As part of Assignment 4, we were asked to synthesize our learning experience, skills development and knowledge construction.
- Summarize your ePortfolio front page postings: compare your initial plan and your preliminary results with the ETEC 565a course.
The learning goals I set out for myself in this course centered on becoming more knowledgeable about technological tools, both ones I have already utilized and new ones acquired, and to better understand technology integration so to design effective solutions and learning environments for different kinds of audiences. In particular, I wanted to be better versed in LMS design and creation, and this course afforded the opportunity to move through backward design of a course, through the stages from Assignment 1 (platform evaluation) to Assignment 2 (course structure and introductory module), and Assignment 3 (content module). In this process, I met my goal of becoming more familiar with various LMSs, and to select the appropriate tools for use in our course. I was able to build upon my existing knowledge, creating components of a well-structured course and integrating it with new knowledge and tools. Through the discussion forum, I also learned a lot from my fellow classmates whose posts brought new insights, new ways of using tools I already knew of, and new tools altogether.
I also experienced firsthand the “benefits and drawbacks of synchronous and asynchronous communication and information” very much so through my group’s own challenges in finding common times to meet and work virtually synchronously. This combined with the tight timeline maximized our time management skills. It was further complicated by my move to and settling into Shanghai and everything that transition has brought. Though I felt I fell short in some areas, I believe I have taken some concrete steps forward in deepening my understanding.
- Summarize your experience working with the different LMS platforms and digital tools in this course. Which of your newly developed or improved technological skills contribute to your professional and academic activities? Which of your designer and ascetic preferences and instructional values have been transformed, or acquired in the process ?
I wanted to go beyond the LMS platforms and tools that I am already familiar with, such as Moodle, WordPress, and VideoScribe, amongst others. I did continue to use Google Apps heavily, but integrated them as essential digital tools in my knowledge development and course creation within Eliademy. Thanks to my dedicated and innovative group members, I was also introduced to other digital tools and platforms. We compared Eliademy to edX Edge, and although I did not venture very deeply into edX Edge, it was an eye opener to see its potential and functionality as a LMS. I was also exposed to tools like TouchCast (that Pam used for her digital story platform). Through developing a course in a LMS, I was able to give more critical thought to how a technological tool would fit with the assessment methods, communication, content elements, and design elements of the course. Being in a group of 4 also enabled us to have lively discussions about different tools and to select the most appropriate ones for the purpose of our course.
There were tools in my toolbox I had hoped to integrate, such as Storify or Prezi for presentations to dig into them a little bit more or by integrating them in a larger project. However, I am not discouraged; this course has definitely allowed me to more critically analyze each tool (old and new) and its appropriateness for the purpose of the project/product at hand. I believe all technological skills, newly developed and improved, contribute to my professional development and academic activities in the MET program. One of my hopes was to have a good foundation in this area moving forward to other MET courses.
- Evaluate the quality of your learning experience. Consider how valuable for your learning and knowledge construction was the role of such course components as (1) the reading materials, (2) the discussions themes and questions, (3) the individual and group project work, (4) the range of LMSs for experimenting with and creating course projects. Have you been experiencing any unexpected, emergent effects as a result of your course activities, what that was? Whether having an open access WordPress version of the ETEC 565a in addition to the password protected discussions and assignments submission pages on Connect was beneficial to your experience in this course or had no impact? What, you think, did not work well or has not been properly organized in this course? Would you prefer having only the Connect course site with all the activities and contents accessible in one place?
The course components overall were brought together fairly well to create a positive and coherent learning experience and knowledge construction. The reading materials were helpful and supportive in the assignment course development; I often referred to the References section to launch into other relevant research articles and sources. I enjoyed the varied questions and formats in the discussion forum, including having a guest and the case studies, and the flexibility and openness of the questions posed. Writing discussion posts and responding to those of others are critical to knowledge construction and refining, and I am glad that our course cohort was enthusiastic and supportive of each other in this aspect. People were also great in providing feedback and constructive criticism, in challenging one another’s thinking and products.
Overall, I was not necessarily a big fan of having two course pages to navigate to – the Adobe Connect page and the WordPress course blog. I did get used to it, but would still prefer information to be in one central location and not have to try and remember where certain information would be located, rather than in the other page. I suppose that WordPress would be appropriate for an open access course, opposed to a password and login type of learning platform. Though I understand the affordances and limitations of using both/either WordPress and/or Connect, I felt that for the purposes of our course, having all the activities and content accessible in one place would have been preferable. However, it was a good opportunity to experience a MET course at least partially out of the Connect shell to see what it look like!