Setting Up An Online Learning Experience

I broke my hand and had micro surgery on Friday.  I will post when I am not under the influence of narcotics, and can concentrate for longer than 5 minutes.

Chris

Setting Up An Online Learning Experience

            Much like teaching in a traditional classroom, online teachers, over time, will develop tools that they can use in an online environment.  It takes time and patience to develop your skills, but the quicker you develop those skills, and the more techniques you have under your belt, the smoother transition your student will have into your course.

What is the significance of knowing the technology available to you?

            Knowing your technology is not only important to you, it is important for your students.  Most online learners are older and unfamiliar with the technology that will be used in you CMS.  You will need to familiarize yourself with all of the technology available, not necessarily because you are going to use it all, in fact, it is recommended that you only use two or three of them and become very familiar with them.  Also, technology and its tools are constantly changing, so keeping up with those changes is important to stay relevant.  Fortunately, the changes that are happening are making using technology and its tools easier and more user friendly.

Why is it essential to communicate clear expectations to learners?

            Boettcher & Conrad (2010) state that clear an unambiguous guidelines about what is expected of learners and what they expect from an instructor makes a significant contribution to ensuring understanding and satisfaction in an online course (p.55).  Distance learners are spread out over time zones and different countries.  Clarification of expectations provides for a trusting learning environment.

What additional considerations should the instructor take into account when setting up an online learning experience?

            One important aspect of online learning was mentioned by Drs. Palloff & Pratt in the Laureate Education video (n.d.), is that one must be sensitive to a student’s desire for anonymity.  Many people choose online learning to remain anonymous as not to be judged by others.  These students may need a little extra attention in the beginning of the course to get them to actively participate.  It is suggested that you start using the students name as soon as possible, make personal connections with them, and ask probing questions to students who need to provide more information. 

            The instructor’s participation in the first two weeks should be often.  Making your presence known to your students affords them a level of comfort in your class and allows you as the instructor to try to identify and connect with the student who seems to be distant or non participatory.  It is suggested that the instructor be present several times a day every day for the first few weeks.  This builds up a rapport with your students and there is a level of trust and community within your course.  Boettcher & Conrad (2010) list the three presences that an instructor needs to have.  They are social, cognitive, and teaching.  Social presence is getting to know one another such as sharing personal favorites or short bios.  Cognitive is by getting students to express their desire to understand ideas more deeply and creating a dialogue of what students know and how they know it.  Teaching presence has two stages.  The first relates to the preparation materials, such as course syllabus, discussions,, assessments, and recommended resources.  It is based on assumptions of what the student already knows.  The second consists of “ all of the monitoring, mentoring, questioning and shaping of the growing knowledge of particular learners in a class.” (p. 54).  This is the facilitation and direct instruction aspect of teacher presence.

What did you learn that would help you implement effective online instruction in the future?

                        There is an overwhelming amount to consider when preparing a course for online learning.  Not only do you need to focus on the content of your course, there are the tools that need to be used, the elements of and online course, the student’s prior knowledge, and your presence in the course.  It may seem overwhelming and daunting, but following the tips, and tools in the Boetcher & Conrad book can give you a good outline in how to begin to build your course and what to consider while building your CMS.

References

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.).  Video.  “Launching the Online Learning Experience.”  Laureate Education Inc.  Retrieved from: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493411&Survey=1&47=7369045&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

 

Online Learning Communities

 This week we were asked to reflect on our learning about online learning communities.  The following questions seek to discover the benefits of online learning communities, and how students perceive that community.

How do online learning communities significantly impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses?

“Learning communities create a dynamic where facilitators and learners are equal participants” (Laureate Education, n.d.).  Learners in an online environment have the unique situation in that the learners are able to direct their own learning.  They are given the task of challenging each other, being able to draw things out of each other and professionally give each other feedback.  The goal is co-created knowledge and meaning.   A students’ perception of learning becomes deeper from these experiences, and they are happier with their results.

What are the essential elements of online community building?

There are three main elements that form an online community.

People-have to interact with others, social presence.

Purpose-how the people are brought together, in this case an online class.  This element comes with guidelines and policies to help the class develop.  Not only are there classroom guidelines, but there are also state and federal guidelines that must be followed in an online class.

