Author Archives: Danielle Couture

Just the Beginning…

Introduction

It might seem contradictory to title such a reflection as I have, yet it is a more accurate reflection of the truth; the tools and skills I have learned in this course have nothing final about them. They require fluidity and flexibility as well as constant revision; they will allow for further exploration never stagnating or settling in one final destination.

I had yet to fully comprehend the true nature of learning when first entering this course. The goal I had set out for myself was overly simplistic: I wanted to understand how better to incorporate technology in my context. I had clearly identified needed resources that aligned with the true complexities of the issue (time, knowledge and the ability to reflect on my situation and on myself) yet I was expecting a final destination or a defined toolset. I was not expecting to gather skills that would usher me along a path of lifelong learning and discovery.

This course and the knowledge I have gained has made we want to continue forging ahead, exploring new technologies and embracing what I believe the educational system is becoming. The application, selection and design of technology are never-ending processes; a whirlwind of possibilities, of analysis and of opportunities.

I have learned so much during this course and am saddened to see it at a close. The following part of the reflection summarizes the take home messages or souvenirs I hope to keep of my journey through ETEC 565.

Souvenir 1: Take the time to Reflect

I believe one of the most important lessons I learned through the course has been the benefit of taking the time to reflect on one’s situation, one’s needs and the need of your context. In the past, I considered such reflections as time consuming and relatively futile, yet without reflection we are left in the dark to blindly apply technology expecting it to intrinsically meet our unidentified needs and suit our comfort level. This will undoubtedly lead to disappointment. Reflection is necessary. Fortunately, we do not need to start from scratch.

Frameworks exist to help us better selected and integrate technology. Through this course and in particular through the discovery of Bates’ SECTIONS, I understood that frameworks are necessary to properly evaluate the merits and limitation of the technology and the barriers to its implementation in one’s context. Yet the framework itself needs to mirror the identified needs of your situation. A framework that does not fit with your situation or that is not flexible enough to adapt to your context, should in all likelihood not be used. One framework, like technology, is not intrinsically better than another; how such a tool meets your needs will determine its effectiveness (Nel, Dreyer, & Carstens, 2001; Tufte, 2003). Therefore even before applying a framework it too must be carefully considered.

Even though technology is progressing in leaps and bounds and requires a complex framework around which to structure reflection, so too does self-reflection. The fundamental principles behind being a “good” teacher (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) might have varied only in the manner of implementation (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996), revisiting these and acknowledging new opportunities is essential. A tool/technology suitable at one time, might be no longer as technology evolves and as society shifts; as we mature. All aspects must be carefully analyzed and reflected upon.

Souvenir 2: Context specific

“To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (Mark Twain)

I know what it is like to be so enamored by a tool or technology that you can see its potential everywhere and you begin to over apply it in an unsustainable fashion; everything looks like a nail. Although a tool is not intrinsically good or bad, the manner in which it is used will determine its effectiveness (Ertmer, 2005). A logical statement that came to mind while conducting the Pros and Cons activity provided in class. It was fascinating to see how the limitations of one were often the strengths of the other. This activity illustrated that the use of a tool is never dichotomous in nature; it can be used in varying degrees, in various situations and in various manners. The manner in which it is used will determine its affordances and limitations. Although promising in a situation, we cannot assume that a technology is intrinsically appropriate in all situations; the manner in which the tool has been implemented and analysed is critical. I believe this highlights that there is no one true right path to achieving balance (Anderson, 2008a) and instead the tools need to be flexible and match students and situation.

The need for flexibility in technology was reinforced through the exploration and creation of the LMS course. Having never heard of the acronym LMS before the MET, and weary about its possibilities having read Porto and Spiro, I did not know what to expect, how rigid a framework I would find myself in front of. I expected templates and fill in the blank boxes similar to my “traditional” class website, of which I was very proud. Yet soon as I was greeted by the blank html page I understood the importance and need for flexibility. Instead of offering cold, uninviting passive learning, Moodle offer the opportunity for interaction, communication, assessment and feedback. These aspects were not forced or contrived, they were possibilities that if could be realized if chosen; its existence was not merely static. As such every aspect of the Moodle course needed to be thoughtfully considered. I relished in the challenge. I looked into the various tools offered by Moodle to see which ones best fit my needs in accordance to Prensky’s idea that the tool and the task need to match (Prensky, 2003). I did not just want to choose one technology and apply it blindly, I sought to select the best technology for each situation.

Souvenir 3: An endless flight

The discussion of affordances of technologies in the course, encouraged me to reanalyse tools and technologies I had dismissed without a second glance: badges and social media. To say that after second analysis these tools became life altering would be a lie; I still do not fully grasp all the affordances of social media or how to integrate these seamlessly into the classroom. However, I have learned a more important lesson; An effective e-teacher needs to stay abreast of the technological development, content development and pedagogical reasoning behind their choices (Anderson, 2008b), and this means revisiting technologies.

Technology and society changes, by association one’s situation also changes. It is therefore unwise to categorically dismiss a tool even after a thorough analysis, for quite possibly it might suit some aspect of a future need. For example, If I currently do not have a need for Twitter in my practicum that does not mean that that need will never arise. Reflection and analysis should be constant. I am pleased to say that I did find a need for badges, not as a one-dimensional reward system or motivator, yet as a manner to provide feedback and to communicate my expectations as an educator. They provide feedback; my Achilles’ heel.

