Sharing information has been easy and simple with Google Drive and Dropbox, however, my organization has adopted Microsoft Office 365 and OneDrive for Business to protect data and provide consistency for district, school, faculty, and student communication and collaboration. While I work on the district level to design and develop online learning, I also teach for our virtual high school - to improve my practice and because working with a class of my own keeps me grounded to the essence of education - students. This time of year our entire district is focused on End of Course Exams (EOCs), Advanced Placement Exams, and the state achievement tests for elementary and middle schools.
My AP Art History class is entirely online, no textbook for students to review during this crucial crunch time. While they can review content from the course and their notes at any time, several students were asking for a timeline to support their study efforts. I spent two weeks walking back through the course from ancient Mesopotamia through the Renaissance, and into contemporary modern art. The trick was how to best share the document with students while it was being created, and how to allow for some crowd sourcing of content from the class. A final consideration was the file size, as we continued to add images of master works the document grew beyond the ability to email through our system.
Microsoft OneDrive provided the best asynchronous means to upload and share the spreadsheet timeline with my class. At first I shared the link with them through email, but last night after our most recent synchronous study session using Blackboard Collaborate, I discovered an instant QR code creator right inside the system. By clicking on the three little dots after a document, and then choosing "Share", one is able to "Get a Link" that can be emailed or embedded in our course. However, there is a little phone icon after the link and clicking on that icon provides an immediate QR code for either viewing or editing the document. I can't wait to share this with teachers in our district!
As a long-time blended learning teacher, advocate, and consultant my greatest struggle has always been how best to communicate and support the blended shift in a school or classroom. Many teachers view blended learning as flipping instruction, or as student use of online resources or purchased instructional programs. However, true blended learning goes beyond surface level technology integration, it creates a fundamental instructional shift in the classroom. Even with teachers that "get it" there continues to be the challenge of administrator buy-in and technology support. The Clayton Christensen Institute's site has been my go-to spot for explaining and introducing those in my organization to the various models and practices current in blended learning environments. An exciting new resource created in partnership with the Clayton Christensen Institute and Silicon Schools Fund provides a free and open course that anyone can access and complete on Khan Academy. This Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) provides structured and specific information guiding participants through definitions, models, case studies, practical applications, and in-depth uses of the various models to support stunt growth and achievement. Click on the image above to see the elegantly designed course and learn more about blended learning. Happy blending!
For those of us who are visual, creative, thinkers... data can be overwhelming. Just picking up a budget spreadsheet causes my eyes to glaze over. However, great sites now offer professionally created inforgraphics covering a wide range of interesting concepts, topics, data, and ideas. My favorite of these sites is http://visual.ly
Recently I felt bold enough to try out some info graphic creation of my own. I've seen some useful tools and templates online, but I wanted something a little more organic and a little less helpful. HubSpot has a free PowerPoint template with 5 preset graphic styles. Everything a creative needs to get started and test the waters.
I signed up on their site for the free templates, here is the link: Free Infographic Template on HubSpot. Then I make a copy of the original, delete all but one of the slides, delete most of the template content, and design away. I've also found it useful to build in stages, using a separate PPT file to create a section of content and the copy and paste all onto the info graphic template. Once my design is complete, I save it as a PDF, the open the PDF and export as an image. To me this is a natural way to tell a visual story using familiar tools and processes.
Here's an example of my first attempt. This info graphic was used in a district-wide online professional developent training on Common Core, PARCC assessments, and the connection of those to our district strategic plan - MNPS 2018. You can see how each of the three sections is divided, those were each built separately in their own PPT file and then copied and added to the info graphic file. Once the major content and imagery was in place, I shared the raw file with my team and had them make changes to text and font, shadows, and reflections to produce a jazzier feel. The final product was then uploaded in the course and printed off using a poster maker.
We were all rather pleased with the results but were unprepared for the popularity of the graphic. Several schools have made their own posters of the info graphic, and recently one school even tweeted out an image of the poster.
So, why not give it a shot? Download the templates for yourself and see what you can do. Just be sure to post in the comments so others can see your amazing info art!
Discussion posts provide students with the opportunity to test out learning and gain feedback from peers. Throughout our learning journey we have posted initial thoughts concerning prompts proposed in our course utilizing resources shared from primary resources.
As one considers the opportunities such constructive and collaborative activities provide, where would you find resources to engage your students on the topic of online assessment? How would you share these resources with your audience?
