Aug
11

Final Assignment

Michael on August 11, 2014

EDDL5151                                  Final Assignment                       Michael N.

I found that working in Moodle to be much more user-friendly than Weebly.  Moodle is a self-contained Learning Management System (LMS) that is set up specifically for education.

In Moodle, uploading of images, Powerpoints (complete with audio explanations and instructions), WORD docs, and assignments were easy to accomplish.  All of the course preparation was done separately and then uploaded or cut&pasted.  I completed the multiple-choice quiz directly in Moodle and I found that to be a worthwhile task.  The quizzes were scored immediately and the correct choices were given, so feedback was immediate.  For the correct answers I was able to add ‘worked-out’ solutions.  It was easy to establish to Youtube videos and to Slideshare presentations.  I selected Backup the ‘Administration’ box and followed the prompts – Initial Settings à Schema à Confirm & Review à Perform Backup.  I then clicked on Restore and I was able to chose ‘restore’ with or without student data.  I also learnt that there is a limit to the Backup and I had to backup without my PowerPoints.  When I restored, my lessons were duplicated so I deleted the copies.

In Weebly, I chose to work with the free version which has limited space and so I not able to include the audio with my PowerPoints slides.  I uploaded the PPT’s to Slideshare and then embedded them into the pages in Weebly.  The links to Youtube were easy to establish.  There were no resident Multiple-Choice quiz-makers, so thanks to Paula’s tip I created the quiz in testmoz.com and linked it to Weebly.  Each student was given a username (by email) with a password.  I could also use a site password but for this assignment I chose to not do so.  The site is found at http://michaels-rafter-roof.weebly.com/.  I was also able to create a .zip archive of my site and had it sent to my email address.  I would have to store this archive and restore it as needed.

I feel confident and somewhat competent now to begin to put my courses online.  I think that this would be a real benefit for those apprentices who chose to work from home.  I would be using Moodle since we use that platform at my college.

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Jul
1

Week 7-2

Michael on July 1, 2014

Week 7-2

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EDDL 5151, New Practices 1 Comment »
Jul
1

Week 7.1 – Integrating New Technologies

Michael on July 1, 2014

EDDL 5151                                 Week 7: Activity 1                     Michael Nauth

 

Integrating Educational Technologies for Effective Learning:

In all of our Trades areas in Apprenticeship Training, teachers are hired (whether full-time or part-time) based on their trade qualifications and on their practical abilities in the trade.  Instruction time is split between the in-classroom theory and the in-shop application, so it is just as important for the teacher to explain processes as it is to perform them by way of demonstration.  Safety is paramount so the teacher is required to follow and to guide the class in the correct procedure as defined by the manufacturer of the tool and the Construction Safety Association.  Aside from MS Office and maybe a bit of CAD, there is no other technology requirement.  Teachers then generally teach in the same way that they were taught and always within their comfort zone.  In a machismo sector of employment, no one wants to show discomfort or uncertainty.

Any new technology that is introduced needs to be done consensually with the teachers involved.  With such a large institution as ours, the tendency is to purchase and mandate the same technologies for all programs, supposedly economies of scale.  But nothing is saved if the products are not used.  We have had great success and buy-in with the Document Camera Video/Audio recorders for our Drafting and Construction Geometry classes.  Smart Boards are used by some teachers but the majority still prefer to sketch and work out calculation and detailing problems on the White Boards so that the students see the processes one step at a time.  Most of the carpentry professors use the layering tool in AutoCAD to project and ‘build’ components in the sequence that it would be done on the job site.  All are posting grades to BlackBoard as well as practice assignments and answer sheets.  We learn how to access the Building Code online, but the paper format is still taught since they will have to use that to write their Red Seal exams.

The next step that would be welcomed by all is setting up interactive multiple-choice questions that would include instant feedback with instructions and examples for those who choose an incorrect answer.  Anywhere, anytime, and on Smartphones would get the apprentices hooked since they almost all have that technology now.  The key is to present the material in a way that is accessible to them.  When the professors know that the students want and will use the technology, they commit themselves to learning to use it.  We have a great technical support team at the college and they will guide us as a small group when requested to do so.  It is the old chicken and egg thing, and as coordinator I hope to provide some leadership to our team this Fall.

