week 9: social media evaluations.
At the end of his chapter on social media, T.Bates (2014) asks you to think about a way social media can be used in one of the courses you teach. Respond to the question he raises: What new learning outcomes could the use of social media help develop? The main feature of social media is that they empower the end user to access, create, disseminate and share information easily in a user-friendly, open environment. It levels the playing field in a classroom – any and every student has open, unrestricted…read more
week 5: mobile technologies and organizational policy
An example of organizational policy that regulates “use of mobile technology” that I have looked at is the province of Alberta’s “Bring your own device: A guide for schools” document. It was referenced in the “Manifesto for 21st Century Learning Broadband: Directives” resource by the Ontario Association of School Business Officials. The four key policy considerations in this document are: responsible/appropriate use, equity of access, network access and bandwidth and the readiness of schools and school authorities for a BYOD model. I believe that any institution that is looking to…read more
week 3. open-concept loft vs. regal, sprawling academic institution.
Learning Management Systems: Affordances and Limitations In their examination of the effects of LMS on university’s teaching and learning practices Coates, James & Baldwin (2005) argue that technologies are not pedagogically neutral, but through their very design, they influence and design teaching. Have you been experiencing some of the pedagogically restricting effects of LMS in your own practice? I have used three different LMS’ in my time as an educator: Blackboard Connect, d2L (Brightspace), and more recently Google Classroom (not exactly an LMS yet). The first two, in my opinion,…read more
week 1. digital age teaching professionals.
Which of the sets of criteria seem the most informative and relevant to your experiences? The first point in Chickering and Ehrmann’s article resonated with me and my experiences in my new position, and ties into the second point as well. “Good practice encourages contacts between students and faculty”. The fact that communication technologies allow for an availability and access to your professor is hugely important. My school board has adopted Google Apps for Education (GAFE), and this productivity suite is inherently about sharing, communicating and collaborating. On each app…read more