ETEC 565A – E-Portfolio Synthesis Reflection

 

Précis of my Flight Path

GOAL NUMBER 1 – Gaining practical skills & experience on one or more Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Despite a brief dabbling in webinar design, podcasting and using social software at work and completing 2 years online with Blackboard as a student, knew that I needed to gain further practical experience in the virtual world as an instructor and designer. I also sensed that in order to be more of an asset to my employer and potential employers in the future I would need to have a better understanding of the time, energy and cost associated with creating and managing a learning site.

GOAL NUMBER 2 – Create a list of LMS, social software and multi-media methods that will benefit the learning environment in my new employment context.

I expect to track this list on my e-portfolio blog and will utilize class discussions and collaborations to accomplish this goal.

GOAL NUMBER 3 – Work with two or more frameworks for selecting and using technology in order to practice choosing the best learning mediums for my complex circumstances.

I anticipate actively applying the Bates & Poole’s SECTION framework in this course and will be open to considering the relevance and effectiveness of any other framework to which I become accustomed through this course.

 

Reflection on the eLearning Tool Kit

Because 2/3 of my goals for this course centered on skill building and practical experience with eLearning tools, I found this section to be extremely interesting and valuable.

The following chart is a list of the eLearning Tools that I had an opportunity to explore:

 

Webpage Design and Html Authoring	Wix
Synchronous Communication Tools	Elluminate Google DocsChat
Social Software	Pixton CartooningBlabberizeFlickr Maps
Weblogs	E-Portfolio Blog
Assessment Tools	Survey MonkeyZoomerangQuestionmark
Multi-media tools and resources	GlogsterFlickrJING – screen casting Google Maps Audacity Wimba DVD/video creation
mLearning	Blackberry
Learning Management Systems	Moodle

 

Looking back on my progress through the tool kit, I would have to say that over all, I enjoyed the process of exploring and experimenting with new and familiar options for teaching. The idea of tackling some of the tools seemed overwhelming at the start but I gained notable confidence as I moved through the list. I did find, however, that it would have been more helpful as a student to have pieces of the toolkit (assignments) linked directly and more obviously to the assignments of the units in the course. There were many direct fits but as a student processing through the ‘must dos’ each week it was too easy to overlook this component and then feel overwhelmed at a later date.

Webpage Design and Html Authoring

For this section, I chose ‘Wix’ to create my website. Out of all of the tools, I think I expected this to be the most difficult. In fact, until the beginning of the class I thought that a person needed to be an expert in html coding to create a webpage. To my surprise, the site was extremely user friendly and it was actually so much fun that I spent far too many hours creating a page that I hoped to link to my Moodle site. A key lesson for me here is to map out my webpage prior to creating the site otherwise it is very easy to end up with a black hole that goes twenty pages deep in all directions.

Synchronous Communication Tools

This section was an interesting one because I learned the most about the tools in this genre from my co-learners. My classmates were fantastic and always willing to lend a guiding hand. Multiple times, I was invited to join in on white boards and chat or use audio to communicate about a group project or part of Moodle that I just could not wrap my head around. The most recent tool that I used is called ‘Ellumiate’, which is part of Blackboard. Using this tool allowed me to follow a classmate as he explained how to create a graphic user interface on his Moodle site while we simultaneously chatted on the left side of the page. The tool does offer audio communication but for some reason we were not able to speak at the same time. It seemed to work like an intercom where one person talked and then clicked off before the other could speak. That was a little frustrating so we resorted to chat for time sake. I will have to revisit the tool in my work context and explore this aspect more thoroughly.

Social Software

One of my favorite sections was the “50 ways to tell a story” assignment that asked us to explore several different types of social software. It was so refreshing to learn how many resources are now out there to communicate! In the past, I have felt tied to face-to-face activities, handouts, PowerPoint and DVDs to facilitate learning. As I move into the online learning realm especially, understanding and having practical experience with software of this kind will allow me to more completely extend my creativity as an instructor and challenge my students to learn in new ways.

