Well it took me a bit to finally start the path towards my masters, but if taking ECI 834 is any indication I'm so glad I started this journey. The world of education technology has been a passion for me and has taken me on an amazing ride. The reason behind this has always been to be a better teacher so I can reach students more effectively and engage students like never before. I also love the learning opportunities that I have been blessed to have experienced. I have met to many passionate and inspiring educators and this class was no exception. I looked forward to Tuesday nights and continuing the conversation through blogging and tweeting. Creating a online /blended prototype in Moodle was a great experience. Through the conversations and feedback I received I hope to one day have the opportunity to deliver an online course. I would now have a greater understanding and support network to make this an enpowering and engaging experience for all. I had fun with my S.O.L. Thanks again to Alec and the entire ECI 834 crew for a great learning, growing, and sharing experience.
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It took me a bit to get start my masters, but I finally took the plunge and ended up in ECI 834. I'm I glad I did. I really enjoyed this class and learned so much. I've had a passion for understanding and infusing technology into my teaching practice for my whole career. There is so much to discover, reflect upon, create, and deliver. I have experienced online learning in the past and I enjoyed the experience once again especially connecting weekly with an amazing group of educators. I have also 'dabbled' with Moodle in the past and I enjoyed developing what I think is a solid prototype (with the help and feedback from fellow ECI 834 classmates, colleagues that have online teaching experience, Twitter posts, viewing classmates prototypes and reading their blog posts, class readings and discussions, and students). There is always room for improvement, but I'm happy with how my course turned out. I hope one day to be able to facilitate an online class as an instructor and help students achieve success in this environment. I believe that online learning is and will continue to be a viable and important learning option for various reasons (location, course offerings, module completion, accessibility, upgrading, training, and more). As a matter of fact, my wife was just accepted into the Nursing Program at Sask Polytech. She will be taking most of her classes online, without this option her ability to upgrade and become a nurse may not be possible. I encourage my own sons to take an online course while they are in high school because I would like them to have that opportunity to learn in this environment. . To be able to experience the discipline, challenges, and opportunities in this educational setting can only be an asset in their future education and/or careers. I have really enjoyed creating vlogs and blogs for our ECI 834 class. I have heard so many great insights and has really helped me reflect on online / blended learning from many perspectives and helped me design my prototype. I have been very fortunate to have a variety of educators / learners allow me to have conversations with them on various topics relating to online / blended learning and my prototype. I recently interviewed the principal of RCSD Online Learning and we had a great discussion on the pros and cons of online learning and some of the unique challenges that this setting offers. Many of the points she made tied into what we discussed over the course of ECI 834. I appreciated her passion for online learning and creating positive experiences for students and teachers alike. I've embedded our interview below as well as a student's first look at the course and his thoughts on my prototype. I've included my complete ECI 834 Vlog / Overview Playlist as part of my final entry as well. I really enjoyed the community of learners in ECI 834 and I hope that they remain part of my Professional Learning Network (already lined up a potential project with another math teacher to do a project with our classes in a couple months). I'm working on my summary of learning project (I have embedded part of it as I have collected and curated many of the tweets I have been involved with the hashtag #eci835 using Wakelet which is an awesome tool) and I'm excited to share what I have learned and meet everyone in person (but even online I feel I made some connections and started to build a few relationships which is a great lesson / experience in itself). I hope you enjoy the vlogs. Thanks.
