Wow! Moving and trying to finish up this project has been a “bear”. I am worried that My Clear Internet will not work when I move. This is disturbing because I know that it will be hard for me to continue online classes if I do not. I am so happy that we are moving from Fort Worth to Northlake. My commute will be cut down by 20 min. As far as the project is going… my team has been great. We have really been working together better now that the scope of the project has been nailed down more. We have been meeting almost every week for this project online via Skypeor Go To Meetings, so it has become a little more timely that I thought. However, the experience of it all has been invaluable. Plus, I think that the designers at my job will really like once they all get to test our implementation!
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lakitagodbolt
LMS systems are both complex and diverse. In my mind, what separates the good LMS systems from the best ones are flexibility and error recovery. By this I mean that, they are optimized for all browsers and software programs and give appropriate feedback when the user makes an error. For me, the system that meets this standard is Moodle. The main reason why I say this is with WebCT Vista/Blackboard, the system is rather stagnant than robust. With Moodle, the student and professor can have an avatar and see real time information about each member of the class in terms of how long they have been logged into the system. As far as I know, in WebCT Vista/Blackboard this is not possible and discussion post are unable to be edited However, Moodle allows you to edit discussion posts. From an “ease of use” standpoint on the course building level, WebCT/Blackboard is more intuitive from the instructor’s standpoint. The build, teach, and student views work together very well and are easily distinguishable from one another; whereas in Blackboard it is jut one interface with different views for windows. (More …)
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lakitagodbolt
The “distance” in online learning can be redeemed. However, I think that it requires work on both the part of the learner and the educator. Earlier in the semester, the Mason video argued that ultimately it is the learners to decide how we allocate our “time”. However, I think that that approach to online learning and education is only part of the puzzle. Take for instance, the fact in online learning, you can go the whole semester without ever talking to your actual classmates or instructor outside of discussion boards if they are used. With this being the case, the student/learner may feel left out and the only motivation to “participate” in class revolves around meeting the pre-imposed “standards” determined by the syllabus or course requirements. Also, with online courses the definition of “time” is one that should be flexible. I believe that most online students take distance education due to its flexibility from a time standpoint. However, some weeks the students may have more time than other weeks, as there is no predetermined time as to when they should “be present” in class. What this means in the long run is that students can and will be able to decide how to approach or structure their learning. Accordingly, I don’t agree that every student will be able to be enough time oriented to handle a “flexible” approach to his or her time. However, I do believe that this approach will allow students/learners to not be slaves to their learning. Prior to getting married and having kids, the amount of time that I spent online doing school work was almost endless. It did not bother me though, because I had no other obligations or professional reasons not to devote my time to studies. However, as time has progressed, I have found that with more outside responsibilities; it has become increasingly to reconcile that “distance”. I probably am biased because I have a needy newborn that does not care about my deadline or obligations; he just wants to held. However, I have been in grad school full-time since 2007 and never before has the “distance” factor been as much of a problem until the addition of my second child. I know that children not the only factor when it comes to “distance”, but the reconciling the “distance” can be hard with any number of external factors.
Perhaps, the true answer is to provide outside support groups or communities for online students on a grass roots level. With this, the student would be able to reconcile what they miss in terms of interaction from distance learning. From a parents perspective, students/learners could have weekly parents night out and meet to discuss the course in person and have a certified babysitter for parents with younger children. All of this could in turn be videoed for the teacher to use an RLO for current and future classes. The same kind of concept could be applied to single students, married students, etc…with the point being to encourage actual interaction and support for online learning. If this were implemented, I think both universities and communities would be both stronger and more united. Also, students/learners will get to share some of who they are through their educational experiences, which will really provide a more personalized, individualistic learning experience.
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lakitagodbolt
I think that RLOs and virtual teams go hand in hand in hand. Personally, I do not prefer group work in online classes unless each person has a specific duty or task. I do think that collaboration is easier online though. Online, no one has to deal with the “personalities” of their respective peers. Although in certain cases, I still believe that there is some need for face-to-face interaction.
