Wk 9 – 11: Final Assignment

The Process

I created a wiki and used Moodle to teach a workshop on Image Editing using CS5. This was important to my role at Selkirk as we have several staff that could benefit from this skill in their roles as content providers for our website. I created the exams using google drive to hold the forms and inserted them as a widget. I wasn’t exactly sure if I put my course in Moodle in the right spot. I just over-wrote my Moodle page as given to us by TRU. Hopefully that works ok…?

I created the wiki first and then copied the content into Moodle. I found Moodle was limiting in how I could put in video, without a widget like wiki had, where I could embed the code. I had to search predominantly through youtube. That said, I also found using videos from Lynda.com a challenge because they require a password, so this was a challenge on the Wiki. I cheated and uploaded a photo screen shot and linked it to the video page. It allowed it to look more visually engaging.

I am interested to see how the wiki goes with my group at Selkirk. There are varying levels of competency within the group and the creating a log in for some seems to be an inhibitor. Already got questions on ‘how do i log in’…interesting to see how it goes.

I enjoyed the additional features in Moodle for chat and discussion. I look forward to learning more and more about this program. I used Blackboard 4 years ago and have been receiving a new version for my other TRU classes…it looks quite fancy now. Looking forward to creating courses in that as well.

The Issues

I put a lot of time into creating the content, looking for numerous sources and videos which took me much longer than I would have thought. By finishing this assignment late, I didn’t benefit from having my classmates try out my course, so I did Lesson 1 and 2 quiz and assignment.

You can see from my restore that I duplicated everything. I am not sure if that was how it was intended? See what Keith says there.

Also, when I was functioning in the student role as JB, it was confusing how to upload my assignment. I had to create another ‘post’ and I doubt this would have been something students would do. Perhaps I should assume their log-ins are different and it automatically as members of my class have access etc. Assuming it was a permissions thing. I also wanted to give JB a badge for each week he/she completed but couldn’t figure out how to do that either. Maybe if one of the members completes something I can?

I think my course is not very explicit in how it is graded. I think this could be improved next time around. It is going to be used as a training vehicle for a Marketing group in a college, so I didn’t emphasize that enough.

What I Saw From Others

Emily – Glad to see I wasn’t only one who was creating original content to help build future portfolio. Had never seen Google sites before and thought it looked very clean.

Gail – Saw Gail solved the video widget thing that I never did. Should have read her blog before starting, lol. Keith, if you know where these shortcodes etc are found, can you pass on the link?

Geoffrey – Sounded very smooth in Moodle to go with an already created course. Thinking now that might have been a good way to go, lol. Never seen Weebly. Couldn’t get your page to load for some reason.

Kelly – I found the learning curve with Moodle much more rewarding than with my original foray into WordPress as well. So much more robust with the tools. Will have to integrate survey monkey next time. Haven’t used it since 2007 so I imaging there is a lot of new features.

W8: Research Paper

This paper is an examination of the increasing demand for post-secondary pedagogy for ‘acquiring marketing skills’ rather than simply demonstrating knowledge, due to the rapidly changing landscape of the marketing and communications industry, through advances in digital media and in particular, social media.

The only way to remain relevant in this emerging discipline is to constantly learn about the new environment as quickly as possible, and create a flexible pedagogical plan that utilizes the new digital media tools as part of the learning process.

Digital marketing differs from traditional marketing as it uses digital technologies that are inherently measurable, permit conversations to be targeted, and facilitate the creation of relationships between customers and firms, whereas the latter is much more mass communication oriented (Wymbs, 2011).

Download entire paper at EDDL5151 Jo Brookes Analytical Research Report.

W6 – Activity 2

Lisa Nielson on 21st Century Educators Don’t Say, “Hand It In.” They say, “Publish It!

 

How does this fit with my pedagogical beliefs?