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EDDL 5151, New Technologies 1 Comment »
Jun
23

Week 6 Activity 1

Michael on June 23, 2014

Week 6: Activity 1.                                                                                Michael

  • Student activity: The Techbribe is a weblog to enable students to publish work related to their IT projects.    URL – http://www.techbribe.com
  • Hardware/software – podcast, video/video podcast, blog
  • How is the technology used? – to encourage Design Technology students to become independent and creative thinkers
  • Why was the technology used? – It enables students to share knowledge, ideas and much more in order to fully understand collaborative principles within the Design Cycle. (as per author)
  • Learning Outcomes? – online collaboration, use of Google Sketchup, peer assistance with the technology
  • ISTE standards – This is a great student project. It addresses all six of the ISTE standards for students – Creativity, collaboration, research, critical thinking, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts
  • Student Grouping – it appears that some of the work was individual and some was in small groups
  • Student-centered? – the students got to choose their topics and pursue areas of interest.
  • Teacher’s role – initially an upfront leader, setting parameters, guidelines, helping with the technical aspects and then he was more of a ‘guide on the side’
  • Impact on learning – From the feedback, the students were fully engaged, enthusiastic, and eager to try new technology
  • Address learning differences? –  students who were apprehensive about their technology skills were helped with one-on-one tutoring, others dove right into the deep end
  • TPACK – this activity was a good mix of the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge

 

  1. Student activity:  Delving into the Ethics of Technology in Society
  • URL – http://www.itgsonline.com
  • Hardware/software – video/video podcast, blog, wiki, social bookmarking, Diigo
  • How is the technology used? – to discuss and debate the social/ethical issues related with the use of Technology in a Modern Society.
  • Why was the technology used? – The use of a weblog enables students to discuss independently both locally and globally with other schools and students (as per site)
  • Learning Outcomes? – to get the students to interact within the country and globally – appears to have been met
  • ISTE standards – This is another great student project. It addresses all six of the ISTE standards for students – Creativity, collaboration, research, critical thinking, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts
  • Student Grouping – it appears that they worked in groups of like interest
  • Student-centered? – Yes – independent discussions
  • Teacher’s role – setting policies and standards, moderation of posts, maintaining an element of trust
  • Impact on learning – great inter-school and inter-country collaboration
  • Address learning differences? – not evident from the home page
  • TPACK – this activity was a good mix of the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, heavier on the content area

 

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Jun
23

Week 6 #2 – Publish It!

Michael on June 23, 2014

EDDL 5151                                 Week 6, Activity #2                            Michael

Lisa Nielsen describes herself as someone who found school to be boring and irrelevant and that again shows how different our students are from each other and how important it is that we take several different approaches to our teaching.  My own experience was quite the opposite – I thoroughly enjoyed school and I found myself in classes that were interesting and challenging.  I was happiest when I was able to solve Math problems that stumped my classmates and even the teacher.  I enjoyed the social aspects of interaction in the classroom and on the sports field.  After spending my early high school years in an all-boys college in Guyana, I finished my time in Canada with girls in my classes.  For me school was never boring, though sometimes I might have considered it irrelevant.

Blogging is new for me, and sometimes unsettling.  I have been ‘schooled’ to expect that only the teacher saw my work, and critiqued it.  Now everyone sees and reads what I write and produce and I feel vulnerable.  I am in another cohort with 19 other adults and I suggested that we post our final papers to a secure site so that we could all benefit from each other’s insights.  The suggestion seemed to be welcomed gladly, but only a few have posted.

I think that in my classes there will always be some who feel that their work is private and who fear criticism, especially from peers.  The idea of publishing their work so that others could see (and maybe mock) would not sit well with them.  Academic work is not in their comfort zone.  Where they are most comfortable is when they design an ornamental roof or a set of stairs and then build it and have their peers comment on it.  They are unsure of their written work and they would rarely be required to ‘publish’ anything in their field of work.  But they know that their practical work will always be critiqued, by their co-workers, their bosses, and the clients.  When they come to school, they want to improve their workmanship in scope and detail and they welcome the input of others.  So in a way I guess they are ‘publicizing’ their work.

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EDDL 5151, Publish It! 1 Comment »
Jun
11

Environmental Scan

Michael on June 11, 2014

EDDL5151              Assignment #1 : Environmental Scan            Michael Nauth

1.        In the Construction Trades and Building Science Department at Algonquin College we have two basic streams of classes.  The first is the Apprenticeship stream in which the apprentices attend classes for eight weeks of the year to complete their in-school training, on their way to writing their Certificate of Qualification exam.  At present, this training is entirely face-to-face (f2f) and it includes an almost 50% practical application component.  The second stream is the Post-Secondary one in which students enrol in construction programs in the same way as they would in other fields of study.  They are all 2-year, 4-semester programs delivered in a compressed model in 3 semesters over one calendar year.  As such they are grouped with the rest of the college programs and this year they have been designated ‘mobile’ or ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD), with several hybrid courses, several General Education online courses, and only e-textbooks.  The college plan is to expand online offering of courses and to have significant portions of programs taught off campus.  I currently teach in the Apprenticeship program but I have taught and I will be teaching the Post-Secondary courses.