It's been a great learning experience to plan, produce and refine my online / blended learning prototype. Please list the URL of your final blog post related to your prototype. * https://lo.rcsd.ca/course/view.php?id=386 How do I access your prototype? * When prompted to log in, underneath the login is an option to log in as a guest. If they click on this, one will be able to access the class. The Course Profile * https://deanvendramin.weebly.com/eci-834/week-five-of-eci-834-the-prototype The Course Modules * The modules are laid out in the Moodle. Once you enter in as guest the you can scroll down to find the modules. (note it might not let guest access the exam) Course feedback * Please provide the links of the two or three Google docs with the feedback that you left for other groups. https://docs.google.com/document/d/17ZXnLdkr4KSwQwpLEAD1i7tbBGNfJeLxDiibcIj-1Uc/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L8_UFxYJ1xndDzrHwvScHSemuvUX1B2VIVqz0N2aw0Y/edit Online/Blended Course Prototype Development - Additional Information I've really enjoyed this process. When I designed and updated this prototype I took advice from peers, current online teachers, the principal of RCSD Online School, and students - interviews can be found here as part of my playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwdu0bmGFoLl7wGrTQ7NrDyzAkpdqRXj1 I learned so much and would very much like to teach an online class My Thoughts on Our Class I went back to the first class we had a few months ago to reflect on how this learning opportunity has met the design principles outline by Bates. I strongly feel that this course has addressed and has been based on the following:
My Thoughts on this Week’s Prompts What forms of student/student-instructor interactions have you implemented/do you plan to implement in your course prototype (e.g. LMS forums, chats rooms, Flipgrid, blog comments/pingbacks, hashtags, Google Plus, etc.)? I plan on focusing on four commination tools for interaction for my prototype:
Providing a variety of communication tools can be a bit daunting, but if an instructor understands the potential and the purpose behind each medium it can allow for some great interaction opportunities. This combination can provide the necessary avenues that can meet student a variety communication needs. As mentioned in this week’s readings however, the instructor really has to understand the dynamics and the overall layout of the course. This will help students see the importance of interacting as part of a successful learning experience. What guidelines or assessment practices will you adopt to ensure that interactions are meaningful, supportive, and relevant? Instructors have to model and be present in their course. Creating an environment based on digital citizenship practices and clear guidelines, is crucial to positive interactions. There needs to be a strong presence of formative assessment in the form of timely and effective feedback. The instructor must understand the objective of the course to ensure that the flow of interactions are relevant and lead to meaningful dialogue that promote successfully reaching course objectives. Instructors need to provide an environment where these interactions can be organic, student-led, and feel free rather than forced. My Thoughts On The Textbook Questions
First of all, a big thank you to those who reviewed and critiqued my module. I appreciate the positive feedback that I received. I’m glad that other educators felt it was overall well put together and even got a few ideas along the way. I also appreciate the suggestions and the questions that were posed. So for this blog, I’m going to focus on the questions and see if I can supply some answers. Can students contact you through here or is it simply email? There is a way to message through Moodle as well. I’d like to be able to include a forum add on where students could interact as well. I’d also like to add a Flipgird grid for questions and replies as well as Remind to help all involved stay up to date. I did wonder what kind of interactions would be taking place, is this a stand alone fully online course or is there some teacher face to face time? The intent of this class is too deliver it as a blended opportunity, but I would like to develop it into a fully online course. I’d have to reflect on the feasibility of some ideas like the Minecraft project in a fully online environment. Where do students go if they have questions? In a blended opportunity they can come see me directly / face 2 face. In any case, I do make myself available online (e-mail, Remind, Flipgrid, Moodle). What are the outstanding recovery days? (I might have to steal this idea; is it a school wide idea or a personal one?) That's a division wide idea. We have 4 OAR days where students have opportunities submit missing assignments. Admin/ Learning support team organizes and ‘invite’ students to these days that usually coincide with things like staff meeting days. Assignments are collected from teachers and students work on getting them done. It’s not foolproof, but overall it has been successful. What program did you use to create the videos as well as write on the screen? I’m always looking for more ideas, especially in math courses! One Note (love the draw features) and was able to use the screen capture feature in Power Point (able to saw the screen capture as .mp4 and upload to youtube). I have a decent Blue – Snowball Mic that helps a lot too. How much would you expect a student to complete in a day? (One video and lesson?) In blended opportunity, a day sounds right but I make