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Lauren D

Ensuring Effective Communication in the Online Environment - 0 views

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    Interaction in a distance learning environment is a key factor in the success of the course. Students may feel apprehensive about using the technology in a web-based class... Incorporating interactive strategies early in the course helps the student overcome these misgivings, and can also serve to unite the students so that they see themselves as part of a whole. Social interaction, especially between students, can complement instructional interactivity goals.
Irene Watts-Politza

ScienceDirect.com - Computers & Education - Learning presence: Towards a theory of self... - 1 views

  • This line of research indicated that the multivariate measure of learning represented by the cognitive presence factor could be predicted by the quality of teaching presence and social presence reported by learners in online courses. The relationship between these constructs is illustrated in Fig. 1 below.
  • Given the electronic, social, and “self-directed” nature of online learning, it seems imperative that we examine learner self- and co-regulation in online environments especially as they relate to desired outcomes such as higher levels of cognitive presence as described in the CoI framework.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      Is this an aspect of assessment that is adequately addressed?
  • We suggest that this constellation of behaviors and traits may be seen as elements of a larger construct “learning presence” (Shea, 2010).
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  • self-efficacy can be viewed as a subjective judgment of one’s level of competence in executing certain behaviors or achieving certain outcomes in the future. Self-efficacy has been identified as the best predictor of college GPA and among the best predictors of college persistence through meta-analytic research (Robbins et al., 2004). Further, commenting on the state of the art in self-regulated learning research Winne suggested that self-regulation is contingent on positive self-efficacy beliefs, arguing that “learners must subscribe to a system of epistemological and motivational beliefs that classifies failure as an occasion to be informed, a condition that is controllable, and a stimulus to spend effort to achieve better” (Winne, 2005). This contrast of failure attribution as trait (e.g., “I’m just not good at math”) versus failure as occasion to be informed (“I can control, adapt, and learn from this”) is a classic view of maladaptive and adaptive self-efficacy beliefs.
  • In the current study we therefore examine the relationship between CoI constructs and elements of self efficacy in order to begin to investigate the larger theme of collaborative online learner regulation and learning presence.
  • Thus, self-efficacy is “concerned not with what one has but with belief in what one can do with whatever resources one can muster” (Bandura, 2007, p. 6).
  • Bandura has noted that slightly elevated efficacy can have a bigger impact on subsequent performance. Overestimating one’s capabilities to produce a behavior and outcome may boost performance and give rise to motivation to persist in face of obstacles and seatback, while the opposite is true for underestimating one’s capabilities, which may suppress productive goals, persistence and effort (Bandura, 2007). Thus there is an important connection between self-efficacy, effort, and subsequent performance.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      This has implications for course attrition rates.
  • Positive psychological and emotional states in the aftermath of successful execution of certain academic behaviors naturally lead to sense of competence and subsequently results in enhanced sense of efficacy.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      This is the "feeling of satsfaction" Lisa Martin referred to in her Module 3 posts on social presence.
  • We suggest here that elements within the CoI framework may serve as mechanisms for supporting self-efficacy. Specifically we conjecture that effective teaching presence and positive social presence should serve as sources of social persuasion and positive affect supportive of self-efficacy.
  • (Bandura, 1997). These and other studies have suggested that self-efficacy has a substantial role in predicting student engagement, motivation and performance ( [Bong, 2004], [Caraway et al., 2003], [Chemers et al., 2001], [Choi, 2005], [Smith et al., 2001] and [Vrugt et al., 2002]).
  • The participants in the study were a random sample of 3165 students from 42 two- and four-year institutions in New York State.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      SLN? See how many things you can learn with one really great data set?
  • Gaining knowledge about the reasons for learning and achievement of online students has attracted a great deal of attention among both researchers and practitioners. Understanding the factors that have an influence on the success of online education has significant implications for designing productive online communities.
  • Reviewing studies that investigated elements of online learner self-regulation
  • This ongoing project to document all instances of teaching, social, and cognitive presence in complete online courses also resulted in identification of learner discourse that did not fit within the model, i.e. could not be reliably coded as indicators of teaching, social, or cognitive presence ( [Shea, 2010] and [Shea et al., 2010]).
  • Additional work on the CoI model (Shea, Vickers, & Hayes, 2010) suggested that past research methods may have resulted in a systematic under representation of the instructional effort involved in online education.
  • These exceptions represent interesting data for refining and enhancing the model as they suggest that learners are attempting to accomplish goals that are not accounted for within the CoI framework.
  • In this paper we examine the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) suggesting that the model may be enhanced through a fuller articulation of the roles of online learners. We present the results of a study of 3165 students in online and hybrid courses from 42 two- and four-year institutions in which we examine the relationship between learner self-efficacy measures and their ratings of the quality of their learning in virtual environments. We conclude that a positive relationship exists between elements of the CoI framework and between elements of a nascent theoretical construct that we label “learning presence”. We suggest that learning presence represents elements such as self-efficacy as well as other cognitive, behavioral, and motivational constructs supportive of online learner self-regulation.
  • the CoI framework attempts to articulate the social, technological, and pedagogical processes that engender collaborative knowledge construction. It therefore represents an effort to resolve the greatest challenge to the quality of online education
  • Learner discussions also included efforts to divide up tasks, manage time, and set goals in order to successfully complete group projects. As such they appeared to be indicators of online learner self and co-regulation, which can be viewed as the degree to which students in collaborative online educational environments are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in the learning process (Winters & Azevedo, 2005).
  • the authors concluded that all the studies converged on advantageous outcomes for providing support for “metacognitive” learning strategies including self-reflection, self-explanation, and self-monitoring.
  • successfully orchestrating a dialogue demands fairly sophisticated skills. Conversational contributions need to be simultaneously parsed according to their disciplinary value, their location within the chain of collective argumentation, their relevance to the instructional goals, and their role as indicators of the student’s ongoing understanding. The outcome of this complex appraisal is a sense of the amount and quality of the guidance that specific contributions and the conversation as a whole require to support learning.” (Larreamendy-Joerns & Leinhardt, p. 591)
  • Zhao et al. also concluded that studies in which instructor interaction with students was medium to high resulted in better learning outcomes for online students relative to classroom learners.
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    This article also addresses the relationships between each of the presences and proposes an additional presence- Learner Presence.
Irene Watts-Politza

