Jose-H808 - The eLearning professional - PDP Form (MyStuff) at 25-10-08

30 Oct 2008, 12:48

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Saturday, October 25th, 2008, 5:17 AM

Jose-H808 - The eLearning professional - PDP Form (MyStuff) at 25-10-08
Training or development
Title for training or development Jose-H808 - The eLearning professional - PDP Form (MyStuff) at 25-10-08
Organisation or provider OU
Type training course
From date 06/09/2008
To date 25/01/2009
Ongoing Ongoing
Actions and dates to action
Action / Date
Outcomes
Learning objectives
• Familiarise self with debate about learning objects including respositories, metadata and IMS standards
• Gain insight into guiding online discussions and key factors for developing online communities
• Try out more audio-visual tools such as Skype (eg Netmeeting)
• Familiarise self with a variety of models for elearning
• Gain further ideas for online activities and an awareness for situations where they would be appropriate
• Look into how sensitive and critical comments are given to others (students and tutors) in an online environment, improve own techniques
• Familiarise self with some of the research behind elearning
• Try out a selection of common elearning platforms
• Familiarise self with methods for tackling plagiarism and digital copyright issues
• Look into ways online games are used in learning
• Develop working knowledge of, and ability to effectively use, key elearning technologies (e.g. eportfolios, wikis, blogs, learning journals, etc.)
• Improve, and document, own Critical Personal Reflection

Skills and/or expertise developed
• First experience with:
- (Skills) an eportfolio: MyStuff (Ongoing)
producing eportfolio items
tagging items
filling out first Training and Development Form
- (Skills) electronically annotating a pdf file (Unit 3)
- (Skills) creating a Local Area Network (LAN) (Unit 3)
- (Skills) editing a wiki (Unit 4)
- (Skills) making and publishing a podcast (Unit 4)
- (Skills) adding subtitles to video (Unit 4)
- (Skills) using a mind-mapping tool: FreeMind (Unit 4)
- (Skills/Proactivity) producing HowTo guides (Unit 4)
- (Proactivity) attempting to lead, inform or otherwise motivate others in an elearning context (Ongoing)

• Continuing experience with:
- (Skills) using and publishing a blog (Ongoing)
- (Skills/Proactivity) using/collaborating in online forums (Ongoing)
- (Skills) editing video (Unit 4)
- (Reflection) critical self-reflection (Ongoing)
- (Critique) analysis and critique of the practice of others (Ongoing)
- (Proactivity) attempting to lead, inform or otherwise motivate others (Ongoing)


General
Notes A lot of the above taken from:
- Barritt, O. (2008) "MOADE - H808 The Elearning professional", shared MyStuff item, (accessed 25th October 2008)
- Open University, (2008) "H808-Assignment guide 2008.pdf", (accessed 3rd October 2008)
- Open University, (2008) "H808-Course-guide-08.pdf", (accessed 3rd October 2008)
- Stan, M. (2008) "Personal development Objectives for H808", shared MyStuff item, accessed 25th October 2008
Tagged with H808 . PDP . training and development . reflection . skills . proactivity . critique .

1 comments
Alan Clarke on Sunday, October 26th, 2008, 11:29 PM says (privately)

Hi Jose

A well presented and detailed plan - it is clearly ambitous in the range and scale of the objectives - however, it demonstrates enthusiasm and motivation. You have tried to identify skills and knowledge already acquired through the course amd acknowledge sources. A very good effort

Cheers

Alan

(New) CA3.1-My strengths and weaknesses as an elearning professional (from 12-10-08)

24 Oct 2008, 09:10

Edited by Jose Martel Penate, 24 Oct 2008, 09:12

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From: Jose Martel Penate 12 October 2008 08:50:18
Subject: (New) CA3.1-My strengths and weaknesses as an elearning professional
To: H808 ac6 08 Unit 3

Alan asked me to try to use my face-to-face teaching experience in this activity.

So I made a combined PDP needs analysis grid (please see "Jose-CA3.1-PDP combined needs analysis grid.pdf" that was shared with everyone in Alan's tutor group on 11/10/08).

