Edu Brainstorming

The conclusion of the class seems to have rushed in when I wasn’t looking!  I have labored over my website hours and hours these past two weeks and now I’m ready to give it a break. In this process I experimented with Go!Animate, Inspiration (concept mapping), ePals for blogging, and Survey Monkey.  All were exciting and marvelous to appraise as an amateur.

Gwen’s website is ready for a peek!

Navigating the website format is challenging.  I used the Help links over and over to inquire just HOW to do this. I want to keep up with my blog and website now that the learning curve is a bit gentler.  Hunting for some types of creative and free clip-art, I examined page after page of clkr.com.  Not enough time to locate another source.

I appreciate all the advice, insight, interpretations, and knowledge that my friends (fellow students)  all have shared with me/us.   I have been in awe of all the collective experience & skills that are in this very group!
In addition, I think that I have some bit of awareness or understanding of personalities too.  Words in print do speak loudly at times and personality comes through in a good way.

In this class I have read, digested, discussed, debated, explored, considered and become fired up!

I feel an Energy bounce in online classes and yet I can understand how this setting is beneficial for those Introverts among us also — There is room for all.  I think I have learned in leaps and bounds from my fellow students.   I want to use all the info/techniques/methods/wisdom that I have acquired!

In the spring I’ll take the Creating Collaborative Communities in E-Learning and I’m so excited to learn that some of my classmates will be there also!

Wow, this has been quite a week!  Many many hours have gone into my final project and it isn’t finished yet!  This coming week I will add some missing details and revisions.

I have enjoyed and learned from exploring all my classmates’ projects.  They are wonderful and very inspiring.

In preparation, I went back through previous discussions and assignments to piece together comments and opinions that I thought were most important to me.

View the website in progress!

Gwen in NC

Webconference
Fortunately, I registered last week for Vyew and it seemed pretty simple to access.  Due to an out of town job interview, I was on the road Monday afternoon.  However, I was able to zoom into the library, borrow my son’s little earphones, and jump online with my laptop.  Right on to the webconference on Vyew which was an enjoyable event with Kristen as our expert guide.   I wanted to talk out loud but just couldn’t do it in that quiet space.  I would definitely try it again, now that I’ve seen how it works.  It is visual and auditory and kinesthetic all at the same time!

Survey Time
Making a survey this week was fun.  I went back to re-visit the Module 1 survey and found inspiration.  I utilized Survey Monkey which turned out comparatively easy.  This is another assessment form that I will make use of.  In fact, I can’t wait to do this!

Visit my survey

Work continues on the Final Project of Assessment in E-Learning Class!

Posted today was the Taxonomy Table project which was the assessment of a journalism course proposal.

That link is located on the Home Page right side.

Stay tuned for more progress reports!

Gwen

Reflection of Module Five:  Bloom’s Taxonomy

The time that we spent on Bloom’s Taxonomy this module was definitely appreciated.  I want to become more aware of the depth of learning that I require in my assessment and class design.  I am concerned that I might get stuck in lower level.  The Digital Bloom’s Taxonomy is a winner — at last I can see the meaning of Mashing!

In my field of Career and Technical Education it is important to have authentic student learning for careers in the real world.  However, it was pointed out, in the Module Five Background, that instructors need “to rely heavily on student feedback, student reflection of experience and volunteer application of learning.”  This is an area that I want to be creative in order to encourage  high school students to communicate.  The shy, quiet student is not accustomed to speaking out in class and I want to encourage equality in written comments.  The creativity factor I think is needed to persuade students and grab their curiosity.  In addition, I want to introduce students to forms of learning that might be in their online futures.

The jigsaw assignment for this module was quite a diverse learning experience.  On the one hand there were the group dynamics and organization.  My team of Fran, Ruth, Hoop and I virtually zoomed off the runway with Fran giving us the green light to go.  After each individual added his or her assignment the project came down to earth smoothly.  Thanks go to Fran, Ruth, and Hoop for volunteering to take the next steps.  I was truly surprised that we were the first group to post.