As a new teacher, who wants to teach marketing/online communications, this fits entirely within my beliefs. I have personally gone back to school in my late ’30s to upgrade my skills in Marketing and every project I did, I kept for my resume and onhand for interviews. I believe that student work needs to be more than just ‘student work’ as Neilson seems to.

Do I buy into what she is saying?

I do buy into what she is saying and believe that today’s student would too.

Do the examples give you some ideas that you might want to try in my own teaching practice?

  • Screencast tutorials
  • Vokis
  • Google Voice Assignment
These are all new to me and I would love to try them out.

Does the “Publish It” philosophy impacts student learning in a positive way?

Yes. It let’s them feel that their efforts and time are ‘valued’ and they are less likely to think it is ‘just a dumb assignment’. It shows them learning about technology, which will give them confidence as well as keep them interested. It shows that their time in school not only helps for the future but can also show impact in their lives now.

W6 – Activity 1

Answer the following questions for any two student activities or projects you have identified that incorporate Internet-based applications, or applications that require the Internet to work such as Skype.

 

What is the URL that points to the activity or project, and student-created products?

What hardware and software is used in the activity?

  • Podcast: Photobooth on IMac, Imovie to edit.
  • Ebook: Word and adobe to create pdf.

How is the technology used?

  • Podcast: Audio file played on Ipod or laptop typically
  • Ebook: Flipbook on laptop, Ipad or even printed unfortunately.

Why was the technology used?

  • Podcast: To communicate to clients/students how to use social media. Popular online communication tool.
  • Ebook: To communicate to clients/students how to use social media. Popular online communication tool.

What are the expected learning outcomes for the activity?

Increased understanding of technology, communication skills, presentation skills, technology challenges (uploading) and improved understanding of social media mar

Which of the ISTE standards for students are addressed by the activity?

  • 1. Creativity and Innovation
  • 2. Communication and Collaboration
  • 5. Digital Citizenship
  • 6. Technology Operations and Concepts

What kind of student grouping is used in the activity? (i.e. individual, pairs, small groups)

  • Podcast: individuals or groups
  • Ebook: individuals

What evidence (or not) is there that the activity is student-centered?

  • There is no direct evidence that it is student-centred other

What role did the teacher play in the activity?

Teaching, directing, enabling.

What evidence is there that the technology impacted student learning?

Increased competence in their podcasts over the week showed uptake in confidence. Typically more reserved students preferred the e-book. There really is no real evidence that the technology impacted the learning, as the exercise was to learn the technology.

In general though, it has been shown that the use of ICT in education can help improve memory retention, increase motivation and generally deepen understanding (Dede, 1998). ICT can also be used to promote collaborative learning, including role playing, group problem solving activities and articulated projects (Forcheri and Molfino, 2000). Generally, ICT is promoting new approaches to working and learning, and new ways of interacting (Balacheff, 1993). Source: http://www2.plymouth.ac.uk/distancelearning/roleteach.html

Did the use of technology address any individual learning differences for students?

See above.

For this specific activity, where do you fit in on the TPACK Context diagram?

W4 – Assignment 1 Environmental Scan of Teaching Environment & Resources

This environmental scan assignment is based upon my knowledge of teaching at Selkirk College, as a marketing manager, who proposes to be an Online Marketing Instructor for Fall 2014, teaching 100/200/300 level courses in an online capacity only.

1.    Environmental Scan

Selkirk College is a regional community college with over 550 employees and instructors, eight campuses and learning centres and approximately 2,000+ full-time students and over 10,000 continuing education students.

Modality of Learning & Nature of Interactions: The education is delivered through apprenticeships, some online courses (blended and distance), work terms, co-op education, practicums and hands-on face-to-face classroom training. Our programs are typically held in a synchronous manner as they will ladder in requirements.

My Role: My ‘proposed’ on-line marketing courses that I would instruct would be some 100, 200 and 300 level courses which would require the pre-requisites to advance. They would be delivered on-line both to distance students and on-campus students. I would have online support only for these courses.

