Collaborative exercise

As per my last post (May 1), students this week commenced working in teams to collaboratively devise concepts for their branching e-learning scenarios. I suspected that team ideas would be more engaing than individual ones and I wanted the students to experience for themselves the effectiveness of collaboration within the creative process.

Here are some details/observations from the f2f class where this occcurred:

1. I suggested they form their own groups of 2 or 3.
2. Initially a little slow to form groups, but this resolved itself in under 3 minutes with one exception (see 3 below). There are 6 groups overall.
   
3. A very quiet individual in the class did not leave their seat for some time. I encouraged them individually, then mentioned to the whole class that they make sure noone is left out. A group of 2 then invited the remaining individual to join them. This group performed really well and came up with some strong concepts for the project.
4. One group retired to a break-out room where it was a little quieter to work -- this group completed their planning first.
5. After some initial hesitation with the theme of "safety" --- following brief brainstorming, all groups devised interesting and different approaches. I selected a deliberately 'dry' topic in order to stretch their creative problem-solving muscles --- the groups rose to the challenge.
6. Most classes for these students are computer based -- this was a pleasant departure from that format.
   
7. The mood in the room was very upbeat as they worked with their concepts - I congratulated them on their efforts. It felt very gratifying to see my learning ideas work as planned.
   

The planning exercise involves making a decision tree ( a little like a 'choose your own adventure' story) and each branching decision needs to teach the audience a concept. I chose to do this in a f2f environment for the following reasons:

1. This activity needed some guidance. When there were questions about how to frame some concepts -- small suggestions from me got things moving again quickly. I needed to be there.
2. Previously I had investigated online mindmaps to see if this would work for this exercise and decided against it, based on the time it would take to brainstorm online or asynchronously.
3. Previous learning pref discussions in this class have revealed the kinesthetic learning prefs of these students. As I suggested using mindmaps and other tactile techniques (postits etc) for brainstorming ideas, this worked best f2f. And quicker too.
4. The collaboration of the groups seemed more effective in person, rather than online. It was more animated, funny at times, full of body language, very expressive etc.
5. Groups got most of the work done in the 2hr f2f class - some groups will meet later to finish.

So oddly enough, even though a flexible learning environment is designed to largely solve the time-poor problems of learners - there are times when a f2f approach seems the quickest to a solution.

Adobe Captivate 4

Over the last 3 weeks, I have introduced Adobe Captivate 4 in f2f classes as an e-learning authoring tool. The Adobe speel claims that no programming or multimedia skills are required, but I have found through teaching Captivate to non-multimedia teachers in the past that the tool is a little daunting to those without multimedia experience.

However, my multimedia students (with existing Flash skills etc) have found it very easy to pick up -- collectively we summed it up as "like Powerpoint with a timeline". In just 2 weeks f2f (total 4 hrs) we have looked at using the tool to develop content that incorporates screen demos, presentations, and quizzes. Soon we will look at how the tool can be used to develop interactive branching scenarios.

Following the screencasts developed by students using Screenr (see post on March 17), they appreciate the editing capabilities of Captivate which allows the author to edit mouse paths, insert new audio, etc. I wanted them to see the differences between the 2 approaches to screen recording and appreciate the immediacy of the free online tool (Screenr) before being exposed to the sophisticated commercial alternative (Captivate).

Students are now working in groups to design their own branching scenarios to teach some aspect of 'safety'. The next project will involve authoring these individually in Captivate.

The initial group-based design is intended to encourage collaboration amongst students -- students clearly are stretched further in a collaborative environment, enabling greater learning opportunities and a more interesting design. Building the products individually will allow personal approaches to their own folio pieces.

Some technical probs

A week or so ago, two different students explained that they have not been able to access the online resources from home. This caused me to consider a few points:

1. Why did they wait this long to mention this? Was it fear of appearing foolish, or was the problem intermittent?
2. Only 2 out of 17 class members seem to have the problem - but it is still a problem nonetheless
3. As far as we can tell, the problem relates to their individual setups on their home computers - still trying to determine exactly what the issue is, but it is clearly hard to cater for everyones unique setups (although we should)
   
4. In the meantime, the blended approach and the availability of computers outside of class has meant these students have not been disadvantaged (I fact these two students are more up to date than others)
5. I have used institute SMS and email communication to pass on possible solutions from our IT staff

Needless to say, this is still a WIP...

Focus areas for this research

Before I get into the post, I havent forgotten about this blog, just life gets in the way sometimes. Anyway, onward and upward...

