Project Retrospective

Our team designed a web-based resource for adult educators who teach community-based, non-credit workshops and courses for community colleges and non-profit organizations.  The intent was to create an asynchronous resource for adult educators that is easy to access and allows for the opportunity to connect with peers to provide feedback, share resources, and create a sense of community.  We did this by creating resource, community, and feedback sections in our tool.  It was important for us to design a user-friendly web-based resource to maximize a users learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction with our design. We used Issa and Isaias’ (2015) idea of designing a resource with a user-centred approach, rather than designing a system for every end user.  We also initially launched this tool with a focus on resources that educate on adult learning theories and adult learning strategies, as we felt our target audience were professionals in the fields they were teaching, such as nursing, but didn’t necessarily have academic training in the area of education and would initially benefit from these resources.  The idea and vision for our tool was definitely that of one of our team members.  In the beginning, I was confused at times about what the vision of the project was, as the ideas were always very big and not focused.  In terms of my contributions, I attended team meetings and asked questions to focus the vision of the project.  As well as, contributed to all aspects of the design; none of us had clear design roles.  Our team decided that each of us should touch every aspect of the tool to ensure it was designed efficiently.  Once tool was designed, I took the lead on creating a PowerPoint for our presentation and worked with our team to split the presentation up.

The main features of usability we focused on were learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction (Issa & Isaias, 2015), as we felt these were key usability features to ensure a user-friendly tool.  We felt our web-based design was intuitive for the user, and can be easily learned by reading and clicking.  We also felt that using specific buttons, interlinks, and menus easily allowed the user to go to specific areas of our website and was efficient.  And that overall simple design of our tool, would be satisfying to the user.

Overall, our team worked well together.  We didn’t have any issues with getting work done and splitting up tasks.  Our biggest challenges came from using Google Sites and the limited functionality this freeware provides.  I have never used Google Sites before and going forward would likely not use this freeware again.  As a novice website creator, I think WordPress is more robust and has more apps that can enable more functionality on a website.

I’m a big advocate for the use of technology in education and designing online asynchronous learning opportunities for learners.  I feel that the resource that we created will be a great online resource for adult educators.  However, as I reflect back on this class and the readings we’ve done, I have to say that Crawford (2021) made a huge impact on me in Atlas of AI, Chapter 1: Earth.  I will forever think about the environmental impacts that technology has on the Earth, as I always thought of it as a more environmentally friendly option.  As an advocate of technology in education, I’m contributing to the devastation that mining has on the Earth and am guilty of overlooking this in the technological process and know that going forward will look for more environmentally friendly technology solutions.

 

References

Crawford, K., & Yale University Press Complete eBook-Package 2021. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, politics, and the planetary costs of artificial intelligence. Yale University Press.

Issa T. & Isaias P. (2015) Usability and human computer interaction (HCI). In Sustainable Design (pp. 19-35). Springer, London. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/978-1-4471-6753-2_2

A Case Study on the Utilization of Interactive eBooks in Post Secondary Education

Foreword

Robin is an instructional assistant in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alberta.  In this role she provides technical support to students and faculty in the Justice Program.  She has also worked as a sessional instructor at NorQuest College in the Faculty of Business.  This case study aims to analyze the utilization of interactive eBooks in post secondary education from the perspective of a user who actively supports and teaches students using this technology.  In this role, she also works directly with publishers to support instructors and learners who are using this technology in their classrooms.

Background

An eBook is an electronic book that can be read digitally on a computer screen, tablet, e-book reader, or mobile phone.  While this may seem like a simple definition, as eBooks improve and become more interactive, it becomes increasingly more difficult to define what an eBook is and what it can do.  Interactive eBooks are no longer just a PDF version of a textbook.  An interactive eBook has various elements that educators and learners can interact with.  In addition to text, it contains rich media such as digital images, GIFs, videos, audio files, interactive graphs and charts, polls, maps, presentation slides, file uploads, downloadable cloud files, LMS integration, engagement insights, and/or feedback.  Over the years, eBooks have slowly started to replace print technology, or textbooks.  Initially, an eBook was a PDF version of a textbook; there was little to no interaction allowed between the user and the technology.  Over time, interactive eBooks have been developed, and some may argue that they are replacing the original eBook that was developed from electrophoretic ink (eInk) technology.  This technology was developed to mimic the appearance of ink on paper (E Ink, 2020 and Electronic Paper, 2020).  Surprisingly, this technology wasn’t developed in the two last decades with the popularization of e-readers.  It has been around for decades.

Initially, eBooks were simply electronic versions of its printed counterpart, utilizing one-way interaction.  However, developers of eBook technology continue to push the boundaries of how an eBook can perform and what has never been developed before.  Interactive eBooks is the newest technology to the eBook industry, and requires an electronic device, such as a laptop or tablet, for proper layout and on-screen viewing, the more interaction integrated into the eBook, the more technology, such as a WIFI connection, is required to effectively use the eBook.  Interactive eBooks utilize artificial intelligence to include interaction, command and instruction, and communication to keep learners engaged (The evolution of publishing – interactive e-book, 2020).

Using Interactive eBooks in Education

Textbooks have been around since the 19th century and are considered a primary instrument for teaching post secondary learners.  Generally, educators view them as reliable tools that provide credible information that will both support and enhance a learners’ understanding of a concept (Knight, 2015).  Recent advances in technology have changed the way educators and learners interact with a textbook today.

More than ever, trends in learning support a Vygotskian sociocultural view of learning, which proposes learner learning, thinking, and motivation are primarily social in nature and that educational activities have more impact when they involve social interaction (Powell & Kalina, 2009).  In theory, interactive eBooks support social constructivism.  As they allow educators and learners to interact and engage with the each other and the technology to exchange information.  In theory, this process should allow learners to create meaningful knowledge, while actively engaging them in the process of learning.  In response to advances in technology, educators and institutes also feel the need to ensure learning environments are utilizing technology that best supports learner needs and, in my opinion, today’s learners are more technologically savvy then at any time in the history of education. 