Hardware:

  • Laptops / Ipads
  • Iphones
  • Scanners
  • Cameras/video cameras

Note: This hardware is college provided but would be required for the students to have access to through their own resources.

Software:

  • Presentation Tools: Skype, Teleconference phone line (teacher only), Prezi and Wordle.
  • Collaboration Tools: Zoho docs, Google Drive, Dropbox, Zoho Projects. Missing:
  • Communication Tools: Prezi, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Missing: Video editing tools and formal training on Social Media.

Technical Assistance: Selkirk has support from its ITS Department for both students and staff through a help ticketing system that are available M-F 8:30 – 4:00 pm. www.Helpdesk.selkirk.ca  This can be limiting when there are students that need access to their work through Moodle and it is down over a weekend etc so that would be a risk to consider.

Pedagogical/instructional Design Assistance: Some as we have an ecampus.selkirk.ca already in operation. We offer some of our courses within our programs online. I would look to expand my network in this regard, as we are not leaders in this area and other schools like TRU are more advanced. As a consumer of online education, I have seen a fairly high standard in design and would want to at least emulate that…high hopes.

Tutorial Assistance: I propose to provide at least 60 min per week of chat time and spending at least 60 – 90 minutes in Discussion Forum Support.

Technical Assistance For Students: During the first class and few days surrounding that, I propose to provide a few extra hours of assistance to ensure everyone is ‘on’, logged in, able to ‘hear’ if required etc.

Funding Available Annually: Should more video or photo editing be required, I could see Adobe Creative Suite licensing be a request for myself but students would be responsible for their own licenses. Obviously, they get an education discount but that is the extent of the support. For extra funding I would turn to the annual Learning Resource Fund, which is to provide funding for projects that align with our strategic directions and specifically enhance the student’s learning experience. Applications for funding are received from April 1 – May 15 of each year and the approval and funding allocation process follows shortly after. It helps cover Purchase or upgrading of technology equipment, short term staffing requirements to support initiatives undertaken by the fund (lab monitors, etc.), acquisition of learning and instructional materials which are deemed to be extraordinary and have not been included in the budget development process and activities and resources that support the removal of learning barriers.

Professional Development Resources: There is typically around $1,500 per staff member for PD available. This can go into online training or conference attendance.

 2. Technology-Enhanced Learning Opportunities

I have been very interested in understanding the online world more and last fiscal year, I attended a conference on web design, An Event Apart http://archive.aneventapart.com/2012/seattle/?/2012/seattle/.

It has been excellent for understanding the importance of organizing your content, how it is distributed/perceived, as well as the W3C Standards of Accessibility http://www.w3.org/WAI/.

Our department has purchased a www.Lynda.com membership that has many helpful starter tutorials on many areas relevant to online teaching from all skills around video, web, Microsoft Office to classes like Teaching with the iPad: Creating a Classroom Research Project.

Further, our Teaching & Learning Department puts on various workshops like http://selkirk.ca/news/selkirk-college-embraces-vodcasting-technology-teaching.

3.  Technology-Enhanced Goal

[youtube width=”640″ height=”360″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn1l333nuvU[/youtube]

 

I have summarized my answer below, in a little video testimonial of sorts. I will definitely set as part of my training goals, to learn how to hold the camera at a better angle, and choose a more appealing thumbnail to save the video with as well.

As I intend to teach marketing, communications, online marketing and social media courses, I will constantly need to keep up to date on the latest changes in these fields. This will serve a dual purpose of keeping me on my ‘technology’ game as well. This includes being able to create videos, photo editing, presentations and run online meetings.

Social Media: I intend to take advantage of online tutorials Lynda.com membership mainly but will be considering social media updates as I feel it is a very engaging tool with students, even outside of a social media class.  The Lynda.com membership is provided by Selkirk College at this time and I will allot several hours weekly to upgrading my skills in various areas.

Privacy & Cloud Based Educational Technology: In BC, there are two main information privacy laws that set out the minimum standards that employers, employees and service providers must follow to prevent unreasonable, unnecessary or unsafe sharing of personal information belonging to staff, clients, customers and the general public.

