Student-Centered Learning

Using Technology to Create Student-Centered Learning Environment

 These are some of the way technology can be facilitated in the classroom:

Empower the learner: Interactive online assignments promote independent learning among students, encourage them to be responsible for their own learning. It gives students opportunities to practice mastering the study material at their own pace. Students can tackle their own assignments without teacher. They could sought their help online or afterwards when the need arise. The technologies that support these activities could include wikis, online quizzes, blogs, and discussion boards.

Organize activities: Student as well as teachers always appreciate the structured and logical flow of the courses. Organization eliminates confusion and simplifies workflow and approach towards learning; it eases out tasks in a systematic way. The technologies that support how to organize and communicate course materials could include an online syllabus, the learning management system, and email or mobile notifications of important due dates.

 Adopt technological tools in the classroom to teach: Adopting technology in the classroom aids the teacher, he or she is able to create learning experience that complement each other whether students are learning online or in a physical classroom. It helps teachers to improve their time, efforts, and resources in order to focus more on guiding the students. The technologies that support this goal include online homework, clickers, and surveys.

Making the student responsible for his own learning: Teachers should create courses that allow students to practice building connections with the materials and proceed at their own pace. This will help students comfortably practice and develop his/her skills in his/her own learning style, which is beneficial to the students in the future. The technologies that can be used to promote students learning responsibility include blogs, wikis, online quizzes, and Voice Thread.

Constructing Quality Questions for Discussion

Exploring Collaborative Learning

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It is essential to adhere to collaborative learning in an online learning environment. Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally act in which the participants talk among themselves. It is through the talk that learning occurs.


To prepare for this week's discussion assignment, explore the Learning Resources related to collaborative learning in an online learning environment. In addition, consider your own experiences in online discussion groups and collaborative projects. Then, reflect on the following questions:

1. Based on the information in the Learning Resources, discuss two conditions of effective collaborative learning.

2. On your own experiences and the information gathered from the learning resources, what are some advantages of collaborative learning?
3. As an online learner at Walden University, what are some ways to benefit from collaborative learning?

By Wednesday: Post your thoughts on conditions of effective collaborative learning, as well as some advantages of collaborative learning in an online environment. Include at least one advantage and challenge for the instructor and at least one advantage and challenge for the learner. Be sure to cite information from the Learning Resources to support your thinking.

By Sunday: Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. As you read their responses, note those to which you would like to respond with advice, questions, comments, and/or encouragement.



Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in any of the following ways: In your response, draw a connection between the material posted using the following:

Build on something your colleague said.
Explain why and how you see things differently.
Ask a probing or clarifying question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
Offer and support an opinion.

Validate an idea with your own experience.
Expand on your colleague's posting.
Ask for evidence that supports the posting.


Return to the Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Continue the dialogue as desired by responding to your colleagues’ thoughts.


Resources

Teaching Effectiveness Program

http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/librarylinks/articles/benefits.html

Assessing collaborative learning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nfDOPaw_8

Benefits of collaborative learning

http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/44.html 

Conditions of collaborative learning

 http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/conditions.html
Online Teamwork and collaboration
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjcxKPIwoNA

 CoorperativeLearning 

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm

                                 Rubric

















Click on the link below to familiarize yourself with the assessment rubric.




http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics/discussionrubric.html

Plagiarism Detection & Prevention

I learned in this week’s resources that plagiarism is a rapid growing problem in many settings today. With the advent of the online technologies and the exponential growth of the World Wide Web comes increased access to information. Unfortunately, this access also can create additional opportunities for cheating and plagiarism. Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of authorship. In the most common form of plagiarism, one author’s words are inserted verbatim in the work of a second author, without quotation, acknowledgement, or attribution. Moreover, each context has its own rules regarding the need for accurate attribution of authorship and those rules are not always obvious to everyone. There are many plagiarism detection software available to online instructors today that include Turnitin, WCopyfind, Edutie, Plagiserve, EVE2, Pl@giarism, Integriguard, NoodleBib 6, PlagAware, Ephorus, PlagScan andUrkund. The software help online instructor to better detect plagiarism by comparing individual student’s paper to Web documents and or essay databases to find and report instances of matching text. Walden University has been using a plagiarism detection tool known as Turnitin that is neat. Learners can use these software as well for self detection and awareness.