Teachers' Invisible Presence in Net-based Distance Education | Hult | The International... - 0 views

  • The stance taken in this paper, then, is constructivist – that conversation is learning in the making.
  • Any conversation, that is, draws on heteroglossia (Bakhtin’s neologism) – pools of different ideas whose elements, when exchanged, foster learning. According to Bakhtin, every utterance has a double significance. It is an expression of a 'unitary [common] language' used to conduct the conversation and, at the same time, it builds on the 'social and historical' differences embedded in the heteroglossia (1981, p. 272).
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      This is what happens in a discussion thread.
  • Yuri Lotman,
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  • described conversations as multi-authored texts rather than as multi-voiced heteroglossia (see Bakhtin, 1994,
  • texts “fulfill at least two basic functions:
  • fulfilled best when the codes of the speaker and the listener most completely coincide and, consequently, when the text has the maximum degree of univocality” (1988, p. 34). The generation of new meanings occurs when there are differences between the speaker and the listener. Texts used in educational exchanges cease:
  • online adult education is not the delivery of texts but, rather, the creation and insertion of ‘thinking devices’ into conversation.
  • For this article we have concentrated on teacher and student views of teachers’ role orientations in online courses.
  • our intention has been to identify and clarify teaching ‘saliences’ that have emerged in online adult education in Sweden. In a wider sense, however, our analysis is also a response to the question: ‘Whatever happened to teaching in the learning society?’
  • the posting data support the claim that the teachers adopted an initiating role.
  • Greater activity:
  • Greater influence on topic:
  • Faster response times:
  • When asked about their views, all students felt that teachers played a central role in supporting Net-based learning. Indeed, some of them suggested that moderation in online settings of adult education is more important than in face-to-face settings.
  • Orientations to Teaching
  • Activity Orientation
  • In this perspective, teachers gave students tasks that activated them and, thereby, fostered their understanding of subject matter.
  • offered students tips about articles, books and Internet sites
  • Some students spoke about being activated by stimulating tasks that led them to engage with the Web and libraries, with one of them adding ‘seeking by your self is a pre-condition for learning.’ Active searching also meant that students came into contact with information which extended their learning beyond the task itself.
  • None of the teachers, however, was entirely satisfied with their dialogic or conference practice. Levels of engagement, dialogue, and initiative-taking were not as high as they had hoped. In response, they tried to promote conversation by encouraging students to react to each other’s postings, by organising tasks where cooperation and interaction was needed, or by introducing new aspects and questions when discussion faltered.
  • Further, teachers reported that they also tried to act as models of good behaviour by giving swift replies to student postings and by making their own postings appropriate yet concise.
  • In contrast to the teachers most of the student group were satisfied with the course conversations.
  • A few
  • felt that sharing different aspects of the subject matter with the teacher and fellow students raised fresh questions. It made them reach beyond the book, evoking learning and thinking along new pathways. Even if they thought that well-chosen tasks were the most effective way of fostering dialogue, they also expected the course leader to participate fully, developing new themes if student postings declined, and remaining alert to student proposals that might enhance the interchange of ideas and knowledge.
  • Many students emphasised the importance of teaching that corroborated or validated their learning.
  • None of the teachers, however, spontaneously offered this view as their primary role or orientation. Nevertheless, when asked whether they had any correspondence with students through private mailboxes rather than ‘conferences’ and ‘cafes,’ some of them said that they occasionally responded privately to correct misinterpretations.
  • This task raises many questions about teaching, highlighting the difference, for example, between instructionist and constructionist paradigms for learning (Wilensky, 1991). Would a too well-planned course be instructionist, thus constraining student influence and the pursuit of democracy? In their postings, teachers in this study felt that there was no necessary contradiction – that well-planned courses could, indeed, strengthen student influence. Nevertheless, busy distance education students, according to the teachers, often appreciate instructionist courses with clearly stated activities and tasks, even if the students are left with limited opportunities to ‘construct their own relationships with the objects of knowledge’ (Wilensky, 1991, p. 202).
  • Teacher’s invisible presence is exemplified in taking a stand-by role and/ or being reluctant to intervene. ‘The [teachers’] silence should be deafening,’ one teacher recommended. Although most of the teachers agreed that well-planned courses do not inhibit course dialogue, the fact that in their own online course deliberations they set aside time to discuss this issue may reflect ambivalence in their stance. The question of when and how teachers should intervene remains impossible to resolve, except in practice.
  • three different aspects of teaching,
  • a second conclusion – that the promotion of learning in an open environment requires an animating or steering presence. Such teaching, however, is not a process of instruction. And for this reason the word teacher may no longer be appropriate. In English, the word tutor is commonly used in adult education, because it has connotations of ‘supervision’ and ‘guardianship’ as well as ‘instruction’ (see Oxford English Dictionary). More recently, Salmon has suggested ‘e-moderating,’ but even moderation carries instructionist connotations – to exercise a controlling influence over; to regulate, restrain, control, rule (OED) – that may not be appropriate to all forms of liberal education. In the context of mainland Europe, the word pedagogue may be appropriate since, etymologically, pedagogue denotes someone engaged in 'drawing out.'
  • Intellectual development, however, can be an intra- as well as an inter-personal phenomenon. That is, learning may not come directly from teachers but rather from their absent or invisible presence. Online pedagogues, therefore, can be present in different ways. They may be present in person, participating in learning conversations. They may constitute an absent presence that, nonetheless, is embodied in the learning resources directed towards students (e.g., the selected readings or activities). Or pedagogues may exist merely as inner voices, inherited from the language of others, that (invisibly) steer the desires, self-regulation, and self-direction of learners. Indeed, this last pedagogic position ‘auto-didacticism,’ has always been central to the post-Enlightenment ideals of liberal adult education.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      Here's the money.
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    Swedish study of university student and professor attitudes toward satisfaction with and definition of teacher presence in online adult learning. Implications for course design with respect to knowing one's audience.
Alena Rodick

