Also consider following #EDCI339 in Twitter and add any resources, links or other tweets that expands upon the idea of what we are “calling” this type of learning happening in current Higher Education/ K-12 contexts. (Always click on “Latest”). Let’s start sharing resources and ideas to support our understanding of our past and current learning contexts.
As September winds down, the sun is starting to set earlier and earlier and the leaves start to fall (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) I have noticed I am already more tired than usual. While it is most likely the pandemic, and my inability to be “anxiety free”, think I am beginning to really feel the weight of trying to get through as if it were normal.
I am wondering if you are feeling the same way? Now that your courses have started and things are starting to make more sense, do you feel more overwhelmed that normal? Please send me an email to tell me how you are doing this week as an early course check-in – before the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend – as I am grateful and truly appreciative of your hard work and perseverance through these first weeks of the course.
I made a video and ppt this week to help guide you through the weekly readings. Please watch the video below and skim through the ppt for more information:
This is the link for the ppt for #EDCI Week 5 (I have included all links to the additional resources).
I included a brief summary of the main learning theories in my video this week for the the Bates (2014) blog post. I turned the Howell Major (2015) article into an pdf and wrote my notes there. I had to upload the google.doc into our Brightspaces content section – as it is copyright and I could only share a partial example due to copyright as it is hidden by a password. I also expand upon the ideas from the case studies in the video – and encourage you to consider the connection between the “History of 25 Years of EdTech” and the present “EdTech Learning Reality”.
The readings this week are the following: Please ensure you complete your blog post, then connect with your social pods! Also consider following #EDCI339 in Twitter and add any resources, links or other tweets that expands upon the idea of what we are “calling” this type of learning happening in current Higher Education contexts.
I am REALLY looking forward to your first -handed in- reflective blog posts. I will have them back to you by the end of this week.
Reflection post questions to consider for this week:
Focus: Connect the 25 Years of EdTech Reading from LAST week, and the webinar from this week to the reading that consider learning theory and asynchronous learning design.
Considering our current learning reality and context, what kinds of examples of online learning theory have you seen/ experienced as a result of the Covid 19 Crisis?
What kinds of new course design “philosophies” have you experienced, heard about or are curious about?
How has the Pandemic Pedagogical approaches (how we have been learning through the pandemic) been the same and/or different than what we experienced before in online learning?
What do you think will change in Higher Ed (or K-12) as a result of our Covid experiences – using EdTech history and online learning theory to frame your answer?
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns,
Helen is completing her PhD and will discuss her experiences and research in Humanizing Online Learning. You are welcome to skim though some of her writing in the HumanMOOC Pressbook:
I have had the pleasure to work with Helen at UBC with ETS as a Learning Designer. We are currently working on article about Assessment, Student Blogging, Student Voice and Choice.
Weekly Blog Activities:
This week we will be transitioning from the importance of Building Relationships and community in online learning environments into the History of Educational Technology (EdTech) and online learning.
The weekly reading includes a summary of the history of EdTech by Dr. Martin Weller. Dr. Weller will meet with us to discuss his reading on October 6, 2020.
Weller (2018) emphasizes the gap in recording and reflecting about the history of educational technology. He questions and considers why there is a gap and how there is a clear pattern of edtech researchers and practitioners citing “new” innovations in edtech, that have so often been around for awhile but in different contexts or with different names.
Weller selects a different educational technology, theory, or concept for each of the years from 1998 through 2018 . These choices are not based on when the topic was “invented”, but rather when it was significant. This is an important distinction because it may be one fo the reasons why so many “edtech” discoveries are considered new, when they are actually not new at all.
Blog Post and Social Pod Activity:
The topics in the article are listed below.
For your blog post this week, go through each topic, take notes and add in how the topics connect to “humanizing online learning” and add in any additional notes, links and examples from your supplementary readings.
Add your summary of your notes/chart to your blog. Consider making a video, infographic or other digital artifact to summarize these key topics and their influence on educational technology.
After you have competed your summary, write 2 questions that you would ask Dr. Weller in preparation for his webinar.
Also consider which of the topics interest you the most and if you would consider any of them for your final project.