According to Jocoy (2006) many instructors view explicit plagiarism instruction as the best means of prevention. Therefore, it is very important for instructors to design meaningful assessments that are aligned with the curricular and instructional goal that can be critical in informing the instruction. She also asserts that it is imperative to incorporate plagiarism instruction into individual courses. I think instructors’ assessments should be designed to educate the learner about copyright laws, plagiarism, cheating, and fair use of information that are abundant out there. Gaining a familiarity of these rules is critically important, as inadvertent mistakes can lead to charges of plagiarism, which is the un-credited use of somebody else’s words or ideas (Stolley et al, 2011). Some learners plagiarize unknowingly due to lack of education therefore, instructors should not assume that learners know but rather teach them because classrooms whether synchronous or asynchronous are diverse and one size does not feet all anymore. As Jocoy (2006) states, many students have yet to develop a clear sense of appropriate Internet use in a written assignment while some lack knowledge about plagiarism. Her research shows that students who did not receive plagiarism instruction plagiarized twice as often as those students who had the opportunity to participate in the plagiarism instruction. Further, the innovation of technology tools in today’s learning environments is a plus to instructors in educating learners. I just researched tons of plagiarism tools such as Turnitin that Walden University has introduced recently. Learners can self-assess themselves by using any of the plagiarism tools because most of these tools are for free and are available online.

The facilitation strategies that I would like to use as a future online instructor would be what is called the participant post. Thus I will encourage messages and participation in discussion forum regularly, which is appropriate to the online learning context. Additionally, I would make sure that the online community meets its members’ needs and the participants express honest opinions. I would not forget the learner-to-learner collaboration where spontaneous moderation occurs among the learners. Further, I would like to engage learners in the learning process particularly at the beginning of the course to help promote effective online community. I will as well make sure I am conversant with any technology tools that learners will be working on in order to better assist them. I will further use one of the plagiarism detection software to help in detecting plagiarism. One thing that I learned in the week’s resources is that learners can be given an open book assignment that allows for collaboration and sharing of ideas without the fear ofcheating or plagiarism (Palloff, R., and Pratt 2011). I remember in my undergraduate program one of our instructors gave us an open book assessment however, it was rather difficult for me although I had the text book and all my notes right in front of me. However, some of my classmates enjoyed open book assessments. I think facilitating this strategy as a future online instructor will be a little challenging as it can better work in synchronous learning environment rather than asynchronous setting.

The additional consideration for online teaching that should be made to help detect or prevent cheating and plagiarism is to make the learners aware that it is okay to support their arguments using outside resource. However, I will emphasize that there is the need to give credit to the author, in order words the resources must be cited so that they will not harm their learning success. Additionally, I will be open to answer any questions learners might have concerning preventing cheating and plagiarism. I will also include a warning in my assignment as Jocoy (2006) asserted. I will use plagiarism software to ensure that original sources are properly quoted, paraphrased, cited, and referenced. Also, as we do at Walden, I will ask that learners turn in their assignments into the plagiarism software that I will be using in the learning program for self detection and awareness.

References


Jocoy, C. & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15.

Stolly, K & Brizee, A. (2011). Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved August 4, 2011, from Overview and Contradictions: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

Palloff, R., and Pratt, K. Plagiarism and Cheating. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4894963&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Impact of Technology & Multimedia

The impact that technology and multimedia have on online learning environment is tremendous in the learners’ learning experiences. These technology tools and the multimedia provide additional opportunities to facilitate more engaging and collaboration among online learners. Additionally, they create and build effective learning communities in the asynchronous learning networks when use appropriately. Using multimedia can be effective in making information more accessible to more learners in the global market. Further, it improves the learners’ ability to learn and retain the information presented. Using the combination of visuals with words has the effect of improving learning. Online learning using technology tools and multimedia can bring out the best in people who normally may be too shy to contribute in a face-to-face learning environment. According toConrad & Donaldson (2004) it can also create social distance between learners, and stifle the creation of a learning community in a classroom

The online instructor should most importantly consider diverse learners interact with computer with their technology proficiency so as to focus on tools that learners are familiar with and comfortable accessing before implementing technology. The technology tools are constantly changing but usually they are also getting easier, most of which are free therefore, it is a good way for the instructor to learn the tools as well (Boettcher & Conrad p. 106). As a new online instructor, there is the need to keep it simple and focus on only the essential tools when necessary so as to build the course around those tools at the beginning and branch out later as he/she gains confidence, experience, and sense of exploration. In another word, instructor should keep technology limited to what is familiar to both the learners and him/herself.

