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Curator Module: How Could I Not Blog?

It turns out that when I participated in the eCampus Ontario mOOC (Winter 2018), I never blogged about my participation in this module. It is ironic because this turned out to be the module that introduced me to creative commons licensing, how to search and evaluate Open Educational Resources (OER), the CRAAP test, and ultimately led to the Medical Terminology Collaboration project and the publishing of Building A Medical Terminology Foundation. This lit the fire that now fuels me to share my learning and passion for Open Educational Practices (OEP). Since, I will help the wonderful Holly Ashbourne, lead the curator module I dug up my old reflections and will share them with you here.

Come back in time to Winter 2018…..

My Definition

To be honest I had never given the definition of content curation any thought before this module. I know, that each Spring I search out textbooks ensuring that mine will cover what I need to meet the course outcomes, modifying what is in the text, and supplementing with extra (often online) resources. So with this in mind my definition of content curation is: The act of searching out, scrutinizing, and modifying and/or supplementing content. Then organizing content in a way that meets the course outcomes and the way that I teach my courses. Curran (2014) suggests that while content curation is nothing new there are tools for teachers that will assist in curating high quality content that is attractive to students. 

Find an Image

Attribution: No changes made credit to Pennsylvania DMVA via Flickr

In this activity, we were to locate an image we could use in our teaching.
I wanted a picture that represented Therapeutic Communication between a Health Office Administrator and a client.

  • I searched creative commons, Unsplash, and settled with Flickr.
  • I used various combinations of elderly, nursing, caregiver, and communication in my search.
  • I tried variations using both and and or.
  •  Finally I was able to find the image above by using “Elderly” and “Nursing” on Flickr.
  • It should be noted that some cheeky (inappropriate) pictures came up under nursing. There is no guarantee that the pictures you search out will always be classroom appropriate.

Find Your Fit

I spent many hours over two days searching out medical terminology textbooks. Using the Boolean suggestions, I tried variations of health care terminology, medical language and biology. Biology seemed to bring me the most luck although nothing focused specifically on medical terminology. It was easy to go down the rabbit hole and I found all kinds of cool simulation activities.  

Merlot offered free medical terminology courses but no medical terminology books. I clicked on Merlot’s libraries and it brought me to a few including Khan Academy Previously, I taught Anatomy and Physiology and I often used Khan Academy’s lessons. I finally found a collection of biology course resources through Open Stax , Rice College that were broken down by body system. It would be nice to use these in combination with the A&P teacher and build in a medical terminology glossary with each chapter. While each chapter does have a basic glossary, it is without the specific focus on building medical terms we use in the program that I teach.

We were invited to share what we learned using a Padlet . Please see the Padlet images that I shared with other participants in the mOOC. The images reflect the information listed below. It is so much more engaging to read a Padlet then a wall of text and I will incorporate this tool to engage my own students

Images from the mOOC Padlet described below
Images from the mOOC Padlet described below
Images from the mOOC Padlet described below
Images from the mOOC Padlet described below

 I was able to find a series of Medical Terminology books through Core. They are written in Arabic and have English translations throughout the word tables. They are fairly simplified and I already have created resources similar to this one. However, the resources that I have created are based on a publisher textbook and this one would be free to students. 

I think I would like to explore Donna Browne’s resources and find out if I can add to her resources and redistribute. It looks as if I would need the permission of Rice College. Please see the list of requirements below:

  • How to Reuse & Attribute This Content Book Page © ‎Feb‎ ‎23‎, ‎2015 Donna Browne. Textbook content produced by Donna Browne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license. Under this license, any user of this textbook or the textbook contents herein must provide proper attribution as follows:  
  • The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the creative commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.   
  • If you use this textbook as a bibliographic reference, then you should cite it as follows: Donna Browne, Digestive System. OpenStax CNX. ‎Feb‎ ‎23‎, ‎2015 http://cnx.org/contents/df1cf1c1-5ffb-48d7-80d3-12f14922e318@1.1.  
  • If you redistribute this textbook in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/df1cf1c1-5ffb-48d7-80d3-12f14922e318@1.1.  
  • If you redistribute part of this textbook, then you must retain in every digital format page view (including but not limited to EPUB, PDF, and HTML) and on every physical printed page the following attribution: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/df1cf1c1-5ffb-48d7-80d3-12f14922e318@1.1. 

