Reflections on reading #9 "Personal Alignment"

A framework model is a difficult choice. as I've heard said "Your personal teaching style does come into it".
I'm favouring a constructivists model but liked what I saw on the (Laurillards) link as well, and then there was...
It may be a case of look at what I naturally see as lesson tasks, e-devices use, etc... and recognise from these which model I'm actually developing towards. I like to think it is a Constructivist Model but...

Here I'm going to add an example of the type of exercise I'm developing to promote and provide a means for students to build collective knowledge from their own spaces.
The premise is to have students research and review from given subject matter. This task is done in an application available online, with all students invited into the document. I've chosen to use Google presentation for this end. I know what you are thinking... just another blooming MS Powerpoint snore.

"But wait there's more."

By giving students access to the presentation document, I only input into two slides myself.

1. A slide for the directives and rules of engagment within this collaborative document, and
2. A second slide set up as an exemplar.

Subsequent slides I've set in place by inserting duplicate (template) screens and simply typing in a trade term we might expect competent boat-building students to be familiar with. Students' have free range as to which terms they try to devise descriptions for.
As this task cycles through, over many weeks, we review "What" has been added each week in a face-face discussion. This is when critical thinking and group building of understanding can happen. If a student feels he can do a better job, I ask that he duplicates the slide he feels able to redevelop (with the assistance of the first slide attemptee) remove first renditions on the duplicated slide and we may review the second (revised) "Term" descriptor in due course. It is important that the student group feel safe in having their work discussed and critiqued, this I believe is where I can moderate and guide the session, not as an answer machine.
As a means to start each "Theory" session with students it is a good student centred activity.

I thank Scott Gallagher for expressing his "One Fact a Day", a regime he has with his students, for getting my creative juices going for this one. (Scott! I now do a verbal "So... what little gem of knowledge have you been learning since we last met" every day, great to start our practical sessions. They get a giggle and I don't relent 'till I get something. They are slowly learning to expect this little greeting.)

Lastly I believe this approach is (eventually) student led, collaborative, prompting of enquiry and research, multi mediae, transparent and knowledge building in a similar way to the ideals held up as good pedagogical examples in (C.McLoughlin, 2008) "The Three P's of Pedagogy.....Appendix A, bottom p25 where a group of law students' build a wiki with the same ideal as "wikipeadia" and with similar possibilities.
Many other systems of student-centred activity are being used/explored, "Blogbooks of learning" (Journals to you) google doc assessment portfolios both individual and collaborative in nature. recording theory debates in smartboard scribble. (not tidied up to aid recall) the start of review videos as training, iterative, access anywhere tools. etc...
I can clearly see the pedagogical relevancy and feel it is right on target.

BUT!

The question remains: "What framework does this represent?"

I'm likely to phrase my framework in a schematic form in order to express my ideal. Not sure yet how to present this.

Below is my "invitation to you" to view this work. Please be mindful that this is student work (in-progress) so 'view only' is the rule for visitors.




Work Cited:
McLoughlin, Catherine, and Mark J.W. Lee. "The Three P’s of Pedagogy for the Networked Society: Personalization, Participation, and Productivity." International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/index.cfm, 27 Oct. 2008. Web. 15 Sept. 2010.

Reflections on reading #8 "Out on the Borderline"

The 'live' on-line discussion between @Scuzi66 and @clovegro is, I think, pretty much where 'we all' feel at present.



Well done Chris and Scott (a.k.a Steve)

That is, "WE ALL" that are 'buying in', and see possibilities. Many staff, including our illustrious leaders, seem to be waiting for someone to 'do it all for them' so they can just tick the box and move on. Many staff don't or won't even try to work in this mode of communication internally (without student involvement).
Well, "Sorry folks", the living curriculum initiatives are going to steam-roll over that notion, and rightly so.
If it doesn't the next generation of students' most definitely will.

We're not alone. In the process of the readings I've contacted several educationalist in Australia. I find, in particular, their site http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/   is very good for VET community papers and discussions. I initially had the feeling that we where WAY behind other countries in on-line initiatives and open learning. Now however I believe we are not hopelessly behind at all. Our own Wendy Baker, I see, has presented latterly in USA and wowwed them (as she does anyway). I think that the need for more staff generally is going to be a necessity. One I can only imagine what may happen were we to 'all sing from the same hymn sheet'.                      