Emotional presence, learning, and the online learning environment | Cleveland-Innes | T... - 0 views

  • Those engaged in online learning deal with the effects of emotion on a daily basis, whether in designing instruction, teaching, or learning online. The work of Damasio and LeDoux independently suggests that emotion is neither an objective nor outcome of learning yet is central to cognition. The study of O’Regan (2003) showed that students express their emotions in relation to the various aspects of an online course such as design and organizational issues (i.e., a lack of clear instructions), cognitive issues (i.e., learning materials, success), social issues (during communicating), time management, or technology. Similarly, Cleveland-Innes, Garrison, and Kinsel (2007) also found out that students disclosed emotions in relation to the social, teaching, and cognitive presence in an online course.
  • Research results from multiple studies indicate that emotions are an integral part of the learning environment and influence students’ learning experiences (Cleveland-Innes & Campbell, 2006). According to Baumeister, DeWall, and Zhang (2007), emotions influence outcomes. That is, positive emotions lead to positive outcomes and negative emotions to negative outcomes.
  • Emotion may constrain learning as a distracter but, if managed, may serve as an enabler in support of thinking, decision making, stimulation, and directing. Online learning is replete, not fraught, with emotion. We conclude, with others, that emotion is present in online learning communities
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  • Given this reality, emotion must be considered, if not a central factor, at least as a ubiquitous, influential part of learning—online and otherwise (Plutchick, 2003; Stets & Turner, 2006; Wosnitza & Volet, 2005). Therefore, emotions expressed in the online experience, as explained by the CoI model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000), indicate that emotional presence exists in social, cognitive, and teaching presence.
  • ey to online environments is to acknowledge and discuss emotional tenor as much communicative information is lost without tone of voice and facial expressions— emoticons excepted. The exploration of emotional states that are not present— hidden yet influential—needs attention.
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    In spite of evidence that more and more students are engaging in online learning experiences, details about the transition for teachers and students to a new learning environment are still unconfirmed. While new technologies are often expected to make work easier, they also involve the development of new competencies. This change may, in itself, elicit an emotional response, and, more importantly, emotion may impact the experience of online learning. Knowledge about the impact of emotion on learning broadly is available, but not about emotion and online learning. This study presents evidence of emotions present in online environments, and empirical data which suggests emotional presence may exist as a fundamental element in an online community of inquiry.
efleonhardt

Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment | Brindley | ... - 1 views

