Digital Wisdom

Based on what I  have learned so far on my journey to distance education,  I don’t think a distance learning experience should cater to digital immigrants.  I think that they will adapt on their own.  Maintaining social, cognitive, and teaching presence in a class will help them adapt.  Take my experience with Distance Education. I completed CMU's MSA program between 1996-1999.  At that time distance learning was week night or weekend classes at a satellite campus.  When I had my daughter I contracted a stomach virus and missed a class so I drive to Southfield twice weekly to stay on track for graduation.  When I came back in 2010 for CMU's BTE program there was Blackboard.  Some professors used it and some did not.  I took an online class for the first time.  I printed everything and highlighted my notes just as I would in a classroom.  Then I took a few more classes on line so my commute was less as I was working full time.  As I continued in my program more teachers used Blackboard so I then had more blended classes.  I did more on my laptop than typing papers.  I started taking notes in class and using the library online to do research than actually looking at the catalog and microfiche.  When I stated this program I have done everything online.  I actually have trouble with paper. In my classes I teach from my iPad and not from my lesson plans in a notebook.  I still keep a paper copy due to network and bandwidth issues.  In my classes the videos that I have seen from professors helped my understanding of material, and expectations.  Working in groups online and discussion boards helped as well.  The presence of others and seeing the comments and questions helped me to see I am not alone or am not the only one confused, etc.  I think although Prensky states that educators are digital immigrants, there are some students as well.  Online readiness surveys for students and educators, checklists for educators in distance education readiness as well as introductory videos, micro lectures, clearly stated learning objectives, and badges would be helpful to them. 

Based on the definition of digital wisdom (humans that consider the  way access the power of digital enhancements to facilitate wiser decision making), distance education course should ignite the soft skills needed in the workplace. Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.  I did not include intuition and instinct because it is understood that those are trusted and developed when exercising these skills.  Project/Problem based learning will enhance digital wisdom as well as challenge learning. Using these learning types in a distance learning classroom, students will have no other choice but to depend on digital enhancements to support their learning and decision making.

Empathy and passion is built in distance education courses through the social presence as well as teacher presence.  When the relation ships are built through these, teachers can allow their passion to be shown as thus, "bring each student to the material they are teaching through each student’s own passion, whatever it may be. "  When that fire is ignited, that is when a teacher begins to facilitate learning.  Empathy is intertwined with this passion because a teacher can sense these passions and interests when developing that social presence in the class.  At this point relationships are built.  The teacher presence also allows students to mutually interact.  Prensky states, "Machines do not have the human ability to care about students, to understand each student as an individual, to empathize with each student’s unique struggles and passions. … liking students—and wanting, almost desperately, to help them. Machines help teachers help students, of course, but they do not provide the fundamental emotional— and human—connection that student need to succeed." 

I think this video sums it up about digital natives, immigrants, empathy and passion in a way that we can all think about the future of educations.

Works Cited

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon,9(5), 1-6.

Prensky, M. (2009). H. sapiens digital: From digital immigrants and digital natives to digital wisdom. Innovate: journal of online education, 5(3), 1.

Prensky, M. (2012). What ISN'T Technology Good At? Empathy, for One Thing!. Educational Technology, 52(5), 64.

Prensky, M. (2012). What Technology ISN’T Good At, Part II: Passion.Educational Technology.

Evaluating a Distance Learning Course

In reviewing the iNACOL, Quality Matters and ISTE article on standards for online courses, I observed something. The articles all talked about the same thing but on different levels. The iNACOL standards are very through with topic areas and explanations of specific criteria under each area. ISTE Teacher standards state what the standard is and an explanation of outcomes that teacher should accomplish. Quality Matters is simply a rubric with topic areas to be evaluated and a description on what falls under each area with points. I found the QM rubric easier to use for course review but iNACOL a point of reference for explanation of the criteria in the rubric. The elements that are discussed in the standards are essential to any course regardless of the content. The ten elements that I found to be important in evaluating a course are:

