Reflective Blog #8 - Week 8

"Aha!" Moments

Where do I begin with the “Aha!” moments? I will start with Alan November’s article, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning assigned in the first week. I actually wrote the words, “Aha! Article” on the top of the article printout. Although, Mr. November’s article mirrored some of my current beliefs such as the importance of teaching critical thinking skills and not everything on the Internet is true, I did not consider the fact that many students believe, if it is on the Internet it is true and what the impact of that assumption may mean.

November’s discussion on how to deconstruct and map relationships of Web sites was extremely enlightening. So, week five’s critical analysis activities were full of “Aha!” moments. Being informed researchers builds a foundation of informative teaching and learning. I learned something during every activity of the Mapping exercises, from examining Web site’s authors, history, purposes, to the number and types of search engines. I can say the activities for this particular week will forever change how I conduct research and how I educate future students.

Mr. November’s automating vs. informating analysis was another point of clarity in this course. Although I knew just because a course is online did not mean learning was taking place, his definition of the difference between automation and actually informing and creating learning gave a clear picture of what typically happens when the discussion of technology occurs. What should be happening is information communication and building capacities that translate to the home.

His thoughts on connecting people and building learning communities spoke to a major tenet of my educational technology philosophy and that did not change. Connecting students, particularly those without unlimited access to technology is an important part of my philosophy. Educational institutions are given a great opportunity to create information community environments that not only informs but also to build communities to connect students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

However, through completion of this course I am able to visualize and incorporate technology in the goal of connecting students to resources in informative and impactful ways inside and outside the classroom. Being equipped with the tools to help students learn in creative, collaborative ways, and empowering them to construct and be active participants in their learning, that translates into uses in other parts of their lives, is the greatest reward of all.

I must say thank you to each of you. I learned a great deal from each of you. I must also give a great big thank you to Dr. Wickersham for a great course! This course is an example of creating the type of learning environment touted in the research. 

Hattie



Reflective Blog #7 - Week 7

In pondering the instructional design and plan for this week’s project, I focused on developing a learning environment for the employees of the hospital where I am employed. I am the Compliance/Privacy Officer and an area often misunderstood is patient privacy and security. The learning objective I chose for the technology plan was, “To provide a learning community that shares knowledge, and reinforces and/or reshapes employee decision making and actions concerning HIPAA Privacy and Security standards.” The learning objective had to incorporate a dynamic that actually provided concrete, factual information for educational purposes and to change decision-making and actions, when needed. In addition, provide employees with an opportunity to interact with each other and engage in the learning process.

Because our mandatory training modules come from the corporate office, I wanted to think of a way to introduce additional opportunities for learning with technology in which employees would actually participate. Some technology such as cell phones is prohibited in the hospital, therefore, the ability to incorporate other  forms of technology into one space and provide a place for fun interactive activities for employees led to my decision to utilize a wiki space. http://patientprivacyourresponsibility.wikispaces.com/

Although not all employees have a computer, there are kiosks in the hospital and employees could access this particular space away from the hospital. The wiki space would have a link to a decision-making survey (such as Quandry). This is particularly important because employees often do not think through their actions concerning patient privacy, particularly when it involves other employees as patients and family or friends. A product such as Quandry would allow me to reframe scenarios and questions to either reinforce correct decisions or guide employees to correct behavior. The wiki space would also have short weekly surveys, incorporate slideshows on privacy and security facts, podcasts, and provide links to government websites. There is also the possibility of incorporating instant messaging/chat feature for the space.

The learning outcomes in use of the wiki space would be to increase employee knowledge of the privacy and security standards but also provide an impetus for change in employee behavior concerning privacy and security. Employees become more cognizant of how their actions and decisions may violate the privacy and security standards and understand the ramifications of their actions. The employees would have a chance to pose questions and scenarios in the discussion area that allows them to participate in the learning community and interact with other employees. The incorporation of the decision-making survey, short weekly surveys/quizzes, and information from the discussion areas all provide a way to assess learning outcomes and areas for future education and training.