  • Access to education should not mean merely access to content
    • efleonhardt
       
      I think this is an interesting point when talking about creating online classes. It's important to take into account that a class is not mearly sharing information but having th students work together
  • rather, it should mean access to a rich learning environment that provides opportunity for interaction and connectedness
  • instructor skill in creating and managing interaction in online courses
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  • course design as a critical factor in determining the quantity, quality, and type of interactivity
  • connectivism
  • it relies on the connected learning that occurs through interaction with various sources of knowledge
  • participation in communities of common interest, social networks, and group tasks.
  • Transparency of expectations Details of the requirements to participate in a study group are posted in the course syllabus. The purpose (learning objectives) of collaboration and expectations of the learners are made very clear in the main conference. If students communicate reluctance about study group participation, instructors encourage participation and are open about discussing the purpose and process.
  • Transparency of expectations
  • Transparency of expectations
  • Clear instructions
  • Clear instructions
  • Meaning-making/relevance
  • Meaning-making/relevanc
  • scaffolding
  • informality, familiarity, honesty, openness, heart, passion, dialogue, rapport, empathy, trust, authenticity, disclosure, humour, and diverse opinions
Melissa Pietricola

Education World ® Administrators Center: Making Retention A Last Resort - 0 views

  • Retaining students while their peers are promoted is bad for a child's self-esteem and may not help them academically, according to the argument. But promoting children without the skills for the next grade can be just as demoralizing.
  • "Multi-age learning is the gift of time," Jetel told Education World. "Students work to complete a curriculum cycle. The activities are open-ended and students can work on at their own pace."
  • on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) notes that the use of grade retention has increased over the past 25 years, despite little indication of its effectiveness.
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  • between 30 percent and 50 percent of students in the U.S. are retained at least once before ninth grade.
  • The results showed that grade retention had a negative impact on all areas of achievement, including reading, mathematics, and language, as well as socio-emotional adjustment, such as peer relationships, self esteem, problem behaviors, and attendance
  • implementing multiple support programs to help students stay on track to pass the tests the first time
  • students who need extra help will receive differentiated instruction from teachers trained to meet their needs. Students also will receive instruction before and after school, on weekends, and during a Summer Success Academy, designed for second and third graders. The academy's focus will be on reading, writing, and math, and classes with no more than 15 students, according to Klein.
  • smaller classes and earlier support services
  • 'What didn't work? What wasn't done earlier? What do we do to identify the difficulties a kid is having?' If you can't answer the question why the student didn't learn, you are in danger of repeating mistakes."
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    Social Retentions and the risks to the students
alexandra m. pickett

ETAP640 Summer 2011 Blog - 2 views

  • So far I am enjoying the experience
  • What are the most effective instructional technology tools available to me to help me meet my instructional objectives?
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      brilliant!
  • challenge!
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      self assess!
    • Kimberly Barss
       
      check!
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  • I have been much more aware of the idea that today’s younger generations (those who are 30 and younger) are much more technologically savvy. 
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      I want to challange you, just like i challanged Ian (who is currently smitten with Prensky : ) to challenge the notion of natives vs. immigrants. Read this (http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2011/05/natives-are-revolting.html), find other articles (and there are many) that unpack the problems with this notion, and come back and tell us all about it.
  • I have been spending quite a bit of time and energy learning the Moodle system,
    • Donna Angley
       
      I think I spent the entire weekend last week playing around in Moodle, learning how things worked, and trying to set up my basic module outline. Once I got the hang of it, I kinda like it. I find with technology that it just takes time and patience (not my forte) to really grasp it. I don't think computer skills of any kind can be learned from a book alone; it needs to be hands on learning.
    • Kimberly Barss
       
      I completely agree! I am a very hands on and visual person, I need to INTERACT with the material in real life or else it's just text on a page.
  • It is ENGAGING
    • Donna Angley
       
      Very. I found myself not wanting to step away from the computer, even to eat. Eventually, I got hungry enough and forced a break.
    • Kimberly Barss
       
      Yes! The faculty on the SLN website even said that online teaching is an addiction!
  • Blackboard
    • Donna Angley
       
      The two other online courses that I took were both on Blackboard. I've never actually taken a course in Moodle. I have no idea what my course will look like when I'm done, but I'm very curious.
  • I’m really starting to get the hang of the expectations for posts
    • Donna Angley
       
      Took me a while as well, but now I feel more comfortable with my posts. I wasn't doing enough research. Once I started doing that, I felt like I was contributing something to the whole class.
    • Diane Gusa
       
      I had the same thought. I only hope that the computer lab is open during my class time.
    • Donna Angley
       
      Your sticky notes are usually "floating" so I never know what you're commenting on. Can you make them stationery?
    • Diane Gusa
       
