tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51088155166019070672024-03-05T14:01:32.387-08:00xPat_LettersEDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-7444507496426316322017-06-15T13:02:00.004-07:002017-06-15T19:26:38.185-07:00Casting4Duchenne<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi, friends, colleagues, and followers (especially science fiction fans)!<br />
<br />
This post is a bit of a departure from my usual educational technology fare. I recently had an opportunity to hear a story about a colleague’s daughter, who was selling her book of poetry in support of Cystic Fibrosis research in honor of a close friend who had suffered from the condition (see <a href="https://www.cff.org/About-Us/About-the-Cystic-Fibrosis-Foundation/The-65-Roses-Story/" target="_blank">The 65 Roses Story</a>). That story gave me a bout of inspiration.<br />
<br />
Twenty years ago, I wrote and self-published a science fiction novel called <i>The Caster</i>. I’d almost forgotten about that project… but I’ve been inspired to resurrect it for a worthy cause. As many of my friends and colleagues are aware, in November 2014, my son Alex was diagnosed with <a href="http://www.muscle.ca/about-muscular-dystrophy/types-of-neuromuscular-disorders/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy/" target="_blank">Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy</a>. Duchenne is a (currently) incurable degenerative neuromuscular disorder. My family and I are now big supporters of the work done by <a href="http://muscle.ca/" target="_blank">Muscular Dystrophy Canada</a>, and I thought – why not resurrect <i>The Caster</i> as an eBook. So, here it is. I’ve polished up the file formatting so that the eBook functions properly, and I’m selling it through the Lulu.com independent publishing platform. I’ll be donating all proceeds to help the family support and research work funded by Muscular Dystrophy Canada.<br />
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<i>The Caster</i> always had a special little place in my heart as a labour of love when I first wrote and published it. Now, perhaps I can make it just a little more special by using this project from my youth to help create a brighter future for Alex (and all boys and their families living with Duchenne)!<br />
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<i>The Caster</i> is available in ePub format for just $10 (CAD) at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/casting4md" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/casting4md</a><br />
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<hr />
About <i>The Caster</i></h3>
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Secrets,<br />
Hatred,<br />
Absolute Power,<br />
Absolute Terror...<br />
It can happen here...<br />
<br />
The year is 2042. A thirteen year-old girl with as-of-yet undiscovered magical powers witnesses a brutal attack upon one of Hibernia State University's most prominent psychic-magic scientists--her mother.<br />
<br />
In order to discover the truth about the near fatal assault, Meghan Fitzgerald must embrace her unwanted powers and discover the true identity of the caster responsible for her mother's fate--Myrlin.<br />
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But the secret of Myrlin's identity could mean more than just saving her mother's dishonored name. It could be the key to saving Avalon City from an even more dangerous villain, and a plot more diabolical than anyone could have ever dreamed.<br />
<br />
All that Meghan Fitzgerald has to do to save the world she knows is the one thing she has sworn never to do--use her magical powers as a weapon.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_78/9492000/9492518/3/preview/The_Caster_-_20th_Anniversary_Edition_-_Preview.pdf" target="_blank">Preview <i>The Caster</i></a><br />
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/casting4md" target="_blank">Buy it at Lulu.com</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(all proceeds donated to Muscular Dystrophy Canada)</span><br />
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The ePub format eBook will work on most eBook reading devices, and can be imported into most reader applications. If you need an free eBook reader for your desktop, try <a href="https://calibre-ebook.com/download" target="_blank">Calibre</a>!<br />
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-16540165121847616782016-05-20T08:22:00.000-07:002016-05-20T08:22:09.937-07:00Venturing into Vodcasting for mLearning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Teaching & Learning with Mobile Technologies Summer Vodcast Series</h2>
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<span id="goog_1451745095"></span><span id="goog_1451745096"></span>IAmLearn's Dr. Rob Power chats with experts from the International Association for Mobile Learning in this series of live (15-20 minutes each) vodcasts covering topics about Teaching & Learning with Mobile Technologies. Feel free to tune in for the live broadcasts at the dates and times listed, or view the recordings anytime afterwards. Pre-registration is not required.<br />
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Refer to <a href="http://educ5199g.weebly.com/vodcasts.html" target="_blank">http://educ5199g.weebly.com/vodcasts.html</a> for the latest vodcast schedules, times, and links.<br />
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-22104273973177780962016-03-02T08:33:00.002-08:002016-03-02T08:43:49.118-08:00Ban First, Ask Questions Later… The Problem with Calls to Ban Mobile Devices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I read the article <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/16/schools-mobile-phones-academic-results" target="_blank">Schools that Ban Mobile Devices See Better Results</a> on the bus this morning. It is from May 2015, but someone had
reposted the <a href="https://twitter.com/guardian" target="_blank">@guardian</a> piece to my <a href="https://twitter.com/twitter" target="_blank">@Twitter</a> feed. From my perspective as a
mobile learning researcher, it presented troubling research findings:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Effect of ban on phones adds up to equivalent of extra week
of classes over a pupil’s school year" (Doward, 2015)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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But, they’re not troubling for the obvious reason presented
in the story. The premise of the story (and the research on which it was based)
was that mobile devices are distracting students to the level of significant
lost instructional time. And if schools want to see better test scores, then
they had better start banning mobile devices. No. This is not the problem. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A blanket ban on mobile devices because they distract
learners is just the latest in a centuries-old trend of resisting technological
change out of fear of the unknown. Steve Howard (2012, July 14) pointed out
that as far back as 1815 a school principal fought against the introduction of
paper and ink, and lamented that:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Students today depend on
paper too much. They don’t know how to write on a slate without getting
chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly.
What will they do when they run out of paper?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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If we want to leverage new technologies to enhance learning
experiences and bridge current inequities in the classroom, then we cannot
succumb to knee-jerk reactions to alarmist statistics. As Homer Simpson once
said:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7fH2LFIxOkSiglQtSzjW9FdKI-CZe1Y3b4gdYO0DWnBJyYhQx2wp9uUNttoTas2bBM8ReWee_tJMXw5OxSmCoMckmeQFIxYC2EEjwNB5GMXAOmoVnwQPP7a1uhDRxau8ZCiMQ1D1-20/s1600/statistics-kent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="People can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent! 14 percent of all people know that." border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7fH2LFIxOkSiglQtSzjW9FdKI-CZe1Y3b4gdYO0DWnBJyYhQx2wp9uUNttoTas2bBM8ReWee_tJMXw5OxSmCoMckmeQFIxYC2EEjwNB5GMXAOmoVnwQPP7a1uhDRxau8ZCiMQ1D1-20/s320/statistics-kent.jpg" title="Homer Simpson on Statistics" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source: METTL, 2015)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What IS troubling with this story (and research) are the
questions that were NOT asked. The research shows an increase in achievement
across ALL schools that have banned mobile devices versus ALL schools that
allow them. BUT, no attempt is made to look at schools that actually plan for
mobile technology integration. It could be that the majority of the schools
polled have no such plans, in which case the argument that mobile devices only
serve to distract students is likely true. But what of schools that have coordinated
their technological infrastructure and pedagogical strategies to leverage
mobile devices within the curriculum?</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have predicated my mobile learning research to date on the
problem that teachers and schools are the barriers to effective integration of
mobile technologies because they lack confidence in the technology. The problem
is NOT that mobile devices are allowed into schools. The problem is that we are
not preparing teachers and schools for an environment of ubiquitous access to
technology. From my dissertation (Power, 2015, p. 11):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ally (2014) noted that teacher
training continues to be based on an outdated education system model that does
not adequately prepare teachers to integrate mobile technologies into teaching
practice. Lack of training in the pedagogical considerations for the
integration of a specific type of technology can have a negative impact upon
teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy (Kenny et al, 2010).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Technology will never replace good teachers. But technology
can make good teachers better. Better teacher (and school) preparation will
enable educators to make instructional design decisions that incorporate
technology, and increase student engagement and access to learning
opportunities and resources. My research has shown that professional
development focused on scaffolding technology integration in the context of
desired learning outcomes and appropriate pedagogical decisions does increase
teachers’ interest and confidence in using educational technology. If teachers
are interested, and plan how they will leverage technology in the classroom,
then distraction will decrease and learning will improve. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However, preparing teachers to leverage educational
technology is not enough. We must also prepare students. Yes, if you let
students who have had no guidance access mobile devices, then there is huge
potential for them to be distracted. But, if you teach them digital citizenship
and responsible use, there is less likelihood of distraction. And they will be
better prepared for a world with near universal technology permeation. You
cannot teach digital citizenship or responsible technology use with black and
white policies of either banning all devices, or letting them all in.
Unfortunately, the information technology support departments (and bureaucracies)
of too many school systems (and higher education institutions) still operate with
Acceptable Use Policies, which explicitly detail what is permissible and what
is not. In contrast, Responsible Use Policies focus on making appropriate
decisions about when and how to use technology. (Joe Countryman, Mary-Ann
Vardakas & Melissa Taffe did a presentation on this, and prepared a <a href="http://educ5101jmm.pbworks.com/w/page/104432989/PBL%201%20-%20Group%204%20-%20Acceptable%20Use%20Policies" target="_blank">wikipage</a> about it for a Problem-Based Learning activity in the <a href="http://educ5101g.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Digital Tools for Knowledge Construction</a> course I teach at <a href="https://uoit.ca/" target="_blank">University of Ontario Institute of Technology</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before policy makers, or the public at large, jump to the
conclusion that the statistics presented in the Guardian (and also on CNN)
point to the need for an outright ban on mobile devices in education, a number
of questions should be considered:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>How do students perform at schools that have planned for
mobile technology integration?</li>
<li>How do students perform in classes where teachers have been
prepared to make effective educational technology integration choices?</li>
<li>What factors are creating barriers to effectively leveraging
mobile technologies in the schools polled in this research? And what can be
done to overcome those barriers?</li>
</ol>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not think that the key to improving learning in schools
is to ban access to technology, as the Guardian story would lead readers to
conclude. Rather, I see the issues raised by this story (and research) as
lending support to the need for more research and funding to support planned
approaches to educational technology integration. To solve these problems, and
the issues raised in the Guardian story, we need to:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Better prepare teachers to integrate technology in teaching
and learning practice</li>
<li>Teach digital literacy and digital citizenship</li>
<li>Adopt Responsible Use policies</li>
</ul>
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</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<br />References</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ally, M. &
Prieto-Blázquez, J. (2014). What is the future of mobile learning in education?
<i>Mobile Learning Applications in Higher
Education [Special Section]. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento
(RUSC), 11</i>(1), 142-151. doi <a href="http://doi.dx.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i1.2033" target="_blank">http://doi.dx.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i1.2033</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Countryman, J., Vardakas, M., & Taffe, M. (2016). <i>Acceptable use policies</i>. Retrieved from <a href="http://educ5101jmm.pbworks.com/w/page/104432989/PBL%201%20-%20Group%204%20-%20Acceptable%20Use%20Policies" target="_blank">http://educ5101jmm.pbworks.com/w/page/104432989/PBL%201%20-%20Group%204%20-%20Acceptable%20Use%20Policies</a> </div>
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Doward, J. (2015, May 16). Schools that ban mobile phones see better
academic results. <i>The Guardian</i>.
Retrieved from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/16/schools-mobile-phones-academic-results" target="_blank">http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/16/schools-mobile-phones-academic-results</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Howard, S. (2012, July 14). <i>The ruin of education in our country – A positive thing</i> [Web log
post]. Retrieved from <a href="https://stevehoward999.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/the-ruin-of-education-in-our-country-a-positive-thing/" target="_blank">https://stevehoward999.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/the-ruin-of-education-in-our-country-a-positive-thing/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Kenny, R.F., Park,
C.L., Van Neste-Kenny, J.M.C., & Burton, P.A. (2010). Mobile self-efficacy
in Canadian nursing education programs. In M. Montebello, V. Camilleri and A.
Dingli (Eds.), <i>Proceedings of mLearn
2010, the 9th World Conference on Mobile Learning, Valletta, Malta</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">METTL
(2015). <i>The Homer Simpson guide to online
assessments</i> [Web log post]. Retrieved from <a href="https://mettl.com/blog/2015/08/the-homer-simpson-guide-to-psychometric-assessments/" target="_blank">https://mettl.com/blog/2015/08/the-homer-simpson-guide-to-psychometric-assessments/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Power, R.