Feedback has always been a topic I never could seem to fully handle in the manner I wanted. No matter how quickly I corrected, when returning the papers the teachable moment was gone, my feedback to many a student was dust in the wind. Technology offered an interesting alternative to suit this need. I hope to explore more feedback opportunity available through the use of technology to hopefully realign myself with the effective assessment guidelines provided by Gibbs, Simpson, Gravestock, and Hills (2005).

Changing directions mid-flight: destination unknown

Reflecting on my experience and development throughout the course has led me to realize that I seldom truly evaluate my situation or reflect upon my beliefs, which probably explains why I cannot keep a blog or journal if my live depended on it. The more I advanced in the course the more I was granted the time and opportunity to reflect, the more critical I became of my foreseen final destination.

I have taught for the last 9 years applied science; a hands-on more technologically driven version. Yet slowly the program was being phased out; for the last few years I was the only applied science teacher in my school board. Needless to say there was not much of a local community to help hone skills and share ideas. However, it gave me carte blanche; I could create. Yet this freedom allowed me to realize that something was amiss; we, as an educational system, were poorly preparing the students for the challenges that lay ahead. I wanted to remediate this and better myself. I wanted to learn about incorporating technology in my classroom, to understand the reason why technology was so often quickly dismissed in spite of being useful. As I left the school on sabbatical to complete my MET, the course I had taught for 9 years closed indefinitely. Upon my return, I would rejoin the ranks of the general science teachers. The robotics, programming and inquiry based learning I loved would be replaced by standard labs and “the” note binder that has guided teachers for years. Although, thanks to this class, I have a better grasp on the importance of time and reflection when applying, selecting and designing technology, I still lack confidence in how I can transfer that knowledge to others resistant to change.

As I have witnessed the barriers that await me upon my return from sabbatical from both colleagues and parents, a change in path might be required. Unfortunately I am at a loss for my next destination. I want to keep learning, exploring and pushing the limits of my new found skills. I love teaching and always will, yet it might be time to embark on a new adventure; Instead of waiting for change, I want to create change.

I would like to continue to try to understand social media, to work on Moodle and to create learning environments that spark change and discussion. Still I am afraid; unsure of what to do next or where to look. I want the tools and skills set that I have developed in this course to serve for I enjoy the analysis of varied technologies, the challenge in design and the problem solving abilities required to effectively select technology. I hope I can find something in which I can move education forward and continue to grow as a learner.

After taking this course, my aspirations have veered me off the original flight path towards once unchartered waters, engulfed in the creative storm of design; I no longer can content myself to idly be the recipient of technological reforms. I do not know where this will lead me, but I know that wherever it is, I will keep exploring and designing.

References:

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 2, 15-44.

Anderson, T. (2008b). Teaching in an online learning context. Theory and practice of online learning, 273-294.

Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S. C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. AAHE bulletin, 49, 3-6.

Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE bulletin, 3, 7.

Ertmer, P. A. (2005). Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs: The Final Frontier in Our Quest for Technology Integration? Educational technology research and development, 53(4), 25-39.

Gibbs, G., Simpson, C., Gravestock, P., & Hills, M. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.

Nel, C., Dreyer, C., & Carstens, W. (2001). Educational technologies: a classification and evaluation. Tydskrif vir letterkunde, 35(4).

Prensky, M. (2003). Digital game-based learning. Computers in Entertainment (CIE), 1(1), 21-21.

Tufte, E. (2003). PowerPoint is evil: Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely. Wired.

Bippity Boppity Moodle

Reflection on Assignment 3

Every year, posters, poems, Star Wars figurines and mini robots are scattered around my classroom fostering wonder and creating a fun learning environment. Although I have acquired these gadgets/paraphernalia to create a presence in the “traditional” classroom, to recreate this environment virtually requires completely different tools and skillsets. As such, using the affordances of Moodle and html coding, I have tried to infuse my course with my own personality and passion for science.

Reflecting back on the Entire experience

Having previously estimated in an ETEC 565 activity that it would require 12-15 weeks to transfer a course into a digital environment, I expected this assignment to take a fair amount of time to complete. However, I had not accounted for the ease at which one can easily become side-tracked by the numerous features available on Moodle. Every few steps, I would discover a new feature and then find myself taking the time to conduct a small version of Bate’s SECTIONS (Bates & Poole, 2003). I became engulfed in the design process and often analysed everything; carefully considering how each piece of media, activity and feedback opportunity suited the needs of my students.

Throughout the design process, I reflected on the forms of interaction (Anderson, 2008a) that would be required and the manner in which these could be implemented. As a result discussion forums, online simulations, various media and assignments were added to the site. The interactions permitted by Moodle shadow the more traditional and static class websites.

Bippity Boppety Moodle

I hope to continue using Moodle and honing my design skills in the future, no matter where that will lead. Although originally terrified by the blank canvas, I now rejoice in the possibilities; I have gained confidence in the tools at my disposal. The following reflection focusses on one specific tool I have come to highly respect; the digital story. This tool is one of the magic wands that will help bring the human touch to a binary world; it will help bring the digital classroom to life.

Looking for Prince Charming: the ideal digital story

I found myself at a loss when trying to think of a digital story idea, having very little prior experience with this tool, and therefore promptly placed it in the corner of my mind. Yet, as I began filling in the content pages of the Moodle, the purpose and importance of the digital story began to materialize. Not only do digital stories connect the student with the content in a more personal manner, it also can convey the teacher’s presence and their enthusiasm that are often lost behind the computer interface. It can create a sense of trust, safety and community, all important features for e-learning (Anderson, 2008b).