I would have to say I view my instruction in a much more interactive and dynamic fashion. I would love to incorporate many of the technologies I have learned about in this course, however, my current enthusiasm must be tempered based on what will be allowed with my employer. In spite of this, the ability to incorporate a podcast presentation and the accessibility to many open source tools will allow me to make a stronger case for change. I will also be able utilize the skills and tools I have learned in this class in any future educational instruction, training or presentations in order to engage learners. I have already set up a wiki space for a devotional prayer group with my church, shared the use of concept maps, and Jing with other friends and colleagues. This course will have a lasting impact on how I view learning.  

Making Online Learning Accessible Article

Colleagues, I apologize for the link in the previous post for this article being inaccessible. The citation is listed below if you would like to reference the article in the library database.

Brunvand, S., & Abadeh, H.. (2010). Making online learning accessible :Using technology to declutter the Web. Intervention in School and Clinic, 45(5), 304-311.  Retrieved February 22, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2029601821).

Podcast - Creating a Custom Search Engine

Please check out my Podcast on creating a custom search engine with Google. I created the Educational Technology Journals Search Engine adding the informative links from the course syllabus as the journals for searches on educational technology.
Creating a Custom Educational Technology Journals Search Engine

Reflective Blog #6 - Week 6

I sound like a broken record; however, I learned so many great things this week! Although I have listened to Podcasts, this week’s project was my first experience producing a Podcast. I recorded it many, many times! It is hard to listen to my own voice in recorded format, in spite of this, scratching the surface of the uses of Jing and Camtasia were great fun.  One of our fellow colleagues in this class, Kathrine (Betty) Garza, mentioned the use of Camtasia to me and I utilized it to visually improve my Podcast in order to display the full screen of my Jing Podcast on one page.

The possibilities for the uses of Podcasts and other audio/visual technology abound in the educational environment. The opportunities to engage learners with various learning styles and abilities can enhance the learning experience for the student and instructor through the incorporation of technology. This course is an excellent example in how to design an online course and of the interaction, critical thinking skills, and active learning taking place using technology. We witness and learn from our colleagues and see great examples of how they are utilizing these tools to create rich learning communities for our students each week. The articles for the week and those presented in the journal article critiques were very informative. My journal article, Making Online Learning Accessible: Using Technology to Declutter the Web, provided examples of resources available to educators to aide in course design. Google’s product for creating a custom search engine, Awesome Highlighter, TrackStar, Readability, and TidyRead are all free resources. This is a great article; I encourage you to read it.

https://proxy.tamu-commerce.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2029601821&Fmt=6&clientId=3613&RQT=309&VName=PQD

What is preventing us from fully embracing the potential of these tools is lack of knowledge on several levels. A lack of knowledge of what is available is one. When reading the posts in our discussion groups, frequently the phrase, “this is new information,” or “I can’t wait to try these out” are used. There are so many resources available it can become overwhelming. Another form of lack of knowledge is the talent to effectively designing a course incorporating technological tools. Educators must continually develop their own skills in order to create environments for learning.

If I could change anything it would be, what I have discussed in previous posts, the “all or nothing mentality” in the discussions surrounding educational technology. Instead of focusing on the benefits of incorporating varying teaching methods and forms into course delivery, conversations often resemble opposing boxers in the ring. In one corner the face-to-face traditionalists, who give a slight nod to technology incorporation and in the other corner the technology gladiator fighting to make all things techie. The real issue is how well the methods are deployed in the learning environment in order to do what we as educators are called to do, to educate. I would require some form of continuing education element in new teaching methods, course design and instruction for current educators and administrators in order to stay abreast of the rapidly changing world of education. Each method provides tremendous opportunities for inspiring students to be active participants in learning and instill lifelong learning.  

