Reflections while doing CA10.1 (partial)

I found this activity very interesting and even exciting as I could relate and even envisage using/trying to use wikis in my own professional context. This could radically change how I teach (or one aspect of it). I need to reflect further on how I can best apply wikis and other technology (pod/videocasts, blogs, mobile phones, etc.) to my teaching context/my students' learning context.

There were various links I found interesting and useful (see below).

There was a paper on using games in education. I already know that perhaps 80% of my male students and 50% of my female students play computer games regularly or daily. Finding an interesting/attractive way of putting those gaming skills/skills used in gaming to use as a means of enhancing their English speaking skills would be a good way of centering learning on the students and not vice versa. But I can't find it now - maybe it was one I read for Unit 9 (blogs)??

Writing this I now realise I forgot to include in the briefing document that wikis can appeal to the students' "digital native" character. Though I feel it's not wise to presume that my Chinese students (of around 20 years of age) are the same as US or UK students. My students have lived their entire lives in the highly developed city of Shanghai and have many of the latest gadgets and seem interested in the latest fads, but I should be cautious when adapting western studies to an asian environment. Which is something I've already learnt the hard way when trying to apply a more interactive/communicative/student-centred style of teaching to my lessons.


References
Ferris, S. and Wilder, H. (2006) ‘Uses and potentials of wikis in the classroom’, Innovate, vol. 2, no. 5. [Online], Available from: http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258 (Accessed 11 January 2009).

http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Articles+and+Resources

Lamb, B. (2004) ‘Wide open space: wikis, ready or not’, Educause Review, vol. 39, no. 5
(September/October), pp. 36–48. [Online], Available from:
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0452.asp (Accessed 11 January 2009).

Prensky, M. 2001. Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9 (5).
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf. (accessed 11 January 2009).

TeachersFirst (2006-2008) 'Index' http://www.teachersfirst.com/index.cfm

SA9.2

The Google Doc table as it looked after my latest additions to it.

The activity gave me the opportunity to use Google docs for the first time.

[Need to add to this entry. E.g. mention the other collaborators, especially Nigel S. See Cafe forum]

Re CA8.1

2 January, 03:14

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Ok, in an attempt to create some (more) evidence to show I can use new technology, I decided to try to use Audacity and Lame to create a podcast on the XP partition of my MacBook. [Using Mac's Boot Camp I have partitioned/divided the hard drive and loaded XP on one part. Now I can use the MacBook to boot directly into Mac OS X 10.5.6 or XP professional 2002 SP3.]

Being used to the simplicity of Mac installations it seemed to take some time to set up Audacity and Lame and I was a bit confused trying to locate the files to download. Audacity itself seems quite easy to use though (the basic functions at least). I didn't expect to have to search for the Lame encoder on behalf of Audacity. After a couple of hiccoughs I successfully linked it though and created my 1st MP3 using the software which played directly on iTunes for Windows.

All the while I was muddling through the instructions and trying to keep track of the IE windows (for a more authentic experience I decided not to use the much more convenient tabs in Safari for Windows -[Update-Windows automatic update offered me IE7 which has tabs so I switched; I also installed Firefox 3]). I couldn't help thinking that it's just so much easier and elegant using iMovie on Mac OS X.

I watched an interesting 2 hour long video podcast from Stanford University ("1.Darwin's Legacy: Course Introduction"). Then I thought I should perhaps simply listen to a podcast, so I listened to the 22+ min, "A World of Change: The International Initiative at Stanford University". Then I thought I should listen to something more elearning related, so I listened to the 9:34 min, "Listening to students - Innovative responses" from JISC (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2008/11/podcast63betsywilson.aspx) found thanks to Emma and a link in her blog post "Unit8 Part 1".

I was surprised by the informality of the video podcast. I had expected studio quality delivery/presentation, and found all the ums and ahs and fumbling of a live, unrehearsed performance. The 1st speaker was especially unprofessional/unrehearsed/lacking in confidence in his delivery. Also the PP presentations seemed rather amateurish/basic and not what I had expected of acclaimed and experienced professors/lecturors.

The Stanford podcast did have studio-quality audio. It seemed professional and interesting. However, half way through I found myself wanting to look at something in order to help focus my attention. I would have liked a transcription to follow as I listened, or actually be able to watch the various speakers.

