Sunday, April 14, 2019
Sunday, February 17, 2019
EDU 654 Blog Post #3 - Using Technology: Sense of Community
Using
the Technology: Sense of Community
What makes a learning
management system (LMS) a platform that can deliver a sense of community (SoC)? Is it a splash page with a colorful banner and
a funny little character like the one on this blog page? Or, is it the inclusion of apps like Padlet
and Voki embedded in the learning modules?
While these can have a positive and energizing impact, it is the
instructor that sets the stage and leads the way. Shackelford and Maxwell (2012)
found:
The
instructor must be aware of the importance of his or her communication in
showing students how to engage in behaviors that build community in an online
course. Students observe instructor behavior and learn from it, taking cues in
such areas as initiation of conversations, acceptance of opposing viewpoints,
offering of encouragement, and use of tact in disagreements.
Synchronous discussion webinars
not only give the instructor and students the opportunity to bond, it also
encourages spontaneous critical thinking.
Morrison (2012) found most instructors wanted students to become
interested in the topic, motivated to explore and ask questions, learn and
think by means of discourse and discussion, and finally to think critically,
apply the knowledge to other areas, draw conclusions and demonstrate knowledge.
The virtual classroom is
the perfect space for individualized learning, but the social interaction to
support the community that exist within that space is discussion. Having discussions among a large number
of students can make participation challenging.
Akcaoglu and Lee (2016) found that
by manipulating group size, students' perceptions of cohesion, and sociability
were positively increased in asynchronous class discussions.
In
my current training environment, I do get a chance to use colorful splash pages,
synchronous discussion as the classes are designed as hybrid learning, and there
is a carve out for asynchronous discussion. It is my plan to expand the utilization of
different learning apps to keep my training participants both engaged and
learning something new about technology.
References
Akcaoglu, M., Lee, E. (2016). Increasing social presence in online learning
through small group discussions. International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning, 17(3). Retrieved
from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2293/3680
Morrison, D. (2012).
Critical thinking in the online classroom. Online
learning insights a place for learning about online education. Retrieved from https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/critical-thinking-in-the-online-learning-classroom/
Shackelford, J. L., & Maxwell, M. (2012). Contribution of learner–instructor
interaction to sense of community in graduate online education. MERLOT
Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 8(4).
248-260.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
EDU 654 Blog Post #2 - Asynchronous and Synchronous Facilitation
Asynchronous
and Synchronous Facilitation
The online classroom was a concept that I was skeptical
of as an online learner, while at the same time eager for the challenge to
become a participant in the virtual classroom.
When I began studying for my first graduate degree the online classroom
still had that new car smell. It was in
2005 and the instructors in my health science program were either fully
committed to online facilitation, or they simply tried to copy and paste their
face-to-face (F2F) course into a learning management system (LMS). Simply put the instructors had either lifted
anchor and set sail to the shores of the online classroom, or remained tethered
to the beach.
The same analogy can be used for the consideration of asynchronous
and synchronous facilitation. Steven Tello,
associate director of distance learning, continuing studies, and corporate
education at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell found that asynchronous
discussions are:
most
appropriate for lasting, thoughtful contributions to an entire class or course
team. They are ideal for the sharing of course resource and materials, both as
postings within a course and as a place to share documents and media files. Threaded discussions can be organized around
lessons, topics, teams, or whatever makes the most sense within one’s course (para.
9).
The
social learning tool Flipgrid offers a discussion platform for all levels of
learning. As a student I have used
Flipgrid and found it allowed for spontaneous engagement as opposed to the LMS
discussion board. This YouTube video gives
a less than 2-minute peek into what Flipgrid is about.
Hanna et al. (2013)
found the use of synchronous online teaching tools will likely increase in the
future as they provide opportunities for immediate group interaction, decision making
and consensus which are important aspects of the collaborative process. As this video short explains Cisco Webex
allows for a class to assemble at the same time live collaborative learning is
best.
In my current organization the learning structure remains
tethered to F2F facilitation on land. It
is my goal to move the needle on the training and development into the 21st
century online learning environment. As a student I have used Flipgrid and Webex
and found both fun and engaging. If you
have suggestions of asynchronous and synchronous tools please share for, I am receptive
to new ideas.
References
Kelly,
R. (2004). The connection between instructional interaction and student
persistence.
Online
Classroom,
p7-8.
