Category: Assignment Reflections

Thoughts, ideas & comments on matters strictly assignment related.

mLearning

End user experience

From the end using perspective, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to both access my Moodle page as a student and even contribute to discussion by making and reading postings without needing an app. Load times were the same as with the computer and despite the home page being a bit off center and over lapping, the other tool pages appeared as expected in the device. I would definitely use this medium for participating in online courses in the future. Learning on the GO!!

Course designer experience

Ialso found it fairly easy to access my Moodle page from the course designer perspective and also I didn’t need an app. Again, the rendering was a little squished but not enough that you couldn’t clearly see what was on the page.

I was also able to turn the editing function on and even upload a photo I took with my blackberry but when it gave the option to ‘choose’ it as the image I wanted to add for the lesson page it would just blink and send me back to the same page and wouldn’t load to the lesson. When using the computer it flips to a new page and asks you if you want to ‘save and return’ or ‘save and display’. So, that’s a bit annoying. I suppose it’s an asset to have the ability to save photo files but I would definitely still need computer access to formally attach them to a lesson. On the other hand, I found uploading a website to the Moodle page with the device fairly easy. The load times were a bit longer than using the laptop (maybe 30 seconds vs. 5-10 seconds) but I appreciate having the access to the page and ability to make adjustments. Overall, I would say I was moderately successful uploading my page and would only use it in an emergency and not for regular page maintenance or updating.

Assignment Reflections Ideas for Future Use

Creating a Webpage

Well…….that took forever! And I’m not even done yet!

I started doing the module on creating a web page last week and I’m still going and going. I didn’t realize it at first (because I went through all of the story boarding before creating it) but web pages are like a ton of little black holes. They can just keep going and going and going. Then you think you’re finished and tada – you need a link to another page. Ack.

Not to say that it wasn’t an interesting experience, but as a new user (even on a fairly intuitive site like www.wix.com) there were so many great options that it took what felt like an exhausting amount of time to even get the page remotely how I wanted it. And like I said, I’m STILL not done! (not sure I ever will be).

What I really liked at ‘Wix’ was how easy it was to use the different features (despite how many there were). It didn’t take long to acclimatize to the system and when I got stuck, there were video tutorials conveniently placed (often as part of the tool itself, which I loved) and fairly straightforward.

At the same time, the site still doesn’t quite have the feel that I wanted. Maybe it’s because I don’t have the designer eye, or maybe it’s because the sites don’t really lend themselves as well to learning experiences as they do personal or commercial pages but I supposed I’ll have to keep working on it. But for now, I’m going to have to let it go because another unit is starting already. Where does the time go?

If you would like to see what I’ve come up with so far, you can check out my site at :

www.wix.com/ebcardona/LearningStyles

Assignment Reflections Choosing Technology Ideas for Future Use

Creating Meaningful Interaction Online

Post author By ebcardona
Post date October 16, 2010
No Comments on Creating Meaningful Interaction Online

My most recent experience with learner, knowledge, assessment and community centered environments took place during the masters program that I participated from 2007-now. It was/is 100% online with a cohort of about 60 students, and the primary focus of the program seemed to be the Learner/Community. Most activities were discussion based or revolved around group projects, but also, there was very little instructor presence in terms of direction/discussion/communication in most of the modules. I understand that they wanted to create a community so that we can learn from each other but as Anderson says, “the effective online teacher is constantly probing for learner comfort and competence with the intervening technology” (2008, p.48) and also “… needs to provide the big picture scaffolding upon which students can grow their own knowledge and discipline centred discoveries” (2008, p.49).

If I were an instructor and had access to learning technology tools, I would want to use them to first help the students get to know who I am as an instructor and the perspectives I hold. It seems to me that when working 100% online there needs to be a way to break down the 2-D barriers and make both our co-learners and instructor real so that we feel more curious about who they are, what they bring to the table and what we can learn from them. Using Wimba, especially at the beginning of a course in small groups would be an excellent way for the students to at least get to know 3-4 others well so they feel comfortable having dialogue. And having the teacher do an introduction/get involved in first conversations via video or audio would do a lot to build a sense of connection & trust, which I anticipate would lead to more meaningful interactions.

Assignment Reflections Choosing Technology

Burning a DVD…

Well, I didn’t have to practice this one because I use it quite often. I found it very easy to use although… when using it while teaching I have experienced problems with DVDs working on some players and not others – expcially when trying to play using a computer player rather than a DVD player.. not always reliable. But, the tips about testing and resting and burning 2 copies are good advice. What I would like to know more about is embedding igital videos into power point presentations. Any tips to offer?

