The journey comes to an end...

OK, well I guess this is just about it for Online Pedagogy in Practice!

I have enjoyed the course and do feel that I have gained new skills - I can't say that for some of the other courses I have undertaken as part of my GCTE!  I gained a lot of new skills via Assignment 2 both from facilitating the actual event and from the feedback and discussion from those involved.  I have also enjoyed using WIMBA within this course. As a distance student - feelings of isolation can be prevelant - so having the opportunity to engage with other students was good.  I would have enjoyed it more if there was more use of the camera - I like to be able to see who I'm speaking with. All this said, I am happy to say that I am leaving this course with a greater understanding of Pedagogy and the world of the online and virtual - the harder part with be working on the implimentation of these skills into my own teaching journey!

Ok, well that's Assignment 2 completed! Yippee!  Overall I was really happy with the way my online event went and happy with myself in that I am now gaining confidence in setting up Wiki sites.  I think using a Wiki worked well in that it was easy to access for participants and they did not need to log in with passwords etc and the site was fully open in all aspects and ready to go as per the advertised date.  I also learnt a great deal from particpants comments in my event - a range of applications I had never heard of - so that's certainly been a bonus!

I think other event that needed log ins etc did experience some problems in that sites were not always working as well as they could which inhibited participation - I did find this frustrating and am now more understanding of student complaints :).  All this said, no site is perfect and I will continue to browse other online media that I could potentially use in the future.  I do feel that I am gaining more confidence in the online virtual arenas - and will more investigation and practice this can only continue to improve.  All in all, I feel I have gained a lot from this course and have learnt a range of new skills and discovered a new world of online teaching strategies for use in the future.  Onward and upward!

How time flys when you're having fun!  Well that is the saying I guess, but currently time is flying and I'm not having too much fun!  Work and family illness have been absorbing all of my efforts of late and I do feel that I haven't participated as much as I would have like in the online presence aspects of Assignment 2. Working full time and having two young children, that seem to be constantly unwell of late really is starting to take its toll..But onward and upward!  I have tried to enter a few different online areas linked to Assignment 2 and have been amazed at the diversity of presentations and themes here.  The areas I have entered have given me a range of new ideas and techniques to both follow up further on and look at introducing to my current area of work.  So while I haven't been into them as frequently as planned, I do feel that I am gaing value from the work here of others. Go team!

The mind is a blur!!

Collaborative and non-collaborative learning/ social media/ student-centred learning/asynchronous and synchronous /wikis/blogs/google docs/pedagogy..the list goes on..I think sometimes it all becomes a bit of a blur!  Trying to stay active and engaged in creating and participating in a ‘online presence’ has become a task and a half!  Perhaps I needed to allocate my time better by being more aware of over-lapping dates for these events.  Being unwell during many of them also didn’t help..sigh!  I do think it will be harder for those students that have added events later to have the number of students active that is really required to facilitate a well- rounded discussion. But I will do my best here.

Assignment 2 - Online Pedagogy in Practice

Well my Wiki for Assignment 2 has been open for student discussion for a little over 24 hours now and already the discussions are flowing free!  It's great to see that fellow students are getting active and engaged in this assessment piece and still with three more days of converstation left!  As I am 'first off the mark' so to speak with this assessment, I am sure I will see far more fabulous events for others as the assessment item progresses that will give me more ideas for online presence in the future. 

The Wonderful World of the Wiki!

Ok, well my Wiki to use in my second assignment for Online Pedagogy in Practice is done and ready..well just about ready..for action!  Being a Wiki novice, it was a real experience to get one up and on the go.  In talking to work colleagues the general response is " Gee I know nothing about them - don't think I could do it!"  My response now, is "Hey it really is quite easy - even I can do it!".  The challenge for me now is to look at areas within my area that we can use the wonderful collaboration that Wiki's provide with our current student cohort.  Have in all reality had a lot of fun working with this Wiki, albeit a very simple Wiki - but it has certainly given me a taste for it.

A bit more calm than manic..well for today..

Ok, that's the first assignment - Literature review - done and dusted!  I really have found researching the particular topic I chose - Barriers to educators in adopting e-learning technology- to be really interesting.  I have now also discussed with work colleagues the potential of turning this area into a paper for the next Australasian Enabling Conference as it is such an important area of education. Funnily enough, I am now looking forward to Assignment 2!