(2015). <i>A framework for promoting teacher
self-efficacy with mobile reusable learning objects</i> (Doctoral dissertation,
Athabasca University). Available from <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://hdl.handle.net/10791/63" target="_blank">http://hdl.handle.net/10791/63</a></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-77322117076769414832016-01-22T09:10:00.000-08:002016-01-22T09:10:01.575-08:00Analyzing and Categorizing Online Digital Tools and Systems for Education – Getting Started<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiTIecInluwCuekxzitzGyI2xlEg4cysz7NI6UOfe5oTks5cJnomBBKG4EvwYycoO4mqnTrs3r8BajUzE6JfQ6DBZFPa8LxjtBjuel_hMViToewkw73LC4wCGEvTb9Z51YEMp2jrzqHA/s1600/5101_analyzing_tools.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="decorative image of a magnifying glass looking closely at a course website" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiTIecInluwCuekxzitzGyI2xlEg4cysz7NI6UOfe5oTks5cJnomBBKG4EvwYycoO4mqnTrs3r8BajUzE6JfQ6DBZFPa8LxjtBjuel_hMViToewkw73LC4wCGEvTb9Z51YEMp2jrzqHA/s400/5101_analyzing_tools.png" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
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The second module of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23EDUC5101G&lang=en" target="_blank">#EDUC5101G</a> (<a href="http://educ5101g.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Digital Tools for Knowledge Construction</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/uoitmed" target="_blank">@uoitmed</a> looks at analyzing and categorizing online digital tools
and systems for education. I figured that I would start course participants off
by compiling an off-the-cuff (and far from exhaustive!) list of types of online
digital tools frequently used by teachers and learners. I’ve also posed a few
questions for consideration in the Week 3 round of <a href="http://educ5101g.weebly.com/student-blogs.html" target="_blank">blog posts</a>.</div>
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<b>Types of Online
Digital Tools and Systems for Education:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Learning Management Systems (LMSs)</li>
<li>Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)</li>
<li>Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)</li>
<li>Learning Object Repositories</li>
<li>Academic and Scientific Databases</li>
<li>Resource Storage / Sharing</li>
<li>Collaborative Workspaces</li>
<li>Scheduling Tools</li>
<li>Web Authoring and Hosting</li>
<li>Multimedia Production</li>
<ul>
<li>Document Production</li>
<li>Graphics and Images</li>
<li>Audio</li>
<li>Video Production</li>
<li>Screencasting</li>
<li>Multimedia Hosting / Publishing</li>
</ul>
<li>Communication Tools</li>
<ul>
<li>Email</li>
<li>Discussion Forums</li>
<li>Social Media</li>
</ul>
<li>Data Collection and Analysis</li>
<ul>
<li>Survey Tools</li>
<li>Online Polling</li>
<li>Data Analysis Tools</li>
<li>Environmental Data Collection
(Sensors, etc)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<b>Week 3 Blogging
Questions</b></div>
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Considering the (far from exhaustive) list of types of
online digital tools:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>What types of tools do you think are missing?</li>
<li>What types of tools from the list have you used as a
teacher? As a student? (Can you provide examples?)</li>
<li>Which of those tools have you found most (and least) useful
as a teacher? As a student? Why?</li>
<li>Which types of tools from the list have you NOT personally
used as a teacher or student? Why?</li>
<li>Find an example of that type of tool that might be useful in
your personal teaching / learning context.</li>
<li>What would be your first questions / steps when evaluating
how (or if) you would use such an online tool? (We’ll be looking at more formal
assessment strategies for digital tools over the next few weeks!)</li>
</ol>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-17370932572160535922016-01-19T09:41:00.001-08:002016-01-19T09:41:37.075-08:00Are There Limits to Distributed Learning?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My online wanderings brought me to two interestingly
connected “places” yesterday. The first was the homepage of <a href="http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl" target="_blank">IRRODL</a> (a journal I
frequently read, and highly recommend). The second was a set of comments posted
to one of my UOIT MEd student’s blog sites. I’ve been debating what these two
places mean. And I want to invite the participants in #EDUC5101G and #EDUC5103G
(and anyone else) into that conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First, I read about how IRRODL has updated its name from the
<i>International Review of Research in Open
and Distance Learning</i> to the <i>International
Journal of Open and <b>Distributed</b>
Learning</i> – a change prompted by the evolving landscape of educational
technology, and a shift away from the negative, “exclusive” connotations of the
term “distance” learning towards the more “inclusive” connotations of “distributed”
learning. “Distance” learning implies (rightly or wrongly) that there is are transactional
distances imposed upon the learner – it implies that somehow they are being
disadvantaged, and that efforts are required to remediate those distances. “Distributed”
learning implies that educational technologies are being leveraged to the
advantage of the learner. A small change in word choice, with huge implications
for educational technology discourse and public perception. A change that
echoes my observations in my doctoral dissertation (2015, pp. 14-15) that<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As technologies available for the
mediation of teaching and learning evolve, the distinctions between traditional
face-to-face education, distance education, and mobile learning are beginning
to disappear. This trend is described as ubiquitous learning, where learning “anywhere,
anytime” is supported through advances in one-to-one computing technologies,
including mobile devices (Education-2025, 2013). Wheeler (2014) advised that if
educational institutions such as universities are to continue to meet the needs
of changing learner demographics, they should place more emphasis on the use of
technology to facilitate blended and distributed approaches to teaching and
learning… Ally (2014) also noted that teachers need to be better prepared to
integrate new technologies into teaching and learning practices.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, I read conversations in comments on a student blog
site about the limits of distributed learning (I’ve chosen to follow my
colleagues at IRRODL and adopt that term). James Elsdon remarked on Kenneth Van
Dewark’s blog that there are some professional training areas where “online
education [can be] difficult to carry out effectively.” He noted how some
professions (such as law) may even impose bans on accreditation of online
training programs. James also remarked that STEM degrees (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) are difficult to deliver through online avenues.
What I’d like for participants in #EDUC5101G and #EDUC5103G to consider it
whether or not these limitations to the effective scope of distributed learning
or real, or just perceptions. Having spent 10 years in the Middle East, I saw
that these perceptions were widely held. But they were misinformed perceptions.
They were based on beliefs that:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>“distance” learning meant no meaningful learning activity
(just readings packages and essays);</li>
<li>it was easy for learners to cheat, and difficult to
ascertain the veracity of a graduate’s credentials; and</li>
<li>that online learning was wholly inferior to, and a poor substitute
for face-to-face training.</li>
</ul>
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I even heard anecdotal reports that some major
post-secondary institutions in the region refused to acknowledge any
credentials (for faculty) that were awarded by (even reputable, government
regulated and independently accredited) online institutions. But over the
course of 10 years I watched as those perceptions changed. I began to see
institutions and government ministries welcome online credentials, and start
looking to them as viable training alternatives in their increasingly
knowledge-based economies. I’ve seen the volume of literature on investigations
into the efficacy (and perceptions) of distributed learning increase
dramatically in recent years.</div>
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I’m still wondering about comments that law societies oppose
online learning because they feel that “the ‘Socratic methods of teaching and
learning’… cannot be achieved through the delivery of online classes.” Do traditional
lecture halls also impose transactional distances upon learners (because they
are historically rooted in passive reception of content transmitted by an
expert)? Do modern educational technologies empower learners by facilitating
(not guaranteeing) increased Socratic engagement? Does the assertion that a
particular field cannot be studied through distributed methods come from sound
educational theory and practice? Or does it come from misperception and fear of
the unknown or, worse, elitist protectionism?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m also still wondering about comments about STEM degrees
and medical training. In particular, I’m curious what my students think about
the perception that some areas of study, such as education, are better suited
to distributed learning. Do educators not also deal with ‘real people?’ Are we
not also required to interact with (even if mediated via technology) learners?
And do our professional actions not also have profound consequences? Yes –
there are some things that require one-on-one guidance during training and credentialing,
simply because they involve real and immediate danger. But, are educational
technologies evolving to the point that such danger can be mitigated, and
one-on-one guidance effectively distributed? Look at the example of using
Google Cardboard and virtual reality (VR) to figure out, in advance, how best
to approach a unique and difficult surgical procedure. What about the
possibilities of using Google Glass (or other augmented reality (AR)) platforms
to establish a remote expert presence? <o:p></o:p></div>
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My task now for participants in #EDUC5101G and #EDUC5103G is
this – Join this conversation. Respond to these observations, musings, and
concerns. #EDUC5101G students should consider this a ‘challenge’ for their Week
2 blog posts:</div>
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</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>What does the change in discourse from “distance” learning
to open and “distributed” learning mean?</li>
<li>Are some areas better suited to distributed learning than
others?</li>
<li>Are there examples (in Canada, or internationally) of
successful use of distributed teaching and learning methods to facilitate more
challenging (i.e. Law, Medicine, STEM) subject areas?</li>
<li>What technologies and methods are emerging that could break
down barriers that might still exist to distributed learning in some subject
areas?</li>
</ol>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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I’m looking forward to seeing where this conversation takes
us.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Rob<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>References<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ally, M. & Prieto-Blázquez, J. (2014). What is the future of mobile
learning in education? <i>Mobile Learning
Applications in Higher Education [Special Section]. Revista de Universidad y
Sociedad del Conocimiento (RUSC), 11</i>(1), 142-151. doi <a href="http://doi.dx.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i1.2033" target="_blank">http://doi.dx.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i1.2033</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Education-2025 (2013, November 26). <i>Ubiquitous
learning</i> [Web log post]. Retrieved from <a href="http://education-2025.wikispaces.com/Ubiquitous+Learning" target="_blank">http://education-2025.wikispaces.com/Ubiquitous+Learning</a>
</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Elsdon, J.
(2016, January 19). Untitled comment. <i>Digital
Medical Education</i> [Web log]. Available from <a href="http://virtualer.org/blog/index.php?post/2016/01/17/About-the-author#post-comments" target="_blank">http://virtualer.org/blog/index.php?post/2016/01/17/About-the-author#post-comments</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">IRRODL
(2016). <i>The International Review of
Research in Open and Distributed Learning</i>. Available from <a href="http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl" target="_blank">http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">McGreal, R.
and Conrad, D. (2016, January 1). <i>Name
change of IRRODL journal</i>. Available from <a href="http://www.irrodl.org/home/announcements/irrodlnamechange.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.irrodl.org/home/announcements/irrodlnamechange.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Power, R.
(2015). <i>A framework for promoting teacher
self-efficacy with mobile reusable learning objects</i> (Doctoral dissertation,
Athabasca University). Available from </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://hdl.handle.net/10791/63" target="_blank">http://hdl.handle.net/10791/63</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Power, R. (2016). Student blogs. <i>EDUC
5101 G: Digital Tools for Knowledge Construction</i>. Available from <a href="http://educ5101g.weebly.com/student-blogs.html" target="_blank">http://educ5101g.weebly.com/student-blogs.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Wheeler, S. (2014, February 7). The survival of higher education (1):
Changing roles [Web log post]. Retrieved from <a href="http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-survival-of-higher-education-1.html#!/2014/02/the-survival-of-higher-education-1.html" target="_blank">http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-survival-of-higher-education-1.html#!/2014/02/the-survival-of-higher-education-1.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-35710044247546134962016-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:002016-01-15T08:37:19.466-08:00Re’Connect’ing and Learning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s been a year (since Jan 14, 2015) since I defended my
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/10791/63" target="_blank">EdD dissertation</a> (online via Adobe Connect). Since then, I’ve co-led a MOOC,
and participated in some webinar and conference presentations. But this week
marked the first time in over a year that I stepped back into an Adobe Connect
classroom. I lead my first three-hour synchronous sessions for two MEd courses
that I’m teaching at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Amazingly, there were no major technical glitches across six hours of live
interaction. My experiences this week were exhilarating – not just from the
standpoint that I’ve embarked on a new journey in my professional career, but
also because they reminded me that I, too, am along for the ride as a lifelong
learner.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPvTorjmE6l4__XRsBtyvoTILYC09kLHILf0_MiTNzcfsB6dhqmQ-LuTO7gEttkzRKei-6SsVnPXWUSUgg38SCQkOcQHdn2EGrunjlAS0c5VIR_rk3nvirHxwen554Qa5_f6tycILfQc/s1600/adobe_connect_with_Rob.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPvTorjmE6l4__XRsBtyvoTILYC09kLHILf0_MiTNzcfsB6dhqmQ-LuTO7gEttkzRKei-6SsVnPXWUSUgg38SCQkOcQHdn2EGrunjlAS0c5VIR_rk3nvirHxwen554Qa5_f6tycILfQc/s320/adobe_connect_with_Rob.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I prepared for my first week of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23EDUC5101G" target="_blank">#EDUC5101G</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23EDUC5103G" target="_blank">#EDUC5103G</a> by
creating a pair of course websites using free online tools outside of UOIT’s
LMS. And I made a point of explaining to course participants just why I did
that. I’ve had a lot of experience building courses in different LMS platforms,
so I know their strengths and limitations. My choice of Weebly to build my
course sites was prompted by:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>A desire to demonstrate the power of concentrating on
instructional design instead of fretting over the mechanics of an unfamiliar
platform. </li>
<ul>
<li>(Blackboard is one LMS that I have not personally used. And one of
the main points of my dissertation was that cognitive overload associated with
learning new tech contributes to teacher’s perceptions of low self-efficacy. Conversely,
focusing on learning outcomes and instructional design elements helps increase
self-efficacy when working with educational technology – and specific tools are
secondary to instructional design (and come and go.)</li>
</ul>
<li>A desire to demonstrate the power of what can be done using
free online tools, which every teacher can access. </li>
<ul>
<li>(After all, not all of my
course participants will have the same (if any) LMS at their disposal at their
institutions.)</li>
</ul>
<li>A desire to capitalize on the interactivities enabled by
BootstrapUI, which is foundational to the Weebly platform </li>
<ul>
<li>(but difficult to
integrate into LMS content pages without extensive coding experience and, in
most cases, administrative rights on the platform).</li>
</ul>
<li>The fact that Weebly-hosted sites are mobile-responsive</li>
<ul>
<li>(meaning that accessibility is increased for course participants, and I did not
need to draw upon my coding skills to ensure device interoperability).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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I also prepared for my UOIT courses by building in a mix of synchronous
and asynchronous, as well as individual and group learning activities. When it
came to the logistics of the group activities, I tried to be both pragmatic and
equitable. And I learned that it can be difficult to get that balance just
right. On the pragmatic side, I needed to get things rolling pretty quickly
with the formation of teams and the selection of group assignment topics. This
can be a challenge when you are not meeting with your students face to face
every other day, so I embedded a <a href="http://en.castlots.org/divide-into-groups-online/" target="_blank">free online tool</a> into the course websites
to show participants ways of randomly assigning people to teams during a
synchronous online class. During my first Adobe Connect session, I polled the
participants to get a feel for whether or not they’d be ok with random group
assignment (and it turned out that they were overwhelmingly in favor of that
approach). Perhaps a simple oversight – but I skipped that step during my
second Adobe Connect class. I know that adult learners need to feel in control
of their learning experiences, and that random assignment to a team for a
learning activity can take away some of that sense of control. It appears that
most participants are happy with their teams and with being randomly assigned.
