Hoven Cnie 08

Slide 1: Learning innovation and the individual-community nexus: Intercultural applicability of social networking tools in open and distance education CNIE Reaching new heights: Learning innovation Banff, April 27-30 2008

Slide 2: Previously … Community formation … Across semesters Across cultures From novice to expert From receiver to reflector From learner to practitioner to mentor

Slide 3: Experiences of pedagogy Experiential learning Task/project-based learning Collaborative learning Community of mutually-supportive reflective inquirers Extended community of experts-novices Community of learner-practitioners

Slide 4: Social constructivism & teacher change  Self-reflection on beliefs & values  Exposure to choice  Experience of affordances ² Consciousness of conflict/dysjuncture • Exposure to modelling of effective uses of technology • Experience & practice in a range of applications ² facilitating change in attitudes/beliefs (Richardson & Placier, 2001; King, 2002; Bird & Rosaen, 2005; Brook & Oliver, 2005; Hughes, 2005)

Slide 5: Attitudes towards technology & effective use of it  entwined with teacher learning, comprising:  subject matter knowledge  pedagogical knowledge, and  pedagogical content knowledge In other words …  teachers will only embrace change and innovation when they can see positive benefits in terms of:  direct relevance to their content area  usefulness from a practical task perspective, and  increased effectiveness for their day to day classroom teaching. (Hughes, 2005)

Slide 6: Tools used  Webquests using SDSU portal <http://www.webquest.org/> Dreamweaver + online media & resources  Hot Potatoes + various other online templating tools + media  Social communication/networking: Wiki – MediaWiki hosted on university server (www- viewable) Individual blogs – Blogger (www-viewable) IM Discussion forum Chat e-Portfolios

Slide 7: Expectations vs Use of SN Tools 1 .../2  Expectations  Uses Wiki Wiki  for internal-remote  Experimenting with the interface collaboration  Group organization: sharing & collaboration  Hints & tips (Q & A, quick fixes)  ownership  Interesting articles/sites  easily accessible from  Posting projects everywhere (where my Blogs students were located)  Reflection Blogs  self-reflection  ownership  peer evaluation  Communication  reflective space  mutual support & feedback  flexible (& re-purpose-  Community formation & maintenance able) space  Interaction  extensible outside  Among members of single timelines of course cohort  Across continents & oceans  Across semesters  Across cultural & social dysjunctures

Slide 8: Expectations vs Use of SN Tools 2 .../2  Expectations  Uses IM IM  for quick changes of plan • Notification of: • Lateness  to check if online • chat entry Discussion forum • new posts Discussion Forum  formal course-related theoretical Qs & responses  Formal course evaluation  Formal comments on the course & Chat projects  synchronous local & … in response to instructor’s postings international coordination Chat e-Portfolios • synchronous remote/ internal  formal annotated electronic communication on: record of program • Discussion documents, artefacts, • catch-up • Socializing achievements • course-related transactions E-Portfolios – Created but hardly (yet) used – Possibly because of formal nature cf digital stories

Slide 9: Course outcomes:  Processes  Products  Self-reflection  Webquests  Self-evaluation  Online media-supported teaching module  Self-efficacy  Wiki sites  Independent inquiry  Blogs  Self-initiation  Course-related  Self-motivation  Personal  Peer evaluation  Travel  Realization of  Post-course/ usefulness of practitioner formation of community network

Slide 10: Social presence: effective interaction & learning community formation  No. & frequency of interactions initiated  No. & frequency of responses to others  Cultural effects on interactions **  Types of communication actions **

Slide 11: Classification of postings Supportive Postings by category Supporting Compliment Empathy Advice Information Thanks Reflective Musing Supp Complaint Refl Trans Photo Org Transactional Help Request Help giving Query Organizational Announcement

Slide 12: Features emerging from classification High incidence of supportive comments (1/3): Complimenting, supporting, giving advice, thanking, empathizing High incidence of reflective comments: Musing, photographs, complaints Much less transactional: Asking & answering Qs, requesting & receiving help Smallest category: organizational

Slide 13: Persistence of post-course blog use  All but 1 posted on their blogs post-course  >50% maintained & expanded theirs, creating others, & using with own classes  >30% maintained blog contact & mentored subsequent cohorts  Similar patterns across subsequent semesters have shown  Experience of being mentored seems to engender willingness to mentor  Experience of becoming reflective, independent & interdependent members of a community promotes willingness to support emerging independence

Slide 14: And now the story continues … In fully online mode … - or is it a different story??