Accordingly for RLOs to work in virtual teams, I think that all the learners have to have to the same objectives and goals in mind and be open minded. Personally, I like RLOs that incorporate an exploratory activity, especially when it comes to virtual teams. I think that having the same “out of the box” experience makes the learning process easier. I am not an educator, but I believe that RLOs should be simplistic, fun and easy to follow. For most of the RLOs that I incorporated in my assignment, I tried to view them as the learning always having the “so what” experience in every lesson. In my opinion if the learner cannot glean anything from information they have received or encountered then what was the point in the first place.
So, an RLO for a virtual team could be having the learners/students find sites which represent a particular subject area. Then, using that information to compile a Bucket List or Best of List for that piece of subject matter or content. In turn those lists could then be updated regularly for each class/group after they are compiled into one longer list and categorized. This RLO is similar to the concept of a WIKI. However, the student/learner has more control over the finalized output. Also, because I think that RLOs should evolve over time rather than remain stagnant; I think that this RLO concept is something that will remain relevant regardless of the subject matter used.
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lakitagodbolt
Really, I have gone all “over the board” regarding my ideas for my final research paper. At first, I wanted to compare and contrast learning theories and prove how they have become more dynamic and responsive to keep in pace with current technology. Then, I wanted to go into accommodating users with disabilities and how that influences online learning and education. On our class discussion board, I discussed this topic and received many compliments about my assessment of this facet in regards to online education and learning. To date, I think that my approach to this paper will be amalgamation of both of these ideas and be focused on accommodating the total leaner and the need for a more standardized approach to developing e-learning content. Too often, I think that e-learning is merely viewed as an extension of an brick-and mortar education. However, it truly is its own platform/hybrid and should be treated as such. Also, I think that e-learning that fails to incorporate Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies is actually failing the learner because it does not incorporate the semantic web.
Question to Ponder: Is there a “true” difference regarding undergrad and graduate students as far as education and e-learning go? What is the “ideal” environment for the learner both from a maturity standpoint and cognitive standpoint? Do outside/external factors inhibit or aid online learning for the better or worse?
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lakitagodbolt
Having pondered online and in textbook readings, I have found that there is not a standardized definition as to what RLOs actually are. However, they are basically content or modules of information that can be repurposed across different learning platforms. The cool thing about them is that they can take almost any form. I saw a really cool one when I visited the Merlot site that book suggested. The site was very informative. The site that I viewed showed gave a series of slave narratives and turned them into a game to let the user/viewer feel as if they were actually living during the slavery times. What was cool about it was that the slave narratives also included questions to let user/viewer decide the fate of their historical figure. So basically, using a simple series of question, short narratives, and flash navigation one lesson became a thrilling Game experience. I have never actually created RLOs outside of this class. However, I can in see how they relate to online education and the learning. Personally, I am in favor of RLOs being used more in online education; I just kind of wish that there was a more standardized format for developing them. Also, I from my experience, web quests are in themselves RLOs catered specifically for the online domain. However, webquests have not been universally accepted either. For more information about webquests, visit webquests.org.
Side note: It would be cool to explore developing an RLO specifically for Virtual Worlds and Games. With gaming being on the forefront of technology as it is, I think that the educational applications are limitless.
