportunity to experience some aspects of a curators job. For those not interested in becoming curators, it will help them understand the thought and consideration that goes into developing a gallery/museum collection.

 

Communication Methods/Tools:

Using framework for interaction described by Fink, I’ve decided to use the following communication methods/tools:

• Weekly Chat – A designated time for students to pose questions to the instructor.
• Discussion forms – For weekly responses to topics. Also for students to engage with one another by responding to other students responses (not required for this course).
• Wiki – Students will respond to a students wiki entry using the “talk” tab. (If this can’t be done using the Moodle Wiki, I will have to use a MediaWiki instance for this course).
• Email – Students will be able to email the instructor directly. There will be guidelines for emailing the instructor.

Types of Content:

Each week, the instructor will provide an over all description of that weeks topics. Videos, and articles will be posted to provide information about the topic. Secondary and Primary resources will be used to help develop a historical context for the work that is discussed.

 

Elements of Design 

I will be better able to describe this once I’ve finalized my course. Right now, the main intent is to create a main landing page, with links to weekly topic content. Each page will be un-cluttered so that it is clear what students need to engage with.

 

Reference:

• Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31. (PDF)
• Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved June 15, 2015 from Dee Fink & Associates website:http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pd
• Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. (PDF)

I’ve begun really playing around in Moodle. Overall, it seems quite easy. I have topic formats set up and was able to add in chat and wiki functions. I need to test the wiki a bit more to see how it appears with multiple pages.

I’m not able to do one thing though. In the videos I’ve watched, and in one of my course peers shell, I’ve seen a “Grid View” I really like it, as it’s very visual and saves a lot of space. I however don’t know how to use it in my shell. I’m planning to reach out to my classmate who was able to use it and see if I’m missing something.

Now that I have a good idea of the course I will be creating, I’ve decided to being developing the interactions that will be used in my course. I’ve decided to use the interaction types Anderson’s outlines in his article Towards a Theory of Online Learning (Pg 58), including;

• Learner to Learner
• Learner to Content
• Content to Content
• Teacher to Content
• Teacher to Teacher, and
• Teacher to Learner

I will facilitate this interaction types using the following communications tools on Moodle.

Learner to Learner– Learners will be able to interact with on another through the use of discussion forms, email, chat (I need to investigate the Moodle Chat function more) and a wiki where they will write about a work of art and their peers will be able to add content.

Learner to Content– Learners will interact with course content through, online resources (articles, videos) and assignments aimed at helping learners research information for assignments.

Content to Content– At this point, I won’t be adding this type of interaction. I’m not sure that there is any content that I can use which will automatically refresh itself.

Teacher to Content– As the teacher, I will be responsible for updating and review content in the course.

Teacher to Teacher– For the purposes of this assignment, I will not be focusing on this type of interaction as this is a very contained example course introduction.

Teacher to Learner– In this course, I will provide asynchronous interactions through discussion boards and email. I will also look at stating the acceptable communication methods and response times in the course description. I will also investigate developing a synchronous interaction method using the chat function, which again I will need to investigate.

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University.

I’m continuing to work on my assignment by using Fink’s Worksheets. Today I will be using the second worksheet to continue thinking out the components of my assignment.

Foundational Knowledge

• What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc) is/are important for the student to understand and remember in the future?
  • By the end of the course, students should be able to look carefully at a work of art and to translate your visual responses into descriptive and analytical language.
  • They should also be able to compare and contrast two different paintings
  • Finally, they should be able to locate your observations about the two paintings concretely in history (using secondary sources)

 

• What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?
  • I’m going to come back to this one.

Application Goals

• What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?
  • Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate
  • Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create
  • Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions.
    • In this course, it will be most important for students to develop their Critical Thinking skills. They will be require to analyze and interpret works of art and contextualize them among what was happening historical that contributed to the creation of the work.

 

• What important skills  do students need to gain?
  • Students will need to be able to formally analyze works of art. They will be able to understand the formal styles that describe the modernism movement. They will also develop research skills by being able to find and use secondary sources.

 

• Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?
  • Not in this course- they will however have to be able to manage their time. I’m also working on a assessment tool that will have students playing curator and developing their own virtual collection.

Integration Goals

• What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make….
  • Among ideas within this course?
    • Students should be able to recognize how artistic styles are connected to one another and how new styles build on past styles.
  • Among the information, ideas, perspectives in this course and those in other courses, or areas?
    • This modernism course provides the foundation for any students taking contemporary, abstract modernism, or art photography course. It also demonstrates the evolution of art to students taking classics and renaissance courses.
  • Among material in this course and the students own personal social, and/or work life?
    • Students will be able to apply the knowledge acquired in this course after the completion of this course by applying their knowledge in art galleries and when conversing about art work .

 

Human Dimensions Goals

• What could, or should students learn about themselves?
• What could, or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?
  • I’m not sure if these questions are applicable to this course. Or I’m not sure how to answer them right now.

Caring Goals

• What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?
  • Feelings/Interests/Ideas?
    • Through this course, students will develop an interest in Modernism and the era around Modernism in Fine Art. They will be able to set art works within historical context, connecting imagery and technic to historical events. They should develop critical thinking skills which will allow them to discuss art in a critical way which will help students develop new ideas.

 

“Learning-How-to-Learn” Goals

• What would you like for students to learn about?
  • Students should learn how to appreciate and be good stewards of the knowledge of art history.

 

Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved June 15, 2015 from Dee Fink & Associates website:http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf

One of the components of my second assignment is ETEC- 565A is to document my project. I’ve decided to write posts as I work through through my project.

