Pedagogy First!

C3, S2, Week 13: Wrapping It Up / Program Evaluation

This last year has been one hell of a learning experience. I have taken two for-credit courses on teaching online, neither of which came close to the vigor of this program. Hopefully some day it will be recognized by the powers that be as just that, a credit-worthy program.

I really enjoyed the first semester, full of hands on learning. I played with lots of programs that I never would have used or maybe even heard about otherwise. The second semester was mostly reading, contemplating and writing. To be completely honest, it was a bit overwhelming at times. For instructors like myself that are teaching full-time, I often found myself having to decide between spending time to stay current with the blog and reading list or dedicating time to my classes. As you saw, sometimes I was forced to fall behind with the blogging.

As far as the most effective elements, I really liked the hands on boot camp, even though that was not necessarily part of the program. Maybe it should be. Anyone thinking about teaching online for the first time knows that there is not only a big learning curve, but also a huge time investment in the simple preparation and setting up of the course. If a person could come out of the program with not only ideas and knowledge of Web 2.0 tools, but almost an entire course, that would really be something. 

Some of the readings were fabulous while others were a bit too theoretical for my liking. The same is true for the videos. I really liked two of the videos, Sharing: The Moral Imperative, by Dean Shareski, and One laptop per child, by Negroponte, though I didn’t care at all for Schwier’s History of Educational Technology.  I like the idea of including a history of educational technology but it seems to me that it would make more sense to present it towards the first semester instead of saving it for the end.

I looked at your plan for next year and think it is excellent, and definitely more do-able. You have done an amazing job of putting this program together and are to be applauded [standing ovation please with clapping and loud applause]. I wish there were a way to compensate you moderators, organizers and presenters for your time. You are definitely living the message presented by Shareski in his video on sharing, except y’all took it one step farther.

A great experience over all. Thanks again to you moderators for your brilliant insights and for your patience, and thanks to my cohorts who have blogged alongside me during the journey. I applaud your dedication as well, and have enjoyed reading your insightful comments. Here’s to building virtual space ships!

C3, S2, Week 12: Introduction to Online Education Theory

First of all, is my bald spot really that noticeable?

As Jim very clearly pointed out in the video, pedagogy must drive the technology and tools. Richard summarized the main points succinctly: instruct, construct, connect.

I agree with Andrea, I thought Larry Sanger's article was great. He discussed three commonly held beliefs regarding education and the Internet. First he attacked the premise that we no longer need to learn (read: memorize) facts because information can now be accessed easily and instantly via any computer. Second, he disproved the theory that collaborative learning can or should replace individual learning. Lastly he made a case against the idea that co-constructed knowledge was somehow superior to textbooks.

Obviously the web has a lot to offer educators and students but some people take that to an extreme. Let's not forget what they said about the last great technologies. Most of us are too young to remember the last major innovations that "revolutionized" education, and specifically language teaching. First it was Edison’s phonograph (linguaphone) at the end of the 19th Century allowed students to hear native speakers talking for the first time. Then, in the 1930s it was radio, especially the BBC that could "bring the world into the classroom. And then, get ready, in the 1950s, the tape recorder hit the scene. "Hear your own voice" becomes the slogan of new methods, and we see language labs beginning to be installed in schools throughout the country. This incredible technological advance was followed by the granddaddy of them all ... “the new miracle in education”, the invention that was to revolutionize education... the television. Language courses could now be broadcast over the airways, and numerous distance education progams and correspondance courses were born. This brings us up to modern times, and the advent of computers and the Internet, which promotors promised would transform language learning into a totally "individualized interactive experience, with only marginal need for teachers or classrooms."

We have come a long way since the days before computers, before television and radio, but we need to remember that education is a dialogue that requires interaction. It is not something that can be downloaded or googled. If education were as simple as accessing information, students could simply buy the book.

C3 S2 Wk12 Into to Online Ed Theory

Jim and Lisa's video helped me synthesize a lot of information I've stored over the year. The comment that instructive, constructive, and connective pedagogy are all ways of achieving learning objectives nudged me to exclaim, "Ahhh hahhh!"  Different instructors have different gifts, and their pedagogy reflects that. It's ok to be instructive if you are charismatic and engaging in person, and its ok to structure online learning to allow learners to make connections and explore.  I've been struggling with the idea of identifying my pedagogy and bringing it online, in part because I think online teaching creates opportunities for new pedagogy.   I feel like I am returning to the beginning.  I'm thinking  how I am a constructivist on ground and how that could translate online.  I'm thinking how at times I am an instructivist, and I am thinking how I can explore new ways of reaching learning outcomes.  As we finish, I feel as though I am ready to begin.

