Trust the Process

Its been almost two months since my last post and this post is dedicated to a special group. I thought Day 2 was quite productive and entertaining as the group presentations on tools were varied and informative. The role play created much amusement but I was really impressed overall with the commitment of all the group members. I realised that after the presentations many are now contemplating how they can enhance their courses, particularly in light of the limited time they all have. The issues of time management and a lack of skills in some areas are real, however these issues can be dealt with in time- trust the process. I look forward to engaging with the group as we continue to plan.

Proof of the Pudding is in the eating...

Well bloggers, online courses have been developed amidst much weeping and wailing. Test courses were lost, files could not be uploaded, videos were not displayed and every imaginable calamity that can affect a harried student working on an assignment mere hours before the deadline, occurred. Even in the swirl of the stress and chaos, you all persevered. I peeked in every now and then and gave a bit of comfort and encouragement here and there but by and large most of you sweated and did the work and I was impressed. I can safely say that most of the courses were clear, practical and aligned with objectives and context. There is much that can be done to improve because there is always room for improvement but I am satisfied that most of you understand what is required to develop a blended course, you understand how and when technology can and should be used in a course and you understand the constraints of your circumstances. I feel certain that if I had not given the assignment of preparing a blended course then you would not have fully appreciated all the issues involved from process to pedagogy and technology. In other words, the proof of the pudding is in the eating...

Working on your online course: Planning is the key

Its been a few weeks since my last post. I have been monitoring the progress (or lack of progress in some cases) of the development of your blended courses. I have had a few queries and some suggestions so I know some people are working hard to meet the April 11 deadline. I am hoping that the storyboards helped guide you so you were clear on what learning outcomes would be addressed. Always remember that you need to have a plan BEFORE you start to develop your course otherwise you may find yourself doing things in a very haphazard manner and really not meeting objectives. If you are having any problems you need to sort them out early, please don't wait until the deadline has arrived to communicate in a panic. You really don't need the stress caused by last minute work.

The process

I have been reflecting on the performance of CUTL and MHed students on the storyboarding assignment and I have been wondering what has been going through your minds as you worked on these storyboards. They were all so different and some people obviously put so much thought into it that I am actually looking forwarding to seeing the end products. I am hoping that the process allowed you to really examine your courses and focus on outcomes. Generally, I am hoping that you actually enjoyed the experience and feel empowered by the process.

Thoughts about assignments - Its all about you

When I prepare assignments, I think about what I would like the student to be able to do or know. I want to involve the student in some task or activity that would allow the student to think deeply about the subject matter, engage with it and come out of the experience enriched. My idea is that as a student you choose to engage in learning because you want to develop in your area. That's my focus - on the student as someone who wants to learn. I imagine you want to come out enriched. I am therefore always partial to the student who may not have quite grasped the issue but who is willing to work at it until he/she gets it.

Getting the Idea

It was with great pleasure that I reviewed the TLTL 6206 powerpoint assignment today. Every member of the group made an effort to ensure it was NOT "Death by Powerpoint"..Oh Happy Day! Actual 10-minute presentations, concise, good use of graphics, what more could I ask for?

I am looking forward to being impressed by the article critiques. I am expecting considered views, supported by other scholarly work. I know when people get involved in hands-on work such as creating a blended course they tend to forget there is need for balance and there is a theoretical side as well. It may not be as much fun but it provides the context for what we do.
Image captured from : http://screenhog.com/blog/tag/send-me-an-idea/

Conceptualizing a blended course

One of the best ways I know to get persons to understand that developing a blended course requires you to apply instructional design principles is to have them do a storyboard. The storyboard requires you to work out exactly what you will be doing both offline and online, based on your course objectives. You need to think about the elements of your course, the sequence in which they will be delivered and how they are linked to your outcomes and assessments. You need to present these in a form that is clear and logical. This exercise highlights the fact that course development both online and offline is a planned activity. Online and blended learning is not about throwing some bits of technology together online, and adding some course notes and readings. It is a well thought-out approach that involves the use of web-based and perhaps other technology. Happy story-boarding all!

Photo access from http://www.skyscanner.net/news/articles/2011/02/009249-skyscanner-follows-in-the-footsteps-of-the-oscar-nominees.html

Death by Powerpoint?