      I wonder the same thing...this applies to several blogs ago. I guess we need to add a date or title.
  • This course has been the most difficult course that I have ever taken
  • I was teetering between dropping the class
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      i am really glad you did NOT drop the course!!! : ) me
  • punishment
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      : ) seriously teacher-centric...
  • I am still under the impression that the interactions required of us in the discussion space are too numerous. 
  • I LOVE LOVE LOVED that Bill Pelz commented on our posts!  I felt like a celebrity walked into the room and his comments could be equated to getting an autograph. 
  • I have learned a lot this module, especially: NEVER give up (this has been especially resonant with me) Passion for teaching and learning go hand in hand, and are a must-have for online educators The best training tool for an online teacher is to be an online learner BE ORGANIZED MANAGE YOUR TIME Support your students and your faculty (whatever your role is) And last, but not least (yes, this was intentional) don’t procrastinate.
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      LOVE the new theme Kim! looks great!
  • half of the requirement for this class.
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      please read the rubric. it is NOT required that you do 12 posts. this is your own self imposed choice if you do. The minimum is 6 - maximum 12. it is entirely up to you.
  • I was given this gift: show your students the importance of reflection. 
  • There was absolutely nothing about my course learning activities that was learner-centered, or, one could argue, learning-centered!  I was being extremely teacher-centered in my approach! 
  •   Because of that, I need to embrace these tools, explore new ideas, and for goodness sake- think about the STUDENT.
  • It took me almost two and a half hours just to set up a voicethread that didn’t crunch all of my text and pictures together!  Or get the right size and color font.  I realize that these are all things that cannot be explained to anyone, or if you did try and tell them, they wouldn’t understand how much work it is until they tried it themselves.
    • Donna Angley
       
      I, like the others in this course, understand. It's a lot of work, but the finished product will be worth it, I'm sure.
  • I think that embedding a youtube video or loading a podcast are in my future and I can’t wait! 
    • Donna Angley
       
      Two thumbs up!
  •   I made all of my assignments turned in to me, privately,
    • Donna Angley
       
      I too had made this mistake with some short writing assignments that I was going to have my students write. It was Alex's suggestion to have them blog it that really made sense. This way they could read each others blog entries and leave comments as well.
  • This week, as we are supposed to have the course “done done” I am doubting myself.  Every time I log in to my course I change something, add wording, create new links to rubrics where there weren’t any, etc.  It just seems like I’m never satisfied.
    • Donna Angley
       
      So glad I'm not alone. I keep logging in as well, looking to change something. Over the past 3-4 days I've definitely made changes, but I'm getting to the point now that I'm wondering if I should just leave it alone. I'm the same way about large writing project...always looking to edit. Thinking it might be time for me to step back from the computer.
    • Diane Gusa
       
      I thought done, done, done is at the end...aren't we going to have peer feedback next module?
  • I’ll have my master’s in December and I couldn’t be more proud. 
    • Donna Angley
       
      CONGRATULATIONS! I'll finish in December as well. It's been a long journey, and as much as I've enjoyed it, I'm ready to have my weekends back :-)
    • Diane Gusa
       
      :)
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      congratulations kim!!!!
  • I feel like a late bloomer (I’ll be 26 in November
  • #1- I’m scared of the idea of  real live students actually taking my course #2- I’m really disappointed that real live students will never take my course
    • Donna Angley
       
      I'm glad you said this, because I've been thinking it for several weeks now. I really want a chance to teach it, but I'm afraid of getting a chance to teach it. I'm not a teacher by profession, so I think I have more fear than most that I won't be able to facilitate my course properly. For instance, how do I open modules, are grades recorded automatically or do I manually put them in, how do I get them to show for each individual student, etc. I've put so much time and effort into building this course, I want a chance to teach it, but having never taught at the college level, I don't know that I'll get the opportunity. I will still give it my best shot as soon as I graduate in December. If SUNY isn't interested, I'll try other avenues.
    • Diane Gusa
       
      "live students" when you do teach live students you will discover kinks you never saw...this semester I had a great activity that 18 of 19 students loved! The discussions were full of every presence. The I discovered that my student from China was so lost and overwhelmed. Now I am rethinking cultural sensitivity in my activities...how do I balance a activity that engages 99% of my students 110%, but looses one student because of a cultural difference...still thinking on this.
  • feedback
    • Donna Angley
       
      I don't know if I should have done this, but I actually have 2 evaluation/feedback areas. One is the generic resource right in Moodle. I tried to write my own questions, but when I "viewed" the forum, my questions were replaced with the generic questions. So, I created a document with my own questions and I am having students download the document into a word processor, add their answers and then post to a forum.
  • o there will likely never be online courses at Mildred Elley.
    • Donna Angley
       
      Can you teach it elsewhere? As we have learned in this class, online learning is up and coming. It might be worth looking into.
    • Diane Gusa
       
      Failures maybe because the facilitators did not "know" and "do" what "you" know...convince him to try your course as an experiment...because this is the future of education...This summer I taught one online course and had a student from China, several from the west coast, and only two within driving distance in a class of 20!
  • ETAP 680 (research seminar). 
    • Donna Angley
       
      I'll be taking the course in September...how was it? I had hoped that it was just a very long research paper...any such luck? It's my last course for my degree.
  • quality with the traditional classroom in the public eye? 
    • Donna Angley
       
      I think you're probably right, but I think it's turning a corner. At a time when institutions are scrambling for money, online learning costs them very little. They pay an instructor and that's about it. We don't need a classroom or any campus resources other than student access to the library for research if they need it.
  • prettying up
    • Donna Angley
       