Share your blog post with your summary with your social pod, then reply to your peer’s blog posts.
“Join Sir John Daniel for a review of open and distance learning (ODL)’s 2,000-year history, starting with St. Paul’s letters to modern day MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). In this 1-hour session, Sir
John draws on his 50 years of experience in open and distance learning to reveal four sets of basic concepts: two trios and two dyads.
The first trio (access, quality, cost) identifies the revolutionary impact technology can have on education.
The second trio (learning materials, student support, logistics) gives us the secret of quality ODL.
The two related dyads, (independence/interaction and synchronicity/asynchronicity) demonstrate that effective ODL requires a balance of pedagogy.
Understanding and applying these basic concepts help faculty, instructors and institutions integrate ODL into their courses and programs more effectively as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Last week you were getting organized finding your way through Brightspaces (UVic’s current Learning Management System) and meeting with your class in a synchronous Zoom session. You were also asked to Introduce yourself to the class, read two articles and completed an open book online quiz.
Some of you may have also joined our Slack channel (check our Social Spaces page for more details) or starting following/ contributing to our #EDCI339 Twitter Hashtag.
Social Pods
Your social pod is made of peers in this course who will support you throughout this course. Your social pod peers are expected to reply and give feedback to you about your blogposts and hopefully some support when you need it during the course. Please connect with your social pods in Brightspaces under the Pod Groups Group Discussion.
Blogs: Giving Feedback
Every week you will be writing a reflective blog post. Your blog is your space to reflect and demonstrate your understanding about the course key concepts, content and ideas. You will be handing in 4 updated blog posts throughout the course. The first blog post will be due this Sunday, Sept 27 in the Assignment #2 Dropbox in Brightspaces. The rubric for the blog posts is HERE
If you are wondering about the expectations of a reflection, here are some ideas:
Add your OWN annotations and collaborate with others. Consider replying to each other – through Annotations.
Questions to Consider for your Blog Post:
How can you connect the readings for Topic 1?
Please consider exploring how Humanizing Online Learning, building relationships and developing a social presence in online learning contexts supports learners in online courses.
What are your experiences with developing a social presence in your online courses? What kind of social presence activities do you prefer as a learner?
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns,
Thank you for coming to our Introductory zoom webinars on Sept 9 or 10.
This post focuses the “Start Up” activities that you will need to complete before starting the formal class activities next week from Sept 8- Sept 20, 2020
I have created a video with powerpoint to summarize the learning spaces (Brightspace and our #EDCI339 course blog), Week1/2 readings and activities. Please take the time to watch the video to help you get started in the course.
Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2 (In your Brightspaces under Module 1 content)
Copies of UVictoria Acceptable Use Policy & FOIP found in BrightSpaces under Content
Individual blog post #1: How can educators effectively build relationships by encouraging safe communication and interactions in online & open learning spaces? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?
Please use your course readings and personal experiences to answer this question (Post/ pod replies due by Sept 20)
This topic will consider how K-12 educators find and share resources and how we practice and model open educational practices. We will also examine the potential for open educational resources (OER) in K-12 Learning Contexts.
Pleasant reminder ** The #EDCI339 course twitter chat will be on
Thursday, July 23, 2020 7-8 PDT **
All #EDCI339 students are asked to participate.
I have created a google.doc that will help you prepare for the Twitter chat. Here is the link for the ALL ABOUT TWITTER google.doc
This blog post will:
Describe the Activities for Topic 3 (#EDCI339 Twitter Chat – Thursday, July 23)
Give you an overview of Assignment #3 Expectations (Video & Doc)
Summarize the key points from the Topic 3 readings
Provide multiple Additional Resources to consider for Assignment #3 (and in the future)
Assignment 3:
This is the video to describe Assignment 3 Expectations:
The emphasis of Kimmons (2015) groundbreaking article is on comparing and contrasting the credibility and reliability of open educational resources in comparison to other digital content. Dr. Kimmons has continued to challenge and question how we learn through participatory networked learning environments. Check out his blog post for more resources and ideas : http://roycekimmons.com/
Kimmons, R. (2015). OER quality and adaptation in K-12: Comparing teacher evaluations of copyright-restricted, open, and open/adapted textbooks. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 16(5), 39–57. Retrieved from: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2341
In this article, Roberts and Noble (2020) describe how we can “design for sharing” in K-12 school districts by creating content that can be accessed and shared by all educators regardless of digital platform or district policies.