We know that technology changes us and the world around us.  If it didn’t, we would still require oral communication to transmit history and without paper, books would still be printed on silk scrolls that only the wealthy could afford.  Digital learning has grown exponentially in the educational environment in the past two decades, from the development of learning management systems to the COVID-19 lockdowns that forced learners to learn online, educators and learners alike have changed their attitudes towards teaching and learning.  

As Robertson (2012) points out, with the development of new digital technologies, such as the eBook, the end of print culture appears to be as inevitable to education stakeholders today as it was to Marshall McLuhan. Who is responsible for the shift in this technology?  Is it students, is it educators, or maybe it’s the publishers of academic literature.  In the next section, we review the stakeholders who are developing and using this technology.

The Role of the Textbook Publisher

Publishers are getting out of the business of printing textbooks.  In the last several years, eBooks have become a mainstay of the publishing industry.  In Canada, Top Hat is one of the country’s leading active learning platforms for higher education.  They recently acquired 400 Nelson titles, which are utilized by more than 80% of Canada’s higher education institutes (Read, 2020).  In a recent conversation with a sales manager at Top Hat, it was revealed that in addition to the titles Top Hat publishes, the Nelson titles that were acquired will eventually no longer have a textbook purchase option, that all textbooks will be converted to their interactive platform and become eBooks.

The shift from hard copy textbooks to digital software solutions opens new possibilities for publishers.  Publishers have had to transition their business models and become experts in educational technology (Grochola, 2021).  Over the last decade, the used textbook market is booming due to online stores such as AbeBooks and Amazon.  Open educational resources are more common, accessible, and attractive to educators and learners.  Publishers have plunged into the educational technology market to keep up with educational trends, and offer adaptive, personalized learning.  The shift to digital textbooks, have allowed publishers to create single-use, online products that cannot be shared or reused by learners and provides the opportunity to upgrade software and new versions of textbooks for very little cost to the publisher (Grochola, 2021).  This digital shift is also being supported by post secondary institutes, which are reducing or eliminating the physical footprint of the campus bookstore, and are shifting to online eCommerce models for book sales.  As the cost of education increases and government funding is reduced, this has allowed institutions to reduce bookstore budgets and have allowed them to reduce the risk of investing in purchasing and reselling textbooks (Grochola, 2021).

Benefits and Challenges of Interactive eBooks from an Instructor’s Perspective

It has been widely reported that the use of interactive eBooks is taking longer than experts thought for full adoption at Canadian post secondary institutes.  However, Read (2020) reports that over 80% of post secondary institutes in Canada have adopted the use of interactive eBooks in at least one of their faculties or programs.  Educators who use interactive eBooks report several benefits and challenges to using this new technology.

In a study conducted by Knight (2015), educators reported that the features of interactive eBooks “cement learning and declarative knowledge”.  Educators enjoyed using discussion and reflective questions, key term and definition functions, case studies, real world examples, vignettes, summaries, self-assessment activities, quizzes, and animated images in the interactive eBook.  They also noted that interactive eBooks included excellent video clips and external links to YouTube, web resources, podcasts, etc.  Knight (2015), has also suggested that educators have the ability and technology to support publishing their own interactive eBooks and to support learning activities where interactive eBooks that are written and published by their students.

There are common complaints from educators when trying to integrate interactive eBook technology into their classroom.  Learners at post secondary institutes across the country, are expected to have access to the technology required to complete their studies.  This however, this isn’t always the case.  In a recent conversation with a colleague at NorQuest College, they identified that 70% of students at the college use a mobile phone to complete all of their coursework.  Interactive eBooks function on a mobile phone but full functionality is best utilized on a laptop or desktop computer.  Interactive eBooks also often requires a stable WIFI connection.  In Edmonton, 1 in 7 people live in poverty (Just the Facts, 2020) and it has been reported that over 40% of post secondary students have food insecurity (Beeston, 2016) and don’t necessarily have extra income to purchase internet for their home.  Educators also indicate that lack of training and lack of technical support is one of the main reasons for not implementing technology in the classroom (Johnson et. al., 2017).

Casselden and Pears (2019) and Nelson (2008) argue that educators have a familiarity with textbooks and are more comfortable reading in print.  They indicate that educators may have a difficult time accepting interactive eBooks, because they grew up using textbooks to learn and it is what they are comfortable with.  Attitudes towards technology, confidence in using technology effectively, and the time it takes to implement new technology into a classroom are all common reasons why educators resist the use of interactive eBooks.

Benefits and Challenges of the Learner Experience

Post secondary institutes and educators have adopted the use of interactive eBooks in the classroom.  Interactive eBooks have become an increasingly important part of a learner’s academic library collection.  Casselden and Pears (2019) argue that interactive eBooks are part of academic mainstream.  They indicate that interactive eBooks provide portability and convenience to accessing content, by allowing for keyword searching, links to other content, and 24/7 access to information.  Interactive eBooks also allow learners the freedom to highlight text, adjust font sizes, copy and paste, and hear audio translations of print.  Although, interactive eBooks are still expensive to purchase, they are usually less expensive to purchase or rent than to purchase traditional textbooks.

Walton (2014) argues that learners continue to indicate it is their preference to use a textbook.  Common complaints for the use of interactive eBooks, include eye strain and reading fatigue, they provide barriers to active learning by using a device (such as a mobile phone) that can also distract the learner in other ways (e.g. social media notifications), and lack of a linear reading approach leading to reduced comprehension (i.e. reading in print versus reading digitally).  Nelson (2008) argues that cultural acceptance plays into learner’s common complaints of interactive eBooks.  Learners are often more likely to adopt the same course materials that their instructor recommends and is using.  In addition, common complaints from NorQuest students in the Justice Program include a lack of understanding of who to contact for troubleshooting when an interactive eBook is not performing as it should and how go about getting access to interactive eBooks once an access code is purchased from the bookstore.