C3, S2, Week 10 - Educational Technology and Instructional Design

C3, S2, Week 11: Personal Learning Networks

What a great video... very simple, unpresuming and yet a powerful message: Teaching is sharing. Simple as that. We should all be sharing. I know I am preaching to the choir, since you all are in this program to become better educators and are sharing all kinds of great insight and ideas. Unfortunately not all our colleagues feel the same way. The video really makes you think. Can we really be "Teaching" if we are not "Sharing"?

I have always been big on professional development and sharing ideas with colleagues, so I put together a shared drive so that my department could compile great ideas and activities. As it turned out, I was not the first to have such an idea, in fact MiraCosta publishes a semi-annual journal called GIFTS (Great Ideas For Teaching). How great is that! Many of my colleagues like and appreciate the shared space that I created, but most continue to do things the way they always have. My question is this... how do we inspire the instructors that never attend conferences, that never innovate, that show little interest in new ideas and new teaching practices?

It was refreshing to read about totally immersing students in technology in "A personal cyberinfrastructure".  Can you imagine what our students could do with their own web server? Even though I would definitely be out of my comfort zone, I agree that we, as educators, will need to take the plunge and lead by example. As Marshall McLuhan very succinctly stated, "new modes of communication change what can be imagined and expressed", and the goes on to state that faculty and staff must lead by example. I guess that means us.

C3 S2 Wk 9 Hybrid and Open Classes

Lecture, at least in my discipline, has become a bad word. When I think of lecture, I mostly remember those instructors I have had in the past that would pull out their typewritten (literally) notes and read them to the class. The good teachers didn't actually read the notes, but they did talk TO the class. We now try to avoid this type of lecturing and create classes where our students are taking an active role in their own learning. I have never been in a lecture auditorium, as the authors describe, nor do we many large classes at MiraCosta, so their argument to humanize the class is not very relevant, at least not to me. I also feel that heavily using discussion groups is not a good use of "class time", unless it is two students practicing dialogues. I do like the idea of posting a picture or video and having students comment on it, however, and am open to using a social networking site, such as Facebook or Ning.

As far as testing goes, I like the idea of making self-grading quizzes, especially embedding graphics. I have been planning my first online course and after talking with Pilar I have decided to make most of the quizzes credit/no credit to avoid a number of common problems. I don't know about you folks, but there is always something that seems to go wrong, either a student takes too long, they time out, something.

Good suggestion: Insist that students identify their main issue in the subject line of the email.

For online office hours and communication I plan on making use of Eluminate and making Jing videos. I plan on asking students to post audio and video presentations as well, though I may scale this back the first time or two I teach an online class (I will probably have enough other things to deal with).

Regarding the teaching of a blended course... I have taught a blended course twice, and not with great results, I must admit. I did learn a lot (the hard way). I really like the University of Utah model for teaching languages online. They divide the week into two virtual days and two f2f days. I think the thing that makes the program work so well is the design and prior preparation that they put into each course. Each day is carefully planned out well ahead of time (usually before the semester begins) and each class is somehow connected to the both the past class and the upcoming class. They also do much of their assessing through projects.

 

C3, S2, W13: Program Evaluation

What?!  No readings or video lecture for this week!  (j/k)

First, thank you to the people involved in this program, from those who planned, created, and implemented the learning activities to the moderators to members of this cohort, and especially to the POT leadership crew for putting on the show.

What did I learn from this experience? I'm sure my two word response would not be helpful:  "A lot." 

The one thing (among many things) that stands out is the wealth of resources I was exposed to, not only from the text but from the videos, supplemental readings, and responses from the moderators and cohort members.  I just need time to absorb it all.  From all of these, the idea of personal learning networks has "plagued" (enlightened, haunted, stimulated--can't decide on the right word) my thinking for the last couple of weeks.  The notion that students post their work into online learning management systems, and at the end of the semester, when the course closes, students no longer have access to that information seems counterintuitive.   That educational portfolio should readily be available for as long as the student wants, and other frameworks should be established to faciliate that.  I think back to my online educational experience, and it would have been neat to see what I've done, what I failed at, and what I would have changed now that I have a few more years under my belt.  It would appear to me that there should be a market for server space that can easily integrate into another online course management system; again, this would be something like an e-portfolio where students can store their work but would interface with CMSs. 

I think offering this flexibility into the program might be helpful:  For each semester, instead of requiring one of the weekly readings and activities, participants should be encouraged to attend one of the POT workshops and substitute that as credit.  This would be a nice way to catch up if you're swamped with other work and can't do the readings at the time but would rather do that later in the summer. 