Holy CRAAP

“Two out of Three Ain’t Bad” (Meatloaf, 1977) 

I know the quote is old, but relevant, to the results of the CRAAP test for my three OERs.  

The third choice from CORE did not pass the test it had many errors, was simplistic and difficult to validate the source. Since it was open source I could potentially modify it. However, it would be quite a bit of work and it may be better just to start from scratch. 

Khan Academy of Health Resources is amazing. They have lessons that are illustrated and entertaining to watch, there are quizzes and game based learning built into their lessons. The team that develops their videos are highly qualified. Khan Academy has an open forum where anyone can ask questions and this acts as a worldwide peer review. 

Open Stax out of Rice College remains my favourite resource out of the three. It passed all checks on the CRAAP test. However, this resource will require a fair amount of time investment to make it what I need and it does not appear to be peer-reviewed.

Although I have been using a critical lens to curate course material the CRAAP test google doc listed about 2/3 down the page by following this link was a quick way to identify the key elements required in the curation of a resource. 

Back to Fall 2020….

I am so glad that I had an opportunity to revisit my reflections on the Curator Module. I can see that what I learned in the Winter of 2018 has had a direct impact on what I am doing today. I can never get enough reflecting on my learning and my teaching because I grow every time.

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Does Test Anxiety Diminish the Benefits of Frequent Low-Stake Assessment?

The underlying assumption to my question is that frequent low-stake assessment is beneficial to student learning. In the discipline of neural science, prefrontal cortex activation was found during testing “retrieval” where none was found during study “encoding” which suggests that the retrieval required for testing promotes memory of that information Liu et al. (2014). Newton & Winches (2018) propose that you create a “culture of redemption” when students can learn from the feedback they receive and use it to improve on the next assessment.

Anecdotally, I have found that frequent low-stake assessment has led to better attendance, engagement, and performance. I perceive this because students tell me they like the small quizzes and overall attendance and grades are improved in the classes that I use this strategy.

However, I perceive there to be an increase in test anxiety and so when given the opportunity to think about a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (So TL) Project I thought a focus on test anxiety would be helpful. Bledsoe & Baskin (2014) suggest that stress levels go down when students receive regular feedback on their learning and this can be achieved through formative assessment. I wonder if the amount of times students are placed in a testing situation increases their cumulative stress and subsequently their performance.

The last activity in the eCampus Ontario mooc, Module Six – Teacher for Scholar is to propose a plan for a So TL project and here is mine.

The Question: Does test anxiety diminish the benefits of frequent low-stake formative assessment?
How Could This Be Measured?

  • Quantitative study that includes comparing two sections of students taking the same or similar course. One section has frequent formative assessment and the other section does not.
  • Qualitative study that includes student interviews and student surveys regarding their perception of test anxiety, performance and the benefits to formative testing vs. no formative testing

Research Considerations:

Since I would be interviewing students I would complete an application to the Research Ethics Board (REB) at my institution and complete the TCPS 2 online tutorial. There are very strict rules and specific steps required when conducting research involving humans. This is for the protection of students and I would follow this diligently.

I am out of my comfort zone with formal research so I think it would be helpful to include colleagues with formal research experience and expand the sample size of students and disciplines. Porter (2019) suggests that faculty struggle with this part of the module because they go too big. I know, I need to seek out experienced researchers to keep this manageable.

Evidence Required to Convince Others:

External audiences would want to see a large enough sample size to convince them that test anxiety either impacts or does not impact performance with the use of frequent formative assessment.

Other Questions External Audiences May Have:

  • Course Type
  • Year of student study
  • Student self-reports are measured objectively
  • Prior anxiety or “other” mental health implications

Where Would this Information be Shared?

