Author Archives: seanturn

Assignment 1 – Reflections

     Our group (Group 3: YESNet: J. Chrona, M. Gallant, S. Turner, T. Walsh) designed a rubric that would be used to select a learning management system (LMS) for the Yukon Ministry of Education. The hope is to develop blended secondary courses that are relevant from an Aboriginal perspective.

     We decided to use Bates’ (2014) SECTIONS model since according to him, there is very little literature out there on how to choose the appropriate technologies for teaching. His SECTIONS model clearly breaks down 8 important criteria for people to use for this matter. Each of our group members chose two criterion to work on so the distribution of work was fair. The two criterion that I was tasked with was, “Teaching and Media Selection” and “Interaction”. It was really helpful to discuss as a group on Skype so we could each put our two cents in. As we were discussing Teaching and Media Selection, I didn’t think to include synchronous and asynchronous communication. However my group members pointed this out and I agreed that this was important to have. Working collaboratively in a synchronous environment, such as our group did, helped me to look at things differently in a broader context.

     One main point that I was overlooking at first was to include the Aboriginal perspective. I was more concerned at how our group should break down the selection of the LMS. I should have been much more mindful to include this topic and let it be the basis for our rubric since I took last term ETEC 521- Indigeneity, Technology and Education. Nevertheless, I was quick to point out that the Aboriginal perspective is just as important as the selection of the LMS.

     Throughout the MET program, I’ve encountered many online projects, in which all of them were communicated through Google Docs. This is the first time for me having multiple group meetings over Skype and I liked how we all worked in a team effort. Previously, I felt it challenging to read over everyone’s comments on Google Docs to see who changed what and when; with Skype we could all talk about our thoughts at that moment and work together.

Lenora’s Best Choice

Is a website the way to go for Lenora – why or why not? Post your estimation. Be sure to explain how you came up with your answer.

     After reading Lenora’s case study, I don’t believe a website is necessary for her to create an online anti-bullying resource for band teachers. It would take much longer if she were to create this at home since she only has dial-up (I remember back in the day using dial-up and it was painful to hear the dial-up sound only to have a break in internet connection). Yes, if she were to create a website (which isn’t my first choice for her) at school, it would be better than creating it at home since her school at least has broadband; but she doesn’t have the time since she would like to spend it at home with her family. There are other tools available she can use that would better suit her needs. Like others have said, Blogs ( WordPress and Weebly), social media such as Facebook or Twitter would also be viable options in her case.

     If Lenora were to create a blog, she would be creating an online resource for her band members that would be easily accessible, require less bandwidth, establish an open network where she and others can share information, knowledge and ideas on anti-bullying; which in turn would help others. It’s simple to create (I know as we have created one for this course), has an easy to navigate interface and connections will be made between people. I think this is a better option for Lenora than creating a website.

     Another option for Lenora would be to create a Facebook page or a Twitter hashtag. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know what Facebook is (unless you’re a young child or living under a rock) and I think her Facebook page would spread like wildfire across band members. Most people would already have an account and if not it’s really simple to create. Band members can access it at anytime, share their stories and information on anti-bullying, read what others have said on this issue and can be easily accessed just like a blog if the user has a cellphone, iPad, laptop or desktop computer. Users can also be notified via email or text when someone has posted something on this Facebook account allowing for an instant response.

     I like the idea of Lenora creating a Twitter hashtag too. Now, she could make it specific only to her band members by creating a hashtag like #AntibullyingTsq’escenemcCanimLakeBandReserve, but I think it would be invaluable if she were to create one that might get better recognition across the Twitter community; since this online resource would benefit all Aboriginal, First Nations and Inuit communities. Perhaps to be more politically correct she could use #IndigenousAntiBullying. This would start great conversations, allow a wealth of information and stories to be shared and could make a difference in people’s lives.

     If she were to create a blog, Facebook page or a Twitter hashtag, she wold not need more than a weekend to do it; if not just one afternoon.

 

Benoit’s Decision

  • How might Benoît go about deciding whether to go with Moodle or Blackboard Learn? What questions might he ask himself? Come up with one specific question; be sure to explain why this is an important question.

     According to Daniel (2003), access, cost and quality are the three most common reasons why universities choose LMS platforms (as cited in Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G., 2005, p. 23). If this is the case, Benoit should ask himself, “Which LMS platform best covers all the criteria in Bates’ SECTION model?” Some questions he might ask himself are: Do the students require a compatible device to work from or will the LMS platform be universally accessible? How reliable is this LMS? How much will it be in terms of startup, maintenance and IT help? What instructional strategies does he plan to use? What kinds of interaction will be most useful for his students?