But, I’ve learned that the simple step of asking their preference in advance
can go a long way to mitigating adult learners’ anxieties associated with lack
of control or choice. So, I’ll make every not to skip that step next time
around!</div>
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That said, on the equity side of things, I did take steps
allow teams to choose their topics and presentation dates. This was a
particular challenge in my second class, where each presents only once during
the term (they’ll actually be leading a one-hour Adobe Connect learning
activity, in addition to building associated online resources). So, if each
group presents only once, how do you show equity in choosing the topics and
dates? I took a two-step process. First, after forming the teams and assigning
each team a number, I used another free online resource to “<a href="http://en.castlots.org/cast-lots-online/" target="_blank">cast lots</a>,” and
generate a random order in which the teams would get to make their selection.
Then I directed each team to a <a href="http://doodle.com/" target="_blank">Doodle</a> poll. To add an extra measure of
fairness, I did allow for up to two teams to choose the same date and general
topic. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the course participants posts
their thoughts on how that part of the process went (or includes their thoughts
in their learning reflection assignments). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, here are my takeaways from my first week teaching
online with UOIT:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Integrate as many communications channels as possible, even
when using an external resource to build your course site, BUT</li>
<li>Limit the channels that are considered ‘official,’ and that
will be analyzed when assessing student participation.</li>
<li>Don’t forget to turn on your webcam for a few minutes at the
start of the synchronous class. It helps to establish teacher presence, and to
humanize the online learning experience. BUT</li>
<li>Don’t keep your webcam on for too long. It becomes
distracting. And it eats up participants’ bandwidth.</li>
<li>Be as equitable as possible. Offer choice when possible. BUT</li>
<li>Be pragmatic. Realize the limitations of time and
interaction in a synchronous online event, and be prepared with tools to
accommodate for those limitations.</li>
<li>AND – always remember that technology-based tools could
freeze up or fail during a live session. Don’t let that phase you. Roll with
it. Learn from it. And move along with another approach!</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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All the best,<br />
Rob</div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-85780604697960475562016-01-11T08:18:00.001-08:002016-01-11T08:20:00.344-08:00Dear Blog, it's been a while...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Looking at the date of my last post, it’s obvious that it
has been a while since I last ‘blogged’ (at least, long form!). It’s not that I
don’t see the value of blogging for an educator. I do. I believe that it is a
great tool for both personal reflection, and sharing. My last blog post was in
November 2014, when I was in Istanbul, Turkey, for mLearn 2014. Anyone who
knows me is well aware of the challenges that befell my family shortly after
returning from that conference. Long story short – since then my family has
travelled over 20-thousand km from Doha, Qatar (where I was working as an
Instructional Developer with the Advanced Learning Technologies Centre at
<a href="http://www.cna-qatar.com/" target="_blank">College of the North Atlantic-Qatar</a>).<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDw3Ycjo9zLeA8zbrH-ECJELxslgDhvszYFvfzCoFX-vJ8EVz7qNytMyFazR759btt6CTfoxVEypNyOpG-BJ62jkrdyG_OAt05EdAn-mPxw2ONVnIrADocCC9VzPsG3MjKiwGfZdD8Ow/s1600/dhows-feathered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDw3Ycjo9zLeA8zbrH-ECJELxslgDhvszYFvfzCoFX-vJ8EVz7qNytMyFazR759btt6CTfoxVEypNyOpG-BJ62jkrdyG_OAt05EdAn-mPxw2ONVnIrADocCC9VzPsG3MjKiwGfZdD8Ow/s400/dhows-feathered.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Corniche (waterfront) in Doha, Qatar</td></tr>
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We journeyed first St. John’s, Newfoundland, and
then, finally, to Surrey, BC. Professionally speaking, I’ve been blessed. I’m
now working as the Leader, Online Learning, with the <a href="http://www.fraserhealth.ca/" target="_blank">Fraser Health Authority</a>.
And, I’ve accepted a teaching appointment as an Adjunct Professor of
Educational Technology with the <a href="http://education.uoit.ca/graduate/index.php" target="_blank">University of Ontario Institute of Technology</a>
(UOIT). It’s the latter that has prompted me to ‘hit the keyboard’ with this
blog once again.<br />
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I’m teaching two courses with UOIT this term: <a href="http://educ5101g.weebly.com/" target="_blank">EDUC 5101 G(Digital Tools for Knowledge Construction)</a> and <a href="http://educ5103g.weebly.com/" target="_blank">EDUC 5103 G (Online Technologyin Education)</a>. Particularly in EDUC 5101 G, I’m promoting the use of blogging
for reflective practice (as a form of knowledge construction). I’ve asked
course participants to post at least one original blog post per week, and to
respond to at least two other classmates’ posts. I figure that I had better
lead by example! My hope is to post at least once a week this term. And my
objectives are threefold. First, I want to lead by example, and demonstrate the
use of blogging for personal reflection (I’ll be reflecting on what I’m
learning as an educator during my first official term with UOIT). Second, I
want to demonstrate the use of blogging for sharing – sharing personal goals,
problems, solutions, and expertise (something which I would like course
participants to start doing, if they don’t already, as emerging leaders in the
field of educational technology). And, third, I want to continue to build my
PLN.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What is a PLN?</b><br />
<br />
A PLN is a Personal Learning Network. It’s the combination
of formal and informal professional communities of practice that I’ve built,
and maintain, through digital technologies. I’ve made a lot of great
connections through my online presences, which would have otherwise been
impossible. And I’ve learned a lot (and shared a lot) through those
communities. My PLN has also been instrumental in my career progression. As an
online learner (and educator), one of the first places to start with building
(or expanding) a PLN is my online class roster. I hope to use blogging, as well
as Twitter and other channels, to forge mutual collaborative learning
relationships that extend beyond the 12 weeks of this term. This is the reason
why I’ve asked my course participants to share links to their public blogs, and
why I’ve posted the course websites outside of the locked-down LMS. I want my
courses this term to be starting points (home bases, if you will) that we can
return to whenever we need… not fixed duration experiences.<br />
<br />
Classes for EDUC 5101 G and EDUC 5103 G officially start
this week. With that in mind, here are just a few resources that I’ve found
that might be useful to participants who are just starting in the blogosphere:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-challenge-1-what-the-heck-is-a-pln/" target="_blank">Step 1: What is a PLN?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edudemic.com/how-and-why-teachers-should-blog/?utm_content=bufferd4910&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">Why Teachers and Students Should Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/3-Rules-of-Academic-Blogging/234139" target="_blank">3 Rules of Academic Blogging</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theedadvocate.org/the-power-of-140-characters/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost" target="_blank">The Power of 140 Characters</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theedadvocate.org/using-twitter-in-the-classroom-from-the-perspective-of-students/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost" target="_blank">Using Twitter in the Classroom: From thePerspective of Students</a></li>
</ul>
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And, remember, blogging doesn’t need to be exclusively
long-form. I’m a huge fan of micro-blogging. I do that through my Twitter feed
<a href="https://twitter.com/xPat_Letters" target="_blank">@xPat_Letters</a>. And you can follow our course conversations on Twitter using the
hashtags <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23EDUC5101G&src=typd" target="_blank">#EDUC5101G</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23EDUC5103G&src=typd" target="_blank">#EDUC5103G</a>.<br />
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Until next post…<br />
Rob</div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-25174869450325991652014-11-05T01:28:00.001-08:002014-11-05T01:35:39.834-08:00mLearning and the Mona Lisa<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjs6vUjNnXBIn-57mMMhVfG7ZYLQqB8Ja8NEOKd8SM4xlKncKV04pGi_4cWd7DhMgH-TdjfQZCar4plYpbqcVC6eua7F-u1LTTWiJAmVryb1F58Kg_YVJIFGryq8B4njjHDBgSudDFl8/s1600/Mona_Lisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; text-align: center; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjs6vUjNnXBIn-57mMMhVfG7ZYLQqB8Ja8NEOKd8SM4xlKncKV04pGi_4cWd7DhMgH-TdjfQZCar4plYpbqcVC6eua7F-u1LTTWiJAmVryb1F58Kg_YVJIFGryq8B4njjHDBgSudDFl8/s640/Mona_Lisa.jpg"></a><br></p><p dir="ltr">Leave it to John Traxler to get me thinking! In his keynote address at mLearn 2014, Traxler used the Mona Lisa as an analogy for the disconnect between mLearning research and practice, and policy makers' expectations. He described policy makers' expectations as getting the full, big picture. A completed Mona Lisa. In contrast, researchers and practitioners are busy working on small clusters of a pixelated version of the famous masterpiece. What I think Traxler meant was that researchers and practitioners are still trying to figure out all of those little pieces, and how they need to fit together. But I think that this Mona Lisa analogy can be taken much deeper.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXZ4j90rW85_CPDI2Z2ZDMMC5CgYPcZpSfQ8U3bEiEeTRAfKA2NHTImtZ4HNljxDC8HKgd4yQOPNLH4vvOoU-7azdqVq7nZcQfBiY2WTRuum65CJsWYjtZ3JADZSBTeWVAFGXA8De8Tg/s1600/pixelated_mona_lisa_2_art_photo-rf20f70978c3247aeb95f947863b13a92_8t9wj_8byvr_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; text-align: center; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXZ4j90rW85_CPDI2Z2ZDMMC5CgYPcZpSfQ8U3bEiEeTRAfKA2NHTImtZ4HNljxDC8HKgd4yQOPNLH4vvOoU-7azdqVq7nZcQfBiY2WTRuum65CJsWYjtZ3JADZSBTeWVAFGXA8De8Tg/s640/pixelated_mona_lisa_2_art_photo-rf20f70978c3247aeb95f947863b13a92_8t9wj_8byvr_512.jpg"></a>First, we can comment on size. Literally and figuratively. Many people have the misconception that the Mona Lisa is a physically large painting. In reality, it is actually rather small. It is small, but it is flawless and beautiful, and it has had a huge cultural impact. Just like mobile devices, and mLearning apps and applications.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We can also talk about the details. The Mona Lisa is a masterpiece of painting skill. It was created using countless paint strokes that were brought together to create a whole picture. And DaVinci may have made, and corrected mistakes along the way. It is believed that there are details in the background of that painting that were changed, or painted over, to remove from the final product. That really does reflect the process of bringing all of the little technical, instructional design, and content pieces together to create even a single example of an mLearning application. What's more, there is no formula for getting a perfect mLearning big picture every time. The Mona Lisa is a work of art. Yes, there is science behind painting portraites. There is science behind mixing colorful and durable paints, behind creating (and preserving) canvases, behind picking a suitable topic and model, and behind the brushstrokes themselves. But there is a difference between mastering the specific techniques, and having the vision and talent to produce a masterpiece. Not every painter can do it. And even those who can don't produce a masterpiece every time. It takes as much art as it does science. And art involves experimentation and risk.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Art is also a cultural phenomenon, and a matter of personal taste. Yes, the Mona Lisa, with all of its minute details and techniques, is easily recognizable as a portraite of a woman. If you can see. What about individuals with vision impairment? While the Mona Lisa is globally appreciated as a masterpiece, there are some people who will never be able to enjoy it. And there are some people who just don't like looking at portraits. Not to mention, some cultures where the production of portraits on canvas is not a common practice... or even a desirable one. So when policy makers expect a complete, big mLearning picture to be delivered and deployed, they're missing some key points that the Mona Lisa reveals to us:</p>
<p dir="ltr">1. It takes a lot of little elements to create a while picture, and those little elements are difficult to master.</p><p dir="ltr">2. There is no formula for putting all of those little pieces together. It's as much art as it is science.</p><p dir="ltr">3. It's even more difficult to produce a masterpiece. And even if you can, it still won't suit every possible audience.</p><p dir="ltr">4. The tecniques used to create a masterpiece like the Mona Lisa were developed over millenia... and just because they came together perfectly once, doesn't mean that we're now universally able to reproduce the phenomena. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What does this analogy mean for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers? Don't expect perfection. Don't demand it. It's not possible to predict. But, just like paintings, it is worth experimenting with the little pieces of both the science and the art. Let the researchers and practitioners have the room to create firm, function, beauty, and cultural and contextual relevance.</p>
<p dir="ltr">These are just some thoughts after attending John Traxler's keynote presentation at mLearn 2014.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div>EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-91451909806165826802014-04-10T03:08:00.003-07:002014-04-10T03:10:54.425-07:00The Path to Paris… Thoughts on UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The following are my thoughts on attending UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2014, which I was asked to compile for an upcoming edition of the International Association for Mobile Learning (IAmLearn)'s Newsletter...</h4>
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I’ve been interested in and actively integrating educational technologies into my teaching practice for over a decade now, but I have really only narrowed in on mobile learning in particular since beginning my doctoral studies at Athabasca University (Canada). It’s fortunate that, given my passion for mobile learning, my dissertation supervisor at AU is IAmLearn founding director Dr. Mohamed Ally! But what has helped me to focus in on my real area of mLearning specialization has been my experiences at various conferences over the past number of years.<br />
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At mLearn 2012 in Helsinki, Finland, I first met Prof John Traxler. Through him, I have gained a better appreciation for the cultural nuances that can affect both technological deployment and pedagogical considerations for mLearning. I have also gained an appreciation for the importance of understanding what doesn’t work, and why! My encounters with John, Agnes, and Jocelyn at mLearn 2012 also led directly to my involvement with bringing mLearn 2013 to Doha, Qatar. I don’t think that I could accurately quantify the impact of my work on mLearn 2013 on my conceptualization of mobile learning, my academic studies, or my professional career. That is, except to note that the range of papers and presentations I saw, and the people I have established collegial relationships with, have solidified my own passion for figuring out how to make mobile learning more accessible to everyday teachers. <br />