One of the key elements I identified when I first started thinking about So TL is to share the information for feedback. I think this information could be shared via:

  • Annual Program Review (APR)
  • Scholarship Forum held annually
  • E3 workshop, when faculty engage with other faculty to share what they are doing
  • Peer reviewed article

I am not sure that formal research is for me. However, I think my question regarding frequent formal assessment and test anxiety is an important one. At minimum a thorough literature review is required. In a broader context thinking about conducting assessment in different ways is an important element to my teaching practice and one that warrants contemplation.


Photo by Philipp Cordts on Unsplash

References:

Bledsoe, T. S., & Baskin, J. (2014). Recognizing Student Fear: The Elephant in the Classroom. College Teaching, 62(1), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2013.831022

Liu, X. L., Liang, P., Li, K., & Reder, L. M. (2014). Uncovering the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Learning from Tests. PLoS ONE, 9(3), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092025

Porter, D. (2019). Extend MOOC Behind the Design – Scholar. (T. Greene, Interviewer) Ontario Extend MOOC. Retrieved April 24, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=wSdTu4POL8s

Newton, J., & Winches, B. (2018). How Did They Maximize Learning for All of Those Students? Reading Improvement, 55(2), 79–82. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=130164173&site=ehost-live&scope=site

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What is So TL and Why is it Important?

The first two activities in the Scholar for Teaching Module of the Ontario Extend mOOC is to think about what the key characteristics are for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (So TL) and what would motivate people to participate.

The Key Elements of So TL that I identified are:

  • Start with questions, inquiry that focuses not only on your teaching but also the student’s learning.
  • Observe your teaching on the student’s learning. What are the results and do they answer your questions?
  • Do something with those observations. Such as rewrite a lesson or an assessment. Make a change based on your observations.
  • Go public. Meaning share the observations to be evaluated by many. I almost see this as a type of feedback. Feedback from students, colleagues or a personal learning community.

Bast (2013) describes So TL as a systemic process in evaluating what happens in the classroom against the syllabus in the same way we would evaluate research against a hypothesis. In my own teaching practice I match assessment against course outcomes. Bast (2013) posits that So TL misses the final step because it does not measure the results against the hypothesis. This makes me think that there is something more meaningful to uncover in the process of measuring learning against the course outcomes.

What I Think Motivates People to Participate in So TL?

  • Better student engagement and outcomes.
  • Renewed faculty excitement about teaching and greater self-awareness.
  • Prevents stagnation.
  • Improved relationships between faculty-faculty, faculty-learner, and learner to faculty.
  • Constant reinvention through reflective practice gives faculty confidence as educators in addition to subject matter expertise.

In a broader sense I think faculty are motivated to be involved in So TL process because improved student engagement and improved outcomes are going to excite everyone involved in the process. This excitement will lead to improved relationships. At a granular level if a faculty member is confident in their ability as an educator and subject matter expert they are going to feel great in their profession. Porter (2019) tells us that mastery as an educator is a process that comes from trying out small things and adjusting as you “climb” towards your goal. I think, continuous reinvention through reflective practice is how we climb.


Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

References:
Bast,R. (2019). Key Characteristics of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. CELatElon.Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvDKHHyx7YY

Porter, D. (2019). Extend MOOC Behind the Design – Scholar. (T. Greene, Interviewer) Ontario Extend MOOC. Retrieved April 24, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=wSdTu4POL8s

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When the Experiment Blows Up

Have you ever tried ed tech in your classroom and it just blew up? By blew up I mean did not go as planned.

The final activity in the experimenter module for the eCampus Ontario mOOC is to reflect on the activities that we experimented with (in the deep dive) please see my previous blog post at https://wp.me/paFIXs-4X. Since, I think I have answered most of the reflection questions (in that post) I am going to focus on an experiment I tried this winter.

This winter I had students in my Communication in Health Care course use Flipgrid to record videos, then respond to each other’s videos and then respond to those responses. To learn more about Flipgrid follow this link https://flipgrid.com/.

The use of video recorded skits was not new but the technology was. I like video recorded skits because I have a large class and when marking live I sometimes miss things. Video recorded skits allowed introverted, anxious or self-conscious students to record in a comfortable place without an audience. The use of Flipgrid allowed responses to be made in video instead of the traditional typed discussion board.

