Motivating Adult Learners - EDUC 8842 Module 6

Video Presentation

In this video presentation, the technology tools used are Windows Live Movie Maker, YouTube, Sound Recorder and Microsoft Powerpoint. The hardware for live video recording of the keynote speaker was Sony FX-50 camcorder. Most of the pictures were captured during a training session I held for adult learners.

Moving Toward Dynamic Technologies - EDUC 8842 Module 5

Static -  Dynamic Technologies Continuum

The learning outcomes of a course will determine the appropriate technologies to be used for designing the instructional materials. A course involving team work requires a good collaborative tool to engage learners actively during the learning process. The static technologies tools are easy to use and adapt to a learning environment. Static technologies broadcast information and avail learners the opportunity to capture information with little or minimal knowledge building. However, some technologies such as wikis and blogs tread in between static and dynamic. Learners interact with the content and generate new ideas. Creation of knowledge is through analysis and argumentation using media such as discussions board (Moller, 2008). Dynamic technologies allow learners interaction with materials at a deeper cognitive level. Learners construct new knowledge leading to a better understanding of the content and enhance learners’ achievement. At this end of the continuum, the use of virtual simulations and games to achieve learning outcomes is vital.

My comfort zone is the middle of the static-dynamic technologies continuum. The use of Google docs for collaboration comes with ease, and one of the advantages is the ability for learners to edit document at the same time, irrespective of their location. The ease of use of Skype for phone calls, video conferencing, chat, and instant messaging has made it a preferred choice with the added value of free access. Moving to the dynamic end of the continuum, I foresee developing courses using Moodle and Blackboard with embedded collaborative work, discussion forum and opinion polls. I require creative skills to develop games relating to a subject. The mind map tools are very dynamic and enhance learners’ critical thinking skills. The use of mind tools will aid learners to explore, create, apply and construct new knowledge. Mind tools will inevitably be part of my designed courses. This will help learners think creatively and generate various possibilities to solve assigned tasks.

These links give more insight on static and dynamic technologies. Erica’s blog has embedded videos with information on using dynamic technologies in the classroom.

http://ericaeduc8842.blogspot.com/2011/02/module-five-blog.html and

http://loadholteduc8842blog.blogspot.com/2010/08/module-5-moving-toward-dynamic.html

Reference

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools. [Unpublished Paper].

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools - EDUC 8842 Module 4

 

The learning environment in an online setting is a determining factor for effective engagement of learners. The environment must be supportive, open, trustworthy and respectful (Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford, 2006). Anderson (2008) in his community of inquiry model stated the essence of social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence for learners to be actively engaged in an online learning environment. Social presence will establish a supportive environment for learners with a level of comfort and safety to express opinions and present themselves as real human beings. Cognitive presence will ensure the development of critical thinking skills, and teaching presence will involve instructional design and organization of the learning experience, activities to facilitate interactivity and varied forms of direct instruction. It is vital that educators create learning resources that will expose learners to critical concepts on the new knowledge to be acquired (Siemens, 2008).

The framework of the teaching presence and its components is the driving force for building a strong sense of community among learners. Shea, Li, Swan and Pickett (2005) in their study on the role of teaching presence in developing a learning community in online asynchronous college courses established that perceived teaching presence is associated with student’s sense of a learning community. Another finding established by Swan and Shih (2005) in their study on the nature and development of social presence in online discussion was the existence of a significant relationship between perceived social presence and satisfaction with online discussions.

Strategies that encourage student interactivity include asynchronous instructor-mediated discussion, student-moderated discussion, and problem-based learning (Durrington et al., 2006). The educational experience of learners must involve communication, collaboration and content, which are embedded in these various strategies. There is a variety of tools that could help to achieve a high level of student interactivity in online learning environment. The use of Skype is very effective for communication as it includes facilities for web conferencing, online meeting, instant messaging and sharing of files. Google docs is a collaborative tool that allow learners to share ideas and work together on documents in asynchronous and synchronous ways. Learners can access the documents on any system as a result of the cloud computing. Mind Meister is online collaborative tool for developing mind map concepts. It is an easy to use tool for class tasks. It allows learners to create mind maps on various lessons with color coding for easy of reference, and can be used on interactive whiteboard, to engage learners in brainstorming activities. Google sites allow learners and teachers to integrate technology into their daily activities. It is free, fast and easy to use. In an educational environment, it can be used to build content knowledge, which is accessible anywhere.

References

Anderson, T. (2008). Teaching in an online learning context. In Anderson, T. (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2^nd ed.) (p. 343-365). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193.

Shea, P., Li, C. S., Swan, K., & Pickett, A. (2005, December). Developing learning community in online asynchronous college courses: The role of teaching presence. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 9(4). Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/jaln/v9n4/developing-learning-community-online-asynchronous-college-courses-role-teaching-presence

Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITForum.

Swan, K., & Shih, L. F. (2005). On the nature and development of social presence in online couse discussions. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 9(3). Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/jaln/v9n3/nature-and-development-social-presence-online-course-discussions

Assessing Collaborative Efforts - EDUC 8842 Module 3

Assessment provides the opportunity to give feedback and evaluate the work done. Assessing collaborative work might be a daunting task, but it is achievable. Collaborative work should be assessed collaboratively by providing guiding principles that would help participants understand what the collaborative work entails. The principles should clearly state the expectations from each participant, develop assessment rubrics to make the task objective and easier, and align assessment with the learning outcomes of set tasks (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Siemens is of the view that an instructor can carry out a fair and equitable assessment using various models of assessment. The models of assessment should include learners assessing their peers, which will also aid learner determining self performance; constant feedback within the group; instructor assessment based on learners’ contribution and use of metrics from the learning management systems, such as active participation in group-related activities and posting feedback (Laureate, 2008e).