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lakitagodbolt
I really don’t have many favorite online apps given my time constraints as a mother of a two-year old and newborn. However, if I had full access to online apps, then I would probably use Apps that would intuitively make my daily routine easier. I would definitely use Facebook or Twitter. I would also love to have an App for shopping lists. Currently, my husband and I are trying to ban fast food so that would be helpful. Otherwise, there are a lot of cool apps out there. As a former journalist and current editor, I would use the Associated Press to find out current local and world News. Personally, I would love to design my own App if I had the chance and could learn the programming aspects to it. It would be similar to 4 square. However, it would make each personal interaction the only thing that you get “points” or “awards” for. By personal, I mean actual face-to-face or phone interactions, not online. When online, you tend to get a person’s façade rather than their true original self. Currently, I would say that I don’t talk on the phone to any of my friends regularly. I may get a text message, but almost everyone that I know outside of my husband seems to find phone calls too intrusive or annoying. I love social networking just as much as the next person. However, I am still sad to see the demise of face-to-face interaction. If there was an App for that I would be all in. The digital domain cannot substitute true life. Also, I think that Apps that “build” virtual communities are those that work the best from an educational perspective. But, I digress…Here’s to online Apps and the reemergence of actual human interaction!
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lakitagodbolt
Week 5: Social Presence
I agree with Fahy that interaction should be adjusted according to each learners individual needs. Fahy suggests that this be done via the media used and the instructor’s presence and familiarity with technology. Fahy champions against “lone learning. In my opinion, I agree that each course should be tailored to meet the needs of the individual learner. Personally, I have never had a course where this facet has been implemented fully, but would love to have one. The closest online experience to this that I have had was with Moodle in the Intro to Internet course for the CECS program. In the course, the teacher allowed us to individual activities and responded and gave individual feedback to on respective discussion. To me, the instructor role goes beyond giving feedback to individual students regularly, but I do think that that is a good starting place. Accordingly, I also believe that media can be used as well as Fahy suggests. I think that the only way to truly make online learning live up to the social presence is to implement social media into all aspects of online learning. For me, this means that as learners we should take all the “good things” from social networking and implement that into “interaction” in e-learning to accomplish this goal. This facet can be accomplished by considering the following key areas: What makes social networking so addictive and fun? How do students actually interact socially outside of e-learning and LMS systems and how can that experience be harnessed to make e-learning more enjoyable? The “true” answers to these questions are probably a long way off. However, I do know that I have friends that spend hours and hours on Facebook, but avoid taking online classes like the plague. Personally, I disagree with this attitude. But, I do think that overall e-learning can become boring and stagnant without the right types of “social interaction. It should be more than just discussion boards and e-mails; it should embrace the full spectrum that is Web 2.0 and 3.0. If we really think about it, current e-learning theory does not embrace this aspect. For instance, why are so many LMS systems slow to embrace the “App” culture and the smart phone revolution. It would make it easier to be more involved or interactive in e-learning if that was the case. Posting an online video on YouTube, Tweeting about your day, or manipulating your avatar in SecondLife is a lot more fun than merely blogging about your education experience or posting about it an stagnant discussion board forum. In short, that is the point where e-learning crosses the line from just merely formative to actually cognitively intuitive.As far as technology being a channel through which modes (audio, video, text) pass through, I truly agree with this concept to a certain extent. In today Web 3.0 or semantic web world, all the “modes” of interaction online are combined together more seamless than before. For instance, if one looks simply at CNN or any other news outlet website, information is no longer stagnant but an amalgamation of all the modes. For instance, when the Haiti earthquakes happened, I was able to “experience” the disaster without having TV and solely relying on the Internet for my news. I remember that the CNN site had an interactive map/timeline with statistics and a day-by-day breakdown, videos with audio, photographs, text-based articles, and real-time RSS feeds. Just think of how much more of a “complete-picture” that we would get if education was like this!