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I presented a workshop at the Technology in Higher Education Conference in Doha in April 2013 with a focus on simple tips and tricks to build mobile reusable learning objects using free online tools. I (and I think the conference organizers) were amazed by the popularity of the session, and I continue to be amazed by the number of colleagues from Doha who still comment on it, and tell me that the workshop sparked their interest and made them feel more comfortable about using mLearning strategies. That workshop led to a peer-reviewed paper on the Collaborative Situated Active Mobile (CSAM) learning strategies framework. However, it wasn’t until mLearn 2013 that I decided to focus in on CSAM for my doctoral dissertation. The feedback I received during the Doctoral Consortium, and informally throughout the conference, has led to both research partnerships and a practical focus for my dissertation (examining how to bridge the gap between new technologies and solid pedagogy to increase teachers’ sense of self-efficacy with mobile learning).<o:p> </o:p><br />
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That brings me to UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2014. Initially, I was not planning on attending! I was a bit burnt out from organizing mLearn 2013, I had already flown back to Canada for a week for professional development in late November (leaving my family in Doha), and I had just started a new job in the Advanced Learning Technologies Center at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar. But then I saw the theme for this year’s Mobile Learning Week. With my interest in, and dissertation focus on teachers and mobile learning pedagogy, I could not pass on the opportunity to go to such a prominent conference focused specifically on empowering teachers through mobile learning. Plus, it was in Paris! Who could pass on a trip to Paris?<o:p> </o:p><br />
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Personally, I think that I got the most out of the pre-Symposium Workshops day on February 17. Cathie Norris and Elliot Soloway gave a keynote address at mLearn 2013… but that one-hour session was all too brief (and my mind was focused on conference organizational issues). So I attended their three-hour workshop in Paris. I’m glad that I did, because I got the chance to dive into hands-on use with their open-access collaborative learning suite of tools. That session opened my eyes to new possibilities for collaborative interaction in blended learning scenarios, and reinforced my focus on collaboration in the CSAM framework. (It also led to another potential institutional partnership for my dissertation research!). For the afternoon session, I chose to attend a presentation on the use of geolocation applications for the creation of interactive “walking tour” lessons and student projects. I got to meet up with IAmLearn members David Parsons and Laurent Antonczak, a number of colleagues from other recent conferences, and a large group of new friends who joined us for a walk around the UNESCO World Headquarters. The session organizers demonstrated an application that they described as continuously evolving. However, I think that the greatest takeaway was the lively discussion it generated both during and after the session about the potential uses of mapping, geolocation, and augmented reality applications. Plus, we got to walk around Paris, staring at our mobile phones, and call it work!<br />
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February 18-19 were the open symposium days for MLW14. There were a number of keynote presentations and panel discussions focused on work being done in various regions to help prepare teachers to integrate mobile learning resources, and to reach new audiences of learners. There were also a couple dozen exhibitions by educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and companies involved with developing educational technology and applications. I got the chance to see the latest array of gadgets about to hit the market, and to see novel applications that have left my imagination still working in overdrive thinking of their possible integrations into my own teaching practice. One of my favorites was a split-screen, Facetime-like application that allows two people in remote locations to read a book together (called Caribou). While the app is being marketed to allow “parents or grandparents” to read bedtime stories to children, I’m still imagining the possibilities for second language learning and pairing learners with expert tutors!<o:p> </o:p><br />
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Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Policy (Feb 20) or Research Track (Feb 21) days for MLW14. It would have been a great chance to continue to network with colleagues old and new. However, I did continue to watch the ongoing Twitter feed under the hashtag #MLW2014. Live-Tweeting from a conference is one of my favorite ways of engaging with colleagues via an online backchannel, and seeing what’s happening in the different parallel sessions. I tried to keep up to date on Tweeting my thoughts, and on re-Tweeting others’comments… so if you want a more in-depth picture of what MLW14 looked like, just look for me on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/xPat_Letters" target="_blank">@xPat_Letters</a>) and check out my #MLW2014 feed. If the ongoing discussions about mobile learning peak your interest, then I highly recommend attending the forthcoming mLearn 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. Hopefully I’ll see you there!</div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-46707410495034635402013-09-08T02:16:00.001-07:002013-09-08T02:20:13.382-07:00My Latest from LTHE: Gulf Perspectives<p dir=ltr>Shameless promotion time! The latest version of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives is out (Volume 10, Number 2), featuring two pieces by yours truly:</p>
<p dir=ltr>Collaborative situated active mobile (CSAM) learning strategies: A new perspective on effective mobile learning. </p>
<p dir=ltr>And my review of Clarke Quinn's The Mobile Academy</p>
<p dir=ltr>http://lthe.zu.ac.ae/index.php/lthehome</p>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-61666022717840014362013-06-27T07:06:00.001-07:002013-06-27T07:06:43.562-07:00mLearn 2013<p dir=ltr>Our new flyer for the 12th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2013)... feel free to share!</p>
<p dir=ltr>http://tinyurl.com/mlearn13</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRNIxMUdPhqkIBxL8Nlel6i1F_dPRZ4EqHpobu_gdtJ2t11daxmgWKeIID4Zr1xLlk_fH_1XfWGoZNF4oXSi22jeFt430DRazZDAednLQw0bwa6VcbgALp4L8Kizh9LDEKoq1BdTt_Ak/s1600/mlearn13_eFlyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRNIxMUdPhqkIBxL8Nlel6i1F_dPRZ4EqHpobu_gdtJ2t11daxmgWKeIID4Zr1xLlk_fH_1XfWGoZNF4oXSi22jeFt430DRazZDAednLQw0bwa6VcbgALp4L8Kizh9LDEKoq1BdTt_Ak/s640/mlearn13_eFlyer.jpg"> </a> </div>EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-7860253856754784982013-06-19T06:01:00.001-07:002013-06-19T08:58:30.675-07:00Mobilizing the MOOC: A Review of Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (IDML13)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny Poole via Flickr</td></tr>
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<strong>My latest... a review on </strong><a href="http://moocnewsandreviews.com/" target="_blank"><strong>MOOC News & Reviews</strong></a><strong> about the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (IDML13) micro-MOOC hosted by Academic Partnerships.</strong></div>
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<a href="http://moocnewsandreviews.com/mobilizing-the-mooc-review-of-instructional-design-for-mobile-learning-idml13/">http://moocnewsandreviews.com/mobilizing-the-mooc-review-of-instructional-design-for-mobile-learning-idml13/</a><br>
</div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-27197132883782686232013-05-14T22:17:00.000-07:002013-05-14T22:17:28.400-07:00A Teacher Who Really Bridged the Distance: Cmdr Chris Hadfield<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr3hOA1i-9KIsDYvlCLv2FAV9p3cWkLbGLZrvk-NajRF0GJ8v1Bb2HvR_Re13oH0vHrGrLDbbBmyb3gPjdhttwLHEj0pTymdHvrMRUPietlBffbhnJPQXPOQrehK5K_UKELegXlIIXU4/s1600/space-station-iss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The International Space Station</td></tr>
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</a>O<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">k… so this has to be one of (if not <em>the</em>) coolest moment in the history of space exploration: Cmdr Chris Hadfield’s live recording singing David Bowie’s classic, <em>Space Oddity</em>, in <em>space!</em> T</span>he video compilation, which features Hadfield both singing and playing
guitar while floating about the International Space Station, was the grand
finale of his tour of duty as commander of the ISS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hadfield lived on the ISS from December 21,
2012 until May 13, 2013, and served as commander of the station for several
weeks before turning over the reins to his successor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During that time, he was active on Twitter
(<a href="https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield" target="_blank">@Cmdr_Hadfield</a>), tweeting countless pictures from around the globe, and
answering questions from curious residents back on his homeworld.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also connected directly with school
children to teach interactive lessons from space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His grand finale performance of <em>Space Oddity</em>
was posted to YouTube as his final communique via social media before boarding
a Soyuz space capsule to return to terra firma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can view the video here:
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So, what is it about Hadfield that has captivated millions
of followers around the world, including me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fact that he took full advantage of social media to share his
fascinating experiences and knowledge with whoever wanted to join in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hadfield’s Tweets, YouTube videos, and live
sessions with school children show the true power of Internet connectivity and
mobile technology to enhance teaching, learning, and the human experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p><br />
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Moore’s (1989, 1991) Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) has
been one of the most influential learning theories in the field of open,
distance, and mobile learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TDT
describes the distance that exists between learners, their peers, their teachers,
coaches, or mentors, and the learning content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To maximize the effectiveness of a learning experience, you need to
reduce transactional distance wherever possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In past decades, new media technologies such
as radio, film, and television have all failed to live up to their hyped
potential of bringing the finest minds from around the world into everyone’s
classroom and learning space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mobile
learning (mLearning) researchers and practitioners are now exploring how what
is perhaps the world’s first truly effective ubiquitous communications
technology—mobile devices—can do what previous technologies have failed to
accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chris Hadfield has perfectly
demonstrated how the combination of Internet connectivity and mobile
technologies are eliminating transactional distance across many domains
simultaneously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, come on, this
man was in space! Yet he managed to connect with millions, answer their
questions about space exploration, actively participate in formal classroom
experiences—and truly allow all of humanity to share in the age-old dream of
exploring the cosmos!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The following video clip on YouTube is an interview with Hadfield from January 29, 2013, in which he explains the impact of social media on why he was so active online during his tour on the ISS.</span> </div>
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I think that all
teachers could learn something from Hadfield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He took full advantage of technologies at his disposal to reach out to
as many people as possible, and to make learning fun (which, in turn, further
reduces transactional distance because it increases the learner’s motivation
and commitment). Besides all that, let’s face it, Hadfield’s performance was
just plain awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For several months
he was the coolest Canadian in outer space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At least for now, he’s probably the coolest Canadian back here on
Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield aboard the ISS</span></o:p></div>
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<strong>References:</strong><o:p> </o:p></div>
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Moore, M., (1989). Three types of interaction. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The American Journal of Distance Education,
3</i>(2), 1-6.</div>
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Moore, M., (1991). Editorial: Distance education theory. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The American Journal of Distance Education,
5</i>(3), 1-6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from
<a href="http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol5_3.htm#editotial">http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol5_3.htm#editotial</a></div>
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Wikipedia (2013, May 14). <em>Chris Hadfield</em>. Retrieved from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hadfield">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hadfield</a></div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-67817027981198942332013-05-09T13:54:00.001-07:002013-05-09T13:54:46.976-07:00Tell me one thing about... A simple idea to weave VoiceThreads into mLearning!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpbUPG3_RWzbNlrOeggC8jNRZ8A_si7V1cW7eOlPZ-pC-ajZDprWgMC_5N-qWzjHvlUF7N81PfRuweSxo5gNyGRkAVPPMKf3cuL4ATLKTT9S99zS9VVG3JSTWAk5JXKoKJLj8GZHjcK8/s1600/voicethread_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpbUPG3_RWzbNlrOeggC8jNRZ8A_si7V1cW7eOlPZ-pC-ajZDprWgMC_5N-qWzjHvlUF7N81PfRuweSxo5gNyGRkAVPPMKf3cuL4ATLKTT9S99zS9VVG3JSTWAk5JXKoKJLj8GZHjcK8/s1600/voicethread_logo.png" /></a><br />
The final week of the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter) provided participants with an opportunity to explore a range of tools and resources for integrating mLearning strategies into teaching and learning practice. One of those tools was VoiceThread, which is a cloud-based voice recording and sharing service. Unlike SoundCloud (see my earlier post), which allows you to record and share a single audio file, VoiceThreads advertises itself as "Conversations in the Cloud." It allows users to carry on an asynchronous conversation that can include recorded voice and text comments, images, and presentation slides.<br />
<br />
I've actually used VoiceThreads before #idml13. I was introduced to the service by Dr. Terry Anderson with the Center for Distance Education at Athabasca University. He integrated a VoiceThread activity into the Advanced Research Methodologies course (EDDE 802) of AU's Doctor of Education in Distance Education program. Dr. Anderson's VoiceThread is available for public view, and continues to expand as participants in each successive offering of EDDE 802 view (and listen to) the comments posted in previous terms, and then add their own. While the topic (qualitative research methods) may not be of interest to everyone, this particular VoiceThread is worth accessing (you can click on the picture) just to learn from Dr. Anderson's pedagogical strategy. <br />
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The pedagogical approach behind Dr. Anderson's integration of a VoiceThread activity in EDDE 802 is pretty straightforward... you learn more when you teach about a concept yourself. Anderson gets his doctoral level students to contribute comments about selected research methodology topics, and then everyone in the current and future cohorts can learn from their peers. What's nice about using this kind of tool is that it gives learners a chance to break away from the traditional research paper assignment formats of typical higher education courses. They can contribute through an entirely different medium, and are actually forced to reflect a little more deeply about their learning content because they are drawing upon different media and different learning modalities. Interestingly (for the sake of my #idml13 compatriates), Dr. Anderson's VoiceThread activity represented an excellent example of the integration of mLearning strategies into higher education practice. My participation in EDDE 802 overlapped with a break between semesters at my institution, and I spent a lovely one-week vacation with my family outside of Brasov, Romania. I only took my mobile phone and tablet with me... but I was easily able to access the VoiceThread, listen to everyone's comments, and post my own, all while sequestered in a remote ski resort villa!</div>