The problem was my students are super keen (I know this is not really a problem) and a few had chosen to use fancy cameras meaning not their cell-phone camera. I did not know that resolution would be a problem when uploading to Flipgrid. So, on upload day things got a little messy. In the past, I would have said it blew up.

However, this really cool thing happened. @jesslyndw from Teaching and Learning figured out the resolution of the fancy cameras was causing the upload issue. Suddenly, my students were explaining all of the problem solving solutions they had tried. Yes, there was frustration but students persevered and they eventually solved the issue by adding in a reply with a link to their video.

The next interesting thing that I discovered was the relevance of the tech to the course content. Students were able to practice their therapeutic communication techniques such as language choice, non-verbals, and questioning techniques. I was so impressed with the level of engagement and effort that students put into their responses and then to the responses to those responses. Many students told me that the video assignment was when they had their key learning moments. Plus, it was fun to mark.

The reason I think this experiment is relevant to my final reflection of the experimenter module is in the past my fear of the blow up has prevented me from trying ed tech in the classroom. What I have learned through my own exploration and experimentation (in this module) is that I do not need to know the tech perfectly. I just need to be able to create a safe-place where students and faculty can explore the tech together. A place where frustration is allowed and problem solving is encouraged. Bates (2014) suggests that an experimenter supports student learning by trying, reflecting upon and learning new approaches. I think by being willing to learn from experimentation blow ups I can increase my engagement and student’s engagement.

In the future, I plan to spend more time cultivating the safe place of exploration and to consider the student perspective of what is in it for me (WIFM). I will do this by ensuring enough time is built in for problem solving, that I make connections to the problem solving skills (that they are using in the assignment) to their future employment, and that I encourage reflective learning from ed-tech issues. I will do this because the beautiful explosion that takes place when the experiment blows up is really where the learning happens.

References:
Bates, T. (2014, October 1). Online Learning and Distance Education Resources.
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 5: Experimenter.

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Deep Dive Through Experimenter

The next activity in eCampus Ontario Experimenter Module Five was to take a deep dive into activities that would take longer to complete and could be incorporated into my teaching practice. I spent time exploring many of the activities but I settled on the following.

Create a Course Trailer.
The examples given in the activity were marketing videos using real people (eCampus Ontario, 2019). I decided to use a short video I had created (for a daily extend) to answer the question what is in it for me (WIFM)? Course trailers are advertisements that tell students why they should be interested in a course. Essentially, it answers the WIFM.

I created this video using the video editor app (that came with my Surface Pro) and Unsplash images https://unsplash.com. I plan to upload this video with my welcome announcement at the beginning of the course. The restriction of using the video editor app is I cannot save or embed the video directly into my free WordPress account. However, I was able to upload the video to Microsoft Stream an Office 365 app. Microsoft Stream works like YouTube but is closed to the organization. Since, my organization offers Office 365 to students and faculty I will be able to share it with my students.

Initially, I had too many words and they could not be read and absorbed in the short amount of time they were displayed. I had to pare down the words and extend the time that words displayed. I had to consider images that take the place of words so that I projected what I wanted to say within the time constraints. The video can be found in this tweet so you be the judge. https://twitter.com/Kcarte02/status/1110643940502327296

Snip Capture Of My Course Trailer

Create Interactive Activities Using H5P.
I know very little about coding but this tool made me feel as if I was coding. H5P states, “create, share and reuse interactive HTML5 content in your browser”. To learn more and create your own account click the link https://h5p.org/.

I wanted to spend time learning this tool because H5p comes with the Pressbooks (EDU) for educators account. As an Ontario educator I have access to a Pressbooks EDU account so that I can create Open Education Resources (OERs) (ecampus Ontario, 2018). The ability to add interactive activities will make reading more engaging for students. It should be noted that H5P can be used in combination with a WordPress account but it requires a paid upgrade.

Please see some Medical Terminology flash cards and fill-in-the blank drag and drop activities that I created in H5P. My hope is to add these to an OER about building a medical language vocabulary in the future.

