Week 6 Reflection

I can’t say enough about this Web 2.0 experience over the last few weeks. After overcoming that timid feeling from lack of familiarity and a great deal of anxiety about the course load plus being given the “permission to play”, I finally relaxed and began to enjoy the journey. In addition to learning new tools, finding new resources and interacting with a great group of people, I am inspired to continue my learning experience and to share what I have learned by through blog authorship, as well as the creation and sharing content through video, voice threads , slideshare, etc. The opportunity to develop and share produsage projects and view content developed by other class members only enhanced the skills and confidence gained in the use of Web 2.0 tools. As this semester closes, I realize that I already have a pretty good professional network and that as a member of this class, I am increasing the size of that network exponentially through interaction with my learning peers. It has been a learning pleasure to have traveled this journey and one that I look forward to continuing.

Ready for the SCUBA Gear

I am so amazed that this short six-week journey has led me from being timid about getting my toes in the water of the Web 2.0 world to a desire to put on the scuba gear and stay immersed in the deep for a while to explore and understand all there is available. I realize it is impossible to ever fully experience all the Web 2.0 tools available, but I now have the ability to be selective, to confidently use those that fit my needs and to share my knowledge and skills with others in my growing professional learning network.

I am still overwhelmed by the vast array of tools and hope to continue improving my swimming skills so that I can share with colleagues and friends in ways that inspire the growth of knowledge and personal empowerment to create and disperse valuable information. 

So now, I'm swimming with the fishes!

Workplace Engagement and Performance

As members of an online class, we have all experienced learning at a distance, but how working at a distance? How about managing a remote team of employees in a collaborative project? How do you keep them motivated and engaged in the process? Well, it is much like the process of developing and maintaining a professional learning network. There has to be a need and an inspiration for participation. According to Michael Brenner in an article in the July issue of Training and Development, key principles that are essential for building and sustaining any productive, highly engaged team (especially those who are remotely connected) are

• inner work life that is positive drives performance.
• progress that feeds competence, confidence and capability drives inner work life.
• work must be meaningful and contribute value.
• small wins matter.
• catalysts such as clear goals, allowing autonomy, proving resources, time and help facilitate the work itself.
• nourishers through respect, recognition, encouragement, emotional support and affiliation build human connection.
• managers make the biggest difference through their behavior and attitude.

As I review these principles, they serve as a reminder that learning, work and play have similar factors that drive the desire to be involved with and successful in each of them.

Week 5 Reflection

There is SO much out there to use in the online classroom that will enhance learning, increase engagement with course materials and motivate students to interact. It has become evident that it will require a community of practice to share resources and network with one another to keep up with just a fraction of the Web 2.0 tools available. While this has been a whirlwind short semester experience, I am grateful for the opportunity to have become somewhat immersed in these tools for even a short period and to contemplate ways to incorporate the use of these tools in my daily work.

As I have taught online courses this summer, I have realized ways that I can improve my virtual classroom in an effort to expose students to more collaborative learning experiences. In the development of these courses for the fall semester, I intend to try at least one or two new tools. In my responsibility for professional staff development of my colleagues, I have found tools that will help my faculty engage and learn from one another without the need for a scheduled workshop, meeting or phone conversation. These tools will allow flexibility in interactions, access to knowledge on demand and a way to build professional networks from which we all will benefit.

Shallow Diving!

After spending more time with a greater number of Web 2.0 resources the last two weeks, I have gained confidence and am not afraid to dive in and explore. Granted, I am only diving in the shallows right now, but the more I see the more I know there is to experiment with for potential as classroom learning tools. At least I am going under water now and holding my breath long enough to pick up a few things and bring them back to the surface for further investigation. I have established accounts with Edmodo and Learnist and begun to create content to share with other members of my faculty. Finally, after continuing to enter my thoughts in this electronic journal – a new experience to say the least – I am considering creating new blogs covering different subject matter to share with my colleagues.

