“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~George Bernard Shaw
ETEC 565A is my 8th MET course and to me, it was the course to take because I cannot imagine completing the MET program without learning how to design and develop an online course. Reading my flight path now, I realized that I had deviated from my original plan but I accomplished what I set out to do.
Skills Development
LMS – I changed my mind about designing an online course for higher education using Moodle, with which I had some experience, opting instead to explore Eliademy and Edx Edge, both of which were new to me. I enjoyed the challenges of learning two LMS platforms and am sure that my newly acquired skills will motivate me to explore even more LMS platforms. I might even use Eliademy to develop a professional development site for my workplace. One thing that remained consistent was my penchant for clean, simple design.
Multimedia – For one of our weekly activities, I created a digital story using Haiku Deck to highlight my learning journey in the MET program. While I did not create a movie which was my original plan, I was glad for the chance to use the Haiku Deck app and share my new knowledge and experience with my peers, some of whom expressed an interest in exploring it too. As well, I learned about programs like Storify and ARIS which I would like to tinker with.
Assessments – I set out to learn about developing summative and formative assessments and evaluation rubrics. I had opportunities to use the backward design model to integrate learning objectives, assessments and activities. It was an excellent learning experience overall.
Knowledge Construction
Reading Materials – Bates’ Teaching In A Digital Age (2014) certainly added to my repertoire this semester. I liked his succinct, conversational style of writing and could relate to his perspectives on many issues. Another book that was integral to my learning was Anderson’s Toward A Theory of Online Learning (2008). Although I had read Anderson’s book in other MET courses, it seemed that every time I read his writing, something new jumped out at me.
Discussion Forums – I enjoyed participating in the weekly discussions, particularly the case studies like Trinh and Benoit which generated a lot of ideas and perspectives on solving problems which could well arise in online teaching.
Individual and Group Projects – As I’m working on an independent research project next semester, this semester would be my last chance to work in group projects. That was the main reason that I chose to work collaboratively in a group for assignments 2 & 3. My group members had different strengths and expertise to contribute. I especially valued Melissa’s technological skills and Pam’s readiness to take the lead in exploring Edx Edge. I think my contribution to the group was in research and writing.
What did and did not work well
I appreciated having an open access WordPress version of ETEC 565A, which allowed me to dip into the readings and activities each week without having to go through the cumbersome process of signing in to Connect. On my long commute to work and back, this was especially helpful. I also appreciated having a ‘closed’ Connect course site for our weekly forum discussions. One suggestion I have is to remove any information on Connect that was not meant for this class. For example, there were readings and activities on Connect that were different from the ones posted on the WordPress site, which was very confusing. Another suggestion is to allow students to form their own groups for the first group assignment. The blind sign-up process on Connect was not helpful as we did not even know who we were going to be working with.
VUCA
In conclusion, what I take away from this course can be summed up in the acronym VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). I first came across the concept of VUCA in Bates’ Teaching In A Digital Age (2014) and it left an impression on me. Indeed, VUCA permeates the themes in this course. For instance, some pundits are suggesting that LMS might disappear in five years’ time. Whether they are right or wrong, their predictions underscore the fact that education is in a state of flux because of rapid developments in digital technologies. The accelerating changes brought about by social media and multimedia applications are changing the way we design learning activities and assess student learning. The open education movement and MOOCs are gaining traction, which will further impact online learning. To me, this means that I should always ensure that my own competencies keep pace with technological changes which are influencing the way we teach and learn.