I will limit my scan to the Post-Secondary program called Building Construction Technician and I will draw from the college’s Strategic Plan (2012-2017).

  • Courses are delivered in all modalities: f2f, hybrid, distance, and mobile (BYOD), with both synchronous and asynchronous interactions.
  • I have been the program coordinator and I am currently a professor.
  • All faculty have PC Laptops, some also have desktops, all e-classrooms are fully wireless and wired to the internet and have desktop computers, phones,  and multi-media projectors with the latest versions of MS Office and AutoCAD, and any program on the internet.
  • Students have a variety of laptops, tablets, and Smartphones (inc. Apple).
  • Algonquin uses Blackboard and Collaborate and Camtasia (screen capture and voice, records presentations), and access to Lynda.com for all students.
  • In-class tech help is a phone call away, almost immediate.  Faculty receive excellent service for the hardware in their offices and technical assistance from the Teaching & Learning Centre for instructional design is readily available for individual faculty or group sessions.
  • There is always tech help available for the students for logon and connectivity problems.  Tutorial and tech assistance is given by peers or by the professor of a given course.
  • There seems to be lots of funds available for hardware (especially assistive technologies), software, and training for faculty.
  • I am not sure about regulatory requirements, but we are bound by copyright laws when posting anything to BlackBoard.  We are advised against joining with the students on Facebook, and no texting from our personal smartphones.

2.       Almost all of the faculty in the Trades programs find that PD courses on using the new technology that are offered during the Christmas break and the May-June time are inadequate for gaining competence in the digital world.  With completely full course loads, course preparations and evaluations, shop and tool preparations, material orders, and 1-on-1 tutoring, there is little time to break out of the ‘box’ and try something new.  I am in a fortunate position to be able to afford a sabbatical this year and pursue the Graduate certificate in Online Teaching & Learning at TRU as well as a Master of Education program at St. FX.  And even at that I have returned to the college to help my colleagues with the training of participants in the Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions.  As noted in “A Technology Plan”, it is important to keep the focus squarely on people as opposed to the technology (Overbay et al, p.59).

Our group of five full-time Carpentry professors sees the benefit of using technology to enhance our teaching and we are combining our efforts to produce lessons that will help our students to grasp and apply the content of the program material.  We have all been trained in basic 2D AutoCAD and we ‘construct’ in layers the more difficult and essential components of a building and project them on the screen in class or the students can download the presentations.  Some of us have made staged video recordings of specific demonstrations.  Others have produced construction drawings using the stationary overhead camera.  Others have produced PowerPoint presentations with extensive video links to manufacturers’ sites and vetted YouTube videos.

3.       I have made PowerPoint presentations on Built-up Wood Beams, Truss construction, Hip Roof Construction, and Stair-building and posted them to Slideshare and I have had well over a thousand views.  With the help of one of my grads, I have made a video on stair-building in the carpentry shop. The quality was OK but I would like to do it again in-studio with our film-making students.  What I would really like to add to my current and future lessons is an interactive piece where the students can try their hand at completing construction drawings and performing calculations and get instantaneous feedback telling them that they are either on the right track or that gives them helpful hints to get them back on track.  I have taken several online Math courses with multiple choice answers to questions and I know that this type of instruction works well for many people.  We have the instructional design personnel at the college and I have already approached them with my ideas and they are at the ready to assist me when I am ready to go.  The construction drawings would be completed in Google Sketchup, which is much easier to learn than AutoCAD.

The other piece of hardware that I would like to procure is the IPEVO Point 2 View camera with a USB or wireless connection to a PC or Mac.  I have observed the Florist Professor doing demonstrations on flower arrangements to a class of 40 students.  With two cameras focused to the demo table and an expensive AV setup, the students were able to see the procedures clearly on the screen.  The Point 2 View (at $69) is quite inexpensive, and can easily be carried from classroom to shop.  This would be an excellent aid to demonstrating the correct setup of tools such as the jack plane and equipment such as the table saw or the jointer.