Finally, in this article, Wiley and Hilton describe the connection between open educational resources (OER) and how by using and creating OER, educators participate in open practices. The article gives multiple examples of open pedagogy – using OER as a provocation. Earlier in the course, you read an article from Roberts et al (2018) that describes open learning as being driven by the learning process (theory and responsiveness to human-centered learning) rather being product focused. This article gives some good examples of how to design for renewable assignments (rather than disposable ones) and how educators create sustainable activities that go beyond one project/ activity.
Wiley, D. & Hilton, J. (2018). Defining OER-enabled Pedagogy. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 19(4).
With your consent, you have been sent an email with login information for WCLN (Western Canadian Learning Network). As a pre-service teacher in BC, you have full access to all the content and the courses on the site and you are able to remix it and use it in any classroom in any LMS. Please make sure you keep it password protected , as it is not for public use (It is not an OER).
This topic will consider Equity and Access in K-12 online/distributed and open learning environments. This blog post will:
Give you an overview of Assignment #2 Expectations
Summarize the key points from the Topic 3 readings
Describe the Activities for Topic 3
Provide multiple Additional Resources to consider for Assignment #2 (and in the future)
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Please follow the course hashtag in twitter #EDCI339 , as many resources and experts are sharing their experiences.
You will be handing in your Assignment 2 by Sunday, July 19 (11:59 pm PDT).
Please add the link of your completed project into the coursespaces dropbox for Assignment 2.
I encourage all of you to add your Assignment #2 as an open blogpost in your individual blogs. Not only will this ensure that you are sharing your learning with your peers, you will also be able to share your learning with others outside of this class (open learning). However – open learning is always a choice – and you are welcome to complete the assignment through a word doc or video as well.
Questions & Answers about Assignment #2
Q: Can we do both the text response AND the FlipGrid video?
A: You are welcome to do both responses – however, please remember that this course is shortened and my intention was not to overwhelm you. Grading will be focused on the RUBRIC – please ensure the rubric guides your decisions.
Q: In the chart – how detailed do we have to be?
A: The chart is designed to last BEYOND this course. The intention was that you would be able to use the chart as an example of evidence of your learning in this course BUT also as a digital resource for yourself as you transition into your teaching career. Some of you may also want to share the chart with others – so it is also important that it would be clear and detailed. As such, consider adding hyperlinks to as many details as possible, use note form and be detailed. You are not designing the chart for me (although I will be using the rubric to assess it). YOu are designing the chart for yourself to help you think about Equity and Access in DIGITAL learning spaces.
As I looked at some charts that were sent to me, one of the suggestions I have is to consider the possible experiences the persona may have had in past classes. They may have never had a teacher who has integrated technology in their F2F classroom. They may never have had access to mobile devices – thus they may not have developed formal digital literacy skills. They may have learned informally (eg. gaming/ social media/coding online) BUT they may not know how to communicate with others, consider empathy or digital citizenship.
This activity is completely open-ended and all of you could complete it in multiple ways. There is NO right answer. Being as detailed as possible and adding evidence to support your notes, is always the right direction to go in. Also remember to include this week’s readings….
Topic 3: Readings:
In reading #1, Basham, Blackorby, Stahl, & Zhang, L. (2018), summarize some examples of research which considered the UDL Framework. While there is NO expectation that you consider every example, please integrate ONE of the examples from the UDL research into your Assignment #2 project.
In reading #2, Kral,& Schwab (2012) describe design principles to consider when designing in any learning space. As you work on Assignment #2, consider how these design principles could be applied to your context and all Canadian contexts.
