Overall this course has taught me the importance of sequencing when designing a module or course. Understanding where we want our students to end up and how to get them from the beginning to the end. It also made me realize how it’s very easy as an instructor to get caught up in presenting content that has little or no bearing on the end results. It made me realize that sometimes less is more in terms of content, and especially in the creative arts, putting too many restrictions and having too many extra tasks or assignments can clutter the creative process for the learner. Sticking to the main ideas and keeping the process as clear as possible is definitely best practice in online course design. As (Conrad, 2000) gives a great example using an ingredients list to establish directions for cooking (p.113-114), and how designing a course is much the same. Overall, I feel like I’m still reading the instructions on the back personally, and haven’t yet stepped into putting them in the right order yet. However, since I’ve written this I’ve actually used the exact sequencing for my new Film unit, although I put into the Google Classroom platform. Since I’ve made these changes, the course seems to be running smoother and is on a straighter path to the end result.
In the BC public system, I can see how this broader process is taking place with the new curriculum changes as they institute what are called the “big ideas” for each course, so the argument of not being able to cover all of the content goes out the window in some regards.
This was a difficult course for me, as I learned to navigate a new LMS and also work with WordPress again (using this blog). Simple things like how do I take a screen shot on a mac? Why is my screen shot out of focus? Or how do I center and link my picture to a website URL? Or implementing new educational software that I’m unfamiliar with were all very useful experiences. Excepting that I will be at a different starting point then each of the people in this course is an important realization. Had my schedule been more time permitting I would have much rather worked in a group, as this is how I learn the best. Being on my own was challenging because I was having to tackle multiple issues all at once. Having a group member to bounce ideas off, or ask a question is always a useful thing. Even simple mundane issues, eat up time, especially for busy teachers. YouTube videos and other “how to” videos were helpful but not quite the same as working in a group. I think it’s a good taste for what we expect our students to do, and a good opportunity for us to consider the student perspective.
The “Digital Story” discussion link was a useful resource when thinking about other digital objects to include in my Eliademy design. I ended up designing a Pixton Cartoon but was unable to put it into Eliademy, however, I did use it in this WordPress Blog. I realized two important things during the “Digital Story” assignment 1) starting with a guiding question is important for clarity 2) creating your own digital objects clears you from any copyright issues you could have in the future. This is a copy of my PowToon
I would have liked to use for module 2 in my Eliademy course on Digital Copyright. Even I ended up swapping out some of my pictures for ones found in the public domain for my content module. Although, I noticed I wasn’t able to edit the course picture after I had created and worked on the course in Eliademy.
For our ETEC 565A course design, I actually preferred the layout of the WordPress “content” collection vs. the UBC Blackboard Learn homepage. I noticed that for this course, the Blackboard Learn platform was really only utilized for “Assignment Drop-box, and discussion forums.” Even the “Readings” and other student resources were linked into the WordPress platform. I tried to do something similar on my Module 1 page in Eliademy, as I felt a grade 8 audience would just get lost if all of the links and tasks weren’t on one page. I found that having all of the content modules in front of me, for this course was easier for navigation then that of blackboard learn. I also find that implementing graphics, and other digital objects like a Pixton Comic, Infographic, or PowToon are a lot easier in WordPress.
It’s difficult for me to judge what could have been organized better in our course when I have just played with my first LMS course design. I felt overwhelmed at times within some of the discussion topics and assignments on top, but I wouldn’t have been able to connect all the dots without considering all of the topics considered. I found that I was going back into the readings, and earlier modules to reread instructional design ideas and theories in order to situate my own learning in the process. Overall, I enjoyed this course but definitely need to spend more time developing the skill sets I had originally set out to learn.