      Do you mean the background or theme of the course, because I'd love to know how to change that.
    • Diane Gusa
       
      I am almost three times that....almost :)
    • Diane Gusa
       
      My dissertation chair gave me wonderful advice...Enough is enough! If we recognize that we are always evolving, growing, expanding, deepening our understanding...then we understand that a "project" is just a snap shot of one time in our progress.
  • the more effort you put into it, the more successful you’ll be.
  • One thought I had, as I look forward to getting a PhD, is that theories come from practice which means that theories about online learning come from individuals creating courses, teaching courses, and collecting feedback from courses over and over and then after all of that work is finished, turning right around and working at analyzing the data, and attempting to answer research questions.  In order to have credible research, the questions must be relevant, the measures must be valid and thorough, and the analyses of results must be comprehensive. 
  • Reflective Writing: I have to admit, at the beginning of the course I thought the blogging activities were just busy work.  I viewed the assignments as busy work, and treated my entries as such.  As time ticked on, I started getting into the blogs and realizing that it was my personal space in which I could reflect on my work on my course and my learning throughout the week/module.  So much of life and learning in school is sort of thrown at you, and if you don’t take the time to intentionally deconstruct the events and make sense of them, then you’ll never grow and improve.  I’d rather grow.
  • If I don’t place intentional emphasis on something (like making it worth a portion of their grade) then I am sending a message that it’s not important. 
  • Nothing should be an accident or “just because” in the online teaching environment. 
  • Students don’t want their time wasted.
Maree Michaud-Sacks

Effectiveness and Efficiency in Higher Education for Adults: A Guide for ... - Morris T... - 0 views

  •  
    This is the books where the 8 principles in Keeton's study were first presented.
Diana Cary

The Rewards of Effective Facilitation of Online Learners - 0 views

  • Today with electronic bulletin boards, discussion boards, e-mail discussion groups, or chat areas, online learning can be interactive.
  • To reach non-traditional students and to meet their educational needs around the world, more colleges are turning to distance education. Current instructional technology can potentially provide effective learner-centered, personalized education for non-traditional, non-residential students around the globe. As students and faculty move from traditional, on-site learning and teaching, they must learn to make the necessary adjustments.
Heather Kurto

JTE v24n1 - Transfer of Learning: Connecting Concepts During Problem Solving - 0 views

  • There are several factors that affect learning transfer. These include whether students understand or simply memorize knowledge, the amount of time spent on learning the task, the amount of deliberate practice that is done beyond learning the task, the motivation of the student, how the problem is represented, the transfer conditions, and the metacognition of the solver (Dweck, 1989; Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993; Johnson et al., 2011; Palinscar & Brown, 1984; Singley & Anderson, 1989).
  • A student’s comprehension of a problem and his or her ultimate ability to transfer concepts learned previously to the current problem is inextricably linked to his or her ability to properly represent the problem.
  • ognitive research shows that the organization of learning and how new learning relates to what a student already knows are the strongest predictors of how well a student will transfer knowledge (National Research Council, 2000). Schunn and Silk (2011) articulated, however, that in science and engineering students often “lack relevant conceptual frameworks or have frameworks that are not developed enough to support new learning adequately” (p. 9). The absence of such frameworks makes it difficult for students to connect and apply other knowledge where relevant.
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  • The problem solving process begins as soon as the problem solver generates enough information about the problem space to gain an understanding of the problem.
  • Representation in the problem-solving process refers to how the solver mentally represents the problem. The solver’s representation of the problem is directly related to his or her existing knowledge structure of the content of the problem.
  • Students have to increase their reflective practice to aid their metacognition and transfer of STEM concepts.
  • Different individuals have different conceptual knowledge and will make different associations to their knowledge. Exposure to the constraints and affordances of a particular context in which a problem exists will invariably influence the way in which the student represents a problem in a similar context.
  • Sanders (2009) admitted that it is difficult to prepare a teacher that is competent in all three bodies of knowledge, given the volume of content knowledge necessary to be an effective science, mathematics or technology educator.
  • This pedagogical approach is not without its challenges, as students may still compartmentalize their knowledge. Also, it is often difficult logistically and in terms of instructional timing for teachers across STEM discipline to collaborate effectively (Crismond, 2011; Kimbell & Stables, 2008).
  • Good and poor problem solvers differ in their recall of information from previously encountered problems and by extension their ability to transfer concepts to the target problem. This difference exists because poor problem solvers tend to remember surface similarities between problems, while good problem solvers remember underlying conceptual structures that make two problems similar although they have different surface features (Sutton, 2003).
  • Until student assessment methods are modified to reflect less dependency on standardized tests, engineering and technology educators will garner greater collaboration from math and science teachers when the latter can see that engineering and design-based curriculums does improve students’ ability to solve standardized test problems.
Lauren D