“Though we want to emphasize again that we don’t believe a single replicable model is possible—or desirable—we have identified what we believe are a series of design principles that can be of value in building or facilitating learning spaces (Kral & Schwab, 2015)
Design Principle 1: A space young people control
Design Principle 2: A space for hanging out and ‘mucking around’
Design Principle 3: A space where learners learn
Design Principle 4: A space to grow into new roles and responsibilities
Design Principle 5: A space to practice oral and written language
Design Principle 6: A space to express self and cultural identity through multimodal forms
Design Principle 7: A space to develop and engage in enterprise
Design Principle 8: A space to engage with the world”
Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012 Retrieved from: http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p197731/pdf/ch041.pdf
Finally, in reading #3, Selwyn (2020) amplifies the learning design needs for future K-12 digital learning contexts as a result of the covid remote access emergency learning. As you think about Selewyn’s observations, what can you integrate into your “pitch” to ensure that your persona will be supported in digital learning mediums?
● Individual post #3: How can you ensure equitable access to authentic, meaningful & relevant learning environments for all learners in K-12 open and distributed learning contexts? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?
Required Pod Activity:
● Complete Assignment #3 Digital Equity & Perspective Pod Project.
● REPLY to the Topic 3 posts of all the members in your pod.
School District 64 Gulf Islands, has created a webpage full of resources and videos to further our understanding of racism within our community and the world. One of the resources is an Indigenous Education Program, which both supports the success of Indigenous learners in the district, while promoting a deep awareness of Indigenous culture and history among all students. Other resources include mental health supports and information from the Black History Awareness Society.
Hello, EduTwitter – what are your favorite resources for formative assessent (especially around experiential or project based learning) for remote and hybrid learning?
This is the google.doc that was used to help take notes from the webinar discussion: Topic 2 Webinar LINK HERE It is a great resource when considering the similarities and differences between K-12 online and open learning.
Dr LaBonte and Dr. Barbour have amplified the potential for K-12 online and blended learning through their deviation and creation of CANeLearn (Canadian eLearning Network). For example, they were active contributors to clarifying concerns about mandated online learning in Ontario high schools before Covid. All three speakers are international contributors to the update of the National Standards for Quality Online K-12 Courses and all three have been internationally recognized for their passion and expertise in K-12 online learning.
Bates’ post begins with an overview of some of the things we have learned about online learning practices as a result of our Covid learning experiences. He then concludes with some suggestions to consider in K-12 contexts. Some of my initial responses are below, I look forward to chatting with Randy and Michael about their perspectives on Tuesday during our webinar.
At the beginning of the post, Bates uses the term online learning to contextualize the Covid experience from March -June 2020. Trying to define K-12 online learning before Covid was always an interesting discussion. Similarly, using online learning definitions (pre-Covid) to try and describe what happened during Covid- may not be the most effective way to consider the potential of K-12 online learning.
The “type” of learning that was practiced during the time of Covid was not the online learning of “pre” covid times. The type of eLearning was actually “Remote Access Emergency Learning” (or other variations) because was not intentionally designed for and because teachers did not have the time to prepare or develop the digital literacies in order to fully engage students in online learning affordances. In addition, it was during a pandemic and many teachers were teaching “Remote access emergency learning” while also teaching their own children at home, caring for others and trying to be successful in their multiple roles. Furthermore, there were not a “few” students in online programs- all K-12 students were learning from home (in Alberta at least). Previously as an online teacher, I could send home a sheet requiring students to ensure they had the right hardware and wifi access in order to prepare for online learning. In this case, the lack of accessibility was amplified as we as a society realized the inequities in which students can access wifi, hardware and software but most importantly the TIME to learn. Suddenly, the fact that some students do not have the same access to resources OR the digital literacies to learn online was amplified – not that it was any different before the Covid crisis, it was just not prioritized. With 5 people trying to access wifi in my privileged household, we soon learned that not all of us could make the mandated synchronous “zoom sessions” and we had to consider our own digital priorities. So access and equity issues are not just something to be considered for those without any access to the Internet or mobile devices. Access and equity issues when everyone is expected to be online have far bigger infrastructure based implications than ever before. Infrastructure issues have also been described and promoted, but not always prioritized by all. Finally, the first practice used by teachers (and HEd faculty) new to digital learning teachers was to substitute what they were doing in their bricks and mortar classroom – into online settings. While many edtech educators tried to suggest #Learning2Pivot and the potential of seamless online learning in multiple different contexts, most teachers were too overwhelmed with digital tools and content being firehosed at them at an astonishing rate to even think – let alone design for online learning. As such, to compare and contrast what happened during Covid to previous online learning, is like comparing competitive swimming to swimming in a paddle pool – they are both talking about water and the action of swimming. However, you could feel like you were drowning rather than swimming if you were in the wrong pool.