  • FIPPA – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
  • PIPA – Personal Information Protection Act.

For public sector employers, employees and service providers in BC, which includes staff of publicly-funded educational institutions, the governing law is FIPPA.

Since obtaining consent is a key part of protecting privacy and exercising due diligence, I would need to establish a privacy protocol for ensuring student notice, knowledge and consent whenever using social media or other cloud based tools as a teaching aid, as required to meet FIPPA standards. This would require collaborating with other faculty teaching in this area, across the province, on their protocols and adapting something to fit Selkirk’s standards, as at this time, Selkirk does not have a Social Media Policy.

Video Filming & Editing: In the next year I intend to upgrade my competence in video editing which will allow me to officially request the most appropriate tool for the job (e.g. IMovie may be enough or do I need to ask for something more complicated like Adobe Premiere (http://video-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/) which I have found too complicated in the past.

WordPress Design: I also intend to increase my design skills in WordPress with responsive templates as a tool for teaching that will allow students to access the lectures via IPhone.

 

 

W5 Activity 2 – Software Applications

In consideration of the computers both my staff and the college students we hire as work study students use, I intend to list them and answer the following questions about them.

Applications Being Used

Iphoto, Gimp,Imovie, Garageband, Pixelaotor, Skype, Google Drive, Zoho Docs, Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Prezi, Drupal, T4 CMS system, WordPress, Hootsuite, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Wordle.

Applications No Longer Using

Microsoft Access, Filemaker, Quark

Discussion Around Two Computer Based Applications: IMovie & IPhoto

What hardware and software is being used in the activity?

  • Mac IMovie & IPhoto programs.

How is the technology used?

  • Download pictures and video clips to computer and use it for editing.

Why is the technology used?

  • For marketing and communications presentations.

What are the expected learning outcomes for the activity?

  • Higher competence and confidence in creating basic videos, photo gallerys, image optimization etc. Used considerably in online marketing and communications today.

Which of the ISTE standards for students are addressed by the activity?

  • Creativity and Innovation: Using creative thinking and innovative technology the students demonstrate and develop models and simulations to explore and identify complex systems and forecast possibilities as well as they use existing knowledge to generate new ideas and creative thoughts.
  • Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to collaborate, communicate and interact with other students, teachers and professionals. They also engage in a cultural and global awareness and contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
  • Digital Citizenship: Students demonstrate personal development to be life long learners because they are aware of the human, cultural and social issues related to technology and they practise ethical and legal digital behaviour.
  • Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations so they are able to select, transfer, understand and troubleshoot various systems and applications productively and effectively.

What kind of student grouping is used in the activity? (i.e. individual, pairs, small groups).

  • Both individual and group projects. I would have a group create a video which involved each student providing footage, optimized photos etc as well as editing sound and transitions.

What evidence (or not) is there that the activity is student-centered?

  • Expecting that this would be embraced by students as there is such an uptake of YouTube and Vimeo today by students. Not sure how to evidence that it is student centred though. Just an assumption.

What role did you (the teacher) play in the activity?

  • Outlined instructions with supporting documentations, reviewed topics for suitability, supported through chat and online discussion forums. Teaching, supporting and mentoring really.

What evidence is there that the technology impacted student learning?

  • Not sure, as they are learning technology. I imagine they are understanding the value of patience and time towards learning any new technology.

Did the use of technology help address any individual learning differences for students?

  • Not seen explicitly. Some would most likely learn better individually and some might benefit from learning with others.

For this specific activity, where do you fit in on the TPACK Context diagram?

W5 Activity 1 Moodle Set Up & Activity 3 Playing, Obstacles & Issues

Rocking the Moodle…was not able to upload files today due to server error messages every time. I managed to put pictures in a post by directly copying them in body and not using the media manager/library. Woohoo Workaround.

Participants

All invited. Hopefully no one left out. Lots of fun activities for you to investigate. Mostly made up or directly plagiarized.

