Author Archives: Mark Viola

Assignment 1 Reflection – Mark Viola

I found this weeks assignment to be very interesting. Working in groups can always pose challenges – time, availability and willingness to compromise are typically key factors to the success of a group. I feel that our groups worked extremely well together, using our strengths to benefit the group, allowing others to lead when appropriate and creating a positive atmosphere where each individual felt like their opinion was valuable.

With respect to the actual creation of an LMS rubric, I found the assignment very rewarding. Professionally my school just went through an adoption/transition process to a new LMS and we would have had a much better experience had we used such an evaluation criteria when we vetted possible LMS platforms. Bates and Poole (2009) provide a great general criteria for any piece of educational technology because it forces us to consider every facet of education when evaluating technology. By considering the LMS from a teacher’s, student’s, IT, administrative, and parent perspective it helps to identify they value of a piece of technology. Perhaps the most crucial finding was from ‘Selecting a Learning Management System’ by Wright, Lopes, et al. (2014) which noted that the most crucial step in any selection process is to identify the key requirements which were non-negotiable, and other features which are not as essential. Too often we can become enamoured with some specific features of a new piece of software that we forget what we actually need the software to do. If we do not identify these ‘must-have’ features at the onset of a search, we are bound  to be unsatisfied with the result of the search.

 

Bates, T., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective teaching with technology in higher education: Foundations for success (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wright, C., Lopes, V., Montgomerie, C., Reju, S., and Schmoller, S. (2014). Selecting a Learning Management System: Advice from an Academic Perspective. Educase Review. Retrieved from: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2014/4/selecting-a-learning-management-system-advice-from-an-academic-perspective

 

 

Another option for Lenora

I agree that creating a website can be overwhelming, even when using sites like Weebly or Google Sites, which provide users with templates and drag-and-drop functionality. Bandwidth and time are key factors when it comes to Lenora’s situation which compound the difficulty she will encounter trying to build her site. Assuming that increasing her bandwidth is not an option, then I believe that Lenora should look in a different direction to get the anti-bullying resource online.

Social Media offers Lenora various avenues that are easier to manage and require lower bandwidth. Lenora could create a blog (perhaps through her organizations website) which would allow her to post ideas and suggestions from other teachers and have followers respond. The dialogue could become an invaluable resource in the anti-bullying discussion and may prove to be more meaningful then a traditional website.

In addition, Lenora could create a Facebook group and a professional Twitter handle to post/tweet links to relevant material online. Both Facebook and Twitter require a much smaller bandwidth and can be accomplished on a mobile device. Through the Cradleboard Teaching Project Teacher’s Circle, Lenora could quickly amass a large number of followers and have her circle of influence grow quick rapidly.

Because blogging, Facebook and Twitter are all mobile platforms, Lenora could accomplish a lot of her online work while at work or after school. This would allow for more ‘family’ time when she got home. Ease of use, and easy access are features that I believe will help Lenora is spreading her message.

First attempt at eLearning

  1. I think that Benoit must ask – Which platform has the most potential to grow and evolve? Knowing that the initial setup of the class will take time (no matter which platform is chosen), the course will most definitely change as it is taught. As new features/requirements become available how easily will Benoit be able to modify his course and integrate new features/technologies. While human nature may guide us to choose the path of least resistance it is often my looking ahead (2-5 years in this case) that may provide us with the best answer. Unfortunately I have little experience with both platforms, but from the description is seems that Moodle was given a more favourable description.
  2. 2. I feel that Benoit could probably create the shell of a class in 3-4 weeks. If he has all his resources in an electronic format and has the layout for the course then creating modules and posting resources should not be too difficult. Once this initial setup is complete, it would probably take another 3-4 weeks to review each module, introduce Discussion forums, create online submission features and assessment forms. This would add asynchronous features to the course and bring it inline with other eLearning experiences. If Benoit then attempts to include synchronous communication (like Skype sessions or other Video conferencing applications) this would extend this period.

