Page 3 of 8
Hi Teya! I read your third blog post and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your thoughts on this topic. I am glad to read that you have learned a lot about this topic and have clearly put some thought into it. I like how you included quotes directly from the readings, as they seem to have a different effect on how I read them and what they mean to me when they are on their own like that and not surrounded by a bunch of other text. I also really like what you say at the end of your blog post about how we need to find a way to transition our traditional brick and mortar environments onto a computer. I believe this is very important and is something that needs to be done in order for the students to succeed as much as possible. Overall, I really liked your blog post and I cannot wait to read about what you decide to elaborate on in your final project.
Hi Hailey! I read your third blog post and found what you said quite interesting. I liked how you made the connection between how COVID-19 has effected teachers and their students. I can relate to you when you talk about watching your sister struggle with online learning, as my brother (age 16) has been struggling as well and is not able to do as many tasks through online learning, as he would if he was at school. Another thing that you mentioned in your post that I liked was how important it is for teachers to have an idea of the various aspects of child psychology. In my first year, I took a psychology class and in other classes that I have taken in the past two years quite a few of the names and theories mentioned in that one course have overlapped with my other courses and have given me a greater understanding and drive to learn more about child psychology. Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog post and would love to read more of what you learn about this topic if you choose to use it as your revised blog in the final assignment.
Hi Kayleigh! I read your third blog post and have a few comments that I would like to make. First, your post showed your very strong passion for equity both inside and outside of the classroom. I believe that this is a very important topic to be covered and I love that you have taken the time to talk about what you already knew and what you have learned and how they connect to each other. I agree with you when you talk about how the design principles can be used not only in indigenous groups but with everybody and how they have a large positive impact on anybody who gets to experience them being put into practice. I believe that this would be a great blog post for you to look further into and revise for your final assignment, and I am looking forward to reading about what you learn.
This is the link to my pod’s annotations for topic 2.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jGRLNrE3usNFL41OZdgXCki-QWkBFHjAV9I6mMGlJpQ/edit?usp=sharing
The Universal Design for Learning is something that was mentioned quite a few times in my second year of the elementary education program, so it is something that I am quite familiar with. Overall, in Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) I learned that there are many more companies who are investing in the content and delivery systems of classrooms utilizing online learning and UDL and that the opportunities for students to participate in blended and full-time virtual schools are also increasing greatly. One thing that surprised me in this reading was that for some students with disabilities, ELL’s, or who are living in poverty online learning is not as beneficial as one might hope. This is a topic that I am interested in looking further into, as you often do not hear of the negative effects of online learning, just the positives.
In Selwyn. N. (2020) I was not surprised to learn that during COVID-19 teachers soon realized that they would need to allow for asynchronous and flexible “classrooms”, as well as stretching out pre-determined schedules and offer alternate options for working offline. As a student I also soon realized the exhaustion of synchronous online meetings and can empathize with teachers having to adjust their entire schedule and create new lessons plans to fit the students needs online. COVID-19 has taught not only teachers, but students the importance of having social, emotional, and affective aspects when it comes to using technology-based education. Overall, COVID-19 has not only given me, but I am sure millions of other people in the world a new appreciation for relationships between both peers and teachers.
Lastly, in Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012) there are 8 design principles discussed. I have heard of a lot of these design principles in a direct way through either talking to teachers or indigenous education representatives. As someone who grew up in a community with a large indigenous presence I have also seen these design principles put into action without even knowing it. I saw these principles not only in classrooms, but at other events in the community that I have attended. One design principle that I saw a lot of is principle 5: a space to practice oral and written language. I saw this happening a lot in my high school, indigenous students would often speak at events for their culture and could often be found in the auditorium practicing. Another time when this practice would occur was at our annual basketball tournament, Totem. At the opening ceremonies for this event there was always an elder who would greet everyone and acknowledge the land, as well as a student (often one male and one female who played on the teams) that would say some words in both English and their respective language in front of everyone. Overall, after reading this article I will definitely notice more often when these principles are being implemented, as well as incorporate them into my future classroom.