  • https://h5p.org/node/489376
  • https://h5p.org/node/489386?feed_me=nps

References:
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 5: Experimenter.
eCampus Ontario. (2018, 11 27). The Gift of Pressbookds EDU Arrives Early for Ontario Educators. Retrieved from www.ecampusontario.ca: https://www.ecampusontario.ca/the-gift-of-pressbooks-edu-arrives-early-for-ontario-educators/

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Extend Through Play

Module Five in the Ontario Extend mOOC is Experimenter. In this module we started off by playing. I say playing because daily extends are small stretches that are fun. We were encouraged to complete a minimum of three daily extends in Module Five. Daily extends are short activities that take about 20 minutes and encourage creativity. The assignment instructions stated there were no prizes but suddenly there were tweets regarding the daily leader board. Similar to Yoga were you are participating for your practice (and not competition) but secretly you know you are going to hold the pose longer then the person beside you. Suffice it to say, in the opening week of the module a lot of time was spent completing daily extends.

Listed below are three of my favourite daily extends this module:

Things I learned from the daily extends:

  • I am competitive.
  • To make tweets accessible:
    • describe images in the tweets
    • capitalize each letter in a hashtag
  • Completing a creative activity gets me motivated to learn.
    • This is a key learning I will remember to offer in my own facilitation
  • There is a ton of free stuff I never knew existed such as:
  • Not all creative stretches need to involve a lot of tech. Check out this book mashup.

This image is a book title mashup for #oext56 (We Share Everything, R.Munsch + Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults, S. Brookfield + Leading Quietly J.L. Badaracco Jr.)

References:
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 5: Experimenter.

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Mapping My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

The Final activity in the Ontario Extend, Collaborator Module was to map my PLN. The instructions had asked us to map a particular project. However, I extended beyond the instructions because I wanted to get a sense of who was already part of my PLN and where I want to develop my PLN.

The tool I used for this mind mapping exercise is Coggle https://coggle.it/. It is a simple sign up process with either a Google or Microsoft account. The free subscription allows for three diagrams and eight colours. I am able to invite people to collaborate with me on my diagram. The paid plan includes extra configuration features, insertion of images and additional colours.

As I suspected many in my PLN are from my institution and speaks to the collaborative resources at Conestoga. I would like to extend my PLN to consider members with similar interests outside of my institution. I can see that many of my new connections have come from my interest in eCampus Ontario and the connections I have made through this mOOC. I hope to further develop those connections.

The top right of my map are my social media accounts and I can see the focus has been on Twitter. I know that this development in my PLN has been is due to my participation in the eCampus Ontario mOOC. I hope to expand beyond twitter as some of my branches are thin.

In the bottom right are my future aspirations and I have indicated those by my educational interests and future pursuits. I hope a year from now I can revisit this map and add to the bottom right corner. The good news is spring just started and there is lots of time to fill in those branches.

References:
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 4: Collaborator

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The “How” In Cultivating My Personal Learning Network

The next Ontario Extend activity (in the Collaborator module) is to determine how to cultivate my personal learning network (PLN). This is timely for me because I have spent the last year seeking opportunities for growth and to expand upon what I would refer to as my personal learning circle. I think in the past year I have been in the explore, search, and follow phases as depicted in the image below.

Howard Rheingold’s (2014) reading is focused on cultivating an online PLN and while these are important Alan Levine (personal communication, 2019) tells us we can think of cultivating a PLN in other ways that may extend outside of social media networks.

Last year, I was involved in co-leading a symposium for teachers who teach in similar programs and similar courses that I do. Through this symposium I realized that we were facing the same rapid changes in our industry, we had similar changes in our student population, similar challenges to delivery, student engagement, and emerging technologies. It seemed to me that we were all working on the same issues but within the silos of our own organizations and that staying connected and sharing resources could be beneficial.

In retrospect, I wish we would have added a formal social networking element to the event. For example, a Twitter hashtag, Facebook page or Instagram account. I realize now, this may have been a simple way to stay connected while exposing many participants to the plethora of learning networks available through twitter and other social media mediums. However, I know personal learning networks were formed and connections were made and I still reach out to the connections I made albeit, usually through email. I wonder is email the new snail mail?

