Author: Chantal Drolet

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Discussion #2a: business writing

Reflections: Business Writing Course

Module 2: Presentation Tools: Spaces, Places and Platforms for Learning / Learning Management Systems

RE: Business Writing course

How much development time (in weeks) would you estimate Benoît would need to develop Business Writing, the online version?

According to my estimate, with 5 hours a week available to work on his new LMS, Benoit would need 8 weeks to complete his online course.

Rationale: (using the MIT Stellar Class/Project Sites / Standard Features)

Week 1: Learning curve  / Create a homepage for the class

  • If he chooses WebCT, he will still have to add some interactive activies. He has used this CMS before, but just to present information, not to create interaction.
  • If he uses Moodle, he will have to learn how to organize the site and might have to elicit the support of the IT staff to do so.
  • Write a course information and description
  • Add an image
  • Prepare an announcements to the class
  • Find out how to edit information

Week 2: Materials / Schedule/Calendar

  • Add intro text
  • Organize by topic
  • Add documents, webpages, and links
  • Reorder topics/posted materials
  • Restrict access to materials
  • Add intro text
  • Show academic calendar
  • Add/remove event
  • Add documents

 Week 3: Homework & Forums

  • Add intro text to this section
  • Add topics
    • Find out how to: Reorder topics
  • Post assignments and solutions
  • Find out how to: Collect homework submissions
  • View, grade, and comment on homework submissions
  • Find out how to: Allow students to read and comment on each other’s work after due date
  • Find out how to: Create and moderate online discussions
  • Learn how to: WYSIWYG editor for posting messages
  • Learn how to:Attach files to messages
  • Set: Personal user profiles
  • Learn how to: Watch discussions
  • Learn how to: Bookmark discussions
  • Learn how to: Search discussions

Week 4: Membership Management & Sections

  • Learn how to: View list of registered students
  • Learn how to: View/add/remove members
  • Learn how to: Control access to the site
  • Learn how to: Manage section membership
  • Learn how to: See photos of enrolled students
  • Learn how to: Email members
  • Learn how to: Create and configure section subsites
  • Learn how to: Allow students to sign up for section until a cutoff date
  • Staff List
    • Learn how to: List contact information for instructors and TAs

Week 5: Website Settings; Help & Search

  • Customize site navigation bar
  • Choose website style from available templates
  • Learn how to: Import content
  • Learn how to: Edit class metadata
  • Learn how to: Present a list of most relevant help topics
  • Learn how to: Search the site
  • Learn how to: Search help pages

Week 6: RSS Feeds & Gradebook

  • Learn how to: make available for Updates and for individual classes
  • Learn how to: Subscribe to feeds to get notified of changes to site content
  • Learn how to: View class performance summary
  • Learn how to: View student summary
  • Learn how to: View assignment summary
  • Learn how to: Add grades and approve
  • Learn how to: Apply grade weighting
  • Learn how to: Add comments for students
  • Learn how to: Export grades

Week 7: Wiki; Survey & Images

  • Learn about: Collaborative authoring of content
  • Learn about: add pages and links
  • Learn about: Track changes
  • Learn about: Creating and conducting online surveys or polls
  • Learn how to: Upload images
  • Learn about: Federated search across several image banks and repositories
  • Add images to slideshow
  • Organize slideshows
  • View and present slideshows

Week 8: Verify settings and information

Ref: Panettieri, J. (2007). Addition by subtraction. University Business, August, 58-62. Accessed online 11 March 2009 http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=845

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Discussion #2: moodle

Reflections: Moodle (Benoît)

Module 2: Presentation Tools: Spaces, Places and Platforms for Learning / Learning Management Systems

RE: Benoît

Questions for Benoît:

  • Will Benoît have time to make a thorough evaluation of the differences / advantages and disadvantages of both systems?
  • Is Benoît ready to tackle the creation of a Moodle course when he has not yet had any experience with the interactivity aspects of this LMS?

Background situation:

  • sessional instructor
  • large university (research)
  • familiar with WebCT for F2F business writing course

Issues:

  • creating an online version of the business course
  • WebCT or Moodle?

Systems’ advantages & disadvantages:

  • WebCT:
    • + : official LMS for institution
    • – : help desk difficult to access
  • Moodle:
    • + / – ? : hosted by the faculty of arts
    • + : no need for much technical support
    • – : learning curve for instructor

Suggestions:

  • Benoît may want to elicit some help from the university’s IT department if he wants to evaluate the use of Moodle (they might suggest the SECTIONS approach!)
  • He might want to contact the Art Dept. to have a conversation about his plans.
  • If I were Benoît, I would be very careful with a change of technology.
  • I would ensure that a good decision can be made within a reasonable time frame. I would also try to assess how much work it would mean for me to learn the system.
  • I would take in consideration that most students are very proficient technological users and that shared forums can assist with technological difficulties as well (if not better) than official IT help.

