My special topic has come to a close. I can sit back now and reflect on this last eLearning journey. Of course a part of reflection and action research is to consider whether you have achieved the intended outcomes.
Overall, I am pleased with the way that the course came together and more importantly that I learnt new things along the way that I can utilise further in my teaching.
This is also my last course in the Graduate Certificate of Applied eLearning and if I am to reflect back where I was 18 months ago, I have certainly had a great “elearning” journey. I cannot say it was a “smooth ride” all the way, however, the “rocky” parts made for an interesting learning experience.
I hope that I will not totally desert this blog, but use it to reflect on future elearning experiences.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Displaying Information (Moodle Books or eXe)
There are a number of different ways that information can be displayed Moodle. You can use a ‘book’ or an eXe package. I have trialled both and have found that each one have their own pros and cons.
The eXe project was developed a freely available Open Source authoring application to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. Resources authored in eXe can be exported in IMS Content Package that can be easily uploaded into Moodle.
I have found it to be easy to use, allows you to be a little more creative than the Moodle books, you do not have to load individual files and then link or add to books. Great for embedding information such as my Camtasia screenshots and other YouTube videos used.
Moodle books have been useful for more text based information, allowing for students to read through notes or required information and providing links to other readings.
The eXe project was developed a freely available Open Source authoring application to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. Resources authored in eXe can be exported in IMS Content Package that can be easily uploaded into Moodle.
I have found it to be easy to use, allows you to be a little more creative than the Moodle books, you do not have to load individual files and then link or add to books. Great for embedding information such as my Camtasia screenshots and other YouTube videos used.
Moodle books have been useful for more text based information, allowing for students to read through notes or required information and providing links to other readings.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Using Camtasia
A key aspect to this part of the course is for students to have knowledge of Fidelio (a property management/reservation system used in hotels). At present the face to face students have access to the programme on campus and the distance students have had access to the programme at their host institution. With the use of a manual students are able to work their way through the system, however, I wanted to be able to provide students with some visuals of how to make a reservation, add traces, profiles and routing instructions (as a start – more will be added later!).
Camtasia Studio is a screen video capture programme that is published by TechSmith. The programme allows the user to define the area of the screen or window that is to be captured. As well as capturing the visual information you can record instructions that go with the material.
I know that there are different tools available to do this, such as Adobe eLearning Suite, however I had access to Camtasia through my workplace and I had attended an hour workshop on the use of Camtasia a couple of years ago. The brief notes I made back then, plus the easy format of Camtasia have made it a very simple programme to use.
Having seen the results, I have wondered why I have not used it more in my teaching, but certainly see the benefits of using it, especially with more flexible and blended delivery methods in the future.
Camtasia Studio is a screen video capture programme that is published by TechSmith. The programme allows the user to define the area of the screen or window that is to be captured. As well as capturing the visual information you can record instructions that go with the material.
I know that there are different tools available to do this, such as Adobe eLearning Suite, however I had access to Camtasia through my workplace and I had attended an hour workshop on the use of Camtasia a couple of years ago. The brief notes I made back then, plus the easy format of Camtasia have made it a very simple programme to use.
Having seen the results, I have wondered why I have not used it more in my teaching, but certainly see the benefits of using it, especially with more flexible and blended delivery methods in the future.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
PowerPoints & iSpring
A little time has passed since my last post, however, that does not mean that I have been idle! The time has been used to progress with the resources that are being used to engage students with their learning.
I understand that students do not want ‘death by PowerPoint’ in any situation (face to face, distance or blended learning) – however, in saying that I think there is often a time and place to be able to provide some information on PowerPoint’s, along with narration.
Under reservations I have three PowerPoint slides that explain a booking (contract), the traditional guest cycle and the reservation process.
I have created this using PowerPoint and have used the PowerPoint narration tool. This is a simple way to create slides and narration and there is no use for other software. Some of the pitfalls of using this narration tool in comparison to Audacity would be that you are unable to edit the narration, if you make a mistake, you have to start again.
To package the PowerPoint I have used the free version of iSpring. Again this has been very easy to use and follow and creates a Shockwave File of the PowerPoint that was then inserted into my eXe package.