I have become a more active member in learning community groups via LinkedIn and finding that the interaction is another confidence builder as well as a way to share ideas, ask questions and experience collaborative problem solving. As a result of this interaction, I intend to establish a LinkedIn group through the school that I work for and use it to interact with others in the community about programs and services we provide. Look out – the scuba certification is next J

Experimenting with New Tools

One of the new Web 2.0 tools I have experimented with this week is Learnist. I found that I like this tool for several reasons:

1. Learnist allows for simple organization and sharing of a diversity of online materials.
2. Videos, ebooks, maps, blogs, podcasts, surveys and more can be uploaded and shared with collaborators who can then comment or add additional information to learning boards.
3. There is an abundance of “how-to” materials posted by a learning community that are easy to find and can be accessed on demand.
4. Photos and descriptions are suggested from metadata when content is added to a learning board. The content can be accepted or edited to suit the purpose of the contributor. Tag lines can be added to aid in future searches.
5. Individuals can be invited to collaborate on the development of content, which can be segregated by learning board.
6. The number of viewers is tracked; people can like, follow or repost content similar to other social learning media.
7. Learnist content can be re-broadcast via Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Google +, LinkedIn and more social media platforms.
8. Content posted on a learning board in Learnist can even be embedded in a Blog as is illustrated in the example at the end of this post.

I am impressed with this tool because it goes beyond others that function as social bookmarking sites. Comments can be made about a post, it is more visually appealing, easy to navigate and has job aids included that speed the process of uploading and sharing. 

Week 5 Prompt

Week 5 Prompt: How do you judge the value of expertise on the Web? Does it differ from your notion of expertise in face-to-face settings? Why or why not?

I tend to judge the value of expertise on the Web by several factors. The first thing I look for is the URL address to see if it is affiliated with a credible organization or and educational institution, which gives me a degree of confidence that the materials posted are based on research, valid experiences or are peer reviewed articles. The next thing I consider to determine the value of expertise is the associated work and educational background of the contributor. By considering this factor, I am more confident the individual is posting comments or opinions that are founded in experience in the field as opposed to emotion. Finally, I will judge the value of expertise on the Web relative to the content posted as well as the individual's ability to express thoughts clearly and with a level of critical analysis about the subject matter.

In some ways, my notion of expertise is similar in face-to-face settings. For example, one should have valid experience and knowledge of the subject being discussed. Additionally, passion about a subject is important in expressing one's attitudes and beliefs, but it is also important that the passion is well founded in fact, not emotion. However, some people express themselves better in writing than verbally; perhaps an individual's representation of themselves may differ in these two contexts resulting in varying impressions of expertise.

 

 

Week 4 Reflection

Well, this has been another intense week trying to stay ahead of the game. Consequently I feel as if I am just keeping my head above the water. At times I felt like there must have been lead tied around my ankles and it was inevitable that I would go under. Ever wonder why you think you can do everything at one time? Time management skills are kicking in high gear!

So as I sprint to the finish line of this week’s assignments wishing I could have just run a slow paced marathon all week, I reflect on the experiences in the online community world. I really enjoyed the opportunity (motivated by the fact that it was an assignment) to get into those communities I have been observing over a long while. It was a great learning experience and one that built confidence, increased knowledge and inspired me to continue collaborating with new found colleagues in the world of e-learning. Even though I will be grateful to get through and survive this fast paced semester, I will carry the knowledge of all these new tools forward and add them to my toolbox for creation of learning experiences in future online courses that I teach.

Communities of Practice

I have been following several communities of practice for a few years now from a peripheral trajectory (I like that term better than lurking – which sounds so devious). I receive email notifications almost daily and scan through the topics with the occasional time to review a few. I always archive them and think I will go back; that rarely happens due to time constraints. So, even though it took some time, I really appreciated the opportunity to read and become more involved in community interactions as a result of our project this week. While I am enjoying the exposure to many new potential teaching and learning tools, I still find it a bit of an overload to explore everything we have been discussing. So I am taking it in chunks and carefully evaluating the tools that work best for me in my environment. I am also planning to make reading and/or interacting one of the routine things I do each day along with catching up on emails. I think if I can follow the inbound trajectory path slowly, I will be more likely to continue and begin to see ways that I can build a functioning community of practice in my organization.

Bobbing and Floating

Ok, I’m really happy that I am not getting slapped around by those breaking waves anymore, but I have yet to have the time to practice diving below the water and enjoying the long strokes of a good swim. I’m catching little breaths of air while bobbing like a cork and floating on the more gentle waves of becoming more familiar with these new conversation and collaboration tools. I have taken the opportunity to explore, but not fully experiment with several more Web 2.0 tools mentioned in our class discussions. I’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about ways to utilize these tools in my online classroom to enhance learning among my students, ways that I could share them with the faculty I support in the distance learning arena, and ways that I might incorporate them in my daily work environment. I think this is the stage I tend to get stuck in for a while. I do spend a lot of time pondering; then, the ideas start coming, the creativity kicks in, I will take a deep breath and immerse myself in this new waters. I bet there are some really cool things to see once I finally get there!

