#RRUMALAT – Marshall's Blog

Theoretical Frameworks: Constructivist Learning Theory FTW

For the theory that underpins my research, I am leaning toward constructivist learning theory, but have also considered transformational leadership theory. So for context here is my research question framework thus far:

How might digital learning pedagogy drive curricular change in a way that aligns with student centred learning?
1. What factors might be taken into consideration when gauging the impact of digital pedagogy?
2. In what ways might teachers be engaged to support digital learning pedagogy?
3. What strategies might be used to allow digital pedagogy to evolve to respond to future shifts?

For the actual pedagogical aspects of how learning will change with a modernised curriculum that focuses on digital and student centred learning, constructivist learning theory seems to make sense. However, the actual achieving change within a curriculum in any direction, may suggest framing the research with transformational leadership theory.

I am definitely more comfortable with my constructivist learning theory knowledge, which involves students making meaning from the materials they are presented, and driving their learning as the focus of this learning. My knowledge of the transformational leadership theory consists mostly of cursary knowledge based on some initial article skimming. Having not focussed on this theory at all in my professional or academic life, it would be the steeper learning curve, but I am not daunted by this if it is the proper choice. My understanding of this theory is that it is focuses on a leader trying to identify stakeholder needs in managing change, and then motivate his/her team to achieve certain goals. The theory, I think, is built around the motivational tactics that are necessary to achieve these goals.

Given that bringing digital and student centred learning into a changing curriculum this theory would seem to be apt for my cause, but given my current sub-questions focussing more on the pedagogy behind the curricular change might be the right choice. But, I would sure love some more enlightened opinions!!!

Disseminating My Research: Toward the Final Step

The more I think, the more I am coming to terms with what I want to research, but I am still not completely convinced, here is a recap of where I think I might head:

How can digital learning pedagogy drive curricular change in a meaningful way? More specifically, how can educators employ student centred learning strategies using technology as the driving force, while ensuring that actual learning takes place considering the immaturity of secondary students, when compared to adult learners. What sort of shift does there need to be in teaching practice and training for this to effectively occur? Finally, how can we devise a method that accounts for future change and technological advances.

My aim in taking this program was to see what educational opportunities lay within the field of education, but exisited outside of the classroom. Since I have dedicated my teaching career to upskilling in all things e-learning, I also hope to pursue something related to this aspect of the field of education once I am finished. Living and working in Colombia for the time being, most of my friends are either other teachers, or digital nomads and the lifestyle of this latter group interests me. So, I am now beginning to sew the seeds that will hopefully begin my transition out of the classroom, this is of course if my home brewing business does not take off in the meantime!

I have begun looking into digital and social media marketing and branding to learn about how I will sell my skills in my post masters/post classroom life. I am trying to start more of a digital presence, and network as much as I can. I hope to publish what I create, at the very least on my own website, and perhaps, (depending on the tack I take) design a professional development program around what I end up researching that I can then offer to various educational institutions. My hope also, is that international borders, will not be much of an issue. I would love to be published in a reputable journal, but if I am honest with myself at this stage in my life, I am exhausted and not feeling super confident about writing something worthy of such acclaim, but it is early days in the research process, I guess we will see. Another question here is, how does one get himself published?

Compounding all of this is the fact that I still don’t really know enough about how to market myself professionally, or how to design something that people will want to employ. I am hoping that by leaning on my network in the coming months, and asking lots of questions to people who hopefully have some answers for me, the picture will come into focus.

