Technology and Constructivist Theory
I teach higher education digital photography and digital imaging classes and I would like to open up a dialogue about applying constructivist methods using technology. I am aware that the constructivist methods are designed to make learning more visual and experiential and that is perfect for the type of class that I teach. This instructional method also allows students more flexibility in how they learn and demonstrate competence.
I would like to know a little more about the history of constructivism, and how I can make the most effective use of current technology.
I am very interested in the work of Jean Piaget.
Using Multimedia (7)
I try to create most of my online material. I direct my students to online resources that will supplement my presentations. In chapter 7 of Ko and Rossen's
Teaching Online, A Practical Guide
, they mention that if it is already available online, create a link to save time and effort. (and most importantly...ask permission). I did a little bit of researching and found great resources that I could use in my photography and digital imaging courses. The MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching website is a wonderful resource. I had visited this site about a year ago but I didn't see very many resources for my area. I highly suggest a visit to this site to see what others are offering in your discipline. I will need to end this post so I can see what is new. This is a great Best Practices site.
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?keywords=photography&category=2175. I
Student Activities in the Online Environment (6)
Group acvities can be a good way for students to take charge of their own learning. According to Ko and Rossen (Teaching Online A Practical Guide) an icebreaker would be a good group activity to use in an online environment because it allows students to begin to form a sense of community online.
I searched the internet to see what icebreaker activities are being used in distance learning and I came across an article by Bill Pelz. His article
(My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy
has a number of icebreaking activities. There is an important quote in the article that sums up why we should put students in charge of their own learning: "A lecture is the best way to get information from the professor's notebook into the student's notebook without passing through either brain." What a great quote!
One activity he suggests, is to have the student facilitate a discussion; the students do most of the work and the role of the educator is to provide structure, direction, supportive and corrective feedback, and evaluation of final product.. To read more about the activities suggested by Pelz I have included the website to the journal article: http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v8n3/v8n3_pelz.asp.
I teach an online course that is very popular and our virtual campus wants to add a second section. We do not have any adjuncts in our discipline (except myself) who have either taken or taught an online class. At this point in time, they are very intimidated by the process.
In chapter 12 of Teaching Online A Practical Guide, team teaching was mentioned as a good way to speed up the production of course materials and other benefits such as one instructor handles the luctures while the other publishes backup material and replies to student inquiries on the discussion board.
I thought this would be a good way to teach instructors how to facilitate a blackboard class without all of the mistakes we all make in the beginning.
I researched the internet for articles, but I didn't find very many articles discussing team teaching in an online environment. I did find a good article at
http://www.communitytechnology.org/products/gpr_paper.html titled
Team-Teaching and Team-Learning on a Global Scale:Insiders' Account of a Successful Experiment. This artical discussed using team teaching on a global scale. It is pretty exciting to think you could co-facilitate a class with someone in Russia and Egypt.
I also retrieved information on the internet from a book entitled The Digital University, that talked about using team teaching to mentor new faculty.
http://www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge-garden/vc/Managing_Distance_Learning.docI think mentoring in this mannor is better than a 3 hour workshop looking at an empty blackboard shell taught by someone who has neither taken or taught a blackboard course.
Converting a course from face-to-face to an online course
Can a course be moved without modification to an online environment. You have a syllabus, handouts, and you could even add your lectures as a word doc or a PowerPoint presentation, to be nicely placed in a "Lecture" area. What is the problem? Ko and Rossen summed it up best in their book,
Teaching Online A Practical Guide , "If you simply post your lectures and syllabus on the Web, you haven't necessarily created a viable tool for your students. The missing element here is instructional design" (p45).
What is instructional design? According to knowledgerush, "Instructional design lays out a methodology, that if followed will facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills and attitude to the recipient or acquirer of the training or instruction". http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Instructional_Design
One of the most recognized instructional design approaches is ADDIE. ADDIE is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~mmalacho/OnLine/ADDIE.html
In addition to ADDIE, I found an excellent online course evaluation form at the Florida Gulf Coast University site that can be used as a checklist before you publish your course. You can download the form at: http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/
Universal Design for Online Learning
Last Friday I went to a full day seminar offered by University of Central Florida and P-ADL (Partnership for the Advancement of Distributed Learning) on Universial Design; it was excellent. I would like to share some of the internet resources that will help us as online instructors create courses that will be accessible to all students.
1. This is a "must check it out" resource - Wave is a free, web-based tool to help Web developers make their Web content more accessible.
http://www.wave.webaim.org/index.jspIt is a quick way to evaluate the accessibility of your schools website. I checked Boise State's and I was surprised at how many errors and alerts I saw.