Strengths

I tend to be good at analysing situations and providing solutions.
I'm not really a people-person, but I see the value of getting along and much prefer to.
Given the choice, I prefer not to lead, but if I have to, I will.
I'm comfortable with reflection, however, I sometimes forget that other people aren't.
I'm willing to put in the time to pass this course and my wife supports me.
I believe I have the reflective ability, language skills, mental agility...and...uhmm?...to pass this course.
I value a professional attitude and prefer to strive toward professionalism.
I prefer to do things well.
Pressure can often help me excel.
I'm comfortable using computers, and having used and owned macs and pcs over a number of years has helped me be, and feel, more proficient.
I'm good at abstract thought; I'm a good listener; I can be good at seeing things from other people's point of view.
I enjoy learning and thinking.
If I know what I'm talking about then I'm usually ok at meetings, discussions, etc.
Being bilingual and having lived in a number of different societies/cultures helps me relate more easily to people.
For such a negative person at heart, I can be surprisingly positive.
I have theoretical and practical knowledge of teaching techniques, methods, approaches, etc.
I have face-to-face teaching experience with up to 65 students per class.


Weaknesses

I can be a bit of a perfectionist: given 8 hours to finish, I will finish in 8 hours. But given 2 hours, I will finish in 2 hours and possibly more creatively.
I'm currently living in a society that values appearance, networking and bureaucracy. I'm not sure that the Western concept of professionalism is understood here. This means that I have little external motivation to work toward professionalism here.
A lot of what I'm learning on this course is new to me, and I've never studied at this level before.
Sometimes I seem to have a kind of mental block when learning something new. I can talk about the thing, I can have the idea in my head, but I feel no connection to it. I sometimes think I need to experience in order to learn.


Well, a bit of a mixed bag (is that a strength or a weakness?).
And was that reflection or just description?

Jose



---------------


From: Alan Clarke 12 October 2008 23:59:24
Subject: Re: (New) CA3.1-My strengths and weaknesses as an elearning professional
To: H808 ac6 08 Unit 3

Hi Jose

I would judge the paper as overall reflective in character rather than simple description

Cheers

Alan

Some initial thoughts on tutor blogs...

16 Oct 2008, 01:01

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I was starting to look though the blogs again (I haven't for a while) when I came across a post by Nigel S that caught my eye, Tutor perspectives - Interesting!, available from: http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/viewpost.php?post=2886

Below is my reply to his post:

Hi Nigel,

Thanks for posting this, it hadn't occurred to me to peek into our tutors blogs, though I had noticed the links on the blog index page - I think I'll take a look after posting you this.

A thought that comes to mind is, does it help a student to see that their tutor is questioning their own actions/reactions/thoughts/etc? Would a student prefer to feel they have an "expert" tutor, omniscient, infallible?

I suppose being able to view a tutor's ponderings and perceived flounderings can be educational for the student as a "walk the walk" role model. But would this still be the case if the tutor was doing some serious professional-self-questioning/doubting and didn't find a suitable solution? In this case, I assume the student would not be allowed to see the tutor's musings, as, though they may be educational, they would also (perhaps) undermine the student's confidence in their tutor's professional ability.

And following on from that thought, if the tutor does censor their reflections (for student-viewable posts), would their reflections continue to be good role-model material? The student would only be seeing the tutor's Hollywood-happy-ending posts, and the student may be always feel only 60 minutes in - stuck in unfortunate plot twist, with no happy ending in sight.

Of course, maybe a good tutor will always find the right solution...

Jose

CA2.1-Applications of eportfolios

2 Oct 2008, 23:33

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Page 1 of 3http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resourcepage/view.php?id=90944

1. Read at least three of the papers listed in the resources section below.
Alternatively, find other case studies on the web that reflect your particular
interests. Consider the following issues:
a. Are eportfolios fulfilling a genuine need or are they just the latest fad?
b. Is personal development planning (PDP) different for students than for staff?
c. Of the various aspects of eportfolio use (e.g. collecting material,
providing evidence for learning, reflection on learning, presentation of
learning), which do the case studies exemplify?