Erin

Assignment Reflections Random Reflections

My Moodle Shell set up experience…

Post author By ebcardona
Post date October 3, 2010
1 Comment on My Moodle Shell set up experience…

Well…. that was a bit intimidating. Maybe it’s because I’m sleep deprived but I found it very hard to get and stay focused while doing the Moodle tutorial. There are just so many tangents a person can take and it’s like a black hole of information – you can go on learning forever! I suppose that’s one of the challenges I faced – knowing when to say ‘enough’ and then go on to create my own course shell.

Once I got onto my own shell however, I found the instructions fairly simple and intuitive, which was great. It didn’t take too long to create the webpage or forum. Still, I’ve got to say that I never would have been able to navigate through all of the other choices including Aggregate Type….Grade menu…subscription…attachment size, etc. without guidance. That’ll have to be something I go back to and study when I have time.

I was surprised that the intitial course shell page was so busy. I think I was expecting more of a ‘wizard’ that allowed you to make one choice at a time. For a first time user I think that would have been less overwhelming.

Assignment Reflections

Chickering & Gamson’s 7 Principles for Undergraduate Education

Post author By ebcardona
Post date September 17, 2010
No Comments on Chickering & Gamson’s 7 Principles for Undergraduate Education

Module 1 – Unit 2 Discussion Posting
I would have to say that the 7 Principles spoke louder to me in this case simply because I haven’t yet been in a position to really analyze whether a form of educational technology should be used.
That said, although all of the 7 principles are clearly essential to successful undergraduate education, when it comes to learning at a distance & conducting an entire degree online, the two that bubble to the top as most critical for me are:
1. Encourages contact between faculty & students
4. Gives prompt feedback.

In my experience learning online, one of the biggest factors in stoking the motivational flame is contact & feeling of connection with the students but more importantly, the teacher. There is something to be said when you feel ‘noticed’ as a student. No one likes to feel as if they are floating in cyberspace on their own with no support. As Chickering & Gamson say, “faculty concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working”. Students want to feel like their questions are honoured and their opinions valued; that they are being seen and heard.

This is directly connected to principle #4 – Gives Prompt Feedback. Yes, this speaks to grades but at a deeper level it covers questions, voicing of uncertainty, discussion postings/threads, and new lines of thinking. Chickering & Gameson explain that, “…students need to reflect on what they have learned, what they still need to know, and how to assess themselves.” I’ve been a part of many online courses where it takes weeks for teachers to respond to questions or concerns (if they do) and part of discussion groups where analysis by other students is weak an a teacher is really needed to help augment or challenge a line of thinking in order for cognitive development to take place. This leads to students dropping out or completing courses with the same developmental ability as when they started. What’s the point in that?

In the end, there are multiple reasons for why this might be true including

a) a teacher being over booked

b) not being invested/not caring

…but perhaps there are steps that must be taken in terms of outlining expectations for teachers’ participation to ensure students have the best chance to survive and thrive in the online environment. Maybe this exists…and maybe it doesn’t – but it would be nice if it was communicated to the students.

Assignment Reflections

Response to ISTE standards for Teaching

Post author By ebcardona
Post date September 17, 2010
No Comments on Response to ISTE standards for Teaching

When it comes to assessing myself according to the NETS 2008 document I would have to say that the first piece about “Facilitating and Inspiring Student Learning and Creativity” speaks the loudest in terms of my own personal experience with teaching. I believe that learning needs to be fun and engaging regardless of the subject and I also believe that technology can aid in that process, however, the process for harnessing my creative talent with the reigns of technology still eludes me at this time. I’m hoping that in my collaborations with everyone in this class and through viewing examples of work being done I’ll be able to catalogue some unique approaches for using technology.

To date, most of my experience with learning technology has been as a formal distance learning student, so the digital citizenship side also resonates in terms of participating in online student cohorts, group projects and discussion groups. I must say though that there appears to be a wide range of approaches to participating in online learning environments (some more obnoxious than others) and I would be interested in learning more about how people in this class have or would established guidelines for participation.

What concerns me most however is perhaps the pace at which technology and learning tools are being developed. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about my ability to keep up in terms of professional growth and leadership in this field. In order to assuage these feelings, one of my personal goals for this class is to find an online community through which I can tune into new developments & programs on the horizon and decide if they are right for my program. Right now I’m feeling like I’m the last one getting in the game and I prefer to be the captain.

But, to backtrack to the very beginning (which is usually where you need to start), I expect to spend most of my time during this class developing my fundamental skill set in this area; specifically designing and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessment. Most of the tools that we are using in this class are new to me as an instructor so that is where I hope to foster some expertise by December. But as I mentioned above, what I am most interested in learning to create engaging and inspiring learning environments that translate information and skills into changed behaviour. There is a certain benefit to participating in person, especially in a practical sense and I’m looking for a technology that will help breathe real-life into my digital teaching.