Successful use of information and communication technologies depends on usable designs that do not require expensive training, accommodate the needs of diverse users and are low cost. There is a growing demand and increasing pressure for adopting innovative approaches to the design and delivery of education, hence, the use of online learning as a mode of study. Therefore, the implications that usability and accessibility of technology tools have for online teaching impact directly on the pedagogical effectiveness of online learning systems and resources for all learners (Cooper et al, 2007). It also allows for collaboration, communication, asynchronous learning, social networking, assessment, and positive feedback using effective rubric. Usability and accessibility are closely linked and must be considered and addressed when using technology tools in an online learning environment. In addition, usability and accessibility of technology tools enhance instructor- learner interaction, learner-learner interaction, and learner-content interaction.

The technology tools that is most appealing to me for online teaching as I move forward in my career in instructional design are the importance of tools that support specific tasks, and thus allow more flexible teaching, facilitate access to resources and peers, and promote collaborative learning. These tools include Skype-gives me the ability to hold meetings with students and parents face to face; Wikis-allow for collaborative projects between peers; Blogs-allow learners to leave comments about given topics; Video streaming-supplement lectures and reading resources; Podcasting -supplement instruction for my auditory learners. Further, I am most impressed of the discussion forums, email, and online videos. Finally, I also feel that learner use of Adobe Acrobat and graphing tools can be important means for promoting discovery learning among online learners using data.

What I learned that would help me implement effective online instructional strategies in the future include the fact that online environments can be frustrating for learners, both pedagogically and technologically and the physical absence of an instructor may lead to feelings of isolation and anxiety. Therefore, a well-designed welcome announcement can help ease learner frustrations, establish the instructor’s presence, and set a positive tone in a virtual learning environment. I also understand that setting up an online environment is an essential step to creating a positive learning experience and there are several essential steps that I as online instructor should take when setting up my online course or training module. Finally, I learned that feedback tools are essential components for determining whether or not a learner has met the established objectives of a learning experience. The development of a rubric for learner assessment and feedback will clarify assignment expectations, align learning with objectives, and make grading more fair and impartial. Interesting!

References



Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical

pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.



Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaged learning in the online environment. In Engaging

the online learner: Activties and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley amp; Sons, Inc.

Cooper, Mr. Chetz, C. & Jelfs, A. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability: Considerations

for e-learning research and development projects. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 15(3), 231-245.

Online Learning Communities

Online learning communities are where people come together for one purpose-to learn online and through a process-how the course is delivered. These communities significantly impact both students and learning as well as satisfaction within online courses where students share their experiences and constructs their own understanding of any given information. Clark (1998) advices that online learning communities should be grown, not build because they are strongest when grown by members into unique and supportive environment. Students in online learning environment gain knowledge through constructing meaning and challenging one another as they professionally support and give feedback to each other. Further, learning dynamic is created in the communities where the instructor becomes a member of the learning communities despite his/her own roles and responsibilities.

Some essential elements of online community building include the triple "P" that Dr. Palloff has talked about in the video. She stated that it takes people, purpose, and process to build effective online learning community. According to her, the people consists of students from all over the world with potentially different cultural values and varied learning styles. Clark (1998) asserted that learning communities need strong leaders because leaders are needed to define the environment, keep it safe, give its purpose, identity and keep it growing. Therefore, there is the need for instructors to motivate and engage students in the online learning communities. They also need to use research-based strategies to bring online learners together as communities. The second element, which is the purpose of the online learning community building is that people work as a community in the shared learning goals and objectives. This purpose is achieved when learners help one another through sharing ideas and experiences in the form of discussion and mutual encouragements. Then a social present is developed in the learning communities that facilitate communication amongst learners through texts, email, blogs, discussion, and so forth.The third essential element of online communities building mentioned in the video was the process. According to Dr. Palloff, process is the way the course is delivered. There are other administrative issues that are essential in the online community building. These include how to engage students; institutional guidelines and policies; the way classes are constructed, and the way online content is being delivered.

