Collect, link, annotate and publish descriptions of about 3-5 different resources that you have found useful in better understanding your topic(s) from Part A.
Below you will find the resources that I have chosen for this portion of my reading review. After selecting over ten resources, then are the four that I feel will assist me in my project down the line. Each of these resources has a different focus for my research, so if I mention a negative aspect of this resource that is so others have a clear picture of the resource as a whole. These are still the four best and varied resources for me to work with. Resource #1
Henry, J. & Meadows, J. (2008) An absolutely riveting online course: nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. 34(1). Retrieved from
https://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/26431/19613 on May 13, 2018.
An excellent literature review that provides a very focused nine principles of working with and in online courses. The article provides both insight into online courses where it defines principles for better understanding (Principle 2: In the Online World, Content is a Verb), as well as providing tips for creating a strong online course (Principle 5: Sense of community and social presence are essential to online excellence). While this is a very nicely written overview with a wealth of knowledge and nicely boiled down tips, it somewhat lacks in the practical side of things. At time it mentions specific details, such as how the integration of audio clips adds to social presence (Henry, Meadows 2008), however many of the "Principles" remain unaccompanied by clear examples. The article remains useful as an overview and its extensive bibliography.
Resource #2
Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice. Educational Technology & Society, 12(2), 11-21.
This resource is a research study that features student teachers who were using blogs for the purpose of reflection and community building during their teacher training. The study focused on the use of blogs to build community and critical reflection within the teacher training candidates. The study found that the blogs were in fact an effective tool to create community and allowed the discussion to be more critical than it may have been in a face to face setting. The study also noted that the ability to weave various resources directly within the blog made them a useful tool for creating a dynamic conversation and presentation of ideas.
I am interested in this in part because a number of my courses have utilized blogs lately - this course to the fullest extent - and I am intrigued by the possibility of using blogs in the classroom. As I will discuss further with Resource #4, I believe that adding a layer of weight to students' work with the possibility of publication and more eyes viewing their progress increases the intrinsic motivation of the learner. There are more challenges with blogs in the K-12 system than there are in Post-Secondary and I would be interested to learn more about the logistics from any colleagues who have used blogs in their classroom.
Resource #3
Tekiner Tolu, A. (2013). Creating effective communities of inquiry in online learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences. 70(25), 1049-1055. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813001584 on May 13, 2018.
This resource discusses the Community of Inquiry (COI) model and how it can effectively be implemented in an online setting. A nice graphic is used (see below) to demonstrate the inter-connectedness between the cognitive, social, and teaching presence within the COI model.
After a quick but thorough discussion of the theory of COI, the implications are addressed; that is, some practical techniques and strategies are offered for those wishing to implement COI into a blended or strictly online model. Some clear suggestions are provided such as utilizing online forums and video introductions to create a sense of community and connection. Overall I found this article to be useful in discussing the COI model and offering some actual strategies for implementation.
Resource #4
Desai, R. [CenterStage] (2013, September 10). Khan Academy Gamification: Making learning fun. [videofile] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EZcpZSy58o on May 13, 2018.
Discusses gamification and how learning can be represented through badges. This short four minute video explains how Khan Academy has utilized gamification to encourage students to continue their learning journey - even across subjects. This video is short, to the point - and can help you get inspired about making learning fun again - exactly what I was looking for!
I like the idea of using games and levels to represent student learning. This could be used to represent specific achievements such as reading levels (I have seen this done in Elementary school), or potentially even with PLOs! However, this video really got me thinking about the potential of making the learning products more important. Rather than have students complete an assignment that the teacher grades, hands back and is forgotten - why not work on a product that could be published? If students know that more eyes will be viewing their work, perhaps they will take more pride in its completion? This could tie into the blog resource mentioned above, or students could use their English class to create a school newspaper. I believe it is important for students to have a more tangible idea of how far their learning has come, gamification is certainly one way to do that!
A strong post that very much identifies some key resources, and both positive and negative aspects, that will help further your inquiry. One highlight for me is that you have shown how the resources have inspired your thinking about your own practice, e.g. student use of blogs. For future posts, one suggestion is to clearly link the image source under each graphic for attribution.
ReplyDelete