-After (finally) finishing the essay, I reread the brief and noticed I hadn't really addressed b, or c at all. In fact I find it hard to answer c coz don't all eoportfolios have all those aspects? Though I suppose some acounts may emphasise some aspects more than others.

-Btw, I use "eportfolio" in the sense that it's an electronic portfolio, used for PDP/CPD, that is web based.

-Yes, I didn't put the ref list at the end...

-------------------------

Jose Martel-CA2.1-Applications of eportfolios
542 words (below)

If eportfolios are to be used for life-long learning and not be more than an expensive fad - expensive financially and, I think more importantly, costly in terms of wasted opportunity for all stakeholders - then a number of critical issues must be addressed.

There are technological issues. Effective implementation and integration of the eportfolio project within existing systems must be ensured. The various eportfolio platforms that arise must be interoperable, with data file technology used in current eportfolios not becoming obsolete. The ease and range of manipulation of this data (and meta data) is essential for enduser acceptance and institutional or corporate assessment and developmental needs (Batson, 2002; Jafari 2004).

Whether the costly technological issues can be addressed may be related to the implementation of a sound business plan to safeguard the continued existence, maintenance and development of the eportfolio platform. This business plan and platform may envisage, promote and depend on the enduser's desire for, and ability to easily and cost effectively maintain, lifelong affiliation with a particular eportfolio/institution. In return for lifelong endorsement, the enduser must receive an attractive package of benefits which could include (the benefits derived from the) use of the institution's name and artifact authentication (Jafari, 2004).

Aside from technological and business related issues, there are academic or pedagogic concerns. There are signs that a cultural change is needed in teachers' rather negative attitudes towards the concept of reflection, and their current unwillingness to reflect on their own practice and develop it - an issue related to excellence in teaching and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). A teacher's self-reflection and professional development (through the use of CPD and Teaching ePortfolios) can form a crucial model of good practice for a student's own reflective and developmental behaviour, greatly influencing the student's Personal Development Planing (PDP) (Stefani, 2005). The cultural shift in teachers' attitudes to reflection can be accomplished over a number of years as the 5 levels of maturation required for effective implementation of eportfolios are gradually achieved, maintained and surpassed until the final level is attained. This final level would be marked by the use of "authentic evidence as authoritative evidence for assessment, evaluation, and reporting" within the eportfolio, which is largely constructed employing the student's heuristic processes, and which would be "of high value for students, educators, and employers" (Love, et al. 2004).

Despite the apparent overwhelming acceptance of the need for PDP, CPD and eportfolios, concerns have been raised that there is a lack of evidence to support the claims that eportfolios support and enhance student learning and promote reflection on learning (Stefani, 2005). Further, appropriately documented studies, and time will tell.


As to eportfolio aspects that the case studies I looked at exemplify, the account of the University of Auckland's eportfolio project (Stefani, 2005) seems to stress the initial importance of the eportfolio as repository, while emphasizing that manipulation of the data/succesive versions of (the same) artifacts can demonstrate reflection and improvement over time.

The account of the California Lutheran University’s School of Education's eportfolio project (Love, et al. 2004) seemed to stress the effectiveness of working through the levels of maturation, and comments on how that gradual implementation aided its implementation by permitting the qualitative changes in faculty reflection so necessary for student progress.

My forum introduction (v1.1) (@19th Sep08)

29 Sep 2008, 05:00

Edited by Jose Martel Penate, 29 Sep 2008, 05:11

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From: José Martel Penate 19th Sep 08
Subject: Fwd: Jose's introduction v1.1
To: H808 08 ac_UNIT 1 INTRO


Hi all,

Firstly, apologies for my late arrival; hope I can catch up fairly soon.

And now the intro...

I'm Spanish, and grew up in England.

For the last couple of years I've been employed as an oral English teacher in China. Currently I "teach" 2nd year students at a university in Shanghai.