Usability 

Reading habits, accessing resources, and material preferences have changed rapidly in a digital world.  Post secondary learners today are considered digital natives, they access countless resources electronically and online.  eBook technology has taken the consumer market by storm and it was only a matter of time before, digital learners adopted this technology into their own learning (Cumoaoglu et. al., 2013).  In a recent study, Cumoaoglu et. al. (2013), found that over 75% of post secondary students they interviewed are using interactive eBooks and learners deemed eBooks as easy to use and easy to access.  Bates (2019), argues that novice end users should be able to login and start using a technology within 20 minutes, which includes time for the user to work out any functions that they may be unfamiliar with.  According to Cumoaoglu et. al. (2013), eBook technology supports Bates’ argument, as learners felt the time it took to initially start using an eBook was less than the time it took to go to a library or bookstore to buy or borrow a book.

According to Issa and Isaias (2015), usability is an important factor in the system design process and can mean the difference between a seamless user experience or a frustrating user experience.  Issa and Isaias (2015) argue, that users will become frustrated with the design of a technology if it is difficult to use, if the user get lost, if information or text is hard to read and interpret, and if it does not answer the user’s questions.  Casselden and Pears (2019) research indicates that interactive eBooks are robust, efficient, and flexible learning tools.  They provide portability and convenience, allows for search within a chapter or text, has links to other external content, allows for 24/7 access to information, and allows users to highlight text, change font sizes, copy and paste, and hear audio translations of print.

In most of the research studies I reviewed on interactive eBook technology, the research supported a common theme that interactive eBooks were easy to use.  In my own personal experience, I also have found the technical support around interactive eBook technology to be convenient.  Top Hat (Read, 2020), which is used at NorQuest College in the program I work in, has several ways for educators and learners to connect with support and training.  

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is having a profound effect on educational technology.  Adaptive learning and artificial intelligence technology have found their way into interactive eBook readers.  May interactive eBook platforms that are being used by colleges, universities, and technical schools across the country collect learning analytics from students.  Learning analytics extract data from eBook technology which allows educators, institutions, and publishers to develop learner profiles.  In theory, from these learner profiles, they are able to adapt learning materials to create better learner experiences for students.  Interactive eBook platforms are integrating tools to distribute course materials, marking assignments and quizzes, evaluating assignments and quizzes for plagiarism and formatting, and allowing for collaboration between educators, learners, and the course materials.

Chen et. al.’s (2021) research used learner profiles and used machine learning algorithms to better understand the extent to which they can predict university students’ academic performance based on their reading logs recorded in an interactive eBook system.  Chen at. al (2021) concluded that there was a strong correlation between academic performance and reading logs recorded.  Students who were more engaged with the course materials, were more likely to pass and students whose instructors viewed the reading logs and intervened early in the course when students were not performing well, had a better success with the at-risk students.  Learning analytics makes data mining more accessible and data mining key areas or specific students of a course’s learning analytics expands the possibilities for digital learning platforms to allow institutions to create diverse learning environments for students and intervene with at risk students.

Seo et. al.’s (2021) research attempted to identify how learners perceived artificial intelligence techniques and the use of using student learning analytics to deal with complex issues such as analyzing students’ behavior, developing strategies to personalize learning, detecting learning styles, helping students during the learning tasks, and assessing their performance and learning results.  Their research found that while learners in the study they conducted were open to adopting artificial intelligence in online learning systems and adopted artificial intelligent teaching assistant being used in their class, they were concerned that artificial intelligence could create responsibility, agency, and surveillance issues in online learning by violating social boundaries.

Sustainability

Conventional approaches to textbook production have involved either manual or mechanical binding of sheets of paper in order to form an organized, structured, composite product.  New publication media offers many alternative approaches to the creation of books.  The most recent trend in the publishing industry is the development of interactive eBooks.  Since the mid-1990s, however, nearly all eBooks have been published into digital files that can be transmitted worldwide and downloaded in readable form to a digital device.

As Crawford (2021) argues, the devastation that mining leaves behind is often overlooked in the technological process.  Today mining is only profitable because it has not had to account for the true costs of environmental damage, illness and death of the people who are doing the mining, and the loss to the communities that mining displaces.  Mines are often located far from cities and the people who use the natural resources that are mined are often naïve to the full effects and challenges of mining.  Crawford (2021) indicates that lithium is one of the most valuable natural resources for the technology sector, as it makes the rechargeable battery.  It is likely one of the most used natural resources in a consumer household who uses rechargeable batteries and is most definitely used by interactive eBook technology.  It is used rechargeable batteries that power computers and personal devices such as cell phones, tablets, eReaders, and eWatches.

Kozak and Keolelan’s (2003) research, compared the life-cycle burdens and impacts of a college student reading 40 scholarly textbooks and the equivalent amount of digitized information using a dedicated e-book reading device.  Their research found that production of a textbook required more raw materials and water inputs, consumed more energy, and produced more solid wastes than an interactive eBook system.   They also found that the production of a textbook produced more air and water pollutant emissions than the interactive eBook system.

Critics of the interactive eBook, have argued that eBooks encourage eye strain, lack the tactile appeal of textbooks, and are inconvenient in the sense that they represent yet another device that the user must purchase and learn to use (Kozak and Keolelan, 2003).  However, from a sustainability standpoint, it is difficult to argue against the integration of eBook technology into post secondary educational institutions.  As Kozak and Keolelan (2003) argue, interactive eBook technology reduces environmental burdens associated with eBook storage (e.g. server storage) are small when compared to the physical storage of books (e.g. warehouse and bookstore);  interactive eBooks also eliminate personal transportation-related burdens since they allow for instant accessibility to digitized texts (i.e. anywhere there is Internet accessible); and interactive eBooks are more compact and are less material intensive than the equivalent number of printed books.