the time to review the formative data and take questions. Online students could work at own pace. Do you give them an answer key as well? On the formatives I usually select feedback / answers as instant so students get timely feedback. There are pros and cons to this, but I feel that students can learn from mistakes quicker and/or check for understanding (like answer key at back of text book). Obvious draw back is they can click until green maybe without understand and me thinking they got it. Are all your exams written online? In blended class no. In an online situation yes. This could be huge drawback/problem. The online finals in math are proctored because they are common assessments as with traditional class. Do you like that format better? I have no preference as long as students’ needs are met and data is reliable and valid. Is this what your summative assessment looks like? I don’t just use multiple choice. I usually use multiple choice for one step solutions and then provide problems to solve that would involve multiple steps. Do you find students are engaged in them? Students love the projects and are engaged in blended situation. I think this would happen online as well with proper conditions. How do you differentiate between giving 3 or 4 marks for a component? They would have to be missing a major piece of information understanding to go from a 4 to a 3. I’m am reflecting a lot on the rubric for this project and may employ a fresh evaluation instrument for this. Got some valuable feedback on this. The modules work well, I assume this course is already being used? Ya, I’ve housed this material in One Note that could also be seen as an LMS. I’m always looking for way to improve this course. I think you do a good job of addressing all the assignment guidelines, but how will you address different types of learners in your course? In my blended situation, I will make accomodations for students like extra time, have tests read, and more. I try to provide different assessments to give students another way to share their understandings. I’m hoping that an online offering of this would provide those opportunities as well. What are concerns you have for students? In a blended situation that they stay on task, get the help that they may need, and don’t cheat. My concerns for an online class are similar. From experience, I have noticed that students are not ALWAYS the most academically studious in this particular pathway? Workplace Apprentice Math students sometimes do get that label whether it is fair or not. I think it’s my job to help them develop a growth mindset and be able to be ok with mistakes. I think this would be important in an online environment as well. Will you have challenges in your blended environment with a different demographic of students, than per say you would have in a physics class? There’s always the challenge to provide engaging and fresh learning experiences regardless of the class. Just because physic students may be more compliant / motivated doesn’t mean it’s ok just to give them same thing all the time. Do you have modified students in your course? Not officially … we do have a modified math offering. That being said some students could benefit but parents won’t sign off on either. Is it totally flipped? Love the flipped concept and use a lot but my class is not totally flipped (will try this one day though). Work at your own pace? I really try to provide opportunities for students to work at own pace. Great questions and lots of reflection. Thank you! Check out my latest vlog as I have my pre-interns give me feedback on my module and a bit on online education.
Is there a place in education for online learning? For some the answer might be a straight up no … not a chance. But the reality is it has been here for a while and continues to pick up momentum. There is a lot of research that would boldly say that an online environment can be at least effective as a traditional environment. For some this would be seen a blasphemous statement. That only a teacher in a classroom conveying knowledge to the students in a face to face environment is effective. But if an online environment is well organized has rich content delivered in an engaging manner with assessment opportunities, how different is that from a typical traditional classroom?
In fact, an online environment could provide many opportunities that a traditional classroom just can’t afford. One such advantage would be the ability to work at one’s own pace. Let’s face it, traditional experiences are bound by that beginning and ending bell. Where learners are supposed to be able to learn at same pace and only have that designated time to ‘learn’ that concept. On the other hand, if you are ‘catching on’ to things quickly the class can seem to drag on and motivation can dwindle to boredom or loss of interest. An online experience could alleviate this anxiety and the learner could dictate the pace of learning as needed and move forward with confidence and conviction. The ‘physical’ aspect of traditional classroom can also limit or deter learning opportunities. Health concerns, extracurricular opportunities, classes not offered where you are located, credit recovery, sustained travel, and more are examples where an online solution can provide a learner with the opportunity to take that class or get that credit that would not physically be possible in a traditional only system. With technology improving the online experience can become very robust with online forums that are open 24/7, video conferencing to provide synchronous interactions, formative assessment