My belief is that it will take Benoit one full term to actually finalize the course of study. One he has delivered the material in an online format and experienced the course in a live environment with actual students and the problems that occur during the first attempt, he will be able to evaluate the success of each module, and modify the expectations and requirements of his students. Just as in a f2f classroom, constant self-evaluation is required to ensure that we offer the best learning experiences for our students.

A Career in Chapters

When I think of my professional life – I like to think of it as a series of chapters.

 

Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Before discovering that I was meant to be a teacher, I spent my first few years of post-secondary education studying to become an architect. It was during this time that one of my professors told me that I would make a better educator then architect because I was more interested in what they were trying to teach then the actual content. It was with this ‘push’ that I left architecture, changed universities and began to study education. Deciding on teachable subjects was not difficult – I took the two things that I was good at and loved and declared them the focus of my studies. What I didn’t realize was that I would be the only person in my graduating year to have a double major in Mathematics and Visual Arts (I later found out that in the 15 years before me, no one had those two teachable subjects together – something about right-brain, left-brain).

 

Chapter 2: Going Home

After graduating, I was fortunate to get an Long-Term Occasional position at my own high school, St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) in Toronto to teach art. SMCS is a private, all-boys catholic high school that has been around since 1852 (yes we are older then Canada). The school is rich in both academic and athletic tradition and excellence (over 100 of our graduates have gone on to have successful careers in the NHL). Returning to SMCS was like going home again. I was able to work with my older art teacher and began to re-develop the curriculum. Our goal became to offer students a curriculum that was based on actual careers in the arts – we began to include elements of graphic design and architecture. Technology, always one of my interests, became an integral part of this new curriculum. After about 7 years we developed a very successful arts curriculum, rich in meaningful learning experiences that blend both traditional and modern assessments for students. It was at this time that I began to lose interest in the day-to-day occurrences of teaching. I found it difficult to see myself in my current position when I began to look 10 to 15 years ahead. I began to question what was to come next.

 

Chapter 3: Changing of the Guard.

It was at this time that there was a dramatic change in my administrative team – with three new administrators being appointed. All three were colleagues of mine and shared a similar interest in changing the culture of the school. I have come to realize that ‘culture’ is a very important part of Ed. Tech. My new principal encouraged me and supported ideas that I had regarding Ed. Tech. in ways that the formal administrative team did not. It was with his encouragement that I enrolled in the MET and began the next phase of my teaching career.

 

Chapter 4: Teaching 2.0

Using what I was learning in my MET courses, I developed a 1:1 iPad program for our junior school (grade 7-8) and have begun to develop a culture  of technological use amongst staff. It is at this point that I was fortunate enough to enroll in ETEC 565A. My role as Educational Technology Integration Leader means that I no longer and working with just students, but also teachers, parents and administrators. Through the MET and this course I hope to become an expert in Educational Technology and curriculum design. I want to become the resource for teachers and students when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom. Currently I am charged with providing a lot of the professional development with respect to technology – and have focussed a lot of my course work on providing successful and meaningful professional development. I have an vested stake in the future of my school – I am an alumni and I have a strong desire that my sons attend this school too. TO that end I want my school to offer an education that I am proud of – one that challenges students and prepares them for the future.

Recently I have begun to look at how to use LMS systems to expand ‘teaching’ at our school. I am currently proposing to develop a blended senior arts photography course. ETEC 565 will provide me with exposure to Moodle and the possibilities that this platform could have for online courses at my school. I believe that all students should have some exposure to online learning before graduating high school. There are very different types of skills that are required to be successful in learning environment with both synchronous and asynchronous communication.

Mobile learning and social media tools are the other areas that I have find myself drawn too. Using mobile devices allows more users the opportunity to access information. While social media opens learning up to so many new possibilities. Concepts of time and location become arbitrary when using technology to learn.

The next chapters remain unwritten, but I am excited to find out what is in store. Readings like Bates’ SECTIONS framework and Chickering and Ehrmann’s Seven Principles have already proven to be valuable resources as I begin discussions with administration for next year. I am looking forward to what comes next.

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

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

 

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