Hanna, E., Soren, B., Telner,
D., MacNeill, H., Lowe, M., Reeves, S (2013). Flying blind:
The experience of online
interprofessional facilitation. Journal
of Interprofessional Care, 27(4), 298-304.
doi: 10.3109/13561820.2012.723071
Sunday, January 20, 2019
EDU 654 Blog #1 - Learner Content
Learner
Content
Traveling
during a late January winter blast helped my thought process about adult
learning course content creation come into full focus. Like frigid temperatures
educators that have resided only in the academia universe become frozen in what
they believe is the best course content for any occupational learning
track. On the flip side occupational
subject matter experts are as bound to their opinion that teaching a skill the
same as it has been taught for centuries is the best learning format. Both sides can successfully argue that their
perspective is efficient and effective; but only if there are no evolutionary
advancements in education and technology.
Within
my organization I am charged with designing and developing vocational pathway
training that provides career advancement opportunities. The learning is often a hybrid model of organization
led training workshops, community college classroom studies, and on-the-job
learning. The ingredients of the
learning recipe are not always easily blended as each learning provider deems
their course content and delivery method to be the best.
A
report of the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Education, U.S.
Department of Labor, National Institute of Literacy, and the Small Business
Administration (1999) found that to best serve the needs of workers and
employers, educational institutions must address employers’ needs for both
general and industry-specific training just as employers must explore ways to
expand and update the skills of their workforce by adopting new and changing
technologies.
It
is easy to imagine how an employer can lose worker morale and productivity when
ineffective training is offered, but what do you think happens when an
educational institution fails to provide what needs to be taught? This video on ineffective teaching can provide
some insight.
As
instructors we must commit to getting to know our audience. Andriotis (2016) suggest when developing a needs
analysis to focus on three areas: time investment, attitudes, and expected
outcomes. The student will feel more
motivated to participate in a course that is specific to their individual
needs, and the employer will learn of similar cross departmental needs and
requirements.
I
find the best approach to creating mutually beneficial learning content is to ask
questions and listen to the answers from both sides. This approach correlates with the findings of
Stefaniak and Baaki (2013) that instructional design should be customized so that
it is apparent to the learner (and the employer) that they need the
instruction.
References
Andriotis, N.
(2016). Know your audience! A smart guide for analyzing your learners’
needs.
In
Enfront. Retrieved from https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2016/10/guide-learners-needs-analysis.html
Melbourne, A.
(2014). Ineffective teaching. YouTube.
Retrieved from
Stefaniak, J. E., Baaki,
J., (2013). A layered approach to
understanding your audience.
Performance Improvement, 52(6),
5-10. Doi:
10.1002/pfi.21352
U.S. Department of
Commerce, U. S. Department of Education, U. S. Department of Labor,
National Institute
of Literacy, and Small Business Administration.
(1999). 21st century
Skills for 21st century
jobs. Washington,
DC: Government Printing Office.
Monday, December 3, 2018
EDU 658 Reflective Blog Post
EDU 658 Instructional Design Application
Pamela L. McGimpsey
Coming
from a family whose craft is teaching I grew up hearing about the development
of lesson plans all day every day. It
was not uncommon for my mother to spend her summer and holiday breaks creating learning
outlines that included bulletin boards, art projects, and live presentations of
student reports. This was of course
before the virtual world of learning came onto the scene. While I appreciated her efforts and outcomes
as much as her students, I never fully valued the amount of time she spent on
creating one course. But EDU 658 Instructional Design Application
forever changed my respect level for those training professionals who are also instructional
designers.
Like
an architect I took the first step in designing a course of learning. With fingers to my laptop keyboard I tapped
out a planning document. At the conclusion
of the second draft I believed my intended course plan was pure perfection. There was nothing I was going to change. With positive momentum I pushed forward to
design the course Splash page. The visualization for this page was simple,
exciting, and full of color.
Unfortunately, I failed to include in my course development plan the
absolute need to become familiar, comfortable, and confident with the Canvas
learning management system (LMS). After
hours of stumbling around what was a virtual LMS learning pit I put together a
creation that opened to a thud on my monitor.
A welcomed peer review provided the most beneficial feedback that
resulted in converting my original Splash
page into a vibrant and easy to understand course cover page. Thus, my perfect cover page was changed and
for the better.
The
inclusion of Powtoon, Padlet, and Google Sheets proved perfect supplements to
my course learning designed as an entry level supervisory training for those in
the manufacturing industry. For someone who
does not warmly embrace technology I became brave enough to first try and then
include these new to me applications in my Canvas based course. Excitement coursed through my veins as I created
visually impactful and engaging learning elements.
During
the 16-week course of EDU 658
Instructional Design Application I learned that by pairing online learning
with face-to-face class time a course can become a richer learning experience
for the student and the instructor. For
each step of the design process I was the student stretching my artistic
boundaries to craft a course that will inspire the learners it touches to engage
in every element this learning program offers.