2. WebAIM has a number of resources that will be very helpful when you are in the development state of creating your online courses. They have a numb er of simulations: screen reader, low vision, WebAIM Dyslexia, and WebAIM Distractibility (I liked this one).
http://www.webaim.org/resources3. Vischeck has a simulation for color blindness.
http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck4. University of Washington - DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) is a program that promotes the use of technology to maximize the independence, productivity and participation in education and employment.
http://www.washington.edu/doit/
Blogging, fun or functional!
What is blogging anyway? One definition is that blogging is an online communication tool that can develop personal bonds with and among students and encourage extended dialog about relevant topics when used in the instructional environment (Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, Student-Centered Learning, and Peer Input). I haven't used a weblog in any of the classes I teach, in fact, I had never posted to a blog before taking the Online Teaching for Adult Learners course. I can see where it can be a valuable tool if used wisely; it can offer additional opportunities to engage students, it can complement community building in hybrid and distance courses, and can frame personal places in virtual spaces.
It is important to explore the strengths and weaknesses of blogging before using it in an online or hybrid class. According to Stuart Glogoff (Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, Student-Centered Learning, and Peer Input), students will not be responsive to this tool if the posts aren’t required, or if their posts aren’t commented on by the instructor.
Value of Blogging
- Encourage guided discovery and knowledge construction by researching a topic, synthesizing what they learned, and applying the concepts to a real-world situation.
- Students and guest practitioners can interact by exchanging ideas and asking questions of each other. The result of this type of communication is deeper analysis of a topic
- Learner-centered feedback – An instructor can use a student’s blog to give positive feedback on their postings.
Weakness
- Students abandon blogs - Instructor should require the students to post and also comment on their entries
- Online vs. Hybrid - If a course is fully online, students may not post to a blog because they do not take ownership in the information. Blogging may be more successful a hybrid class because the instructor can facilitate face-to-face discussions.
- Blog pages are public, so an instructor may want to use email or face-to-face exchanges with the student to discuss critical comments.
It is interesting that the strength and a weakness of a blog is that it is public.
A blog that was applied successfully as an education tool, was a collaboration between high school students and the author of a book titled The Secret Life of Bees. Students could show their interpretation of the chapters by drawing a picture of by writing their thoughts. This allowed different learners to be able to express their thoughts. To view the posts, visit the following: http://weblogs.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=weblogs&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fweblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us%2Fbees
Reference:
Glogoff, S. 2005. Instructional blogging: Promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate 1 (5). http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=126 (accessed September 17, 2006).
Building an Online Classroom
Chapter 5 in
Teaching Online: A Practical Guide did a thorough job covering the areas to think about when building an online class. These are areas that I revisit each semester to see where I can make improvements in my online course for better student learning.
I really didn’t see anything to be concerned about until I came to the section titled
Other Course Areas and Features. Every semester, it is a requirement in my digital photography class that students upload a photo of themselves to their homepage for other students to view (after all, it is a photography class). I must admit that I was a little surprised when I read that this may not be the great idea I thought it was. For me personally, it is a great way to see that first spark of creativity from the students, and I feel like I know them a little better. The thought never crossed my mind that their photo might offer an opportunity for other students to make assumptions about that student. Next semester, I will still have the students upload a photo, but it can be of themselves or can be representative of who they are (ex: sunset, beach, roller coaster ride etc.).
Until recently, there wasn’t a lot of help when you created a course; the SME’s were few and far between and extremely busy. Now we have faculty training available to understand the areas of our LMS (Black Board), and professional development in areas of assessment and learning objects. University College has done an excellent job assisting faculty in creating their online courses. I have provided the link to their web page.
http://www.learn.maine.edu/faculty/online.php .
Integrating Online Elements in a Traditional Classroom
According to the
Teaching Online: A Practical Guide adding an online component to a traditional classroom can be very rewarding for both students and instructors. Face-to-face class time can be consumed by students asking the instructor to go over information again because they couldn’t write fast enough to get accurate information from the lecture, and searching for lost handouts. This can be resolved by posting the syllabus, handouts, lecture notes, and due dates online.
Another way to increase student learning in a hybrid class suggested by the book, is to use a web-based activity. I use web-based exercises in my hybrid digital photography class, so I was very pleased to see one of the web resources I use in class (Short Courses) linked from BUBL,
http://bubl.ac.uk/link. BUBL is a cross-disciplinary listing of subject resources.