Traditional VS Transcendent

My topic for Ass 1 has been so relevant to my current circumstances.  A number of staff that I currently work with are ‘technophobic’ and are therefore very reluctant to willingly jump on board with the new wave of distance education, primarily e-learning.  There is the misunderstanding here that e-learning is simply making standard print materials used in face to face delivery electronic and dumping them onto Moode.  Well we know that this is certainly not an effective method of e-learning, but without adequate training, support and the opportunity to engage with other staff that have been involved with e-learning for a number of years – circumstances not likely to change for some time..geez I wonder why distance students in these circumstances have higher attrition rates??

In many ways e-learning is learning to let go of the past…

http://www.eriding.net/images/thinkers_cartoon.jpg

WIMBA or ZUMBA?

Well I used to be a WIMBA virgin!  While I had heard of WIMBA it is not a tool that I had used before in my studies and I must say it was refreshing to be able to ask questions in ‘real-time’ and to catch a glimpse of my lecturer.  I find virtual face to face communications a real advantage in distance/e-learning environments.  I was also a wonderful opportunity to engage with other students.  All this aside, I was relaying the events to my technologically challenged Hairdressing partner that evening.  His reply “is WIMBA a new version of ZUMBA?”  God love him!

Social Media

I came across this link earlier in the week and thought it was worth sharing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

From Calmy manic to simply manic!

OK, well here we are at the end of week 2 and I'm transitioning from calmly manic to simply manic.

Man´ic

a.

1.

(Med.) Of or pert. to, or characterized by, mania, or excitement; frenzied; as, with manic energy.

I am having troubles opening many of the reading links for the topics which is proving to be a tad frustrating! All said, I am moving ahead with my 1st assessment item..though I am getting a minor head ache from all this head banging!

Online Pedagogy in Practice - what's it all about?

When I printed out The Horizon Report - all 40 pages (and yes I'm a print kinda gal!), I was a little apprehensive about the size of the document sitting alongside the other reading that we were addressing for Week 1 of this course.  What a pleasant surprise this report was to read!  I was quite shocked, embarrassingly so, at how engaged I became with the content.  In my current situation, I am fighting a somewhat losing battle to draw a well-established bridging program into the 21^st Century in a way that will work for the new cohort of “web-based/ Generation Y” learners.  My plan now is to leave this report strategically placed around the local staff room!

Evaluation

OK, now I'm really a bit behind I know..however:
There were some interesting reads in this section.
I have linked governance and policy evaluation to the Bruce King 'evaluation' of the Enabling programs at CQUniversity.  What do we do with evaluation and how do we process evaluation information?  Often there is organization resistance to many forms of evaluation - that is of course unless the evaluation is organizationally based.  As we are all aware, all evaluations are, and can be, open to manipulation to suit the 'requirements of the evaluation'.  In the example I have stated above - it is important to consider the conditions of the evaluation - are they merely a source of legitimization as Boswell indicates can be the case.  That is: has the decision of the evaluation outcome already been decided?.  In the example indicated - while extensive research was carried out - it is far easier to have an external party offer an evaluation in that they can come and go and not be part of the fall out of the evaluation findings - or to experience the 'wash-back effects' as Anderson and Wall discuss in this article. 
In terms of Course Evaluations - good or bad, they are used as parameters of teaching productivity and outcomes.   Educators need to keep in mind that difference forms of evaluation vary in effectiveness from student to student depending on learning styles are preferences.  I recently attending an International Enabling Conference - various speakers here indicated the need for flexible and creative evaluation techniques that they were implementing to align with students learning styles, which is quite the opposite to the norm.  Evaluations here allowed students to show understanding of course materials by which ever means worked for them, so long as they meaning was clear.  Examples here included building workable scale versions of constructions to show understanding of elements of pre-Engineering requirements, such as measurements, weights etc.

OK will keep it brief..onward and upward folks!

Echo...echo...echo

HI folks, have been out of action for a little while on annual leave, and then couldn't get back into my blog!