Amidst well-stated guiding principles in a collaborative work, it is difficult for some learners to work with others. The strategy to mitigate this problem is to build a strong sense of community in which learners will find trust, safety and have a sense of belonging (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Members should bear each other’s burden and give support when required. Where a learner is not ready to move along with others, a one-on-one interaction outside the group work should be initiated to build the learner’s confidence. If this does not yield any satisfactory result, the instructor should be notified. The onus of the instructor is to engage the learner and find out the concerns, build a high level of trust (Laureate, 2008f), state how the learner’s missing role might jeopardize the group achievement, acknowledge the importance of individual contribution in a collaborative work, and finally the impact on the learner assessment. However, where a learner still finds it difficult to make an acceptable contribution to the group work, the assessment should be of a lower grade.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008e). Assessment of collaborative learning. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.


Laureate Education, Inc. (2008f). Learning communities. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.


Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

EDUC 8842 - Video presentation storyboard - Module 3

 

This is an outline of my proposed video presentation. The intent is to introduce a keynote speaker at an educational technology conference who will speak on the topic “Motivating Adult Learners”. The outline will start off with a brief introduction of the topic, introduction of the speaker, excerpts from the speakers’ talk, short interviews with adult learners and a summary of articles on the topic with related images. Kindly, critique the slides and your feedback will be appreciated.

Please click on this link
https://docs.google.com/presentation/pub?id=1-jlTEOZ3PEpKOw6gLzBgKUzZriPHH1z1_6MIj8UYsx8&start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

GLOBAL DIVERSITY - EDUC 8842 MODULE 2

The ever-changing world of technology has made distance education take a new dimension. Most educational institutions are adopting distance education to reach out to society at large. George Siemens is of the opinion that there are three elements that are critical in distance education to create effective learning experiences. The three elements are global diversity, communication, and collaborative interaction (Laureate, 2008c). These elements are encompassing as distance learning environment cannot achieve set outcomes on using just one of the elements. In this purview, the focus here is on global diversity. The evolution of global diversity is as a result of no time zones, distant and locales accessibility to learning materials, and meeting the needs of all learners inclusive of those with challenges. The ability of both learners and instructors to interact and communicate in distance education has made the world a global village, not taking cognizance of whether developing or developed countries, culture, and ethics among others. Ellsworth buttressing Siemen’s view stated, "it is the global diversity element that actually makes distance education different and unique from face-to-face (F2F) education."

The primary medium is the use of Internet. Access to internet connection anytime, anywhere has made many online tools useful in distance education. The online tools that facilitate interactions among learners include Skype, social networking sites, blogs, wikis, discussion forum, and google docs for collaboration. The use of Skype has made online meeting, discussion, instant messaging and video-conferencing easy. It has a level of F2F, as learners can see one another in a physical posture during the video conferencing. The use of these technologies has provided cross-cultural international dialogues. This has enriched lives and futures with exposure to global diversity while learning alongside the world.

I share Siemen’s view that the growing acceptance of distance education has the key elements, comprising global diversity, communication and collaborative interaction. These elements are successfully incorporated into Walden University delivery method of distance education. In one of my courses, a classmate asked for the location of Nigeria in the world. If our paths had not crossed in this program, my classmate might not in her lifetime heard of such country, talk-less of collaborating with learners from that part of the world. Global diversity is a pivotal element of distance education.

References

Ellsworth, E. (2010). Elements of Distance Education. Retrieved on June 25, 2012 from http://ericaeduc8842.blogspot.com/2010/12/module-two-blog.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008c). The future of distance education. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Reshef, S. (2010). University of the people. Retrieved on June 25, 2012 from http://universityofthepeople.wordpress.com/

EDUC 8842 - PRINCIPLES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

NEXT GENERATION DISTANCE EDUCATION - Module 1

Distance Education has been in existence for several decades, but the medium of transmission keep changing as the world changes. It started with correspondence study, thereafter, over the last five decades it was delivered through open universities established in many countries. With the invention of internet, distance education is gaining much ground through the use of technologies. Simonson is of the opinion that distance education has two faces comprising distance teaching and distance learning. It is a formal education in which instructors, learners and resources are separated by distant and locales. The next paradigm will be an exponential growth of distance education without it replacing the traditional schools and will be incorporated into most learning environments inclusive of K-12, higher education, professional and training (Laureate, 2008a).

Moller, Huett, Foshay and Coleman also share the view of distance education in K-12, higher education and training learning environments with a focus on instructional design. Distance education is often referred to as virtual learning, e-learning or distance learning. The instructional design must take cognizance of instructors and learners needs and provide adequate resources to meet these needs. This will help sustain the growth of e-learning in the various environments (Laureate, 2008a; Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008). In the training arena, the driving forces are economic and access. Individually or collaboratively, e-learning gives the opportunity of individualization with web-based instructions for personal customization. As this evolves, learners can own their learning to suit their needs (Moller et al., 2008, May/June). The significant growth of e-learning is rapidly transforming the higher education sector. Most colleges and universities see it as a means of sustaining growth. E-learning provides an avenue to serve remote learners and boost the financial economy of the schools, especially in tuition-driven institutions (Moller et al., 2008, July/August). According to Huett, Moller, Foshay and Coleman (2008), e-learning in K-12 environment has experienced a tremendous growth with some state governments providing virtual K-12 schools or funding online programs in traditional schools. However, for e-learning to sustain the wave for future, role of instructional design is critical.

In view of above, I agree with the position of the authors. Distance education is approaching critical mass, and success is highly dependent on the instructors, learners and resources in terms of cost-effective models and technology tools considered in the instructional design. In line with the transformation of the use of computers in the society, within the next few years, the various learning environments will provide access to quality training and education through distance education.

References

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Distance Education: The Next Generation. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.