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The final "Try it Yourself" activity for #idml13 was to create and share a VoiceThread resource using our mobile devices. Reflecting upon my experiences with the VoiceThread used by Dr. Anderson in EDDE 802, I was inspired to create my own relatively simple activity for my own blended-learning courses. I call it "Tell me one thing about...", and the idea is to forward a link to my students, and ask them to contribute a comment about just one thing that they have learned in my course over the past week. I don't really care about specific / central topics... I just want to get my students to take a few minutes to actually reflect on what happened in class over the past week (something that can be difficult to get some students to do, especially if there are no marks assigned to the activity)! I'm hoping that the novel approach will entice at least a handful of my students to participate the first time around. I'll bring up the VoiceThread on the projector at the start of the next week of class, and use it as a springboard for a brief review of the material that has been covered thus far (and discussion of any misperceptions students may have about the content). Hopefully, more and more students will be enticed to participate in the weekly VoiceThreads as the term progresses.</div>
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I'd love to share how I'm implementing this approach here, but I'm not going to do that for privacy / confidentiality reasons. I haven't asked my students if it's ok if I make their comments public, and I don't want to either violate their privacy or make them too uncomfortable to participate in this new type of activity. However, I was inspired to create the VoiceThread linked to the image below to share with participants in #idml13 (and with mLearning enthusiasts in general). It's my #idml13 take on the "Tell me one thing about..." activity, called "Tell me one thing about... Mobile Learning!" The Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC ends soon, and this VoiceThread is my way of trying to keep the lines of communication open after the course is over. My request to participants is simple--add a comment to share one thing (anything at all) that you've learned today about mobile learning. It can be something about mLearning concepts, implementation issues, instructional strategies... anything at all. And you can come back as often as you want to share what you continue to learn, and to hear what others are up to!</div>
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<a href="https://voicethread.com/share/4552482/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPUK61FVeruezeyPC7Y3-paTK8yOGUnecWoEMWfQaUYvzIpjIwJeuN0BHkJlWF9k6MOsiZnQhTJmpyElE8QEc64pQ9d8Dbiey0JM6Z4_5mstGOPpvLrXdb9MNuYm0d3pB00CQCJgD_KI/s320/VT_Rob.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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As #idml13 winds up, I wish a fond farewell to my countless new friends and colleagues from the micro MOOC. I'm already following a number of you on Twitter and your various blogs... and I hope you'll all follow me (<a href="https://twitter.com/xPat_Letters" target="_blank">@xPat_Letters</a>) and subscribe to this blog, and my daily <a href="http://paper.li/xPat_Letters/1367052840" target="_blank">xPat_Letters</a> newsletter, so that we can keep in touch and keep learning from each others ideas!</div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-49587191350944543902013-05-05T13:50:00.001-07:002013-05-05T14:17:36.078-07:00Do we have the competencies to integrate mobile learning?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsJGIk72CYPDFGRoW3zUnZhIBj8spOMCZpgNFG8Mb4z6uBKzu8SUKEmQjxEdcqJxBjiNrSOk4Ml5uMx0ByMeKVuWwh8GlocSlIBMDSmVE_TmGDpcqGnVm40q3SbA_01X6CmV3BkHZIpU/s1600/handhelds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsJGIk72CYPDFGRoW3zUnZhIBj8spOMCZpgNFG8Mb4z6uBKzu8SUKEmQjxEdcqJxBjiNrSOk4Ml5uMx0ByMeKVuWwh8GlocSlIBMDSmVE_TmGDpcqGnVm40q3SbA_01X6CmV3BkHZIpU/s1600/handhelds.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is one of the reflection exercise questions posed during week 2 of
the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, it's a bit of a loaded question!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the one hand, it's a bit of an
impossibility for anyone to have all of the competencies necessary to
effectively integrate emerging of future technologies into teaching and
learning practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least, it is if
you are viewing the question strictly from the technological competencies
standpoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As teachers, we're always
going to be playing catch-up as new mobile technologies (including devices and
apps or applications) are developed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We're going to be at even more of a disadvantage because each successive
year will bring students to our doorsteps (either real or virtual) for whom the
technologies are more and more transparent (because they've been using them
practically since birth).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the other hand, it's not that difficult a thing for an already
competent and enthusiast teacher to have the right mix of competencies to
effectively integrate mobile learning strategies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all depends on how you look at things, and
what you are trying to accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
not every teacher will have the requisite technical competencies to develop and
deploy mobile learning platforms, programs, or even their own apps or reusable
learning objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But any good teacher
already has what it takes to leverage the affordances of mobile devices to
increase student participation and learning!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Teachers are a resourceful lot who have always had to make the most out
of whatever resources they have at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Leveraging mobile devices in teaching and learning is not like
capitalizing on other technologies that have been hyped for their educational potential
throughout the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Radio and film did
not become the new norms for mass education, bringing the finest minds and
educators in the world into every classroom at once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TV and educational VHS and DVDs also failed
to accomplish this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never mind the lack
of interactivity associated with those one-way communications media -- let's
face it, there's just so much prep work involved for teachers to actually make
use of those technologies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, yes,
they do turn your learners into passive zombies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mobile devices are different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you use a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
approach, then you can leverage free technological tools that your learners are
bringing into the classroom with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a teacher, you don't necesssrily even need to know how to use all the
bells and whistles on these gadgets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
don't even need to plan out exactly which tools your students will use on their
mobile devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, what you need to do
is give your students a learning goal (or, better yet, negotiate a learning
goal with them), provide them with inspiration and support, and then get out of
their way and watch what they accomplish! <o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do we have the competencies to integrate mobile learning
strategies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course we do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the same competencies that good
teachers have always displayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
creative and willing to draw on whatever resources you have at hand--including
the ones called mobile devices that your students already bring with them
(hey... let's face it...how often can we guarantee that our students will all
bring their required learning resources!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be adaptable to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be not
afraid to unleash your students to achieve on their own terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And be willing to be inspired and to learn
from your students every bit as much as you hope they learn from you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mobile learning is not about jumping onto the
newest bandwagon or technological craze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It's about realizing that technology finally allows us (teachers and
learners) to do what we've been trying to do all along more efficiently and
with more resources at our disposal!</span></div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-42178185978892829952013-05-05T05:01:00.000-07:002013-05-07T12:30:30.293-07:00Playing with SoundCloud for an Interactive mLearning Classroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So... here's a couple of nice apps that I've just learned how to use as part of the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter). The first is called Textgram, and it is extremely easy to figure out. Just download the app, type in some text, and pick the template you want. The app will then create a "graffiti" graphic, like the one pictured below, which you can save to your mobile device or share online via Instagram, Twitter, or a blog like this one. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68RlN3TmsG78f36JavZkxfpjD7M0dHH5xEwI_VySYm49GbpBA7RWbgsPCoQP7VW05Gus7QO5QbHcv7jkn1mi46bMzNSuPNgTgTQ1duHnP3CB2ZWRZcajUXybPUfuOGoP6Zkz_lzZtZO8/s1600/textgram_1367612733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68RlN3TmsG78f36JavZkxfpjD7M0dHH5xEwI_VySYm49GbpBA7RWbgsPCoQP7VW05Gus7QO5QbHcv7jkn1mi46bMzNSuPNgTgTQ1duHnP3CB2ZWRZcajUXybPUfuOGoP6Zkz_lzZtZO8/s400/textgram_1367612733.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The second app is called SoundCloud. This provides you with easy access to cloud storage for audio files, such as music or recorded voice. You can create a voice recording from within the app itself, or upload an audio file from your computer or mobile device. As you can see from the "widget" below, the app allows you to upload a graphic (such as an album cover, for music) to associate with your audio file. It also provides you with options to publically share your audio file, or to keep them private. If you choose the latter, you can easily retrieve the widget code to embed your audio file into a webpage, blog, or wiki. I experimented with Textgram and SoundCloud to create the graphic (above) and the "welcome" message (below), which could be used to offer online, mobile, or blended learning students a unique greeting when they enroll in one of my classes!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F90823336%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-64z13" width="100%"></iframe>
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I have actually added this Textgram and SoundCloud audio file to a hidden page on the wiki for a live course that I am teaching this term (which just began this week). The page itself is linked to a QR code, which I have added to the course wiki homepage with a little graphic that says "Scan Me!" You can see how I've done this by scanning the following QR code:</div>
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So, aside from a cute way to welcome students to your course, how could apps like Textgram and SoundCloud have a positive effect on the teaching and learning experience (and, for that matter, student achievent)? Well, for one, they provide new creative outlets for learners as part of the learning process. When learners create something to convey a message about something they are learning, they are much more likely to actually learn more about that topic themselves! (The whole idea of learning by teaching!) Another positive--allowing students to create audio files is a great way to practice communications skills without the performance anxiety that comes from presenting before a large group (such as their classmates). I've recently seen an example of project in the United Arab Emirates that uses mobile devices (iPads) to manipulate the actions, speech, and environments of cartoon avatars (Nicoll & Hopkyns, 2013). The idea is for English Second Language learners to practice their conversational skills by recording what they want their avatars to say, and then manipulating their "puppets" actions and environments to match the conversations. The fun of the activity takes a bit of the edge off of the performance anxiety!</div>
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That example in mind, and armed with tools I've discovered in #idml13, I've decided to modify one of the major assignments in another course that I'm teaching this term (a different course than the one linked to the QR code above). The course is an introduction to IT customer service and help desk applications. The original assignment had students pair up to role play a scenario where one student is a help desk agent, and the other an angry customer who has called in. The students were to perform the role play in front of the class, and this would be followed by a whole group discussion of the scenario and how the situation was handled. My integration of mobile learning -- instead of a live performance I'm going to have students use SoundCloud and their mobile devices to record the exchanges between the help desk agent and the angry customer. I'll then give the groups the option of creating either a Textgram to introduce the exchange, or a photo collage (see my earlier post on that topic) that highlights the steps to effectively handling such calls. Once those two products are ready, I'll get the groups to post their graphics and embed their SoundCloud widgets to the course wiki. We'll view (and listen to) all of the groups' projects as a whole class, and use that as a launching point for discussions of how to handle irate callers and resolve conflicts in such situations. </div>
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So how is this better than getting the pairs of students to put on a live role play performance? </div>
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First, students get a chance to think more deeply about what they are going to do for their presentation before the time to role play arrives.</div>
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Second, the pairs will inevitably be dissatisfied with their initial audio recordings, and will likely re-record them several times before they are happy. This means extra "live" practice! </div>
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Third, requiring students to create an accompanying graphic will force them to reflect upon their scenario, and the concepts that they have been studying in the course, in order to come up with something meaningful. </div>
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Fourth, posting the SoundCloud widgets and graphics to the course wiki will create lasting, reusable learning artefacts. Classmates (including any who are absent on the "role play" day) will get a chance to access and learn from the performances. </div>
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And, fifth, because the artefacts are posted to a wiki, everyone in the class will have the ability to reflect and then participate in commentary / discussion of the performances (as opposed to the handful of extroverts who normally dominate the precious few minutes of open discussion time in a live classroom).</div>
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<strong>References:</strong></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nicoll, T., &
Hopkyns, S. (2013, April). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A new PPP for