Process-how the course is delivered.  Set up process for a learner-to-learner environment.  They need to engage with each other to make meaning. 

Not one of these can be dealt with in isolation.  They all interact with each other.

How can online learning communities be sustained?

Some strategies for sustaining online communities include holding a new student orientation.  This gets the student to know the CMS, what online learning involves, and who the members of their program will be.  Make the classroom feel warm and inviting rather than cold and formal. A learner-to-learner environment helps students become more confident in taking charge of their own learning, where by they start to become practitioner-scholars.  They will take that experience with them to the next class, and their sense of presence starts to grow. 

What is the relationship between community building and effective online instruction?

“What a faculty member does makes a difference in what students do” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010).  When a student feels that they are part of the learning community, they become more actively involved in their learning.  It is up to the faculty member to connect with their students right at the beginning of class and it is even suggested by Drs. Palloff & Pratt to visit the class multiple times per day during the first two weeks of the course.  The instructor is responsible for setting up and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for students to engage in meaningful learning experiences. The instructor needs to be and equal level in the class, and they need to be present throughout the entire course.

What did you learn that would help you become a more effective instructor in the future?

Community is very important in online instruction.  There may be people in a class that are isolated, not just in the fact that they are alone in a room taking your course, but also geographical location.  By establishing a learning community, students feel more impelled to log on and engage their fellow classmates in their learning.  People will become a more active learner when they feel that they can be comfortable being who they are on-line, and know that others will challenge them in the course, and that they can draw from others expertise to increase their knowledge of the subject matter. 

Drs. Palloff & Pratt also make some suggestions to set up your online community to help students feel more comfortable in your course.

Make the course easy to navigate
Make the classroom feel warm and inviting rather than cold and formal
Visit the classroom multiple times per day during the first two weeks
Welcome students to post a bio
Respond individually to their bio
Relate to something personally

Post an icebreaker for students to get to know one another on a different level (Laureate Education, n.d.)

Following these strategies will help me to be able to engage my students in the course and make them more comfortable in my learning environment.

Chris

References

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.). [Video] “Online Learning Communities.”  Laureate Education. Retrieved from: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493411&Survey=1&47=7369045&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Scope Creep

Analyzing Scope Creep

I liken scope creep to going to Target®.  If I don’t go there with a list and a set budget, I walk out with a cart full of stuff I don’t need, and $300 poorer.

This week we are asked to recall a project that has experienced scope creep.  I can’t recall a project that I worked on that ever experienced scope creep, because every project I have been involved in has never made it past the development stage.  We have never had a project manager, and certainly never had a statement of work.  Generally our “team,” so to speak, has consisted of volunteers of fine arts teachers to work on various committees to design curriculum maps. 

As music teachers, we get off task often and never have a clear vision of what we need to accomplish.  Our curriculum coordinator changes every two years or so, and the district is constantly trying to make us legitimize what we teach, so we always have a new project to work on.  Scope creep never has a chance to happen.

With that being said, what I have learned about project management I can now apply to our next project.  I won’t necessarily assume the role of project manager, but I can develop a work breakdown structure (Greer, 2010) to make sure that everyone has a defined role, create a project schedule, and a project status report.  This way we can keep ourselves on track, and legitimize our project, no matter who our curriculum coordinator happens to be.  Perhaps we might actually complete a project, and be able to use the final result.

Resources

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

In my search to find some helpful resources that would be useful in estimating a budget for an ID project, I cam across many sites that offered helpful advice and tips.  I’m bad at math, and helpful tips are like someone patting me on the head and telling me that I’ll learn it eventually.  I need a formula or something that is tangible that I can manipulate to see how things will break down.

The first site I visited was Tech Republic.  I found an article by Shelley Doll titled “Creating your project budget: where to begin?” http://www.techrepublic.com/article/creating-your-project-budget-where-to-begin/1045600.  This article gives guidelines on creating a realistic justifiable budget.  It has helpful suggestions such as “project costs and budget costs are two different things, identify project costs first” (Doll, 2002).  It also explains “project costs are not defined solely in monetary amounts. Include actual amounts, with shipping and taxes, for software or hardware purchases that must be made. If you’re pro-rating the costs of using pre-existing hardware and software tools, include it in number of hours. Likewise, developer effort costs are recorded in hours, not dollars” (Doll, 2002). These are things that I would never think of, and to me are extremely helpful without being patronizing.