I've been doing a lot of reading of academic papers related to this research and there are many themes that are suitable to pursue when discussing instructional design pedagogy and flexible learning. However this is a small project so I've limited the list to these main points:

• learner-centredness -- the notion of learner choice and making a distinction between 'learners get' and 'learners do'
  
• constructivist approach -- particularly using a learner-centred environment to engage learners in knowledge construction through collaboration, meaningful contexts and reflection
  
• blended learning -- explore as an effective model for online learning
  
• use of technology -- particularly warning against starting the learning design process with technology solutions in mind (ie: learning concepts first, tools second)
  
• teachers role - how does this transform in a flexible learning environment?

This next and last item is not really a main point, more something I'd like to develop as the research ensues...

• Some broad guidelines or tips for pedagogical approaches to flexible learning (maybe a mash-up of what's out there)

Learning styles

We discussed learning styles with the students a couple of weeks ago and here are some thoughts/outcomes from that discussion.

• There are numerous models and tests available to discover our learning styles. No two models seem the same.


• There is some criticism of the idea of modelling learning styles into concise categories.


• Many students already knew they had certain preferences for their style of learning but were surprised with some of the results.


• We used an online tool to assess individual styles -- I found this at www.learning-styles-online.com/


• The tool allowed us to generate a diagram for each students and then l'ayer these up' and compare them to find similiarities and differences. I set up a group account for this purpose and it worked very well even notifying me by email when students completed the activity.


• Students expected everyone in the class to have some similiar preferences. This was so but there were some exceptions.


• Some students were absent however as the tool is web-based they were still able to participate in the exercise from home or later in the week.

Screenr

Thought I'd mentioned this earlier but I hadn't so here is some info about Screenr now.

Continuing the theme of the last post, an important concept in this subject is for the users to understand the role of instructional design in e-learning development. They may not be training to be teachers, but ID is an important component in the design of any e-learning project.

With this in mind, I asked them to use Screenr to post two video based screencasts showing how to complete a computer-based task using a tool they are very familiar with (eg: Photoshop, Flash, etc). In f2f class we examined good and bad examples of this and discussed hints to improve the end-product. We also experimented with the tool to get familiar with its basic operation.

Recording a screencast is quite difficult given the multi-tasking nature of the work. It involves demonstrating one program, whilst operating another program and explaining the first program and its context in a planned and logical way. Whilst the end-product may only be 3-5 minutes long (for eg), it takes many attempts to get to an acceptable result - especially for the beginner. This is a big ask, even for a Diploma student, however many of the submissions have been quite good (with more still to come).

They arent studying teaching, but I am sure they all have a new found respect for teachers and trainers, now that they have experienced this role first-hand. This may actually impact on their assesment of me and my performance as a teacher.

This learning activity was designed to stretch and extend them and it definitely was the most challenging so far for students.

Dipity

Used dipity this week as an example of a web2 tool that allows learners to generate content for learning. In my context I have asked the students to put on their "instructional designer" hats and create a timeline that teaches the audience about a person, thing, or event. This will give them an opportunity to apply some instructional design concepts that we have discussed into their work and also have some fun with a different multimedia tool.

Dipity has limited variations in appearance and can exhibit some quirky behaviour at times (being an online tool) however it has a lot of features which I have earmarked as important to e-learning, including

• allows the audience to interact with the end product as a form of discovery
• incorporates true multimedia via support for text, images, video, maps, etc
• the multimedia assists audience engagement and motivation
• an element of play
• can be collaborative, ie a number of people can contribute to a single timeline

A few thoughts...

Haven't posted for a little while so I'll rectify that with a few thoughts now:

1. Based on feedback and participation levels it seems that students are genuinely enjoying the flexibility of the 'course'. New ideas are grasped enthusuastically and after some initial questions/introductions to each topic, they get down to work.


2. The blended approach (2hrs in classroom + 2hrs online per week) is definitely making things work better - for both me and them. I can guage their individual reactions better, help those that need more support, move back'n'forth between the roles of sage/guide/friend, etc. I think this has been a critical aspect of the success of the module so far.


3. My workload has increased a little and this is mainly the result of converting a classroom delivery into an online format. Whilst the flexibility of the online component has assisted me, there has been considerable setup and maintenance to make things work both pedagogically and technically. I think the second time I run this subject in this format will be more straight-forward.

Good & bad outcomes from a technical glitch

There was a technical glitch with the web-server over the weekend resulting in students and myself unable to access the online course material. There were good and bad outcomes from this.

BAD: Obvious stuff...

1. Students could not complete the homework that was set (due this week).
2. I was unable to update the course material with this weeks material.
3. There may also have been some erosion of confidence in the online platform.