From my perspective, interactive eBook technology also supports sustainability.  Textbooks used by post secondary institutes are frequently updated and, in my opinion, often updates to printed textbooks don’t have enough changes to support and validate the printing and distribution process that accompanies print technology.  Specific genres of traditional textbooks such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias have benefit greatly from digitization.

Conclusion

The interactive eBook offer educators and learners an additional tool of instruction that can support the learning process.  Educators, learners, and institutions will continue to have changing attitudes towards teaching and learning and integration of technology into the post secondary classroom.  As technology evolves, and computers and personal devices become smaller and more robust, academic book publishers, educators, learners, and educational institutions will continue to look for solutions to use these devices to integrate technology into learning. 

References

Bates, A.W. (2019). Teaching in a digital age – second edition. Tony Bates Associates Ltd. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/ 

Beeston, L. (2016, November 2). Nearly 40 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students experience ‘food insecurity:’ study. Thestar.Com. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/11/02/nearly-40-per-cent-of-canadian-post-secondary-students-experience-food-insecurity-study.html

Bit Blog Editorial Team. (2018, August 30). Interactive ebook: What & how to create it (step by step guide). Bit Blog. https://blog.bit.ai/interactive-ebook/ 

Casselden, B., & Pears, R. (2019). Higher education student pathways to ebook usage and engagement, and understanding: Highways and cul de sacs. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(2), 601–619. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000619841429 

Chen, C. H., Yang, S. J. H., Weng, J. X., Ogata, H., & Su, C. Y. (2021). Predicting at-risk university students based on their e-book reading behaviours by using machine learning classifiers. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 130–144. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.6116

Crawford, K., & Yale University Press Complete eBook-Package 2021. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, politics, and the planetary costs of artificial intelligence. Yale University Press.

Cumaoglu, G., Sacici, E., & Torun, K. (2013). E-book versus printed materials: preferences of university students. Contemporary Educational Technology, 4(2), 121-135.

E Ink. (July 15, 2020).  In Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink 

Electronic Paper (July 28, 2020).  In Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper 

Grochola, K. (2021, May 12). The future of educational publishers. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/future-of-educational-publishers 

Issa T. & Isaias P. (2015) Usability and human computer interaction (HCI). Sustainable Design. London: Springer. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/978-1-4471-6753-2_2  

Johnson, A. M., Jacovina, M. E., Russell, D. G., & Soto, C. M. (2017). Challenges and solutions when using technologies in the classroom. In S. A. Crossley, & D. S. McNamara (Eds.), Adaptive educational technologies for literacy instruction (1st ed., pp. 13-30). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315647500-2

Just the Facts. (2020, July 29). Canada Without Poverty. https://cwp-csp.ca/poverty/just-the-facts/

Knight, B. A. (2015). Teachers’ use of textbooks in the digital age. Cogent Education, 2(1), 1015812. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2015.1015812 

Kozak, G., & Keolelan, G. (2003). Printed scholarly books and e-book reading devices: a comparative life cycle assessment of two book options. IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1109/isee.2003.1208092

Nelson, M. R. (2008). E-books in higher education: Nearing the end of the era of hype? EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2008/3/ebooks-in-higher-education-nearing-the-end-of-the-era-of-hype 

Powell, K. C., & Kalina, C. J. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-251.

Read, D. L. (2020, September 21). Top Hat to acquire Nelson’s Canadian domestic higher ed textbook business, transforming educational publishing landscape. Top Hat. https://tophat.com/press-releases/top-hat-to-acquire-nelson-highered-business/ 

Robertson, F. (2013). Print Culture. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203144206 

Seo, K., Tang, J., Roll, I., Fels, S., & Yoon, D. (2021). The impact of artificial intelligence on learner-instructor interaction in online learning. International journal of educational technology in higher education, 18(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00292-9

The evolution of publishing – interactive e-book. (2020, September 30). Thomson Digital. https://www.thomsondigital.com/the-evolution-of-publishing-interactive-e-book/ 

Walton, E. W. (2014). Why undergraduate students choose to use e-books. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 46(4), 263-270. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000613488124 

Project Proposal

A Case Study on the Utilization of Interactive eBooks in Post Secondary Education

An eBook is an electronic book that can be read digitally on a computer screen, tablet, e-book reader, or mobile phone.  While this may seem like a simple definition, as eBooks improve and become more interactive, it becomes increasingly more difficult to define what an eBook is and what it can do.  Interactive eBooks are no longer just a PDF version of a textbook.  An interactive eBook has various elements that educators and learners can interact with.  In addition to text, it contains rich media such as digital images, GIFs, videos, audio files, interactive graphs and charts, polls, maps, presentation slides, file uploads, downloadable cloud files, LMS integration, engagement insights, and/or feedback.  Initially, eBooks were simply electronic versions of its printed counterpart, utilizing one-way interaction.  However, developers of eBook technology continue to push the boundaries of how an eBook can perform and what has never been developed before.  We know that technology changes us and the world around us.  If it didn’t, we would still require oral communication to transmit history and without paper, books would still be printed on silk scrolls that only the wealthy could afford.  Who has demanded this shift?  We know that educators and learners alike have changed their attitudes towards teaching and learning, or have textbook publishers, who have had to become educational technology experts played a role in this shift.  My case study aims to analyze the utilization of interactive eBooks in post secondary education from the perspective of a user who actively supports and teaches students using this technology.