1. Course Overview & Introduction- Providing students with an explanation of what the course is all about, the specifications of the course (grades, due dates, unit topic areas, prerequisites, instructor contact information), explanation of course navigation.
2. Learning Objectives (Competencies) - State what students are expected to learn and its application to real-world activities/situations.
3. Assessment and Measurement - Ensuring that assessments are appropriately aligned to subject standards and the appropriate challenge level of students and learning objectives.
4. Instructional Materials-Incorporate all students and their learning abilities; are properly aligned with objective and standards. 
5. Learner Interaction and Engagement- Activities engage students in the process of learning; suitable activities that promote interaction between students and instructor as well as students and their peers.
6. Course Technology- Selection of appropriate technology that will engage students as active learners, current and students can successfully navigate and access.
7. Learner Support - Students can receive academic support as well as technical support using LMS and course content.
8. Accessibility - All students can access the LMS and content information; appropriate accommodation needs are met; distractions are minimal or eliminated; accessibility technology can be used in collaboration with content.
9. Course Updates- Up to date and relevant course material is used.  Minimum update of every three years.
10. Assessing Course Effectiveness-Use of course evaluation, peer reviews, etc. to assess the effectiveness of the course.

The elements that are imperative to the content of business courses are, instructional materials and  course updates.  The world of business is dynamic.  It is constantly changing.  Instructors teaching this content area need to stay current in their professional development and interaction with business leaders to ensure they are teaching relevant content that truly prepares students for the workplace.  In addition to content changes, standards change also as the content changes.  In Michigan, the OCTE keeps educators abreast of these changes.  As CTE teachers are required to maintain articulation agreements as well as evaluate their programs, there is no doubt that their content will stay up to date.

The five elements that were not included are:

1. Certification- Credentials of the Instructor
2. Technology Requirements and Interoperability- Requirements for the technology used in the course; content use across LMS.
3. Legal and Acceptable Use Policies-Anti-bias content, privacy statements, academic dishonesty
4. Data Security-Protection of student information
5. Course, Unit , & Lesson Design- Organization and presentation of course material

These elements were not included due primarily to school policies and procedures.  Certification was not included because teachers must be high qualified to teach in their content.  The exception is emergency permit situations.  In the case of online learning this would be irrelevant as it is not based on location.  Technology requirements and Interoperability were not considered because today, most LMS related to education are not only accessible on a computer but also on mobile devices.  As instructors search for systems, it is imperative to keep this in mind as students on various SES have access to technology in various ways.  Interoperability is something that an instructor should consider based on their technology/LMS use.  The question is how much time will an instructor have and will they want to put the effort into moving from one LMS to another?  Legal and Acceptable use policies were not considered because they are apart of the requirements for maintaining the course with the State/Federal mandates in CTE.  In addition they are also a part of the school's policies and code of conduct for students.  There would simply be links to the information as well as mention in the syllabus.  Data security was also not considered for two reasons.  Grades are posted in a separate system, specifically Infinite Campus.  Because the school is a Google School all students have am email address assigned along with a network username and password after the Acceptable Use Policy is signed by students and parents annually. Requiring students to use this information keeps them and their data secure.  Lastly, course, unit, and lesson design were not considered because this will depend on course material and the outcomes desired by the instructor and standards. 

Seven Things You Should Know About Learning Technology

In the online learning arena there are new ways of looking at teaching and learning.  Educause has come out with seven things we should know about learning technology.  The seven things they discuss are: badges, challenge-based learning, ecosystem, gamification, learning objectives, micro lecture, and video presentation. The learning technologies that will be implemented in my online learning module will be micro-lectures and video communication.  Both of these technologies allow students to control their learning. 

Micro-lectures are short recorded audio or video presentations on a specific topic.  They can be used in both blended as well as online learning.  They will be useful in my courses for initial instruction as well as review for students.  Microlectures should be 1-3 minutes in length. (Jan, 2014)

In my course micro-lectures will be implemented to introduce material to students.   Many students that will take the Introduction to Business course will be underclassmen who have no experience with business course or concepts.  Micro-lectures will allow them to receive instructions in small segments to absorb the material. One of the units in particular this will be essential in will be Accounting.  Accounting is a new way of looking at numbers and using them vs what they have learned in a math class.

