Archive for category learning community
JOLT: Balancing Quality and Workload in Asynchronous Online Discussions
Posted by kmcg2375 in education, learning community, Lit_Review, online tools, research, social media, technology, university on August 17, 2011
Of interest to teachers struggling to keep up with online discussions with their students!
Goldman, Zvi (2011) ‘Balancing Quality and Workload in Asynchronous Online Discussions: A Win-Win Approach for Students and Instructors’. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 7:2 pp.313-323
ABSTRACT: The challenge addressed in this article is how to achieve a win-win balance between quality and workload for students and instructors participating in asynchronous online discussions. A Discussion Guideline document including minimum requirements and best practices was developed to address this need. The approach covers three phases: design and development, setting up expectations, and launch and management. The goals of the approach, based on a commitment shared by all full time and adjunct faculty, are high quality of education as well as retention of both students and qualified instructors.
Further explanation of the research challenge from the introduction: “When discussions are regarded as critical components of learning, and administered as such, they impose a significant workload on both students and instructors. In applicable programs targeting practitioner adults, discussion sessions, during which much of the evidence-based learning and experience sharing occur, can easily consume half the course workload (Goldman, 2010). The reality is that neither students nor instructors can afford to dedicate an unlimited amount of time to fulfill course requirements or teach a course. Therefore, as a matter of practicality, discussion sessions should be carefully implemented to balance pedagogic quality and workload for students and instructors alike.”
Foucault THAT.
Posted by kmcg2375 in books, education, english, learning community, Lit_Review, online tools, politics, reflections, research, social media, technology, university on July 28, 2011
I have a confession to make.
Lately, I’ve been cheating on my blog. (In a good way, I promise!)
A colleague at my university, Clare O’Farrell, has an established Ning that is home to members of the Poststructuralist Theory ‘Special Interest Group’ of AARE. Established it so well, in fact, that it is one of the few Nings I know of (along with the English Companion) that continued to have happy users after stupid-Ning made its stupid-serivce un-free. Hmph.
Anyway, I use my space and profile on the ‘Ed Theory Ning’ to brain-vomit about (on?) theory that I don’t understand yet.
And it’s proven #very illuminating.
Increasing my activity in various groups on the Ning has also proven fruitful. Particularly in the ‘Daily Writing Club’ (we have to do exactly as it says…!) and now also from browsing the ‘Foucault reading group’.
That’s where I was reminded to check out Clare’s actual blog, Refracted Input, which I hadn’t done for ages. This month she is discussing a quote by Foucault about ‘race and colonialism’, and in it I can see a relationship to contemporary discourses around changing technologies.
The term ‘folklore’ is nothing but a hypocrisy of the ‘civilised’ who won’t take part in the game, and who want to hide their refusal to make contact under the mantle of respect for the picturesque…
Man is irrevocably a stranger to dawn. It needed our colonial way of thinking to believe that man could have remained faithful to his beginnings and that there was any place in the world where he could encounter the essence of the ‘primitive’. (trans. Clare O’Farrell)Michel Foucault, (1994) [1963] ‘Veilleur de la nuit des hommes’ In Dits et Ecrits vol. I. Paris: Gallimard, p. 232.
You see, I’ve been worrying about the ethics of what could be seen as meddling with teachers or students who are comfotable in their print-material ways, trying to prod them along to explore new technologies. I have wondered, ‘am I being selfish?’, ‘what if they have it right?’, ‘what if I’m destroying something important?’, and ‘am I wrong to advocate for my view, should I just wait and see what happens instead?’. But then, Clare’s wise words:
One cannot buy into the romanticism of the primitive – which is assumed to be so much closer to pure truth and ‘nature’. Conversely one cannot make the colonial assumption that one civilisation or one period of history (now) is more advanced and more evolved than another.
That’s right. I don’t need to worry about whether I’ll ‘wreck’ anything, unless I’m thinking of the people I’m meddling with as OTHER. And I was using pronouns to construct myself in opposition to other through all those damn self-doubts. I don’t need to do that. FOUCAULT THAT!
*Sigh of relief*
NB: Clare also curates a website on Michel Foucault, which includes a glossary of KEY CONCEPTS and other wonderful gems (thanks Clare!).
Google+ by Molly Rocketboom
Posted by kmcg2375 in education, learning community, online tools, social media, technology on July 26, 2011
If you’re still not sure how Google+ fits into your existing world of Facebook and/or Twitter, let Molly of Rocketboom break it down for you. Approx 4.5 mins:
ETA mailout showdown and dates of state conferences
Posted by kmcg2375 in conferences, education, english, learning community on July 23, 2011
Living in Brisbane but being from Sydney, I am a member of both the NSW English Teachers Association and the English Teachers’ Association of Queensland.
The holiday break and a fresh term starting has brought mailouts from both associations my way.
This is a show-and-tell of what was in the respective packs.
Both mailouts contained information about Literacy and Numeracy Week, which this year has as it’s theme ‘The Fundamentals are Fun!’ (hmmm, invoking fundamentalism to talk about literacy…looking forward to critiquing that), as well as a catalogue of publications available from the AATE Bookshop.