The following rubric will be used to score your response:
Score 3 worth 24–20 points—student correctly identifies the artwork and connects the image to the prompt (20 pts). Student includes the cultural context of the artwork directly connecting the culture with the artwork’s physical attributes in two areas (25–20 pts). There may be a few minor errors.
Score 2 worth 19–15 points—student correctly identifies the artwork but does not connect the image to the prompt (10 pts) or student does not correctly identify the artwork but identifies the style, culture or time period (10 pts) with correct reasons to support their statements (15 pts). Student includes some cultural context of the artwork and only attempts to describe the artwork’s physical attributes (20–15 pts). The essay is generally not well developed. There may be significant errors.
Score 1 worth 14–10 points—student does not identify the artwork or connect the image to the prompt. Student includes only vague cultural context for the artwork and only attempts to describe the artwork’s physical attributes (25–20 pts). The essay is generally not well developed. There may be significant errors.
Score 0 worth 0–9 points—attempt is made but without valid concepts (15 pts) or no attempt is made (0pts).
While some free online tools exist to
support the detection of plagiarism, most institutions purchase programs such
as Turnitin, Grammerly, and SafeAssign, to check not only Internet
resource plagiarism, but to host a database of previously submitted student
work for the institution.This practice
can greatly enhance an institution’s ability to hold students accountable for
academic integrity, even if a student copies his or her own work from a
previous course.Although these programs
promote the ethical use of information, they create a false sense of security
in that the work a student submits is their own.In my district’s virtual school, there were
some cases in which a student account was submitting work of sufficient
academic integrity, however, the student’s parent was doing all the work.This prompted the virtual school to implement a
policy in which content in an online course is split into modules and each
student must schedule a “call-in” with the teacher of record to talk about what
they have learned in the module.This
process has greatly helped in ensuring that the student of record is the one
completing the work.The virtual school final
course exams are proctored and students must come to a testing site and provide
photo identification to be given the online exam.In this manner, the virtual school has been
able to prove that the student of record is the individual completing and
submitting the work.
More important than the detection of
plagiarism is the development of student’s sense of ethics and integrity.Challenging students and building a culture
of respect for individual contributions will have a greater and more positive
impact than whether a program caught a “copy/paste” infraction.The lesson is not, in the not getting caught,
but in the not wanting to steal in the first place.
Just as the Internet has provided
almost unlimited access to information in the virtual classroom, teachers in the
physical classroom have had to deal with these issues as well.In a great post entitled, “Google-Proof
Questioning: A New Use For Bloom’s Taxonomy”, blogger and educator John
Sowash shares how teachers can challenge students in meaningful and creative
ways.Similarly, online courses can be
designed with the intention of getting beyond the copy/paste option and into
the creation of more personalized content that cannot be stolen but must be
created to meet a specific goal.
References:
Jocoy,
C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study
in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open &
Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the
Education Research Complete database.
Technology
provides a vehicle for delivery of communication in the online environment (Simonson,
Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2008).Multimedia designed well and with a focusing purpose can add to the
content delivery and meeting of diverse learner needs (Cooper, Colwel, &
Jelfs, 2007).While all these are useful
aspects of technology, some drawbacks include the diverse systems, software,
platforms, and Internet speeds of the student.
As
an instructional designer in the learning technology department of my
organization, there is a constant battle between the use of technology for the
sake of technology and the careful design and implementation of technology to
enhance learning.Two years ago, our
state received a large grant called “Race to the Top” from the federal
government to increase instructional use of technology, STEM, and the technology
infrastructure of the district.One
million dollars of the grant was set up as a competitive grant, which all
schools were able to submit a proposal.Guidelines and stipulations were given, but the end goal was to
encourage school leaders to break out into innovative ideas and strategies for
the use of technology to engage students and teachers.The surprising and sad fact was that many of
the grants were more about the “stuff” than the learner outcomes and program
goals.The schools that were chosen came
up with some terrific ideas, and all those who submitted put a lot of work into their proposals,
but technology alone is not the answer (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &
Zvacek, 2008).In a similar manner, an
online instructor must carefully plan and design the use of technology as a
tool to meet a desired student outcome (Conrad, & Donaldson, 2011).If transactional distances are vast,
meaningful interactions made possible by the technology will increase the
engagement and construction of collective meaning (Boettcher, & Conrad,
2010).
When
designing instruction in any medium, the designer must first consider and
analyze the target audience.As a clear
picture of the end user is developed, better choices can be made as to appropriate
learning objects and course design (Burgstahler, 2006).Not all students may have access to
high-speed Internet, or unlimited streaming capabilities.Students may have time or geographical
distances that would make synchronous activities difficult.Many online courses include a minimum
requirement list to help students assess their equipment and access to the
content.