Reflective Blog #5 - Week 5

“If I had known then, what I know now.” This phrase kept running through my head this week as I completed the MAPping information activities and the technology project. The answer – more informed and organized researcher! Although I can be quite skeptical concerning data on the Internet because of the very opinionated and sometimes-misguided information discovered in previous searches, the tools learned this week will be extremely valuable in future research. I learned the meanings of new and not so new terms such as "crawlers," "crawler-based results," "directories,” "human-powered results," “cached results,” and “Web 2.0.” Learning how search engines return results gives me a different perspective on the results.

I researched the bigredhair.com domain. I did not recognize the name and if one just examines the domain name one would probably not connect it to Victorian-era robots. It is registered under Network Solutions, LLC, a company that helps small businesses market their site. In researching the archive history of the site it started out as a very personal web site similar to a blog, with personal histories of the site owners, strong comic book themes with comic books they created and sold , Halloween pictures, etc. The original site names were bigred@teleport.com and guinan@teleport.com but ultimately developed into a site focused on Victorian-era robots.

Web sites linked to this domain ranged from other personal sites, businesses, sites on science, recycling, steam – metal companies, and inventors/inventions. Some of the comments included on external sites rated it as an exceptional site concerning Victorian-era robots to all the information being fictional. Based on the research and links I would question some of the information on the site and would cross-reference information for confirmation if I were researching robots.

When I searched this site on other search engines, I discovered depending on the site, advertisements were the first entries on the page, which included toy retailers. The results will depend on how the search engine processes and returns data and how I enter my search terms. I will utilize other search engines in addition to “Google” in any future extensive research endeavors. Based on the information I learned this week I will be doing a presentation with our Education department at the hospital where I am employed on conducting more informed research.

The technology project on Social Bookmarking will be extremely useful for me in my educational and current professional career. I did not use social bookmarking previously. The ability to organize and save important web sites and links are an educational, personal, and professional benefit. It also saves a tremendous amount of time. I added a bundled tag in Del.icio.us entitled “Informed Researcher” so that I will not lose some of the helpful information learned this week. Bundling the information in one spot puts this information in one location.

Oh, how I wish I would have know about this when I started the doctoral program! I would have organized and stored articles of interest and those used in the completion of research papers in a more efficient and effective format. I would have a leg up on my dissertation articles. I will probably switch to Diigo. I believe this site will lend itself to my dissertation work. I will definitely use this for my literature review organization and archives. The ability to highlight, attach notes, and saving on paper and ink costs are particularly appealing. I also like the ability to link to Del.icio.us from this site. I was not drawn to Blink. I did not find it as user friendly as Del.icio.us. I would probably consider using Stumble Upon and Toobla for more personal interests. I liked the visual aspects for these interests. I will also use the social bookmarking in my current employment. I spend a tremendous amount of time researching and a site like Diigo will be beneficial.

In closing, the information learned this week would allow me to incorporate the techniques into future work as an educator in the classroom or in administration. Social bookmarking is another example of incorporating technology into the learning platform that allows the learner to create and participate in the learning process. The ability to connect with other learners, educators, or administrators creates an environment of social learning. Completion of the research activities from the November Learning site should be a part of all educational institutions’ web sites. What better way to show a commitment to responsible education and research.

Reflective Blog #4 - Week 4

This week has been another great learning experience. In reflecting on the many uses and examples of portfolios, I found myself wishing I would have known about and began the building of a portfolio since the beginning of my doctoral program. Beginning a portfolio upon first entry into college would have provided me with an opportunity to see my own growth academically and personally. In particular, when I reflect on my writing skills, I can see great improvement since the beginning the program in 2009. As a result, I gravitated to the assessment for learning tenet of the learner’s capacity for self-assessment, reflection, and self-management. Why, because it makes me an active participant in my learning and provides me, the learner, the ability to view assessment as more than a grade. It provides an opportunity to be creative, insightful, and the opportunity to display learning with more than words. It allows the learner to see the power of his or her potential. It is assessment for learning that utilizes all the senses and provides evidence of application of knowledge and a picture of the individual learner and how he or she is learning.