For the other lessons on the theoretical side of trade, I would want to make sure that the work that is produced can easily be viewed on a Smartphone.  It seems that all the students have Smartphones, but there are many who do not have laptops or computers at home.  I would also be able to get help from the instructional designers for the formatting for the Smartphones.

I recently attended a workshop presented by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) at the Summit in Ottawa that was organized by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and I learned that there they have a team of individuals whose sole responsibility is to produce lessons for their online courses in carpentry.  The professors guided and vetted the work and they were trained in the delivery of the courses and in the support of students.  We have an Inter-Provincial Common Core curriculum, a National Occupational Analysis, and a National Red Seal exam.  It would be great if we would share online resources instead of each province and each college within the province doing the same thing over and over again.

 

References

Algonquin College Strategic Plan 2012 – 2017.  Retrieved from http://www3.algonquincollege.com/reports/files/2013/03/Strategic_Plan_12_17.pdf

IPEVO Design for Learning Online Store

Retrieved from http://www.ipevo.com/prods/Point-2-View-USB-Camera

Overbay, A., Mollette, M. and Vasu, E. (2011). A Technology plan that works, Educational Leadership, 68:5, pp. 56-59.  Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.tru.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=58108048&site=ehost-live

 

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EDDL 5151 2 Comments »
May
24

UDL

Michael on May 24, 2014

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Universal Design originated in architecturally designed buildings and products with its main feature being to allow persons with unique needs to independently and immediately use them ‘as is” (King-Sears, 2009, p.199).  It has seven guiding principles that some educators have used for direction in creating Universal Design for Learning to meet the needs of a diverse population. Dave Edyburn regards this comparison as flawed, as a distraction (Edyburn, 2010, p.36) and points out that the built environment is static whereas the learner is a complex fluid creature.

Edyburn has ten propositions for new directions in UDL.  I especially like the last one that states that UDL is much more complex than we originally thought.  He affirms that it is technologically driven and supported and that it is fundamentally about valuing diversity and its core function is about design.

I have created several lessons for use in an online context and I feel that what I have done would not be recognized as UDL.  It has been my practice in the classroom to try to pitch my learning activities to the ‘middle’ and to have auxiliary materials on hand for the students at either end of the academic spectrum.  When I designed my digital lessons, I did not consider the three brain networks of recognition (the “what”), Strategic (the “how”) and affective (the “why”).  Because I am teaching apprentices, my focus is more on the knowledge and skills.  I expect that the enthusiasm is already there as they care about their chosen field of practice.  What I would like to add to the work that I have already done is the immediate feedback part.  As students attempt a stair calculation, I would like to insert prompts and signals that will correct them if they take a wrong turn.  I would like to add ‘bells & whistles’ when they get it right and also give them opportunity to delve deeper into other solutions that are acceptable according to the Building Code.  I can see a hand-in-hand collaboration with a technical ‘guru’.  Fortunately for us at the college, we have such people.

References

Edyburn, D. (2010). Would You Recognize Universal Design for Learning if You Saw it? Ten Propositions for New Directions for the Second Decade of UDL. Learning Disability Quarterly, 33(1), 33-41.  Accessed on May 24, 2014 at http://ezproxy.tru.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ909894&site=ehost-live.

 

King-Sears, M. (2009). Universal Design for Learning: Technology and Pedagogy. Learning Disability Quarterly, 32(4), 199-201.  Accessed on May 24, 2014 at http://ezproxy.tru.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ867620&site=ehost-live.

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EDDL 5151, UDL 2 Comments »
May
19

Introduction

Michael on May 19, 2014

My name is Michael and I live in Ottawa. I am married and I have 4 sons and my wife has 2 daughters, and we are enjoying an empty nest.
I am a carpenter by trade. I completed my early training and licensing in Fort St. John, BC. I currently teach carpentry at Algonquin College. I have a B.Sc. in Math from Carleton U. and 1 year of Teacher Training from McGill U.
Most of my free time is spent building houses, now mostly for Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa or for Global Village in Honduras, Nicaragua, or in the Yukon.
I love the outdoors and I recently rekindled my love for fishing at Queen Charlotte Lodge on Haida Gwai/Graham Island.
EDDL 5151 is the final course of the Graduate certificate in Online Teaching and Learning. I am currently teaching in the classroom but I know that online courses will soon come to have a greater presence in apprenticeship training at the college.

I am also enrolled in a Masters of Education program at St. FX in Nova Scotia.  I will be going to NS for the last 2 weeks of July for an on site course.

