Author Archives: paige mcclelland

Paige’s Final Synthesis

 

For this final assignment, I have decided to share a short synthesis reflection on my experiences in ETEC 565A as well as a video tour of Faeyza’s and my Canvas course, Introduction to Academic Writing and New Media. The video tour will introduce people to the basic pedagogical considerations of structuring a course in Canvas, as well as my top 10 design considerations, which is a slight modification of the assignment requirements. However, I chose to do this because I have learned in this course that it is more valuable to discuss and share the “why” behind certain design decisions rather than simply show and provide the “how.”

 

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Paige’s Content Module Reflection

Creating a content module (weeks 1-2) of our Canvas course, Introduction to Academic Writing and New Media, was a very enjoyable experience. I learned so much about how to design meaningful learning activities within Canvas, and I think these skills are highly transferable to different LMSs. I learned that LMSs are quite capable of becoming creative and engaging spaces for students; it all depends on the design and intentions of its creation.

Working with Faeyza has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I am a stronger instructional designer for it. In fact, the most enjoyable aspect of creating this course has been my participation within learning communities, both online and face-to-face. I have engaged with my peers, professionals at my work, and even found an online learning consortium that houses pedagogical resources on structuring effective online courses. I have been fortunate to curate these types of resources and relationships, and I am motivated to deepen these ties after graduation!

Below, you will find my group member’s and my joint reflection on our digital story and developing the first module for the course.

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Wake up Call by Christina Belfast Digital Story

Hi,

Faeyza and I worked together to produce this digital story for the first module of our course, Introduction to Academic Writing and New Media. Our intention was to introduce the mindset of academic integrity, make it relatable for students in the course, and provide some information on avoiding plagiarism, which we cover in the first module.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSiSUvQ4kgA)

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks,

Paige

Paige’s Assignment #3 Reflection

Faeyza Mufti and I worked on this assignment together, so we created a group reflection and our own individual reflections. To access our course, please visit Canvas: https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/5445.

Group Reflection

We have designed the course using constructivist and active learning approaches (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). As the course is on writing, we wanted to provide students with ample opportunities to practice writing and apply the principles they learn in the course. For this, we have created a variety of interactions and activities that utilize social constructivism for students to discuss their ideas and improve overall writing abilities (Fitzgerald & Ianetta, 2016, p. 33). Our intention with creating a purely online course is for students to build a community of practice that is learner-centred but also socially constructed. Thus, there is opportunity for students to develop their own authentic writing voices while gaining from the input of peers and the course instructor. This is why students have plenty of opportunities for feedback and discussion but also complete the major assignments by themselves.

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Paige’s LMS Reflection

To begin, our group brainstormed and found sample rubrics for LMS selection on the Internet. There were some great examples, but most of them seemed quite vague, general, and obviously not aligned with our specific scenario. We wanted to showcase our creativity and evaluate relevant criteria for our scenario, so we discussed the possibility of creating user personas to help us identify the needs of teachers, students, and administrators using the LMS. While this was a good start for considering different users’ needs, we decided it was counterintuitive to create different rubrics for all three users because a good LMS should cater to the most needs, and many of these needs were overlapping anyway. My biggest takeaway from this experience is that the development of a rubric plays a significant role in creating a clear goal for the LMS. Also, the LMS has to be flexible for users, so it’s important to structure a flexible rubric.

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Paige’s Flight Path

 

After receiving my Bachelor of Elementary Education, I decided to step away from classroom work and sought out a position in higher education. I took on a role as a writing and learning consultant at MacEwan University. This was an interesting time to work in the Writing Centre, as it had remained relatively unchanged for 30+ years. Advancements in technology did impact day-to-day functioning and workshop delivery, yet educational technology didn’t seem to have a place as a valuable way to connect with the modern learner. As the Writing Centre began to adapt to changing learners’ needs, I took on new responsibilities, such as designing a blended course and creating online resources. I realized that my passion for integrating technology into learning needed some professional help, so I enrolled in the Master of Educational Technology program. Continue reading →