Attentional Record and Analysis

A typical Monday for me, includes working from home, getting ready for the work week, running weekly errands such as picking up groceries or going to the pet store, and doing some school work.  When I set up for this task, I thought it would be best to keep track of what I paid attention to on a Monday, as my Mondays are pretty consistent and, because I work from home on Monday’s, I would have the time to sit down each hour and reflect on what I paid attention to.  For me this task ended up being a bit more time consuming then I originally imagined; and I’m not sure how natural it was, as I was constantly thinking about what needed to be included in my reflection and grabbing my phone to make notes.

 

Here is how my Monday went…

I woke up at 8:30 a.m., before my alarm went off; this is pretty normal for me.  I quickly checked my phone; I just had regular notifications – don’t forget to track your breakfast, and Twitter and Apple news updates.  I immediately got up and the dog was at my feet ready to go outside for his walk.  I got dressed and brushed my hair so I was somewhat presentable if ran into a neighbour during the morning trek.  Down the stairs we went for Buckley’s first walk of the day.  I got home and gave him is morning treat.  I’m not a coffee drinker, so back upstairs I went.  Instead of getting ready for the day, I was already distracted from the thoughts I had during my morning walk with Buckley.  I opened my computer.  It was the first week after spring term ended and I knew that there would be final assignments that needed downloading, grades to be exported and populated into PeopleSoft so that students would be able to see their final grades, and instructors who would need some tech support to wrap up before their summer break.  Again, I checked my phone and during my walk it notified me of some Slack messages that I had received; I quickly read through and replied to the messages while my computer was turning on.  I spent the next 90 minutes doing some really typical work tasks.  Reading and replying to emails, exporting grades from Moodle, entering end dates on the spring Moodle courses, texting with colleagues, and setting up appointments to provide some one-on-one tech support with my colleagues.  I also had an assignment due for school that day, so I also opened the assignment so that I could do one more final edit before getting the links ready to hand it in.  On Monday’s, as I mentioned above, I run errands for the week.  I was in desperate need to hit a grocery store, and was also mentally making a list in my head.

Around 10:30, Buckley distracted me.  He was signaling that he needed something.  I looked at my phone and realized that he had missed his 9:30 a.m. breakfast and may need to have a quick bathroom break.  I also realized that I had not fully got ready for the day and that I had also not eaten breakfast.  I went downstairs and fed Buckley.  While I was feeding him and he was eating, I did a quick social media scroll.  I also thought about my garden/flowers needing water and that I should measure to buy a new pea fence.  I went back upstairs and quickly checked my work emails, I heard the lawn care company show up, which I forget about and while I was doing this and checked outside the window of my room to make sure that all was well for them to go about their work.  I got ready for the day, however, while I was getting ready, I was listening for notifications on my phone and computer.  After getting ready, I finally went downstairs and made breakfast.  While eating breakfast, I sat at the kitchen table with a copy of a magazine that I publish.  I edited it.  Buckley signaled me again that he needed to go outside for a bathroom break.  I thought about how nice it would be to have a backyard.  I live in a condo and a quick bathroom break means harnessing up and going for a quick walk.

I got back from my walk and finished editing the magazine I help publish – ACUA Vitae.  I had to focus on this task, as I had not had a chance to read any of the articles for content and always want to make sure the contributors to ACUA Vitae are accurately credited for articles they write and photos they take.  I purposely continued to do this at my kitchen table.  My computer was upstairs and I wouldn’t be able to hear notifications, which would tempt me to focus my attention else where, and although my phone was next to me, I ignored all notifications while I did this.  Towards the end of editing ACUA Vitae, which took 80 minutes; I started to get distracted.  My thoughts moved towards a trip I have planned the following weekend to Waterton National Park and Kalispell, MT.   I realized that I had to book a hotel in Kalispell and was thinking that renting a car might be a better way to travel for this trip.  I had to really focus on getting the editing done, so that I didn’t automatically pick up my phone and start researching hotels and car rentals.  Once I was finished, I made a list of things that I needed to pick up during my errands and spent some time quickly researching hotels.  I also went back upstairs to check on work emails; I read and replied to emails.

It was early afternoon, and work was pretty much wrapped for the day.  I had a list of errands to run.  I ran my errands.  I was more difficult to track what I was doing, as I was driving, grocery shopping, etc.  I wanted to get these things done and found that I didn’t stop to reflect on what I was doing or where my attention was focused.  I did note, that while driving, I listened to the radio and looked at a few notifications that came in on my phone.  At one point, there was an emergency vehicle and I was very focused on getting my vehicle out of the way of this fast-moving fire truck.   I got home and put things away; again, I was thinking about a load of laundry that needed to be transferred to the dryer and an errand that had to be done that day in the early evening.  I also remembered that I hadn’t eaten lunch, and decided to make and eat lunch.  I took a break, ate lunch, scrolled social media and the Internet, and had the TV on, and found it interesting that with all this stimulation around me, decided to take a nap.  I also found it interesting that my nights are pretty routine but, again, I multitask through the evening.  I spent about an hour focused on reading for school, and then watched TV, texted with family and friends, folded a load of laundry, researched car rental companies, put the load of laundry away, got ready for bed, walked the dog, watered my garden, planted some strawberries, and did some online shopping.

 

Graphical Analysis…

I purposely created a pie chart with all of the tasks I completed on this Monday.  It looked messy but I thought, there was no better way to depict the organized chaos (or multitasking) events that took place throughout my day.  I was curious how I spent my day, so I tried to categorized the tasks I completed and found it interesting that a big part of my day was spent caring for Buckley; I wasn’t surprised that work and school tasks occupy a lot of my time as well.  The tasks that don’t take a lot of time – checking phone notifications and scrolling social media, are distractions or multitasking events that I performed while completing a primary and secondary task.  I’m also very aware, that I likely did not track every single “thing” that I was paying attention to.  Last, I wanted to get an idea of how much time I spend multitasking vs focusing on one activity; I am not surprised that the majority of my day is spent multitasking.

