As we think about online assessment, it is clear that a reflection of existing online assessment practices is in order.
The survey to your left asks which online assessment you have seen - as either a student or instructor - most often employed.
I would really appreciate your comment on this topic. If you selected other, would you mind indicating which assessment tool that other is?
If you have time to comment on your experience would you describe the strengths and weaknesses not only of the predominate tool used, but what other tools that previous online class might have used to assess learning.
Why do you think these tools were not used?
Thanks for your comments.
Greg
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Module 3
Concept map
The upload of my concept map, obviously did not come through well. I will quote from a bit of my reflection 3 (see below) on this activity in week 3 of our course.
"I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.
Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting."
"I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.
Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting."
Click here for a clearer view of the concept map below. This link also has a version of the concept map with audio.
Greg@Az
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Images and Readings Worth Noting
Images descriptive of the topics analyzed by participants in the spring semester, 2008.
Module 3
Module 2
Module 1
Excellent readings on wiki - my midterm topic.
Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Midterm
Our midterm in EDUC 762 is a collaborative activity. I have been paired with 3 other classmates (we are Group 3) and I will be researching wiki as assessment.
Below is a very rough draft of my participation.
Click on my wiki to see a formatted version - click here.
Greg Pratt
EDUC 762
Group 3
Peer to Peer Collaboration/Wiki
Spring 2008
Introduction to wiki, its uses & benefits
Introduction
According to Bernie Dodge (http://webquest.sdsu.edu/necc2004/blogs-and-wikis.htm) wikis were developed in 1995 by Ward Cunningham. The word means quick in Hawaiian. Cunningham's definition of a a wiki is the simplest online database that could possibly work. The archetypal wiki is Wikipedia, a collaborative effort with over a quarter million entries. Wikis allow open editing. Setting on the wiki can allow anyone can edit anyone else's writing, or undo a previous edit. This leads to a shared ownership of the collected work. To experience this, you can add an entry to Wikipedia or set up your own free wikispace on any of a number of wiki sites. If you have sufficient geek experience you can install your own wiki software on a server running Linux or Mac OS X. Most are open source.
Uses
In “Using Wikis for Summative and Formative Assessment” Marija Cubric outlines the following uses for wiki in instructional settings:
• Add (referenced) contribution to the weekly topic analysis
• Add definition to a topic discussion
• Review an article/web-site/standard relative to the topic
• Complete a practical task
• Develop essay
• Review the work of your colleague and provide comments
Her list reveals a dual nature of wiki, there is potential for academic skill development in writing, critical thinking, and other above the course level outcomes that learning institutions strive to achieve. At the same time, wiki provide a vehicle to develop collaborative skills and develop facility in the use of appropriate instructional technology for task completion.
Emma Tonkin in “Making the Case for Wiki” presents the uses for wiki in a broader context. She describes the following wiki uses:
Single-user Wikis
Talking to yourself may well be the first sign of madness, but what about writing to yourself? At first sight, it seems peculiar to imagine a single author making good use of a wiki. Wikis are collaborative environments, after all - or they're fast flexible multi-user web development platforms. What can one person do with a wiki?
• Brainstorming in the form of a wikiweb, which she describes as a concept map in wiki page.Or, rephrased, what on earth is the good of wiki software for a handheld or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)?
• a single user wiki is a marvellous way of collecting and presenting information over a period of time.
Lab Book
Students requiring a place to keep an online lab book or research notebook are in much the same situation as the 'single user' jotting down brainstorming ideas, except for a number of details:
• The students may wish to create an index and entries cross-referenced by date and by content.
• Page export facilities in various forms are useful, if not necessary; for example, if the student can export their completed pages as a well typeset PDF document, the results can easily be used and shared in a variety of scenarios, or even bound into a book and used as a permanent record.
Collaborative Writing
Wikis are available online, for anybody granted access, and usually include the vital versioning information that allows authors to track the history of their documents. They appear to be an ideal platform for collaborative authorship, and indeed certain projects such as the Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia, have proved to be entirely successful.
Wikis destined for collaborative writing should therefore include:
• a page locking system
• a versioning system
• the ability to temporarily remove the edit functionality for a given page
Knowledge Base
Any good learning community needs to retain their experiences somewhere, and a wiki makes a reasonably good knowledge base.
My teammate Patrick M pointed me to the online journal The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. In a 2005 analysis of wiki the authors of this article conclude: “The wiki has clear potential in distance education, allowing users to brainstorm ideas with an unlimited number of people around the world, and to collaborate with them in exchanging files and developing webpages.” They go to articulate both a use and a benefit of wiki when they write: “It is hoped that an increasing number of educators will encourage their students to develop the simple online editing and sharing skills that make wikis useful.”
Benefits
Linda Schwartz, Sharon Clark, Mary Cossarin, and Jim Rudolph in a 2004 article from the previously mentioned online journal outline a number of benefits arguing that “wikis can provide an efficient, flexible, user friendly and cost-effective interface for collaboration, knowledge creation and archiving, and student interaction. Lack of standardized formatting across wiki programs makes WYSIWYG editing attractive. The need for minimal technical skills allows users to concentrate on content rather than on the technical process of writing, and reduces the need for student support.”
In Corporate Wiki Users: Results of a Survey Ann Majchrzak et al reported that a survey of 168 corporate wiki users disclosed three main types of benefits from corporate wikis: enhanced reputation, work made easier, and helping theorganization to improve its processes. These benefits were seen as more likely when the wiki was used for tasks requiring novel solutions and the information posted was from credible sources.
Cubric prefaced her analysis of the benefits of wiki by saying “Regarding the theoretical foundation of this work, it is obvious that wiki is a textbook example of constructivist tool for learning . . . “ Among the benefits she lists (see Appendix for full analysis) are just-in-time learning, “structured dialogue” via learning, and a movement toward “connective” writing. An interesting finding asserted that wiki help student employability by preparing them for teamwork, global audience and peer reviews and in general for the new business model where “collaboration is the expectation rather than exception”
Weaknesses & challenges of wiki as an assessment tool
Jeremiah Owyang outlined the following wiki weaknesses at his blog site
To me, public wikis are one of the most problematic of all the social tools. I’ve created, managed, or been part of several public wikis, and as soon as they get popular, they get vandalized. The challenge is that turning over that much control over to the crowd gives one person nearly 90% control of the content. Sure, you can revert it but it becomes a cat and mouse game. I deployed the industry wiki for the Data Storage Industry, and we had to lock it, and hand out keys to trusted members of the community due to vandalism, same with the ScobleShow wiki, which is permanently disabled. Wikipedia? Same thing. In my frustration, I wrote this piece on the problem with wikis is people.
Other weaknesses and challenges of wiki surfaced in our class include the unfamiliar format, the somewhat crude and confusing interface or view, the difficulty in attribution of authorship and time requirement. While this participant in our class revised their opinion, their first impression of wiki was: “In my initial assessment of the wiki earlier this week, I absolutely hated it, and wanted nothing to do with it. Because of it's minimalist-looking webpage, I was turned off from the very beginning, and it didn't look very user-friendly.” So what was accurately described as a “minimalist page was an initial turn off. This may pose a significant challenge to the generation of learners raised on high levels of participant controlled functionality that is aesthetically under the control of the individual. Another participant in the same class writes on our discussion board about wiki: “What happens if more than one person is making an edit to the same content in a Wiki? Common sense tells me that whoever clicks save most recent gets their changes posted on the Wiki. Where this confuses me is if I am spending a great deal of time modifying information in a Wiki, only to realize someone else overrides it...this could end up in much wasted time.” This latter concern “wasted effort” would effectively block the efficicacy of wiki.
The issue of time required is clearly a barrier or cost to the use of wiki. An innovator in the use of social networks in composition instruction writes: “I can think of other reasons for not rushing to accept social networking apps. The main one is time. I have my students using blogs, wikis, and RSS now. And I've been wanting to start incorporating podcasts and videos. But to learn how to use them (some of my students do use them, which is great!) effectively in my classes, I just don't have the time” (http://secondlanguagewriting.com/explorations/Archives/2007/August/HypefromtheMediaandfromW.html)
A member of Group 3, my collaborative group for this midterm activity writes on the E Learning for Educators blog: “Do you see wiki as an example of authenticity in activity or assessment? No as it is too uncontrolled for my taste and comfort level.”
Finally, one of my colleagues in my midterm collaborate group wrote: “I would emphasize to my students that most of what is posted in wikis could be unverified.” This is perhaps the most frequently raised objection to wiki.
Examples of application of wiki in an online classroom.
Below are a list of applications for wiki in online classrooms. I would argue that perhaps the strongest set of applications involve the writing process and the publication process. My colleague at Mesa Community College, Shelley Rodrigo, English faculty and Instructional Technologist wrote on January 7, 2008 on E Learning for Educators: “Peer review of writing projects in a wiki is always interesting. Using the page history is helpful for both the student to learn from their classmates as well as my tracking of student work. I also like having students co-develop resource pages using a wiki.”
• Add (referenced) contribution to the weekly topic analysis
• Add definition to a topic discussion
• Review an article/web-site/standard relative to the topic
• Complete a practical task
• Develop essay
• Review the work of your colleague and provide comments
• Brainstorming
• Lab book
• Collaborative writing
At least one learning objective connected to the use wiki.