with efficient and effective feedback, increased accessibility, and other options that can be lacking in traditional settings. Of course there are ‘pitfall’ that are present in this environment. A disorganized online course can leave a learner confused and frustrated especially if there is no one to turn to. Many 'Aha!' and teachable moments that occur in a face to face setting (which are very powerful) can be lost in an online setting. Student motivation and procrastination can be harder to monitor and correct when the learner is not in a teacher’s presence. Of course, there are always the questions of who submitted or what was the academic integrity of assigned assessments? These questions are also pertinent in a traditional setting, but the anonymity of the online environment make academic integrity an extra sensitive topic in this setting. Not seeing your students faces and building those crucial relationships can be more difficult in an online environment, but not impossible. There are unique challenges that an online environment can offer such as tech issues like bandwidth and other specs, but all of these challenges can be overcome and provide a rich learning opportunity for those who want or need this option. As with any learning opportunity it takes effort from both the instructor and the student. A teacher can design and deliver an online experience with the same passion and drive as they can in a traditional setting and in fact might have more tools and time to differentiate instruction and meet learners’ needs. Classroom management definitely takes on a brand new look. Students will need to employ self-discipline and self-regulation, but will have the flexibility and freedom to choose their own learning path. There are many institutions that offer online opportunities, not only in the field of Education but in other sectors. There are a plethora of online course already available that cover a vast array of topics. I feel that students should at least have blended opportunities as the progress through K-12 education to help students feel comfortable in these situations and acquire the skills to learn in an online environment. The online learning world will only continue to grow. We are preparing students for a world that is and will have drastic and dynamic change. Understanding and being able to thrive in an online learning setting will only grow and become more necessary, as we head into these uncharted water. Thanks for reading. What are your thoughts? Feel free to reach out to me @vendi55
This week's vlog gets two students' perspective on the pros and cons of online learning.
Had a lot of fun creating my prototype for ECI 834 here's the skinny on my prototype components. I found Moodle to be a decent way to organize my course. I was able to link to a few outside resources and create what I think was a fairly organized and easy way to access and follow course content. Please check out the vlog I did with Dan Palmarin a Science teacher at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School and online teacher for Regina Catholic Schools Online Program. He helped me out with a few of my Moodle questions and did a great video on using Moodle.
PROTOTYPE COMPONENTS The Course Profile * Please indicate where your reviewer can find the course profile. If the course profile was blogged by multiple members, include the URL of only one post. https://deanvendramin.weebly.com/eci-834/week-three-of-eci-834-my-profile The Course Prototype * Please indicate where your reviewer can find the course prototype (e.g. Canvas course URL, Seesaw class, Moodle URL, Google Classroom course number). Please include login information if required. https://lo.rcsd.ca/course/view.php?id=386 When prompted to log in, underneath the login is an option to log in as a guest. The Course Modules * Please indicate where your reviewer can find each module. You may also provide any background that a reviewer would need to understand when looking at your modules. When in Moodle they will be able to access my course: Workplace and Apprenticeship Mathematics 20 F2F Vendramin They will be able to find and open Chapter One: Chapter One - Slope and Rate of Change - Toggle The sections for the modules are laid out as follows: 1.01 Fractions and Proportions File 1.01 Fractions and Proportions Video URL 1.01 Fractions and Proportions Formative Assessment URL 1.1 Rise Over Run File 1.1 Rise Over Run Video URL Slope Three Act Math Play Assignment 1.2 Pitch / Angle of Elevation / Grade File 1.2 Pitch / Angle of Elevation/ Pitch Video URL 1.1 1.2 Rise Over Run and Pitch / Angle of Elevation/ Pitch Formative Assessment URL 1.3 Rate of Change Notes File 1.3 Rate of Change Video URL 1.3 Rate of Change Formative Assessment URL Project One - Roller Coaster Project Assignment Chapter One Check In and Review URL Chapter One Slope Exam The note will open as a pdf The videos will open up in youtube The formative assessment will open up in Formative The 3 Act Math Play will open up in Formative The Slope Exam will take you to a summative assessment inside Moodle Other * What other instructions might your reviewers need? Is there anything in particular that you would like the reviewers to consider or examine? Appreciate feedback on the orgaizational structure and ease of use, would like to know if the videos gave clear and useful information, did you find the formative assessments useful, ideas for 3 Act Math Play, there is a Minecraft Project - no worries on doing, but would love feedback on the set up of the project. Was the slope exam at the end a fair summative assessment.