References:
Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012 Retrieved from: http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p197731/pdf/ch041.pdf
Selwyn. N. (2020). Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19.[Weblog]. Retrieved from: https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2020/04/30/1380217/online-learning-rethinking-teachers-digital-competence-in-light-of-covid-19
Hi Teya! I read your second blog post and I have a few comments for you. I like how you talk about adapting valuable theories to fit with online learning. This is something very important, as when these theories were first created the philosophers could not even imagine that we would be where we are today. We both referred back to a new schooling system (PSII and NIDES) that enables students to explore topics that interest them using technology, while still completing the BC curriculum. I agree with you that where we currently are with open and distributed learning is scary and new territory, which is why I believe courses similar to this one are very important that we take so we know how to use technology safely and effectively both within our classroom and for distance learning.
Hi Kayleigh! I read your second blog post and have a few comments for you. First off I would like to say how amazed I am at all of the connections you have made. I would never have made some of these connections if I had not read your blog post. One connection that I especially liked was the one where you talk about exploratory and presentational talk with technology. I remember talking about how important exploratory and presentational talk are, but I never thought about how that would work in an online classroom. I agree with you that having these online discussion forums are important and allow for students to explore their ideas further before making a “good copy”. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post and am looking forward to learning more from your next one.
Hi Hailey! I read your second blog post on the history and context of distributed and open learning and it appears as though we both talked about connectivism. I am also interested in doing more research on the topic and if you ever make a post about it please let me know. I like how you talk about going back to the roots of education as opposed to just growing from where we are, as sometimes where we are is not as good as where we started and there are things that we can learn from the beginning. Some things to possibly look into are the types of edtech tools and strategies that have been used in the past and how you can use them in your future classroom, as you mentioned. I think this would be a great topic to look into for your final portfolio.
There were three readings this week all of which I found easy to follow and that discussed eLearning and its history and benefits/concerns.
In the first reading (Roberts, V., Blomgren, C., Ishmael, K., & Graham, L., 2018) the authors discuss the many benefits to online learning, as well as some reasons that teachers may not use technology too much. Two benefits to open learning that are discussed are that open learning can be used for students who need more flexible options or to allow a course to be asynchronous so that students can take courses without having to be present at a set time. By allowing students to have more options, the students who may not be too great at reading or writing are able to listen or type out their learning. Asynchronous courses are also good for students in K-12, not only university (like our class). By allowing for asynchronous learning then students who may need extra assistance from parents are able to get that when it is most convenient for them.
In the second reading (Barbour, M & Labonte, R., 2018) the authors talk about eLearning organizations and practices in Canada. One fact that I was surprised by is the large number of students who use eLearning in British Columbia. In 2015-2016 there were 69, 735 students enrolled in a one or more courses and I can only imagine how much this number has grown since. Where I am from it is quite common to take a few courses online, but I never realized just how many students utilize eLearning. Another thing I thought was worthy to note was that Canada’s eLearning programs are government-funded not private. The companies involved are providing services to the government programs (content, technology, etc.) and not independent in how they run.
The final reading (Bates, 2014) talks about a lot of different topics, but one that I had never heard of is connectivism. What first comes to my mind when reading about the design principles of connectivist courses is inquiry. Inquiry is very learner-centred and open as is connectivism. There are some criticisms of the connectivist approach such as assessment strategies, or the lack of structure. These are all concerns that I would have too when first hearing about this, but in the second year of my elementary education program my class travelled to a school called the Pacific Institute of Innovation and Inquiry and some of these concerns I also had were put to ease. The students completed projects to show their learning (could be cross-curricular to show numerous course competencies) and the teachers were always there to support them and get them started when they were struggling, but after a while, the students needed them less and less because they started to become more independent and learn how to do things on their own.
Overall, I look forward to learning more about how eLearning and technology have advanced over the years and more ways that I can utilize them in the classroom.
References:
Barbour, M & Labonte, R. (2018) An Overview of eLearning Organizations and Practices in Canada. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 600-616). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Bates, T.(2014). Learning Theories and Online Learning. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/.
Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.