Apparently I have a 'conflicting' account issue that the fabulous ITD team at CQUni have been working on for me..so I currently have dubious access :)

So...Week 6:

I explored areas related to generational differences in my Annotated Bibliography.  What to do with the 'Net Generation'?  It would seem that many of these users come with the skills to find..but not critically evaluate..what has been found.  I think as educators we need to work with the skills this generation has, in that they don't really need to be taught how to search, but why, and need assistance in locating relevant and reputable information that is suitable for academic use.

So, we need to recognize the abilities of the ‘net generation’ of university students to confidently read images and text, but question their ability to critically evaluate the information.  The challenges for educators, is to adequately consider students current knowledge and to address the imbalance of teacher and student within this context by refining the teacher-directed approach and the student-centered approach to course content that focuses on critical reflection and to understand texts in relation to contexts. This in itself requires a paradigm shift from old practices and the embracing of flexibility on the part of the educator to distinguish what does and does not work in the new millennium of education

As a “generation X-er” and having experience with Generation Y youngsters (J) there is a focus to have it all now.

Week 7 & 8

Ok, thanks for the links provided there Scott.  The fist link to the article outlining the power of 6 model was great.  The six ares of potential value adding, areas of professional capacity and the six strategic APD Initiatives do look really beneficial.  As I deal solely with external students, having a working and relevant online learning system and area are crucial to the students success.  I did have a chuckle at the ‘current approaches to developing staff skills’ section – as I remember when CQUni switched from Blackboard to Moodle and the staff conflict that surrounded the transition! You would think that academics would be eager to learn new skills!

Planning for Learning and Assessment – I don’t think that there was anything in these slides that we haven’t already really covered in the overall content of this course. This said, I have passed this slide show onto colleagues to take a look at.  I have seen the ‘8 Learning Management questions’ before and YES they are very handy in course design.

Eight principles on principal!

OK, well I feel like I have now gorged on a never ending all you can eat smorgasbord of the Seven Principles over the last five readings and am now feeling a little bloated, but in a good way, although I still feel a lay down might be in order.
On commencing these reading I had all but completed my 1st assessment for this course and am now feeling pretty happy with the readings I have chosen for my annotated bibliography as they have further amplified areas addressed in these readings..not the seven principles as such specifically, but the related areas of :

• Constructive descriptive and timely feedback;
• reduced student 'fear' in their studies;
• educator to student and student to educator transparent communication
• Active learning; &
• online interactions.

The readings also got me thinking more deeply -this is during my post reading lay down - about the current courses that I am involved in and whether I could tick the boxes, so to speak, in terms of addressing the seven principles there. And am also reasonably happy there, and happier in that I can now see areas for improvement and have the tool required to effectively tackle these.

I did find Reading 2 - Using conceptests to access and improve student conceptual understanding in introductory geoscience courses a bit dry and the diagrams a bit hard to follow, but did enjoy both readings 1 & 3- particularly Figures 1 in reading 3 (is this a version of the human centipede?!) and the concepts of Positive Interdependence.  I also found reading 4 valuable in starting to reflect on my own teaching philosophy  in that our role really is to 'guide and coach' rather than deliver.  Feedback from educators in reading 5 also struck a cord with me and it was great to see feedback from educators in how they thought they were doing in incorporating the seven principles.    All this said, I think the seven principles omit an important factor that relates back to the seven principles and that is educator pizazz!
or pi·zazz or piz·zaz (pĭ-zăz')
n. Informal

1. Dazzling style; flamboyance; flair.
2. Vigorous spirit; energy or excitement.

I have discussed this with Scott - but for fellow students benefit..let me tell you a little story...Once upon a time when I was an undergraduate student, I used to be a VAL girl (sounds saucy I know..but not quite Adriana Xenides) VAL, stands for Video Assisted Learning. So what my job was to film lectures that were then distributed to other regional and international campus for use.  This involved me sitting in a room by myself out of view from any others - including students and lecturers - with access to a range of cameras and camera locations and the ability to zoom all our the lecture theater...  After doing this for a number of years, you can really tell who has IT and who doesn't in terms of engaging students.  While most lecturing staff are absolutely skilled and are 'experts' in their fields - some just don't have the pizazz to keep students focused and engaged in the topic. So all this said, I think there needs to be EIGHT principles for good practice..the end.