     Since Benoit is comfortable with WebCT and its design mode, he initially could be drawn to this (Blackboard) at first but this might not necessarily be the best choice for him.

  • How much development time (in weeks) would you estimate Benoît would need to develop Business Writing, the online version? Be sure to explain how you came up with this number.

     Benoit estimates that he could be spending up to 5 hours each week on creating and designing his online version of the Business Writing course. How long is the course? In that 5 hours, how much can he accomplish with the design? How many pages, assignments, activities, forms of assessment will he be needing and creating? It’s hard to say exactly how many weeks he will need due to the unknown variables. I think we need to know more information from him to determine just how many weeks he will need.

Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A critical examination of the effects of Learning Management Systems on university teaching and learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11,(1), 19-36. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11233-004-3567-9

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/ (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework)

Sean’s Flight Path

Flight Path

Tell us a bit about yourself, your experience, and your goals for this course (or, perhaps, the MET).

     I decided to follow the path to become a teacher while in high school. I would tutor elementary students after school and liked it so much that from that point on, that was my goal. Before even entering the B. Ed. Program, I had the opportunity to live and work in Giyani, Limpopo Province, South Africa. I worked in a rural part of Giyani in a grade 5 classroom with no electricity or running water. My resources were limited as you can see. Any form of technology was out of the question. After a year, I moved back home, did my year in the B.Ed. program and decided I wasn’t finished working abroad so I moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE right after I graduated as a newly qualified teacher. From living and working in one of the poorest places to one of the richest places, I was ready for the challenge.

     I worked for 2 years in Abu Dhabi in the public education system where the entire class was ELL boys. At the time, the government was slowly introducing a new curriculum where things would change on a daily basis. It was so chaotic and mismanaged that you just had to go with the flow. I wanted a change so I switched to a private school in the UAE where I was able to teach both girls and boys. Each class had a Promethean board and this was when I was really able to incorporate technology in the classroom and opened up my eyes to the unlimited uses of technology. I left after year and now call Vancouver home again where I work with grade 7 students and kindergarteners.

My goals for this course are:

  1. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments (ISTE, 2008)
  2. Learn about LMS and create a course either using Moodle or Connect. I am familiar with Connect but not with Moodle. I hope is to learn more on this and then choose accordingly.
  3. Learn in what ways how to integrate social media into the classroom as a teaching tool.

     In relation to my first goal, Moore (1989) outlines the three different ways students can interact when learning and/or studying and each of these require a mix of technology and media. 1) Interaction with Learning Materials, 2) Interaction Between Students and Teacher, 3) Student – Student Interaction (as cited in Bates, 2014). All students have different learning styles and educators need to keep this in mind when designing units and lesson plans. When students are using different learning materials, they can include text, video clips or LMS without the direct involvement of a teacher. Bates (2014) mentions that this can be reflective or an observable practice such as an assessed response like a multiple choice test or discussion contributions. The teacher-student interaction can act in different ways. The teacher acts more like a facilitator while in this position as opposed to leading direct instruction. I don’t agree when Bates (2014) states that the teacher is needed for higher order thinking questions when you can ask the same type of questions with technology. Student-student interaction I find works best in an LMS asychronous environment where they can talk online such as our MET courses.

     I would like to learn more about LMS and why I should choose a specific platform as opposed to another one. Like I mentioned in my second goal, I am familiar with Connect only because of the MET program and the requirement to use it for most courses. I know many schools and classroom use Moodle and I would like to understand this type of LMS more. Having options to choose will benefit myself and my students. To put it into perspective, nowadays most teachers will not say to students you must use PowerPoint, we like to give our students choices that best suits their needs and learning styles. I don’t want to be limited to just Connect but a range of LMS platforms.

     For my third goal, I would like to incorporate social media into the classroom. How do I do this? Well, I hope to discover more ideas throughout this course. I’ve heard of teachers, professors and administrators using Twitter as another tool and I am glad that we are using it in this course. I had never tweeted before but I signed up because I was curious to see how it unfolds. I understand this is just one of many different forms of social media and I hope to broaden my knowledge on this topic.

Explain what you want to learn about Learning Management Systems (LMS), assessment, social software, and multimedia.

     With regards to Learning Management Systems, I would like to learn how to setup and create a course, unit or lesson using Connect or Moodle. The only thing that I’ve created that I think comes close to this is a WebQuest for my students. With assessments, I would like to learn more on creating and administering electronic tests, quizzes, digital portfolios, personal response systems, online surveys and online evaluation rubrics. Creating assessments using technology is not my strong point so I am hoping to change this.

Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/ (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework)

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-teachers