For this week's entry, I looked at the readings and prompts and was excited to delve into this week's assignment. After reading Bates' Chapter 7: Pedagogical differences between media, I reflected on some of the approaches and tools I use in my own class and how I approach content, content structure, and skills. I love Three Act Math Plays (click here for a list) and I agree with Dan Meyer's take on why these are effective (click here to watch his TED Talk). I appreciate the simplicity of the videos he creates and how they get students engaged, predicting, and playing with math.
I feel that these Three Act Math Plays illustrate many of the points Bates made in section 7.4 Video - Video is a much richer medium than either text or audio, as in addition to its ability to offer text and sound, it can also offer dynamic or moving pictures. - demonstrate ways in which abstract principles or concepts developed elsewhere in the course have been applied to real-world problems; - demonstrate practical activities to be carried out by students, on their own. - enabling students to analyse a situation, using principles either introduced in the video recording or covered elsewhere in the course, such as a textbook or lecture; - adding substantial interest to a course by linking it to real world issues; - students often reject videos that require them to do analysis or interpretation; they often prefer direct instruction that focuses primarily on comprehension. Such students need to be trained to use video differently, which requires time to be devoted to developing such skills. I also feel that these the Three Act Math Plays would promote a connectivist approach as laid out in Bates Chapter 7.7. I would love to introduce Three Act Math Plays into an LMS and have students create there own Three Act Math Plays to show understanding, collaborate with others, and create rich learning opportunities. Another point made in Bates Chapter 7.4 Video was: - the use of low cost cameras and free editing software enables some forms of video to be cheaply produced (I also think this would be a great way to use cell phones in the classroom as a powerful too a thread that was mentioned in a few Tweets posted to #ECI834 hashtag - twitter.com/mackeyshelby21/status/1091197747254972416 ) This made me examine the tools that were suggested which lead me to explore and create with a tool I have, but haven't used for a long time - Apple Clips (www.apple.com/ca/clips/). I found a few good tutorials online like this one (click here to see). But I had to explore it a little more myself, so I made a Vlog on explaining how Apple Clips works in Apple Clips (Vlog covers the prompts - provide an overview of the tool as well as a review of the tool, including its strengths, weaknesses, and potential for teachers as a content creation tool.). Then I created (it was a bit cold but we got it done) a video of a Three Act Math Play and also put that into a great tool I use called Go Formative (where students can watch the video and perform and share all three acts - while providing the teacher with valuable data and students with effective and timely feedback - check it out at https://goformative.com/clone/PREHXF ) I would follow this up by having students create their own Three Act Math Plays. I would create a hub where students would be able to access and learn by watching and completing each other's plays. I think this would be very powerful. This activity would create a great repository of learning, provide constuctivist way to learn, and maybe even share on social media. I had a great time with this week's assignment (will be using in the classroom for sure) and I look forward to any comments and feedback. Thanks.
A Profile of A WA 20 Blended / Online Course Offering
As a connected educator in my division and one that has a passion for infusing technology into my classroom, this opportunity will let me explore current practice that I employ and look towards offering an enhanced learning environment. I will draw upon my experience with flipping lessons, providing students with online resources such as wikis and One Note, posts from classmates in ECI 834, access to teachers currently providing online experiences in my division, and personal learning experiences. I have also did some research on the internet and found a very good site that had research information, online/blended learning considerations and references - https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blended-and-online-learning/ (used headings to create my profile checklist below). Background I currently teach math (amongst other teaching assignments and responsibilities) at Archbishop M.C. O’Neill Catholic High School. One math class that I have taught and will continue to teach is Work Place Apprentice Math 20 (click here for the curriculum - https://www.curriculum.gov.sk.ca/webapps/moe-curriculum-BBLEARN/CurriculumOutcomeContent?id=161 ). I have infused technology in this class since I began teaching it and as a RCSD Connected Educator have access to a 1 on 1 laptop learning environment. I plan on using this project as blended learning opportunity in my classroom. Our division also has online school offerings and uses Moodle to deliver these experiences. I might also have an opportunity in the future to deliver a class in this method, so I am also fortunate to gain valuable feedback and experience through ECI 834.