Clearly a number of learning objectives can be both articulated, taught and assessed via wiki. The most common general area seems to involve writing. One learning objective that might be taught and assessed online would be to have an original work of academic writing be revised by both the author and a classmate. Thinking back to Shelley Rodrigo’s comments, it seems that an increased quantity, quality, and process as measured by revision in the writing process may be connected to the use of wiki.
Below is a very rough draft of my participation.
Click on my wiki to see a formatted version - click here.
Greg Pratt
EDUC 762
Group 3
Peer to Peer Collaboration/Wiki
Spring 2008
Introduction to wiki, its uses & benefits
Introduction
According to Bernie Dodge (http://webquest.sdsu.edu/necc2004/blogs-and-wikis.htm) wikis were developed in 1995 by Ward Cunningham. The word means quick in Hawaiian. Cunningham's definition of a a wiki is the simplest online database that could possibly work. The archetypal wiki is Wikipedia, a collaborative effort with over a quarter million entries. Wikis allow open editing. Setting on the wiki can allow anyone can edit anyone else's writing, or undo a previous edit. This leads to a shared ownership of the collected work. To experience this, you can add an entry to Wikipedia or set up your own free wikispace on any of a number of wiki sites. If you have sufficient geek experience you can install your own wiki software on a server running Linux or Mac OS X. Most are open source.
Uses
In “Using Wikis for Summative and Formative Assessment” Marija Cubric outlines the following uses for wiki in instructional settings:
• Add (referenced) contribution to the weekly topic analysis
• Add definition to a topic discussion
• Review an article/web-site/standard relative to the topic
• Complete a practical task
• Develop essay
• Review the work of your colleague and provide comments
Her list reveals a dual nature of wiki, there is potential for academic skill development in writing, critical thinking, and other above the course level outcomes that learning institutions strive to achieve. At the same time, wiki provide a vehicle to develop collaborative skills and develop facility in the use of appropriate instructional technology for task completion.
Emma Tonkin in “Making the Case for Wiki” presents the uses for wiki in a broader context. She describes the following wiki uses:
Single-user Wikis
Talking to yourself may well be the first sign of madness, but what about writing to yourself? At first sight, it seems peculiar to imagine a single author making good use of a wiki. Wikis are collaborative environments, after all - or they're fast flexible multi-user web development platforms. What can one person do with a wiki?
• Brainstorming in the form of a wikiweb, which she describes as a concept map in wiki page.Or, rephrased, what on earth is the good of wiki software for a handheld or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)?
• a single user wiki is a marvellous way of collecting and presenting information over a period of time.
Lab Book
Students requiring a place to keep an online lab book or research notebook are in much the same situation as the 'single user' jotting down brainstorming ideas, except for a number of details:
• The students may wish to create an index and entries cross-referenced by date and by content.
• Page export facilities in various forms are useful, if not necessary; for example, if the student can export their completed pages as a well typeset PDF document, the results can easily be used and shared in a variety of scenarios, or even bound into a book and used as a permanent record.
Collaborative Writing
Wikis are available online, for anybody granted access, and usually include the vital versioning information that allows authors to track the history of their documents. They appear to be an ideal platform for collaborative authorship, and indeed certain projects such as the Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia, have proved to be entirely successful.
Wikis destined for collaborative writing should therefore include:
• a page locking system
• a versioning system
• the ability to temporarily remove the edit functionality for a given page
Knowledge Base
Any good learning community needs to retain their experiences somewhere, and a wiki makes a reasonably good knowledge base.
My teammate Patrick M pointed me to the online journal The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. In a 2005 analysis of wiki the authors of this article conclude: “The wiki has clear potential in distance education, allowing users to brainstorm ideas with an unlimited number of people around the world, and to collaborate with them in exchanging files and developing webpages.” They go to articulate both a use and a benefit of wiki when they write: “It is hoped that an increasing number of educators will encourage their students to develop the simple online editing and sharing skills that make wikis useful.”
Benefits
Linda Schwartz, Sharon Clark, Mary Cossarin, and Jim Rudolph in a 2004 article from the previously mentioned online journal outline a number of benefits arguing that “wikis can provide an efficient, flexible, user friendly and cost-effective interface for collaboration, knowledge creation and archiving, and student interaction. Lack of standardized formatting across wiki programs makes WYSIWYG editing attractive. The need for minimal technical skills allows users to concentrate on content rather than on the technical process of writing, and reduces the need for student support.”
In Corporate Wiki Users: Results of a Survey Ann Majchrzak et al reported that a survey of 168 corporate wiki users disclosed three main types of benefits from corporate wikis: enhanced reputation, work made easier, and helping theorganization to improve its processes. These benefits were seen as more likely when the wiki was used for tasks requiring novel solutions and the information posted was from credible sources.
Cubric prefaced her analysis of the benefits of wiki by saying “Regarding the theoretical foundation of this work, it is obvious that wiki is a textbook example of constructivist tool for learning . . . “ Among the benefits she lists (see Appendix for full analysis) are just-in-time learning, “structured dialogue” via learning, and a movement toward “connective” writing. An interesting finding asserted that wiki help student employability by preparing them for teamwork, global audience and peer reviews and in general for the new business model where “collaboration is the expectation rather than exception”
Weaknesses & challenges of wiki as an assessment tool
Jeremiah Owyang outlined the following wiki weaknesses at his blog site
To me, public wikis are one of the most problematic of all the social tools. I’ve created, managed, or been part of several public wikis, and as soon as they get popular, they get vandalized. The challenge is that turning over that much control over to the crowd gives one person nearly 90% control of the content. Sure, you can revert it but it becomes a cat and mouse game. I deployed the industry wiki for the Data Storage Industry, and we had to lock it, and hand out keys to trusted members of the community due to vandalism, same with the ScobleShow wiki, which is permanently disabled. Wikipedia? Same thing. In my frustration, I wrote this piece on the problem with wikis is people.
Other weaknesses and challenges of wiki surfaced in our class include the unfamiliar format, the somewhat crude and confusing interface or view, the difficulty in attribution of authorship and time requirement. While this participant in our class revised their opinion, their first impression of wiki was: “In my initial assessment of the wiki earlier this week, I absolutely hated it, and wanted nothing to do with it. Because of it's minimalist-looking webpage, I was turned off from the very beginning, and it didn't look very user-friendly.” So what was accurately described as a “minimalist page was an initial turn off. This may pose a significant challenge to the generation of learners raised on high levels of participant controlled functionality that is aesthetically under the control of the individual. Another participant in the same class writes on our discussion board about wiki: “What happens if more than one person is making an edit to the same content in a Wiki? Common sense tells me that whoever clicks save most recent gets their changes posted on the Wiki. Where this confuses me is if I am spending a great deal of time modifying information in a Wiki, only to realize someone else overrides it...this could end up in much wasted time.” This latter concern “wasted effort” would effectively block the efficicacy of wiki.
The issue of time required is clearly a barrier or cost to the use of wiki. An innovator in the use of social networks in composition instruction writes: “I can think of other reasons for not rushing to accept social networking apps. The main one is time. I have my students using blogs, wikis, and RSS now. And I've been wanting to start incorporating podcasts and videos. But to learn how to use them (some of my students do use them, which is great!) effectively in my classes, I just don't have the time” (http://secondlanguagewriting.com/explorations/Archives/2007/August/HypefromtheMediaandfromW.html)
A member of Group 3, my collaborative group for this midterm activity writes on the E Learning for Educators blog: “Do you see wiki as an example of authenticity in activity or assessment? No as it is too uncontrolled for my taste and comfort level.”
Finally, one of my colleagues in my midterm collaborate group wrote: “I would emphasize to my students that most of what is posted in wikis could be unverified.” This is perhaps the most frequently raised objection to wiki.
Examples of application of wiki in an online classroom.
Below are a list of applications for wiki in online classrooms. I would argue that perhaps the strongest set of applications involve the writing process and the publication process. My colleague at Mesa Community College, Shelley Rodrigo, English faculty and Instructional Technologist wrote on January 7, 2008 on E Learning for Educators: “Peer review of writing projects in a wiki is always interesting. Using the page history is helpful for both the student to learn from their classmates as well as my tracking of student work. I also like having students co-develop resource pages using a wiki.”
• Add (referenced) contribution to the weekly topic analysis
• Add definition to a topic discussion
• Review an article/web-site/standard relative to the topic
• Complete a practical task
• Develop essay
• Review the work of your colleague and provide comments
• Brainstorming
• Lab book
• Collaborative writing
At least one learning objective connected to the use wiki.
Clearly a number of learning objectives can be both articulated, taught and assessed via wiki. The most common general area seems to involve writing. One learning objective that might be taught and assessed online would be to have an original work of academic writing be revised by both the author and a classmate. Thinking back to Shelley Rodrigo’s comments, it seems that an increased quantity, quality, and process as measured by revision in the writing process may be connected to the use of wiki.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wikis
In the space of 24 months I have moved from ground zero (only knowing about wiki through Wikipedia) to an informed novice in the area of wiki use in instructional settings.