Online learning communities can be sustained by carefully designing the learning environment from the constructivist perspective. Instructional designers can ensure that the structure of a course supports the health of the online community (Palloff & Pratt, 2011). Additionally, they must include the necessary structure that will encourage students to collaborate by creating appropriate rules of conduct and learning activities, including well-designed questions that encourage interactive creativity on the part of the learners. On the other hand, instructors should rigorously engage learners in meaningful learning as well as emmpowering them to be responsible for their own learning using collaborative activities. I learned in this week's video that the first two weeks into a new course is very crutial in building and sustaining an online learning communities. At this stage, facilitators are continuously measuring levels of students' participation and are able to recognize when a student suddenly withdraws. This situation possibly signals a need for the facilitator to slow down and fill in gaps in the individual student’s conceptual background. If necessary, phone call or email should be sent to the individual to show concern. They can also strengthen the learning community as needed by scheduling live chat or conference calls over telephone using Skype. Additionally, an online orientation model could be done where students will be allowed to express their past experiences as well as given them tutorial that will familiarize them with the Course Management System (CMS). Further, facilitators should make comments that guide discussions and model profitable online behavior. Such comments should focus not only on the immediate learning objectives, but should also encourage students to consider how they will use what they are learning in the future (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).

The relationship between community building and effective online instruction is that community building is the primary means of providing effective and meaningful learning environment to the learners. When students interact in groups, it builds connections between course content and their prior knowledge. While videos, books, articles, and graphics can as well present information, building and maintaining a learning community is more important to online learners than any other activity a facilitator undertakes (Palloff & Pratt, 2011). Engaging, involving, and encouraging learner-learner interaction is crucial in online learning environment. Instructors are not suppose to leave the students without regularly interacting with them and perhaps go on vacation. This behavior hurts the building of the community although the online instruction has been set up. Personally, I see a strong community building in Mark's announcement of his get away during the week 6 of this course. Mark has demonstrated that instructors cannot leave for vacation, leaving students on their own even though the instruction is online. Despite the time frame of his vacation, yet he has already assigned another facilitator who would take over when he is gone. This makes students feel safe and when students feel safe and confident in an online learning environment, their satisfaction is increased because of their feel of belongingness in the community.

I would like to conclude my online learning communities assignment with Caleb John Clark's quote that "A good environment, good leaders, with a healthy dose of personal narrative tilled into the cybersoil, helps grow strong online learning communities where real learning and thinking can bloom".

References

Dr. Rena Palloff and Dr. Keith Pratt define “Online Learning Communities” and highlight the benefits of creating a learning community for facilitators of online learning experiences.

http://www.noendpress.com/caleb/olc/3Principles_Online_Comm.pdf

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet19/brook.html

Analyzing Scope Creep

The week six assignment is to post a blog using the following as a guide. Describe a project, either personal or professional, that experienced issues related to scope creep. What specific scope creep issues occurred? How did you or other stakeholders deal with those issues at the time? Looking back on the experience now, had you been in the position of managing the project, what could you have done to better manage these issues and control the scope of the project?

This project was about skirmishing illiteracy among adults in Ghana. According to the URL below, the project started as mass literacy campaign in 1951 as part of overall community development program. The primary aim of this project was to teach adult to read and write in their own languages as well as in English language. Efforts continued during the 1950s and the 1960s, and in the 1970s an extensive literacy campaign was launched under the direction of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare using mass education teams. Literacy classes for adults were also conducted by local units of the Peoples' Education Association, a voluntary organization founded in 1949. This group, which included teachers, graduates, students, and interested persons, had branches throughout the country (Ministry, L. S., 1994).

Despite such organizational efforts, it was estimated by the United Nations in 1970 that about 70 percent of the nation's inhabitants above the age of fifteen (57 percent of males and 82 percent of females) were illiterate. The 1970 figure was a 5 percent improvement over an estimated 1960 adult literacy rate of 25 percent. During the 1989 New Year School held at the University of Ghana, for example, the relationship between adult education and economic development was emphasized in a speech read by the then president, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings. Also in 1989, reliable press reports held that the adult literacy rate in Ghana was about 40 percent of the total population; of the 60 percent of the population that was illiterate, 57 percent was female. Even though the 1989 figure was an improvement over that of 1970, the National Council on Women and Development still expressed concern and described the low percentage of literate adult females as alarming. The council attributed female illiteracy to high dropout rates in the elementary schools and called on the government to find ways to enforce compulsory education in the country (Ministry, L. S. ,1994).