The JISC podcast had good quality sound, though it seemed to have been recorded in a cafe and the interviewer seemed unexperienced and nervous. There was again no transcription, but the shorter duration made this less necessary for me.

Now to choose something to talk about...
- Professionals Vs service providers?
- The perceived need for legitimisation in the eyes of academics?
- ????

--------

02-01-09

Ok, some days later now.

I've continued to watch the Stanford Darwin series. Am on to lecture 5 of 10 now. Sometimes they can be too high-brow for me but they are interesting.

Perhaps I should try to listen/watch elearning podcasts!!!

Still can't think of something "that [addresses] an aspect of this course that raises issues for elearning in general" (unit8 part1 guide, p2) that I feel confident enough about to podcast on. Interviewing Chinese teachers on their thoughts on elearning (or foriegn English teachers) is an option, but would probably take some (considerable) time to prepare a face-to-face meeting/interview/discussion. Using something like Skype is a possibility though. But again the prep work and the actual production of the podcast seems prohibitively time-cinsuming at the moment. And leaving it for later doesn't seem an option either with work for the ECA drawing ever closer.

Reflections on TMA02 - and towards the ECA

28 Dec 2008, 04:10

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Part 1

Once I was able to write about an actual elearning professional in my "professional" context the exercise became easier to relate to and focus on. It became doable.

Part 2

A major pain was identifying all the evidence/forum messages. I had a pdf with 189 pages of largely repeated messages - i.e., new messages that included the rest of the thread. And I was to blame for a lot of that content! I hadn't systematically filed away the messages as they were produced or soon after. Lack of time and the benefit/need of hindsight in categorising the evidence were probably factors.

I think I would have found it easier (and would have used fewer words) if I had written in the 1st person. Emma asked about this and Robin replied positively but saying she should confirm with her group tutor. I thought it too late to go asking for and waiting for confirmation and simply needed to get on with it.

Overall, I need to stay on track and start preparing for the ECA from now. I definitely shouldn't leave writing till the last week.

Unit 6 woes...

24 Nov 2008, 12:02

Edited by Jose Martel Penate, 24 Nov 2008, 23:15

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Emma and Karen have put parts of this thread on their blog coz it contains some useful reflection on the course. I thought that was a good idea so I've done the same but copied the whole thread. (Italics are Keely, Emma or Karen's text.)

-----

From: Keely Laycock 22 November 2008 20:30:13
Subject: Course reading Unit 6
To: H808 08I Cafe

Hi All,
I've noticed it before, but having just finished wading through the reading for Unit 6, I wondered if anyone else is as fed up as I am with all the core reading and activities concentrating on elearning within the post 16/HE sector? If we can use the work in this Unit for TMA02 part 1, it would be more benficial for some of us to have a 'selection' of core reading rather than having to find all the resources for my own context, that of elearning within secondary schools.
Keely



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



From: Jose Martel Penate 23 November 2008 01:59:03
Subject: Re: Course reading Unit 6
To: H808 08I Cafe

Hi Keely and everyone else,

Well, I'll freely admit that I'm feeling bored and lost since starting Unit 5.
I don't seem to relate to what we're being asked to read, research, learn.
I'm not sure if this is due to the excesses of work/stress caused by TMA01. Or if the constant study over 8+ weeks is finally taking it's toll. Or simply if my personal, everyday context has little to do with what I'm being asked to do.
It is true that I'm no longer used to studying and this course is very intensive.

In an effort to try to get some kind of grasp on Unit 6 I've read what other students have produced and shared. I've looked at the forum for unit 6 - messages from Philippa, Maria, and Mitchell - and some blogs. So far I've looked at Emma's blog and Jim's blog (see below for links). Both have interesting and useful information that I'm going to take a closer look at.

I often find that by reading other student's messages/work I see completely different points of view to my own (that's if I actually have a point of view on the subject in the first place!). Often this will make me question my own abilities and leave me wondering if I have what it takes to be an elearning professional. But I do think I'll pass this course - I'm learning to give the answers that are expected of me. Does this make me more of a professional? Probably.