Week 4 Prompt

Week 4: How do issues such as authorship, copyright and open access impact your desire, ability and willingness to engage in produsage, both personally and professionally?

This is a question that I have to answer based on the project. I consider contribution to produsage projects part of my professional and personal responsibilities toward improvement of the profession up to a point. If it is a personal endeavor for the benefit of the greater community, I am inclined to contribute from the standpoint of joint authorship, open access and no restrictions on copyright. I have contributed many joint projects for professional purposes to create works for the greater good of the industry in which I worked. However, in professional projects that others, corporations, or agencies stand to gain from financially, I tend to be more careful about credit for authorship, copyright and the method in which the materials would be distributed.

Week 3 Reflection

It has been a great week interacting with colleagues and new acquaintances at the Blackboard World conference. What an exciting group of people to hang out with to share ideas and experiences! Clay Shirky is right – we are adopting new behaviors in society which are influencing new behaviors in education as we begin to incorporate the use of Web 2.0 tools that are emerging faster than any one person can keep up with. The educational horizon in online learning looks very bright and exciting. The exposure this week to new tools and techniques of learning generated much thought about how I can incorporate these into my online classes to increase engagement and collaborative efforts to support construction of knowledge. Now, I just have to make the time to experiment with the tools and share with my colleagues at home. I’m considering some professional development when faculty returns in the fall.

Beyond the Breakers

Another week in Web 2.0 and I am becoming excited about using a variety of these tools in the educational arena. Since I have been attending the Blackboard World conference in Las Vegas this week, I have explored some new tools that were presented in some of the sessions, but not really had the opportunity to utilize them. I did have the opportunity to become more comfortable with Twitter, both for following events at #BbWorld2013 and sharing news about speakers or sessions with my #eme6414 classmates. Through Twitter and interpersonal communications, I even got to meet one of our classmates, Monica, and share a photo op with her. It was great to tweet back and forth in our efforts to be at the same place and time to say hello face to face.

In addition to networking with Blackboard developers and users, many of the sessions focused on using Blackboard resources to connect with communities of practice, offer online courses across multiple platforms, use Web 2.0 tools to increase engagement and to develop collaborative learning opportunities among many other topics. It was an exciting and inspirational experience that I would encourage others to participate in.

Now that I am finally back at home after numerous flight delays and almost recovered from my jet lag, the next step is to take the plunge with more immersive learning. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.” On to diving in and swimming …

Web 2.0 Tools

I attended a Web 2.0 presentation at a Blackboard World Conference session today. The presenter outlined several ways that the use of Web 2.0 tools helps promote student engagement between instructor-to-student, student-to-student and student-to-content. During the presentation, several tools were presented and some student projects applying these tools were highlighted. Engagement, retention and measured learning were demonstrated at the end of courses. These tools were used with students ranging from middle school to graduate school.

In addition to those we have already explored in our EME 6414 class activities, several interesting tools were illustrated. A few of the sampling include:

• Presentation tools such as Prezi, Brainshark, Knovio, Projeqt and PhotoSnack
• Video tools such as TED, Animoto, Capzles, Jing, Podsnack and Tubesnack
• Mobile tools such as Audioboo, Instagram and Cel.ly
• Community tools such as Bubbl.us, Voki, Classtools and Padlet
• Related tools such as Blabberize, Quizlet, ToonDoo, Fodey, Pixlr, Pintrest and Shutterfly

The final emphasis in the presentation was to incorporate these tools into classroom activities to increase learning by making it fun, interactive and accessible. My goal this week will be to try at least two of these tools and perhaps consider using them in the first Produsage assignment.

Week 3 Prompt

Week 3: What uses might a collaborative wiki or blog have in your chosen (current or desired) work environment? How would they support learning and/or performance? What would be the design and implementation challenges if management tried to do this? What would be the design and implementation challenges of a user-initiated effort?