My doing a MAODE stems more from wanting to move onto a different, hopefully more satisfying career path here in China.

Why China in particular? Well, my wife is Chinese and we live in Shanghai with our lovely 8 week old, baby girl.

This is my first module of the MAODE. And my first time studying at this level. And my first online course.

I seem to be the least "professional" of my tutor group (Alan’s) which, initially, I find a little intimidating. However, this does mean I have a great opportunity to learn from my fellow members’ experience and expertise in related fields.

Some of you may have noticed that I'm having problems accessing messages on First Class. I'm not sure if this is because I'm (usually) using a Mac, coz I'm in China, both, or neither. But please bear with me while I try to sort out these problems.

By the way, you may already know that my being in China means I'm (usually) 8 hours ahead of UK time (GMT+8). This probably won't be too inconvenient for my tutor group and still allows for real-time IMing or talking over the internet at sociable hours if the need arose or the group decides it may be beneficial.

Over the next few months I hope we all have a stimulating, productive, and enjoyable time on this course together.

Jose

Ok, I've just read Alan's welcome and I think I need to expand this intro a bit.

Unlike most or all of you, I don't plan on using the knowledge and skills gained on the course at my current school/place of work. It's not that I think the kids wouldn't benefit from some sort of online support programme or PDPs, etc, or that my uni has any such programmes in operation or even planned (though a foreign oral English teacher is perhaps the last person to know about such things on a Chinese university campus, with any of the Chinese teachers coming in only slightly ahead). No, the kids would benefit from such programmes, and I might even say they (desperately) NEED them. The problem is that there would be no support from the administration on any level, and it goes without saying that the students would reject the slightest suggestion that they should take resonsibility for their own learning. And don't even mention the word "lifelong"!
So, at the moment I have a pleasant, vague sort of plan in which I hope that the MAODE can lead me away from state-run schools entrenched in their ways, while helping me steer clear of private schools obsessed with profit. Where I'll end up I'm not sure, but hopefully some place where learning is still or newly valued.

Metacog-what??!

25 Sep 2008, 23:29

Edited by Jose Martel Penate, 26 Sep 2008, 00:02

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Before starting H808 I had no idea what PDP (as "PDP") or eportfolios were.

A few years ago I did an art and design foundation course and for the first, and only, time put together a portfolio - a showcase portfolio for my interviews at universities/art colleges. Now, having done some reading on both subjects, I can see that my uni tutors did employ techniques aimed at helping me to "own"/take responsibility for my learning, though I don't recall them ever clearly stating that that was what they were doing; it was simply that that was the way things were done and I, as a student, followed their lead. And the closest thing to eportfolios we had were the sketchbooks for ideas and work in progress that all students kept.

So, this is all new to me. And, as a teacher of English as a foreign language, I'm actually quite surprised that I have never heard of PDP and eportfolios (or even the use of portfolios in education) before. Though it may simply be the case that I had no (reason to take an) interest in them so I took no notice of them (in my wanderings about the internet and various books on teaching methodology). Now that I am sitting up and taking notice I can see that there is this (huge?) movement extolling the virtues of PDP and eportfolios.

Is this all just a fad? I hope not, and I would think not. (Rigorous?) Studies have shown that PDP - systematically thinking about and then planning one's own learning, life, future - does (significantly?) improve an individual's motivation, and thus, participation in their own learning/development. I've always been a contemplative kind of person so this idea of reflection-helping-development isn't a hard one for me to buy into (hmmm, looks like I also need to use the word "metacognition": awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes).

But of course, all because something is a good idea doesn't mean that everyone will do it. Could the difficulties involved in integrating PDPs/eportfolios into the various academic/work environments tend to turn potential users (academic institution/employers) away? I suppose that when governments get involved and issue policy that should or must be adhered to, then problems will get solved or circumvented. In the business world, I imagine that if CDP programs result in greater productivity/profit then we'll see an increase in their use.

Are there nay-sayers? I've only read papers "for" PDPs and eportfolios. Obviously the OU/H808 are "for". What do the people "against" say??

To be continued...