Jose



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



From: Emma Nugent 3 23 November 2008 16:30:40
Subject: Re(2): Course reading Unit 6
To: H808 08I Cafe


Jose Martel Penate writes:
Hi Keely and everyone else,

Well, I'll freely admit that I'm feeling bored and lost since starting Unit 5.
I don't seem to relate to what we're being asked to read, research, learn.
I'm not sure if this is due to the excesses of work/stress caused by TMA01. Or if the constant study over 8+ weeks is finally taking it's toll. Or simply if my personal, everyday context has little to do with what I'm being asked to do.
It is true that I'm no longer used to studying and this course is very intensive.

I think it is all of these, I note that very few people have engaged in Supp Activity 6.2... a sign of how we're all feeling perhaps anyway, if you keep to the schedule you can have a well earned break at Christmas. I'm even going to somewhere without internet access for a week so I ensure I take a break.

In an effort to try to get some kind of grasp on Unit 6 I've read what other students have produced and shared. I've looked at the forum for unit 6 - messages from Philippa, Maria, and Mitchell - and some blogs. So far I've looked at Emma's blog and Jim's blog (see below for links). Both have interesting and useful information that I'm going to take a closer look at.

I often find that by reading other student's messages/work I see completely different points of view to my own (that's if I actually have a point of view on the subject in the first place!). Often this will make me question my own abilities and leave me wondering if I have what it takes to be an elearning professional. But I do think I'll pass this course - I'm learning to give the answers that are expected of me. Does this make me more of a professional? Probably.

Thanks for the compliment Jose but I took this approach too as i found Unit 6 a little perplexing and it helped reading other people's comments but you have to be strict with yourself incase of accusations of collusion so don't read them too intently just in case you find yourself regurgitating what others write. What I am finding is that the course structure is sometimes confusing but also see that this is a good thin...read on.

6.1 is all about the academic side of the elearning prof, I got disgruntled by this being a non academic; but 6.2 is about the learning technologist, still not my background but close if you include the management side of things. Hopefully by the time we get to the end of the course it will all fit together nicely, a reflective model no doubt. The reading in unit 6.2 reminded of what we're read about reflection weeks ago, about allowed what you learn as you go on to change your beliefs, opinions etc which is working for me on this course. It's nice when you see the comments you make in one unit written in one of the core readings of the following section. I'd better copy and paste this into to my blog quick...

Jose


Keely Laycock writes:


>Hi All,
>I've noticed it before, but having just finished wading through the
>reading for Unit 6, I wondered if anyone else is as fed up as I am with
>all the core reading and activities concentrating on elearning within the
>post 16/HE sector? If we can use the work in this Unit for TMA02 part 1,
>it would be more benficial for some of us to have a 'selection' of core
>reading rather than having to find all the resources for my own context,
>that of elearning within secondary schools.
>Keely

That's a really interesting point and not one that was at the forefront of my mind being someone who works in HE; but you are right because I don't think my elearning career will remain in HE necessarily and it's important to learn about all sectors...perhaps one element of the TMA should be a comparision with a context you know nothing about too...it would encourage sharing amongst those of us working in different sectors. Maybe an idea for a future presentation of this course.I'd put this in the main course forum so it's alerted to Robin to see there is any pre-HE reading planned later on.

Good to "chat", is that the bell for the next article to read going off now...

Emma



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



From: Karen J. Ogilvie 23 November 2008 16:43:59
Subject: Re(2): Course reading Unit 6
To: H808 08I Cafe

Jose Martel Penate writes:
Hi Keely and everyone else,

Well, I'll freely admit that I'm feeling bored and lost since starting Unit 5.
I don't seem to relate to what we're being asked to read, research, learn.

I'm so glad its not just me!

I'm not sure if this is due to the excesses of work/stress caused by TMA01. Or if the constant study over 8+ weeks is finally taking it's toll.

I wondered that too - am I just tired?

It is true that I'm no longer used to studying and this course is very intensive.

This is intensive but i've done a couple of other OU courses recently aand still feel the same. I feel that its quite difficult to get motivated since I finished TMA01 - things seem to have lost theit focus for me.


In an effort to try to get some kind of grasp on Unit 6 I've read what other students have produced and shared. I've looked at the forum for unit 6 - messages from Philippa, Maria, and Mitchell - and some blogs. So far I've looked at Emma's blog and Jim's blog (see below for links). Both have interesting and useful information that I'm going to take a closer look at.