Course Overview
Subject – Workplace Apprentice 20 Audience – Grade 11 (16/17 year olds) Units – Slope and Graphical Representation Blended Course – Face 2 Face / Flipped / LMS – Moodle (One Note)
Course Profile
I have taught a class called Communication Media in the past. In this class, I taught the three stages of creating a multimedia project. I used these stages to plan out my course profile. They are as follows: Pre Production (consideration and planning of the course) Production (the creation of the course) Post Production (providing attributes and functionality that will provide the learner with opportunities to success engage and complete the learning objectives on the course)
Pre- Production
Production
Slope and Rate of Change (WA20.1) (WA20.9)
Conclusion I think I have a solid profile in which to build my course. I am also lucky because I will get a chance to utilize this next semester in a blended learning environment. I will use it to flip instruction, help with formative assessment, and provide activities based on the outcomes that required for the unit. I also had a great discussion with a colleague on this type of learning and submitted as this week’s vlog. 6.2 A short history of educational technology I think an educational technology is a skill, tool, or craft that helps people learn about themselves and the world around us. So I feel this would encompass skills like writing to maker-spaces, tools like the abacus to computers, and crafts from lectures to multimedia presentations. I think that using blended and online learning is part of the evolution of education technology. Beyond the LMS I found this an interesting read. I think LMS are part of education technology and offer innovative learning opportunities. I think these opportunities have evolved since this article was offered. I think LMS has evolved beyond the original LMS. Blog Resources What does the research say about flipped learning http://rtalbert.org/what-does-the-research-say/ Blended and Online Learning https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blended-and-online-learning/ Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf How to Succeed in Your Online Courseshttps://www.chartercollege.edu/news-hub/how-succeed-your-online-courses Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) https://services.viu.ca/sites/default/files/metacognitive-awareness-inventory.pdf What's Your Learning Style? 20 Questions http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml Digital Citizenship Instruction in Saskatchewan Schools https://www.rcsd.ca/Parents/SafeCaringSchools/Documents/Digital%20Citizenship%20Instruction%20in%20Saskatchewan%20Schools.pdf Students: How to use Moodle https://learningon.theloop.school.nz/moodle/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=3873
fter reading over my notes from class, reading Tony Bates Chapters, reading posts on Twitter and reflecting upon my own personal experience, I would definitely confirm that blended and/or online learning appears to be at least as an effective or more than traditional instruction. I have been integrating new technology into my classroom all of my career. Although I succeed and thrived in more traditional instructional environments, I could see the potential of using technology as a way to motivate, engage, and differentiate the learners I am blessed to work with. Society and learners have changed and I think it is a disservice not to pursue methods and tools that provide opportunities for innovative ways to get better. Innovation just doesn't comprise of new ways but also of better ways to approach a concept. Throughout my career, I have explored many ways and attempt to be a lead learner and share these experiences with students and staff alike. Many times I have felt like an island unto myself but more recently with the professional learner network I have developed on and offline and recent programs I have been a part of like the Regina Catholic School Division Connected Educator program, I feel that more educators are understanding the importance of blending technology into their classrooms. It is important that we introduce and engage students in 21st Century skills, that we embrace the ISTE standards, and that we understand how to pedagogically use technology to provide learners with opportunities that recognize learning styles and promote lifelong learning.