A collaborative wiki or blog would be an enhancement among faculty for communications about teaching strategies and online pedagogy in my work environment. While faculty members are experts in their field, few have backgrounds in education and fewer still have had the experience of developing and delivering an online course. To help create and support a community of practice among faculty who desire to learn these skills, a blog would help support their need for internal and/or external communication. I would envision the blog as an area faculty could pose questions, describe personal experiences and share tips for successes they experience. It could emerge as a way to provide mentorship to those at various stages of confidence in the process of online teaching and learning. I think wikis might be useful in the development of helpful resources or shared documents at the departmental level.

I suspect the design challenges that would emerge if management tried to create these tools for faculty use would be similar to other challenges driven by management. It is a common for most people (faculty among them) to resist top down changes. I think the use of Web 2.0 tools such as a blog or wiki would be better received if it were user-initiated. However, that too would have to occur because faculty was exposed to the tools and provided examples of how the tools could enhance their work efforts. The implementation challenges would be mainly from getting people familiar with the tools and encouraging them to make use of the tools as a part of routine activities.

Week 2 Reflection

Well, this has been another week of intense activity in Web 2.0. I still feel as though I am struggling to keep up with the volume of reading material and the required interaction with social media tools. The reading materials have caused me to pause and think deeply about the potential for use of tools in the classroom, but those thoughts come as I am reading and I just don’t stop to make note of them. Consequently, when I go back to answer discussion questions or interact in other forums, I feel I have not contributed as much as needed in the conversation. Admittedly, I probably read slower because I am trying to absorb as much as possible about new tools. Then I think it just has to be the accelerated semester schedule, so maybe others are struggling with time management too. Wouldn’t it be great if we could put down the responsibilities of life for a short while to really immerse ourselves in this? But then that would really be mental overload!

So, as I finish this week’s materials, I am out of town participating in a conference and attempting to get ahead in my reading for next week starting tonight. Since this is a Blackboard conference, I expect to be exposed to a lot of new tools in the distance learning arena. I promise to share them in Tweets because I have found that a very easy task with my mobile phone. Looking forward to continued learning and inspirational thoughts.

Exploring New Tools

I explored and opened accounts in several Web 2.0 tools this week. I must say that I am enjoying this discovery learning and hope that I can go back and apply these to the online classroom and in instructional design projects as appropriate. Brief comments on each tool follows:

Flipboard (www.flipboard.com) is a tool that allows the aggregation of articles, photos, music and video created in many different Web 2.0 tools. It will then allow the organization of selected aggregates into “magazines” that can be kept private or shared with other user groups. The tool is highly visible and easy to use.

Edmodo (www.edmodo.com) is a classroom management tool where assignments, quizzes, calendars and other resources can be posted for student access. It can be used as a communications tool among the classroom network. Students can be invited into the group and can interact both with the instructor and other students. The tool is free and appears to have a high level of support through the discussion board available to instructors.

Diigo (www.diigo.com) is a social bookmarking site that allows the formation of groups. Members of the group can contribute, comment, highlight and interact regarding the posts. I have used another bookmarking tool in my online classes that allows for grouping and organization into folders. However, it does not allow for the interaction and engagement Diigo allows. I like this form of bookmarking because it leads to interaction and collaboration on key topics.

Flickr (www.flickr.com) is a photo sharing site. I have been a user of Flickr for some time, but have not been a producer. After exploring the site, I see how user groups or classes can be associated and learning can be enhanced using this tool to support visual learning styles. Students can also document progress in real world assignments and share findings with other members of the group.

YouTube (www.yourtube.com) is a video sharing site. Like Flickr, I have been a user of YouTube and incorporated video clips into my online classes. The site is easy to navigate, easy to search and easy to link to specific video clips. Blackboard LMS allows for creation of YouTube mashups within assignments so activities, questions or short quizzes could be associated with the video clip. I find YouTube to be very advantageous in helping provide short demonstrations or illustrations of lesson concepts. I have not produced content because there is already so much previously created content, it is possible not to have to recreate.

Voicethread (www.voicethread.com) allows for the creation and sharing of audio materials supported by visuals. Users can interact by leaving audio comments with a phone, webcam or other devices. I reviewed the Voicethread that Vanessa created in her class blog and was very impressed. I see where this tool could be used to provide instructional support to aid in understanding of a concept, provide feedback to students on projects or assignments and take interactive communications to a more meaningful level. I read a bit about the use Voicethread on their website and like the way it can be integrated into commonly used learning management systems. However, this is one tool I think I am going to have to spend a bit of time with to feel comfortable using.