I am very proud of the final product of this course as it is the first in
what will be a long line of exceptionally designed learning programs.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Pamela's Note Card Confession / Reflective Blog Post
This Note Card Confession is my Reflective Blog Post for it perfectly summarizes my course study take away for EDU 651.70: Foundations of Distance Education.
I hope you enjoy...
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Social Media: The Role It Plays in Online Learning
Pamela L. McGimpsey
Lenoir-Rhyne University
The role of online learning in the
instructional design of course development continues to be a subject of
extensive interest and research. Numerous
studies have found students appreciate the flexibility, convenience, and that level
of classroom anonymity afforded to the online learner. As technological advances make the delivery
of learning management systems like Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas easier to
navigate for instructor and student, these virtual learning environments are no
longer the only platform for online learning.
Social media’s Facebook and Twitter are now being considered to become
part of the realm of online teaching because it encourages active participation
and relationship building.
The
Role of Social Media
Fitting into the mold for the
constructivist approach for teaching and learning social media presents a setting
for individuals not only to chat about a favorite activity, but it can also
provide a stage that supports the online learning community. Whittaker (2014) led a preliminary study into
the success of Facebook as a “closed group” community of 44 students enrolled
in an undergraduate Animal Science degree program that also required compulsory
face-to-face learning activities.
Five
themes emerged from the data gathered: other, course content query,
administrative query, problem solution, and joke. Of those themes problem solution had the
largest number of responses with 40% being from the administrator answering a
direct question, or providing guidance to where additional information could be
found. Students posted 60% of the responses
in support of each other. A student
posting example: “At the end of the day
a power calculation requires an indication of the type II error that’s
acceptable. Generally you would find a
common acceptable type II error would be 20% so requires a power of 80%”
(Whittaker, 2014, p. 142).
In
2011, Tay and Allen argued “it is the particular pedagogic application of
social media – not the technology itself – that will lead to a constructivist learning
outcome. Whereas social media might afford us possibilities for collaboration, shared
content creation, and participation in knowledge building, those possibilities need
to be actualized through the effective integration of social media into learning
environments” (p. 156). Stated simply,
social media becomes part of the complimentary pairing with the contemporary
learning management system that allows students to collaborate while working as
individuals.
The
140 character world of Twitter can also build an educational support community
as Feliz, T., Ricoy, and Feliz, S. (2013) found as they investigated the use of
Twitter as a resource to develop a learning community. A total of 39 people participated in the research
ranging in ages between 21 and 50; all with very different backgrounds, training,
and experience. Though students overall generated
a large number of tweets, most tweets originated from the younger study
participants.
Older
students (age 41-50) and those aged between 31 and 40 showed a lower level of
participation. This agrees with the
findings of another study (Espuny, Gonzalez, Lleixa, and Gisbert, 2011), which
noted that knowledge of social media increases as age decreases. Moreover, in the present research it was
found that the students with the worst academic results tended to show lower
participation in the Twitter social network.
Occupation does not; however, seem to have an influence on the level of
participation. (Feliz et al., 2013, p. 212)
Rutten,
Ros, Kuijpers, and Kreijns (2016) found for students in pre-vocational education
that when compared with virtual learning settings social network sites “offered
a stronger environment for practicing online career skills, but students do not
show more online career behavior in these environments” (p. 140). While the authors admit the findings of this
explorative study has limitations the end result of student engagement with
social media being accepted as a learning platform is an outcome that illustrates
“how different digital environments can be used effectively in schools to teach
students how to use an SNS for career purposes” (Rutten, et al., 2016, p. 149).
Conclusion
Available
literature on the topic of social network systems and the role they currently
play in online learning is limited. Each
article researched for this literature review closed with the same
synopsis. Social media paired with learning
management systems can be a complimentary integration of a hybrid learning
platform generating a student community that will serve to positively enhance
the educational experience for learners and instructors. Additional research is necessary to study the
long term impact of social networks on online learning.
References
Feliz, T.,
Ricoy, C., Feliz, S., (2013). Analysis
of the use of Twitter as a learning strategy in
master’s learning. Open Learning, 28(3), 201-215.
Tay, E., Allen,
M., (2011). Designing social media into
university learning: technology of
collaboration or collaboration for
technology. Educational Medial
International,
48(3),
151-163.
Rutten, M., Ros,
A., Kuijpers, M., Kreijns, K., (2016).
Usefulness of social network sites for
adolescents’ development of online
career skills. Educational Technology
& Society,
19(4), 140-150.
Whittaker, A.
L., Howarth, G. S., Lynn, K. A., (2014).
Evaluation of Facebook to create an
online learning community in an
undergraduate animal science class.
Educational
Media International, 51(2), 135-145.
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