Video presentation is the second technology I want to implement.  Video presentations are live recordings that are informal and focus on interaction. The main focus is between students.  This will be useful in my course for the reinforcement and review of materials.  I see it also being used by students as they  collaborate on activities.

Specifically in my course, I would like to do a video presentation as an introduction the second or third day of class.  This allows us to see each other.  I would  like students to participate in a discussion board introducing themselves and then a video presentation.  Then it can be reviewed by those that cannot attend.  I can also see myself using this as a review tool for exams/quizzes.  Since our school is a Google School staff and students have GAPPS accounts so the ideal tool to use will be Google Hangout. I have experimented with this with students for review sessions for quizzes in accounting and the few that participated really like it.  It did not catch on with the students much.

"7 Things You Should Know About Micro-lectures| EDUCAUSE.edu." 2012. 19 Nov. 2015 <http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-microlecturess>

Jan, Jana. "Are You Already Microlecturing?" Weblog post. ELearning Industry. ELearning Industry, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. <http://elearningindustry.com/are-you-already-microlecturing>. 

"7 Things You Should Know About Video Communication| EDUCAUSE.edu." 2012. 19 Nov. 2015 <http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-video-communication>

Smyth, Robyn. "Enhancing Learner-learner Interaction Using Video Communications in Higher Education: Implications from Theorising about a New Model." British Journal of Educational Technology 42.1 (2011): 113-27. Web. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.cmich.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=03ec8c53-c29b-46f2-b9fb-7cee5796e1b4%40sessionmgr110&vid=4&hid=105>.

Delivery System

Last week I narrowed down my choices from two LMS this week to one.  The two LMS choices are Schoology and Teamie. The Important elements that I had selected were: Technology Access and Requirements; Classroom Management; Community; Assessment ; and Provide Support. 

In my research of an external site I found an article by Canvus that evaluates 6 LMS and breaks the elements down into three categories with sub categories in relation to pedagogy, instructors, and students.  See the table bevlow.

The first element that I evaluated was technology access and requirements. Over the last few years I have noticed a shift in the technology access of my students.  They have gone from a laptop or desktop at home to a tablet or chrome book.  So it was important that there be an app or mobile browser capability.  Both LMS have a mobile app in the Google Playstore and the Apple App store.  I downloaded both to my iPad for testing.  It was also important that I be able to access these on the go as well.  There are times when I do not have access to my computer but my iPad and can work in the LMS with students.  The apps were simple enough to download. Schoology was easy to access just like in the web browser on the computer.  Teamie was another story.  I had to search the Help and FAQs  to see how to log in with a free account.  There was no documentation.  I had to email them.  Because the support center is in India ad we are in different time zones I didn't get a response right away.  It was several hours later.  Strike one for Teamie.  West, Waddoups , and Graham state that Instructors are more likely to adopt an LMS if they can overcome the technical challenges of it and usually start to adopt it due to one or two features they can use.

The second element evaluated was classroom management.  Similar to Edmodo, students need an access code to join the class in Schoology.  In Teamie an email is sent. Batch setup of students cannot be done in Teamie. Both are able to monitor student activity and track progress.  Strike two Teamie.

The third element evaluated was community. Creating groups is very similar to Edmodo with the option to select user types.  Teamie was also similar in this respect.  Both  LMS would allow social presence for student and instructor success.

Assessment was evaluated in both and seemed simple enough. All test question types can be added in both.  They were simple enough to create. 

Providing support is another extremely important element for me for my students.  It is also important for me as well.  Schoology is extremely similar to Edmodo and seemed easy enough to support my students and myself instruction.  Teamie is another story. The FAQs and help were simple enough but not as well developed for the free version.

I am early adopter of technology that will allow my students success in the content I provide.  However, it is important that I to can access and manipulate the technology for this success. It also has to be free due to budget constraints.  My school currently offers Moodle, which is similar to blackboard bit at time can be cumbersome. Edmodo is too simple and Teamie is a little complex.  Teamie also only allows one class on the free account.  I need to create 4 classes for each one I teach in a term.  I teach a total of five classes a year.  That means I need a total of 5 classes. Teamie would not work for me.  I was excited about Teamie and the potential that it has but Schoology is going to be my choice for this project. West, Waddoups , and Graham refer to Everett Rogers model for the adoption of new innovations.  The stages are knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, confirmation.  Based on these stages, I am at the decision stage ready for implementation.