Benefits of Peer-Based Learning.pdf (application/pdf Object) - 0 views

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    Forums, online communities, and professional networks are these new learning environments, where people find and share information, collaborate and learn on demand. A significant challenge is to motivate people to participate in the knowledge-sharing and learning process. Especially in peer-based learning environments, where learning depends on the effort of all participants, it is essential to provide enough incentives to participate and share information with others." Implementing systems fostering trust through reputation can enhance the learning effectiveness, and provide alternatives for the traditional pedagogical approaches still in place in current e-learning courses. Formal education could profit from such new learning environments adopting these pedagogical approaches and related technical systems."
Joan McCabe

Teaching Adults: Is It Different? - 0 views

  • The following assumptions underlie Knowles' (1984) andragogical model: o Adults tend to be self-directing. o Adults have a rich reservoir of experience that can serve as a resource for learning. o Since adults' readiness to learn is frequently affected by their need to know or do something, they tend to have a life-, task-, or problem-centered orientation to learning as contrasted to a subject-matter orientation. o Adults are generally motivated to learn due to internal or intrinsic factors as opposed to external or extrinsic forces.
  • Knowles has gradually modified his position regarding the contrast between how preadults learn (pedagogy) and how adults learn (andragogy). According to Feuer and Geber (1988), "[w]hat he once envisioned as unique characteristics of adult learners, he now sees as innate tendencies of all human beings, tendencies that emerge as people mature" (p. 33). Nevertheless, the andragogical model has strongly influenced the adult education field, with one result being the assumption teaching adults should differ from teaching children and adolescents.
  • CONSIDERATIONS FOR PRACTICE Is teaching adults different? Based on the literature discussed here, the answer is both yes and no. Although teachers perceive adults as being different, these perceptions do not automatically translate into differences in approaches to teaching. Perhaps a better way to frame the question is to ask "Should teaching adults be different?" According to Darkenwald and Beder (1982), "the real issue is not whether learner-centered methods are universally applied by teachers of adults, but rather for what purposes and under what conditions such methods, and others are most appropriate and effective and in fact used by teachers" (p. 153). Gorham (1985), in citing studies that identified interaction patterns of "master" preadult teachers as being less directive and more student-centered than those of "average" preadult teachers, suggests that "the most cogent prescription might be to define responsive teaching techniques as the approved practice for educators at all levels..." (p. 207). Based on these observations, some considerations for practice emerge. 1. Determine the purpose of the teaching-learning situation. The andragogical or learner-centered approach is not appropriate in all adult education settings (Feuer and Geber 1988). The decision about which approach to use is contextual and is based upon such things as the goals of the learners, the material to be covered, and so forth. 2. Provide opportunities for teachers to practice learner-centered methods. Gorham (1984) suggests training teachers in techniques especially suitable for adult students, such as small-group discussion methods, effective use of nontraditional room arrangements, and so forth. 3. Select teachers on the basis of their potential to provide learner-centered instructional settings. Gorham's (1984, 1985) study identified some characteristics of teachers who seemed to be more flexible and responsive in adult settings. However, she also suggests that more research is needed.
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    Based on the research, the conclusion of this article is "Should teaching adults be different than teaching children?" Many teachers have preconceived notions about the differences between the two groups and some that have these notions do not act upon them. It is better to asses the contextual information in deciding which teaching style is the most appropriate at a specific time or for a specific course or set of people.
alexandra m. pickett

Mike's reflection blog on on-line learning within 2.0. - 1 views

shared by alexandra m. pickett on 20 Jul 10 - Cached
rileybo liked it
  • I have 222 discussion questions. 
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      if you do all the work, who does all the learning? 222 question?! now wouldn't it be cool if your students came up with even half of those questions themselves?
  • It’s forced me to get out of my comfort area of relating to other music teachers and challenged me to consider music and my teaching of it as it related to other disciplines transposed to the on-line learning environment.
  • I’ve included the student need for teaching presence in my discussion rubric but need to further create ways to be part of their learning.  This might be just sitting on the sidelines and observing until I feel the need to re-set the climate for learning if it’s off track.
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  • By doing these activities I have become even more challenged and feel even more uncomfortable.  Now I am dipping my other foot in to the online course world.  I am inserting my knowledge to this new forum.  It’s as if I’m putting my quarter in and watching the wheels turn until they stop on something. What will that something be?  I must have felt that I was in some kind of comfort zone. Then I was understanding and proving myself valuable to the other student’s learning.
  • I am going to have to think very deeply about. That suggestion is to give more freedom to my students. The students in my course can better express their creativity by having to create their own activities!  Wow!  This is going to be hard…
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      sometimes you can only achieve what you are trying to achieve by letting go... trust yourself and trust your students.
    • Mike Fortune
       
      Thanks for the advice Professor!
  • Creating PDFs takes lot of time
    • Joan Erickson
       
      I have been following your posts, I know you finally got it to work and were able to link pdfs successfully!
    • Mike Fortune
       