In the future, I can see portfolio programs becoming a major part of an institution’s evidence of accountability, assessment for learning, and career planning. I see the potential of portfolios being used in some form from K-12 to document learning outcomes. I can also see portfolios being used in place of written comprehensive examinations. A portfolio program is a comprehensive picture of what has been learned, its application, a learner’s growth in critical thinking, and writing skills and not just one’s ability to regurgitate a list of facts, names, and figures for an exam. As supported in the many demonstrations of its uses, portfolios can follow the individual beyond the academic walls. I will definitely work to develop the portfolio I start in this class for future courses, my career, and for other personal endeavors. True learning motivates an individual to apply skills learned in other situations and continue lifelong learning.  

Reflective Blog #3 - Week 3

Get Wiki With It!

As I worked on my first wiki space this week, my mind was on information overload! I began to think of the many uses of wiki spaces for educational, personal, and work related reasons. In creating the wiki space for this week, I tried to focus on my educational technology philosophy and my future administrative goals of keeping students connected to campus resources, meeting their needs, and receiving feedback from them. I also considered the times, as a student, in which I have spent countless hours trying to find an answer to a question by searching the university web site. I thought of particular times I had many questions as a student and orientation would be one of those times.

My internship and practicum experience working in the Dean of Students office at SOSU and working during orientation helped me realize even though a great deal of information is provided many questions remain for students. Evidence of the many questions students have after orientation is verified by the questions received in the Dean of Students office on things discussed in orientation concerning housing, organizations, food establishments, etc. My creation of the “I Didn’t’ Get That” wiki space is an example of giving students another option for asking, sharing, and learning from other students and university personnel during an exciting and sometimes scary time. A good time to allow students to access the wiki space would be at the end of orientation giving them the opportunity to sign on to the wiki space using their cell phones or providing computer access at the orientation site. Staff may use the feedback received from the wiki page to gauge where emphasis is needed during orientation.

The use of wikis has several advantages, one of which is the ability for students and educators to share and collaborate on class projects. A wiki is much more conducive to sharing and posting comments, videos, questions and editing of documents in one space without being bogged down with a mountain of email entries in one’s inbox. This would be particularly advantageous with group projects, considering the locale of students. A course discussion area could be added to a class wiki, similar to the “Sounding Board” used in eCollege for this course. As noted in the EDUCAUSE article on wikis another advantage to wikis is their familiarity to other web pages, the instant availability of changes made on the page, and the ability to export information to Microsoft Word, all of which makes the use of wikis a great place to collaborate and create projects. Wikis may be used as a way to engage the digital natives that are more accustomed to collaborating and sharing on other web pages and sites such as YouTube or Facebook and they can do it from their cell phones. They may also import their own video creations, audios, chat, and instant message through the wiki space.

The article also highlights some disadvantages in the use of wikis. Because users can edit the pages, information may be deleted, intentionally or unintentionally. There is the possibility for students to use inappropriate language or post inappropriate links to the page. Digital natives and digital immigrants used to having no boundaries on other social sites may mistakenly assume they have the same freedoms on a class wikis. Another possible disadvantage is the comfort level of students in the use of this technology. Although a vast majority of students may have access to a cell phone or computer, there are students; even some digital natives unaccustomed to the creation or collaboration used in a wiki. Therefore, time and effort must be expended in the design and monitoring of the pages. Setting appropriate ground rules and expectations for students is crucial. If not incorporated well, a wiki could potentially become a space where some students feel alienated so instructor monitoring and feedback is crucial. It is also important students be given thorough instructions on how to participate using the technology and other ways to participate, create, and ask questions in the course.

 The ideas posted by my colleagues will be useful in my future career as an educator. I hope to also be able to use wikis on my current job. I have used what I learned about wikis to set one up for my church’s Wednesday night prayer group that meets through a conference line. It is another way for us to share and collaborate spiritually. I continue to learn a great deal from this course.