I've done that too and read some very useful stuff which has helped to focus my thoughts (thanks all) but I do feel as if I'm snooping

I often find that by reading other student's messages/work I see completely different points of view to my own (that's if I actually have a point of view on the subject in the first place!). Often this will make me question my own abilities and leave me wondering if I have what it takes to be an elearning professional. But I do think I'll pass this course - I'm learning to give the answers that are expected of me. Does this make me more of a professional? Probably.

Agree with this too, however, sometimes I'm just left feeling inadequate - why couldn't I have come up with this myself? The scary thing about the last couple of units for me is that I beleive I am an elearning prof... By doing this course, I hope to achieve some accreditation for years of work and experience in practice... Perhaps its because my background is science/IT and I've never had to do all this 'social analysing' before. I'm very hands-on and concerned about good poractice, fit for purpose and usability etc.... but I am struggling with here, particularly with unit 6 part 1.

Best wishes
Karen

Jose




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



From: Jose Martel Penate 24 November 2008 01:22:05
Subject: Reply to Emma and Karen
To: H808 08I Cafe

Thanks Emma and Karen,

It is good to know that others are or might be feeling the same way...and it's very good to get support on things that aren't strictly course related. It really does help.

Re reading fellow students work, I agree it's a tricky business and best if used as a guide for our own reading which can lead to the production of our own notes. Simply copying isn't great for deep learning and there's a danger you can find yourself regurgitating what others write. (Hmmm, the last bit of that sentence sounds strangely familiar...did I read it somewhere?...nah, must be mine...) But reading other people's work can also give us new ideas - and I think this can lead to even trickier problems of copying and collusion if we don't reference properly in our own notes. But I think the pros of reading fellow students' work outweigh the admittedly serious cons. I also get the feeling I'm snooping or even stealing other people's thoughts/ideas but as long as I acknowledge where the ideas came from I think it's fine. After all, if they want to avoid ppl using their notes they wouldn't put them in places where we have access to them.

I definitely feel inadequate on this course. I'm surrounded by ppl with often tens of years of experience in their field and tons of professionalism and confidence. But that's the way it is. I just have to get on with it. And after my weekend of self-indulgent stewing in my woes, your messages have helped me climb back up.

Ok, back to unit 6...

Jose

Tags: student reflection tma01 stress unit 5 professional unit 6 emma keely karen copying collusion

Re Perkin's "The Third Social Revolution"

24 Nov 2008, 11:38

Edited by Jose Martel Penate, 24 Nov 2008, 11:44

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Perkin in 1996 states that "The modern world is the world of the professional expert" (Perkins 1996, p1) as opposed to the industrial world dominated by capitalists. Perkin maintains that professionals' "power, prestige, influence, and
incomes stem from their possession of specialized knowledge, based on education, competitive merit, and experience on the job–in a word, on their human capital." (Perkins 1996, p1). Perkin states that "the key players are the professional managers of the great corporations and their counterparts ingovernment, the state bureaucrats" (Perkins 1996, p6). These professionals deal in "knowledge-based
services" (Perkins 1996, p6), "sophisticated services which have transformed human life" (Perkins 1996, p6). Perkins maintains that "As long as the particular expertise is scarce [...] the expert can command a rent as surely as the landlord or owner of industrial capital" (Perkins 1996, p7).

Stan (2008) points out that "Perkin’s view of society is closely related to the concept of the information society since an important part of being a professional is having information and being able to make use of it. This is one reason why the centrality of higher education is one of the major trends that Perkin attempts to explain."

Perkin warns that the more powerful professionals "are the elites who will make or break modern post-industrial society" by their "intelligence, enlightenment and integrity" though the unique cultural inheritance, social structure, and political ingenuity of each advanced country" is also a factor (Perkins 1996, p7).



References:

From: Philippa Perry 2 18 November 2008 19:00:26
Subject: Is this a professional society?
To: Alan Clarke
Cc: H808 ac6 Unit 6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_society


From: Mitchell Stan20 November 2008 13:51:53
Subject: Core Activity 6.1 on Perkins
To: H808 ac6 Unit 6

Perkin, H. (1996) Chapter 1 of The Third Revolution: Professional Elites in the Modern
World, London: Routledge. Available as a course resource.

Tags: student professional perkin unit 6 perry stan the third social revolution

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