I understand that students do not want ‘death by PowerPoint’ in any situation (face to face, distance or blended learning) – however, in saying that I think there is often a time and place to be able to provide some information on PowerPoint’s, along with narration.
Under reservations I have three PowerPoint slides that explain a booking (contract), the traditional guest cycle and the reservation process.
I have created this using PowerPoint and have used the PowerPoint narration tool. This is a simple way to create slides and narration and there is no use for other software. Some of the pitfalls of using this narration tool in comparison to Audacity would be that you are unable to edit the narration, if you make a mistake, you have to start again.
To package the PowerPoint I have used the free version of iSpring. Again this has been very easy to use and follow and creates a Shockwave File of the PowerPoint that was then inserted into my eXe package.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Learning Management System - Moodle
The starting point for the special topic has been to set up my Moodle site for the course. Otago Polytechnic made the decision to move to Moodle at the start of the 2010 academic year. This meant that resources that were originally housed in Blackboard could be transferred over to Moodle.
Moodle may be referred to as a Course Management System (CMS) or Learning Management System (LMS). It is a modular object-orientated dynamic learning environment which is a free and open-source e-learning software platform.
The move to the new learning management system also coincided with a directive that courses should be offered using a more blended approach. The course Rooms Division Operations Management is usually delivered as a fully face-to-face option, however, students from CPIT have been able to enrol on to this paper and therefore there has been the need to develop resources for these distance students.
The Rooms Division Operations Management course has been set up on Moodle using weekly settings, following the structure of the paper (14 teaching weeks with a 2 week break). Each section within Moodle will then have information relating to the topics being covered in that week (2 sessions per week).
Moodle may be referred to as a Course Management System (CMS) or Learning Management System (LMS). It is a modular object-orientated dynamic learning environment which is a free and open-source e-learning software platform.
The move to the new learning management system also coincided with a directive that courses should be offered using a more blended approach. The course Rooms Division Operations Management is usually delivered as a fully face-to-face option, however, students from CPIT have been able to enrol on to this paper and therefore there has been the need to develop resources for these distance students.
The Rooms Division Operations Management course has been set up on Moodle using weekly settings, following the structure of the paper (14 teaching weeks with a 2 week break). Each section within Moodle will then have information relating to the topics being covered in that week (2 sessions per week).
ELearning Guidelines
As a point of reference for the development of this eLearning module I have referred to the ELearning Guidelines (Milne & Dimock, 2006) which provide an overview of elearning guidelines developed to assist the tertiary sector in its use of elearning.
The guidelines provide information on best practice and help with the design of elearning materials and a basis for evaluating the quality of elearning teaching and resources (Milne & Dimock, 2006).
As part of the development of my own elearning resources and teaching I will take into consideration the following guidelines:
TD2 Do students get clearly defined learning objectives that assist them in focussing on their learning activities?
TD5 Has a representative sample of students tested the elearning materials and any necessary modifications been made?
TD12 Is the design of learning informed by research on effective elearning?
The main purpose of the course is to support face to face students and to provide distance students with the necessary information to achieve their learning objectives.
The first guideline, TD2 looks into clearly defined objectives and how it can assist students on focussing on their learning outcomes. The second guideline that has been chosen, TD5 ensures that the material is tested by students and gives them the opportunity to give necessary feedback so that modifications may be made if required. The third guideline, TD12 ensures that the design and development has been informed by research.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 15 June, 2010, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
The guidelines provide information on best practice and help with the design of elearning materials and a basis for evaluating the quality of elearning teaching and resources (Milne & Dimock, 2006).
As part of the development of my own elearning resources and teaching I will take into consideration the following guidelines:
TD2 Do students get clearly defined learning objectives that assist them in focussing on their learning activities?
TD5 Has a representative sample of students tested the elearning materials and any necessary modifications been made?
TD12 Is the design of learning informed by research on effective elearning?
The main purpose of the course is to support face to face students and to provide distance students with the necessary information to achieve their learning objectives.