Microsoft Powerpoint has become synonymous with presentation for many persons. We hear it all the time " are you doing powerpoint?" When we really mean," are you doing a slide presentation?". In CUTL 5106 I included a You Tube video called "Death by Powerpoint" to highlight some of the ways we use the software, that really affects our presentations negatively e.g. too much text on a slide, too many colours that don't blend, slides that are too busy etc. These are pointers we should all keep in mind.

Another point to note is when you are doing a presentation and using powerpoint to support, objectives always keep you on target and make it clearer for your audience. Your audience will know whether the session is relevant to them.

Good graphics and photos can enhance a presentation and expose students to so many experiences that may not have been available in a classroom before. On the other hand, irrelevant or poor graphics and photos can be downright annoying.

If you feel you don't have the skill or resources to use graphics and photos appropriately, it's probably best to keep your slides simple. However, no graphics at all in a slide presentation may suggest that little effort was spent in making the presentation visually appealing so you need to do a bit of a balancing act.

One thing to always keep in mind is never, ever fill your slides up with a whole lot of text and then turn and read these slides word for word. That would indeed result in "Death by Powerpoint".

The photo used above was captured from http://hubpages.com/hub/Amazing_Presentations_Keyword_Clouds_PowerPoint
Amazing Presentations, Key Word Clouds and How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint (ppt)
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You will never be the same again

I have been reading journal entries and discussions about experiences so far with blended learning. There have been mixed feelings but generally I am getting the sense that planning for a blended course will be influencing your teaching and even you as an individual with regard to your levels of comfort with technology. For some its a challenge to start to think about delivering their courses in a new way and for others its really just adjusting something that you have already been doing to take account of different tools. Generally though I get the impression that you and your teaching will never be the same. Am I right?

Sharing the concept of storyboarding

On February 16 I had a session on storyboarding with a group of lecturers who will be developing blended courses. I shared with them the concept of a storyboard in online learning as a plan or map of how your final course will be organised. I provided examples of storyboards and even gave a brief history of storyboarding in the context of video and film production. The interesting and obvious thing is that at the end of the session, each participant had a different picture of a storyboard in his/her mind. Some saw flow-charts, some tables, others lists. Each participant's learning style and subject area seemed to impact on his/her interpretation of the concept. I will now be extending my range of examples. I will also be finding ways to make the concept even more concrete. One participant suggested a short video showing how storyboards are developed for videos..hmm..an interesting thought. Let's see how that will go...thoughts anyone?

The Skype Meeting that almost happened?

We had a perfect example of how technology can work and fail. We had our skype meeting last night ( well some people did) I had a series of unfortunate events and was on intermittently for about 20 mins in total. The group rallied and some persons like Jairo, AnnMaire, Sree, Sharon,Shirene, PAN ( yes Faheem I read the chat history) seemed to have a great conversation going. Others were added late and missed out like Allan, Jaya, Chanelle, Kadijah, Dr. Keisha. My internet access was interrupted so I had a crazy time at home until I eventually found a Blink on the go and got back on ( close to 11 pm) ..anyway..more on that later.

Dr D.

No comments yet

I started this blog to use as an example in my elearn course. I would like to get the students to at least view the blog and post a comment so that they can see how it can be used in their own courses. I am searching around to find some issues that would make for interesting blogging. Many of the participants are focussing on the challenge of making choices with regard to tools for blended learning. I will give this some more thought and post another comment later.

Getting buy-in for blended learning

Encouraging students to embrace blended learning is not always an easy task. Sometimes it is necessary to use some "gentle" nudging in the form of grades for participation. Many students are wary of the online environment, others are uncomfortable. Persistence will yield results however.

keeping up with blogging

Once you have started a blog in an academic setting you must ensure that you have clear goals for the blog and that you can keep up with your objectives. There must be interaction and participation for it to be sustainable and interesting otherwise its just you talking to yourself.

Adding video

I thought some of you might want to add videos at some point to your blogs so I have included a You Tube video that provides instructions

Determining whether to use blogs in an online course

As with any other tool, the decision about whether or not to use a blog in a course is influenced by a combination of your learning outcomes, your students and their abilities and learning styles and your own skill in using a blog. I took a long time deciding whether or not to create a blog for the courses I am teaching but decided that there would be more advantages than disadvantages. I would like to get some thoughts on how students feel about using blogs though. To add your comments click on the date and a box will open that allows you to post your comments.