The impetus for each mailouot is sending members the newest issue of the association journal. While I like the style of the NSW journal mETAphor better (the ETAQ journal is full of Arial font and the cover design could be developed, imho), I have to say I am really satisfied with the content and tone of Words’Worth, and look forward to contributing some material myself in future. Unlike in NSW, ETAQ doesn’t have resources to pay contributors for their articles (yet), but nevertheless the collegial spirit in the association currently ensures a flow of material to sustain the publication.
Both associations also included their annual state conference program notices. Seems like August is the flavour of the month…of the month… (?)
Here is a comparison of the two conferences (I’ll be at ETAQ, but wish I could get down for the NSW one too, bummer!):
ETAQ State Conference: English and Generation Next
- Saturday 20th August 2011
- 8.15am – 5.00pm
- Lourdes Hill College, Hawthorne
- Cost to members: $143 (presenters $44; students and pensioners $66)
- Keynote speaker – Professor Peter Holbrook ‘Literature, Literacy, the Imagination, Freedom’
ETA (NSW) Annual Conference: Makinig Connections That Count
- Friday 5th & Saturday 6th August 2011
- 9am-4pm / 9.30am-3pm
- Australia Technology Park, Eveleigh
- Cost to members: $290 one-day / $430 two-day (presenters register free)
- Ken Watson Address – Dr Felicity Plunkett ‘Blood and Bone: An Anatomy of Wreading’
Chat to Hemingway 0.5
Posted by kmcg2375 in books, digital storytelling, english, learning community, technology, university on May 26, 2011
Having the best time right now chatting to Simon Groth’s chat bot.
Hemmingway 0.5 is a chat bot based on the character in the eponymous short story. You can chat to him about anything you like.
Simon is a real find. Made getting up today totally worth it!
Simon Groth is a writer and editor whose first two novels were shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and whose short fiction has been published in Australia and the United States. His co-edited collection Off The Record: 25 Years of Music Street Press (with Sean Sennett), was published in 2010.
Simon is the manager of if:book Australia, exploring digital futures for authors, readers, and publishers.
Do yourself a favour and go browse his site: http://simongroth.com/
At least go and chat to Hemmingway.
Inquiry based learning
Posted by kmcg2375 in education, learning community, Lit_Review on May 17, 2011
The more I delve into curriculum materials in Queensland, the more I find references to ‘inquiry based curriculum‘.
Does anyone have any materials that outline the relationship between (evolution from?) constructivism as a learning theory, inquiry based learning as a general pedagogic approach, and more specific approaches such as project based and games based learning?
Or did using the terms ‘learning theory’, ‘general pedagogy’ and ‘specific pedagogy’ just then pretty much do the job?
I desperately want to explain these ideas to students next semester, but am wary of leading them to believe that newer ideas are intended to replace the older ones, when my message is rather that they should be building a complex pedagogy.
Or is this wrong too…connectivism, anyone?
(This definitely needs some kind of graphic representation eh? Anyone up for a prezi collab?)
Inquiry based curriculum model: developing deep knowledge and understanding
Adopting an inquiry approach ensures that students have the opportunity to examine concepts, issues and information in a range of ways, and from various perspectives.
The inquiry approach values the skills of creative and critical thinking, informed decision-making, hypothesis building and problem-solving. As our society becomes increasingly complex and the role of the citizen becomes even more vital, these skills provide the foundation for discerning citizenship.
Students are encouraged to become active investigators by identifying a range of information, understanding the sources of information and looking for bias in it. They are thus better able to evaluate data and to draw meaningful conclusions which are supported by evidence. Rather than examining an issue from any one perspective, students are challenged to explore other possibilities by applying higher order thinking skills in their decision-making endeavours.
(QLD DET, 2008, ‘Implementing the QCAR: Curriculum‘ accessed today)
Global Poetry Project
Posted by kmcg2375 in education, english, learning community, online tools, personal, social media on May 13, 2011
This tweet came across the screen tonight and I just thought: YES.
Now I’ve joined the Global Poetry Project Ning. I figured tonight was as good a time as any to post a poem in a new place and this one promises ‘a space for members to expand upon their cultural views through the writing and reading of poetry’.
I penned this poem last week. I’ve been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and that’s where the title and some of the inspiration came from.
The project aims to provide “a safe and open atmosphere for all visitors and contributors alike” and has many student contributers. So if sharing your poems and reading the work of others in a supportive environment appeals to you, why not consider joining the project, friending me and adding a poem of your own!
Extra Credits: Gamifying Education
Posted by kmcg2375 in education, learning community on May 7, 2011
Thanks to @Gwimbo for sharing this kick-ass video with me today!
by Extracredits, 6 May 2011 2:00 am
escapistmagazine.com
1st collector for Extra Credits: Gamifying Education
Follow my videos on vodpod
NB: Was interested to look over this related comment thread. It struck me that, while people tend to agree with me to my face when I talk to them about Games Based Learning, that many (some? all?) also will walk away still thinking this in the back of their mind:
I think this is bullshit, the reason why people are addicted to facebook and videogames is not because they want to be awarded achievements and level-ups it because it beats work, its more about poor work ethic and lack of discipline and the way society fosters such values rather than anything else.
So, where do you stand on that?
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