The first guideline, TD2 looks into clearly defined objectives and how it can assist students on focussing on their learning outcomes. The second guideline that has been chosen, TD5 ensures that the material is tested by students and gives them the opportunity to give necessary feedback so that modifications may be made if required. The third guideline, TD12 ensures that the design and development has been informed by research.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 15 June, 2010, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
Monday, July 19, 2010
New focus for Special Topic
I am back on board for completing my Special Topic as part of the Graduate Certificate in Applied eLearning. A slight change of focus from what I had originally planned, however, having just completed one of the other papers Educational Design for eLearning, have decided to use one of the Hotel Management papers – Rooms Division Operations Management sites as the focus of the Special Topic.
So here is my plan:
Planning and Learning Outcomes
This post will hopefully outline my plan for my Special Topic, concentrating on the learning outcomes of the paper. This will also become a guide for me for the semester to ensure that I keep on track. I will also consider setting up my own timeline for the semester to ensure that milestones are met.
What do you want to do?
The overall plan is to develop a face to face course into a course that may be taken by students studying at a different institution (that we collaborate with). Although it would be predominately seen as a distance course, I would like it to be more blended learning so that there is interaction between the facilitator and students.
Why?
The key reason for choosing this course is that there is the need to offer this paper online for students at another institution (it is a core paper that they must take as part of the Hotel Management major which is only offered at our institution).
By creating an online option this could allow other students to be able to take this course who may not be able to make on-campus classes.
Over the past few years there has been a push for more flexible learning offerings among our programmes.
What are the learning outcomes/project outcomes?
There are two different learning outcomes, obviously my own personal learning and the actual project outcomes.
I would like to explore some different eLearning technology that I have not previously used before. As an institution we have just moved to Moodle (open learning management system) at the start of 2010 (from Blackboard) so I am trying to navigate my way round Moodle, which will be used for this project. I would like to be able to use some videos or quizzes within the project that will assist the learners. Use of Camtasia to demonstrate the use of a reservation package and to ensure more interaction between students and facilitator as well as students to students.
In terms of the project outcomes, it will provide an efficient way of delivering a course to remote students, as well as providing a very comprehensive resource and support for f2f students as well.
Why are they important at this time?
My own personal learning outcomes are important as I know that I have students wanting to take my papers online and I do not want to offer them an inferior product due to location and therefore want to understand the requirements of elearning. Through the project I hope to have a better understanding of the needs and requirements of students studying online (of course I am myself one of these, so through this blog I can also give my own reflections of the process).
Does it require a budget?
I will of course try where possible to not have a budget! Where possible I will look to use software that can be downloaded for free or use existing software that is available through the Polytechnic or resources on Moodle.
Does it require approval and from whom?
My Head of School has given me approval for the project.
What is the underpinning literature and practice that you can draw on?
My research will be underpinned by current literature in elearning such as Mason and Rennie (2006). I will also need to consider the different learning styles of the students and augmented learning (how the student interacts with the technology). I will explore different online materials. The Elearning Guidelines (Milne & Dimock, 2006) will also be a valuable resource for this project. I will also draw on Gilly Salmon’s (2000) five stage model which try’s to create greater interaction and participation between participants in elearning courses.
References
Mason, R., & Rennie, F. (2006). Elearning: The key concepts. New York: Routledge.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 8 March, 2009, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
Salmon, G. (2000). E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.
So here is my plan:
Planning and Learning Outcomes
This post will hopefully outline my plan for my Special Topic, concentrating on the learning outcomes of the paper. This will also become a guide for me for the semester to ensure that I keep on track. I will also consider setting up my own timeline for the semester to ensure that milestones are met.
What do you want to do?
The overall plan is to develop a face to face course into a course that may be taken by students studying at a different institution (that we collaborate with). Although it would be predominately seen as a distance course, I would like it to be more blended learning so that there is interaction between the facilitator and students.
Why?
The key reason for choosing this course is that there is the need to offer this paper online for students at another institution (it is a core paper that they must take as part of the Hotel Management major which is only offered at our institution).
By creating an online option this could allow other students to be able to take this course who may not be able to make on-campus classes.
Over the past few years there has been a push for more flexible learning offerings among our programmes.
What are the learning outcomes/project outcomes?
There are two different learning outcomes, obviously my own personal learning and the actual project outcomes.
I would like to explore some different eLearning technology that I have not previously used before. As an institution we have just moved to Moodle (open learning management system) at the start of 2010 (from Blackboard) so I am trying to navigate my way round Moodle, which will be used for this project. I would like to be able to use some videos or quizzes within the project that will assist the learners. Use of Camtasia to demonstrate the use of a reservation package and to ensure more interaction between students and facilitator as well as students to students.