The next site that I looked at, I actually subscribed to.  Smartsheet is an interactive spreadsheet.  It is an interactive Gantt chart.  Within the Gantt chart you can export and print, switch views between calendar and Gantt chart, add sub tasks drag and drop to instantly change dates and create task dependencies, has a mobile app for smart phones, and the ability to share with others on Google apps.  This is an app that helps me out with my math issues, and it helps with deadlines, and who is responsible for what tasks within the project.  It is great for “bottom-up budgeting” (Portney, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton & Kramer, 2008). https://www.smartsheet.com

The final page that I found helpful was Ten Step.  Ten Step is a consulting firm that specializes in Project Management.  They have posted a 10 step statement of work and posted it online.  Steps 2 and 3 are build the schedule and budget, and manage the schedule and budget.  These sections are then divided into specific sub sections that define the process and technique.  This is just detailed enough that some one like me can understand it, and not be overwhelmed, and yet not “dumbed down” to the point that I feel patronized.  The charts and tips are smartly written and although you need to be a member to continue more indepth, what they place for public viewing is enough to help the budget challenged.  http://www.tenstep.com/open/2.0BuildSchedandBudget.html

There are many great resources out there but the three I chose seemed best for me,  the mathematically challenged. 

Resources

Doll, Shelley, 2007. Web article. “Creating Your Project Budget: Where to Begin?”  Retrieved from: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/creating-your-project-budget-where-to-begin/1045600

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Smart Sheet, 2011.  Retrieved from: https://www.smartsheet.com

Ten Step, Inc. 2010.  Retrieved from:  http://www.tenstep.com/open/2.0BuildSchedandBudget.html

Communicating Effectively

Communicating Effectively

This week we were asked to observe a piece of communication in three different modalities: written text (e-mail), audio (voicemail), and video (face-to-face).  We were then asked to answer several questions about how we interpreted each message.

How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?

I found it interesting that the e-mail and the face-to face-portion seemed very casual and not so urgent.  The voicemail to me seemed very frantic, and urgent.  I would have responded more quickly to the voicemail than the others.

What factors influenced how you perceived the message?

The e-mail was written so that the words were highlighted to stress the importance of the message.  A visual learner would see this and understand the importance of getting the report sent, or see it as harsh and abrasive.  I saw it as important, but I would get around to it when I had the time.

The voice mail seemed to sound a bit more frantic.  There was an inflection in the voice that made me want to get the report out as soon as I could.

The face-to-face seemed very casual and nonchalant.  Almost a “whenever” tone.  The way the narrator was standing made me feel that it was not urgent or sincere.  I would have done it just so I didn’t have to see that person hanging on my cubicle again.

Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?

In my opinion, the voice mail seemed to be the most effective communication.  I would have sent an ETA, or the report itself right away.  I heard the tone of voice and was immediately responsive to its urgency.  But, that is just how I perceive it.  After showing the exercise to several of my students, the responses were all different.  Some liked the casual tone of the face-to-face, and others responded more positively to the e-mail.

What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?

It is important to communicate with all members of the team in all modalities.  Different people are going to interpret each communication in a different way.  Learning styles will determine how a person will respond to the message,

This activity has shown the importance of communicating in different modalities to ensure that everyone involved gets the message in the way that they will best interpret it.  Past classes have discussed the importance of knowing different learning styles, and this activity shows the importance of catering to those styles.  Just showing it to a few students has shown the different ways that people learn and interpret, and that an ID needs to keep that in mind when communicating with the stakeholders in a project.

Resource

 Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d). Multimedia Program. "The Art of Effective Communication" Retrieved from: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Project "Post-Mortem"

Project Post-Mortem

I have never actually been involved in a project before, but I have been on several committees.  The specific committee that I would like to focus on is one that was formed to help develop a standardized curriculum map for music, so that all Minneapolis music teachers were teaching the same concepts across the grades.  The main idea was that any student could switch to any school in the district, at any grade level, and still learn the same thing. 