The Waves are Breaking

Okay, I’m in the breakers now. It’s still rough, but I am starting to move further out into the smoother waters beyond. Further exploration of Web 2.0 tools this week as well as use and interaction with others in the class has increased my sense of comfort. It’s really true, in order to learn how best to incorporate these tools into instructional models, one must really become immersed in the ones chosen to be able to understand all the potential benefits to learning. While I am still holding my head above water and have not yet been brave enough to move into deeper water, my level of anxiety about doing so is subsiding and I’m working up the courage to dive in and explore what’s under the surface.

Week 2 Prompt

 

Week 2: How might the concept of produsage be applied in your life (personal and/or professional) as it stands today? Are you already a produser? If yes, what do you do? If no, why not?

The majority of my professional life I have been either a producer or a user of services or products. My experience with the concept of produsage has been limited to the creation of shared and mutually beneficial documents in a Wiki with either my colleagues or in the composition of materials for class purposes. However, I can see how I can begin to more frequently apply produsage by expansion of the tools used to participate collaboratively with others.

For example, in the development of on-demand learning features for a distance learning program, a wiki or shared Google docs may allow my colleagues to contribute to the creation of information that could benefit the group as a whole. The use of geo-mapping to label locations on campus could be a great shared resource with the larger community to promote workshops or events through websites, mobile apps or other forms of advertisement. Another needed service I think would be beneficial to my colleagues in an instructional environment is the collective development of learning objects in a shared repository for use in the online classroom. The development of textbooks with a more global audience is also a possibility; albeit probably not one publishing companies would like to see.

I am certain this only scratches the surface of possibilities of produsage applications. Further exploration will lead to more ideas. I think the big step will be initial implementation and exposure of the potential advantages. Once the bridge is crossed, the potential for collaborative efforts seem unlimited.

 

 

 

First Week Reflection

This first week was overwhelming to say the least. Lots of reading, looking at blog entries, following links in the group Diigo, trying to keep up with discussion posts and respond or contribute thoughts in as many places as possible. I must admit that I am having a difficult time keeping up and wish I knew a system to organize all of these posts in a way that seems logical in my brain. It just seems like a lot of toggling back and forth to make sure I keep up.

I'm really intrigued by all of these new tools and can see real possibilities for application in my work as an instructional designer, in providing professional development activities for my faculty, in applications for the online classes I teach, and in marketing / promotion of activities or events associated with my work. I am also beginning to think ahead and become inspired about future projects for the class. I just need to focus on fewer tools and find those that fit the situation I am considering.

My Toes Are in the Water

Well, I have spent a lot of time this week learning to navigate the new world of Web 2.0. I just thought I knew a little about this environment, and realize I really know much less. I am finding all this information interesting, but having a challenge to keep from being overwhelmed with so many options from which to choose.

I am a digital immigrant, so my communications comfort zone is more one-on-one, face-to-face or via a phone conversation. Even though I have used email, chat, discussion boards and other forms of online communication, I have not ventured into the use of very many Web 2.0 tools. While dipping my toes in the water this week, I am still a little anxious about going further and staying directed at the same time. I'm looking forward to getting past the breaking waves and into the calmer waters of understanding.

Week 1 Prompt

Week 1 Prompt: What have been your prior experiences with social media and Web 2.0 technologies? Do you consider yourself a leader or follower in this realm, or something else altogether? Why? Also, discuss what you hope to get out of this class.

This is a new venture for me with the exception of communication with friends and family on Facebook and building a professional network using LinkedIn. I have also used Wikis and Google Docs as a part of previous class assignments in collaborative projects. As a result of these limited experiences, I would have to consider myself a follower in this new realm of communication at this point. However, I anticipate morphing into something else as I immerse myself in the smorgasbord of Web 2.0 technologies over the next six weeks. My concern is being able to choose a few with which to develop my comfort level and to maintain focus on those tools without going down the many rabbit holes of selection.

As a teacher and instructional designer, I would like to improve my ability to use social media and Web 2.0 technologies to help engage students in learning activities and help motivate them to build their knowledge base. I see great possibilities emerging for ways to improve the delivery of education and want to be able to take advantage of new tools for better facilitation of learning. As a small business owner, I would like to understand the use of these tools to market professional services, collaborate on projects with associates, interact with a broader network of professionals, as well as share emerging knowledge about tools and best practices in distance learning.