At my institution I have searched out opportunities to expand my PLN through in-house PD opportunities, participating in initiatives through the Teaching and Learning Centre, sharing information about eCampus Ontario and my participation in this mOOC. I am mindful to inquire about PD opportunities that my fellow faculty members have attended and compare what I am learning to what they are sharing.

The social media educators and associations that I follow via Twitter and LinkedIn are faculty from my organization, Cult of Pedagogy, MicrosoftEduCa, OISEUofT, and TED-ED. Primarily, I have explored, searched, and followed these sites inconsistently. It was through my Twitter account that I found out about the eCampus Ontario courses and this mOOC.

Since starting this mOOC I have become active on Twitter which includes commenting and re-sharing tweets. This was intimidating at first because once the tweet has been sent, the thought no longer belongs to me. I wish that Twitter had an edit feature as the only way to make a correction is to delete the tweet and any comments that have been made along with it.

In the Collaborator Module, I am expanding my PLN by following: commenting and retweeting my fellow extenders and eCampus Ontario fellows. I took suggestions to follow Dr. George Couros, Dr. Veletsianos, and Educause. I have expanded my educational social media followings through LinkedIN, Instagram, and Facebook. Previously, I had compartmentalized those accounts into either personal or business.

Rheingold (2014) recommends following people who interest you and he refers to this as tuning your network. I noticed that one organization I was following was quite negative so I stopped following them. Davison, Hagel III, & Brown (2010) argue that is important to stretch out of your own thinking and seek out other interests and differing points of view to follow. I agree that it is important to seek out discourse but I think it must remain professional. In my opinion this is important to my online presence.

An interesting notion I have learned is regarding filter bubbles. Pariser (2011) suggests it is important to watch for filter bubbles meaning ways the internet filters your options based on what you have previously viewed. I noticed a few years ago, after vacationing in Quebec, that I was receiving advertisements and news from Quebec City in my social media accounts. So, it is interesting to think about how filter bubbles excludes information that may challenge my thinking or at least expose me to other perspectives. To learn more about filter bubbles from Eli Pariser watch the Ted Talk below.

References:
Davison, L., Hagel III, J., & Brown, J. S. (2010). Deloitte Development LLC. eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 4: Collaborator, FlipGrid Extend Activity, Alan Levine (personal communication)
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 4: Collaborator, Ways to Collaborate
Rheingold, Howard. Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2012. Print.

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My Collaborative Dining Table

The first activity of the Collaborator Module in the Ontario Extend mOOC is to reflect upon the process and people involved in a professional collaboration project. Inspired by the creative Prezi presentation by fellow extender Melanie Jones, I decided to make a PowToon of my reflection https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/g5MN1zwLmJH/?mode=movie# .


Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

In this module we are thinking about communities of practice. Meaning groups of people who exchange information to solve problems and improve what they do (Bates, 2014). Through this mOOC and twitter I was exposed to Melanie’s Prezi which made me think about this activity in a different way. To extend beyond the parameters of the activity and learn something new. I learned about Prezi (a software I had heard about but never used) then I took what I learned and applied it to PowToon (an account I have had for awhile but had not used). In addition, to learning new software applications I was able to think about the roles, processes and challenges of the people involved in my collaborative project.

My key takeaway is that it is important to include as many people outside of my circle to gain fresh ideas, perspectives and to work together to breathe new life into my projects. Bates (2014) proposes that in this age of digitization that communities of practice will play an important role in knowledge sharing and informal learning. From my perspective the Ontario Extend mOOC is a blend of formal and informal learning. The informal learning I am doing with my fellow extenders through reading their posts, blogs and Twitter feeds is improving what I do as an educator. According to our reading a community of practice has three primary features. In my opinion, the Ontario Extend mOOC meets all three features.

  • Domain: We are a group of people focused on post-secondary education who have knowledge and experiences to share.
  • Community: We are coming together to learn.
  • Practice: An excellent example of practice in action is Melanie sharing her work, the tool she used and her resources. This enhanced my learning in this module and I believe, is a great example of knowledge exchange.