Attention and Education…

Citton (2017) indicates that teachers and students have different attentional systems and cognitive modes. Teachers imagine lessons that require deep attention from students, while student have formed habits of hyper-attention, allowing themselves to switch their focus rapidly among different tasks.  Based on the analysis of my typical Monday, I believe that humans of the digital age, including myself, are forming hyper-attention habits and are able to multitask using different information streams and require high levels of stimulation to keep focused.  Throughout my day, I was multitasking the majority of the day and some of the multitasking tasks were unnecessary distractions, but even with these distractions, I was able to focus my attention on a primary task.  Citton (2017) argues that attention is a commodity in short supply.  As we continue to form hyper-attention habits, deep attention may be something that we may have to commit to.  For myself, when I have to really pay attention to something, I have to remove my computer and phone so I am not tempted by a notification or to start multitasking.  As an educator, I feel pressure to ensure my students are able to learn using hyper-attention learning habits that they have formed growing up in a digital age so they are not bored.  For example, I recently learned that at the school I teach, more than 80% of the adult students we teach are completing their course work using phones.  I’ve always thought it was important to provide learning activities that are accessible on as many digital devices possible and to provide activities that are multi-modal and stimulate learning in different forms, but knowing that most of my students are using Moodle and completing readings and assignments on their phones, reinforces this for me.

 

References

Citton, Y. (2017).  Introduction and Conclusion: From Attention Economy to Attention Ecology.  In The Ecology of Attention.  John Wiley & Sons.

Media Convergence

The five processes of media convergence are outlined below.

 

An explanation of my mind map can be heard below.

References

Jenkins, H. (2001, 06). Convergence? I diverge. Technology Review, 104, 93. https://www.proquest.com/magazines/convergence-i-diverge/docview/195347973/se-2?accountid=14656

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: where old and new media collide. New York University Press. https://hdl-handle-net.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/2027/heb.05936

Artificial Intelligence

Who were these people, and how did/does each contribute to the development of artificial intelligence? How did/does each think “intelligence” could be identified?

Alan Matheson Turing was a British mathematician who used the theory of machine learning and computing to take a leading role in breaking Nazi cipher during WWII.  In one of Turning’s papers he discussed how to build and test intelligent machines.  He believed if a machine could engage with a human, without being detected as a machine, it demonstrated intelligence (Frankenfield, 2022).

John McCarthy was a professor whose research focused on artificial intelligence.  He has been referred to as the Father of AI and is known to have coined the term artificial intelligence at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence.  McCarthy defined intelligence as an ability and believed that a system could process that ability to various degrees (Sutton, 2020).

Herb Simon has been referred to as one of the founding fathers of AI.  He is known for working with Allen Newell to develop a computer program that simulated human decision making.   Simon defined human intelligence, as a behaving system, and thought that the more complex environments we find ourselves in, the more complex our decision making becomes (The Decision Lab, 2021).

Marvin Minsky was a mathematician and computer scientist who cofounded the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Artificial Intelligence Lab in 1959 with John McCarthy (BBC News, 2016).  He believed a computer could replicate the functions of the human brain.  Minsky was driven by the concept that human intelligence for common sense reasoning could be imparted to computers or machines.

Timnit Gebru is a well-known scholar in the AI ethics community.  As a computer scientist she researches algorithmic bias.  Gebru believes intelligence can be used or misused for harmful, illegal, or unintentional purposes though human bias in coding.  Gebru believes that intelligence is embedded in everyday products and as humans we aren’t always able to distinguish between AI and machine learning (Woolery, 2022).

 

How do “machine (programming) languages” differ from human (natural) ones?

Human language is the principal method of communication, it is a system of spoken and written symbols, that humans have used to express themselves and their identities.  As time goes on, language evolves and changes.  Machine language is also a method of communication created by humans to communicate instructions to a machine or a computer (Harris, 2018).  There are several differences between human and machine language.  The most obvious may be that programming language was intended for machines.  Machine language doesn’t follow grammar rules and it doesn’t change depending on the context.  It also doesn’t evolve and develop like human languages do; there is no room for errors or improvement.  Finally, machine language is non-emotional; intonation or body language have no effect on machine language.

 

How does “machine (artificial) intelligence” differ from the human version?

Human intelligence is our ability to acquire skills and knowledge.  As Challot (2019) indicates, the AI community often measure intelligence by the skills exhibited by AI.  There are several ways that AI differs from human intelligence.  As humans we are able to adapt to changing environments by using different cognitive processes, AI has the ability to mimic human behaviour and actions.  As humans we use our brains to solve problems, remember, and think; AI relies on data and instructions from humans.  Humans rely on learning from past knowledge and experience; AI doesn’t think, it learns from data and performs tasks efficiently, however, it relies on human commands.  Finally, AI is designed to mimic human behavior, it isn’t able to make rationale decisions like humans (Vadapalli, 2021).

 

How does “machine learning” differ from human learning?

Machine learning involves exposing a computer to training data, and based on that data, the computer learns to process the data, which allows the computer to form predictions and judgments (Heilweil, 2020).  Human learning involves actively making sense of the world around us by acquiring new knowledge, behaviours, and skills.  Humans use their brains, bodies, and environment to learn; if humans are given new information, we can change how we think or feel about knowledge that we have.  As Heilweil (2020) points out, AI doesn’t have the ability to change how it predicts information.  This has led to AI predictions being biased; we often don’t know how bias is built into data or what data helped build it.

 

How do YOUR answers to these questions differ from what a machine could generate?