With this purpose in mind, I drafted a list of criteria for my digital story to follow. First of all, it could not be forced or contrived, it needed to be genuine. Secondly, humour was a must as it helps brings a human side to the site. Finally, I wanted my digital story to help foster the wonder and fun learning environment I was used to in my “traditional” classroom setting. Yet in spite of all these criteria, the most important feature remained unaccounted for: the message.

I reflected on my past experiences. Usually to begin my courses I would present a brief lesson on the merits of science. Not the stuffy, overly-academic view of science, but the humorous, odd, amusing anecdotes that people remember. Every year, I showed students that science was not static or reserved for the genius, the elite, but that science is everywhere; it is exciting, it is happening now all around us. I had found my message.

Finding a shoe that fits: selecting tools

I had a list of criteria and a message; I now needed to consider the media. This decision is crucial, after all “the Medium is the message”(McLuhan & Fiore, 1967); a poor choice could send conflicting information. As such, one must consider the various affordances of each form of media (Siemens, 2003) to select the tool best suited for the task (Prensky, 2001).

I carefully considered the content and content structure, as defined by Bates (2014), of my desired digital story. The message I wished to convey is relatively abstract and, as such, the inclusion of pictures showing concrete examples could foster deeper learning (Bates, 2014). To add my own presence to the digital story I wanted to include pictures I had taken, animations of my creation and the poem that usually adorns the back wall of my classroom. Considering the variety of media that I was hoping to incorporate (image, text, animation), the creation of a video seemed like a highly logical choice.

I selected the tools based on the criteria established by Siemens (2003) and Bates (2014) as well as the ideas of Levine (2010). I considered the tools that were at my disposal, the time required by each to either learn or to use and my comfort level with the technology in question (Siemens, 2003)é I made a table comparing my options.

Tool at my disposal	Time required	Comfort level
Blender (3D)	Great amount of time	Medium
Powtoon (2D)	Relatively quick	High
VideoScribe	Never used before	Low
PowerPoint	Relatively quick	High
Prezi	Used once before	Medium
Audacity (audio)	Relatively quick	High
Virtual DJ (audio)	Relatively quick	High
Movie Maker	Relatively quick	High

I decided to combine the programs I was most familiar with to create my digital story. PowToon was selected for the beginning animations (recognizable by the yellow background) as the characters can move quickly without a large quantity of slides. PowerPoint was selected to record the voice over and to embed pictures, videos and other animations (black or white backgrounds). Movie Maker was used to combine audio, PowToon videos and PowerPoint videos together. Audacity and Virtual DJ were used to edit and remove background noise from the voice over. If I had not had previous experience with this extensive list of tools, the digital story would have looked very different.

A Happy Ending: How the digital story fits in

An important characteristic of a good story is a promise that it will be worth our time (Stanton, 2012). Every year, I greeted dulled eyed students already dreading the memorization and work to be completed in the grade 10 science class. While other teachers start the year running with the periodic table, I preferred to introduce the true nature of science to my students through, as mentioned earlier, a short mini lesson on anecdotes about science. This acted as a promise that this course will be interesting and would challenge the students’ preconceived notions of science. Although I cannot convey my passion for science directly through the interface of the computer, I have chosen to do so through the creation of a digital story. I hope that through humour and multimedia I have created a message that will endure; the idea that science is part of everyone’s knowledge construct, within everybody’s reach in one way or another.

I hope that this story acts as a promise, as hope that they can achieve greatness in science and that there is no shame in failing as long as you learn from your mistakes. Thus, I have placed my digital story in the introductory module of my course to act as a promise that studying science is worth their time and effort. I cannot promise a happy ending for their course (high grade), but I can guarantee a learning experience, an adventure.

References:

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 2, 15-44.

Anderson, T. (2008b). Teaching in an online learning context. Theory and practice of online learning, 273-294.

Bates, A. W. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Open Textbook.

Bates, A. W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success: ERIC.

Levine, A. (2010). 50+ Web Ways to Tell a Story. Retrieved from http://50ways.wikispaces.com/

McLuhan, M., & Fiore, Q. (1967). The medium is the message. New York, 123, 126-128.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

Siemens, G. (2003). Evaluating Media Characteristics: Using multimedia to achieve learning outcomes: Elearnspace.

Stanton, A. (Producer). (2012). The clues to a great story. TED Talks. [Video]

Digital story

Sorry, I did not think to post here, and only posted in Connect.

Every year, I great dulled eyed students already dreading the memorization and work to be completed in the grade 10 science class. Truth be told, I teach a special branch of science, applied science, a more hands on approach to the traditional science. Yet often the students are placed in my class because they failed “traditional” science; so in short, I end up with people who are tired of science, who find it boring and have very little self confidence in the subject matter. While other teachers start the year running with the periodic table, I prefer to introduce the true nature of science to my students through a short mini lesson on anecdotes about science; what is currently going on, how science can save your life. Obviously the examples usually turn around the funny, the weird and the impossible, yet it renews their intrigue for science. The second class, students arrive smiling and have an ambition to learn.