I have also experienced many blended and online learning experiences as a learner. Back in the early 2000, I received a degree in Educational Technology from the University of Cape Breton. I was able to experience first-hand how learning in an online environment works. I enjoyed my experience and felt it was a positive learning experience as I have had in traditional ways. I was engaged and had to be organized, disciplined, and have the rigor as I had in other environments. I also had the benefit of acquiring many new technology, interpersonal, and communication skills during this process as well. I continue to improve my professional development by accessing many learning opportunities provided by edtech companies. I am a Microsoft Education Fellow and have access to 100s of online workshops on a variety of topics such as how to connect on Skype, computational thinking, STEM, Sustainable Development Goals and more. With each online course I take, I receive a badge for completing but more importantly I feel that I have had the opportunity to stay current and improve. I also take part in a weekly Twitter chat on Monday nights. That chat is called #formativechat. Each week there is a robust conversation on topics that relate to formative assessment. The engagement and passion that come from the group of professionals that attend has had a positive impact on me and my classroom. Now, I am starting another online journey through my participation in ECI 834. I have enjoyed the first couple classes. It is great to be able to learn from home and learn in this medium. The ability to meet and share via Zoom in real time and communicate through blogs, Slack, and Twitter creates a robust and deep learning experience. All of these experiences also lead me to believe that blended and online experiences are valuable and confirm that these experiences are just as effective if not more as traditional instruction I have participated.
Still it is my experience that at the heart of positive classroom experience is an enthusiastic, organized, and engaging teacher. The ability to create and delivery content that learners will engage in and provide effective and efficient feedback is crucial to any learning environment. Learners can tell both on and offline if the instructor cares and is invested in the material and success of the class and learners.
y experiences taking part in blended and online learning has been an amazing journey. There have be many challenges along the way. At the start and really only until more recently most people either did not understand the potential or the viability of these experiences or were very afraid. I ran into opposition or was dismissed by many when I started infusing and blending technology into my classroom. I was lucky that there were just enough people and people in higher positions that supported me and saw the same vision and opportunities. Having technology that works is also a great challenge. As time has moved on this is becoming less of an issue, but still making friends with the IT department is always a good idea. Even though students today are seen as digital natives (not sure if I like this term or 100% agree with it), many still do not know how to learn with the technology they have grown up with. Some students already know, thrive, and love traditional instruction. Some students are ‘scared’ to learn with technology or have used it one way so much they can’t see the learning opportunities available. Some get distracted by technology and can’t seem to be able to concentrate at tasks at hand. There have always been challenges to motivating learners. There are also other stakeholders like parents and administration that can be challenges to blended and online learning. Not being able to see the potential or feel like they need to protect their children from the pitfalls of the online world or still clinging to traditional ways (I feel that by doing this is a big disservice but that could be a topic for another blog).
Even with the challenges in the way, I have had and have been able to provide some game changing instructional experiences that just could not be possible with traditional means. I also feel that I have helped prepare students more for the world we live in now and in the future not just the world that is behind us. I have been able to meet the needs of a greater number of students, provide engaging learning experiences that have had students think in innovative way, and most importantly build better relationships with my students. I have become a better teacher because of the access and opportunities afforded to me through online environments. This has fed my passion to be a lifelong learners as well. I have loved working with other teachers on their journey and being a mentor for those who would like to provide innovative ways to connect with their learners and other stakeholders. I also love the fact that there is always more to learn and get better at in these environments.
The questions posed are ones that I continually reflect upon as I try to provide learning environments that reach out and engage students. To provide opportunities that help students overcome physical, learning style, or other limitations are all possible in blended and online environments. There is so much potential to have every student find their learning path and enjoy the gift of learning. These experiences coupled with a passionate educator that can harness the power and grow in these environments provide effective learning environments. I have included a vlog as part of this week’s entry to give a snap shot of what my class looks like and some of the ways I use blended learning and infuse technology in my classroom. You can also see some of the experience I have on my eportfolio http://deanvendramin.weebly.com or follow me on Twitter @vendi55 Resources 21st Century Skills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_century_skills ISTE Standards http://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators Microsoft Education Community https://education.microsoft.com/ Hash Tags to Follow #formativechat #Msfteduchat #rcsdconnect |
AuthorDean Vendramin. Educator for over 20 years. Currently Education Leader for Math/Science at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. Have a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Posts are articles he has written for the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation monthly newsletter The Bulletin, Saskatchewan Math Teachers' Society The Variable, blog requests from memberships he is a part of, and his own thoughts. Archives
April 2019
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