Drive by trainings... "Oh My!"
Through
my work in the K-12 realm, I am most excited by the possibility of creating
sustainable professional learning communities through our district learning
management system.In the past we have
jokingly referred to our efforts for professional development to be “drive by
trainings” in which participants enjoyed the session, but little transference
occurred from theory to practice.With
148 schools, and over 5,000 teachers, our small staff of 7 struggles to make
inroads into the classroom.However, by
offering face-to-face sessions with an online organization and online
professional development, we are beginning to see that the continuous support
and online interaction creates an elearning community focused around a
purpose.In a recent webinar, one of the
speakers shared a profound thought that collaborative learning leads to
collective knowledge (Marini, McGonagle, & Peterson, 2013).The opportunity to facilitate groups, project
based learning, discussions, and shared content with the powerful connection of
the learning management system has me excited about the upcoming year in our
schools. Here is a simple Infographic I created to help explain the concept of online interaction as it relates to face-to-face interaction.
Levels of Interaction created by Tischann Nye, March, 2013 for the MNPS Learning Technology Department.
References:
Boettcher,
J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple
and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Burgstahler,
S. (2006).The development of accessibility indicators for distance learning
programs. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 14(1/2), 79-102.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete
database.
Conrad,
R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities
and resources for creative instruction(Updated ed.). San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.
Cooper,
M., Colwell, C., & Jelfs, A. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability:
Considerations for e-learning research and development projects. ALT-J:
Research in Learning Technology, 15(3), 231-245.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete
database.
Marini, P., McGonagle, L., Peterson,
K., (2013, June).Collaboration and Content in Online
Course Design [webinar].EdTech
Leaders Online (ETLO).Archived at: http://www.edtechleaders.org/webinars
Simonson,
M., Smaldino S., Albright M., & Zvacek S. (2008). Teaching and learning
at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Needless to say, these issues greatly
frustrated the participants, many of whom were not confident in their abilities
to use technology and therefore felt defeated by the training.
Content from Blended Learning Training: Roadsigns to Point the Way
(USDT, 2009)
Throughout
this online course you will see signs and directions similar to the
question mark sign to the left. A guide for all the signs in the course
is shown below. Note that some signs point out the direction you will
need to scroll to see the next piece of the training, some point out
informational text, others show where a particular action is needed on
your part, and finally there are signs to indicate the end of a portion
or the end of the course.
Read through the information below to note the method for directing you through what you should do each step of the way.
Roadsigns used in this course.
(USDT, 2009)
Information Sign: This sign indicates some information you will need to read before proceeding.
(USDT, 2009)
One-Way Sign: This sign indicates that you should proceed to the next section of the module.
(USDT, 2009)
Road Work Sign: This sign indicates that some work is required before proceeding to the next section.
To the right of this sign, you will find the directions to complete the work.
(USDT, 2009)
Exit
Only Sign: This sign indicates the end of a module. Below this sign,
you will find directions for navigating to the next module.
(USDT, 2009)
Playground
Sign: This sign is only found at the end of the orientation,
indicating that it is time for you to take what you have learned and go
play in your own online classes.
In an online course, there is only one
chance at a first impression.As I
designed this course, careful consideration was taken to address the analyzed
needs of my learners.As an added level
of review, I asked my neighbor who is retired, aged 69, and not a computer user
(except for looking up motorcycles on Craigslist) to navigate the course and
provide constructive criticism. His
honest thoughts as he test-drove the course helped show me areas that were
unclear to an objective participant.This new and improved version launched in April 2013 and has received
reviews that clearly show that learners are engaging with the content instead
of the helpdesk!
Screen shot of the landing page of the orientation, a fun character greets the learner, directions are provided on next steps, and narrative text is available to support universal design for learning.
Here is the snail greeter for the course, made with Voki. He is at the
top of each page to provide structure and continuity, and I placed him
at the end to give a pat on the back to participants as they completed
the training.
"“Welcome to this online familiarization
session for blended learning. As many of you, are new to the fully
online experience, road-signs have been put into this course to guide
you through each step of the learning. Take a look below to see the
signs you will encounter in this course. This page contains essential
information for our online journey. Take some time to scroll down and
begin your online learning experience. Oh, and be sure to follow the
road signs! I look forward to seeing you again in Module 1!”"