Transferring my love of learning and of science to an online community is much more difficult than doing so in person. I wanted to come up with a way that I could still entertain the students and spark an interest. Seeing as I did not want to simply record the lesson, I wanted to place it into a funny context of mad science, inspired by a student stating that I would make an awesome mad scientist (I am not too sure if it was a compliment but I will take it that way). I did not want something cold or static; I wanted to create something that represented who I am. I also saw it fit to end the digital story with the poem that always adorns one of my class walls “Here’s to the Crazy ones”. It sums up beautiful what I want students to take away from my course and from the education system in general; anyone can change the world and that you do not need to fit into a box to succeed.

I created the video using a combination of Powtoon and PowerPoint to animate and embed the pictures. I also used capture. The main issue that I had while making the video was the audio. My apartment is currently situated between the elevator shaft and the ventilation system, needless to say my microphone picks up on the low rumble. I used audacity to reduce the background noise as best as I could.

I truly enjoyed creating thsi digital story I hope that you will enjoy watching it.

Thank you

Danielle

10 years from now?

I was very intrigued Alexander’s (2014). Although the scenarios provided are quite optimistic, I cannot help but question the relevance and validity of creating scenarios. Would a future scenario not be constrained by the knowledge and experience of the scenarist and his/her entourage? Therefore, higher education might consider that all students will have “taken between one and six wholly online course before starting college” (Alexander, 2014), yet without discussion in the K-12 educational circles, this assumption will not come to fruition and will limit, impede and even prevent the full implementation of the scenario. Such scenarios, if they do not consider the view points from all stakeholders, will, I fear, be doomed to failure as they will be either overly optimistic or pessimistic. Hopefully, the actual turn of events lies somewhere in the middle of these extremes.

A discrepancy between two velocities is plaguing the educational system; technology is evolving rapidly, whereas the implementation of technology in education seems at time dormant or overly-cautious. This discrepancy may be the result of timeframes; whereas a 10 year time frame may seem daunting, a shorter time frame, such as those presented in the Horizon report (New Media Consortium, 2015), might seem overwhelming both financially and technologically. The affordances and limitations of these timeframes might actually explain to a certain extent the overly-cautious attitude of the educational system.

I do not claim to have enough knowledge on the socio-economic factors that regulate behind the scenes the education system, and thus I have always refrained from making long-term predictions. In my experience, these types of predictions can lead to complacency from stakeholders without the proper know-how. The notions of “I will learn it only when it is necessary” and “why bother, it will simply go back to the way it was before”, were often the first line of defense used by teachers unwilling to try or to buy into a scenario. This underlies the importance that realistic and valid educational scenarios must be relevant to all; these scenarios should result from a common discourse, not from the select few.

So where do I see the system in ten years: still taking baby steps towards the proper integration of technology. From my personal experience in ten years of teaching from 2006-2016 I have seen the implementation of projectors and SMART Boards, the rise of Facebook and smart phones. Yet these are still not being used to their full affordances. We should focus on the technology we currently employ and take the time to critically analyse our situation and needs before jumping on the costly (time and money) bandwagon. The scenarios provided by Alexander (2014) do not necessarily consider the issues surrounding these changes or challenges, unlike the NMC Horizon Report s. I prefer the more pro-active approach to moving the system forward, one in which we look at our current situation and set an end goal, not a scenario. As we have a goal in mind, we can strive to reach that no matter what comes our way.

I quite honestly believe that many of the stakeholders in the field of education lack the technological knowledge and the time to critically assess and establish a valid and relevant 10 year plan. Until all stakeholders can actively and critically participate in the discourse, I fear that technology in education will still advance slower than expected. I would like to see myself helping inform the many stakeholders, providing them with the tools and knowledge to participate critically in the discussion that will shape the world of education. I believe, as educators we need to refocus our efforts, we need to lead technological change.

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

New Media Consortium. (2015). NMC Horizon Report 2015: Higher ed edition. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-HE-EN.pdf

Copyright and Digital Footprints

Copyright and digital footprints are two topics that have gained much importance with the rise of mass media and the advent of new technology. In my undergraduate degree it was briefly mentioned, yet never truly expanded upon. I believe this was due to the reality that people did not produce, remix and borrow much at that time; innovative teachers had websites and projectors were just seeing the light in the education system, the headlines regarding Napster’s copyright infringement had just begun to appear. At this time, society was much more involved in the consumption rather than the production of media. Yet currently by placing documents online and creating media we are not only leaving a digital footprint but a record of any possible copyright infringement.

One of the current issues with the internet is that finding material is so easy. We no longer wish to reinvent the wheel, everything is at our disposal. Unless you know about stock images, how to check copyrights, or verify the creative commons licence of the material, it is very tempting, in the rush that often accompanies creating support material, to simply “copy-paste” a picture or a passage, which might lead to an infringement of copyright law. Although often curious about the true law, wondering whether the 10% golden rule teachers in my district adlibbed to was truly valid, I was often scared away from reading it in its entirety by the legalese found in the document. For the longest time I would reinvent the wheel, choosing pictures and documents I knew were safe, never posting a PowerPoint that was not my own creation. I attempted to manage my digital footprint, knowing very well that in today’s society that was almost impossible to fully do. Yet there are many aspects of digital citizenship that I am not aware of, aspect the Digital Tattoo program did a wonderful job at explaining. I had never heard about the term Clickjacking or the manners in which it was done, although I have seen it, or the impact of it. I guess to a certain extent it is this concept of digital footprint and not fully understanding how it works, that kept me away from the allure of social media. However, it is now expected that you participate and a person who doesn’t have a digital footprint is often automatically judged as having something to hide; the social pressure to join and actively participate are quite high and the consequences can be devastating