vocabulary building</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poster
presentation at the Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives Research Symposium,
April 25, 2013, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.</span></span></div>
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<strong>Resources:</strong></div>
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<a href="https://soundcloud.com/" target="_blank">SoundCloud</a> (online version)</div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can also find the SoundCloud app from the Apple and Android app stores</span></em></div>
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Textgram</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Available through both the Apple and Android app stores</em></span> </div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-13313149464292830482013-04-27T14:18:00.002-07:002013-04-27T14:19:59.504-07:00Reflecting on the Principles of Effective mLearning Design<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm participating in a micro-MOOC called Instructional Design for
Mobile Learning (#idml13 on Twitter).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During the first official week of the course, participants were
presented with a list of six general principles on mobile instructional design
described by the University of Oregon's (n.d.) department of Applied
Information Management (AIM ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
principles are:</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #1: Develop a simple and intuitive interface design</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #2: Integrate interactive multi-media</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #3: Build short, modular lessons and activities</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #4: Design content that is engaging and entertaining</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #5: Design content that is contextual, relevant, and valuable to the learner</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #6: Design content for just-in-time delivery</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This list of principles was developed by the AIM as a set of
recommendations stemming from a review of a range of research and literature on
effective mLearning design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can't
argue with any of these recommendations, as they do offer sound, practical
guidance for anyone venturing into mLearning instructional design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These principles are reflective of the eight
recommendations for universal instructional design for mLearning presented by
Elias (2010, p. 147), which are summarized below:</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">equitable use; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">flexible use; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">simple and intuitive; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">perceptible information; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">tolerance for error; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">low physical and technical effort; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">community of learners and support; and </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">instructional climate.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">They are also reflective of the extensive list of tips provided by
Traxler and Wishart's (2011, p. 43) Mobile Learning Practitioner's Checklist
(in particular, points 8-10 under the Pedagogical Advice subheading):</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<b><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Bold","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Bold;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pedagogical advice:</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Light","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Light;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">8. Learning opportunities -
identify key ‘starter’ opportunities for students to focus on that are relevant
to subject being taught.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Light","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Light;"></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Light","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Light;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">9. Constructivist approach -
build learning opportunities across and between authentic contexts and the
classroom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Light","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Light;"></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: "GillSans-Light","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans-Light;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">10. Student autonomy – the
need to work with students to enable them to choose the best ways of using
their personal devices to support their learning.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather than debate the merits of one particular checklist over another
(as the all provide relatively similar advice), I'm using this blog post to
reflect on just how sound these tips are in terms of Koole's (2009)
theoretically-grounded Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education
(FRAME), which is depicted graphically below:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsOIJFrhU-gsprmYigMYqkhhmmYTSFLFmr5RrXD_wFfoJiCMybw4nOrw8_jypfh9-lwFRSddrsxrJU5ziUDIiN3_TJP5NRvoJ7ExabL5Iz73DeKY8F1LV_bekIIzndDyiCHFeg_0EOSU/s1600/FRAME1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsOIJFrhU-gsprmYigMYqkhhmmYTSFLFmr5RrXD_wFfoJiCMybw4nOrw8_jypfh9-lwFRSddrsxrJU5ziUDIiN3_TJP5NRvoJ7ExabL5Iz73DeKY8F1LV_bekIIzndDyiCHFeg_0EOSU/s320/FRAME1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) (Koole, 2009)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The FRAME model is fast becoming one of the most widely referenced
frameworks for mLearning research design and evaluation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is because of its elegant simplicity and
simultaneously comprehensiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>FRAME draws
upon established learning theory such as Activity Theory, social interaction
theory, and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>FRAME divides mLearning analysis into three
primary domains: the learner aspect, the social aspect, and the device
aspect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As depicted above, these aspects
overlap in mLearning design, and effective instructional design will not only
account for all three domains... it will try to integrate them as closely
together as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using FRAME, we
can comfortably assess how comprehensive the six principles proposed by AIM
are:</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #1: Develop a simple and intuitive interface design (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Device Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #2: Integrate interactive multi-media (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Device Aspect, Learner Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #3: Build short, modular lessons and activities (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Learner Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #4: Design content that is engaging and entertaining (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Learner Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #5: Design content that is contextual, relevant, and valuable to the learner (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Learner Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Principle #6: Design content for just-in-time delivery (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Learner Aspect</span></i>)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing that the AID principles seem to be lacking in their advice is
any mention of the Social Aspect described by FRAME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, not every learning activity is
going to be a group effort... but there must be some form of social interaction
(either with fellow learners, instructors or, in the case of MOOCs,
wayfinders).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social interaction is
critical for motivation, support, and skill scaffolding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Activity Theory and the zone of proximal
development (ZPD) emphasize the benefits of social interaction in learning, and
ZPD stresses that learners who more frequently engage in collaborative social
interaction in learning efforts gain the skills and confidence to achieve more
when learning independently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The same exercise could be carried out with either of Elias's (2010) or
Traxler and Wishart's (2011) checklists, and would find that the only direct
mention of social interaction in either checklist is Elias's reference to a
"community of learners and support" (p. 147).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As part of our activities during week one of #idml13, we were asked to
reflect upon one of the principles listed by the AIM and how we could integrate
that principle into our own distance / mLearning instructional design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than reflecting on one single
principle from that list, I spent several days mulling over how comprehensive
the advice is in light of FRAME and the Collaborative Situated Active mLearning
(CSAM) approach that I've been developing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CSAM draws upon the three domains of the FRAME model and its theoretical
grounding in Activity Theory and ZPD (Impedovo, 2011; Kaptelinin & Nardi,
2006).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also draws upon Moore's (1989,
1991) Transactional Distance Theory and Flow Theory (Chaiklin, 2003; Chen, 2006;
Csikszentmihalyi, 1997).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike FRAME
(which is designed more as an analytical tool), CSAM is designed more to act as
a pedagogical guidepost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It suggests
that mLearning design will be most effective if it includes collaborative,
situated and active elements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
collaborative, I mean that learners need to interact in partnerships with
either their peers, their instructors, or their wayfinders in some way (FRAME's
Social Aspect and Elias's point #7).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
Situated, I mean that learning should take place in authentic contexts (which directly
encompasses principles 5-6 referenced by AIM and Traxler & Wishart's point
#9... but also encompasses AIM's principle #4 about being engaging and
entertaining).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By Active, I mean that
learners must actually do something with the learning content, and not just act
as passive recipients (which could be argued to be part of AIM's principle #2
about interactive multimedia design, and is definitely reflective of Traxler
& Wishart's point #9 about incorporating constructivist approaches).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below is the poster on CSAM that I presented
last week at Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives in Abu Dhabi, UAE:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.slideshare.net/RobertPower1/csam-poster" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0B6UPP4JrAH4-7bHmKUApISTiK312jY_cCq77XD1xz6etyQgwZXTTVEYA-6IzV_XPvJWByXchHRsfKU_tq1_xHhI6-f9Oio_SUNaXvXXsuuF0UThB16Bm9p6V3Ups3l2KGEysyXTgSM/s320/CSAM_Poster.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now don't get me wrong... I'm not suggesting that mLearning designers
dismiss AIM's six principles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to
touch on all of them in my own instructional design, and I advise others to do
so as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A look at the <a href="http://winksite.mobi/xhtml/ms_main?susid=45574" target="_blank">mobile RLO I developed</a> for my recent <a href="http://www.the.edu.qa/" target="_blank">THE2013</a> workshop on designing your own CSAM mobile
reusable learning objects (RLOs) will show how I presented very similar advice
(and drew upon it in my own RLO designs)... but it will also show how I tried
to integrate that critical social interaction element even into an RLO that
could be used by learners who are both geographically and temporally distant
from each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the common
criticisms of both distance and mobile learning is that removing learners from
the traditional environment of peer and teacher support (the classroom) could
be detrimental to motivation, formative feedback, and achievement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This need not be the case... but ensuring
that it is not means accounting for the Social Aspect domain described by FRAME
(and central to CSAM)</span></div>
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___________________________________________</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">References:</span></strong></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chaiklin, S. (2003). The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky’s
analysis of learning and instruction. Retrieved from
</span><a href="http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/documents/chaiklin.zpd.pdf"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/documents/chaiklin.zpd.pdf">http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/documents/chaiklin.zpd.pdf</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Chen</a>, J. (2006). Flow theory. <i>Flow in games</i>. Retrieved from:
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: Creativity and optimum
functioning. Excerpt from the book ‘Finding Flow.’ <i>Psychology Today, 46</i>(5).
Retrieved from </span><a href="http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/">http://elibrary.bigchalk.com</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Elias</a>, T. (2010). Universal instructional design principles for mobile
learning. <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The International Review Of Research In Open
And Distance Learning, 12</span></em>(2), 143-156. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/965/1675"><span style="color: #14456e; font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="color: #14456e; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/965/1675">http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/965/1675</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Impedovo</a>, M. A. (2011), Mobile learning and Activity Theory. <i>Journal
of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, English Edition, 7</i>(2), 103-109.
Retrieved from
</span><a href="http://je-lks.maieutiche.economia.unitn.it/index.php/Je-LKS_EN/article/viewFile/525/530"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://je-lks.maieutiche.economia.unitn.it/index.php/Je-LKS_EN/article/viewFile/525/530">http://je-lks.maieutiche.economia.unitn.it/index.php/Je-LKS_EN/article/viewFile/525/530</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Kaptelinin</a>, V. & Nardi, B. (2006). <i>Acting with technology:
Activity theory and interaction design</i>. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Koole, M. L. (2009). A model
for framing mobile learning. In M. Ally (Ed.), <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mobile
learning: Transforming the delivery of education and training</span></em>, 25-47.
Edmonton, AB: AU Press. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120155"><span style="color: #14456e; font-family: inherit;">http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120155</span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moore, M.
(1989). Three types of interaction. <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The American
Journal of Distance Education, 3</span></em>(2), 1-6.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moore, M.
(1991). Editorial: Distance education theory. <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The American Journal of Distance Education, 5</span></em>(3), 1-6.
Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol5_3.htm#editotial"><span style="color: #14456e; font-family: inherit;">http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol5_3.htm#editotial</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Traxler, J. & Wishart, J.