2. Since my first online teacher position was as a k-3 teacher, I have some major concerns about Bates assertion that online learning is not for younger children. Remote access Emergency learning may not have been design for younger learners, but there is a lot of potential in asynchronous online contexts and ePortfolios. Traditional, self-directed online learning where children are literally placed in front of a screen for hours on end is not a great learning environment for ANY learner. There were many arguments against “AI mis-guided personalized learning” before Covid occurred – this is not new. From personal experience before covid, online learning with k-3 students was a community-based model where the parent, teacher and students worked collaboratively to support learning pathways for their students. The parents had intentionally chosen this online learning program for their children and had the time to support them in their learning journey.
During Covid, what emerged was what I refer to as “dependent and independent remote access emergency learners” remote access learners. There were those students who could learn independently based on the content and emails sent to them from their teachers and then there were the students who could not. As described in point 1, there were multiple reasons that students had or did not have access to their teachers. However, as a parent of a very “dependent remote access emergency-learner” I soon learned that there was no way I could keep up with the weekly expectations from my son’s teacher, I craved interdisciplinary personalized authentic and meaningful learning opportunities for my son. I could see that he needed to connect his interests to his learning – and he needed to connect with his peers, especially in online spaces like gaming, backchanneling and video conferencing.
I do not believe that intentionally designed online learning is not for k-3 students. What does need to be considered is how online learning is integrated, how social interactions are promoted and encouraged, what mediums and modalities are considered (for example, MinecraftEDU and other online mediums) and the time students spend on screen and off screen. The off screen learning which includes discovering and learning with real people, real things and through play is just as essential as integrating some basic online activities and how we balance them is essential.
I do agree that there are things that should not be taught online (unless you have to). For example, the time my son spent building a treehouse and what he learned as a result of the experience could not have happened in the same way online. However, as a teacher I had him document his learning in his newly created blog (language arts), I had him connect his learning to his online units on perimeter/ area (math), how we use our land (social studies) and wheels and levers (science). As a result, I was able to connect his authentic, relevant and personalized learning experiences – with his curriculum. Consequently, we should not be saying that “things should not be taught online”. Instead, we should be thinking about ways to connect real life experiences with documenting and reflecting upon our learning in online spaces. The documentation and evidence of reflection (Making Thinking Visible) requires a teacher (or parent ) but a person to help facilitate, especially for “dependant – remote learners”. This is a call for ePortfolios and an emphasis on formative assessment which promotes evidence of learning over a period of time and encourages us to reexamine our assessment practices.
At the end of his post, Bates includes some implications for the fall semester that I agree with as we consider how to design for “pre-covid” online learning in September.
Implication 1. Ensuring equitable access to online learning. I have expanded on the concept of “equitable” access above.
Implication 2. Focus “at school learning” on those areas that are difficult or impossible to teach online. I agree – teachers should provide activities that are self-directed and independent when students are at home and expand upon the opportunities to connect personally relevant learning to curriculum – as noted above. This is where software and automated personalized software (like IXL) could be integrated. Similarly, ensure that students are provided with activities that encourage interactions and collaborations during at school time (if possible) OR design for online asynchronous collaborative and interactive activities. Considering what “can be taught online” and what “cannot be taught online” and why is a good way to stretch our mindsets, habits and expectations of our learners.
Implication 3 and 4. Focus on what online learning can best do for younger children and Rethink the curriculum I agree and disagree- while online learning can provide basic self-directed foundational knowledge in screen time, it can also provide a way for students to develop their media literacy skills and digital literacy skills by connecting their “at home personalized an authentic learning” to “formal learning” through ePortfolios and other modes of making learning visible.