As society becomes consumer and producer of media, we need to carefully consider the concept of digital authorship. This change in our behavior and use pattern of media has generated immense digital footprints and a need to. In my opinion, review and “modernize” copyright law. At our school we have a specific course segment on digital citizenship covered in English grade 7 and our grade 9 students receive a visit from a police officer warning of identity theft and online predators. However with the ever changing technology, more should be in place to ensure that the students fully understand the issue at hand; these have all been structured around protecting the student yet not about copyright. Digital citizenship and copyright laws need to be up-to-date with the current technology and the manner in which that technology is being used. Information needs to be easily accessible to all (students and adults) and written in a manner that the users of the media can understand. The rules, regulations and guidelines regarding digital citizenship and copyright need to be presented in a manner that 1) clearly addresses the producers and consumers of media, 2) makes the producers and consumers of media aware that these rules, regulations and guidelines truly concerns their use of media and technology, and 3) can easily be adlibbed to.

Below is an article I found very interesting when taking ETEC 531

Philip, K. (2005). What is a technological author? The pirate function and intellectual property. Postcolonial Studies, 8(2), 199-218.

Social Media: Hopes and Fears

It is one thing to help prepare students for active participation in the current society, quite another to prepare them for future society; as mentioned in Wesch’s video A vision of Students Today (2007), we are preparing students for jobs that might not yet exist. As such, we can no longer content ourselves by ignoring today’s technology and confining knowledge and learning uniquely within classrooms and books; we must open the student’s horizons and ensure that they, not only, have the tools to become life-long learners but that they also know how to use the tools that are currently ubiquitous in our society.

The idea that learners are creators and consumers of content (Mabrito & Medley, 2008), not just passive recipients, beckons the need for adopting a path away from the confines of the “traditional” classroom. The incorporation of social media in classrooms can empower students (Bates, 2014) and allow them to interact in many manners with content, community and other students (Anderson, 2008a). The incorporation of social media can help students explore the subject matter (in my case science) in a more up-to date manner. They can see the relevance of what is being taught first hand, rendering the material covered more meaningful and memorable. There is value in mimicking the changes that social media has had in the sciences (and other courses); research groups collaborate, experiments and databases are shared and the extraordinary is brought into everyone’s home through the internet (e.g. Chris Hadfield tweeting from space or the robotic advancement of Bostondynamics). The greatest advantage that I can fathom from teaching with social media, if that it proves that science, and any subject taught therefore, is not confined to the classroom and dusty books, it is not boring and that the material covered has real life applications and implications. It proves that science (and knowledge in general) is happening now, and that the students can and will pay an active role in its development.

In spite of this overwhelming push to integrate social media in the classroom, it is difficult to judge the affordances and opportunities of a technology that I personally, in spite of being part of the N-generation (Mabrito & Medley, 2008), have had little experience with by choice. I believe that like all technologies, the course should be re-designed to incorporate it properly. To simply add it in my existing context might not truly open all the opportunities that this media can provide; to simply tack on social media might decrease its efficiency or relevance to the students. Obviously the purposes educators hope to achieve with social media will determine the amount and depth of the necessary re-designing. Redesigning is important for we need to take the time to properly learn and assess the technology if we hope to properly integrate it in our classrooms and model it to our students (November & Mull, 2012). We also need to consider re-designing the system to ensure that all stakeholders (administrators, students, parents, teachers, community) are on board with these changes (Mabrito & Medley, 2008).

Social media, as described in the articles, is described almost as the universal problem solver. Yet these are affordances only. Social media can give voice to anyone, somewhat adding to the potential chaos that can be found on the net. It is important to teach students how to decipher relevant and valid sources from the cries of the most boisterous. I cannot help but feel saddened and worried that we, as a society, are so anxious for change, for the new, that we often forget the past. We forget what brought us to this point, forget what we truly need in order to learn, to grow and to expand our horizons. I fear a world in which we believe that learning cannot occur without technology or is deemed of lower quality/lesser value if technology is not involved. I believe that there is still relevant knowledge that can be learned without technology, and that technology, although having great potential, is not the only answer.

References:

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 2, 15-44.

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Open Textbook.

Mabrito, M., & Medley, R. (2008). Why Professor Johnny can’t read: Understanding the Net Generation’s texts. Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 4(6), 2.

November, A., & Mull, B. (2012). How Twitter can be used as a powerful educational tool. Retrieved from http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/teaching-and-learning-articles/how-twitter-can-be-used-as-a-powerful-educational-tool/

Wesch, M. (Producer). (2007). A Vision of Students Today. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

Cracking the Code

“Cracking the Code”: A reflection on Moodle course creation

I had previously wondered on the creation of on-line courses; what tasks and tools one would need. I imagined something similar to the drag and drop format found currently in the creation of certain web pages, in which you can customize to your hearts content. I had never imagined the opportunities offered by Moodle.