“Pixton” is one of the programs I tried and I used it to create a six-block cartoon strip based on a facilitator failing to prepare for his presentation. I loved the implications for such tools in my practice as an educator because I feel like I am always relying on tools that other people have created and the tools tend to be one-way. Although you can simply print and distribute the cartoon if you wish (and even get it put on a –shirt), I felt that the best part of this software is its ability to allow other people to remix the cartoon, thereby making it interactive. By linking the cartoon to my Moodle site, I was able to create a unique assignment that tasked learners with remixing the cartoon to show how the character could have avoided preparation pitfalls.

Weblogs

This was probably my least favorite tool out of the bunch. Although I did appreciate how writing in my e-portfolio allowed for reflection on all of the new experiences and dialogue I was having with my co-learners, I somehow always felt like I was duplicating my efforts. I felt that the learning took place, and then I was writing about the learning taking place. Therefore, for me, although I see the value in tracking key information/ideas etc., I do not see myself using it as a personal tool in the future. On the other hand, I do recognize that other learners find blogging to be a very valuable practice, especially for those that process in verbal/written ways, so I will keep it in mind as a teaching tool for others.

Assessment Tools

Assessment tools are probably the resource that I had the most experience with prior to this class. In particular, Survey Monkey was a regular fixture in my previous working context and I found the system extremely intuitive and versatile. Probably the most valuable part of these types of tools is their ability to compile the data from all of the surveys issued into usable data. Previously, the only electronic route I had for accessing such information was emailing out a survey and then compile the data on my own, which is extremely time consuming.

Multi-media Tools and Resources

One of the most amazing multi-media tools I came across was Glogster.  Essentially, the site allows you to create a page (like a poster or a collage) that is interactive and can tell a story, keep a record, celebrate something, or just about anything else you want to do. It uses text, graphics, images, frames, audio and video to communicate the message of the page. I love that you can even ‘grab’ live audio or video while you are making the site with your microphone & webcam. It is extremely user friendly and most importantly you can share your ‘Glog’ by sending to contacts or embedding it in a page.

However, despite loving this resource, I still wonder if it would be appropriate for the professional development of my facilitation trainees. I wonder if it could be used as a reflection tool to capture where the learners ‘were’ as facilitators when they started and where they ‘finish’ at the end of their course. I’m still uncertain of the implications of this but I will still need to experiment with the tool more before I put it into action.

mLearning

As a recent Blackberry convert, I can say that I am still green as far as using the device is concerned. Still, I found it easy 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.

I found a few more complications from the instructor/designer experience. Although I was able to upload website links to the site with relatively no problems, photos and images were a bit of an issue. I was able to upload the photos/images to the site but I found that I was unable to apply to them to the sections of the site I was trying to update. 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.

Learning Management Systems

When reflecting on my experience with all of the tools, I would have to say the most frustrating tool of all was Moodle. I suppose my frustration arose from how easy I found all of the other tools to use. They were just as new to me but somehow I found myself constantly trying to look up things in the “Using Moodle” document and “Moodle for this Page” links. To make things worse, the instructions in both places always seemed like another language to me. It does not seem efficient to have to re-read the same instructions ten times and then still have to search for a possible alternative explanation somewhere else on the Moodle site or on the internet.

One of the most frustrating pieces of putting together the site was the lesson section. I had numerous problems linking the pages together and making sure the pages ended where I wanted. Somehow I managed to make the flow what I wanted but I messed around with it so many times to get it right that I wonder if I’ll be able to replicate my efforts if I was to create another site. I feel that it’s a shame since I spent so many hours working with Moodle. In the end, I think I would explore other low cost LMS options before using Moodle again.

  

Reflection on my overall ETEC565 Experience

Goal Assessment

Overall, I found ETEC565 to be extremely valuable. Being from the more theory heavy ‘Adult Learning and Global Change’ masters program at UBC, this was exactly the practical depth of skill that I was looking for personally and professionally. Although I wish I had more time to explore all of the tools mentioned I feel satisfied that I met all of the goals listed in my flight path.