Per the module 2 requirements the link for the wiki used in EDUC 762 can be found at
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/uofw_assessment_course/uofw_assessment_course?t&usermessage=&CFID=3621561&CFTOKEN=91691100&jsessionid=c2302632751164473998329
As a part of the requirements for EDUC 760 E Learning For Educators, the first class in the Graduate Certificate Program in Online Learning and Teaching I began a wiki - E Learning for Educators. My experience with this wiki reflected the following:
1. The dynamic nature of a wiki
2. The initial period of a wiki - great solitude. This is similar to blogging
3. The tremendous flexibility of wiki
4. Specific application as a documentation for a portfolio
5. An entry point for access to other relevant sites
Beyond these uses I do see potential applications for my students:
1. Authentic writing opportunities
2. Bring both authenticity, connectiveness (see paper below) and continuity to learning
3. Collaboration
4. Increased activity and ownership of learning (Scroll down on this link to see a list of courses using wiki)
"Where I’d like to see connectivism go is in the direction of personalized learning environments, or perhaps what Siemens calls “learning ecologies”. However, I’d like to take that idea in the K-12 realm to be a PLE that would follow the student through school, and then beyond. I think we can take existing technologies that build social relationships and harness these for learning AND instruction….
This is a great little paper on some of the changes organizations who need deal with training or education are facing due to the explosion of connectivism in society. George Siemens presented this “white paper” recently at the Google Developers Conference."
The full white paper
Greg@Az
Per the module 2 requirements the link for the wiki used in EDUC 762 can be found at
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/uofw_assessment_course/uofw_assessment_course?t&usermessage=&CFID=3621561&CFTOKEN=91691100&jsessionid=c2302632751164473998329
As a part of the requirements for EDUC 760 E Learning For Educators, the first class in the Graduate Certificate Program in Online Learning and Teaching I began a wiki - E Learning for Educators. My experience with this wiki reflected the following:
1. The dynamic nature of a wiki
2. The initial period of a wiki - great solitude. This is similar to blogging
3. The tremendous flexibility of wiki
4. Specific application as a documentation for a portfolio
5. An entry point for access to other relevant sites
Beyond these uses I do see potential applications for my students:
1. Authentic writing opportunities
2. Bring both authenticity, connectiveness (see paper below) and continuity to learning
3. Collaboration
4. Increased activity and ownership of learning (Scroll down on this link to see a list of courses using wiki)
"Where I’d like to see connectivism go is in the direction of personalized learning environments, or perhaps what Siemens calls “learning ecologies”. However, I’d like to take that idea in the K-12 realm to be a PLE that would follow the student through school, and then beyond. I think we can take existing technologies that build social relationships and harness these for learning AND instruction….
This is a great little paper on some of the changes organizations who need deal with training or education are facing due to the explosion of connectivism in society. George Siemens presented this “white paper” recently at the Google Developers Conference."
The full white paper
Greg@Az
YouTube short views on wiki
This short video makes a great reference to Mob Intelligence. I immediately thought of a book I highly recommend - The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
Contrast the above YouTube view of wiki with the one below.
Results of the Module 2 - Interactive Inventory
Module 2 in EDUC 762 had the following activity:
This interactive inventory will not only allow you to compare student and teacher-centered courses, but it is an assessment example of a reusable learning object survey. Please save the results of your assessment to place in your blog.
Below see the results from this self survey - I used a print screen to capture and insert. This is not a great way to "see" my results, but you have all taken the survey so you have a sense for what you are looking at.
My comments sent to Datta Kaur
Assessment: Teacher-centered or Learner-centered?
This was a very, very useful survey and an engaging way to interact with the material and assess my personal view of teaching and learning.
Greg@Az
Clearly not the best action so
This interactive inventory will not only allow you to compare student and teacher-centered courses, but it is an assessment example of a reusable learning object survey. Please save the results of your assessment to place in your blog.
Below see the results from this self survey - I used a print screen to capture and insert. This is not a great way to "see" my results, but you have all taken the survey so you have a sense for what you are looking at.
My comments sent to Datta Kaur
Assessment: Teacher-centered or Learner-centered?
This was a very, very useful survey and an engaging way to interact with the material and assess my personal view of teaching and learning.
Greg@Az
Clearly not the best action so
Friday, January 18, 2008
Module 2
Pair-Share Activity - from UofW Stout online class
The post below is a response to an assignment in EDUC 762 Assessment in Learning, a graduate class in offered by UofW Stout in the Graduate Certificate in E-Learning and Online Teaching.
That assignment:
After you have created your blog, copy/paste last week’s partner interview (your own story), and your notes from the Module Two reading interactive inventory into your blog. Additionally you can add images, a link to the course wiki, readings and any other activity or assessment choices that you acquire here.
Below is the partner interview I completed with my classmate Nishele.
Hi everyone:
That assignment:
After you have created your blog, copy/paste last week’s partner interview (your own story), and your notes from the Module Two reading interactive inventory into your blog. Additionally you can add images, a link to the course wiki, readings and any other activity or assessment choices that you acquire here.
Below is the partner interview I completed with my classmate Nishele.
Hi everyone:
Nishele and Greg here saying hello. We are both looking forward to a productive learning experience over the next weeks with all of you.
http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/lenards/
Nishele has a wonderful sense of humor - check her profile for her most memorable learning experience. She and Greg share the following:
Both born in Ohio
Both have 2 children at home
Both enjoy scrapbooking
Both are involved in higher education
http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~gpratt/
Greg and Nishele spent the time before the formal beginning of our class on Jan. 14 completing the pair share activity that is the basis for this discussion post. This reflects another commonality between us-we are both type A personalities. Below is an excerpt from one of our e mail exchanges written by Greg to Nishele:
"With your background in online learning and teaching you know the costs and benefits (see subtle economics at work) of online education. As type A personalities we thrive in the online world. As you have found I am certain, the challenge is to assist those who are deadline junkies or how do not have a formal organization for their learning or lives. Those who live in the chaos of the real world and lack the internal mechanisms to self regulate and schedule often get left behind in online environments . . . unless those online worlds are facebook or second life.
Well, as you can tell, I love to talk so . . . I'll leave you alone.
I think we have "processed" this activity and can move on to the discussion forum.
Nishele great to meet you and I actually like this activity - while I am not certain it would work with my online students - freshman and women in college, I do think it has great potential for participants in professional development or graduate programs.
Look forward to working with you in the cyberspace of this class community."
Nishele and I look forward to your comments about this pair-share activity and your evaluation of the costs and benefits of this type of community building activity.
Greg@Az and Nishele@Wisconsin
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Reflective Journal 7
Our module this week provided a welcome change (slowing) of the pace. As I am concurrently engaged in a second class - EDUC 761 the timing has been perfect.
I am finalizing my final project I am reflecting first what a wonderfully comprehensive activity this is and second how useful this will be to improve assessment in my online courses.
My classmates also reacted favorably, I think, to this pace. As the drafts of the final project appeared I was very impressed with the work we have done in analyzing and then applying that analysis of assessment tools to our online courses or projected online courses.
I am finalizing my final project I am reflecting first what a wonderfully comprehensive activity this is and second how useful this will be to improve assessment in my online courses.
My classmates also reacted favorably, I think, to this pace. As the drafts of the final project appeared I was very impressed with the work we have done in analyzing and then applying that analysis of assessment tools to our online courses or projected online courses.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Reflective Journal 6
Module 6 - this week my reflection will focus on the readings. Outstanding set of ideas and I found I connected with these 3 readings.
Cybercoaching - this was wonderful, although I did skip the material at the end of the article, it seemed to focus on writing.
Ok, the components of the model - cyberspace + coaching = cybercoaching was a great way to illustrate a process that I have intuitively been moving toward. I love the feedback model, the notion that as a facilitator I can intervene (formatively assess and realign) my students to help them achieve their goals within the constraints of the learning environment.
The key point raised about cyber (3) was the relationship that encourages a two way feedback mechanism. This ZPD concept really makes sense, not only for exercise science, or languages but economics.
Interestingly page 5 ended with a difference in perception between faculty and students on the promptness of the feedback, in a 2004 study. This is not surprising given the gulf that I have seen between points of view in the profession and our students, and the profession can well be as biased as our students.
The Harmonic Feedback Look was a great way to integrate the complex components of instruction in a way that makes sense and relates to the coaching model.
I also found the Datta Kaur, 2001 paper to be very relevant. Her survey of the literature was very, very well done and the Rheingold description of virtual learning communities was dead on when he wrote of successful online communities:
1. Possessing a sprint of group creative, experimentation, exploration, and goodwill.
2. Authentic conversation - from the heat, the heart and the gut.
3. A gift economy for knowledge-sharing.
On page 10 of Datta Kaur I alsom related to "real -time community"
1. net-gener
2. facilitator
3. excitement and possibilites
Page 16 - "Similar to a host of a party, the optinal online teacher invites you into his/her 'home' shaing . . . personal views and values. . . "
The Brandon article was very relevant to my instructional design course and the list of url references was excellent.
Cybercoaching - this was wonderful, although I did skip the material at the end of the article, it seemed to focus on writing.
Ok, the components of the model - cyberspace + coaching = cybercoaching was a great way to illustrate a process that I have intuitively been moving toward. I love the feedback model, the notion that as a facilitator I can intervene (formatively assess and realign) my students to help them achieve their goals within the constraints of the learning environment.
The key point raised about cyber (3) was the relationship that encourages a two way feedback mechanism. This ZPD concept really makes sense, not only for exercise science, or languages but economics.
Interestingly page 5 ended with a difference in perception between faculty and students on the promptness of the feedback, in a 2004 study. This is not surprising given the gulf that I have seen between points of view in the profession and our students, and the profession can well be as biased as our students.
The Harmonic Feedback Look was a great way to integrate the complex components of instruction in a way that makes sense and relates to the coaching model.