Reflective Blog #2 - Week 2



“Educational technology is a teaching model with the capacity to facilitate learning by integrating varying forms of technological medium into a student-centered educational environment, which empowers the learner to become creators of knowledge through the application, collaboration, global connections, reflection, and demonstration of skills acquired with the learning community.”

I find it difficult to cultivate a one-sentence definition of educational technology. The vastness of its uses, constant evolution, and contributions cannot be summed up in one sentence. My digital concept map could grow exponentially and still not encompass all the descriptors and uses of educational technology, however it is a minor attempt to describe its impact. From the digital native to the digital immigrants, today's learners still need to be active participants in their education. All students interested in learning want to be engaged. The skilled educator is able to create an environment which allows all students the opportunity to learn new skills, develop new concepts, share and collaborate with peers, and the world through the use of technology. The creation of my digital concept map was an opportunity for me to connect to new tools and develop a new skill. I loved this project and tried out each of the links and a couple of other ones located on http://worditout.com or http://www.wordsift.com .  I am not considered a digital native by definition, but I do like being engaged and given the opportunity to learn.

Educational technology is evolving at a rapid pace and the educator has many more tools available to make learning exciting and useful for the learner. The use of Podcasts, cellphones, blogs, iPods, Wordle, or other technology is another opportunity to diversify the learning environment to meet the learning styles of learners, whether they are digital natives or digital immigrants like myself. Educators of today can incorporate the more traditional teaching methods of lecture or individual writing assignments with the unlimited uses of technology if they are willing to develop their own skills. It takes skill to incorporate technology into a meaningful learning experience. When critiquing my journal article for this week which studied the use of laptops and its effect on flexibility and effectiveness, the researchers noted just supplying the technology did not necessarily translate into effective studying and learning. It once again emphasized the importance of combining technology with an effective curriculum.

Educational technology affords the institution, its faculty, staff, and students with the opportunity to connect and learn from people around the world.  The videos from the course blog shows that most institutions have not scratched the surface when it comes to incorporating effective and meaningful educational technology. Institutions must evaluate how it will incorporate more effective, affordable training and usage of technology,  in order to attract and retain students. 





Reflections Continued Blog #1

This week has been a learning experience. This was the first blog I created and it took me a while to get familiar with the terminology and meanings. I still have a tremendous amount to learn! The joy of taking a course such as this is it opens one up to another form of learning and if done well melds learning and creativity. This exercise has already allowed me to learn from my colleagues just by viewing some of their blog setups. In reflecting on the question for future technology projects for the class, I think I would have a more constructive answer as I learn more.

I can see this sort of tool (a blog) being used as part of my current job as a way of improving understanding of new policies and process. Pushing out new policies are mundane and most people do not want to read them. A blog could be used for clarification, education, and free exchange of question and answers. 

In reflecting on Stephen Downes' article I can say that educational institutions have not used blogging to its fullest potential. Case in point, this was my first blog! I am in the third year of the doctoral program for Supervision, Curriculum, and Instruction. If the majority of the educators incorporating this medium for learning are those in the educational technology field others have not examined the benefits of it's uses. It might be of benefit to have all educators formulate their own educational technology philosophy. I think one of the major obstacles is the "all or nothing" mindset. Educational technology for everything or no use at all. Edcucational technology just as lecture, individual, or group work is beneficial and allows those with different learning styles another avenue for success in the classroom. It is another way to create knowledge and produce active learners. I believe a lot of it is lack of knowledge and how to implement plans that informate and not just automate.

I must say that Alan November's article, Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning, was one of my Aha! moments. I actually wrote the phrase, "Aha article" on the front after I read it. I have definitely been an automator in the past, however, after reading this article and taking this course, I will be more cognizant and make an effort to be an informator in the future. One of the major issues November discusses in his article, which struck a cord with me, is the potential for technology to continue to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. This lack of connection for a large portion of our population is one of the reasons I want to work in Student Affairs in the future. As mentioned in my edcuational technology philosophy it is about connecting students to tools available to them in navigating the higher education environment. I can see the knowledge I gain in this class assisting in those efforts.