In terms of the project outcomes, it will provide an efficient way of delivering a course to remote students, as well as providing a very comprehensive resource and support for f2f students as well.
Why are they important at this time?
My own personal learning outcomes are important as I know that I have students wanting to take my papers online and I do not want to offer them an inferior product due to location and therefore want to understand the requirements of elearning. Through the project I hope to have a better understanding of the needs and requirements of students studying online (of course I am myself one of these, so through this blog I can also give my own reflections of the process).
Does it require a budget?
I will of course try where possible to not have a budget! Where possible I will look to use software that can be downloaded for free or use existing software that is available through the Polytechnic or resources on Moodle.
Does it require approval and from whom?
My Head of School has given me approval for the project.
What is the underpinning literature and practice that you can draw on?
My research will be underpinned by current literature in elearning such as Mason and Rennie (2006). I will also need to consider the different learning styles of the students and augmented learning (how the student interacts with the technology). I will explore different online materials. The Elearning Guidelines (Milne & Dimock, 2006) will also be a valuable resource for this project. I will also draw on Gilly Salmon’s (2000) five stage model which try’s to create greater interaction and participation between participants in elearning courses.
References
Mason, R., & Rennie, F. (2006). Elearning: The key concepts. New York: Routledge.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 8 March, 2009, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
Salmon, G. (2000). E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My Plan for a Special Topic
Planning and Learning Outcomes
This post will hopefully outline my plan for my Special Topic, concentrating on the learning outcomes of the paper. This will also become a guide for me for the semester to ensure that I keep on track. I will also consider setting up my own timeline for the semester to ensure that milestones are met.
What do you want to do?
The overall plan is to develop a face to face course into a course that may be taken by students studying at a different institution (that we collaborate with). Although it would be predominately seen as a distance course, I would like it to be more blended learning so that there is interaction between the facilitator and students.
Why?
The key reason for choosing this course is that there is the need to offer this paper online for students at another institution (it is a core paper that they must take as part of the Hotel Management major which is only offered at our institution).
By creating an online option this could allow other students to be able to take this course who may not be able to make on-campus classes.
Over the past few years there has been a push for more flexible learning offerings among our programmes.
What are the learning outcomes/project outcomes?
There are two different learning outcomes, obviously my own personal learning and the actual project outcomes.
I would like to explore some different eLearning technology that I have not previously used before. As an institution we have just moved to Moodle (open learning management system) at the start of 2010 (from Blackboard) so I am trying to navigate my way round Moodle, which will be used for this project. I would like to be able to use some videos or quizzes within the project that will assist the learners.
In terms of the project outcomes, it will provide an efficient way of delivering a course to remote students, as well as providing a very comprehensive resource and support for f2f students as well.
Why are they important at this time?
My own personal learning outcomes are important as I know that I have students wanting to take my papers online and I do not want to offer them an inferior product due to location and therefore want to understand the requirements of elearning. Through the project I hope to have a better understanding of the needs and requirements of students studying online (of course I am myself one of these, so through this blog I can also give my own reflections of the process)
Does it require a budget?
I will of course try where possible to not have a budget! Where possible I will look to use software that can be downloaded for free or use existing software that is available through the Polytechnic or resources on Moodle.
Does it require approval and from whom?
My Head of School has given me approval for the project.
What is the underpinning literature and practice that you can draw on?
My research will be underpinned by current literature in elearning such as Mason and Rennie (2006). I will also need to consider the different learning styles of the students and augmented learning (how the student interacts with the technology). I will explore different online materials. The Elearning Guidelines (Milne & Dimock, 2006) will also be a valuable resource for this project.
References
Mason, R., & Rennie, F. (2006). Elearning: The key concepts. New York: Routledge.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 8 March, 2009, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
This post will hopefully outline my plan for my Special Topic, concentrating on the learning outcomes of the paper. This will also become a guide for me for the semester to ensure that I keep on track. I will also consider setting up my own timeline for the semester to ensure that milestones are met.
What do you want to do?