I also found the Datta Kaur, 2001 paper to be very relevant. Her survey of the literature was very, very well done and the Rheingold description of virtual learning communities was dead on when he wrote of successful online communities:
1. Possessing a sprint of group creative, experimentation, exploration, and goodwill.
2. Authentic conversation - from the heat, the heart and the gut.
3. A gift economy for knowledge-sharing.
On page 10 of Datta Kaur I alsom related to "real -time community"
1. net-gener
2. facilitator
3. excitement and possibilites
Page 16 - "Similar to a host of a party, the optinal online teacher invites you into his/her 'home' shaing . . . personal views and values. . . "
The Brandon article was very relevant to my instructional design course and the list of url references was excellent.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Reflective Journal 5
This post is a reflection of my work in both EDUC 762 - Online Assessment and EDUC 761 - Collaborative Communities.
A great week. The two applied activities in EDUC 762 Online Assessment were outstanding and I will certainly incorporate both into my online instruction. Our small group module 2 over in collaborating communities was also a wonderful way to experience a technique that might well facilitate online community building. In a wonderful way, these two classes are complimentary and are synergistic. (I hope that this syntax and structure is appropriate. As this is an open blob, if you are a Noam Chomsky fan [I am not] feel free to correct or clarify)
My EDUC 762 activity involved a participant/student evaluation and revision of the final project rubric. This was fantastic. I was very interested in the reaction of my classmates to both the post I made over in the class course site. I suspect that, as the semester winds down, they are feeling pressure and stress.
I find that, acting as a student in a class like this, I am able to more identify with the pressures and confusion that my students may experience.
The analysis of Bloom's taxonomy informed my thinking about the topics I was reading about in both classes. In particular, the notion that level of taxonomy can affect both authenticity and act as a cost to "cheating" and a benefit to "not cheating" is one I will need to continue to reflect on. In fact, the complexity of the connections between Bloom, "cheating", online community building and authenticity are compel me to follow my classmate Bill Demory in remaining humble and seeking further development.
I continue to be amazed at the discussions in my two classes and the way that they are intersecting.
For example, a classmate over in EDUC 761 wrote this week
I certainly feel at a disadvantage in the beginning of an online course. I usually refer back to the Introductions frequently at first and I try to interact with two to three people a day. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm sure open to them
I responded
I find myself in the same position you describe . . . for the first week or so. Then I can associate the tone and texture of the discussion postings with my classmates. If you think about our class, classmate A's postings are distinctive and unique and very different from, say classmate Bs postings. Instructor X's approach to posting is much different from Instructor Y, at least to my ear in terms of tone and approach.
Having said that, I have found that in wiki discussion threads or in other platforms such as moodle or VoiceThread, the poster's picture appears next to the post or reply.
This is very, very helpful - although it raises other issues, which are currently being discussed by a number of us offline now. Further information about this issue or a platform for you to post your own thoughts is over on the public blog
E Learning for Educators
(note the shameless effort to promote public discussion over here)
I think that the exchange above (another shameless act - imitation of the format of two books on online learning by Pratt/Palloff and Lehmann) is significant as we all consider the issues of authenticity, diversity, our own teaching style and online community building.
A great week. The two applied activities in EDUC 762 Online Assessment were outstanding and I will certainly incorporate both into my online instruction. Our small group module 2 over in collaborating communities was also a wonderful way to experience a technique that might well facilitate online community building. In a wonderful way, these two classes are complimentary and are synergistic. (I hope that this syntax and structure is appropriate. As this is an open blob, if you are a Noam Chomsky fan [I am not] feel free to correct or clarify)
My EDUC 762 activity involved a participant/student evaluation and revision of the final project rubric. This was fantastic. I was very interested in the reaction of my classmates to both the post I made over in the class course site. I suspect that, as the semester winds down, they are feeling pressure and stress.
I find that, acting as a student in a class like this, I am able to more identify with the pressures and confusion that my students may experience.
The analysis of Bloom's taxonomy informed my thinking about the topics I was reading about in both classes. In particular, the notion that level of taxonomy can affect both authenticity and act as a cost to "cheating" and a benefit to "not cheating" is one I will need to continue to reflect on. In fact, the complexity of the connections between Bloom, "cheating", online community building and authenticity are compel me to follow my classmate Bill Demory in remaining humble and seeking further development.
I continue to be amazed at the discussions in my two classes and the way that they are intersecting.
For example, a classmate over in EDUC 761 wrote this week
I certainly feel at a disadvantage in the beginning of an online course. I usually refer back to the Introductions frequently at first and I try to interact with two to three people a day. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm sure open to them
I responded
I find myself in the same position you describe . . . for the first week or so. Then I can associate the tone and texture of the discussion postings with my classmates. If you think about our class, classmate A's postings are distinctive and unique and very different from, say classmate Bs postings. Instructor X's approach to posting is much different from Instructor Y, at least to my ear in terms of tone and approach.
Having said that, I have found that in wiki discussion threads or in other platforms such as moodle or VoiceThread, the poster's picture appears next to the post or reply.
This is very, very helpful - although it raises other issues, which are currently being discussed by a number of us offline now. Further information about this issue or a platform for you to post your own thoughts is over on the public blog
E Learning for Educators
(note the shameless effort to promote public discussion over here)
I think that the exchange above (another shameless act - imitation of the format of two books on online learning by Pratt/Palloff and Lehmann) is significant as we all consider the issues of authenticity, diversity, our own teaching style and online community building.
Reflective Journal 4
Week 4 - wow!
Our engagement as a class online continues to astound. I am so impressed and inspired by my classmates and their commitment to engagement. We have such a diversity of perspective, background and knowledge and they have combined in an online world of discussion, debate, support and respectful analysis.
The complexity and attendant challenge of assessment is continuing to engage and challenge me. The readings this week, in the context of our readings reminds me that the process of designing, delivering and assessing instruction is indeed daunting, particularly in an online environment.
Our midterm collaboration is a real learning experience. As I mentioned last week, I little friction has developed between another type A in the group and me. This is a humbling and challenging situation, trying to constructively resolve conflict can be a real difficulty for me. On the positive side, this conflict reflects the authenticity, diversity and learner centered nature of our collaboration. I have found little conflict in the artificial world, I mean, who cares. But conflict always suggests authenticity, so this reflects the level of investment in this project between by group mate and myself. The diversity at the heart of real assessment is here - not only in the differences between how I respond to this conflict, but in the manner the other individuals in the group respond and finally how our group responds.
This is exciting, in a weird way. The learning community that is Group 3 is evolving and teaching me a lesson I am working hard to understand.
Another positive to the constructive conflict in the group collaboration is the reinforcement this gives me to consider how my students will react. These feelings of frustration, less than, confusion, and helplessness will also characterize learners involved in conflict and the less mature learners may respond by withdrawal from the community. This is a key lesson from this experience to remember.
As to the midterm project itself - I feel pleased with my contribution and I am eagerly anticipating both my teammate's work as well as the final project. This last component is, at the heart of the disagreement or conflict in my group. Ironic, since the final project is the least important part of the process. Oh, when will I learn?
I have continued with E Learning for Educator blogging for the class and the additional surveys the are generating interesting and hopefully useful information.
Greg@AZ
Our engagement as a class online continues to astound. I am so impressed and inspired by my classmates and their commitment to engagement. We have such a diversity of perspective, background and knowledge and they have combined in an online world of discussion, debate, support and respectful analysis.
The complexity and attendant challenge of assessment is continuing to engage and challenge me. The readings this week, in the context of our readings reminds me that the process of designing, delivering and assessing instruction is indeed daunting, particularly in an online environment.
Our midterm collaboration is a real learning experience. As I mentioned last week, I little friction has developed between another type A in the group and me. This is a humbling and challenging situation, trying to constructively resolve conflict can be a real difficulty for me. On the positive side, this conflict reflects the authenticity, diversity and learner centered nature of our collaboration. I have found little conflict in the artificial world, I mean, who cares. But conflict always suggests authenticity, so this reflects the level of investment in this project between by group mate and myself. The diversity at the heart of real assessment is here - not only in the differences between how I respond to this conflict, but in the manner the other individuals in the group respond and finally how our group responds.
This is exciting, in a weird way. The learning community that is Group 3 is evolving and teaching me a lesson I am working hard to understand.
Another positive to the constructive conflict in the group collaboration is the reinforcement this gives me to consider how my students will react. These feelings of frustration, less than, confusion, and helplessness will also characterize learners involved in conflict and the less mature learners may respond by withdrawal from the community. This is a key lesson from this experience to remember.
As to the midterm project itself - I feel pleased with my contribution and I am eagerly anticipating both my teammate's work as well as the final project. This last component is, at the heart of the disagreement or conflict in my group. Ironic, since the final project is the least important part of the process. Oh, when will I learn?
I have continued with E Learning for Educator blogging for the class and the additional surveys the are generating interesting and hopefully useful information.
Greg@AZ
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Reflective Journal 3
Week three in EDUC 763 and we are rocking and rolling. I continue to be amazed and inspired by the quantity and quality of engagement by my colleagues. The discussion is varied, provocative, stimulating and reflects the diversity of educational philosophy, orientation toward learning and use of instructional technology.
The continuing discussion and response of my colleagues is in some contrast to one of my UofW certification classes last semester. In that fall class, evidently one of the participants off line contacted the instructor expressing frustration at the quantity of posting and replying in that class which, as an aside, was about 50 per cent of our class. The instructor made a remarkable decision and implemented a private e mail to a number of the more active posters (obviously I was one) asking that we reduce or even stop posting after a minimum of engagement.