My responses to the above questions were derived by reviewing course contents, doing my own online searches and research, from my past work experience, and from my past learning through the MET program.  If I imagined responses to the above questions that only included artificial intelligence, it would exclude any information that I personally learned through the course readings, past work experience, and my past learning experiences in the MET program.  My reasoning process uses the knowledge that I currently have to draw the conclusions and create the explanations for the above questions.  For me personally, this knowledge and experience is drawn from my own teaching experience, as well as, my current and past experience and knowledge gained through work and educational experiences.  Artificial intelligence may not have the same experiences and knowledge that I possess, and therefore, if I compared my thoughts to what AI would produce on this topic, we would likely draw different conclusions.  Based on the research I’ve done for this assignment; I believe that my conclusions are more in-depth and thoughtful then if generated by AI.  I believe that humans form opinions better than machines and although humans have their own bias, they have the ability to identify their bias and have the ability to exclude their bias in thoughtful conclusions and explanations.

 

References

BBC News. (2016, January 26). AI pioneer Marvin Minsky dies aged 88. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35409119

Biography.com Editors. (2020, July 22). Alan Turing. Biography. https://www.biography.com/scientist/alan-turing

Chollet, F. (2019, November 5). On the measure of intelligence. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1911.01547

Frankenfield, J. (2022, February 22). What is the Turing test? Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/turing-test.asp

Harris, A. (2018, November 2). Human languages vs. programming languages – Ana Harris. Medium. https://medium.com/@anaharris/human-languages-vs-programming-languages-c89410f13252

Heilweil, R. (2020, February 18). Algorithms and bias, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/18/21121286/algorithms-bias-discrimination-facial-recognition-transparency

Sutton, R. S. (2020). John McCarthy’s definition of intelligence. Journal of Artificial General Intelligence, 11(2), 66-67.  https://doi.org/10.2478/jagi-2020-0003

The Decision Lab. (2021, March 2). Herbert Simon. The Decision Lab. https://thedecisionlab.com/thinkers/computer-science/herbert-simon

Vadapalli, P. (2021, December 20). AI vs Human Intelligence: Difference Between AI & Human Intelligence. upGrad Blog. https://www.upgrad.com/blog/ai-vs-human-intelligence/#:%7E:text=While%20Human%20Intelligence%20aims%20to,analogous%2C%20but%20machines%20are%20digital.

Woolery, E. (2022). Timnit Gebru: Machine learning, bias, and product design. Timnit Gebru: Machine Learning, Bias, and Product Design – DesignBetter. https://www.designbetter.co/conversations/timnit-gebru

Users, Uses, and Usability

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is a field of research that combines computer and social sciences, engineering, and design.  HCI is a concept in the system development process that focuses on understanding and creating software and other technology that people want to use, are able to use, and find effective when used.  And the usability concept, and the methods and tools to encourage it, achieve it, and measure it are now touchstones in the culture of computing (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 19).  Wikipedia (2022) defines usability as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience.  Issa and Isaias (2015), further define usability, to include the quality of interaction, ease of use of a system, and the improvements related to use that can be made during the system design, as outlined in the figure below.

To further define usability from an educational perspective, usability should include the quality of interaction and ease of use of a system for both educators and learners.  It should also include the improvements to use during the system design and should include feedback from not only the system design team, but educators and students who will be using the system.  Further, considerations should be given to the usability of a system and how it helps educators and learners to achieve educational goals and improve the learning process.  A system or technology can have all the features and functions programmed to maximize usability, but at the end of the day, if doesn’t align with an educator’s educational goals or improve the learning process for a learner, it will go unused.  Finally, educational usability is not simply for user-technology/system interactions, educational systems have several interactions to consider including student-teacher, student-student, teacher-content, and student-content interactions (Gunesekera et al., 2019).

Woolgar’s (1990) account of usability gone wrong detailed several examples of how the design and production of a new computer resulted in and demonstrates the process of configuring the user.  In one of the examples, Ruth, a tester of the system, attempts to plug in a printer.  She is unable to do this because the computer socket is not compatible with the printer plug, making it impossible to complete the task.  In another example, users were asked to test the text in the computer manuals.  At the stage in the development of the computer, it was not fully known how the computer would fully function making the text being tested in the manual incomplete. It was perceived that if the manual failed, the “fault” was blamed on the user, not the computer.  However, given the design of the computer had not been settled, it cannot be determined if either the computer or the user is at fault.  In both examples, the failures could be explained by issues and challenges with the computer and the step in the design process, not the user or the functionality of the computer.

Issa and Isaias (2015) indicate the success, productivity, and efficiency of a system or technology includes involving the user to influence system design, integrating different knowledge and expertise in the design process, ensuring the design process is iterative, as well as, integrating usability evaluation.  They achieve this by detailing specific usability criteria, which includes learnability, flexibility, robustness, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction (Issa & Isaias, 2015).  These criteria help the developers create the best, most sellable product.  In addition to usability, Issa and Isaias (2015) also factor in utility.  This functionality ensures that users can do what they want the technology to do and does what users need the technology to do.

Woolgar (1990) indicates that the design and production of a new system or technology gives the design team the ability to shape or arrange the user so that they can complete a designated task.  He also argues that having a concept of usability and detailed evaluation criteria will present valid research/test results.  Lastly, he argues that the technology and the user should be held accountable for failed usability.

 

References

Gunesekera, A. I., Bao, Y., & Kibelloh, M. (2019). The role of usability on e-learning user interactions and satisfaction: A literature review. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 21(3), 368-394. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSIT-02-2019-0024

Issa T. & Isaias P. (2015) Usability and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Sustainable Design. London: Springer. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/978-1-4471-6753-2_2

Wikipedia. (2022, May 7). Usability. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability

Woolgar, S. (1990). Configuring the user: the case of usability trials. The Sociological Review, 38 (1_suppl), 58-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1990.tb03349.x

Truth & Reconciliation

As I started this assignment, I knew I wanted to review a historical document that was as relevant today as it was when it was published.  Below you’ll find the results of my research and my thoughts on the findings.