      Yes thankfully!
  • 222
  • If discussions wane then I can take one of these questions out and use them to stimulate new discussions
    • Joan Erickson
       
      hey that's great and smart idea!
    • Mike Fortune
       
      Thanks. They are not going to be introduced all together. That would be too much.
  • seeismic did not register me properly
    • Joan Erickson
       
      can you try again with a junk email account? I'd love to hear your input
  • Being taught what is effective, seeing it being applied to me and then being involved in reflection of its relation to my instruction is the sequence of events that [helped my learning].  This might seem as a surprising statement considering my own blog entry requirements were so open-ended and free-form, a sincere effort to provide scaffolding, that looking back such an attempt could not result in effective metacognitive resolution.
  • Therefore I will continue exploring what I have learned in this course and consider the possibility that there may have been things going on in this course that I did not learn because I did not internalize them.  (3)
Kristen Della

Using collaborative course development to achieve online course quality standards - 1 views

shared by Kristen Della on 04 Jun 11 - No Cached
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    The issue of quality is becoming front and centre as online distance education moves into the mainstream of higher education. Many believe collaborative course development is the best way to design quality online courses. This research uses a case study approach to probe into the collaborative course development process and the implementation of quality standards at a Canadian university. Four cases are presented to discuss the effects of the faculty member/instructional designer relationship on course quality, as well as the issues surrounding the use of quality standards as a development tool. Findings from the study indicate that the extent of collaboration depends on the degree of course development and revision required, the nature of the established relationship between the faculty member and designer, and the level of experience of the faculty member. Recommendations for the effective use of quality standards using collaborative development processes are provided.
abeukema

Motivation - Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology - 0 views

  • Setting up rigid and realistic goals based on the learner's competence, therefore, is more effective than setting easy goals.
  • Performance goal: I want to avoid mistakes so I can get a good grade.
  • Mastery goal: Understanding the class materials is more important than earning a high grade, and that's why I work hard to learn. My performance is better than it was at the beginning of the semester.
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  • Table 1. Classroom structure and instructional strategies supporting a mastery goal Structure
  • reasonable challenge
  • Bandura pointed out that negative messages have an even greater effect on lowering efficacy expectations than do positive messages to increase it.
  • Successful experience: It is the teachers' responsibility to help learners achieve academic success by providing challenging, yet attainable tasks . Successful experience is the most important source of fostering self-efficacy.
  • attributional theories
  • Challenge: Design challenging activities which convey the message to the learners that they have competitive skills. It is essential to find a balance between learner competence and the difficulty of the goals. Overly difficult goals are unlikely to increase learner motivation to continue the task if the learners perceive they will never reach the goal. Likewise, goals that are too easily attained do not sufficiently challenge learners to encourage skill development.
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    Well organized webpage with information, power points and pdfs on goals, motivation and learning.
Heather Kurto

http://esblogin.k12albemarle.org/attachments/7b8c23a2-1dd0-4aab-943f-d417df093124.pdf - 1 views

    • Heather Kurto
       
      By definition, differentiation is wary of approaches to teaching and learning that standardize.  Standard-issue students are rare, and educational approaches that ignore academic diversity in  favor of standardization are likely to be counterproductive in reaching the full range of learners. 
    • Heather Kurto
       
      To examine the dichotomy between standards-based teaching and differentiation, we must ask  questions about how standards influence the quality of teaching and learning. What is the impact  of standards-based teaching on the quality of education in general? 
    • Heather Kurto
       
      What is the effect of the practice on individuals in an academically diverse population? 
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    • Heather Kurto
       
      Differentiation suggests that you can challenge all learners by providing  materials and tasks on the standard at varied levels of difficulty, with varying degrees of  scaffolding, through multiple instructional groups, and with time variations. Further,  differentiation suggests that teachers can craft lessons in ways that tap into multiple student  interests to promote heightened learner interest in the standard.
Irene Watts-Politza

INTIME - Integrating New Technologies into the Methods of Education - 2 views

    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      I added the free version of RealTime through clicking on site link on one of the videos and the videos play successfully. Although Mozilla FF is not on the list of supported browsers, I was able to get MozFF to recognize the Real Time plug-in after I installed it on my hard drive.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      Perhaps there are activities that can be adapted to online course environment? Click on "Go to Material", above, scroll down and click on "Database development" and select "by grade level" or "by content"
  • INTIME provides online video vignettes of PreK-12 teachers from various grades and subjects showing how they integrate technology into their classrooms using numerous teaching strategies. INTIME is the result of a PT3 program (Preparing Tomorrow?s Teachers to Use Technology). INTIME resources are useful for (1) teacher educators creating case studies; (2) pre-service teachers learning about effective pedagogical techniques; (3) in-service teachers searching for ideas and independent professional development; (4) professional developers seeking resources to demonstrate good teaching and technology integration, and (5) administrators developing teacher quality initiatives and mentoring programs.
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  • RealPlayer8 is required to view any videos
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    I am considering whether to add the entire resource or just a few videos with a "for more of this ..." to my module on 21st Century Learning. What really excites me about this resource is the implications for case studies in methods courses in the B-6 program ... can even be shared with Secondary Ed and TESOL. You may want to share this with your grade level, Building Leadership Team, or your PD person. A GREAT free resource for meaningful, asynchronous tech integration training.
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