I was stunned, as an teacher (online or face to face) it seems that of the number of approaches one might take to engagement, asking to reduce or stop is an odd choice.
Contrast that with this class, in which participants openly share their own reflection about the level of discussion, find reassurance with classmates and the instructor, and the engagement and discussion is allowed to continue.
I suspect that the emerging learning community in our class has more trust and those classmates who may feel frustrated or insecure have the confidence to express these feelings and the instructor is both strong and flexible enough to support diversity in the use of discussion online and still promote the organic level of discussion and engagement that the community and its members seek.
I was a tad disappointed with feedback from the instructor. I began our class early and invested considerable time and energy in my completion of module 1 activities. When the feedback was posted for module 1 near the end of our second module, one of my four "assignments" received a 0. I had completed a wiki activity, but in completing it so early in the class it had been overlooked by the instructor. The feedback sent was very kind and she did indicate I would earn credit for the assignment if I could point her to it (which I did do) or if I would go to the wiki and complete (which I also did do).
This was actually a another teaching moment - it reinforced to me my need to model my online teaching on that of the current teacher in terms of thoughtfulness and kindness, on Den O Connor in terms of quick turn around time in communication and finally on Susan Manning, in terms of organization and use of functionality of the CMS under use. My current instructor does not make use of the CMS gradebook for feedback and I think that the continuum of instructional approaches here in the Graduate Certificate program is a strength of the program - allowing participants to experience a wide array of approaches.
I must say, my feeling was a bit down after receiving my module 1 feedback (6/8) and I am certain I will earn credit for the wiki assignment, my reaction was surprising to me. I have considered myself intrinsically motivated, my reaction to module 1 feedback seems to suggest otherwise. Oh, well.
Midterm
Our midterm is a collaborative activity and I have been paired with 4 talented colleagues in class. I am so pleased to have avoided 2 participants who I encountered in the fall, 2007 classes. One of these participants starts late, has a bunch of excuses, and adds little in the way of value. But on the positive note, my group members are outstanding. I know one from the fall, 2007 classes and the other two, who I have come to know in this class, are truly committed professionals. The midterm should be a positive experience, it is a jigsaw activity and I am researching wiki and assessment.
I indicate my comments about my 4 teammates in my team evaluation. Pat and Kris are a delight to work with. Kris and I shared 2 classes in the fall, 2007 semester so when she was inadvertently left off a team for the midterm I immediately jumped in a and indicated that Group 3 (my team) would love to have her as a colleage. Marsha has been very busy, I expect she will quietly and efficiently be a major contributor. Deb is the ying to my yang. We have already encountered some constructive disagreement, indicating that this group activity is authentic. I will say, she is a tad of a control freak, making the wiki (she set it up as the sole administrator, leaving the rest of her team without admin privileges) private, a decision I still question, given the power of wiki.
Having said that, I appreciate Deb's work pace and initiative, she and I are on the same page. It did take Deb a while to get Kris added as a full member to our wiki, but once that happened we were good to go.
Ok, having said that, I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting.
The 4 storms outlined in The Perfect E Storm reading - while dated - are worth reflection. In particular the convergence of emerging technology(see the Horizon Report - 2008) with enormous demand by learners in the context of limited resources suggests that we may face a crisis of significant proportions down the road.
Of note, the above article listed 30 emerging technologies and number 3 was blogs, number 8 was digital portfolios (read wiki anyone?) and number 21 Peer to Peer collaboration (again read wiki) suggests that as a profession, we need to first be more alert to this emerging technology and two think how we react to them.
Page 12 of The Perfect Storm began to talk about Online Communities of Learning (which is what we have formed) and Communities of Practice. This is both exciting and challenging as our profession will need to change the way we look at the physical and intellectual boundaries of teaching and learning.
OK, another reflection that is too long and incomplete.
Greg@Az
The continuing discussion and response of my colleagues is in some contrast to one of my UofW certification classes last semester. In that fall class, evidently one of the participants off line contacted the instructor expressing frustration at the quantity of posting and replying in that class which, as an aside, was about 50 per cent of our class. The instructor made a remarkable decision and implemented a private e mail to a number of the more active posters (obviously I was one) asking that we reduce or even stop posting after a minimum of engagement.
I was stunned, as an teacher (online or face to face) it seems that of the number of approaches one might take to engagement, asking to reduce or stop is an odd choice.
Contrast that with this class, in which participants openly share their own reflection about the level of discussion, find reassurance with classmates and the instructor, and the engagement and discussion is allowed to continue.
I suspect that the emerging learning community in our class has more trust and those classmates who may feel frustrated or insecure have the confidence to express these feelings and the instructor is both strong and flexible enough to support diversity in the use of discussion online and still promote the organic level of discussion and engagement that the community and its members seek.
I was a tad disappointed with feedback from the instructor. I began our class early and invested considerable time and energy in my completion of module 1 activities. When the feedback was posted for module 1 near the end of our second module, one of my four "assignments" received a 0. I had completed a wiki activity, but in completing it so early in the class it had been overlooked by the instructor. The feedback sent was very kind and she did indicate I would earn credit for the assignment if I could point her to it (which I did do) or if I would go to the wiki and complete (which I also did do).
This was actually a another teaching moment - it reinforced to me my need to model my online teaching on that of the current teacher in terms of thoughtfulness and kindness, on Den O Connor in terms of quick turn around time in communication and finally on Susan Manning, in terms of organization and use of functionality of the CMS under use. My current instructor does not make use of the CMS gradebook for feedback and I think that the continuum of instructional approaches here in the Graduate Certificate program is a strength of the program - allowing participants to experience a wide array of approaches.
I must say, my feeling was a bit down after receiving my module 1 feedback (6/8) and I am certain I will earn credit for the wiki assignment, my reaction was surprising to me. I have considered myself intrinsically motivated, my reaction to module 1 feedback seems to suggest otherwise. Oh, well.
Midterm
Our midterm is a collaborative activity and I have been paired with 4 talented colleagues in class. I am so pleased to have avoided 2 participants who I encountered in the fall, 2007 classes. One of these participants starts late, has a bunch of excuses, and adds little in the way of value. But on the positive note, my group members are outstanding. I know one from the fall, 2007 classes and the other two, who I have come to know in this class, are truly committed professionals. The midterm should be a positive experience, it is a jigsaw activity and I am researching wiki and assessment.
I indicate my comments about my 4 teammates in my team evaluation. Pat and Kris are a delight to work with. Kris and I shared 2 classes in the fall, 2007 semester so when she was inadvertently left off a team for the midterm I immediately jumped in a and indicated that Group 3 (my team) would love to have her as a colleage. Marsha has been very busy, I expect she will quietly and efficiently be a major contributor. Deb is the ying to my yang. We have already encountered some constructive disagreement, indicating that this group activity is authentic. I will say, she is a tad of a control freak, making the wiki (she set it up as the sole administrator, leaving the rest of her team without admin privileges) private, a decision I still question, given the power of wiki.
Having said that, I appreciate Deb's work pace and initiative, she and I are on the same page. It did take Deb a while to get Kris added as a full member to our wiki, but once that happened we were good to go.
Ok, having said that, I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.
Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting.The 4 storms outlined in The Perfect E Storm reading - while dated - are worth reflection. In particular the convergence of emerging technology(see the Horizon Report - 2008) with enormous demand by learners in the context of limited resources suggests that we may face a crisis of significant proportions down the road.
Of note, the above article listed 30 emerging technologies and number 3 was blogs, number 8 was digital portfolios (read wiki anyone?) and number 21 Peer to Peer collaboration (again read wiki) suggests that as a profession, we need to first be more alert to this emerging technology and two think how we react to them.
Page 12 of The Perfect Storm began to talk about Online Communities of Learning (which is what we have formed) and Communities of Practice. This is both exciting and challenging as our profession will need to change the way we look at the physical and intellectual boundaries of teaching and learning.
OK, another reflection that is too long and incomplete.
Greg@Az
Friday, January 11, 2008
Reflective Journal 2
Ok, the date gives me away. I am working ahead and I will most certainly elaborate on this second reflection as time moves on.
This second module really provides an excellent background for contextualizing:
I found the reading dealing with authenticity provocative as I considered this in the framework of a constructivist view of learning. I am still sorting through a set of reservations about the constructivist paradigm - students learning incorrect information, students reinforcing "bad" habits or skills, as well as many other "issues".
Having said that, I certainly agree that learning and assessment should be real world or authentic and that the experience of learning must be personally relevant.
The 7 Things you should know about blogs covered familiar territory and blogging as accelerated since this Educause article was written. I "discovered" blogging about 2 1/2 years ago when I learned that the author of one of the text's I use - Greg Mankiw - had a blog directed toward students of economics. Since then, I have followed a number of blogs dealing with economic education, economics in general and economic research and theory.
Click here if you are interested in the current top 10 economics blogs. All 10 are on my follow list, Greg Mankiw's blog drifts from number 1 to 3.
The Lee/Allen short article describing Edublogs as an assessment tool reflects our study of alternative assessments as authentic measures as well as a constructivist approach to both teaching and learning. I see this modeled on Greg Mankiw's blog and have found that, as my blogging is in isolation, the evaluation is a self evaluation, if that makes any sense.
The Wang/Fang article outlining the benefits of cooperative learning in the weblog arena demonstrate, the potential that blogs and wiki have for integrating cooperative learning into the online world of teaching and learning. I am thinking back to the outstanding week 1 online discussion in our class dealing with the challenges, frustrations, confusions, and in general cognitive dissonance in wiki use in module 1 and processing and discussing these reactions.