            The committee consisted of 5 elementary music teachers, 2 middle school music teachers (1 instrumental, 1 vocal), and 4 high school music teachers (1 instrumental, 3 vocal, myself included).  There was also the coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, The Arts, and the district Associate Superintendent.  This group was voluntary, and there was no extra pay involved.  The meeting schedule was established, so that during the start of the process, all members would meet once a week, and then eventually break off into sub groups, and meet once a month, and the large group would meet bi-monthly. 

            Over the course of the year this project completely collapsed.  Although, several timelines were created, there was never a curriculum map that was fully developed or finalized.  Eventually we lost our curriculum coordinator, and our area superintendent, and their incoming replacements seemed to lack interest.

What contributed to the projects failure?

           

The first thing to fall apart was meeting.  Because this group was voluntary, and the schools in the district have different start and end times, it was hard for all members to meet.  E-mails of the discussions were sent out, but very few people would reply with other ideas to add to the discussion.  Eventually only one or two people would show up to do the bulk of the work.  According to Greer (2010), what we failed to do in the onset, is plan and run a kickoff meeting that meets these objectives:

Clarify “broad brush” work product (deliverables)

Clarify riles and responsibilities of team members

Create a shared sense of purpose among team members

Obtain specific commitment of each team member to complete assigned tasks

according to schedule and budget constraints

Make sure all team members have what they need to start work (p.10)

Even though the group was voluntary there should have been something to keep everyone committed, and guarantee that even with an administrative change that there was buy in towards the project.

Which parts of the PM process, if included, would have made the project more successful? Why?

            The problem with the whole project is that there was no Project Manager, there was no process, and there was no one in charge.  At the least, there should have been a Project Charter (Greer, 2010) or Project Schedule (Greer, 2010).  With everyone having a specific task and a specific due date, there is at least some accountability. Even if they can’t make a meeting, they can provide a tangible to work with in their absence.

Resources

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Reflections on Distance Learning

Reflections on Distance Learning

As distance learning becomes more popular, and more educational institutions offer online learning as a part of their curriculum, the perceptions of online learning should become more positive.  According to the Pew Research Group (2011) over the past decade, enrollment in online courses at colleges and universities around the country has grown at a greater rate than overall higher education enrollment (p.4).  This trend only seems to be gaining momentum.  Many colleges and universities offer some sort of online learning whether synchronous, asynchronous, or a blended/hybrid mix, and there are virtual high schools gaining accreditation all over the country.  With this current trend, distance learning should see significant growth in the next 5-10 years. 

As more students begin to explore online classes and degrees, the perceptions of distance learning should see a positive shift.  “Those who have personal experience with online learning have somewhat more positive view of its value” (Parker, Lenhart, & Moore, 2011).   Today’s students are growing up with Web-based technologies, such as podcasts, social networking, search engines, and online role playing games.  This has prepared them to engage in online learning activities that support interaction and collaboration.

As an instructional designer I need to be able to change the perceptions of what online learning is and how its value is equal to that of a traditional class. One of the main misconceptions is that the time commitment is not as great as a traditional class.  Being an online student studying how to design online instruction, makes advocating for distance learning a natural thing to do.  I am aware of what is good with distance learning and what its pit falls are.  I have had a mostly positive experience with online learning, but I have also had a few not so positive experiences.  I understand the attributes of a successful online learner, and I can recommend to potential students of distance learning what attributes they need to have to make their experience positive, and to be effective learners.

As an instructor I need to provide the learner with the best possible experience, I need to challenge them academically, engage them socially, and encourage them constantly.  It is up to me to keep deep level learning developing in discussions, and create a learning environment where everyone wants to contribute.  It is also up to me to understand learning styles, what motivates learning and to pull the most from my learners.

In order to promote positive images of distance learning I should focus on designing learning environments that support dialogs that engage learners to collaborate, reflect, evaluate and self-direct their learning.  As the characteristics and skills of the online learner continue to emerge, the perceptions of distance education will transform itself to help promote its validity.

Resources

Dabbagh, N. (2007). The online learner: Characteristics and pedagogical implications.

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(3), 217- 226.

Parker, K., Lenhart, A. & Moore, K. (2011). The digital revolution and higher education: College presidents, public differ on value of online learning. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/08/online-learning.pdf.