Slide 15: New context, similar approach In transition from f2f CALL Teacher Ed to … Blended/hybrid CALL Teacher Ed to … Fully online mix of CALL & general DE to … Fully online DE Teacher Education

Slide 16: Online constraints & considerations Intercultural aspects Geography & access Timezones Appropriate technology

Slide 17: Tools made available 1 … /2  Synchronous & asynchronous CMC: Moodle: Discussion forums IM near-synchronous chat Wikis Blogs (not used) Email VoIP (Skype) Elluminate Live Elluminate vRooms

Slide 18: Tools made available 2 … /2  Instructional technologies  Discovery/exploratory technologies  Community-facilitating technologies (Facebook, Me2U, Flickr, tagging applications, RSS etc)

Slide 19: Beginning with a tale of 2 wikis … & 2 Moodles … Exploratory learning - using the available tools for purposes that seem appropriate … Learning together …

Slide 20: Choices & constraints 1 …/2  Individual vs community  “traditional” personality of DE students  Role of academic dialogue at Masters level Facilitation in DE environment?

Slide 21: Choices & constraints 2 …/2  Mismatch between:  Requirements  Expectations (teacher & learners)  Teaching & learning approaches (including intercultural aspects)  Assessment criteria  Assessment process (in transition) What constitutes PARTICIPATION??

Slide 22: Collaborative Moodle wiki sites CDE Moodle & wiki Internal to course Password protected Locked down by university admin Unable to add guests or students

Slide 23: CDE Moodle wiki site

Slide 24: CDE Moodle wiki site

Slide 25: Collaborative Moodle & wiki sites Education University of Iceland Open Moodle Password protected Guests & students added manually http://moodle.khi.is/course/category.php?id=8 Wikispaces sites for student-student, student- teacher & teacher-teacher collaboration http://athabascakhi.wikispaces.com/Athabasca

Slide 26: Communications Technologies Elluminate Live http://www.elluminate.com/ Elluminate vRooms http://www.elluminate.com/vroom/ Skype

Slide 27: Changing roles Reflective practice Openness Collaboration Negotiation Changing assessment practices: e-Portfolios

Slide 28: Some advice from my students

Slide 29: Critical differences in DE 1 …/2  a necessity for lifelong learning  “green”-er (x4)  Accessibility & openness (x5)  centrality of CMC  Flexibility  importance for lifestyle & commitments  freedom to design your own program & courses according to interest  Accessibility, breaking down barriers & reaching remote locations  autonomy in experience & direction (x4)  Of both experience of learner & direction of studies i.e.  Self-motivation  Self-designed courses & program  Keeping up with advancements in technology (x3)

Slide 30: Critical differences in DE 2 …/2  multi-modal techniques to cultivate engagement (x2)  Move from “compensation model” to “celebration model” (x3)  DRAGONS:  Diverse (many and different; distinct and unalike)  Requisites (anything indispensable)  Accessing (obtain or retrieve from a storage device like information on a computer  Global (not limited or provincial in scope  Opportunities (a possibility due to a favourable combination of circumstances)  Non-traditionally (not conforming or in accord with the considered norm)  Sustained (supply with necessities and support)

Slide 31: Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Advice?

Slide 32: Debra Hoven Centre for Distance Education, Athabasca University http://cde.athabascau.ca/faculty/debrah.php http://deincanada.blogspot.com/ http://lifentheuniverse.blogspot.com debrah@athabascau.ca