The second significant source of learning was the review and evaluation of assessment tools.   I appreciate the time and energy that was devoted by each classmate.  For the person who has not used any of the tools it is valuable to gather opinions and information.  I feel much more knowledgeable regarding the possibilities and range of technology available.  I found myself in awe of the tasks that can now be accomplished online!

Reading back over discussion posts of our modules, I  notice that we all like to “talk” and discuss!  Maybe the nature of teachers?  I wonder if other groups who were not educators would do the same amount of discussion?
Also, it seems that we students/teachers are able to comment on things which we have no prior knowledge.  I think we are getting better at performing that task!

Mind mapping and concept mapping are an exciting activity for me!  Visual learning and I go way back in my childhood to navigating on family vacations with map in hand.  I also love globes and atlases where unknown countries are always a new revelation.  My memory retention, however, is not up to my curiosity!

The outstanding part of this module therefore, was the study of mapping.  I want to become more proficient with Inspiration and might decide to make the purchase.
I would like my hypothetical students to use mapping, create their own, and determine what is beneficial to the individual.  Much of life in the present and surely life in the future is dependent on that ability to grasp concepts, ideas, facts by absorbing the visual details.  I think students need training and education to create their own maps.  I plan to include the creation and use of maps in future courses.

Another important concept from Module 3 was stated as:  “A vision of clear end-learning results is the beginning step.”  This was a good lesson for me, because I think too often I have tacked on some assessment or accepted the state mandated testing as the sole assessment.  I plan to integrate the learning outcome with understanding with experiences with encouraging understanding to wrap it all up in a bundle worthy of learning!

I am discovering more each module about assessment and all that is part of it.
The comparison of Student-centered vs Teacher-centered assessment caused me to consider my old practices and plan changes for the future.  In the past I think I just followed old styles without question!  Our school systems perpetuate the teacher-centered style in K-12 learning.  It seems like very little is asked of teachers to change this part of student learning.

The statement “Teaching, learning and assessment are intertwined and ongoing, providing supportive guidance, timely and continual feedback in an environment that encourages risk-taking behavior, creative ideas and experimentation with teamwork”
(from Module Two Background section) sums up elements that I want to include in my future teaching.

I am hoping that I get to teach and follow this message “the powerful online learning environments that embrace diversity, authentic learning contexts and meaningful communication, reflection and presentation of knowledge, creativity, discovery and wisdom.”
That phrase is inspirational, mentally stimulating, and makes me want to be more creative in carrying it out.

From performing an online assessment survey, I gained an overview of the benefits and advantages of learner-centered assessment vs teacher-centered.

When assessment is learner-centered, it can give us the kinds of information we need to:

• Understand what students can do well and in what areas they have not succeeded
• Raise questions about the design of curriculum or about the teaching strategies we use
• Develop a better understanding of how to assess learning in a useful manner

Finding my way through blog design is a challenge.  I hope that one day soon it will become easier. Brainstorming is one of my favorite methods to plan projects, visuals, school projects, presentations, and daily life.  I enjoy bouncing ideas around with one or two willing collaborators, however I practice the technique alone when it’s unavoidable!

Assessment in E-Learning is not my first online class and I felt comfortable beginning Module 1 last week, but any complacency has now disappeared!

We practiced interviews, surveys, and wikis in Module 1.  First I was fooled by the Survey!  I thought it was just for the instructor’s benefit, never thinking of survey as an assessment form.  Now I realize the possibilities, but I think it is a challenge to word questions in a manner that would require a thorough answer.

After we went through the Interview process, I think it would be a possibility, however with adolescents I think I would need more structure.  Fran suggested in the discussion, “I would have them post something about themselves first (something like: describe your favorite T-shirt).”  I loved the idea of selecting an item or favorite that would draw out an opinion.

As much as the interviews and survey were somewhat familiar, the wiki was a stranger to me!  I like the possibilities and continue to work on that.  I get inspired by my fellow students who have used various online tools successfully.  K- 12 school districts is my area are both extremely conservative and behind the curve in technology, which makes me less than confident for the near future.  I still want to learn and be able to practice techniques for myself currently!