I must admit that I was not expected to be greeted by a blank page of html formatting. I had never been granted the opportunity to simply create; I worked within the affordances of tightly closed systems. This opportunity was empowering, tantalizing and downright scary. I sat, trying to recall how to code; I had used Logo in the 80’s, coded with html for a week at university and navigated around Joomla for a while, yet in each of these scenarios I following specific guidelines. The blank page provided by Moodle left much to consider, much to do and much to code. At first, I was lost among the barrage of <> , </>, yet I was determined to crack the code. With the help of online resources such as W3Schools, I was off and coding. From there I was able to code every page of the course being so pleased when the code transformed itself on the screen. I then knew that I had at my disposal an amazingly complex language that would allow me to create an online course. Asides from creating the actual course, I was looking forward to experiment with one of the main affordance of online courses; its ability to provide feedback and engage learners.

Designing a course: the Importance of feedback

Providing feedback in a timely manner has always been tricky. I often found myself awkwardly juggling quantity over quality, similar to the situation described by Gibbs, Simpson, Gravestock, and Hills (2005). The result was less than glamorous. Therefore, I wanted the sample assessment, and site in general, to provide the learners with relevant and timely feedback.

Badges

Before the MET, I assumed that badges were only suitable for use in younger grades. However, having tried them myself I realized their potential at all grade levels. I was curious if this potential would also be perceived by someone outside of the field of education; my husband. After completing the Introductory Unit, I asked him about the feedback he received from having obtained the first badge. He said it “brought a sense of closure. As it leaves a trace, it is a record of what I had accomplished; it makes the activities seemingly more substantial, that they counted for something. (…) A list of checkmarks would not have had the same effect. “

Choice of Assessment

While creating the module, I constantly thought of the question I most often heard from my students; “Is this worth marks?” This experience mirrors the notion of assessment as a driving force for student learning (Bates, 2014; Gibbs et al., 2005). Instructors must ensure that the students know where there grades are coming from. I thought about the concepts that would be covered in the course and the type of activities and assessments that best suited each, similar to the notion that learning theories should be applied to the tasks to which they are best suited (Prensky, 2003). The periodic table, for example, is often considered an ideal candidate for “traditional” testing and multiple choice questions (MCQs, whereas skills such as evaluating environmental impacts are best assessed through other formats such as case studies.

The amount of work behind the creation of online assessments quickly became apparent. These online assessments not only need to provide students with regular and comprehensive feedback to foster learning (Gibbs et al., 2005), but they had to, in a certain way, stand alone; the instructor could not make adjustments or offer assistance if the need should arise.

Based on the readings of Bates (2014),Gibbs et al. (2005) and Jenkins (2004), I made and updated a list of questions and steps that I considered relevant while creating assessments for an effective learning environment.

What is the purpose of the assessment?
What options/affordances could I use from Moodle to cater to this particular purpose?(type of assessment)
What is the appropriate length of assessment to meet this purpose?
What concepts did I want to evaluate?
What question format is best suited for the complexity of each concept?
What do I want the students to get out of the feedback?
Write the questions clearly and succinctly so that students will understand and not get caught up in details you cannot answer on the spot.
Create a list of possible errors students might make
Come up with useful and relevant feedback to reinforce correct answers and offer support for incorrect answers

In my context, formative assessments and feedback have been phased out in lieu of summative assessments that served the sole purpose of assessing whether the students had acquired the desired concepts. These assessments were corrected and the class moved on to a new subject never truly providing an opportunity to apply the given feedback. I wanted to create an assessment that would serve as both a way to test students’ current knowledge and to offer them constructive feedback that they would actually consider relevant. I wanted to create an assessment that above everything would “improve and extend students’ learning” (Bates, 2014).

By browsing the assessment options in Moodle, I was met by a wave of potential, yet I feared applying an unfamiliar assessment method in a haphazard manner would not give the desired result. I selected the standard quiz format due to its similarities with my current practices, which would ease its proper integration (Ertmer, 2005). I hope to use various forms of assessment throughout the content module.

The quiz format on Moodle can easily house many different question formats, support the selected purpose of the assessment and provide opportunities for immediate feedback. I chose to provide the feedback at the end of the quiz, to reduce student stress mid-assessment, especially as it is a timed assessment. To ensure that the feedback is carefully considered by the students, an issue described by (Gibbs et al., 2005), the designed quiz can be attempted twice. These options provide many advantages. First, as they help decrease student stress, it allows the mind of students to be open to learning (Willis, 2011) and receiving feedback. Secondly, by allowing more than one attempt, it renders the feedback of the first attempt immediately relevant; addressing the 6^th and 9^th condition mentioned by (Gibbs et al., 2005). A 30 minute window in between attempts was implemented to provide the learner with time to reflect on their result and consolidate their learning, leading to a higher chance of knowledge transfer. (Anderson, 2008a). Finally, the best of both scores on this particular assessment will be kept, allowing the 1^st attempt to serve as a formative assessment. “Remedial feedback”(Gibbs et al., 2005) for incorrect answers and constructive feedback that consolidates knowledge of those who answered correctly was created for each automatically graded question. Furthermore, to diminish the possibility that students simply write down the correct answers in order, an issue similar to plagiarism that often arises with computer-assisted-assessment (Jenkins, 2004), the order of the questions and of the response items were randomized. Through these options I hoped to address the condition necessary for effective assessment and feedback.

Conclusion

One of the largest misconceptions I had regarding the LMS and online courses was that it, in its entirety, had to stand alone, similar to a webpage. An effective learning environment and online course should provide the scaffolding and space for discourse and learning, not the entire construct as an immovable object. The main affordances of an LMS are enabled by the fact that it is made up of the participants that inhabit its forums and interact with its content; it does not stand-alone, it is an extension of the instructor and the students. I hope that I established a strong teacher-presence throughout the website, allowing for many forms of interaction and communication. Question forums are etablished throughout the site and the News feed provides the mean to update students quickly should something arise.