Course Content: Online vs. Hybrid
I teach both hybrid and online courses, and like the hypothetical cases posed in the book Teaching Online: An Overview, I use a different approach for each. In the hybrid course, I have my lectures notes (both PowerPoint and text) available, use the discussion board, and have additional information available if students want to pursue the topic farther. For the online course, I supplement the information with a web site to show student work.
Online Course
The concerns Mr. Helgelmark, the online instructor, had about student participation and student comprehension of course material rang so true. How can you show that you are a caring, concerned instructor, but still encourage students to complete the work? It is very frustrating to see students miss deadlines. The more I teach online courses, the more I realize we are here to help students learn the course content, not just hold them to the due dates.
Another revelation Mr. Helgelmark had, was he wasn’t presenting the information in an interesting way. One organizational method I use that I learned from taking classes at Boise was to use tables to organize the information. Now my students can easily view what work is required and when it is due.
Hybrid Course
The online part of a hybrid course can add a lot of value for the student and instructor. I keep the syllabus and course documents online; I don’t have to keep extras handy for students who have lost theirs or didn’t make it to class. For the graphics classes, I also store images for students to use and have additional tutorials available.
Personality Traits of Successful Online LearnersResearch has shown that the following characteristics are common among successful online learners.
They are self-starters. They are internally motivated, but also expect their school to help them stay motivated.
They are quick to adapt to technology. They embrace and integrate new ideas into their studies and their lives.
They are good writers. They can communicate effective using their writing skills
They are willing and able to commit the time and energy needed to be successful in their course.
They believe that learning can take place outside the classroom.
They are willing to communicate with their instructor if they are frustrated or are having a problem.
http://www.virtualstudent.com/html/articles.html )
Emerging Trends in Online Learning
There are several current trends that will impact the introduction of new technologies in online learning. The following are trends identified by The Horizon Report:
- Learners are willing to participate in the construction of knowledge
- Open-source software development projects are becoming more widespread
- Device manufacturers and software producers are producing products that are compatible.
- Access to the Internet is increasing.
- Technology is connecting people more easily, informally and on many different levels.
- Content valued over format
The following are the six areas of technology that will come increasingly significant in teaching and learning over the next 5 years.
Extended Learning – These are hybrid courses where the classroom serves as a home base. There is an integration of online instruction, traditional instruction and study groups, all supported by a variety of communication tools such as instant messaging, blogs, RSS, wikis, cell phones, digital cameras, and iPods. These communication tools are already used by most students outside of class.
Ubiquitous Wireless – Connectivity is becoming more available and cost-effective. Communication tools, such as laptops, cell phones and handhelds can use this technology.
Intelligent Searching –Personal desktop search “bots”, custom tools that catalog and search collections, and specialized search interfaces such as Google Scholar allow an easier way to find and keep track of information.
Educational Gaming – New technologies are available to create complex, interactive environment. Knowledge can be applied across many subjects due to the multidisciplinary nature of games.
Social Networks and Knowledge Webs –A wiki, instant messaging and peer-to-peer videoconferencing, email distribution lists, telephone conference calls, and a blog all offer a means of facilitating teamwork and constructing knowledge.
Context-Aware Computing/Augmented Reality – Context-aware computing uses computer devices to interpret contextual information and use it to support decision-making and influence interactions. Augmented reality refers to a composite view made up of what the user is seeing along with a virtual scene generated by the computer that overlays additional information on the scene.
To view the full version of The Horizon Report, 2005 Edition, go to: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD3737.pdf
Models used in Online Teaching and Learning
I decided to research what models are used in online teaching and learning because I was a little perplexed as to when a course was defined an online class. According to a report sponsored by The Sloan Consortium, the difference between the models used in a face-to-face, hybrid, and an online course is the amount of content that is delivered online
A course is considered face-to-face if less than 30% of the content is delivered online. There are two models:
- Traditional - no online techology is used.
- Web facilitated – Up to 29% of the content is delivered online using web- based technology such as web pages or a course management system.
A course is considered hybrid (or blended) if 30 to 70% of the content is delivered online.
- Blended or hybrid, blends online and face-to-face delivery, but a substantial proportion of the content is delivered online.
A course is considered online if at least 80% of the content is delivered online. Typically there are no face-to-face meetings.
To further understand the models used online teaching and learning I went to Wikipedia to define the following terms:
E-learning - Also called CBT (computer based training). E-learning is a general term that relates to all training that is delivered with the assistance of a computer.
Learning Management System (LMS) = An online system that manages the delivery of self-paced, elearning courses.