In 1992, the project finally reached the village where I was teaching. I immediately became part of the grogram assisting in educating the adult learners because I am always passionate of making an impact in any society where I found myself. I believe in a title of a song I learned in my childhood “Brighten the Corner Where You Are”. The majority of the people in the project were women ages 15 – 55. The specific scope creep issue that occurred was that the government did not allocate enough funds for this project. This was a year long project however, when the project was half way through, there was an increased in participants with limited funds. The project could not continue nor were the people on the wait list able to get in the program. The stakeholders were upset threatening to demonstrate their right in equal education law.

During this time, the manager met with all stakeholders to explain the issue. It was not easy at all. There was anxiety amongst the stakeholders. We then decided to do some voluntary work to improve the scope creep. I volunteered more hours in addition to weekends. Other stakeholders did the same to deal with one part of the issue, to accommodate as many learners as possible. In order to deal with the second part of the issue to get more funds for purchasing materials for the project, most stakeholders decided to organize a communion labor to generate some funds to continue the project since the government could not afford it as planned. We were able to help farmers plowed, sowed, harvested crops during each season of the project. It was a challenge because the instructional time was decreased for community labor.

Portny (2008) asserted that avoiding scope creep is not possible. However, monitoring it, controlling it, and thereby reducing some of the pain is possible if the project manager follows a few guidelines (pg. 347). As I look back on the experience now, had I been in the position of managing the project, what I could have done to better manage these issue in order to control the scope of the project were to utilize Portny’s advice as follows:

Include a change control system in every project planned.

Insists that every project change is introduced by a change order that includes a description of agreed-upon change together with any resulting changes in the plan, processes, budget, schedule, or deliverables.

Require changes by approved in writing by the client as well as the representatives of senior management.

Amend and updates all project plans and schedules to reflect the change after the change order has been approved.

References

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., &

Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and

controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Ministry, L. S. (1994). Ghana-A Country Study. Accra: Government of Ghana.

Retrived on April 7, 2011

from http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-5253.html

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

This URL takes you to one of the United Kingdom’s project management e-handbooks entitled EnrichUK good practice guidebook. The content include Acknowledgement, Introduction, Project definition and Attributes, Project lifecycle, Why planning is important, Formal methods of project planning and software tools, planning tools and techniques, Risk management, Costing and budgeting, Monitoring and controlling, Documentation and reports, People and roles, Steering groups, stakeholders, politics, Consortia and partnerships, Financial Checks, and Bibliography. The most helpful thing I found in this site is how the information is broken down that makes it simple and easy to understand using visuals such diagrams, charts, and graphs. Project Management E-handbook

htt

2. This URL is a blog entitles Project Management Knowledge: The ultimate resource for project managers. It comprises with excellent ID related information that are sequenced from in alphabetical order from A – W. The most helpful thing about this site is that it contains most information necessary for this course such as statement of work, project scope, how to create work breakdown structure, stakeholders, cost and budgeting, and so forth. Project Management Knowledge Blog

3. The following URL will take you to one of the Google ebooks entitled “Instructional Design: Principles and Applications, 2^nd Edition by Leslie J. Briggs; Kent L. Gustafson; Murray H. Tillman. This e-book contains 17 chapters that includes Introduction, Needs Assessment, Organizing the Course, Writing and Using Instructional Objectives, Analysis of Objectives, Assessing Learner Performance, Designing the General Strategies of Instruction, Procedures of Lesson Design, Planning and Authoring Computer-Assisted Instruction Lessons, Formative and Summative Evaluation, Organizing and Managing the ID Process, Major Issues in large ISD Projects, and the Future of Instructional Design. It includes tables, charts, and diagrams that visually explain the information provided. The most useful thing I found in this site is that it shed light on information necessary for instructional designers prior, during, or after project. Google E-book