References

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 2, 15-44.

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Open Textbook.

Ertmer, P. A. (2005). Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs: The Final Frontier in Our Quest for Technology Integration? Educational technology research and development, 53(4), 25-39. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/30221207

Gibbs, G., Simpson, C., Gravestock, P., & Hills, M. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.

Jenkins, M. (2004). Unfulfilled promise: formative assessment using computer-aided assessment. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 67-80.

Prensky, M. (2003). Digital game-based learning. Computers in Entertainment (CIE), 1(1), 21-21.

Willis, J. (Producer). (2011). Big Thinker: Judy Wollis Neurologist Turned Educator. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=J6FqAiAbUFs

Blank Canvas

Due to the looming final ministerial exit exam, the manner in which our department assessed its students changed. Teachers, pressed for time, hurried through the concepts that might be covered on the final. Amidst the chaos generated by the genuine desire for our students to succeed on this exam, we omitted formative assessment, as well as, opportunities to provide detailed and relevant feedback; we provided grades. Quite honestly we have lost most if not all of the conditions set out by Gibbs, Simpson, Gravestock, and Hills (2005) for effective assessment. It seems counter-intuitive, yet when faced with growing fears of failure we wanted to drill the knowledge into the students. Good intentions, poor results.

This rush not only pushed aside formative assessment but also modified the format of summative assessments. In order to best mimic the final exam, projects, case studies, portfolios and to a certain extent complex labs were replaced by paper quizzes and tests. In some terms, this form of summative evaluation accounts for 90% of the student’s grade. In such a context, you must understand that technology, even the use of science simulations, is a very rare practice.

On the positive side I must say that the opportunities of using technology in this context are endless as one is faced with a blank canvas. Technology could be used to provide feedback, formative assessments; we do not have to deal with technology being misused and revising existing behavior, technology simply is just not being used at all. However, as we are not using technology, even though it is at our disposal, we must contend with two enormous challenges; tradition and fear.

Interestingly enough, I see these challenges originating not from the students or their parents, but from the educators. Students are comfortable with the idea of using technology; we are teaching a generation who has never known the world without the internet. Many educators however have had little experience with technology. Some fear trying something new, and prefer sticking with the tried and true methods they have developed over the years. Some fear letting go and doubt that meaningful learning can occur beyond their classroom walls. Others fear being embarrassed in front of the students; fearing being exposed as less technological savvy than their students. Faced with such fear, it seems safer to stick with tradition, with the old fashion quiz and test. Far from pleased with the results of such methods or the long hours of correction, they still shy away from the potential benefits of trying technology. Instead of admitting this fear, some educators often dismiss using technology assuming that students will cheat or plagiarise (Jenkins, 2004). However, this behavior is still observable regardless of whether the assessment is performed with technology or not. Also some educators assume that their students, potential “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001), would simply not be able to understand how it works.

In my context the affordances granted by the use of technology in assessments need to be unlocked slowly. We need to build confidence in the notion that assessment is not only the driving force for learners (Bates, 2014), it also drives our teaching practices. It can provide educators with immediate feedback on the difficulties experienced by the class and concepts that are still unclear to many. Such feedback is necessary to teaching itself, and I believe that technology can aid in that pursuit.

I have established below a potential progression of technology that might hopefully lead to a full integration of technology in assessments by slowly increasing the teachers confidence in both the technological and their technological skills, as well as slowly transferring assessment activities outside the classroom walls. Any addition or comments you might have on this progression would be greatly appreciated. As a question of convenience I have placed it in a google doc for everyone to edit. https://docs.google.com/document/d/14oezqRrFMkdv4AZjB86Y8YThD7KMHB9D__RyyIfW0cw/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you,

Danielle

High Tech

References:

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Open Textbook.

Gibbs, G., Simpson, C., Gravestock, P., & Hills, M. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.

Jenkins, M. (2004). Unfulfilled promise: formative assessment using computer-aided assessment. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 67-80.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

The importance of feedback

Interestingly enough, I believe that I have had the exact same issue as Boris regarding the incomprehension towards the periodic table. That being said, my experience in general agrees with Boris and is similar to the observations by Gibbs, Simpson, Gravestock, and Hills (2005); students perform better on assignments than on quizzes and tests. I was wondering if in part this might be that students consider assignment as more relevant and authentic.

In my personal experience, assessments have mainly served only one of the purposes described by Bates (2014): to assess knowledge « in terms of desired learning goals or outcomes». A few years back, our department was highly encouraged to have the same assessments across all teachers of a subject, which was probably intended to mean the same summative assessments, yet was interpreted as all assessment; restricting the role of formative assessment as a learning opportunity. The assessments, created by a single teacher, were at times provided to the rest of the staff one week before the assessment was to be written; as such it created confusion among the students trying to understand which elements were most relevant to study. In some rare cases, this confusion lead to doubt in the minds of the students regarding whether or not the teacher was actually covering the appropriate material. Teachers would create a mad-dash review covering the assessed material a few days before the quiz/test was given. An undesired effect of this was that students did not properly prepare for the assessment; simply waiting for the review. Eventually, due to time constraints, formative assessments and assignments were faded out (10 -15% of the grade), replaced by summative multiple choice questions MCQ quizzes and tests to mimic the final ministerial exam; 60% of which is MCQ. Needless to say, instead of preparing the students for the final, this might have actually discouraged many students as it focussed on rote memorization. We therefore only focussed on assessing competency acquisition and never provided assessment to help learning.