Next year's POT Program schedule seems exciting, especially more of the hands on stuff like creating websites using Google Sites and learning a bit of html.  I think that's a good move.  The organization seems to be tighter, too, with unit groupings that would help those new to the online environment better integrate what needs to be integrated (the creating class elements sections).  Another suggestion would be to tweak the curriculum to reduce some of the readings and instead require participants to create an actual online course along the way.  I am sure this will take a lot of work to tweak, but boy, wouldn't it be nice to end the program with an online class at the beginning stages of implementation.  So, for Week 3 of the new offering, instead of just looking at the basics of course design, participants would actually implement those core concepts using one of the available CMS, or even something else they are familiar with.  And for subsequent weeks, like the one on the Online Syllabus, having participants adapt their syllabus to be online friendly would be cool.  Then they can talk about the process and changes they made from the original presentation. Whether the participant completes the entire syllabus or activity is not as important as starting it and being able to finish it later when time permits.  I think the process of doing it also helps in reflecting on the pedagogy. My 2 cents.

For the planned activities for Week 12 for the next cohort, I would add a bit more to the "Check out Library Resources" assignment. I would suggest having participants test the 24/7 chat feature and see how it works.  It's a resource many students throughout the nation are using, and our stats for that have been increasing every semester.  I would also add a few practice searches targeting some databases like ProQuest, Virtual Reference Library, and a databaste of choice, especially from our Databases A to Z collection.  That way, instructors can see what is and isn't available at our library. Maybe trying out an eBook would be cool, too?

Again, I would like to thank all involved in this program; I can't think of any other institution where faculty actively engage in helping each other succeed in the online environment, especially when they are not paid and they are doing it as a volunteer effort.  The POT team should be commended for this!

KUDOS! 

 

C3, S2, Week 13: Wrapping It Up / Program Evaluation

Please reflect on your year-long experience with the POT Certification. In particular, we would like to hear your thoughts in three areas:

1. What did you learn from the experience? That's a big one, we know, but we would like you to think about this for your sake and ours so that we can best understand the impact the year has had upon you and your teaching and learning.
   
   
2. What were some of the most effective elements or aspects of the certificate program? What worked for you and why?
   
   
3. What can we do to make the program better? What suggestions can you make that will help us ensure that future participants benefit from your experience and your suggestions for improving the program.

We would particularly appreciate any feedack you could offer us on our plan for next year, which we have revised to better balance the reading load and to encourage not only reflection but also experimentation and application of what participants are studying. Please check over our planned calendar for next year and offer us any further ideas and suggestions.

Please share your ideas as one last post to the blog.

Thanks!

The POT Leadership Crew

C3 S2 Wk 11 Personal Learning Network

A lego brick came to mind after watching the video and completing the readings.  A lego brick is made to connect with other lego bricks to build something; something creative, something fantastic, something greater than just one lego brick.

Thinking of myself as a lego brick, I see the large picture benefit of sharing and being networked.  But, like a lego brick, I have a finite number of connectors (in my case time).  As I become more skilled and gradually develop more of a personal cyberinfrastructure I will be able to connect more with what others have already built, and add to the development of greater educational creations via online resources.  It will take time, and I have to remember to stay balanced and not give up connectors already linked with valuable projects.

Perhaps, too there are more ways of sharing as an educational community, putting more collaborative teaching ideas online during flex workshops, etc.  POT is a great example of people coming together to share and enhance the learning/teaching community.

 

C3, S2, W12: Online Education Theory

After watching Lisa's and Jim's video, I now want a cowboy hat.

I can't recall the number of classes I've sat through, the number of seminars and trainings during my K-12 career, and the number of conferences I've attened that focused on educational theory, but the video's simple and short grouping of the three main ones was really clear:  instruct, construct, connect. 

In working on my TESOL Certificate, a stat jumped out that I've never forgotten:  In most classrooms, more than 80% of the time, the instructor does the talking.  Take that info and add Harry Wong's (a rather dynamic presenter/researcher on the topic of classroom management) idea of the person who does the work in the classroom (in this case the talking teacher) is the person who is learning, and there is a recipe for perhaps reassessing effective pedagogy. However, in the video, Jim noted that the last two MCC instructors of the year are dynamic presenters, and they fall within the instructivist realm. That balanced viewpoint is important.  I think that a balancing act among these three educational theories is important, and subscribing to one or another really depends on the  objectives of the learning.  This last statement sounds like what a buddy of mine used to say, "No shit Sherlock!" (pardon the French)

One of the things I really like about undertaking this POT experience is the exposure to sources of thought and materials that I have not come across.  Larry Sanger's article was insightful, and it's one of those slated for a re-reading this summer.  Too busy right now.