Theme

Picked Fusion. Like it. Clean.

Functionality

Quizzes, e-book, comments, discussion forum all were interesting. Love the drag n drop of files…server acting up so not entirely happening but can see how cool that function is.

Playing Around in Moodle

Obstacles & Issues…Just upload issues with server today so no images or videos etc. It is pretty intuitive but it doesn’t necessarily prompt you…you have to click around a lot. I imagine there is a lot of functionality in there I will slowly discover. I really liked Emily’s use of the calendar and can see I’d use that in my courses…seeing how I can fall behind when juggling too many things at once.

All in all…I like it. Can see why it’s used. Liked it more than my student experience with Blackboard.

W3 Activity 2 – My Personal Technology Plan

My motto for teaching/learning online as I go forward is to learn something new everyday. Embracing new technologies takes dedicated time and an attitude that embraces change and improvement.

Technology Objectives

  • Macbook – Use Macbook to complete all EDDL work and assignments by utlizing each of the available tools such as IPhoto, IMovie, Facetalk, Skype, Google+, etc. The impact to learning is that I will be more fluent and adaptable with these tools and a stronger communicator/educator as a result.
  • KOBO E-reader – Use e-reader as a study guide for e-books to become more familiar with pros/cons, availability challenges etc.
  • Personal Learning Environment – Continue to use bookmark sites like Delicious or Diigo, as a new user, I am finding them helpful.
  • Productivity Apps – Learn to integrate various Apps (Cheddar, TagMyDoc, Dropbox) o take and share notes, create to-do lists, store files or organize academic schedules. I will investigate Trickster as it apparently helps you find all of your recently used apps and files. For creating lesson plans I will investigate iBooks Author to help formulate strategies for textbooks and reading assignments. This will all impact learning in a positive manner by increasing effectiveness and efficiency.
  • External Harddrive – As a professional / soon to be educator, I need to upgrade my archiving and security protocols to protecting my work. From this I will time machine my macbook weekly, or daily during high usage times, to a large external hard drive. The jmpact to learning of this is that I will be a more consistent educator with less technical set-backs that could potentially interrupt my coursework.
  • Flip Video Camera – Using a portable video camera to increase my comfort and expertise in filming different shorts. The impact to learning is that it’ll extend my reach to students who rely heavily on seeing and hearing, rather than reading.
  • Prezi – Create more presentations through Prezi to increase competency and clarity of presentations. The impact to my learning and the learning of others is that this tool is great for capturing attention in a way that Powerpoint is lacking. It requires a presenter to really know their topic, structure of presentation etc, in order to create an engaging presentation.

Proposed Learning Activities

My formal learning (courses) will include all of EDDL Courses this year, along with completing the TEFL Certificate which I am 50% complete.

My informal learning will be through various presentation tools like Prezi to help communicate various concepts, iMovie to develop my video creation/editing skills as well as some note-taking tools like Fetchnotes, which let you jot down your thoughts in free-form quickly. I will also be investigating Dunno which can take a note and let a service do the rest of the work for you completely in the background. Once you take the note, you’ll find a series of search results from sources including Bing, Wikipedia and YouTube.

My professional development will go on hold for a couple of years as I am resigning from my job at the end of July to take school full time while working part time to market a restaurant Por Que No and to some degree undetermined at this time, a hotel Costa Paraiso. I will fund my own marketing PD, which will help towards to online education field as this will be the subject I intend to teach online. My skillset will benefit from PD in SEO Optimization, Social Media upgrading as well as in becoming Google Adwords Certified.

Impact/Involvement of Wider Community

I will continue to build my teaching network through each course I take with EDDL courses as these relationships are key to increasing your impact and ongoing education.

Indicators of Evaluation on Plan’s Impact

At the end of my EDDL courses, I will review my level of competency with these tools and whether I need to focus on new tools. I will be evaluating tools on an ongoing basis in my learning over the next year as well.