West, Richard, Gary Waddoup, and Charles R. Graham. "Understanding the Experiences of Instructors as They Adopt a Course Management System." Educational Technology Research and Development 55(1): 1-26. 5 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.<http://www.jstor.org/stable/30221227>

Cavus, Nadire, Teyang Zabadi. "Comparison of Open Source Leaning Management Systems." Procedia-Social and Behavorial Science 143(2014): 521-526. 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.cmich.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S1877042814043584 >

Social Presence and LMS

The LMS that I would use with my students most effectively would be Teamie and then Schoology.  Canvas comes in a close third place.  All three of these LMS would work for my high school students as it is close to what they would see in college courses.  All of them reflect social presence.  The first thing I looked for was what Rubin et. al referred to as LMS affordance perspectives and usability for instructors.  An example of this is how easy it is to communicate as well as how easy it is to find course elements.  They also discuss affordance perspectives and usability for students as well.  It is importance that these are met as they affect social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence. (Rubin et. al, 2013) Teamie seemed to have the simplest interface upon login.  I didn’t have to change it when I setup my course.  When students login they can see a dashboard that shows them everything they need.  I would equate it to a table of contents.  I find the section and turn to the page.  In Teamie, I find the section and I click on it.  In Schoology, you have to go into the course settings and change it from the default landing page of materials to updates.  Schoology does provide a dashboard interface very similar to blackboard. 

I liked Teamie as it is more app oriented.  Buttons are rounder and resembles a mobile app.  This provides a social presence for students where they feel more included because they have to click on a button vs. a link to get what they need.

From an instructor’s standpoint I especially liked Teamie because of the ability to see who has read material and sending a friendly reminder.  This would constitute that teaching presence that’s students need in instruction management as well as social presence because interaction can take place when the teacher reaches out to the student.  I didn’t see that in Schoology or canvas.  I also like the format of posts in Teamie.  It has that feel of twitter to it where students and instructors can add hashtags as well as mention fellow classmates.  Olesnikov-Jessopsays Teamie is trying to make online learning social and fun to improve student engagement. 

Isaacson talked about the Transactional Distance theory in that the learner autonomy which is the learner's perception of independent and interdependent participation and the student's level of self-directed learning is important to their perception of social presence.  Teamie provides students with the ability to see when a reading is no longer available to them.  It also provided a status bar of progress for them to independently direct their learning. Teamie allows file, audio and text submissions for assignments.  Again allowing complete interaction as well as self direction in their choice of interaction.  Rubin et.al discussed the importance of student satisfaction with an LMS as an affordance that increases social presence.  When student LMS affordances and usability is perceived as usable and manageable, student engagement will increase. 

Works Cited

Bentley, K. J. (n.d.). The Centralitiy of Social Presence in Online Teaching and Learning. http://wp.vcu.edu/online-learning-summit/files/2012/05/Bentley.pdf

Joanna C. Dunlap, P. R. (n.d.). Tweeting the Night Away: Using Twitter to Enhance Social Presence. Journal of Information Systems Education, 129-135. <http://www.fp.ucalgary.ca/maclachlan/EDER_679.06_Fall_2009/tweeting_the_night_away.pdf>

Patrick R. Lowenthal, J. C. (2010). From pixel on a screen to real person in your students' lives: Establishing social presence using digital storytelling. The Internet and higher Education, 70-72.http://www.cehd.umn.edu/PSTL/Water/Resources/Documents/LowenthalDunlap2010.pdf

Rubin, Beth, Ron Fernandez, and Maria D. Avgerinou. "The Effects of Technology on the Community of Inquiry and Satisfaction with Online Courses." Internet and High Education 17 (2013): 48-57. 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2015. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.cmich.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S1096751612000632>.