Implication 5. Partner with parents. Beyond partnering, you need to communicate specifically how to support their children in learning – but they are not the teachers. A parent’s role can be supporting in helping their children demonstrate evidence of their learning. However, parents do not have the time (or motivation or access) to be a teacher and parent to their children. Consider how to design for learning activities that depend upon community supporting beyond parents and provide the bridges to support those barriers.
However – I want to amplify one important aspect that was missed in this blog post. The need to change our mindset and preconceived notions about online learning. As Bates suggested in his post, “…online learning requires a higher degree of self-discipline than attending school on a regular basis”. Yes, we have long known every online learner needs to make time and space for their learning. However, we need to move beyond the idea that learners are passive recipients of learning and design for learning that integrates learners as active participants of the learning process – especially in online learning environments.
As such, what kinds of models will work best when ALL students are based on online learning contexts? Post-covid, all online learning needs to be human-centered by prioritizing being responsive to student needs and pulling away from self-directed models of online learning and towards interactive, constructivist models to support all learners. I have taught consecutive online courses from January to July 2020, in different disciplines, age levels and contexts – but the one piece woven throughout the “Covid-learning” experience was the need to integrate social interaction.
As I read through the arguments to bring K-12 students” back to Bricks and mortar schools, I encourage all K-12 teachers to consider how to design for human-centered, emphatic and responsive online learning. I believe the primary way to do design for “post covid” is what I am describing as “seamless learning” which is founded on learning and designing for learning- collaboratively. We have long known #ittakesavillage to learn, so how can be design for a learning ecosystem approach where every learner (and person) has an active role in the learning system rather than online courses or software that delivers content “to” learners? Designing for social interaction means creating social peer pods/ cohorts that support each other throughout the learning experiences. These social pods do not always have to complete projects together (but they can). Instead, their role is to provide the feedback, interaction and human connection that we all need in order to learn.
First, we have to start by supporting everyone in developing their digital literacies by offering professional learning opportunities for all. For example, what if teachers (of different digital literacy and learning experiences) collaborated to teach their courses together ? While each teacher would still be responsible for their individual learners, how would the collaboration support the students and the teachers?
What if all online learners followed a cohort based on weeks. Using a Flipped learning model idea, the independent self-directed learning time could be devoted to contextualize the learning and support the development of individual skills and would be the basis of the online learning at home (or asynchronous learning) while the group activities and collaboration could be done in synchronous ways (at school or online).
What if we connected formal and informal learning environments by bridging connections with outside the classroom mentors as educational facilitators (like community-based child care workers, educational specialists from field trip locations like the zoo or museum ?) How could we connect (in a safe way) community members that are willing to help our children learn?
I am looking forward to my chat with Dr. LaBonte and Dr. Barbour in order to learn more.
Basically, I think we need to rethink our online learning mindset and amplify socio-constructivist activities in order to support all learners. There is huge potential to use intentionally designed online learning to lead the future of learning – how can we do this together?
Please watch the video that transitions and expands upon the concept of Human-Centered learning from Topic and connects the History and Context of K-12 Distributed and Open Learning.
Videos that summarize content for students, rather than expecting them to sit in a synchronous lecture (in bricks and mortar classrooms OR online video sessions), are examples of Flipped Learning. Please watch the following video before you start Topic 2.
Complete Assignment 1: Digital Privacy, Security, FIPPA and Acceptable Use Policies Quiz (Due July 10, 2020)
Required Individual Activities:
Read and add notes/ questions to the three topic readings through digital annotation by using Hypothesis or google.docs
Individual blog post #2: How would you describe the historical and theoretical trends in k-12 open and distributed learning? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?
Required Pod Activity:
In your pod, you must “meet” to compare and contrast K-12 online & open theory and history based on your course readings.
REPLY to the topic 2 blog posts of all the members in your pod. (Due July 15)
Create a 5 minute Video/ Podcast or Digital Artifact which describes: “How you would “teach/ design, create or share” something for another teacher based on the weekly course topics. https://awesome-table.com/-LBnE8hn7NBBTPOjM2Qo/view
Optional Open Learning Activity
Ask and answer questions about K-12 open & online learning in a digital open learning commons using Padlet. (Please consider FIPPA before participating)
Participate in the topic conversation thread focused on the course readings in the course Slack channel –EDCI339 A04’s informal communication tool.
