Flight Path Précis
I have been working as the Coordinator of Professional Development at a law firm in Toronto for the past 4 years. Initially, my role was project and event management. Meaning, my primary focus was on program, event, and orientation logistics. This included tasks like researching offsite venues, ordering catering, arranging audio visual equipment and support, creating PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and drafting evaluations. Over time as both departmental needs, and my personal interests evolved, I started working on e-Learning projects. While I still manage the logistics for our learning initiatives, I also re-designed and now maintain our department’s intranet page, I create short video (where applicable) for our live seminars, and I will be creating some online modules for our students using Articulate Storyline.
At the beginning of the term, I outlined a few learning goals for this course. I wanted to learn how to decide if you should use learning technologies and determine what works best and for whom. I also wanted to better understand how to implement an online learning solution effectively. I hoped to expand my library of online resources and learn how to use some new technology. But foremost, I wanted to gain some hands on experience developing content and designing an online platform. This goal was far exceeded by creating my own Moodle course and digital story. I was able to experiment, learn new software, and take advantage of the knowledge and experience of my classmates. While I still have a lot to learn, I feel like I now have new skills to take back and share with my department.
Overall Experience
If I had to choose one word to describe my ETEC 565A experience it would be enlightening. This is my fifth course in the MET program and it has been both the most practical and most enjoyable. This course struck the perfect balance between theory and practice. Unlike the other courses I have taken, I walk away from this course with resources, tools, and skills that I can start implementing right away. I feel like I can go and create successful e-Learning content that I would be proud to share with my colleagues. In addition to hands on skills, I have developed a much greater understanding of learning technologies.
Module one provided me with a great framework in which to evaluate technology implementation and learning in the classroom. What I appreciated about the Chickering & Ehrmann (1996) article was that the seven principles were applicable to both academic and adult learning. While some of the good practice tips seemed a bit common sense, they touched on points that are often overlooked. For instance, good practice communicates high expectations, “expecting students to perform well become a self-fulfilling prophecy” (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). It is important that we challenge learners to seek out new information and develop their skills. I think in professional development we sometimes focus too much on making things convenient and appealing and end up sacrificing the challenge.
I also found the Bates (2014) SECTIONS model to be extremely helpful. It provided very clear and easy to understand categories to evaluate when selecting learning technologies. This reading was probably my favorite in the course because it addressed one of my personal learning goals – how to decide when to use learning technologies. I see myself using the SECTIONS framework when I design professional development sessions. The SECTIONS framework also helped me evaluate both the areas in which I excel and where I could use some work. I focus a lot of attention on students and ease of use but haven’t really considered networking or teaching functions. I now know what areas to improve on and I think it will make me a better instructional designer.
In Module two we started to explore the world of Learning Managements Systems (LMS). I have experienced a few LMS platforms from the end-user side but I didn’t have much background on LMS selection, implementation, and trends. The Spiro (2014) article in week three really stood out to me. It was interesting to read about the potential future of the LMS, I especially enjoyable his point about personalized/adaptive learning. As Spiro pointed out, the days of the one-size-fits-all course are coming to an end and it is our job as educators to try and create more flexible content (2014). Towards the end of Module two we looked at mobile technologies. I really appreciated the group discussion on the topic. I think my department can do a lot more to utilize mobile technologies (since our lawyers are attached to their phones at all times). I appreciated hearing what other people have found to be successful and plan to explore this area further in the future.
Module three was the most challenging for me personally. It was very hard for to extrapolate the core concepts from the readings and apply them to the professional development context. Interaction and assessment are probably two of our biggest challenges since we work in a large organization with optional programming. I appreciated the Anderson (2008a) reading because he outlined different kinds of learning interactions. When I hear the word interaction I always think between people but the Anderson reading expanded my perception to include learner-centered and knowledge-centered interactions. In terms of assessment, Bate (2014) summarized my workplace situation quite well, “There may be contexts, such as a community of practice, where learning is informal, and the learners themselves decide what they wish to learn, and whether they are satisfied with what they have learned” (Section A.8.3, p. 2). I think we will continue to use informal assessment (i.e. group discussions and activities) until LSUC standards say otherwise. Regardless, it was interesting to read about what strategies exist.
In Module four we explored social media, multimedia, and privacy all of which are areas frequently discussed in my department. I think social media is used very differently in the educational context and the professional context which makes implementation in professional development tricky. Also trying to balance social media usage with privacy regulations poses an even bigger challenge at a law firm. What I found most meaningful in this module was reading the discussion forums. While I might have my hands tied it was great to hear about what others are doing. I will likely not work in the legal field forever so it was very beneficial to take notes on what other industries are doing. I would have liked to explore more multi-media platforms in this module but it would have been challenging due to our assignments. Perhaps the multimedia unit could be moved earlier in the term. I think it would allow for some really interesting discussions and fun projects.
Lastly, we closed the course in Module five looking at the future of learning. I really enjoyed the Alexander article. The scenarios he put forward were both realistic and extreme – or at least seemed extreme today. When discussion professional development, Alexander (2014) theorized that “Professional development most often occurs remotely, including through social media, for reasons of cost (using the Internet is cheaper than traveling) and efficiency (people respond well to rich media in this 2024)”. I found this to be a really eye opening idea. Remote professional development would make content significantly more accessible. On the other hand (as some of my colleagues pointed out in the discussion forum) there is still a need for face-to-face interaction and networking. I guess the question going forward will be what is more beneficial. I’m excited to see how it all pans out.
My reflection would be incomplete without evaluating the LMS design project. I had a lot of mixed feeling during the process of creating my Moodle course. Towards the beginning I was mostly overwhelmed and frustrated. I didn’t know how to use the platform and I was struggling to adapt my content into a multi-week program. Once I was able to re-imagine my content the rest really came together. I enjoyed the course design process – I found it fun to pick my own colour pallets and create buttons and icons. It was also great to put our reading into practice and try to develop something reflecting core concepts like the SECTIONS model. The digital story project pushed me to think outside the box and forced me to communicate the value of what I do (which was significantly harder than I thought). Overall, I feel like I accomplished the learning goals set out in my flight path and I will leave this course with both knowledge and experience in online learning.
Next Steps
At a high level, my next steps are to further develop my knowledge of, and skills in, learning technologies. This is my fifth course in the MET program so I still have a ways to go. I am looking forward to taking elective courses on mobile learning, technology ventures, and reading and writing for the web. I plan to explore new technologies both academically and personally some of which include: VideoScribe, Articulate Storyline, and Captivate. Professionally, I plan to incorporate more technology into our programs. This might include video clips, voting polls, twitter feeds, digital stories, or learning blogs. I really want to push my department to move into the 21st century and try some blended and online solutions. Personally, I think I will always be a lifetime learner. I have gone from my undergraduate degree to a certificate program and now a Masters. I think after the MET program I will explore MOOCs. I’ve always wanted to learn to code so maybe I will take a course on that. I’d also like to attend more conferences to network with other people in the industry and share ideas and experiences.
References
Alexander, B. (2014). Higher education in 2014: Glimpsing the future. Educause Review, 4(5) Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/higher-education-2024-glimpsing-future?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email+marketing&utm_campaign=EDUCAUSE
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F, Elloumi (Eds.),Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Bates. T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/5-8-assessment-of-learning/ (Chapter 8) and (Appendix 1. A8)
Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S., C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6. Retrieved from http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples.htm
Spiro, K. (2014). 5 elearning trends leading to the end of the Learning Management Systems. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/5-elearning-trends-leading-to-the-end-of-the-learning-management-system