AR and VR: New Horizons

The learner reflects on their learning within the categories of “Here’s What” “So What” and “Then What” to complete their post.
1. Here’s What – show understandings constructed about VR and/or AR Before taking this course I really knew nothing about augmented reality (AR). I had heard of it, but was not clear what it was or how it was useful in a learning setting. I came to realise that I did in fact know what AR was, but did not realise that this is what it was called. In fields beyond my expertise AR is helping to diagnose problems more quickly by providing real-time data on everything from mechanical engine repaire to ciruculatory problems. Google Maps, and various travel apps help make naviagating city streets, and in the case of the London Gatwick Airport app, it allows passengers to quickly and effieciently navigate what is likely a confusing space for people already under a great deal of stress. My week focussed more on AR than it did virtual reality (VR), but with virtual reality my previous experience using Google Streetview combined with the carboard app and a set of google cardboard glasses made me previously aware of the immersive and engaging potential of VR to make learning exciting for my students by taking them through museum and city tours.
2. So What – provide an interpretation or new meaning to the new knowledge. I think the potential for both of these technologies is going to grow exponetially over the next few years. As this the type of technology whihc supports these types of applications becomes more streamlined, lags less, and become increasingly realistic the immersiveness will transport us into a fourth dimention. Google Glass, and other wearable technology is already here, and in the not too distant future I think you will be able to walk down a street and have all kind of interactive inforkation bombarding you. TO me it is both a scary and exciting proposition.
3. Now What – share a prediction, implication, or a question for VR/AR in the learner’s educational context. How invasive will this technology be, to what extent will privacy be an issue? These concerns notwithstanding, the ability to watch a real-lkfe event in the comfort of your living room and feel like you are actually there is an educational experience with limitness potential. And, and more real time events are recorded in full VR capacity the people of the future will be able to go back in time and experience events as if they were there. This may be the closest we ever come to time travel.

The Key to Facilitating in an Online Learning Environment

Please Click the image above to see the infographic in a higher resolution. (My attempts to embed HTML did not work 🙁 )

The most important tip for effective online facilitation is to create a sense of community. Online learning environments (OLEs) can be isolating. An effective online community can combat this issue and lead to enriching educational experiences. According to Boetcher (2013), community building should be equal parts social, teaching and cognitive/content presence. Creating small peer feedback groups, and having learners complete introductory identity activities can help to build this community, which can then serve as a support system once the course begins. In addition, the peer to peer and learner to facilitator relationships advocated by Boetcher help to build community, but also engagement. This also helps to promote facilitator presence.

Continue reading The Key to Facilitating in an Online Learning Environment

Prototype Reflection (U3 Activity 2)

What was the most surprising thing that you learned by participating in the design thinking process and designing and developing your digital learning resource?
Nothing really surprised me during the process I wouldn’t say, but I guess I didn’t really expect the responses I got, not anticipate embarking on the direction I ended up taking my design during the empathy phase. I thought i had a pretty good handle on what my colleagues would need, and what they were up against, but the degrees of technological and pedagogical aptitude varied quite dramatically. As a result, I had to scaffold instruction for the various instructional objectives I hoped to achieve with my digital learning tool(DLT).
What suggestions and improvements did you receive? Did you get any feedback that you did not expect? What feedback needs further investigation?
The initial feedback from my instructor was helpful, but some suggestions were not tenable due to the medium chosen. Google Classroom is a rigid tool, thatoffers some flexibility, but very little customiseability. This was coupled by the fact that Google Classroom itslef underwent a major design overhaul the weekend after I submitted my final tool. This meant many of the features and instructional modules were not where I had set them initially, and may not have even been found by the instructor, nor by my fellow cohorts evaluating my resource.
Feedback from my colleagues cited my inclusion of useful resources, but without providing practical applications, they noted that the bias from the application provider they would be exposed to would be significant. I agree with this assessment, and had previously planned to address this issue with hands on activity suggestions, but in the time allotted for the whole activity, I did not have time to put this all together. It is good to see at least that my evantual intent was at least on the same page as my evaluator.
Further feedback indicated that my modular instructions were at times too broad, and needed more focus. While I was aware of this in part during the design, my evaluator did orovide me with soem useful suggestions that I could apply to future iterations of this tool that would make it more user friendly, and objective focussed.
What are the next steps you would like to take to build upon your digital learning resource?
I would like to continue to add and develop resources and modules to it to make it a more functional DLT with a broader reach. Because I am in a position to continue to do so in my day to day practice, I expect that I will be able to do so.
Building on the feedback from my evaluator, I plan to only put forth more clear and complete elements of this tool, to provide it as a more practical and user ready resource, that focuses learning a bit better.

Tool Choices for my Digital Learning Tool – Activity 2

My digital learning tool needs to be flexible as it will be utilised by edicators of various levels of ability and tech-savvyness – if that is even a word? Because I am in an educational setting, I will utlise Google Classroom to manage a variety of digital learnng resources, including both pedagogical and practical learning aids.

As far as a framework goes, I feel that the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework is ideal because it is all encompassing. I need a tool that will not just highlight technological tools, but also help instil the pedagogical knowledge that is required for implementing technology, and not just means to figure out the various digital tools available. My users need to know how this technology is going to impact their practice, and how they can best maintain their effectiveness as digital educators.

