Sailing with the Crew - Exploring and Establishing Foundations
After my wild ride in the rapids, I realized that I would need all the help I could get. I ravenously gobbled up everything peers shared concerning their use of Web 2.0 tools. Collaborative assignments provided great opportunities to practice, thus I gained some confidence and I was now ready to sail - excited about exploring this new world of technology.
The MET program offers a holistic perspective on the development of course curriculum and delivery of elearning in various organizational contexts. In ETEC 511, I had the opportunity to explore the foundations of elearning by creating a lesson with peers and for peers through our DLG 11 presentation of Spirituality and Technology.This was challenging at first, for I was introduced to many new tools. Again, I was able to learn collaboratively with my colleagues. It is here that I was introduced to Weebly as a host site, and used this platform for many other projects.This project offered me the opportunity to collectively create an interactive lesson.This was an extraordinary experience, for this format of online delivery greatly differed from our text-based ETEC online forums. Peers were invited to use a variety of Web 2.0. tools to communicate, for example: vlogging, VoiceThread, blogging, and a survey. Reading material was also presented in various ways, such as using videos and VoiceThread in order to respect different learning styles, as well as motivate learners.The collective designing of a dynamic elearning space was a very positive one, and this permitted me to add quite a few more tools to my bag of tricks.
The subject of spirituality and technology continued to foster the idea that there can be a holistic approach to the delivery of elearning when an online environment is adequate. (Zinn, 1997) My reflections on this idea are thoroughly explored in the segment Open Waters. Here is a PowerPoint reflecting on Spirituality and Technology, which sums up my understanding:
The subject of spirituality and technology continued to foster the idea that there can be a holistic approach to the delivery of elearning when an online environment is adequate. (Zinn, 1997) My reflections on this idea are thoroughly explored in the segment Open Waters. Here is a PowerPoint reflecting on Spirituality and Technology, which sums up my understanding:
Spirituality and Technology
This course also provided me with the opportunity to deconstruct the foundations of educational technology and learning technologies. I was able to dig
deep and look at the anthropological, economic, historical, phenomenological, philosophical, political, psychological, sociological, and spiritual foundations of educational technology. I focused again on the subject of online, text-based communication, and came up with this diagram to critique online acronyms, and at the same time launch the idea that the quality of online communication is important.This thought would grow into future papers where I would continue to investigate the impact of online text-based messaging on learning.
Please click on the image if you wish to zoom in.
Please click on the image if you wish to zoom in.
The Spirituality of Educational Technology - The Medium is the Message
Theorizing the art of online communicating and how it influences learning
My drawing is a satire of giving meaning to the human experience using acronyms. How can one philosophize using acronyms? How can one achieve clarification (concept, analysis, and definition) by sacrificing grammar and semantics? How can one dispute constructively using acronyms? The possibility of sharing with colleagues across the globe is wonderful, but how can one achieve dialectics, advance claims, grounds and backing without getting confused about who said what. Does anyone really know what the other means when acronyms are used? In my own mind this is a difficult task to achieve when a blog is filled with acronyms. Since philosophy is based on active search and love of wisdom - the search for knowledge for its own sake, it seems a more “organic” communication method is needed. One where efforts in thinking clearly and logically about our deepest and broadest questions take place in a safe, “not rushed” environment, where every word is weighed for meaning.
My drawing is a satire of giving meaning to the human experience using acronyms. How can one philosophize using acronyms? How can one achieve clarification (concept, analysis, and definition) by sacrificing grammar and semantics? How can one dispute constructively using acronyms? The possibility of sharing with colleagues across the globe is wonderful, but how can one achieve dialectics, advance claims, grounds and backing without getting confused about who said what. Does anyone really know what the other means when acronyms are used? In my own mind this is a difficult task to achieve when a blog is filled with acronyms. Since philosophy is based on active search and love of wisdom - the search for knowledge for its own sake, it seems a more “organic” communication method is needed. One where efforts in thinking clearly and logically about our deepest and broadest questions take place in a safe, “not rushed” environment, where every word is weighed for meaning.
The Art of Collaborating with Peers
In order to sail with the crew, there needs to be collaboration.This is one element that was key to my learning during the MET program. I learned as much from exchanges and collaboration with peers, as I did from the professors, readings, and completing assignments.The MET program provided information and assessment rubrics to both guide and evaluate peer collaboration, and in many cases to reflect upon one's own participation. Collaboration among peers in smaller groups also meant we got to know each other better, sometimes making for creative ways of presenting each other, as in our 'Meet the team' segment in our collaborative Emerging Market presentation in ETEC 522.
Meet the Team
Collaborating with peers was not always easy, as these segments from the ETEC 510 peer review demonstrate:
Mid-way through the project:
It is always a challenge to work within a group through an online forum, mainly because of schedule differences and deadlines. Beyond actually getting an exciting project together, I learned a lot about working as a group and trying
to deal with the stress related to a late assignment. I learned much about my two team members, and realized how knowledgeable they are concerning technological tools. I found out quite a bit about myself as well – I learned
that I need to relax and not get stressed out when a situation like this arises.
At the end of the project:
Although it was sometimes challenging to work with each other’s schedules, we managed to hand-in our assignment on time. Despite personal challenges and traveling everyone came through, and in the end I was very proud and grateful to have worked with them both. As during the first part of the project, I fully realize that I could not have done this project on my own. It was very much a team effort, and I really learned how an online learning project of this nature can take shape. It was overall a very rewarding experience.
Implementing a Social Presence in Online Forums
During the MET program there were various ways of fostering and evaluating online collaboration among peers. By far the most ingenious, and the one that I feel worked best, was the participation portfolio within ETEC 522. Online forums, such as the ETEC 522 blogs, have been designed with the intent to foster communities of inquiry, where learners are invited to communicate their learning clearly, logically, and profoundly.
This assignment required me to evaluate the quality of my posts, and as such evaluate my role in engaging in critical discourse and reflection. Because I was aware of these requirements from the start, it made me very much aware how I was implementing my social presence, and also conscious about the importance of carrying out meaningful dialogue. Then in my sixth course, when posting I understood the importance rich communication could have in building a vibrant learning community.This assignment, although not a scholarly paper, still supports the idea that meaningful exchanges can and do influence learning positively.
I invite you to take the time to peruse my ETEC 522 Participation Portfolio.
This assignment required me to evaluate the quality of my posts, and as such evaluate my role in engaging in critical discourse and reflection. Because I was aware of these requirements from the start, it made me very much aware how I was implementing my social presence, and also conscious about the importance of carrying out meaningful dialogue. Then in my sixth course, when posting I understood the importance rich communication could have in building a vibrant learning community.This assignment, although not a scholarly paper, still supports the idea that meaningful exchanges can and do influence learning positively.
I invite you to take the time to peruse my ETEC 522 Participation Portfolio.