First, the above helps us tremendously to experience directly what our online students experience. Second, I think that this entire wiki/blog environment (and the reaction that we all felt in module 1 to wiki to varying degrees) is evidence of the internal process of active, engaged constructivist learning. This is hard work, and, as we soldiered through this hard territory, I could not help but wonder how many of my online students (community college students) would stay the course?
Back to Wang/Fang - a downside of their argument, many of my online students have a high level of resistance to cooperative experiences in the online world. I think that the blob/wiki approach might address some but not all of this resistance and I am anxious to see what my classmates in EDUC 762 say.
I have been very engaged in blogging (obviously) as well as wiki. I did develop my own wiki for EDUC 760 - E Learning For Educators and I intend to incorporate my own learning portfolio from our class into that environment.
However, I did create this blog as a response to the module 2 assignments which I have linked to the wiki above. This process was familiar to me as I have used blogspot to create 3 previous blogs. I was so pleased that my instructor Datta Kaur was the first to post a comment to the blog.
Greg
This second module really provides an excellent background for contextualizing:
I found the reading dealing with authenticity provocative as I considered this in the framework of a constructivist view of learning. I am still sorting through a set of reservations about the constructivist paradigm - students learning incorrect information, students reinforcing "bad" habits or skills, as well as many other "issues".
Having said that, I certainly agree that learning and assessment should be real world or authentic and that the experience of learning must be personally relevant.
The 7 Things you should know about blogs covered familiar territory and blogging as accelerated since this Educause article was written. I "discovered" blogging about 2 1/2 years ago when I learned that the author of one of the text's I use - Greg Mankiw - had a blog directed toward students of economics. Since then, I have followed a number of blogs dealing with economic education, economics in general and economic research and theory.
Click here if you are interested in the current top 10 economics blogs. All 10 are on my follow list, Greg Mankiw's blog drifts from number 1 to 3.
The Lee/Allen short article describing Edublogs as an assessment tool reflects our study of alternative assessments as authentic measures as well as a constructivist approach to both teaching and learning. I see this modeled on Greg Mankiw's blog and have found that, as my blogging is in isolation, the evaluation is a self evaluation, if that makes any sense.
The Wang/Fang article outlining the benefits of cooperative learning in the weblog arena demonstrate, the potential that blogs and wiki have for integrating cooperative learning into the online world of teaching and learning. I am thinking back to the outstanding week 1 online discussion in our class dealing with the challenges, frustrations, confusions, and in general cognitive dissonance in wiki use in module 1 and processing and discussing these reactions.
First, the above helps us tremendously to experience directly what our online students experience. Second, I think that this entire wiki/blog environment (and the reaction that we all felt in module 1 to wiki to varying degrees) is evidence of the internal process of active, engaged constructivist learning. This is hard work, and, as we soldiered through this hard territory, I could not help but wonder how many of my online students (community college students) would stay the course?
Back to Wang/Fang - a downside of their argument, many of my online students have a high level of resistance to cooperative experiences in the online world. I think that the blob/wiki approach might address some but not all of this resistance and I am anxious to see what my classmates in EDUC 762 say.
I have been very engaged in blogging (obviously) as well as wiki. I did develop my own wiki for EDUC 760 - E Learning For Educators and I intend to incorporate my own learning portfolio from our class into that environment.
However, I did create this blog as a response to the module 2 assignments which I have linked to the wiki above. This process was familiar to me as I have used blogspot to create 3 previous blogs. I was so pleased that my instructor Datta Kaur was the first to post a comment to the blog.
Greg
This avatar works best in IE, a tad buggy in Firefox or Seamonkey
Reflective Journal 1
The spring semester begins and I am engaged in two classes in the E Learning Certificate program at UofW Stout. This ongoing process is beginning to be second nature for me, the first two classes I took in the fall went very, very well. So, as a part of EDUC762 I will be regularly blogging. I have attempted blogging in the past and, like past journaling efforts, it has not been real consistent.
I am very hopeful about this effort, however, as there seems to be what Susan Manning calls "magic fairy dust" in the program and process at UofW.
Module 1
I found this introductory material excellent. As a type A I started early and located a classmate to complete the pair - share introduction. This is the first time I have been exposed to this type of collaborative effort for an introduction in the first week of an online class and I am looking forward to both the process and result. This type of activity is very revealing about my learning style and personality. I very much like to get on with it, and the process of adjusting that pace to work with another is a challenge. But it is a good challenge.
The overview activities in module 1 included some material that was new to me dealing with assessment. I think the most notable information for me was the distinction between measurement, assessment and evaluation. At my institution assessment has become a very significant topic and I think that perhaps my colleagues are blurring the important differences between assessment and evaluation. In any event, I am looking forward to understanding more about the differences between these concepts.
Three specifics in this week's readings appealed to my objective to improve my instruction.
First was the discussion of alternative assessment (such as think one). I have been striving to incorporate these types of assessments into my classes over the past 15 years and I am anxious to evaluate how will I have done that and, more importantly to improve the way I use alternative assessment. One of our readings discussed authentic types of assessment and I think that this is key. As I strive for authentic learning experience, it only makes sense to parallel that with authentic assessment rather than scantron tests.
The second topic was wiki. I really got turned onto this last semester in EDUC 760 and I see great potential in the use of wiki to both build learning community and to perhaps assess in alternative ways.
The third activity was an introductory activity called pair and share. Below is an excerpt from the e mail exchange with my partner:
'With your background in online learning and teaching you know the costs and benefits (see subtle economics at work) of online education. As type A personalities we thrive in the online world. As you have found I am certain, the challenge is to assist those who are deadline junkies or how do not have a formal organization for their learning or lives. Those who live in the chaos of the real world and lack the internal mechanisms to self regulate and schedule often get left behind in online environments . . . unless those online worlds are facebook or second life.
Well, as you can tell, I love to talk so . . . I'll leave you alone.
I think we have "processed" this activity and can move on to the discussion forum.
See you over their with postings on our informal process.
Great to meet you and I actually like this activity - while I am not certain it would work with my online students - freshman and women in college, I do think it has great potential for participants in professional development or graduate programs.
Look forward to working with you in the cyberspace of this class community."
Finally, (ok I peaked ahead to module 2 to write this) is the use of blogs. I have attempted blogging (I have 3 other blogs in blogger that have minimal activity) with little success. Although I am an avid fan of blogging and regularly follow a number of economics blogs my efforts have not been sustained. We will see how this evolves as a result of this class.
Great first week of class.
Greg/Az
Related links
Student Assessment at MCC
Think Pair Share You Tube
E Learning for Educators Wiki
I am very hopeful about this effort, however, as there seems to be what Susan Manning calls "magic fairy dust" in the program and process at UofW.
Module 1
I found this introductory material excellent. As a type A I started early and located a classmate to complete the pair - share introduction. This is the first time I have been exposed to this type of collaborative effort for an introduction in the first week of an online class and I am looking forward to both the process and result. This type of activity is very revealing about my learning style and personality. I very much like to get on with it, and the process of adjusting that pace to work with another is a challenge. But it is a good challenge.
The overview activities in module 1 included some material that was new to me dealing with assessment. I think the most notable information for me was the distinction between measurement, assessment and evaluation. At my institution assessment has become a very significant topic and I think that perhaps my colleagues are blurring the important differences between assessment and evaluation. In any event, I am looking forward to understanding more about the differences between these concepts.
Three specifics in this week's readings appealed to my objective to improve my instruction.
First was the discussion of alternative assessment (such as think one). I have been striving to incorporate these types of assessments into my classes over the past 15 years and I am anxious to evaluate how will I have done that and, more importantly to improve the way I use alternative assessment. One of our readings discussed authentic types of assessment and I think that this is key. As I strive for authentic learning experience, it only makes sense to parallel that with authentic assessment rather than scantron tests.
The second topic was wiki. I really got turned onto this last semester in EDUC 760 and I see great potential in the use of wiki to both build learning community and to perhaps assess in alternative ways.
The third activity was an introductory activity called pair and share. Below is an excerpt from the e mail exchange with my partner:
'With your background in online learning and teaching you know the costs and benefits (see subtle economics at work) of online education. As type A personalities we thrive in the online world. As you have found I am certain, the challenge is to assist those who are deadline junkies or how do not have a formal organization for their learning or lives. Those who live in the chaos of the real world and lack the internal mechanisms to self regulate and schedule often get left behind in online environments . . . unless those online worlds are facebook or second life.
Well, as you can tell, I love to talk so . . . I'll leave you alone.
I think we have "processed" this activity and can move on to the discussion forum.
See you over their with postings on our informal process.
Great to meet you and I actually like this activity - while I am not certain it would work with my online students - freshman and women in college, I do think it has great potential for participants in professional development or graduate programs.
Look forward to working with you in the cyberspace of this class community."
Finally, (ok I peaked ahead to module 2 to write this) is the use of blogs. I have attempted blogging (I have 3 other blogs in blogger that have minimal activity) with little success. Although I am an avid fan of blogging and regularly follow a number of economics blogs my efforts have not been sustained. We will see how this evolves as a result of this class.
Great first week of class.
Greg/Az
Related links
Student Assessment at MCC
Think Pair Share You Tube
E Learning for Educators Wiki
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Midterm - Group 3
Our completed midterm can be viewed at EDUC762Team3
We would love to have your comments and reactions to our work.