Feed it to em with a SHOVEL!

I absolutely love the term SHOVEL WARE!  I hadn't heard of that particular term before, and in saying that had certainly thought of a few terms in the past that used such tactics..but public forums aren't that place for that sort of language!  With any new methods of teaching application there comes many factors to consider - time to construct and time for the teacher to learn the program and time to apply this to course content.  But the biggest hurdle can often come with audience and the students knowledge in these area.  Some 'net generation' students will be all over these areas, but some, me often included, are not always so receptive.  The question for such students is are they spending too much time learning how to navigate a particular system and less time focusing on the actual course content? Does Shovel Ware exist at CQUni?  Sure does!  And to be clear it is a personal gripe of mine. For the bridging students that I predominately deal with it can be an absolute nightmare.  While CQUni is leaning towards more online print free learning directions, this can be a real struggle for 'first-timers' in that learning to navigate a system that is over loaded with information can cause real fear and anxiety and can cause students to really question their own abilities.  While I understand that such learning environments are becoming more the norm than not, I think a transition period is needed for many students.  And content or overload of content is a real concern.  I am a big one for less wordy content and more videos.  I always apologise to students in advance to the fact that they will need to listen to and watch me!  But feel that a short video works to both humanises the student - lecturer relationship, particularly for distance students and reduces the need for written instructions that seem to go on and on!  WIST currently has a Facebook study group that is used as an informal motivational tool.  This is a space for students to both let off steam and to motivate each other.  It's amazing how much a 'thumbs -up' for do for a student personal confidence in a particular project.  There is most certainly no academic jargon allowed in this space!

Hmm ADDIE's.  Well I have used ADDIE's in another course within this program.  Does it work, well, again, like anything, it will depend heavily on what it's being applied to.  It is a reasonable way of addressing potential flaws in the application and design of a particular system and system content and does allow for evaluation.  I am a fan of constant evaluation and expect this of myself in terms of 'educator role', I also request this of the students that I interact with.  Evaluation of what I discuss with them, as well as personal evaluations in their own learning journey.  It is really only through student evaluations that we can see content flaws and work to create change and provisions that works better for the student in terms of gaining the most comprehensive view of information supplied.I know there are educators out there that have a different thought pattern in that what they produce and deliver is "it" and not to be tampered with, but I'm an advocate of change and like to think that I am capable of delivering dynamic content that motivates students to learn!

Those WACKY kids indeed!!

What an entertaining speaker Mark Pesce is!  For such a lengthy clip - I stayed to the end.  It's important to outline the crucial existence of digital Web 2 applications as they are 'sexy' and user-friendly, and open to all for use in both social and educational settings and applications.However as with many new technology in terms of teaching there does need to be pedagogical back-ups to ensure we aren't simply trying to apply the technology on the means that they are simply 'sexy'.  In actuality we normalise new technologies by continually expanding on primary uses and applications and progressing with current changes.  While internet Dial Up was once so new and profound it is now nearly obsolete to all but a few.  While we all know that change is constant - the level of change is the true progression and this does rest with the user.
I enjoy the constructivism theory in relation to children.  Having two children - one 10 and one five it astounds me to see them both actively 'surfing' a range of technological areas such as the internet, educational games and Wii with both confidence and ease!  I remember my first computer - a Dick Smith number that was attached to a cassette player!  A device that most younger people are totally unaware of!  Man, they did double sides! We did eventually and very excitedly progress to the good old Commodore 64!  But I digress..The naturalness of 'hyperconnectivity' is part of many parents lives with some classrooms working toward a change of embrace rather than avoidance in terms of the engagement of new technologies in teaching methodologies.  I do believe that there are strong aspects of 'teacher fear' but also live in hope that such fear will be 'breed out' as younger more informed teachers tentatively make their ways into the modern day learning institutions.  I also love the concept of 'Accident Revolution' as it really focuses on the USE of these tools - as Mark Pesce has pointed out "The street finds it's own use for things".The key now with younger generations (not that I'm OLD!) is to focus on using these tools for 'good' rather than 'evil' which is educating children particularly on the roles and uses surrounding the range of technologies that are currently available to them at the touch of a finger - or no touch at all with the introduction of virtual arenas, and for educators to work on constructing the use of such technologies as educational tools that are there to excite, engage and promote community learning.

