Looking back, it is amazing all that I have learned in just 13 weeks. ETEC 565A was a rich educational experience, and I plan to apply what I have learned to my own teaching. I appreciated the fact that there was a significant instructor presence in this class, so I knew that I could ask questions if I was unsure or that I would be prodded back in the right direction if I went off on a tangent. In the discussion forums, I enjoyed the experience gathering and sharing information, then discussing and analyzing meaningful issues. I tried working with multiple new educational technologies and would be comfortable implementing their use, or the use of similar technologies in my classroom. Perhaps most importantly, I have gained the tools to critically evaluate whether or not a certain technology should in fact be used in a given context.

Flight Path Reflection

 At the start of this course, my goal was to find new ways to use technology to help students work together and learn from one another while solving problems that relate to their everyday lives. After all, “good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social not competitive and isolated” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). I feel as though I have achieved this goal, especially through the affordances of Moodle.

Additionally, I had hoped to gain a clearer conception of LMS’s and ways to incorporate Social Media and Social Networks into my teaching by the end of this course. This was a part of my goal to improve the way that I design and develop digital-age learning experiences (ISTE, 2008). I also hoped that an LMS would allow me to communicate better with my students. After all, “frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). My experiences evaluating and working with LMS’s in this class has prepared me to improve upon the online access to my classes, and the ways in which I communicate outside of class time with my students.

Another goal in my flight path was to learn about new forms of assessment since “the ways in which new technologies can provide feedback are many” (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). I see the immense benefit of online quizzes such as the one I created in Moodle, and have already begun providing automated digital feedback to the students in my classes.

My final goal was to reflect on Bates and Poole’s (2003) SECTIONS framework before proceeding with using a new technology. I used this framework several times in ETEC 565A, so it will be second nature to refer to it in the future.

eLearning Toolkit Reflection

“Most theories of learning suggest that for learning to be effective it needs to be active; in other words, the learner must respond in some way to the learning material” (Bates & Poole, 2003, pp. 98-99). The e-learning toolkit modeled active learning because it provided enough information to get started using technology, but there was still plenty that was left to figure out on my own. By wrestling with new processes and reflecting on what did and didn’t work, I was able to learn a great deal from the various activities in this course. For example, the e-learning toolkit provided several resources to get started using Moodle, but I had to dig deeper on my own to find out how create a splash page with a customized GUI and to program a module for selective release. The e-Learning toolkit provides an excellent overview of different technologies while still allowing the user to seek out answers through deeper research and trial and error.

Overall 565A Experience Reflection

Moodle

In the intro module activity, I became acquainted with Moodle and learned how to use iMovie as part of my icebreaker activity. Initially, working within Moodle was very overwhelming because I lacked any previous experience designing an online course. However, perseverance led me to become much more comfortable with Moodle over time. I believe that knowledge comes through a process of wrestling with information that leads to meaningful learning. By struggling with designing my own learning module, I gained memorable experience that I could apply to working with other Learning Management Systems in the future.

The assessment task showed me the value of online quizzes and I have begun pursuing ways to use this in the future. The purpose of assessment should be to “motivate, inform, and provide feedback to both learners and teachers” (Anderson, 2008, p. 49), which was at the forefront of my mind as I created a Moodle quiz. I like how online quizzes provide timely feedback “that is received by students while it still matters to them and in time for them to pay attention to further learning or receive further assistance” (Gibbs & Simpson, 2005, p. 18). I see huge potential for automated feedback that is afforded by Moodle quizzes, and can envision using this as a formative assessment strategy in the future. My Moodle Quiz provides students with immediate, individualized feedback with suggestions for further improvement. It is highly beneficial due to its timeliness and personalization features, and I will be using it with my grade tens. However, it should be only one tool in an instructor’s toolkit as it does have some drawbacks. A better way for students to demonstrate higher-level thinking may be afforded by Moodle’s wiki platform, which allows collaborative, inquiry based demonstrations of learning.

I enjoyed the opportunity to design a course module in Moodle and I feel confident applying my new skills to other Learning Management Systems. My Moodle Module is a digital learning experience that will facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity while allowing me to model digital-age work and engage in professional growth (NETS, 2008).

Digital Story

The digital story assignment was incredibly inspiring and enjoyable. I tried working with Kerpoof, Mixbook, Glogster, and SimpleBooklet before deciding to increase my skills using Prezi. After seeing my peers’ work, I feel inspired to try Animoto and have begun checking it out as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to try a totally new lesson format and I believe that my digital story will engage my students and pique their curiosity. It will serve as a great hook to initiate conversation about predators, prey, and the effects of climate change. The use of digital stories is now one more tool in my teaching toolbox that I will roll out more in the future. 