I am taking this class as an elective, however, I chose it because I believe it is vital to engaging and creating knowledge for learners and empowering them to be part of the process. My expectations for this class are that I too will be empowered to create knowledge for myself and learn more about the endless possibilities of educational technology.

Reflective Blog Posting #1

Educational Technology Philosophy

In developing my educational technology philosophy, it cannot be defined without reflecting on the impact and role of my family and the emphasis of education in life’s journey to date. My mother’s mantra was that we should always be able to take care of ourselves. We were expected to make good grades and finish high school. I took her advice seriously and learned from the struggles of my family, the limitations of comfort, and the power of fear - the fear of being stretched, challenged, and limited by one’s own expectations and those of others; the limitations of a high school education. My experiences as an African American female student, lack of resources, lack of knowledge and connections to resources actually available to me made my pursuit of higher education difficult but not insurmountable. These experiences and observations helped shape my love of education and my quest to help other learners navigate the land of higher education and connect them to the power of learning.

The foundation of effective teaching and learning is the educator’s rational and purpose for what is how teaching and learning takes place. There must be a constant examination of pivotal questions, “What do I want the student or individual to learn?”, “What will it look like?”, and “Is actual learning taking place?” Because of the diversity of the individuals in the learning environment, from the former traditional older students to the new generation of students born into the world of technology, the effective educator creates a productive learning environment that engages, empowers, and challenges the learner. This requires the educator to be a creator, seeker, and active participant in his or her own learning and skill development. Educators who seek to research and personally develop their own skills, particularly in technology are able to develop courses in which learners are provided with opportunities to be discoverers, creators of knowledge, and active participants rather than passive recipients. Effective and meaningful educational technological methods can be used to explore these opportunities uses by the learner, which extends beyond texting and social networking. One of the major advantages educational technology offers is the ability to allow the learner to learn from those in the classroom and around the world. The value of this type of education and its boundaries are unlimited, yet still demands the educator to teach the learner employ critical thinking, and analysis of information to discern fact from fiction.

A major strategy I believe often overlooked by educators is obtaining knowledge about what resources the learner has at his or her disposal and in return connecting learners to avenues and resources available to assist them in the learning environment. Technology is a major conduit to communicate, facilitate, and create knowledge. It is also a major component in connecting those without the means to opportunities and possibilities for success in education. It will play a significant role in my goal of linking students to the resources, expectations, assimilation, and navigation in the college environment.

A major concern as described by Alan November’s article, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning, is the potential of technology to become the channel that widens the chasm between the rich and the poor. A very false assumption which I believe has unconsciously seeped into the minds of the majority of educators and society as a whole, is the belief that every learner has unlimited access to the internet! According to a U.S. Census, report by Eric C. Newberger (2001), Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000, computer and internet access varies by family income, age, and race. As sited in the report for adults (18 years and older) 87% of households with incomes of $75,000 or more, have home computer access compared to 28% for households with incomes of $25,000 or less. The disparities extend to race. Sixty percent of White non-Hispanic and 66% of Asian and Pacific Islander households had home computers, with 42% and 43.7% having internet access. Thirty-seven percent of Black households and 35% of Hispanic households had home computers, with 20% and 17% respectively also having access to the internet. To quote Alan November, “If we do not invest and move technologies and capacities to the home, ….schools will actually be contributing to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.” November suggests creating “information communication community network plans.” These plans link resources in one learning network. One of my goals and strategies as an educator will be to help make these connections.

Education can be the great equalizer and whether pursued formally, for personal growth, or as a job requirement its benefits can extend beyond the classroom and beyond just monetary gains. The purpose of education is to provide a foundation and environment that encourages lifelong learning for the student, educator, and those whose lives they touch. Having a sound educational technology philosophy and an understanding of its importance in learning can no longer be denied and should be embraced.