The overall plan is to develop a face to face course into a course that may be taken by students studying at a different institution (that we collaborate with). Although it would be predominately seen as a distance course, I would like it to be more blended learning so that there is interaction between the facilitator and students.
Why?
The key reason for choosing this course is that there is the need to offer this paper online for students at another institution (it is a core paper that they must take as part of the Hotel Management major which is only offered at our institution).
By creating an online option this could allow other students to be able to take this course who may not be able to make on-campus classes.
Over the past few years there has been a push for more flexible learning offerings among our programmes.
What are the learning outcomes/project outcomes?
There are two different learning outcomes, obviously my own personal learning and the actual project outcomes.
I would like to explore some different eLearning technology that I have not previously used before. As an institution we have just moved to Moodle (open learning management system) at the start of 2010 (from Blackboard) so I am trying to navigate my way round Moodle, which will be used for this project. I would like to be able to use some videos or quizzes within the project that will assist the learners.
In terms of the project outcomes, it will provide an efficient way of delivering a course to remote students, as well as providing a very comprehensive resource and support for f2f students as well.
Why are they important at this time?
My own personal learning outcomes are important as I know that I have students wanting to take my papers online and I do not want to offer them an inferior product due to location and therefore want to understand the requirements of elearning. Through the project I hope to have a better understanding of the needs and requirements of students studying online (of course I am myself one of these, so through this blog I can also give my own reflections of the process)
Does it require a budget?
I will of course try where possible to not have a budget! Where possible I will look to use software that can be downloaded for free or use existing software that is available through the Polytechnic or resources on Moodle.
Does it require approval and from whom?
My Head of School has given me approval for the project.
What is the underpinning literature and practice that you can draw on?
My research will be underpinned by current literature in elearning such as Mason and Rennie (2006). I will also need to consider the different learning styles of the students and augmented learning (how the student interacts with the technology). I will explore different online materials. The Elearning Guidelines (Milne & Dimock, 2006) will also be a valuable resource for this project.
References
Mason, R., & Rennie, F. (2006). Elearning: The key concepts. New York: Routledge.
Milne, J., & Dimock, E. (2006). eLearning Guidelines. Guidelines for the support of e-learning in New Zealand Retrieved 8 March, 2009, from http://elg.massey.ac.nz/Guidelines-questions.pdf
Initial thoughts
Stop the procrastination and get on with the brainstorm process for a suitable special topic. My teaching area is Hotel Management as part of an Applied Business degree. As part of collaboration with another New Zealand polytechnic, we have students that can be enrolled onto the papers we offer and study these by distance. My teaching up until July last year as all been face to face (f2f) and therefore have not necessarily thought about some of the challenges of eLearning. I have decided to look at a paper that I am to facilitate next semester as a distance paper. I am currently teaching the paper f2f with students on campus for the first time. This will give me a good idea of the expectations I have with f2f students and then what I will need to accomplish with on online programme.
I had put my initial thoughts about this via the discussion board on Blackboard (the learning management system) that Manukau Institute of Technology use with their students. I think I was being a little too ambitious to start with, so am glad that Oriel let me know this! So that is where my thoughts are at the moment with my project – obviously more detail to come.
I think the key to the special topic is that the project is accomplishable within the semester. I really want to know that I have put in some effort, explored different eLearning options, trial things I have learnt through the course so far as well as being able to know that student learning will benefit from my efforts. Oh, and on a budget!
This blog will serve as a reflective journal throughout the semester, a place to post milestones and my progress. I hope that I will also gain some valuable feedback and comments from anyone that cares to follow what I am writing as well.
Of course there will be challenges along the way, the paper that I have chosen to use is a theoretical paper, but in our f2f situations there is alot of discussion in classes. I need to think about different ways that students can be interactive (this will of course depend on the number of students that might take this course via distance).
I had put my initial thoughts about this via the discussion board on Blackboard (the learning management system) that Manukau Institute of Technology use with their students. I think I was being a little too ambitious to start with, so am glad that Oriel let me know this! So that is where my thoughts are at the moment with my project – obviously more detail to come.
I think the key to the special topic is that the project is accomplishable within the semester. I really want to know that I have put in some effort, explored different eLearning options, trial things I have learnt through the course so far as well as being able to know that student learning will benefit from my efforts. Oh, and on a budget!