I’ve begun thinking about the Introductory Module that I will develop. Since I don’t teach, or develop education resources, I’ve decided to build my module around the Art History course I took in the Fall of 2014. The course is a second year, university, Art History course focusing on the evolution of Modernism starting in 1750. The course contains students who are taking it as an elective and those majoring in Art History.

Since I’m not a subject matter expert in this field, I won’t be able to verify that I’ve selected the best resources/content; however, I will use the content that I have from the course and use the lecture notes I still have as a basis for the content.

For this assignment, I have decided to use Moodle. I have no experience with this application. I have begun watching tutorials to become familiar with the functionality and overall, it looks fairly straightforward. Since my group evaluated Moodle for my first assignment, I feel confident that Moodle will meet the needs of my module in terms of flexibility and for various interactions.

This being the first learning module that I’ve developed, I’ve decided to refer to the literature. This morning I read Fink’s A Self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. In it, she provides worksheets to assist in developing a course. For this post, I’ve decided to use Fink’s first worksheet to think out the Situational Factors of the module I’ll be developing.

 

1- Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation

• How many students are in the class?
  • For this purposes of this assignment, there will be 40 registered students.
• Is the course lower division, upper division, or graduate level?
  • This course is a “lower” level course, in the sense that it may be the first Art History course taken by a student.
• How Long and frequent are the class meetings?
  • This class will be delivered online. There will be weekly discussions.

2. General Context of the Learning Situation

• What learning expectation are placed on this course, or curriculum by:
  • University- It is expected the students in this course will understand the evolution of modernism from 1750-1900. Students will also learn to discuss and identify the formal elements of a painting.
  • The profession- It is expected that students who take this course will understand the elements and context of modernism and be able to use the knowledge acquired from this course to continue to develop their knowledge of Art History.
  • Society- It is expected that students of Art History will be able to contribute to the dialogue around Art.

3. Nature of the Subject

• Is this subject primarily theoretical, practical, or a combination?
  • The subject is a combination of theoretical and practical. There is theory around what is considered modern art, the formal analysis etc, but the history and artifacts of art history are quite practical.
• Is the subject primarily convergent, or divergent?
  • I would think that the subject is convergent. The discussion and study of Art History create a unified view on what art came before us and the context for which art is now created.

4. Characteristics of the Learners

• What is the life situation of the learners (e.g. working, family, professional goals?).
  • The learners come from various walks of life. There are young people starting their academic experience, professionals seeking to acquire new knowledge and retired individuals.
• What prior knowledge, experience, and initial feelings do students usually have about this subject?
  • Students may, or may not have prior knowledge to Art History before taking this course. Generally students are positive about taking an Art History course as their often not a required course, it’s not a professional course and those taking the courses tend to take them for their own knowledge.
• What are their learning goals, expectation?
  • I would say that the main goal/expectation for learners is to walk away from the course with more knowledge on the topic. To be able to identify artistic styles of the period being studied and who were the main influencers of the style.

5.  Characteristics of the Teacher?

• What beliefs and values does the teacher have about teaching and learning?
  • Since I am the teacher in this context, I definitely favour a constructive, collaborative teaching and learning style. I will try to build this into my module.
• What level of knowledge, or familiarity does s/he have with this subject?
  • I am familiar with this subject, but am by no means a subject matter expert.
• What are his/her strengths in teaching?
  • I think my strength in teaching would be my ability to foster a collaborative, friendly environment. I will try to also develop this in my module.

Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved June 15, 2015 from Dee Fink & Associates website:http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf

It’s 9:45 p.m. and I have just submitted my first group assignment of ETEC 565A: 66B. For this assignment, I had the privilege to working with four peers Josh, Anna, Kirsten and Kari. We started off researching all of the LMSs described suggested in the assignment description; Connect, Moodle, WordPress, EdX.Edge and Eliademy. We each picked an LMS and became familiar with it. At first, our idea was to add a description of each LMS to our report, but we quickly realized that we did not have enough space to do so. Despite that, I did research EdX.Edge and Eliademy as I hadn’t heard of these LMSs before. I was excited to hear that there were more systems out there beyond the big names I had heard of. I found it exciting to learn about how consortium and cloud based models are available. I believe the landscape of LMSs is changing and it’s exciting to see new possibilities.

After we decided to focus our assignment on just one LMS, we decided to use framework Bates’s Section model to describe our selection process. Using an established framework allowed us to discuss our framework in a clear, organized manner.

We did have some challenges. There was so uncertainty about how we should be structuring our assignment. With LMS evaluations, a short report can easily become quite lengthy. So we struggled to define, and stick to our scope. I’m happy with the outcome, I hope my group members feel the same way.

The biggest take-way I have from this assignment, is to in the future, define the scope of our report clearly at the beginning and ensure that all members have bought into the idea.

 

Welcome to my blog.

My name is Alison Pattern. I’m a Project Manager for Learner Systems Integration in the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at the University of Toronto. I’m currently a Master’s of Education Technology student at the University of British Columbia.

I have been working in Medicine for the last four years wearing multiple hats from the library to the Dean’s Office to Postgrad. Through it all, my professional interest has been in education technology and in improving the educational experience for students, residents and fellows through the development and improvement of core system applications including the registration and evaluation tools here at the UofT.

Through this blog, I will explore and reflect on my experience tin my current class at the UBC, Learning Technologies- selection, design and application.

I would love to hear from you. Please leave a message and I promise to get back to you.

-Alison