Moodle:  Some main advantages

  • free
  • modules with personal weblogs; wikis; real-time chats; on-line testing program;
  • as Perkins & Pfaffman (2006) mention: [it] … limits on creation of pages may be “enabling teachers to focus on content without spending excess energy thinking about fomatting or navigation […]”.

Ref: Perkins, M., Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.

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Discussion #1: Digital-age teaching professionals

Reflections: NETS / Discussion: Digital Age Teaching Professionals (ETEC 565)

Course Orientation & Module 1:

Selecting and Using Technologies: Theoretical Frameworks

NETS / Discussion: Digital Age Teaching Professionals

In your own teaching, in what ways do you:

  • facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity;
    • In the digital film communication program, I allow them to choose the themes that interest them.
  • design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments;
    • Students:
      • Research topics
      • Write scripts (on software)
      • Shoot their films
      • Edit their footage
      • Add titles & credits
      • Can create their own music
      • Assessment is: individual; peer; by the public and by myself
  • model digital-age work and learning;
    • I have my e-portfolio and encourage students to create their own
    • I work with Moodle
    • The film program is constantly expanding:
      • This year we added animation booths; a sound studio and many more features
  • promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility;
    • The types of productions that we do always have a message related to social change or awareness. Our slogan is “filming with the heart in mind”.
  • engage in professional growth and leadership?
    • I am finalizing my master’s degree!!

Step 2

Learning goals in ETEC 565, in light of the competencies listed in the NETS.

  • What are the key skills and approaches that you feel you need to develop to meet your goals?
    • Learn more about interactive media.
  • What areas are most important to your own goals in becoming a digital-age teaching professional?
    • Ascertain theoretical frameworks;
    • discover new technologies or applications

My pet peeve: Having to use a “prescribed” technology that does not do what is needed for the learning outcomes that the students and myself have established.

What I love: Technologies, processes and pedagogical strategies that focus on the message, the content, the learning… rather than the technology.

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Discussion #1: Digital-age teaching professionals

Reflections: All the gear & no ideas (ETEC 565)

RE: All the gear & no ideas

That’s a good one: pet peeve… “all the gear and no ideas“… go figure!

From another perspective… I guess that sometimes the conditions, such as:

  • numbers of students in classes;
  • complex & inhibitive administrative processes;
  • lack of tech help;
  • aversion to risk (ie: encouraged theoretically, but not practically);
  • poor support of initiative and innovation…

… may all be reasons why teachers with “the gear” experience challenges when trying to implement ideas…

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Discussion #1: Digital-age teaching professionals

Reflections: Teacher training (ETEC 565)

RE: Teacher training

For me the best training is on the job training.

So what I need is time… not just one pro-d day a year! Trying to fill the techno gaps in one day is a bit challenging.

With more time to think, focus the processes, on what works and what makes educational sense, ends up yielding excellent results.

Trying to rush the technology in and look good by doing so may fools the neophytes… but not the students!! 🙂

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Discussion #1a: frameworks

Reflections: Applying the frameworks (ETEC 565)

Course Orientation & Module 1:

Selecting and Using Technologies: Theoretical Frameworks

Discussion: Applying the frameworks

Framework from: Chickering, A. W. & U. Ehrmann, S. C. (1996). “Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever”:

Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques (p.4)

  • In the Digital Film Communication program that I have created in my institution, students produce films centered on the message that they want to convey.
  • This framework allows them to experience learning activities, which are very much “apprentice-like” (p. 4).
    • Some of these activities require the use of technology, while others do not.
      • Planning the script requires very little technology (other than word processing); the use of imagination is more important here.
      • Filming and editing, on the other hand, are technologically involved.
    • When students choose themes that are meaningful to them, and actively work with technology in a way that supports the accomplishment of their objectives, they develop insight (p. 4).
      • Example: BC Children Hospital documentary:
        • 3 film crews recently created a series of documentary for a campaign to create a new children hospital. They had to present their work in public venues.
        • Their insights range from realizing what families go through when children have cancer… to how to make a good interview, and what it means to have a real client.

Good Practice Emphasizes time on Task (p.5)

  • Briefly: scheduling is always a nightmare… and re-scheduling is a part of the process!!!
    • Things don’t usually go as expected; technical problems occur; etc. 

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