(2011). <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Making
mobile learning work: Case studies of practice</span></em>. Bristol: UK:
ESCalate. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://escalate.ac.uk/8250"><span style="color: #14456e; font-family: inherit;">http://escalate.ac.uk/8250</span></a></span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">University of Oregon (n.d.). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mobile
instructional design principles for adult learners</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from </span><a href="http://aim.uoregon.edu/research/ebriefings/eb-dillard.php"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://aim.uoregon.edu/research/ebriefings/eb-dillard.php</span></a></div>
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</div>
</div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-37476372886658396662013-04-26T13:55:00.001-07:002013-04-28T08:38:29.073-07:00Linking QR Codes and Videos for Effective mLearning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Experimenting with creating your own instructional videos (using a mobile device), uploading the videos to YouTube (or some other video hosting site), and then linking the videos to a Quick Response (QR) code is the theme of the second "Try it Yourself" activity in the Instructional Design for Mobile Learning 2013 micro MOOC (#idml13 on Twitter). The first objective of participating in this activity is to expand your technical skill sets as an instructor using mobile devices. While I didn't actually get around to creating and uploading my own instructional video this week (on account of travelling to Abu Dhabi to present a poster at the Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspective symposium at Zayed University), the use of these ICT tools is something that I am already fairly well versed in. Instead, I'm dedicating this blog post to looking a little deeper at how combining these tools can be used in effective mLearning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Short online videos are a great way to disseminate content to learners because they grab attention more easily than plain text, because their rich multimedia format can convey a lot more information using the limited real estate of a mobile device's screen, and because they are reusable (learners can pause, rewind, and return to them at any time, and instructors can reuse, and even repurpose the videos in different course contexts). Online videos are also a great way to access the "just-in-time" learning opportunities that are one of the popular hallmarks of mLearning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using QR codes linked to online video resources significantly increases their effectiveness as learning resources. The primary reason for this is the convenience that they provide. Learners do not need to remember and type in lengthy URLs to access the videos (and it's almost guaranteed that at least one of your learners will type the URL wrong, get frustrated, and potentially abandon the learning exercise!). Instead, learners just need to use an app on their mobile device to scan the QR code, which then automatically redirects the device's internet browser to the video. Recent research into the effectiveness of using QR codes to access learning resources has demonstrated a strong preference for this method over typing URLs, and that learners find QR codes very easy to use (Power, 2012; Ramsden, 2008, 2010; Ramsden & Jordan, 2009). There's also the impact of the novelty factor of pulling out your mobile, scanning a code, and discovering where it's going to take you! This is especially true in the context of informal learning. I was intrigued to see this QR code stuck to a bunch of bananas I bought at a supermarket last summer:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL5V65ElIQFwTskvwnrOfG57RQigZF-RZvMD6uEZX8ArwH7IZ_Iq50fFdvT_JUGj-YEXvFmt_foKVfFAwDNZTy6GTBK-x__sF0y7pVdkAvOt8aGRkfAuplLivKN4aML9xHvzfIU8GDS4/s1600/QR_Code_on_Bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL5V65ElIQFwTskvwnrOfG57RQigZF-RZvMD6uEZX8ArwH7IZ_Iq50fFdvT_JUGj-YEXvFmt_foKVfFAwDNZTy6GTBK-x__sF0y7pVdkAvOt8aGRkfAuplLivKN4aML9xHvzfIU8GDS4/s320/QR_Code_on_Bananas.jpg" width="208" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Banana labels have come a long way... They're now interactive!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I scanned the code (working code embedded below) I got to watch a YouTube video highlighting how my bananas got from the tree, to Canada, and eventually to the market! Obviously this was a marketing strategy, intended to convince me of how fresh and pure my bananas were. I saved the sticker because I have young children, and someday I'm going to want to teach them about where their food comes from. I thought this video represented an excellent reusable learning object (RLO) that I could use informally with my children... or pass along to some of my health sciences / nutritionist colleagues who might be looking for some mLearning resources.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-DzA-3jviLjblxjT3H2Bs0CADKVhIvzU97Hna-XcT0B3G1V-jY4XcI-ilqqG5V1EOjUv74s8XME49TAzlHQdO9vdIKBYAiF97pmDNT1CcrDiVSv6SAv-elS-TAH8EW1sqzqrIWJ_tDE/s1600/QR_Droid_Bananas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-DzA-3jviLjblxjT3H2Bs0CADKVhIvzU97Hna-XcT0B3G1V-jY4XcI-ilqqG5V1EOjUv74s8XME49TAzlHQdO9vdIKBYAiF97pmDNT1CcrDiVSv6SAv-elS-TAH8EW1sqzqrIWJ_tDE/s320/QR_Droid_Bananas.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The banana label QR code</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNld_XpiyfGrnrEpr3_fiFWPcPPaeyUJMClYiAITRdic2eqaJCeNclxOoDor_i3-kUzG6_6YULVewy_wFntj2g9JemsTfsQ-kz-OmfvPZTk53tXOsZTEyuAvwCKktOc35IkvkR92mhMW0/s1600/QR_code_on_carseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"></span></a> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I found this QR code inside the instruction manual for a new child safety seat that I purchased last summer (it's also on a sticker right on the seat... but the sticker was hidden from view when I went to snap this shot):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNld_XpiyfGrnrEpr3_fiFWPcPPaeyUJMClYiAITRdic2eqaJCeNclxOoDor_i3-kUzG6_6YULVewy_wFntj2g9JemsTfsQ-kz-OmfvPZTk53tXOsZTEyuAvwCKktOc35IkvkR92mhMW0/s1600/QR_code_on_carseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNld_XpiyfGrnrEpr3_fiFWPcPPaeyUJMClYiAITRdic2eqaJCeNclxOoDor_i3-kUzG6_6YULVewy_wFntj2g9JemsTfsQ-kz-OmfvPZTk53tXOsZTEyuAvwCKktOc35IkvkR92mhMW0/s320/QR_code_on_carseat.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Combined with the option of a traditional paper manual, this is what I like to see on a child safety seat!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This one was awesome! Scanning it opens a downloadable MP4 video that shows you step-by-step how to properly install the child seat (much more effective than the sketches typically included in the paper installation guides). What's great about this video is that I could pause it, complete a step, and then resume the video. I could also rewind the clip if I got something wrong. And I didn't have to keep flipping through pages (and trying to keep the manual propped open to the right page every time I put it down to carry out a step). Here's the actual QR code, for anyone who wants to check out the online installation guide:</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgvLlcaDxYCBpJ6PAuAvNup3U0SlopfCHKUZpDtfo2W9aIiMPH2zmtAbc8zGs_16i18Rs-zXb9T9K31pJoD81cTYkpGMuf9nOyUGPRJw8nrUtg18mG8ji8q5m2loP2LiJDVQJNNBneuQ/s1600/QR_Droid_79376.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgvLlcaDxYCBpJ6PAuAvNup3U0SlopfCHKUZpDtfo2W9aIiMPH2zmtAbc8zGs_16i18Rs-zXb9T9K31pJoD81cTYkpGMuf9nOyUGPRJw8nrUtg18mG8ji8q5m2loP2LiJDVQJNNBneuQ/s320/QR_Droid_79376.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">QR code on a child seat, linked to an online video installation guide</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm no stranger to using QR codes in my own formal teaching and learning practice. I did some research last year using mobile RLOs linked to QR codes. I mounted the codes on stickers fixed to different parts of computers in my lab. My students (who were all English Foreign Language (EFL) learners) got a break from lectures and workbooks to go exploring the lab, find the QR codes, scan them, and use their smartphones to learn the English names of the parts (and a bit about what the parts did). Anyone interested can find out more about that project on my research wiki at </span><a href="http://qrcache.pbworks.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://qrcache.pbworks.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or by downloading my paper from <a href="http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-955/" target="_blank">mLearn 2012</a>. You can also scan the QR code below to see the actual mobile RLOs used by my students (though they don't actually include online videos, they'll give you an idea of how easy QR codes can make it for learners to access just-in-time situated resources... I can imagine using the same RLO strategy to label equipment in an industrial workplace so that employees can instantly access user guides, help manuals, safety information, or other on-the-job training resources).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo8s0NuWilxmPeenZ2V4jRKHb_QwIT_nnKxwUvKMcMIxOMQwCFpqcvQpYyupMM9sYH7trLL19iZ4K8FLee7xN365I_GbhofhrqEUgEJkpv2XwbgHJmgGLjPSK2xWcM3f-4NU9SpLs4gI/s1600/QR+Cache+QR+Code.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo8s0NuWilxmPeenZ2V4jRKHb_QwIT_nnKxwUvKMcMIxOMQwCFpqcvQpYyupMM9sYH7trLL19iZ4K8FLee7xN365I_GbhofhrqEUgEJkpv2XwbgHJmgGLjPSK2xWcM3f-4NU9SpLs4gI/s1600/QR+Cache+QR+Code.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Scan to access the QR Cache Mobile RLOs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm such a fan of using QR codes for accessing mobile reusable learning objects that I included a segment on how to link mobile web pages to them in my recent workshop presentation at the Technology in Higher Education (THE2013) conference in Doha. I actually used a mobile RLO to run the workshop off of, and displayed this QR code on my interactive whiteboard at the beginning of the workshop:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO20HWZKCQtujWDnfVel75Dn1GNkx25vkAzAhIxxyYso08gjLekW2A19PKiFXWKh5kx7W6sNqDwEuFtniZOy0ybQPyAVJk1Pnt3b-3Zch_B48I2IE9xB9ALCqiF1zUI1WA90XMXhpmf7k/s1600/QR+Code+(RLOs).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO20HWZKCQtujWDnfVel75Dn1GNkx25vkAzAhIxxyYso08gjLekW2A19PKiFXWKh5kx7W6sNqDwEuFtniZOy0ybQPyAVJk1Pnt3b-3Zch_B48I2IE9xB9ALCqiF1zUI1WA90XMXhpmf7k/s1600/QR+Code+(RLOs).png" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Scan to access my RLOs on creating your own RLOs linked to QR codes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I gave everyone a few minutes to scan the code with their phones, and offered some help to a handful of participants who weren't familiar with using a QR code scanner app. I also noticed some of the more experienced app users in the room offering similar assistance to those in need around them. This activity achieved three goals:</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Participants developed a new ICT skill (in addition to the formal lesson objectives)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Participants got to see the utility of using the QR codes right from the outset (and it piqued their interest in the formal lesson)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Participants gained instant access to every resource they would need for the entire workshop, and those resources were automatically bookmarked on their mobiles for future reference!</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">__________________________________________________</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">References:</span></strong><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Power, R. (2012).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>QR
Cache: Connecting mLearning practice with theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In M. Specht, M. Sharples, & J.