“Teachers need to master more than the subject matter they teach; they must also have a deep understanding of the manner in which the subject matter (or the kinds of representations that can be constructed) can be changed by the
application of particular technologies” (2013).

I felt that the substitution, augmentation, modification and replacement (SAMR) framework was too specific to focussing on the using digital technology for the sake of using digital technology, or was too focussed on replacing “old school” technologies rather than charting a course that looked at how digital technology could be used alongside existing technology, and how it could grow and change with the existing educational platforms and mediums that have been around for centuries. TPACK I also felt would help my users better make the tranistion to digital teaching because it does embed pedagogy in the process rather that just showing off a bunch of flashy new digital tools that can be used for learning.

Koehler M. J., Mishra P., & Cain, W. (2013). What Is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)? Journal Of Education, 193(3), 13-19.

Creating Empathy in Design

For my digital learning tool, I plan to create some sort of library of resources to help my colleagues to navigate a shift toward teaching in a BYOD environment, and to also help our students navigate the same transition.

I understand the concept of empathy better when it comes to my colleagues, since I too will be making this transition along with them. According to Kouprie and Visser (2009) having an emotional/affective response to my colleagues’ emotional state, and being able to reflect on that by assuming a similar cognitive perspective seem to be the core mechanism of empathy. Since I am experiencing the exact same thing as my colleagues, empathising with them is more straight forward since I can inform my design based on my own experiences.

Where I think I will struggle more is with empathising with our students. Teeneagers today have grown up with technology, and I know that in Canada for the most part, technology is a large part of formal classroom based education. Students, in general, know how to use Google Apps for Education, Microsoft Office, and are familiar with many web 2.0 tools like Prezi and Mind Meister. In Colombia, this is not necessarily true. While most of these students have been exposed to all of these tools, very few have been shown how to use them, or had any significant amount of time spent using them as an educational tool in a classroom setting. Shifting to a device and student centred learning platform for them will be a big leap, and I am not sure how best to prepare them for it.

I plan to make a series of short video tutorials about how to use applications efficiently in a school setting, but I am not sure how best to address the training to help them to think differently, and for themselves: somethng they are not currently doing with any degree of success.

Part of the issue, I realise, is the ESL barrier. My students are at varying levels of English proficiency. They all speak it well, but I am never sure how much of what I say actually gets absorbed. For the most part I feel like Charlie Brown’s teacher “waw waw, waw waw waw wah.”

I know this because after I am done my increasingly brief instructions and ask “are there any questions?” (there never are) there is a calamity of Spanish discussions as the more able students regurgitate what I have just said in Spanish to the less capable students. I know that there is some empathetic insight to be gained here. I understand that language is part of the barrier to general understanding, and I can empathise with this on a personal level, because even though I have been here a year, my Spanish is pretty shoddy. So I can relate to what it means to not understand.

However, I could really use some proactive insight to move me forward regarding pratical ideas for designing solutions that are rooted in empathy. How do I enable my students to gain independence and confidence in their navigation of digital learning resources? Video tutorials are a start, but how do I ensure comprehension of text based digital resources without standing there and spoon-feeding them? This is ultimately my empathetic design challenge, and any advice or insight would be greatly welcomed and appreciated!

References

Kouprie, M., & Visser, F. S. (2009). A framework for empathy in design: Stepping into and out of the user’s life. Journal of Engineering Design, 20(5), 437-448.

Advances in UDL Knowledge and Application

In my last blog post I noted that I wanted to focus on getting up to speed on what universal design for learning (UDL) was. More specifically I stated: “I wanted to look at research into UDL that was not specifically tied to MOOCs or apps. Essentially I wanted to know what the research about UDL had to say about learning in general” (Hartlen, 2018). In my experience as a secondary educator, UDL was not explicity mandated by any school I worked at, but through differentiated instruction (DI), and assessment for learning (AFL) practices it was indirectly applied as best practice teaching, unbeknownst to me.

Now that I have delved a little deeper into UDL, and have a firmer grasp of the seven principles, my plan now is to evaluate these various principles further as I continue the investigation started in my team Awesome Sauce’s inquiry into various edX courses delivered through an app.