Deb - Exam Builder
Marsha - Blogger
Greg Pratt - Wiki
Pat - Micrograde
Kris - VoiceThread
My assessment of our group.
Greg@AZ
We would love to have your comments and reactions to our work.
Deb - Exam Builder
Marsha - Blogger
Greg Pratt - Wiki
Pat - Micrograde
Kris - VoiceThread
My assessment of our group.
Greg@AZ
Monday, January 7, 2008
VoiceThread
I became aware of this tool during the spring, 2008 semester as a result of my participation in EDUC 763 Online Assessment. My classmate and colleague presented research on Voice Thread - click here to see her full analysis.
Introduction
After reading a variety of articles and blogs about VoiceThread, I think that one of the cofounders, Steve Muth, summed this tool up best in a blog comment to Sean Rad when he said, "The concept is casual group audio conversations around shared evocative media (a.k.a. Mystery Science Theater 3000, only your media)."
A VoiceThread is a type of asynchronous audio forum that is based around a variety of possible media types (photos, drawings, documents or even video). The user can create a book of images and then create their own meaning of these images through voice, text, or drawings. Visitors can use these same tools to respond to or discuss the media. The participants of these audio conversations are shown in strips on the sides of the images. As stated on the VoiceThread Web site, "A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world."
This sample is open and you can experiment if you wish.
Introduction
After reading a variety of articles and blogs about VoiceThread, I think that one of the cofounders, Steve Muth, summed this tool up best in a blog comment to Sean Rad when he said, "The concept is casual group audio conversations around shared evocative media (a.k.a. Mystery Science Theater 3000, only your media)."
A VoiceThread is a type of asynchronous audio forum that is based around a variety of possible media types (photos, drawings, documents or even video). The user can create a book of images and then create their own meaning of these images through voice, text, or drawings. Visitors can use these same tools to respond to or discuss the media. The participants of these audio conversations are shown in strips on the sides of the images. As stated on the VoiceThread Web site, "A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world."
This sample is open and you can experiment if you wish.
Online teaching styles and personality
Odd as this may sound, the type of online teaching that applies to your personal situation depends upon the specific class I am teaching. Having said that, in the online environment I work from the perspective of facilitation using a student centered approach rather than as a teacher from a content or teacher centered foundation. If one were to visualize a continuum from these contrasting points of view, I move back and forth depending upon the class, the students and the material under study.
My preference for a facilitation model of learning is based both upon my philosophy of instruction that follows the constructivist approach as well as an agreement with what Lehmann outlines on page 18 of chapter 2 in her description of Facilitator.
She writes: “It is also important to connect with students . . . adding a touch of humanity and even humor . . .”(18). Two of my personality traits seem to integrate well in the online world. I do have a sense of humor that is often irrepressible and I have a need to connect with those in my learning communities.
As Lehmann indicates, this process “is as much art as it is science” (18) and I understand that to mean that at times a congruence develops between personality, philosophy and skill. So, if one reads student evaluations of my online classes, it is apparent that I do connect and my efforts to build a comfortable learning and authentic online learning environment using my “voice” see to work.
Both my official evaluations and comments on Rate My Professor (3.8 out of 5.0 on helpfulness) comments this to be the case in both my online and face to face classes.
These student comments reflect my belief that some of the foundational aspects of instruction are delivery agnostic. This point came up in a module 1 discussion exchange between myself and Jeanne Egasse and is on point to this topic.
Jeanne wrote that"qualities described in the assigned readings for Module 1 apply to both face to face-to-face (f2f) classes as well as online ones".
I replied: “Thank you for your description of a CoP sounds stimulating, engaging and above all authentic. I found your reading of both Lehmann and Pratt et al parallel to mine. First, in referring to your comment above, I could not agree more. I think that the challenges and benefits of learning communities or communities of practice are delivery format agnostic. While the obstacles and tools may be different, the qualities that were articulated in the first chapter of both books apply across the board.”
Looking at Lehmann’s taxomony of online categories on page 23 is a solid way to see how my constructivist views are translated into practice. These 5 categories, it should be noted, apply to all levels of instruction, not just online class delivery. These categories informed my self evaluation in light of my reading of Defining and Redefining Community, Chapter 4 in Pratt and Palloff.
On page 22 these authors bullet 5 key attributes of the learner in a cyber community. Four are familiar to the student or practitioner, but one warrents special consideration. Pratt and Palloff talk, in point 2 about a process of internal privacy. I think that this is both provocative and reflective of what we try to do in facilitation. Mentors, coaches and online facilitators need to actualize the respect for diversity that lies at the heart of a student centered instructional milieu. Learners online, is like the face to face classroom, can be vulnerable on the discussion board, in chat, in group assignments and the respect for the private learning zone is a challenging concept to conceive and encourage. I do think that, over the years, I have come to recognize this and to strive to foster this safety.
As a community college instructor, this key distinction between andragogy and pedagogy is significant to the way I teach. Back in chapter 1 Pratt and Palloff differentiate the adult learner from the immature or adolescent learner. On page 8 the 4 characteristics of voluntarism, self discipline, age, and attitude inform a construction and delivery of instruction predicated on authenticity and the recognition of learning style differences. Indeed a constructivist approach to instruction is not only compatible with the notions of andragogy, but almost a natural extension.
Finally, in my approach to student learning I have evolved in a way that, I hope, reflects the 7 points Pratt and Palloff describe on page 24 to promote community and connectedness. The unifying thread behind all of these is an empowerment of students within an instructional design that is self consciously tied to relevant and authentic learning outcomes.
References above are to:
Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace - Pratt/Palloff
How to be a Great Online Teacher - Lehmann
Greg
My preference for a facilitation model of learning is based both upon my philosophy of instruction that follows the constructivist approach as well as an agreement with what Lehmann outlines on page 18 of chapter 2 in her description of Facilitator.
She writes: “It is also important to connect with students . . . adding a touch of humanity and even humor . . .”(18). Two of my personality traits seem to integrate well in the online world. I do have a sense of humor that is often irrepressible and I have a need to connect with those in my learning communities.
As Lehmann indicates, this process “is as much art as it is science” (18) and I understand that to mean that at times a congruence develops between personality, philosophy and skill. So, if one reads student evaluations of my online classes, it is apparent that I do connect and my efforts to build a comfortable learning and authentic online learning environment using my “voice” see to work.
Both my official evaluations and comments on Rate My Professor (3.8 out of 5.0 on helpfulness) comments this to be the case in both my online and face to face classes.
These student comments reflect my belief that some of the foundational aspects of instruction are delivery agnostic. This point came up in a module 1 discussion exchange between myself and Jeanne Egasse and is on point to this topic.
Jeanne wrote that"qualities described in the assigned readings for Module 1 apply to both face to face-to-face (f2f) classes as well as online ones".
I replied: “Thank you for your description of a CoP sounds stimulating, engaging and above all authentic. I found your reading of both Lehmann and Pratt et al parallel to mine. First, in referring to your comment above, I could not agree more. I think that the challenges and benefits of learning communities or communities of practice are delivery format agnostic. While the obstacles and tools may be different, the qualities that were articulated in the first chapter of both books apply across the board.”
Looking at Lehmann’s taxomony of online categories on page 23 is a solid way to see how my constructivist views are translated into practice. These 5 categories, it should be noted, apply to all levels of instruction, not just online class delivery. These categories informed my self evaluation in light of my reading of Defining and Redefining Community, Chapter 4 in Pratt and Palloff.
On page 22 these authors bullet 5 key attributes of the learner in a cyber community. Four are familiar to the student or practitioner, but one warrents special consideration. Pratt and Palloff talk, in point 2 about a process of internal privacy. I think that this is both provocative and reflective of what we try to do in facilitation. Mentors, coaches and online facilitators need to actualize the respect for diversity that lies at the heart of a student centered instructional milieu. Learners online, is like the face to face classroom, can be vulnerable on the discussion board, in chat, in group assignments and the respect for the private learning zone is a challenging concept to conceive and encourage. I do think that, over the years, I have come to recognize this and to strive to foster this safety.
As a community college instructor, this key distinction between andragogy and pedagogy is significant to the way I teach. Back in chapter 1 Pratt and Palloff differentiate the adult learner from the immature or adolescent learner. On page 8 the 4 characteristics of voluntarism, self discipline, age, and attitude inform a construction and delivery of instruction predicated on authenticity and the recognition of learning style differences. Indeed a constructivist approach to instruction is not only compatible with the notions of andragogy, but almost a natural extension.
Finally, in my approach to student learning I have evolved in a way that, I hope, reflects the 7 points Pratt and Palloff describe on page 24 to promote community and connectedness. The unifying thread behind all of these is an empowerment of students within an instructional design that is self consciously tied to relevant and authentic learning outcomes.
References above are to:
Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace - Pratt/Palloff
How to be a Great Online Teacher - Lehmann
Greg
Pros and Cons of student centered communities
This outstanding question was posed by the co instructors of EDUC 761 Collaboration Communities one of the course in the sequence for the UofW Certificate in E Learning and Online Teaching. I am blogging about in response to this excellent question.
Background Information
Vygotsky's constructivist theory, which is often called social constructivism, has much more room for an active, involved teacher. For Vygotsky the culture gives the child the cognitive tools needed for development. The type and quality of those tools determines, to a much greater extent than they do in Piaget's theory, the pattern and rate of development. Adults such as parents and teachers are conduits for the tools of the culture, including language. The tools the culture provides a child include cultural history, social context, and language. Today they also include electronic forms of information access.