Multisilta (Eds.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Proceedings of the
11th Annual World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2012)
held in Helsinki, Finland, 16-18 October 2012</i> (pp. 346-349).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from </span><a href="http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-955/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-955/</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ramsden,
A., (2008).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The use of QR codes in education: A getting started guide for academics</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Working paper, University of Bath, Bath,
UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://opus.bath.ac.uk/11408/1/getting_started_with_QR_Codes.pdf"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://opus.bath.ac.uk/11408/1/getting_started_with_QR_Codes.pdf</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ramsden,
A., (2010).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The level of student engagement with QR codes: Findings from a
cross-institutional survey</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Working
paper, University of Bath, Bath, UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://opus.bath.ac.uk/19974/1/students_qr_codes_cross_ints_survey_2010.pdf"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://opus.bath.ac.uk/19974/1/students_qr_codes_cross_ints_survey_2010.pdf</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ramsden,
A. & Jordan, L., (2009).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Are students ready for QR codes? Findings
from a student survey at the University of Bath.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Working paper, University of Bath, Bath,
UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://opus.bath.ac.uk/12782/1/qrcodes_student_survey_uniofbath_feb09.pdf"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://opus.bath.ac.uk/12782/1/qrcodes_student_survey_uniofbath_feb09.pdf</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">__________________________________________________</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Additional Resources on QR Codes:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
Chinese University of Hong Kong, (2010).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prepare QR codes for teaching</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://137.189.161.34/mlearning/V3/TeacherCornerQR.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://137.189.161.34/mlearning/V3/TeacherCornerQR.html#</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">De
Lorenzo, R., (2010, November 17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">QR codes and mobile learning</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[Web log comment].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://themobilelearner.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/qr-codes-and-mobile-learning/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://themobilelearner.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/qr-codes-and-mobile-learning/</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Educause,
(2009).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven things you should know about… QR codes</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7046.pdf"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7046.pdf</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hockley,
N., (2010, August 12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A dummies guide to QR codes</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[Web log comment].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=246"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=246</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hockley,
N., (2010, August 17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes we can: QR codes in the classroom</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[Web log comment].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=278"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=278</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Miller,
A. (2011, December 11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twelve ideas for teaching with QR codes</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[Web log comment].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from: </span><a href="http://www.andrewkmiller.com/2011/12/twelve-ideas-for-teaching-with-qr-codes/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.andrewkmiller.com/2011/12/twelve-ideas-for-teaching-with-qr-codes/</span></a></span></div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-63608447288491776452013-04-20T13:05:00.003-07:002013-04-20T13:52:26.255-07:00Photo Collage Apps for mLearning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm participating in a micro MOOC right now called <em>Instructional Design for Mobile Learning</em> (#idml13 on Twitter). One of the first "Try it Yourself" activities suggested in the course was to use a photo collage making app on your mobile device to make a collage about yourself or your mLearning experiences. I've made a lot of use of creative graphics manipulation in both my teaching and learning experiences over the past several years... but I've never used one of these apps before. So, I decided to give it a try. I used the free Photo Collage app for Android, and it was very straightforward and easy to use (so self-explanatory and straightforward that I'm not going to even bother reviewing how the app works!). Here are the two collages that I created (in less than 5 minutes):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBHo_ISPHYl_Q60Nqi8UMlmY-JFqGGUY3nojE6HdT5xsxnpNNlROysoBQ8VQdEON275IjnJi-3crcNcUF7KjRzvcie8QFxv7_yyr_FIm1T2eL4fAQKUUZ6JlV5fL_90q0Vp6vc4JRXt8/s1600/Power_Collage2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBHo_ISPHYl_Q60Nqi8UMlmY-JFqGGUY3nojE6HdT5xsxnpNNlROysoBQ8VQdEON275IjnJi-3crcNcUF7KjRzvcie8QFxv7_yyr_FIm1T2eL4fAQKUUZ6JlV5fL_90q0Vp6vc4JRXt8/s1600/Power_Collage2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first photo collage: snapshots of my family, where we live now, and our homeland (good ol' St. John's, NL)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9zcC8cqUgBLqESTiDL-Tfcpk5d1cJOuqrRGMsAvNl7d5al7iMYH4Y7Oc3-7oSU7Gn9ImNZTbmC98FdB9n-PIIPgOmSUdE7zvS8t1GAW5eq9sSDRQOmwyQpXMAB2EtBCd6SQgv1kgzTY/s1600/Power_Collage1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9zcC8cqUgBLqESTiDL-Tfcpk5d1cJOuqrRGMsAvNl7d5al7iMYH4Y7Oc3-7oSU7Gn9ImNZTbmC98FdB9n-PIIPgOmSUdE7zvS8t1GAW5eq9sSDRQOmwyQpXMAB2EtBCd6SQgv1kgzTY/s1600/Power_Collage1.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second
photo collage: snapshots of where my professional life has taken me including:
my home city, St. John's; where we live now, Doha; my Simpsons avatar; and my
forays into the world of mLearning</span></span></div>
The old saying goes that "a picture is worth a thousand words," and these apps are so easy to use, that I can already see numerous potential applications as mLearning tools. In fact, I'm already thinking ahead to next term at CNA-Q, and getting my students to do the same exercise (use their phones to create a photo collage about themselves) as an icebreaker activity in the first week of class! It should certainly set a different tone for the courses, and get students enthusiastic about the approaches I might take throughout the coming term. I can see practical applications in terms of course assignments, too. These photo collages sort of remind me of presenting research posters at academic conventions. I can see using mobile devices to get students to find images online (or, better yet, take their own pictures in their own learning contexts) related to their topics of study, then use a photo collage app to create a collage about that topic. Students could exchange the photo collages via a wiki, a discussion forum, a course LMS... the possibilities are endless for that. Students could then be given the opportunity to explain / discuss their collages either in a blended face-to-face classroom, or in an online forum... again, sort of like presenting a poster at a conference. To me, using such tools as these photo collage apps seems like a great way to get students thinking more deeply about a topic (required in order to select just the right images to convey their message), and to get them actively creating relative content. This fits in quite nicely with the CSAM (Collaborative, Situated, Active Mobile) learning strategies approach that I'll be presenting a poster on in Abu Dhabi later this week (and illustrated by the graphic I created below):<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL7nqdbMgpPcSO_lANoLoXTAvoG_Sw-TQaVI8_l-Lwx4XUi0ojJFIgy5glp6_XZTXg3U4O9gHodcvSDp2tbPa0A4qJ9gxpqj91oNTLkiwUWjBNo-ygvsi2ZO_4VY9otE5r5fotwN0U-g/s1600/CSAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL7nqdbMgpPcSO_lANoLoXTAvoG_Sw-TQaVI8_l-Lwx4XUi0ojJFIgy5glp6_XZTXg3U4O9gHodcvSDp2tbPa0A4qJ9gxpqj91oNTLkiwUWjBNo-ygvsi2ZO_4VY9otE5r5fotwN0U-g/s320/CSAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyhow, these are just a few random thoughts about using photo collage apps that I've been mulling over after doing the first #idml13 "Try it Yourself" activity. I'm sure that I'll be posting on this topic again once I've had a chance to try it out in a live classroom. Perhaps I'll even consider putting forth an application for funding to CNA-Q's SEED committee, and do a little formal research into students' responses to using these apps (and associated pedagogical strategies)... <br />
<br />
(<em>WAIT! Did I really just suggest that? I've just finished up the busiest two terms of my career on account of two major projects I took on (above my regular teaching load), and I've still got the preparations for <a href="http://tinyurl.com/mlearn13" target="_blank">#mLearn2013</a> and my forthcoming dissertation work ahead of me over the next couple of terms! Either I'm going crazy, or my academic curiosity towards simple, effective mLearning strategies is getting the better of me!</em>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9zcC8cqUgBLqESTiDL-Tfcpk5d1cJOuqrRGMsAvNl7d5al7iMYH4Y7Oc3-7oSU7Gn9ImNZTbmC98FdB9n-PIIPgOmSUdE7zvS8t1GAW5eq9sSDRQOmwyQpXMAB2EtBCd6SQgv1kgzTY/s1600/Power_Collage1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-7816998967936209442013-04-19T13:42:00.004-07:002013-04-19T13:42:41.380-07:00Thoughts on Lemke-Westcott & Johnson's When culture and learning styles collide: A Canadian University with Middle-Eastern students<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just finished reading Lemke-Westcott & Johnson's (2013) article on their study of student and faculty learning style differences at the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ). Having worked as a post-secondary instructor at the only other Canadian institution in Qatar (College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, CNA-Q) for eight years now, I am not at all surprized by any of their study's findings. However, it is nice to see the anecdotal evidence of my colleagues and I finally addressed in a formal way! This paper should lay the groundwork for similar close examinations of the differences in learning style preferences and pedagogical approaches of expat instructors and their students from different cultural backgrounds.<br />
<br />
In a nutshell, Lemke-Westcott & Johnson compared the results of two well-established learning styles and preferences inventories between Canadian instructors and local Arab (mostly Qatari) students. All of the student participants are enrolled in UCQ's Bachelor of Nursing program. The study found that (not surprisingly) instructors and students in this transnational context have different learning style preferences! The instructors group predominantly preferred an abstract conceptualization approach to learning, while the local students predominantly preferred an active experimental approach with a pragmatic (job-related) orientation. It is also worth noting that there were significant differences in the preferences of new (first-year), regular (second and third year) and graduating students at UCQ.<br />
<br />
The authors assert that these differences in learning styles are influenced by differences in the cultural contexts of instructors and students. I would be inclined to agree that the cultural differences (which the authors clearly delineate with evidence from previous studies) do play a role in the differences in learning style preferences. However, there are a number of other potential factors that I'd like to see explored to give a better understanding of the situation. For instance, the authors demonstrate that students' preferences evolve as they progress through their programs (and become more mature learners). It is safe to assume that their instructors have all completed one (if not several, including graduate-level) degrees. Does the maturity level of the instructors, as learners, have a significant impact upon their learning style preferences (as opposed to culture alone)? Would the UCQ students, given the opportunity to pursue further studies (and, thus, become more mature learners) evolve to show similar learning style preferences to those of their instructors (or would their preferences continue to be divergent even after obtaining equivalent credentials)? I am also left wondering about the significant differences in the learning style preferences of the first-year UCQ students and their peers in the more advanced cohorts. Does attrition amongst first-year students (if it exists at a significant level) have an impact upon the divergent preference profiles? And what influence (if any) does the aptitude of the typical Bachelor of Nursing student have upon preferences (as opposed to, say, engineering, information technology, or business administration students). Lemke-Westcott & Johnson hint at the need to expand their study to other institutions in order answer some of these questions.<br />
<br />
My conclusion... this was a great and timely study and article. The authors provide solid evidence that transnational instructors need to be extra vigilant of the supports needed by their learners, and I highly recommend this article to any Western instructor who is considering making the move to teaching in the Middle East.<br />
<br />
___________________________________<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lemke-Westcott, T., & Johnson, B. (2013). When culture and learning styles matter: A Canadian university with Middle-Eastern students. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(1), 66-84. DOI: 10.1177/1475240913480105</span></div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-30363611755633157042013-04-17T13:13:00.000-07:002013-04-17T13:13:29.422-07:00THE2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another great conference this year at <a href="http://the.edu.qa/" target="_blank">Technology in Higher Education 2013</a> (THE2013)! I was particularly impressed with the presentations by Philip Long, Derek Bruff (@derekbruff) and Steve Wheeler (@timbuckteeth). There was so much going on at the conference that it's hard to include it all in a single blog post... so I'll just mention a couple of my favorite points from Philip Long's keynote address.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>Re: The need for transformation of traditional higher education models</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"No existing education model can scale to meet changing demands [from society, technology, etc...]"</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>Re: MOOC Badges vs Traditional Degrees</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Badges that get you a job [or a promotion] are going to skim the market of degree seekers..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also particularly like this Tweet from Steven Wheeler (@timbuckteeth): </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I'll tell you where technology is transforming education. In the townships of South Africa and the shanty towns of India and Brazil #the2013"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for me, I had a great time with my workshop presentation called "Create Your Own Mobile RLOs for Situated Active Learning." There must have been at least 50 participants in the room, since I ran out of the handouts that I brought with me! The premise of my workshop was that anyone can create effective mobile reusable learning objects without any prior programming / web-design skills, or investment in hardware or software infrastructure. In the one-hour workshop, I briefly introduced the theory behind my concept of Collaborative Situated Active mLearning (CSAM -- which I will be presenting a poster on at Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives next week in Abu Dhabi), showed some examples of mobile RLOs I have built using the free online resource Winksite, and collaborated with the group to create an entirely new mobile RLO from scratch! (The one we built as a whole group had three pages, explained how to calculate the area of a rectangle or square, and included an interactive activity that calls on learners to figure out the area of their classroom and post their responses to the embedded discussion forum!) I can't wait to see what other mini RLOs some of the participants came up with on their own during the session!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I prepared a PPT slideshow for my workshop, which can be found at </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/RobertPower1/the-presentation-power-mobile-rlos"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.slideshare.net/RobertPower1/the-presentation-power-mobile-rlos</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I also created a mobile RLO about "Create Your Own Mobile RLOs," which participants used to follow the presentation on their phones (and can keep bookmarked as a takeaway / refresher when they go to start making their own RLOs down the road...). You can access that RLO at </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mobilerlos"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://tinyurl.com/mobilerlos</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must say, attending (and presenting) at </span><a href="http://the.edu.qa/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE2013</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was a great way to end what's been an extremely busy term (which has included participating in my EdD "Leadership and Project Management for Distance Education" course, organizing CNA-Q's </span><a href="http://qatarictconference.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6th Annual Exploring ICT in Education Conference</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, launching the preparations for </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mlearn13" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mLearn 2013</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and, most significantly, the birth of our third child!).</span></div>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-1835379212825708952013-04-17T03:46:00.001-07:002013-04-17T13:48:51.163-07:00Response To My #the2013 Workshop<p dir=ltr>JennJenn (@JennJennQatar) tweeted at 0:24 PM on Wed, Apr 17, 2013: My notes from @xPat_Letters session on creating your own RLOs at #the2013 Thanks for this Rob! It's all new to me! <a href="http://t.co/k5MQKsZ8WP">http://t.co/k5MQKsZ8WP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JennJennQatar /status/324453418771034112">(https://twitter.com/JennJennQatar/status/324453418771034112</a>) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download</p>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5108815516601907067.post-33507315132021969182013-04-17T00:33:00.001-07:002013-04-17T00:33:02.139-07:00Entering the Blogosphere!<p dir=ltr>So...I'm relatively new to blogging. I've done a few blog posts in the past as part of course requirements, and I've decided to set up this blog after enrolling in #idml13.  I'm an EdD student at Athabasca University, and my passion is mobile learning (mLearning). Hopefully I'll keep up on my blogging throughout the #idml13 MOOC, and my journey towards completing my EdD dissertation on mLearning! (More on that in a future post!)</p>
EDUC5303Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819911916099184174noreply@blogger.com0