A Corpus

It has been almost five decades since the report Indian Control of Indian Education: Policy Paper (hereinafter the First Nation Control of First Nation Education) was presented to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development by the National Indian Brothership (hereinafter the Assembly of First Nations) in 1973.  It should be noted that this paper was reprinted in 1976 and 2010.  For the purposes of this assignment, I reviewed the original document and the reprinted version that was published in 2010.

According to the Assembly of First Nations (2010), the articulated statement of values presented in the original paper is as true today as it was in its inception.  And after reviewing both papers, I have to agree with this statement.  When you compare the two papers, there isn’t a lot of changes from the original findings and recommendations.  In the second paper that was published in 2010, outcomes and successes are included and outlined.  Despite the framework not changing significantly in decades, the Assembly of First Nations (2010), state that little has been done to implement the original framework.  Again, I have to agree with this statement.  There are several recommendations that have not been implemented by all levels of government.  The most challenging is access to education; there are still First Nation communities across the country that can’t provide adequate education that uses First Peoples education principles. The Assembly of First Nations (2010), also reports on successes including the number of on-reserve pre-K and K-12 schools administering programs and services to First Nations peoples using land-based pedagogies and the development of several institutes of higher education that use First Nations pedagogies offering a full range of adult education programs to graduate degrees.

I found it interesting that this policy paper was originally written in response to the 1969 White Paper which called for the dissolution of the reserve system and total assimilation of First Nations peoples.  In my opinion, this paper proves that First Nations peoples have been fighting assimilation and lobbying the government with well thought out research to preserve their culture for over five decades.

Identifying A Question and Explaining the Search Terms

As I started my research, I was looking for a document that provided a framework for the development and implementation for First Nation learners and that addressed key elements of First Nation education frameworks such as language immersion and the use of holistic and cultural curriculum.

I used the following search terms:

  • Indian
  • Indigenous
  • Aboriginal
  • First Nations
  • Native
  • Education Framework

From these terms several research papers appeared and I started to skim through them and their bibliographies.  In one of the first research papers I reviewed, I found First Nation Control of First Nation Education policy paper listed in the bibliography.  I was drawn to the year the paper was published and the title of the paper, as I thought it would provide the broader information that I was looking for.

Identifying A New Question

As I reviewed the original, and then reprinted, paper I thought about the following question.

How do indigenous people envision education that integrates indigenous pedagogy?

The Results

The results of my search are below:

  Indian Indigenous Aboriginal First Nations Native Education Framework
Original Paper 306 0 0 3 40 0
Reprinted Paper 384 14 4 404 39 0

Indigenous people have been educating themselves, and their communities since the beginning of time.  They had a natural education system, that started at birth and continued on through one’s lifetime.  Youth and individuals were educated by their elders and community members and education was rooted in culture, contributed to the prosperity of the community, and included communication through language.  Further teachings were spiritual in the forms of dreams, visions, and ceremony.  They have been clear on the education frameworks required to satisfy their learning needs since 1973, yet they are still trying to work with governments to set up an education system that will contribute to their community and will help preserve their language and culture for future generations.

 

References

Assembly of First Nations. (2010). First Nations Report on First Nations Education. https://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/3._2010_july_afn_first_nations_control_of_first_nations_education_final_eng.pdf

National Indian Brothership. (1972). Indian Control of Indian Education. https://oneca.com/IndianControlofIndianEducation.pdf

Edtechdev: Final Project Reflection

I designed the tool, Arts Learning Circle, which provides a space for artists to connect from all backgrounds with the goal of empowering them to learn new skills and develop collaborative relationships with each other through professional development.  The artists ACUA serves will utilize this space to learn from each other and participate in professional development activities.

I designed the tool on my own, and evaluated it from an instructional design and learner perspective.  The design of artslearningcircle.ca was completed in WordPress and utilized WordPress plugins WP Membership and WP Forms.  I used WordPress simply because both expert and novice web designers can use WordPress and there are many resources available to novice web designers to learn how to use WordPress.  Personally, I fall into the Novice web designer category.  In addition to WordPress, communication will be pushed out to artists through MailChimp and social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook.  I also sourced stock photos from Canva, as well as, used Canva to design graphics for the overall design.  In terms of the overall design of the tool, I used Tony Bates SECTIONS Model from 2019 throughout the design process to ensure I was making informed decisions about the choice and use of media for this tool.

The key framework that supported the design of my tool is related to social-constructivism.  Constructivism is based on the idea that learners actively build new understanding and knowledge, and integrate it into what they already know rather than passively take on information.  Vygotsky argued that learners are able to understand so much more with the support of someone with more expertise though social interactions and sense-making.  The tool I’ve created provides a space for learners to further develop their craft through formal workshops and other professional development activities.  The professional development activities will be facilitated by artists, for artists.

In terms of learning, I feel the learning curve for me personally was steep in terms of the technical design skills required for developing this tool.  I had previously used WordPress to create Posts for my work with ACUA and as a student of the MET program, as well as, I have edited Pages in WordPress.  I have never undertaken the full the development of a website.  I spent hours learning how to develop basic functionality in WordPress, as well as, learning how to host my website and deciding on who to host it with.  In retrospective, I would have benefited from developing this tool with at least one other person.  My Aha moment came, when I was trying to figure out coding for a function I wanted to include in the site (hiding a Post from the Blog page), and realized that there was a WordPress plugin that could do exactly what I was trying to do by simply downloading and activating a plugin, reading the installation guide to figure out functionality, and clicking a button.  From that point on, if I was stuck, I went searching for a plugin.  Although, I later learned that using too many plugins may prevent other new plugins from downloading.

Going forward, I believe the tool I created will be used.  I have started to talk to ACUA artists about the tool, and they are excited that they will have a space to participate in professional development activities and learn from each other.  This excites me and I can’t wait to see how it will evolve and be used by them.

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