GOOD:

1. The problem prompted a class discussion about our reliance on technology. Whilst it is engrained in the way we live (and learn), there is a need for individuals to problem solve to get around the odd glitch here and there. Problem solving usually means lateral thinking skills. It was good to turn the negative around and make something of it. I posed the discussion question - do you feel 'incomplete' if you havent checked your email or facebook for a day or two?
2. The keen students had either emailed or approached me to tell me about the problems they were experiencing -- it informally identified those who are committed to doing the work.
3. The blended approach (some classes online and some face to face) means I can fall back to more traditional delivery when the technology lets me down. In this case I quickly repurposed the online resources for the f2f class and was good to go.
4. My workplace is becoming more reliant on online formats for learning -- but this is not always supported or understood by support departments. On this occasion the IT area saw first-hand the impact of an interruption to our online delivery (there were a number of departments and students affected). Hopefully this will reinforce the need to re-prioritise IT resources to avoid a repeat performance -- or at least to minimise it.
   

Voice board problem fixed

Noticed a problem today with the voice board on Blackboard -- students could view the previous posts but couldn't post new ones! Not much point in that!
I think it was an oversight of mine when I created the board, as there is a small checkbox to click to enable this obviously important feature. Anyway I recreated the board, tested it and deleted the old empty board. All works now!
This actually gave me the opportunity to send the class-list a group SMS and an email to ensure they knew the problem was fixed and that I expected them to get the small task finished before we meet again. I used a feature of our student record management system (enabled at enrolment) to send the group messages. Down the track, I'll make sure I refer to the group SMS/email as an example of e-communication aiding the whole distance-learning process.

Online learning tools

I know the tools merely enable a carefully conceived learning strategy -- but some great tools inspire some great strategies too.
Today I discovered some useful online tools suitable for e-learning, these are shared by Steph Hendy on her various blogs and slideshare presentations.
Some of my thoughts are...

1. Project idea : students use an online character creator (list here and here) to develop characters and backgrounds for comic-style instruction. They could develop a concept that incorporates the comic character as an instructor within an e-learning product for children or adolescents.
   Eg: alien or animal teaches primary children about enviro issues; historic character teaches a history, art or geo lesson; superhero teaches teens about cyber-safety, etc.
2. Tools for a collaborative mindmap or brainstorm exercise
3. A simple and familiar example of e-learning --> typing tutors

I'll develop these ideas further over the next couple of weeks.

I discovered the reports

Just discovered the reports feature in Blackboard -- it's early days for the course so I can't read too much into the stats yet, but I can see this is going to be a useful tool to diagnose how the learners respond to the online material.
In my structure I've made deliberate decisions about the groupings and the order of content elements. It appears that the ideas are working and students are moving through the elements the way I planned, with some obvious deviations for self-discovery.

Voice Tools

I've been experimenting with the voice tools available in Blackboard and have decided to incorporate an activity where students can record some reflective thoughts on 2 e-learning examples I have provided. The examples both deal with the same subject matter (How to Dissect a Frog... YEWW!), but they each use a different approach.
By asking the students to reflect and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each approach verbally I am going for a dialogic approach to the learning (ala Freire and Vella) and this will also make the activity more interesting. Responses are limited to maximum 3 minutes.

Two observations to make later:

1. Will they say a lot or a little? How spontaneous or rehearsed are the responses?
2. Their recordings will be available for the entire class to listen to -- will this hinder or enhance the process?
   

Getting started online

The Diploma of Interactive Digital Media students (approx 16) commenced classes this week and they are studying a unit titled "Design e-learning resources" (CUFDIG503A) with me. The subject involves content of both a research (theory) and design (practical) nature with clear links between the two. I will adopt a blended approach using an online format for the theory and a face-to-face format for the practical aspects. Approximately 2 hrs per week has been allocated for each format, making 4 hrs overall in the subject.

The students responded well to the idea of some flexible delivery and are looking forward to experiencing e-learning as both a developer (f2f) and user (online). We will use the Blackboard LMS for the online component, and I spent a few hours today initialising the course, enrolling students and setting up the first activity which involves collectively developing a glossary of e-learning terms using an online discussion tool. I'm considering expanding this later with a second activity involving threaded discussion where students can expand and give feedback on the terminology entries.

Our next f2f class will introduce the Blackboard online environment - I have some PDF notes and a short (15 min) introductory course to work through some of the online tools in class. My plan is for srudents to do this intro in the f2f environment with me so that any technical problems can be ironed out before students try it at home alone. Even though these students are reasonably tech-savvy I'm trying to create the softest landing possible into the online medium.