Module 5 Static vs. Dynamic

As the options for technology tools increases, it is important for teachers and/or course designers to determine the appropriate tools to use. The tools chosen should provide students with a meaningful and interactive learning experience. As I evaluate my where I am on the Static-Dynamic continuum, I believe I fall at the beginning of the dynamic end.  In the courses that I have developed I have incorporated some of the dynamic tools, however I feel that there are still a few things that I can still learn such as various mind tools that can be used. 

In order to become well versed and experienced with these dynamic tools I plan to continue conducting research and trying various tools to determine which tools are appropriate for various tasks.

Reference:

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools.

Fahy, P. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Edmonton, AB: AU Press.

Module 5

Module 4

Video Presentation Storyboard

Here is my storyboard for my video presentation.

LaKeisha Coleman’s Storyboard

·      Title Slide – Collaboration

·      Definition of Collaboration – working together to achieve a specific goal

o   With the increasing demand for distance education, teachers and course designers are challenged with creating appropriate opportunities for learners to collaborate.

·      Types of Collaboration

o   Asynchronous – not occurring at a predetermined time

o   Synchronous – occurring at a predetermined time

·      21st Century Collaboration Tools (replace words with images)

o   Skype

o   Google Docs

o   Blogs

o   Wikis

o   Facebook

o   Elluminate

o   Writeboard

o   Web Conferening Tools

o   Discussion Boards

o   Instant Messenger

o   SMS

·      Research – Beldarrain, Y

·      Research – Hoake, J. & Pfister, H.

·      Research – Keeler, L. C.

·      Research – McEwen, L. A.

·      Research – Pattison, S. A.

·      Research – Scott, D. M.

·      Research Implications – course design, appropriate tools, ongoing professional development for teachers

1·    Summary

·      Reference Slide

Module 3: Assessing Collaboration Efforts

According to George Siemens (2008) collaboration should be assessed based on student feedback from online communities, peer evaluation, student contribution, and learning management metrics. I agree with Siemens that students should be assessed based on these four things however the data that can be pulled from a learning management system can be misleading. A query can be conducted to see how often a student has accessed a course or a particular area within that course, but this information is not detailed enough. This information will only tell you how many times this person clicked on an area, but it will not determine what the student did in this area. Depending on the course setup and the tools that are available to students, the best way to assess a student would be from the discussion board. In this area, you are able to see how many times a student participated and how they contributed.

Also when assessing students an educator should also take into account a students growth. This could be a students first experience with online collaboration and therefore may need time to adjust to this type of environment. Siemens (2008) pointed out that learning used to be an individual activity. Meaning assignments were completed individually and assessments were based on what an individual knew. Now learning happens collaboratively.

In a collaborative environment it is important for the educator to be involved. I think to a certain degree it is the educators job to ensure collaboration is occurring by encouraging students to participate and setting expectations. If an individual is not participating in the group then the rest of the group should inform the instructor and let the instructor decide what to do. In the meanwhile, I believe the group should continue completing the task at hand.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning.

Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Learning communities. Principles of

Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in

community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Module 2: Elements of Distance Education Diffusion

More and more people are staying connected by communicating with one another online. As a result of this, distance education is becoming more widely accepted (Siemens, ). Throughout the years our communication choices have evolved from the use of telegrams, snail mail, and the telephone, to email, text messaging, and social network sites. Through the use of these tools, distance is no longer an issue.

In distance education, students and teachers are able to communicate with one another synchronously and asynchronously through the use of discussion boards, instant messenger, skype, wikis, and blogs.

Module 1: The Next Generation of Distance Education

The three articles by Moller, Huett, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) discussed valid concerns about distance education. Distance education is flourishing and becoming the choice for continued education and training for organizations and non traditional students. One of the ways to ensure that distance education continues to flourish and does not simply become a fad to through the development of an evaluation tool. The articles discussed the need for an evaluation tool that will be consistently used. This evaluation tool would not only evaluate the content but the instructional design as well. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of e-learning to validate its purpose. 

Another valid point discussed was the lack of trained professionals. Some institutions may have educators developing the online course. To come this concept makes sense because an educator should be well versed in pedagogy and the content being taught. However, all educators are not familiar with instructional design for an online environment. One way of dealing with this is to have the Subject Matter Expert (SME), which in this case is the educator, work closely with the Instructional Designer (ID). This collaboration will create an effective and engaging online learning environment.

Moller, Huett, Foshay, Coleman, and Simonson all agree that distance education has the potential to grow exponentially if the above concerns are addressed. With this foreseen growth, accreditation processes will also need to be refined to ensure academic honesty.

References 

Simonson, M. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online

classrooms. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84,  29–34.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance

education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1:Training and Development). TechTrends, 52 (3), 70–75. 

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance

education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2:Higher Education). TechTrends, 52 (4), 66–70.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The

The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the

potential of the web (Part 3:K12 ). TechTrends, 52 (5), 63–6 7.