References:
Bates, T. (2014, October 1). Online Learning and Distance Education Resources. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/10/01/the-role-of-communities-of-practice-in-a-digital-age/
eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 4: Collaborator, Ways to Collaborate
Jones, M. (2019, March 11). Melrad.ca. Retrieved from MelradJones: Exploring Technology in the Classroom: http://melrad.ca/tech/the-collaborative-dining-table/h
Powtoon Link: https://www.powtoon.com/my-powtoons/?#/
Prezi Link: https://prezi.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw4LfkBRBDEiwAc2DSlD2Xtcg4cm3y6ffsQHj6QZg3uy-b-uDQ4faiyB_kt_Sjp-HvaE-_RhoCalsQAvD_BwE


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Connecting Tech to My Curriculum: Improving My Tech Game

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

The final activity in eCampus Module 2: Teacher for Technologist is to connect technology to my curriculum. This Module was the one I was most interested in because I think in order to be an effective teacher I need to improve my tech game. I was particularly interested in how I could utilize technology to make learning flexible for my students.

The struggle I find with technology are all of the options, the time it takes to evaluate the options, and how do I know that a particular tool is pedagogically sound. Like Alice, I can easily spend hours down the proverbial rabbit hole. So, I was pleased to be provided with evaluation tools that I could test out.

The Design Thinking Feedback Grid tool is effective to assess the functionality of technology and identify areas for improvement (eCampus Ontario, 2019). I used this tool to evaluate the technology I used for an online lesson I held due to a snow day. To give you some context this was a last minute decision using a technology I was only mildly familiar with. I utilized ZOOM meeting tools https://zoom.us/meetings to record the sync class.

eCampus Ontario 2019 Design Thinking Feedback Grid

In order to post the lesson I had to ensure that it was AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act) compliant which meant closed captioning. My institution provides Office365. On the advice of my coach @jesslynwyn I was directed to Microsoft Streaming.

Microsoft Streaming is an app that is included with Office365 and it allows you to record videos. Unfortunately, there is not a screen capturing option. So, I used the screen capturing option in ZOOM meeting and uploaded to Microsoft stream. Microsoft Stream added in closed captioning to the ZOOM screen capture and provided a script that could be edited when my enunciation was not clear. Please see a snip of my video displaying the closed caption.

Screen Capture of Video Snow Day Lesson

Microsoft Stream Provides:

  • Helpful “How To” videos
  • Creation of time codes so that viewers can skip to the part of the video they want to watch.
  • Transcript editing
  • Permission setting: by groups and private channels
  • Ability to embed the video into the LMS (Learning Management System)
  • Storage within the institutional app

I found The SECTIONS Model a helpful tool in evaluating this technology because it led me through eight aspects of evaluation and consideration of technology (eCampus Ontario, 2019). This is a framework created by Dr. Tony Bates and an overview of the tool can be found at https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/

I applied the SECTIONS model to Microsoft Stream and it ticked all the boxes:

  • Students – are provided Office 365 by the institution
  • Ease of use – it is intuitive with helpful videos
  • Cost – The institution has already paid for it. I can use free screen capturing software and upload the video to Microsoft Stream
  • Teaching and Pedagogical Factors – It worked well to keep us on tract for completion of the course
  • Interaction – The Sync lesson worked well and for students who could not make the meeting they could view the video at their convenience and hear the questions that were asked.
  • Organizational Issues – The organization supports the technology along with @jesslynwynd
  • Networking – The group function is tied to office365 email which makes ease of use for sharing and networking.
  • Security and Privacy – It is within the boundaries of the institution and permissions are set by the person who uploads the video

What I learned is I can make recordings of my lessons that will give my learners flexible options to engage in my courses. While the ZOOM sync lesson worked on the snow day I am now exploring Screencastomatic screen recorder and video editor https://screencast-o-matic.com/account to replace the ZOOM meeting screen capture. I think the additional options to edit the video, make notations on the video, and add in music will lead to better quality videos and increased flexibility for my learners.

I think I may have just improved my tech game.

References:

eCampus Ontario. (2019). EXTEND 101-EN.1 – Extend MOOC. Module 2: Teacher for Technology.

Jesslynwynd @https://syncdup@wordpress.com