My name is Rachel Petrynko and I am currently the Blackboard Connect and Biology program support at the university. After completing my undergraduate degree in biology, I obtained a position as a teaching assistant for one of the labs where part of my job was to design a website to serve as a study guide and as an additional resource for the students. This position eventually evolved in a new job that consisted of training and supporting faculty and staff during the LMS transition from Vista to Blackboard Connect. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside instructors and help them create, organize, and design their course websites.
My work experiences has had a significant role in exposing me to various methods in which technology can be used to expand educative dimensions, and ultimately to facilitate and improve teaching and learning. It has been a positive, and at times challenging, learning experience that has solidified my interests in educational technology. It has inspired me to pursue an education that will expand on the skills that I have acquired and enable me to have a more sophisticated understanding of the roles, possibilities, impacts and advantages that technology has on education. These are goals that I hope to achieve while completing my degree in the MET program. In regards to the ETEC 565a course, I hope to gain knowledge that will inevitably help broaden my understanding of important aspects of online learning. Furthermore, it is my goal to learn about and use new technologies that I am not familiar while taking advantage of the opportunities to creatively apply them during the term.
Blackboard Connect is a learning management system that I am familiar with, however there are still many components within the system that I have yet to explore. That being said, I wish to examine more in depth the possibilities of using technology as a means to increase the social aspects of learning within a course. As stated by McInnerney and Roberts (2004), online learning environments can often heightened the sense of isolation in learners. The authors stress the importance of social context within online learning setting; therefore, I hope discover ways to incorporate social media tools that will create a sense of community amongst students. I will explore software such as Twitter, blogs, group activities and discussion boards. However, I anticipate challenges in finding appropriate tools that will promote active participation and create meaningful learning experiences that are relevant to the content.
Bates (2014) discussed the importance of selecting technologies that support the diverse range of learning styles and preferences. Ideally I would also like to try creating videos using Camtasia and finding relevant audio tracks, perhaps in the form of podcasts, in order to address these differences. Furthermore, I have previously tried the trial version of Articulate Storyline and found it to be relatively easy to use. What I liked most about it was that it allowed me to present content in a different format; therefore I may try to use it again in one of the modules or activities. It is worth noting however that Articulate does not run on Mac computers and there may be issues that arise when trying to embed the files within Blackboard Connect. Despite these possible challenges, I would like to incorporate a variety of multimedia such that diverse ways of learning are respected and addressed (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). Digital storytelling may also be worth investigating, as it would allow students to creatively demonstrate their knowledge in ways that are best suited for them. Potential software could include Picktochart, Plotagon, Audacity, Prezi or VideoScribe.
Assessments are a critical component of learning and, as stated by Chichering & Ehrmann (1996), students should have frequent opportunities to evaluate their knowledge and receive rapid feedback. I think my biggest challenge in regards to assessments will be formulating questions that would not only assess the level of understanding, but also promote higher levels of thinking. I would also like to research the benefits of offering students assessments that are fail-safe, such as practice quizzes, in which the stakes are low.
Many of the ideas listed above will require research, online tutorials on how to use technologies I’m unfamiliar and a lot of trial and error. Having little HTML knowledge, I am aware that I’ll need to seek online resources to facilitate the process of creating HTML pages. Lastly, a major resource I’ll require will be time, therefore I am aware that time management will be necessary and that the ideas I have now will inevitably change along the way to better fit the time constraints. However, I am excited to begin the journey of this course and hopefully gain from it new skill sets and knowledge by the end of the term.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
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
McInnerney, J. M., & Roberts, T. S. (2004). Online Learning: Social Interaction and the Creation of a Sense of Community. Educational Technology & Society, 7(3), 73-81.