What is an alphabet?

I guess much of my educational philosophy was initially formed, like many, within the primary and secondary schooling system.  Experiences here that still rest with me are both good and bad, from having a blackboard duster being thrown at me in year 1 for gluing my cut out triangle onto my sheet crocked!  To having a number of inspirational and motivational secondary teachers that have thankfully formed the larger part of my experiences.  Tertiary educational experiences were also far removed from my year 1 experience in that I was lucky to have a range of wonderful supportive lecturers from CQUni on hand -many of which I have remained close friends with throughout the rest of my learning journey.  What I have gained from these experiences over the years as both a tertiary student and now an educator have aided me in providing a balanced view of student experiences and the ability to see points of view from many angles.  Something I say to many students when providing assistance throughout their courses is..'if it were me..I'd be looking to do this in this particular way'..
The 21st Century Pedagogy You-tube click was interesting.  However questions need to be addressed here in that do 'new' teachers have this "new DNA for the 21st Century"?  Are school educators - the primary discussion within the presentation - co-constructors of knowledge?  In many circumstances I think not in all reality.  Incorporating ICT;s into the classroom school systems particularly primary school settings does not reflect any really "DNA" pedagogical changes mentally in many educators or offer evidence that teachers in such settings are actually providing 'new' ways of doing things.  Often, I see very few changes in teaching styles, what I do see in new equipment to deliver the same methods of educating.

Education Today and Tomorrow You tube was a fabulous presentation and I very much enjoyed viewing the clip.  However, as tertiary educators we do need to be mindful of audience in that not all students that we interact with are products of the 'technological age' and that many are mature age technophobes and need to be dragged kicking and screaming into many technological medium. 
A Vision of student today.  I am a big fan of students being part of their own learning community whereby they are active participants in establishing, creating and building on and within their own learning environment and overall learning experience.  The WIST program has a Facebook study group which plays a huge role in both students e-learning experiences along with 'informal' motivational assistance.  While this style of forum was initially discouraged by colleagues - I went ahead anyway on the requests of students and it has been overwhelming supported by student and now colleagues!
 So, to close are we really creating something new..or simply modifying the old via new technologies?

Web 2.0 Phone Applications..

"Maxwell Smart's infamous shoe phone pioneered the mobile phone way back in the 60's.  Discover the phone evolution with the millions of useful quirky and even bizarre applications now available for download to smartphone and ipads"

This is quoted directly from the RCC Library that are now offering free on-line short courses on phone applications!
How great is it that Libraries are offering such courses and are now working on a range of different 'draw-cards' to keep residents active within their local libraries!!
This is a course that I'm certainly keen on.

pod casting..

Pod Casting..hmm.  This is a technology that I haven't really considered in terms of a Higher Education teaching tool...however..as we are learning through this course, a paradigm shift is apparent in education-one that is changing the historical pedagogical approach to teaching.  That is, the top-down approach to teaching is being replaced by collaborative learning, which technological advances are driving.  Pod casts in teaching and education generally are certainly on the up turn- this said, as we are aware, many educators are not quick to adopt new technologies :).  I am certainly part of that group, but am trying to break free of this.  I was not aware that pod casts were not audio only!  It's great that pod casts can incorporate a range of other media files such as graphics slide shows etc.  So again the life-long learning continues for me.  As educators, it is important that we work to meet the diverse needs and learning styles of a wide range of students.  Due to the fact that many students already use such media tools in their own personal lives using pod casts and creating materials via such tools creates a familiar environment for continued learning.
So the advantage of engaging students via pod casts:

• The pod cast can be started anywhere, paused, restarted, stored and viewed at a time suitable for the student
• Audio benefits vision impaired students
• Allows for convenient access to materials

All this said, I do believe such tools may be applicable to some courses more than others.  In my current situation due to the self-paced external nature of WIST- there are no set lectures or tutorials for students to either view or attend.  However in an undergraduate perspective I can see this as being a tool that will grow in momentum amongst educators.