Day: June 5, 2011

Categories
E-learning Toolkit Module 2

Getting to know Weblogs.

I have spent the better part of today doing something that was not planned.  I began by playing around with my UBC blog and trying to organize my entries into categories.  Once I figured out how categories work I began to get a better sense of how I can keep everything streamlined.  I guess you could call it a bit of an AHA moment.  I then spent a while trying to find and theme that I actually liked, which meant understanding ‘widgets’ and how to use them.  Finally, I played around with a header picture that suited me more than just the default ones provided in the themes.  All in all, I spent WAY too much time I’m sure on this but I am quite happy with what I have done.  That is just what happens I guess -time always seems to be underestimated.  Well, I now understand more about Weblog =).

References

Fisch, K. (2007) Blogging: In Their Own Words. The Fischbowl.  Accessed online 26 March 2009.
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/blogging-in-their-own-words.html

Categories
E-learning Toolkit Module 2

Reflections on the Moodle Toolkit

My experience working through the Moodle toolkit assignment was very positive.  I don’t have very much experience at all with Moodle so I was looking forward to this first step.  I have heard how easy Moodle is to work with, so I am not surprised at how effortless it was for me to create my Welcome Page and Icebreaker.  Having clear directions that were accurate was a big help as well.  I should say that I met with a colleague of mine on Thursday to get a few pointers on Moodle.  He has quite a bit of experience working with Moodle and I found his input quite beneficial.  He actually took ETEC 565A back when it was first introduced as a course.  I look forward to investigating the many other features of Moodle in the coming days, as well as how to efficiently set up a well organized Moodle site.

Categories
Module 1

Applying the Frameworks

For this next task I decided to choose one element from Chickering’s Seven Principles. Many of the seven struck a chord with me, such as timely feedback, which I have always made a priority in my teaching. What I found as I read these seven principles was what resonated most with me, and consequently what I try to develop in my teaching, are the things that I appreciate most as a student. Last July I was in a face-to-face class, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think the reason why I enjoyed it so much was that there was a heavy emphasis on group work. For this reason, the element that I have chosen is #2 ‘Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students’.

As a teacher I try to do this to some degree, but I know that I have a long way to go. I frequently encourage students to work in pairs and discuss their thoughts while they work on homework. I teach science and math and I feel that learning from peers is extremely valuable. I try to set my seating plans (very discretely) once I get a sense of the abilities in my class. I consider the students’ personalities but a large part has to do pairing up the academically strong with the weak.

As a student I have enjoyed the Think-Pair-Share strategy, which allows students to independently form opinions on a given topic, share those opinions with a peer, consider the ideas of their partner, and then share the results with the class. This is a great way to really promote critical thinking skills while at the same time encouraging team work. Working in larger groups is also valuable but I find that the task needs to be conducive to that type of learning. So often there are just too many cooks in the kitchen.

References

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.

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