This blog will serve as a reflective journal throughout the semester, a place to post milestones and my progress. I hope that I will also gain some valuable feedback and comments from anyone that cares to follow what I am writing as well.
Of course there will be challenges along the way, the paper that I have chosen to use is a theoretical paper, but in our f2f situations there is alot of discussion in classes. I need to think about different ways that students can be interactive (this will of course depend on the number of students that might take this course via distance).
A new year, a new focus for my blog!
Another year and I am back to my elearning blog. This time it is going to be used for one of my final papers of the Graduate Certificate in Applied eLearning – Special Topic. The strange thing is, that I am completing a ‘special project” along with the paper Educational Design for eLearning which is often one of the first papers that people take! Oh well nothing like doing things a bit differently.
This blog will support my Special Topic course. I feel that I am a little behind at this stage, hard to believe that it is already week 5 of my own teaching, so I know I am behind with my study.
The learning outcomes for the Special Topic are to identify and negotiate an applied eLearning topic, design the process/plan by which the goals will be achieved, implement the process while modifying as appropriate, present a progress report at agreed stages and produce a report outlining and critiquing the project and outcomes.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Lost for words
Gosh, I am lost for words and feel very humble as I have just read that I have been nominated for an Edublog Award - Best Student Blog by Sarah Stewart. I first read this on Herve's blog and then confirmed by reading Sarah's blog.
I have been participating in a number of e-learning papers this year and have used a blog in my latest paper Facilitating Online, this course has certainly sparked my interest in using technology to enhance learning and support my own teaching.
I would not confess to be a writer by any means and at times I am very nervous about what I am writing on the blog as 'others' will read it, however, it is great to have a forum where you can be open with your ideas and reflections and even better when someone critiques or comments on your blog.
So thank you Sarah for your nomination!
I have been participating in a number of e-learning papers this year and have used a blog in my latest paper Facilitating Online, this course has certainly sparked my interest in using technology to enhance learning and support my own teaching.
I would not confess to be a writer by any means and at times I am very nervous about what I am writing on the blog as 'others' will read it, however, it is great to have a forum where you can be open with your ideas and reflections and even better when someone critiques or comments on your blog.
So thank you Sarah for your nomination!
Monday, November 30, 2009
FOC09 - My final Post
This is my final posting for the Facilitating Online Communities course. The key objective of the course was to explore online communities, facilitation as well as online tools (which included wiki, Second Life, elluminate, dimdim).
So what have I got out of FOC09?
This course has certainly been a journey, one of new experiences, learning and frustrations, however, the journey has come to an end and I feel relief and an appreciation of the differing roles that are involved within online courses. It took some time to really come to terms with the roles of ‘facilitator’ and ‘teacher’ and ‘moderator’ in online communities, however, having participated in and facilitated my own online event over the last few weeks, I have appreciated the difference between my own teaching role (comfort zone) and the very different facilitation role that I have witnessed through this paper. The mini conference was certainly a great way to put all the theory into practice!
This paper has certainly made me appreciate the difference between the three roles of teacher, facilitator and moderator. Back in August when I wrote the post regarding the role of facilitator it was hard to really know if a facilitator was “someone that managed a process of information exchange, and guided and managed a group to ensure the objectives were met effectively” – however, having watched Sarah in her role of facilitator through the course and again the experiences of the mini online conference this definition became much clearer.
I looked at some different discussion forums and I still await acceptance of one, may be they were not high users at all! These online forums have opened a new world of opportunities for both my own learning and professional teaching as well as the opportunities they have for our learners. Since my original post on the topic, I have come to better understand how these discussion forums can be useful and do we really need ‘shield’ ourselves behind a learning management system. Here’s to being more ‘openly’ involved in discussions.
From here we moved onto blogging networks. I tried to keep my interest within my own teaching context of hotel, hospitality and tourism at this stage and found a number of interesting sites, but they probably in hindsight were not necessarily the best examples of ‘networks’. As Willie commented, they probably were more advertising, but useful anyway.
From here we ventured into the virtual world of Second Life where I became my alter ego of pommieangel diabolo – she certainly had a better figure than me! Although this was my first time in SL and somewhat daunting, I can really see the range of possibilities that could be used in my teaching practice (although like many things it is the time required to prepare resources etc). At this stage of the course, everything became a little frantic! There was no break in the course, it was the busiest time of the year and I was worried that I was not going to make it!