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The 24/7 student
To be a 24/7 student means that you are constantly learning from the online world. Overall, I think that the “ideal” is to have 24/7 access to learning and education materials. However, I think that even with the advent of the web that the 24/7 student is still a long way off. Accordingly, my life as a 24/7 student is hardly on target to reaching the “ideal”, although at this point in my life ii has become even harder to reach because of my newborn son and toddler. However, even with a home computer and a netbook, I still find it hard to be even remotely close to the ideal of a 24/7 student. For instance, when I was in undergrad and stayed on campus all four years, I was truly able to be an online student and that was even without using the internet that much because I was immersed in an educational setting (and my only outside activity was school). Here’s my typical day:
- Wake up at 6:45 am
- Prepare lunch for work , get dressed, shower, feed Benjamin (4-month-old son)
- Put shoes and clothes on the children (either me or my husband)
- Leave the house by 7:45 am
- Strap children properly in car seat and drive to work
- Arrive at work by 8:30 am
- Work all day (8:30 am to 5:00 pm with 30 min. lunch)
- Leave work by 5:00 pm and commute with family to husband’s job
- Drop husband off at work by 5:30 pm
- Leave husband’s job by 5:35 pm
- Drive home with kids and arrive home around 6:30 pm
- Feed and bathe kids from 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm
- Get online to check online classes and e-mail 7:45 pm to 8:30 pm
- Feed Baby and entertain kids by 9:30 pm
- Put kids to bed by 10:30 pm
- Go to sleep by 11:00 pm
- Awake by 1:00 am
- Get kids ready and leave to go pick up husband from work by 1:20 am
- Arrive at husband’s job with kids in tow by 2:00 am
- Ride home with husband and kids
- Arrive home by 3:00 am
- Try to finish household chores
- Lay down until 4:30 am
- Awake to feed my baby at 4:30 am
- Sleep from 4:30 am to 6: 45 am
However, from experience, I know that your surroundings do not dictate your actions, but rather your response to the stimuli around you. By this I mean, that as human beings we all strive for “connectivity”. In turn, “connectivity” is the “relationship” that we build with each other. This facet of life is even further extended to the web through social networking, connectivism and cognitive learning strategies.
As with any form of communication whether asynchronous or synchronous, at some time it just has to be put in “down time” mode to allow for real interpersonal communication and rest. This facet alone makes it hard to argue that any person can actually be 24/7 in any shape, fashion or form. Personally, I enjoy the flexibility that online education provides. Although, as I said earlier, the 24/7 student is more of an “ideal” than the norm. As Ally mentioned in the textbook chapter, today’s world is one in which we have “open-access to education, which is why they decided to make the book “open access”. “Open access” education is great because it allows people to access to thousands, if not millions of materials that they may have not had access to before the advent of the web. Thus, the web is a boon to the “ideal” of the 24/7 student.
Lastly, I believe that we will reach the 24/7 student “ideal”, just not as of yet. In order for the 24/7 student to exist, we must see a true convergence or amalgamation of all platforms via singular device. To date, this trend in technology has not happened yet, although we are on the frontier of that with the emergence of more 4g networks, electronic devices and smart phones. To me, it is kind of akin to the fact that once technology is introduced there is always a hunger for more of the “latest and greatest.” However, no one ever discusses the day with the technology infrastructure will have to catch up with the rate of innovation. True, innovation is the key to life as both as a student and as a global citizen and the 24/7 student or professional is the future of it all!
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lakitagodbolt
Hello Class:
I had problems uploading my finalized PPT to the class assignment page due to weather and the slowness of my ISP provider. But, here is the finalized Powerpoint from Week 2. I hope you enjoy. I worked hard on it. I will finalize my Submission in WebCT in the morning when the system maintenence is over. https://childjones.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/godboltonlineed.pptNote: Please view this Powerpoint with the speaker notes turned on! I believe that too much textual content makes Powerpoints boring. So, I have included what I would say during the presentation in the speaker’s notes. They would also serve as notes for the attendees as well.
Here is my complete list of references as well:
Ally, M. (2004). Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning. In Anderson, T. and Elloumi, F. (eds.) Theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved June 10, 2010 from
cde.athabascau.caAnderson, T. & Elloumi, F. (2004). Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Creative Commons.
Taylor, James C. (2001) Fifth generation distance education. e-Journal of Instructional Science and Technology (e-JIST), 4 (1). pp. 1-14.
Summer 2010: Life and Graduate School 