                       Will that happen?

Reflections on reading #7 "Bearing Witness"

In an attempt to find academic literature that approached my initial findings and frustrations with Web 2.0 tools, I started reading with an eye to examples of trials from other educators. One of my main aims apart from working to encourage ownership and self reliance within my students' experience of  Unitec, is to create a reliable and repeatable pathway in which to develop trust and insight for other staff to follow in exploring e-Learning tools when developing a 'Living Curriculum' mentality of delivery (pedagogy) for their courses.

Much rhetoric exists expounding the virtues or supposed virtues of Web 2.0 tools in education, but little reflective dialogue as to the observed stages one might witness as students, or teachers might experience, when applying these tools in a real situation. I was therefore delighted to find a soundly written, informative and balanced  paper that approaches just such an aim.

A paper "Blogging to Learn"(Anne Bartlett-Bragg, 2003) gave a very good account of the stages one might expect to witness when students' undertake work in a 'Learning Journal' (e.g. "Blogbook of Learning"). This in turn helps educators to develop carefully considered lesson activities over a full course/programme experience.
Expectations in early courses should therefore allow the building of e-learning competencies for students, Later courses should show these competencies have developed exponentially.
In her paper Anne has  recognised a 5 stage process taking place.
She states:
"For the past eighteen months, incorporated into four e-Learning subjects, across nearly eighty students, blogging has been a component of my basic pedagogical approach. The structure that has evolved from the introduction of blogging can be most effectively represented as a five-stage process: stage one – establishment; stage two – introspection; stage three – reflective monologues; stage four – reflective dialogue; and stage five – knowledge artefacts.
The process has been informed and developed from practice and not theory. Although not anticipated to follow Salmon’s (2000) Computer Mediated Conferencing (CMC) model, closer examination has revealed an initial similarity and will be the focus of closer investigation in my future research."


My experiences this year in trialling e-learning tools with my student groups has had its' "ups and downs". I felt at times I was loading the students' with too much 'techno-bable' at the expense of content. This I realise is a common feeling when letting go, and challenging adult students' to ultimately take responsibility for their learning journey. The fact I was learning new tools only a fraction of time ahead of them was a mistake on my part, but somewhat unavoidable. too which end I'm committed to building a series of review videos that allow students' to review the "How To" of setting up different Web 2.0 tools in their own environments and if need be in an iterative fashion. I know some similar video explanations exist on youtube etc... but I believe 'in-house' productions point more directly to our students' in that the 'flavour' of delivery and language used is of their environment and not imported.
Even with only a small sample of my own to draw from I can see the "5 stages" (Anne Bartlett-Bragg, 2003) as being correct and something to use as a tool in future.

Anne also contends that:
Learning journals:
"Individual ownership of the content differentiates this form of knowledge publishing from other electronic forums like discussion boards and mailing lists. The content becomes the sole responsibility of the author. Their objective regarding what to write and how to engage their readers is entirely in their control."

This in turn is promoting student lead knowledge building and responsibility.
I endorse these views.


Works cited:
www.flexiblelearning.net.au/knowledgetree/.../pdf/Blogging_to_Learn.pdf

Reflections on reading #6

Farmer & Bartlett-Brag strike again...(in-prog)

Works Cited

Farmer, J., & Bartlett-Bragg, A. (2005, December 4 - 7). Blogs @ anywhere: High fidelity online communication. Paper presented at the 22nd ASCILITE Conference: Balance, Fidelity, Mobility. Maintaining the Momentum?, Brisbane.

Reflections on reading #5

Farmer sure does make my head nod in agreement. (In -prog)

Works Cited

Farmer, J. (2004). Communication dynamics: Discussion boards, weblogs and the development of communities of inquiry in online learning environments. In R. Atkinson, C. McBeath, D. Jonas-Dwyer & R. Phillips (Eds), Beyond the comfort zone: Proceedings of the 21st ASCILITE Conference (pp. 274-283). Perth, 5-8 December. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/farmer.html

Reflections on reading #4

A great over view site that inspires a great deal of thought and discussion.  (In-prog)

Works Cited

Raines, Deborah A. "Digital Storytelling Brings a Human Connection to Online Education." Faculty Focus | Focused on Today’s Higher Education Professional. 9 Aug. 2010. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/digital-storytelling-brings-a-human-connection-to-online-education/>.