My online event went ahead, I tried to be at as many events as I could make and have found that I have learnt so much through participation and attendance. The group have been so supportive of each other and I have valued the interaction.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
FOC09 Reflection on my event
I have had the opportunity now to participate in some of the other on line events as part of our mini conference. I must admit that I was very fortunate that technology was on my side, although I did favour using elluminate which we had been using through the course for some of our group “get togethers” (although the first time for me facilitating in elluminate).
Reflection on the event:
I decided for my event to facilitate a session on elluminate, I wanted to trial this medium as I can see benefits of using this online tool within my own teaching practice in the future.
I marketed my event via the FOC09 wiki page, as well as emailing my colleagues in the School of Applied Business, Otago Polytechnic and also through an internal message board at Otago Polytechnic and via a link through my blog. I was quite pleased with the number of attendees, although in hindsight more could have been done to promote the mini conference itself (through wider networks) as there were a lot of very varied and interesting topics.
My presenter (and colleague) Hillary Jenkins gave a 10 minute presentation on the use of wikis in education using the Diploma in Applied Travel and Tourism course as her example. This was then followed by a question session. As part of the presentation there was a link to the appropriate website, however, I failed to let people know that they would have to manipulate the website; this could not be controlled by the facilitator! Although people did not comment on this at the time, it may have been a little confusing and a point that I should certainly make mention of in future presentations. The use of wikis and collaboration had been one of our learning topics through the course and I have an interest in finding ways that people would collaborate with this online tool.
I think some of the key issues that I have learnt from my own event and from attending other FOC09 events was the preparation required, the ability to “think on your feet” and to be confident enough to “take charge"!
I wanted my event to be a facilitated session rather than a lesson/lecture style session, so the short presentation (to hopefully stimulate questions) followed by questions, seemed to work well.
As a facilitator in elluminate you do have to watch for both the ‘chat’ questions as well as people wanting to ask questions via audio. The participants did seem to engage with the presenter and there was some good discussion at the end.
So what have I learnt from my facilitation, you need to be prepared for all eventualities, there is skill and the need to multi task. When you are the facilitator, you have to let the presenter/teacher do their thing and let the participants engage. The role of facilitator is not to control, but to guide the event.
So here’s to my next facilitated event!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
FOC09 - After the event!
My event which was part of the mini conference for Facilitating Online Communities 2009 was held yesterday. The topic for the session was Use of Wikis in education. Hillary Jenkins presented information on how wikis have been used within the Diploma of Applied Travel and Tourism, Otago Polytechnic. Through her presentation, Hillary spoke of the importance of ‘building an online community’, both with the students on the course, but also through collaboration of information on the wiki. I will write a further post regarding the event and my learning of online communities.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
FOCO9 Mini Conference details
Only six days before my online event where I will be facilitating a session with Hillary Jenkins, Programme Manager of Travel and Tourism from Otago Polytechnic. Hillary has been using wiki educator within her teaching for a number of year. During her presentation, Hillary will discuss how this can be used as both an educational tool to support her students as well as a marking tool. Prior to the event on Wednesday 18 November at 1pm (NZ time) you may want to browse through the Travel and Tourism wiki pages. Hillary presented some of her developmental work at the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning.
At the end of the presentation, there will be time for questions.
If technology fails, there will be a backup plan via Skype and if that fails, the event will be re-scheduled.
I look forward to welcoming you.
At the end of the presentation, there will be time for questions.
If technology fails, there will be a backup plan via Skype and if that fails, the event will be re-scheduled.
I look forward to welcoming you.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
FOC09 - Mini Conference
So, my date is set for the mini conference and I have chosen to stick with a more familiar setting of elluminate, rather than the more exciting venue of Second Life (Sarah, I have not really chickened out!).
For the mini conference I have invited Hillary Jenkins (Programme Manager of Travel and Toursim) from Otago Polytechnic to talk about how she has been using wikis in promoting her courses, use of wiki in travel and tourism education and how students can collaborate in the learning experience and adding to the body of knowledge.
This session will be run via elluminate on Wednesday 18 November at 1pm.