Topic Readings: Please add your Digital Annotations
Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Barbour, M & Labonte, R. (2018) An Overview of eLearning Organizations and Practices in Canada. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 600-616). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Welcome to EDCI339 Section A02. My name is Dr. Verena Roberts and I will be your instructor throughout this course. This video summarizes the course outline. Please watch it and feel free to send me any questions or concerns:
T1: Introductions, Privacy, and Human-Centred Learning
Human-Centered Learning: The Importance of Building Relationships, Clear Communication and Designing for Interactions and Engagement in K-12 Distributed and Open Learning Contexts
In the course readings, Whiteside and Garrett Dikkers (2015) argue that, “social presence is an essential literacy for cultivating emotions and relationships that enhance the overall learning experience and have published several studies detailing specific methods instructors use to build and facilitate social presence in online and blended learning” (p. 510). Specifically, they are advocated for instructors to consider and amplify their social presence as they design and facilitate the course.
Garrett Dikkers, Whiteside, & Lewis (2017) summarized the literature that considered social presence before the Covid-19 Remote Access Learning context. They proposed five aspects of a K-12 Social Presence Model:
Affective Association – how students and teachers show emotion online;
Community Cohesion – seeing the class as a community;
Instructor Involvement – how the teacher shows involvement in student learning;
Interaction Intensity – what ways and how often students interact; and
Knowledge and Experience – ways students share their prior knowledge and experiences with course content (Garrett Dikkers, Whiteside, & Lewis, 2017, p. 160).
Similarly, in Higher Education contexts, the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) focused on three presences as a means to communicate in online learning mediums. The three presences are: cognitive, teaching and social.
Both of these models amplify the types of interactions that support learning. There are three types of interactions:
learner-instructor interaction
learner-learner interaction
learner-content interaction
Traditional online courses have been criticized for the emphasis on learner-content interactions where learners only interact with the content in a course (Garret Dikkers, 2018). Examples of this kind of interaction include content laden eBooks and personalized learning platforms where students complete online assignments without any connection to other peers and only connect with teachers to clarify any questions they may have.
The Covid-19, remote access transition from face to face classroom to digital learning across Canada in March 2020 amplified the need for all teachers to recognize the importance of social presence in every learning medium, online and face to face.
The following readings exemplify the need for HUman-Centered learning – learning which:
Emphasize positive communications and relationship development
Co-design well-being supports with the individuals and communities affected by them
Broaden definitions of success to reflect a holistic view of human development
Broaden learner supports to include more individuals, roles and organizations
Restructure education to encourage connection, cross-curricular integration and meaning
The activities this week are intentionally designed to focus on how to develop your social presence in K-12 online and open learning.
As you explore this topic, consider your own experiences with online and open learning. What did you experience and what would you like to experience? What are some of things you need to consider when teaching in online learning contexts to develop a social presence? What are some practices you will learn more about, design considerations you would expand upon, digital tools you would examine, resources you would share and fellow teachers that you would suggest to others to learn more from?
This week you will complete your activities in UVic coursespaces. All course activities are guided through the #EDCI339 course blog.
Individual blog post #1: How can teachers effectively build relationships by encouraging safe communication and interactions in K-12 online & open learning spaces? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?
Required Pod Activity:
Find your group, introduce yourself, share your contact information and best time to meet/ complete activities throughout the dates for this course and share one “Fun Fact” with each other about an online learning experience.
REPLY to the Topic 1 blog posts of all the members in your pod (Due July 10)
Create a 5 minute Video/ Podcast or Digital Artifact which describes: “How you would “teach/ design, create or share” something for another teacher based on the weekly course topics. https://awesome-table.com/-LBnE8hn7NBBTPOjM2Qo/view
Participate in the topic conversation thread focused on the course readings in the course Slack channel –EDCI339 A04’s informal communication tool.
Topic Readings:
Garrett Dickers, A. (2018) Social Interaction in K-12 Online Learning. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 509-522 ). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2