Defining Distance Learning

The first thing that I learned is that there is a lot of vocabulary!  We all use the same terminology but interpret it so differently.  After reading the definition of a blended course being classified as” Course that blends online and face-to-face delivery. Substantial proportion of the content is delivered online, typically uses online discussions, and typically has a reduced number of face-to-face meetings. “(Allen & Seaman, 2013, pg. 7) I do not teach a blended course.  I see my students everyday for 84 minutes a day.  Instead, I teach a web facilitated course according to the survey.  I feel like this is what confuses administrators and educators alike.  The definitions change based on the survey, article or legal defense.  At some point I want to get to the blended or hybrid courses, but seat time is important in Michigan schools.  Based on their schedules where do we put students?  What are they doing when not in class on hybrid class days?  

The second thing that I learned was that I knew it!  Credit Recovery was not all that it was cracked up to be!  I am not saying that it is not a note worthy program.  However, The Sloan Foundation brings up some of the same concerns that I have.  If a student struggles with reading comprehension, how can they succeed with credit recovery? If a student is too immature for the classroom, how is independent study with credit recovery any different? I agree with them that more research should be done on if in fact credit recovery programs are decreasing high school dropout rates. Lastly, I too have concerns with the quality of content that is supplied when these students typically have deficits and needs that cannot be remedied by technology alone.  It may be cost efficient but, is it what is best for the student’s success in learning?

Two things that surprised me were the increased use of MOOCs.  I have heard of them and am curious as to how they work.  I haven’t had a chance to take one but looking forward to it.  One of my concerns was addressed in the Changing Course study.  The survey stated that 38% of Baccalaureate administrators do not feel they are a sustainable way to add courses. I am surprised considering many of these institutions have some form of online learning/distance education.  The second thing that surprised me was that 62% of higher education institutions are now offering full degree granting programs online.  Ten years ago this was not true.  I am curious as to how employers will view these degrees and certifications of the candidates they interview for positions.  I say this because online degrees were frowned on 10 years ago and if your degree didn’t come from a “brick and mortar” school, you were passed by.

In my second undergraduate degree I took a few online course to complete my teaching program.  I LOVED it.  When I went back to school I had three busy kids, a husband, and a full time job.  I could not take off work for all of the classes I needed in my program during the day so this was perfect. I could make it to a soccer game and read a watch/listen to a lecture while putting dishes in the dishwasher.  This program being completely online was awesome as well.  Right now as I type this, I am sitting in front of the TV while I wait for “How to Get Away with Murder” and prepare to pick up my daughter from work.  I couldn’t do that if not for an online class.  As for teaching, it takes a lot. I develop my own videos, use Moodle to create quizzes, and setup online discussions.  I don’t like it much because it is limiting.  However, I won’t use another product because that’s what other teachers use as well as Google classroom.  I don’t want to stress students out with learning yet another LMS while learning course content.

Works Cited

Examining the extent and nature of online learning in American K-12 Education: The research initiatives of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Picciano, Seaman, Shea, Swan, 2011.

Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning, Moore and Kearsley, 2012.

Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States, Allen and Seaman, 2013.

Blog Introduction

As Educators we model behavior, model concepts, and scaffold content for students to learn.  This manifesto is designed as a model of distance education for educators and administrators.  Michigan passed a law a few years ago called 21f where students in grades 6-12 may take an online course if they choose. Just as we model material for students to practice learning and critically think about the solution to problems, my  hope is that my blog does the same for my colleagues.

On our campus we have quite a few teachers that are "blending" their courses.  Most of the courses are a transition from face- to- face courses to blended or hybrid courses.  Then there are courses that teachers want to design to capture the students that are ready for online learning but not ready for dual enrollment or the offerings of Michigan Virtual just yet. There are also colleagues who are just fine with face-to-face interaction in their content areas, but know they need to adapt to the needs of their students.  They are just unsure of how to begin to do it.

I would like to see my campus come together as a distance education community, just as we have created a professional development community and support this style of education for our student body.  I want to become the early adopter that my colleagues can review and provide feedback.  It is my hope that as I journalize my journey through the distance education course process that my colleagues can define what distance education can look like for them, from the design process to the technology, to the implementation.