In an attempt to change this situation, a few of my colleagues and I put in place exit card strategies upon which we could provide feedback and used clickers throughout our lessons and end-of year reviews to provide direct feedback to the students and the teacher regarding the general comprehension of a topic. We also began to experiment with GoConqr an internet site which enables you to create online quizzes, flashcards and other forms of assessment. However as these were only put in place at the end of the year, the students, who were not used to completing parts of their course online, were not too sure about their use and did not use these resources to their full potential. Boris is quite fortunate in the sense that as his students already use Moodle, using the evaluation tools within or with another provider is not that far a stretch for his students.

As a side note, the use of MCQs as described by Jenkins (2004)really intrigued me. Although I am not too sure how to best combine MCQ with case studies, I am looking forward to trying this in my future.

References:

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Open Textbook.

Gibbs, G., Simpson, C., Gravestock, P., & Hills, M. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.

Jenkins, M. (2004). Unfulfilled promise: formative assessment using computer-aided assessment. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 67-80.

Acknowledging the term Affordance

I was quite intrigued, having read (Anderson, 2008a) before, at the more prominent elements of the text when considering the article from the design point of view. Most of my reflections this week revolved around the concept of affordance; the potential of technology if properly integrated. It is using this notion that I can better reflect on my experiences with online learning.

In my personal teaching experience, online learning support has been greeted with very little success. Having read Anderson (2008a); (2008b), I now have a better understanding on we saw little benefits; the needed balance as described by Anderson (2008a) between learner-centered, assessment-centered, community centered and knowledge-centered did not exist. The class websites were often used as a dumping ground for the passive assimilation of knowledge. Teachers would simply post the PowerPoints, Notebook files and assignments covered in class, as such the online environment served more as a backup; never looking into other potential benefits of these technological tools. These tools were never properly integrated and as such never truly beneficial to the students: we did not use the websites in student learning, we simply had websites. I believe that the general perception at the school would have been very different if the websites were properly integrated housing interactive features, discussion boards and opportunities for assessment and for feedback.

When applying to the MET, I truly did not know what to expect. I envisioned more of a talking head synchronous manner of proceeding. I was pleasantly surprised by the well-designed and developed learning communities offered in the MET program that seemed to not only find balance between the four lenses described by Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2002) but blend seamlessly the concepts described by Anderson (2008a) of communities of inquiry and structure learning resources. Each class fostered a well-functioning learning community regardless of their differences in teacher presence, participation requirements, icebreaker activity or platform used. Even similar technological tools were, at times, implemented in a different manner. I believe this highlights that there is no one true right path to achieving balance (Anderson, 2008a) and instead the tools need to be flexible and match your students and situation. It is a question of affordance; the same tool can be beneficial in various ways as long as it is properly integrated.

This thought process is not reserved for online learning, however the creation of online course do require extra time to set up. Well-designed icebreakers and digital storytelling consolidate learning communities and display enthusiasm (Anderson) which although prevalent in face-2-face learning can be lost behind the computer interface. By carefully considering the type of interaction that will be supported by the technology (Anderson, 2008a) we can carefully select the best suited tools for the task (Prensky, 2001). Many of the technologies that I hope to implement in my Moodle course and subsequent teaching are elements that I never truly considered for I did not clearly see their full potential or the logic behind their integration.

Badges for example, which are extensively used in certain MET classes and not in others, are a technological tool I hope to master. Having never used them in my own class (as people often dismissed them as for younger students), I was highly intrigued by the purpose of badges. Now, having experienced courses with badges and created a few, I have a much stronger grasp on their affordances. Badges are a method of student-content interaction providing feedback as well as a method of student-teacher interaction as the student understands the teacher’s expectations. I had never considered the design aspect of such technology before until personally experiencing and interacting with it.

Social media is another relevant example. I am not one that has ever truly embraced social media (my 2014 year end Facebook review consisted of a single picture). I never embraced this technology for I did not see its educational potential behind the barrage of selfies. However, when modelled and used in a specific manner, such as the ways seen in various MET courses, social media is an amazing tool for sharing ideas, creating and receiving feedback. Basically, social media and web 2.0 is a way to foster many types of interactions between students, content and teachers.

I foresee that the creation of an online course will be quite a challenge for me as my previous experience outside the MET program has revolved very little around the affordances of technology; technology was just added on without much thought. This haste leads to improper implementation of the technological tools and as such affects the efficiency of the technology (Tufte, 2003) and leaves educators with the feeling of unfulfilled promises. The benefits of technology, although they might favor the development of a certain behavior or skill, are in no way intrinsic in their nature. Technology which truly supports learning is not thrown together in a haphazard manner; it is carefully considered. Once you are aware of the logic /benefits behind its proper integration you can get a lot more out of the technology as it allows you to step back and reflect, it allows for metacognition. The effective e-teacher needs to stay abreast of the technological development, content development and pedagogical reasoning behind their choices(Anderson, 2008b).

References:

Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. Theory and practice of online learning, 2, 15-44.

Anderson, T. (2008b). Teaching in an online learning context. Theory and practice of online learning, 273-294.

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2002). How people learn: Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

Tufte, E. (2003). PowerPoint is evil: Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely. Wired.