For the mini conference I have invited Hillary Jenkins (Programme Manager of Travel and Toursim) from Otago Polytechnic to talk about how she has been using wikis in promoting her courses, use of wiki in travel and tourism education and how students can collaborate in the learning experience and adding to the body of knowledge.
This session will be run via elluminate on Wednesday 18 November at 1pm.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
FOC09 - Catching up, Second Life & Mini Conference
Well, I know that I have some catching up to do and have definitely neglected the Facilitating Online Community for awhile, however I think I am getting my head round wikis, Second Life and also have signed up to the Online Facilitators Network on Grou.ps.
I was able to experience one session in Second Life, which was a general orientation. Pommieangel (my alter ego) certainly enjoyed “jumping” around the place and began to get used to chatting (either using the chat function or via voice). In some aspects Second Life gives you freedom to explore and be someone that you may not necessarily be in your “true” life, whilst another part of me thought what are we doing sitting here, chatting through these avatars. I would like to have the time to explore this as a teaching method more as I could see benefits for students in role play situations, however, it would be good to see these in action.
In relation to facilitation, I could see that if you were having a meeting or some form of formal teaching that the use of facilitator and moderator could be required.
Although it would be great to have held something in Second Life for the mini conference, due to timing and also the technical issues that some people have with connection, then I think that I will change that.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
FOC09 - Catching up
Back to reality with a bump! after 10 days of glorious sunshine in Queensland. Now I have quite a lot of catching up to do. Need to digest wikis and second life so that I can also think about the online conference. Will be back soon with further ideas. Did manage to get into Second Life before I went away, although will be glad of a tutorial - found it rather daunting when a dashing young man came up to me and started chatting! At least I managed to "walk away" (well stumble over something!).
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
FOC09 - Blogging Networks
A few tasks to complete this week, firstly to have an understanding of what blogosphere is and blogging networks and then to make contact with a member of a blogging network to see if they would benefit from facilitation services. Interestingly, before I even started to look at blogging networks, I had read that blogging has become a 'little old hat' in comparison to Facebook, Twitter or having a MySpace page, but then I also read that blogging remains one of the most effective ways to brand a business online, so there must be merit. Could this also be just part of technology, where we quickly move from one technology to another. Some of the key points that I have picked up from "bloggers" is that you need to ensure that you post regularly to your blog, post from experience, define your context, write well and use a clean design. Although there may be many more key pointers, these are a good starting point.
Another blog that I follow is Upgrade: Travel Better. I did not know before this part of the course work that they were actually part of a wider blogging network or community called Trusted Travel Blogs. There are 25 listed blogs and they state that it is a ‘community project’ and ‘user monitored’. They state that their members “love reading and writing travel blogs and hope the keep the community fresh and clean”. They have two primary things in common:
- they're recognized for consistently high publishing standards and
- their content is not influenced by undisclosed affiliations with third parties.
Again, like the activity that we were required to do for the online forum, it is quite hard to make contact with someone…. Still working on that part for the above network.
Although I have not received a definite answer whether or not blogging networks should have a facilitator, I think it is important to remember that blogs are people’s ideas and opinions and are not necessarily the way that everyone has to think. Yet, saying that, if you are going to say something in an open forum, then you have to be ready to have your view points challenged by other members. Within some networks there may be some guidelines (similar to closed forums) of membership regulations. Over the past few weeks, I have seen that blogging networks and online forums are thriving in many different ways.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
FOC09 - Online Communities discussion
- communicating towards a common goal
- bringing people together that have the same interest
- like minded people sharing information
- level of contribution is dependent on individual choice
- shared knowledge (through shared experiences, question/answers
Despite these, there is also the sense of how long it takes for an online community to build trust with each other (this is can be debated, some people will like the anonymity of this type of forum, where as others will feel that trust takes time when you are not f2f). I also need to gain a better understanding of the forums and the role of facilitators and moderators.
- Good online discussions
- What a host does, what a host tries to grow
- Host behaviour
- Group facilitation skills
- Cybrarianship
- Passion for community
- Ability to facilitate facilitative behaviours within the community
She also went on to say that the facilitator may also act as a ‘referee’, and would also need further skills such as a “thick skin and slow fuse, internet experiences, familiarity with common netiquette”.
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