GOAL NUMBER 1 – Gaining practical skills & experience on one or more Learning Management Systems (LMS)

After working with the Moodle site so intensively, I feel fairly confident in my ability moving forward with the resource. As I mentioned however, I think I would definitely consider using other Learning Management Systems other than Moodle. That said, despite my problems with the system, I do feel like I have a solid understanding of the basic components of an LMS and how to create them (like a Graphic User Interface) and I feel certain in my ability to generalize these skills.

Furthermore, through discussions, collaboration and reflection I explored several ideas that will support my ability and perspective as an online instructor including:

a)     moderating student questions as an online instructor and managing instructor workload

b)     creating meaningful learning online

c)      the role of the instructor in the ‘facilitation’ process, and

d)     refining the collaborative process

GOAL NUMBER 2 – Create a list of LMS, social software and multi-media methods that will benefit the learning environment in my new employment context.

As mentioned in the above section, I feel that I successfully created a list of resources that would benefit my new work context. In particular, I see potential for resources such as Elluminate, Aviary Capture, Jing, Google Maps, Google Docs, Survey Monkey and many more in training and preparing Safety Officers in the province to facilitate their workshops.

GOAL NUMBER 3 – Work with two or more frameworks for selecting and using technology in order to practice choosing the best learning mediums for my complex circumstances.

I believe that through reading and understanding the SECTIONS framework put forth by Bates & Poole (2003) and completing the group activity where we designed a rubric to assess the qualities of different learning management systems I was able to leave with the capability to effectively research and weigh options for applying any form of educational technology in my work context.

Co-learners

After participating in a 100% online masters program for the past two years I can say that I came into this class a bit jaded about working collaboratively with my co-learners. Perhaps it was just luck but for the first time I felt extremely supported by the others in this class and I learned a lot not only from their experiences and thoughts shared in discussion but also through their active help in figuring out assignments and suggestions for tools that I might find useful in my practice. I hope that I might be as helpful to someone else if the chance arises in the future.

Resources

As you can see from the list above, this course allow both the time and opportunity for me to explore numerous resources, most of which I would not have even known about if it were not for the activities. In addition, I’m also finding that I have more curiousity about other resources I find online and have actually taken to cataloging them so that I have a library of options to fill needs when they arise. For example, when it came to ‘sharing options’ I was always intimidated by the extensive list of options for book marking and so on that I always caved and went back to trusty old email (Facebook if I was feeling adventurous). I have now taken time to explore where many of those links go (including ‘Aviary Capture, Bleetbox, DesignBump, Evernote, etc.) and under what circumstances they might be useful to myself personally and in my professional practice.

Practical Skills

As I have previously mentioned, one of the things I found most engaging and rewarding throughout this course was how the activities and discussions promoted practical experience and experimentation with all of the different learning tools. I feel exponentially more confident as an adult education specialist and I look forward to finding a way to apply these new skills (and curiosities) in my work context.

Next Steps for Me

Looking forward, what I hope is that I will be able to work with my new company to bring social media and other e-learning tools into the internal collaboration and professional development processes. The Communications Department is currently developing a social media policy that is scheduled to be ready for 2011 so I am optimistic that I will be able to offer consultation on and application of some of the tools available.

Specifically, because I work directly with Safety Officers all over the province, I would like to explore more of the audio, video and collaboration tools that are available. Due to the geographic barriers, it can be difficult to sit down face-to-face and develop and/or practice a presentation. Furthermore, as we look more towards creating a mentorship program for Safety Officer facilitators, I hope that some of the video resources we create as part of our collaboration work might become part of the e-learning tools made available in the professional development process.

As far as staying on top of e-learning tool and social media is concerned, I am still not exactly certain how that is going to happen. I know that I will be taking a brake from formal education in the next few years but I do see myself upgrading skills using course work in the years to come. What I can say for sure is that I am much more confident about exploring new options on my own and I feel certain now about ability to find RSS feeds, bookmarking sites or other technologies that might serve to keep me in the loop.