When I think of ‘managing my technology classroom’ I think of the pragmatics of enrolment, connectivity, digital literacy, tech help, synchronous vs. asynchronous, getting the students ‘hooked’, keeping them ‘hooked’, using appropriate technology, on-time participation, confidentiality, academic honesty, grading, etc.  I think that going online for carpentry apprentices will initially cause a little apprehension but I think that there will be significant buy-in once they see the benefits.

I can be reached at michael|nauth|at|g|mail|dot|com.  I am looking forward to working with you this summer.

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EDDL 5151, Introduction No comments »
Apr
13

Media Exemplar Collection

Michael on April 13, 2014

My Media Exemplar Collection is found at http://michaels-site.weebly.com/ .

I have used 4 ‘Buttons’ on the website.  The Introduction was made using Powtoon, with the narration using Audacity.  For the Stair Calculations I used a spectacle video camera called Pivothead which I found to be very difficult to use to make a good product.  The filming was easy, as was the downloading to my computer, but after over 25 takes using many different set-ups, I finally settled on the one on the website.  The main difficulty was keeping my head still while I spoke.  The Carriage Layout video was produced using a standard video camera (held by one of my students), and the Student Assignment was made in PowerPoint. And then to get it all on to Weebly, uploading, downloading, logging on, signing up – my head is spinning.  But, I am getting it.  It is a whole easier now than when I first started the Program.

Best wishes to all my classmates.  Hope to see some of you in 5151.

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EDDL 5131, Media Exemplar 4 Comments »
Apr
6

Facilitation Reflection

Michael on April 6, 2014

Facilitation Reflection                         EDDL5141                        Michael Nauth

 

I was fortunate to work with colleagues that were like-minded.  We all agreed to structure the online activity in much the same way.  And structure, whether explicit or implicit, is a crucial part of my philosophy of teaching and learning.  Our site on ‘Webnode’ was partitioned into easy-to-follow activities, and the final assignment was clearly spelled out for the students to follow.  The quizzes, the Youtube videos and the reference sites were simple to select and review and the activities followed a progressive train of thought.

The learning took place through communication and interaction.  Each individual’s personal beliefs and conviction on Climate Change affected his or her own take on what was heard and seen and internalized.  I feel that the online ‘space’ was fashioned in a way that was open (room for growth), bounded (channelled), and hospitable (accepting, not judging).  Together we learned from the experts and from each other.

Our group followed Peavey’s ‘Strategic Questionning’, asking the right questions, creating buy-in and ownership.  We managed to get the participants (students) to focus, observe, analyze, empathize, envision,  and consider change and other alternatives, consequences, and obstacles, and then to plan a course to take action – the what, so what, and now what?

The technology aspects caused a few problems at first, but once we determined that we needed to meet synchronously, we were able to find solutions in ‘Webnode’ (Tzveta) and Blackboard Collaborate (Paula). Khaula and I added course content and I supplied evaluation (Paula’s rubric) and comments for the projects that we received.  We were pleasantly surprised with the tremendous effort, the enthusiasm, and the creative thinking that went into the projects.  Kristy used a notepad and posters, Geoff made a video walking in the snow and in his school, Kelly used Prezi, and Emily used animation.  They all reported on their feedback that they learned something new (L.E.D. lights in lieu of compact fluorescent notably) and there was unanimous commitment towards improvement of stewardship, especially hybrid cars.

I learned that there is a huge amount of preparation time in relation to the amount of course time that the topic covered.  ‘The four shoes’ of the instructor, social director, program manager, and technical assistant were worn well by the four of us, but they would be difficult for one person to wear.  We also had to determine the ‘end’ before we could design and structure the ‘means’.  In this way, the online facilitation is the same as f2f, but learning the technology ropes will take time and practice.  If I were to do this again, for a small group, I would use Google Hangout as the platform for delivery of the synchronous part.  Seeing each other made a more human connection.  Webnode worked well for the asynchronous part and I would use that again.  I would also devise a simpler checklist for the evaluation.  The rubric that we used did work well for four participants, but I think that it would be onerous for a class of twenty.

 

References:

Downes, S. (2005),  Are the Basics of Instructional Design Changing? http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=6

MontessorriMom, http://www.montessorimom.com/what-montessori-method/

Montessorri-Ami, http://www.montessori-ami.org/montessori/approach.htm

Jones, J. (2002) Recapturing the Courage to Teach: An Interview with Parker J. Palmer, Teaching With Joy December 2002, http://www.teacherview.com/joyjones/dec2002.htm

Palmer, P.J. (2007). The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc. (Original work published 1998)

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