We call Vygotsky's brand of constructivism social constructivism because he emphasized the critical importance of culture and the importance of the social context for cognitive development. Vygotsky's the zone of proximal development is probably his best-known concept. It argues that students can, with help from adults or children who are more advanced, master concepts and ideas that they cannot understand on their own.
Source:
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/social.htm
Working from the definition above:
Cons:
Time, the social constructivist approach, just like all learner centered approaches, is much more time consuming for the facilitator for a number of reasons. This approach implies instructional design for multiple learning styles, multiple paths for learning, a variety of access points and, at the community college level, more than a nodding acquaintance with learning theory.
A second con lies in the assumptions about both the learner and culture. A pessimist might argue that both are ill prepared for the demands of liberal arts and rigorous inquiry.
Personal experiences of con
Since beginning the UofW Stout certificate program in E Learning and Online Teaching I have attempted to redesign the online courses I teach at MCC. This had been unbelievably time consuming process and trying to do this while teaching has been a challenge.
Given the time demands, I do not have a course ready for delivery in revised format, further illustrating the challenge or negative impact of time demand on course revision.
This brings up another negative from my experience. I am the only economics faculty member in my department pursing this line of analysis for my delivery of courses, either online or in person. All the other economics faculty are content centered and I mean, real, content centered. This merely reflects the nature of the discipline, but increasingly I find I have less in common with the economists in my institution and more with the philosophers. Ah, perhaps this is as much a positive as a negative.
Another negative is the heterogeneous makeup of my students. While some are clearly subject to the assumptions of androgogy some of the more optimistic assumptions of this theory and social constructivism may not apply to the more academically immature learners.
Pros
Learning about social constructivism and the related issues of a learner centered approach to instruction have simulated my thinking about how economics can be taught. It lead me to a great analysis by David Colander The Complexity Vision and the Teaching of Economics and has presented a set of instructional challenges that I find to be very interesting.
Greg
Background Information
Vygotsky's constructivist theory, which is often called social constructivism, has much more room for an active, involved teacher. For Vygotsky the culture gives the child the cognitive tools needed for development. The type and quality of those tools determines, to a much greater extent than they do in Piaget's theory, the pattern and rate of development. Adults such as parents and teachers are conduits for the tools of the culture, including language. The tools the culture provides a child include cultural history, social context, and language. Today they also include electronic forms of information access.
We call Vygotsky's brand of constructivism social constructivism because he emphasized the critical importance of culture and the importance of the social context for cognitive development. Vygotsky's the zone of proximal development is probably his best-known concept. It argues that students can, with help from adults or children who are more advanced, master concepts and ideas that they cannot understand on their own.
Source:
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/social.htm
Working from the definition above:
Cons:
Time, the social constructivist approach, just like all learner centered approaches, is much more time consuming for the facilitator for a number of reasons. This approach implies instructional design for multiple learning styles, multiple paths for learning, a variety of access points and, at the community college level, more than a nodding acquaintance with learning theory.
A second con lies in the assumptions about both the learner and culture. A pessimist might argue that both are ill prepared for the demands of liberal arts and rigorous inquiry.
Personal experiences of con
Since beginning the UofW Stout certificate program in E Learning and Online Teaching I have attempted to redesign the online courses I teach at MCC. This had been unbelievably time consuming process and trying to do this while teaching has been a challenge.
Given the time demands, I do not have a course ready for delivery in revised format, further illustrating the challenge or negative impact of time demand on course revision.
This brings up another negative from my experience. I am the only economics faculty member in my department pursing this line of analysis for my delivery of courses, either online or in person. All the other economics faculty are content centered and I mean, real, content centered. This merely reflects the nature of the discipline, but increasingly I find I have less in common with the economists in my institution and more with the philosophers. Ah, perhaps this is as much a positive as a negative.
Another negative is the heterogeneous makeup of my students. While some are clearly subject to the assumptions of androgogy some of the more optimistic assumptions of this theory and social constructivism may not apply to the more academically immature learners.
Pros
Learning about social constructivism and the related issues of a learner centered approach to instruction have simulated my thinking about how economics can be taught. It lead me to a great analysis by David Colander The Complexity Vision and the Teaching of Economics and has presented a set of instructional challenges that I find to be very interesting.
Greg
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Comfort, control and community
The role of the facilitator/mentor/coach/teacher in the learning community is one that I have spent a great deal of time considering. Like all of you, my view has evolved over the years I have been teaching and I see that comfort and control inform the direction of any learning community that I enter.
Over in EDUC 761 Collaborative Communities in E Learning we are reading the work of Kay Lehmann and Pratt and Palloff. Their views of building learning communities are based upon a constructivist perspective that empowers all members of the learning community. Trust, respect, preparation are all directed toward a learning community that is inclusive, supportive and inviting.
On our discussion board over in EDUC 761 we began to debate the role of the teacher in an online learning community. One of our co instructors raised an interesting set of comments and questions that relate to comfort, control and community.
As I thought about what you posted one thing came back to me from my years of working with student teachers and that is the tendency for teachers to teach from their own learning style.
This is indeed a great point - when I first began to teach, my delivery was a mirror of those teachers I viewed as exceptional. So, I tried to teach in the way I loved to learn. We know that as teachers we do not reflect our students. So, in those first years of teaching, I probably related to and reached the few students with a similar learning style to my own. This reflected my comfort level and my need for control. The preferred teaching style in those early years was lecture, teacher centered, with an attempt to control the environment. I was comfortable with this style and the resulting community was one that, I have come to learn, was not fully realized and certainly not constructivist in nature.
Over the years, I have come to learn that when I am too comfortable, I may need to reflect and stretch my teaching. So, as has been pointed out by my classmates in EDUC 761, giving up the need to control and instead focusing on instructional design that is based upon sound principles (this is the hard work, before teaching begins) that included a consideration of how and were students learn, can allow for a more realized community.
I wonder, though, if the way we design our courses online - text-heavy, tech-heavy, or somewhere in between, has less to do with meeting our students' various learning styles or the contents' delivery needs and more to do with the instructor's personal learning style.
No doubt that our use of instructional design principles and appropriate instructional technology is informed by our comfort level and need for control. These are reflected in what we "see" as important to the process of learning. One thing I really respect are my colleagues, like those in EDUC 761, who are in a state of evolution, a dynamic need to examine alternatives. Like all of us, I work with colleagues who are more static in their teaching approach.
So, having said that, it is clear we need to be aware of how and where our students learn, what they know and feel about the use of various instructional tools and finally consider how best to work toward a community of learners. This may come from giving up comfort and control as instructors.
And how do I know when enough is enough or too much or not enough?
We never do.
Greg
Over in EDUC 761 Collaborative Communities in E Learning we are reading the work of Kay Lehmann and Pratt and Palloff. Their views of building learning communities are based upon a constructivist perspective that empowers all members of the learning community. Trust, respect, preparation are all directed toward a learning community that is inclusive, supportive and inviting.
On our discussion board over in EDUC 761 we began to debate the role of the teacher in an online learning community. One of our co instructors raised an interesting set of comments and questions that relate to comfort, control and community.
As I thought about what you posted one thing came back to me from my years of working with student teachers and that is the tendency for teachers to teach from their own learning style.
This is indeed a great point - when I first began to teach, my delivery was a mirror of those teachers I viewed as exceptional. So, I tried to teach in the way I loved to learn. We know that as teachers we do not reflect our students. So, in those first years of teaching, I probably related to and reached the few students with a similar learning style to my own. This reflected my comfort level and my need for control. The preferred teaching style in those early years was lecture, teacher centered, with an attempt to control the environment. I was comfortable with this style and the resulting community was one that, I have come to learn, was not fully realized and certainly not constructivist in nature.
Over the years, I have come to learn that when I am too comfortable, I may need to reflect and stretch my teaching. So, as has been pointed out by my classmates in EDUC 761, giving up the need to control and instead focusing on instructional design that is based upon sound principles (this is the hard work, before teaching begins) that included a consideration of how and were students learn, can allow for a more realized community.
I wonder, though, if the way we design our courses online - text-heavy, tech-heavy, or somewhere in between, has less to do with meeting our students' various learning styles or the contents' delivery needs and more to do with the instructor's personal learning style.
No doubt that our use of instructional design principles and appropriate instructional technology is informed by our comfort level and need for control. These are reflected in what we "see" as important to the process of learning. One thing I really respect are my colleagues, like those in EDUC 761, who are in a state of evolution, a dynamic need to examine alternatives. Like all of us, I work with colleagues who are more static in their teaching approach.
So, having said that, it is clear we need to be aware of how and where our students learn, what they know and feel about the use of various instructional tools and finally consider how best to work toward a community of learners. This may come from giving up comfort and control as instructors.
And how do I know when enough is enough or too much or not enough?
We never do.
Greg
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
“Understanding Liberty and Choice: The Contributions of Experimental Economics” - Sept. 26-28
This conference on experimental economics would include thirty participants drawn from the Foundation for Teaching Economics’ Professional Teacher Association membership. The conference would be a modified repeat of a conference we previously co-sponsored with the Foundation for Teaching Economics. The goal of the conference would be to introduce a group of outstanding teachers to the classical underpinnings of experimental economics and its theory and current practice. The program would also give these participants the opportunity to discuss, in detail, the nature of experimental economics and its relation to issues of liberty and responsibility with professional researchers in the field.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
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