In addition to the seven principles of UDL outlines by King-Sears (2009), in my last blog I referenced three core components that drive UDL:

Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge
Multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn (Edyburn, 2005).

Having now explored edX101: Overview of Creating an edX Course as part of team Awesome Sauce’s critical inquiry for this course, I hope to apply my new understandings of UDL to more content driven courses aimed at the general public, rather than a course directed at prospective instructors to see if UDL is embedded into course design. I noted that although universal accessibility is addressed in the accessible content section of the course (edX101, 2018a), the website accessiblity policy does not specifically reference any UDL principles (edX101, 2018b) so it will be interesting to see how UDL is addressed in other courses offered by edX, and how strictly this policy in general is enforced.

From a secondary education standpoint, I can see the value in UDL, and it where educators generally have a great degree of flexibility in determining assessment strategies, which often include a variety of options to demonstrate learning for learners, I have a difficult time envisioning how this works in a MOOC where there are potentially thousands of learners.

I am left wondering, is UDL a viable framework for delivering a MOOC through an app, or even just in delivering a MOOC? To what extent do UDL principles potentially impact the value of course content? And finally, do these principles impede delivery by making it more difficult to administer?

References

edX (Producer). (2018a). edX101: Overview of Creating an edX Course. [MOOC]. Retrieved from https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:edX+edX101+1T2018/course/

edX (Producer). (2018b). Website Accessibility. edX101: Overview of Creating an edX Course. [MOOC]. Retrieved from https://www.edx.org/accessibility

Edyburn, D. (2005). Universal Design for Learning. Special Education Technology Practice, 7(5), 16-22. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download doi=10.1.1.552.9700&rep=rep1&type=pdf

King-Sears, M. (2009). Universal design for learning: Technology and pedagogy. Learning Disability Quarterly, 32(4), 199-201. DOI : 10.2307/27740372

Exploring UDL in a MOOC delivered through an Educational APP

Our team, Awesome Sauce, is exploring educational Apps, and looking more specifically at edX, which is a MOOC that features an accompanying app for mobile learning. I have decided to look at universal design for learning (UDL) in particular, and will be logging my experience through this blog to help me gather thoughts and drive what will ultimately result in a critically reflective paper.

In my learning plan, I stated that I would be rooting my analysis in relevant literature, and to begin I wanted to look at research into UDL that was not specifically tied to MOOCs or apps. Essentially I wanted to know what the research about UDL had to say about learning in general. An important note about what UDL is not: it is not designed specifically for people with disabilities, rather it is a framework to make learning as universally accessible to the most number of users possible, and has its roots in similar concepts in architecture (Rose & Meyer, 2007). Edyburn (2005) notes that UDL is driven by three core components:

Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge
Multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn.

In the growth and adoption of UDL, digital technology is an essential element. Digital technology offers learners choice as far as representation goes. I am curious to know the extent to which UDL is an applicable framework for a platform like a MOOC offered through an educational app.

Before I can do this, I need to have a firmer grasp on what UDL is in a broader sense, and if I can find literature that addresses UDL and mobile learning platforms, I hope to be better able to critique the offerings of the MOOCs offered through the edX app.

References

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2007, October). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(5), 521-525. doi:https://doi-org.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/10.1007/s11423-007-9056-3

UDL and the MOOC Platform: Does it Exist?

21^st century learning pedagogy is being re-evaluated in all avenues as we are consistently bombarded with new educational applications and digital resources. The effect of digital learning technology on children growing up in the digital age is having an unclear impact on their learning (Gordon, 2000). As online learning becomes more prevalent, an evaluation of how this learning is designed and delivered is important to make sure quality learning is happening online in the same way that it has traditionally happened in brick and mortar classrooms. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have brought higher learning to the masses, restricted, in theory, only by access to a stable internet connection. With the rise of MOOCs comes many questions. Once viewed as a great education equalizer, new research now calls this into question, with MOOCs not reaching the audience that were once seen as a key advantage to the platform. With current demographics of these courses looking not too dissimilar to the typical university student (Hansen & Reich, 2015), their universal reach and equitability is called into question. Beyond this, my chief curiosity lies with the design of courses for maximum educational impact that addresses the diverse needs of modern learners through universal design for learning(UDL) approaches. Continue reading UDL and the MOOC Platform: Does it Exist?