Course Readings & Discussions

In Module 1, Chickering & Gamson’s “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” left a significant impression on me. When I think about what makes someone a ‘good teacher’ this provides me with tangible characteristics to keep in mind. I strive to be the best educator that I can and this framework gives me qualities to try to improve upon. Similarly, reading about digital-age teaching professionals (ISTE, 2008) allowed me to reflect upon what I am doing well in my classroom and what I could focus more on.

I learned about DVD authoring in Module 2 and concluded that given Anju’s intended audience, a DVD may be something that her clients are more familiar with than accessing the materials online. If her clients were primarily youth then I would definitely suggest uploading videos to YouTube over burning DVDs. This is a timely topic for me as I recently applied my new iMovie skills to create a memorial video for my Grandma’s funeral. I wanted all immediate family members to have access to the video after the service, so I uploaded the video to YouTube and sent out the link. However, my parents expressed that they would be more proficient at accessing the video from a DVD rather than online, so I also burned a copy of the video onto DVD for each family member. It is nice to know that I am acquiring technological skills that can be applied, not only at work but also in other aspects of my life.

Module 3 required me to reflect upon Boris’ and Trinh’s dilemmas. I love how ETEC565A utilized real world examples, and what I take away from this is that it provides a deeper level of understanding than fact-based teaching where there is one answer to every question. I see incredible value in the case-based approach, and plan to try it out in the classes that I teach.

In Module 4, I considered the benefits of blogging such as the ability to “learn with far-flung collaborators” (Downes, 2004) and the creation of an extension of the classroom that “allows you to see what other people are thinking” (Fisch, 2007). At the same time, I considered the ethical implications of posting students’ work online, and learned that it is vital to have parental permission before proceeding with online posting.

Finally, in Module 5, I learned about several factors that must be thought out before embarking on a technology-based project with a class. Consideration must be given to students’ time, access to equipment, ability levels, attendance issues, parental permissions and copyright concerns. In my own school, I would also consider access to wifi if students will be working online as this can be a problem at times.

Next Steps with Educational Technology

In the future, I look forward to exploring Moodle’s other affordances. For instance, I would like to reward students with badges as they complete modules. I think that a badge could provide a little extra motivation and encouragement to help students be proud of their own progress and continue striving for improvement.

Currently, I am using Wikispaces as my class website but I am not taking advantage of its interactive capabilities. Whether I decide to stick with Wikispaces, convert to Moodle, or use another platform such as Edmodo, I want to create a class website that is more interactive than what I use currently. Not only should a website be a space where students can access information, but it should also allow students to interact with one another, and with their instructor.

One important concept that I will keep in mind is that “no matter how powerful in educational terms a particular technology may be, if students cannot access it in a convenient and affordable manner they cannot learn from it” (Bates & Poole, 2003, p. 81). Prior to introducing a new technology in my classroom, I will reflect on Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS framework before proceeding. It is incredibly helpful to have a framework for evaluating technology, and I enjoyed the opportunity to create an LMS rubric at the beginning of this course. It was a good chance to practice using SECTIONS, and I feel more confident using the framework for evaluation in the future. It also showed me how SECTIONS may be modified given a specific context. The latest technology choice I have to make is whether to get a Windows tablet, Windows Laptop, or MacBook Pro Laptop. As part of my District’s Technology Plan, all teachers with a .4FTE will be provided one of the three choices for the 2014/2015 school year. In order to determine which one will be the best choice for me, I will evaluate the affordances according to the SECTIONS framework.

Deciding to pursue my Masters degree was a huge step for me and I am thrilled that I chose the MET program. Since embarking on this journey I have come out of my shell more at work and am much more vocal, participating in several leadership initiatives, especially those based around technology. As a lifelong learner, I endeavor to successfully contribute to the “effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of the school and community” (ISTE, 2008). With two courses left, I am nearing the end of this program but the knowledge and skills that I have gained have inspired me to always strive for improvement as a digital-age teaching professional.

References

Anderson, T.  (2008). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf

Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for selecting and using technology. In Effective teaching with technology in higher education: Foundations for success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.

Chickering, A.W. & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996).  Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6.

Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987).  Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.  American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39(7), 3-7.

Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), 14-26. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/educational-blogging

Fisch, K. (2007). Blogging: In their own words. The Fischbowl. Retrieved from
 http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/blogging-in-their-own-words.html

Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008) Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf