Showing posts with label flexible learning 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flexible learning 2012. Show all posts

Māhoe or whitey-wood (New Zealand native) By Tatters:)

Fee in her post about Sustainable Flexible Learning has made some interesting connections to the sustainable practice of using "mentorship and professional supervision" for midwives in the community. She also wishes to explore: " ... the benefits of formalised support networks as part of employment conditions".  Can you help her with some ideas about how being part of a support network in her role could help her to be a more sustainable practitioner? Fee also has some wonderful stories to share in her post about culture. Do you have any suggestions for improving the numbers of Maori students accessing midwifery, and what might be the barriers for them?

Helen G describes Honey & Mumford's adult learning theory - I wonder is anyone else using this? She has also posted about technologies and has linked to two examples of some resources she is experimenting with creating using the visualizer and adobe connect as a screen capture method. She would welcome feedback I am sure.


Jayne's plan is coming together nicely in her most recent post. See what you think of her ideas for introducing more flexibility.

Nick in his post about sustainability has discussed some of the factors that are impacting on engagement in the project-based learning he is facilitating. In the technologies for learning post, Nick describes a strategy used to create videos of skills so students can review them in class on ipads to check their technique Do you agree with my suggestions to enhance accessibility?

Helen B has some wonderful ideas, on her technologies for learning post, for teaching induction for anaesthesia with veterinary nursing students. See if you can also suggest other ideas. Her post about sustainability is fabulous and really brings out attention to issues around individual sustainability as well as global approaches. Helen's success story with a student is well worth a read on her post about indigenous learners.

Cat impassionately describes her reasons for choosing an humanistic learning theory to underpin her teaching approaches. It is a wonderful post about humanistic learning theory. Cat has described, in her post for Activity Nine, how she intends to  create resources using TED ed. See if you agree with my response and suggestions for developing digital information literacy in students and teachers. Cat also offers her ideas for strategies to be sustainable in the post for Activity 10.

Annette has come up with some creative strategies for providing supervision to third year students on her Strategies for flexible learning post. Can you assist her with some feedback? In her OER post, the dilemma about where the money for free education comes from has surfaced. It would be great to hear your views on this. Annette reminds us on her Sustainability post, about "the concept of paideia...that the goal of education is more about the person than mastering the subject".  Annette also makes some valid points about indigenous learners in a later post.

Lisa S has created an interesting list of strategies for teaching propagation in horticulture. See if you think my suggestions are too way out there. In the post about the Tertiary Education Strategy, Lisa has pushed my buttons -  her impassioned discussion about the strategy is excellent reading.She also asks - What is all the fuss? - about Open education practices. Do you agree with Lisa?

bygarlandcannon
 I have put together some more highlights from your posts.

Gina has posted three short presentations of her Flexible Learning plan, and they are well worth a look. The way she has structured the aspects of the plan is what I am looking for because the concepts of flexible learning are explained according to the strategies she has chosen and in her context. Please give her feedback before she presents in person on Monday. 

It is worth looking back at the posts that led to her final Flexible Learning plan.  You may wish to start with her discussion about strategies that could be used in two occupational therapy courses that are in the process of being re-mixed. Gina mentions in her post of examples about flexible learning that choice is an important component of flexibility, ... it goes deeper than this ...". Perhaps this highlights something that prickles educators - how much choice should there be to be truly flexible? Check out her table showing an analysis of flexibility in the course she teaches. In the post about using discussion forum strategies, Gina has come up with a cunning plan for engaging her students in studying symbols and rituals.

Maari has some insightful discussion in her post about learning theories. See if you agree with her ideas about communities of practice, and constructivist learning, and my comments to her ideas. She continues with linking Kolbs' Experiential learning theory to ePortfolios in her post about Technologies. See what you think about these ideas. Maari's post on sustainability in relation to writers is interesting and gives a whole different perspective. Well worth a read. Maari describes a tricky situation in her post about cultural sensitivity because her learners are global. So how can she integrate indigenous cultural approaches in this situation? See if you like my suggestions for addressing cultural diversity.

Laurie in her post about access and equity, diversity & inclusivity discusses an interesting article by Honey & North (2009) article which is specially useful because it is based on Honey's thesis and research into flexible learning with post-graduate nurses. See if you agree with the remark in the article about the % majority they believe is required to go ahead with online learning. Is 40% of the class needing upskilling in technologies a reasonable expectation?  Laurie has also posted about blended learning and shared some strategies (check out my comments). In this she has shared a model of learning using the eLearning ladder.  I discovered an article which is a critique of this ladder and two other different models - the five-stage e-moderating model for teaching and learning online, e-tivities, and communities of practice.  

Reference
Watts, N. (2010). Reflecting on models for online learning in theory & practice. Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (AISHE-J), 2(1), p 19.1 - 19.12. Retrieved from http://ojs.aishe.org/index.php/aishe-j/article/view/19

Jayne is really getting into the swing of using video resources in her teaching, and describes her ideas for using ipads in tutorials in her post: Technologies for learning. The place of creating real world cases about Occupational Therapy practice using video and wikis in open education is discussed in her post: OER and Practices. In her fabulous post about Sustainability, Jayne explains how she is facilitating reasonable workloads for herself and her students and using sustainable practices. Remember it is not just about saving paper - as Jayne says it is about reducing workloads for students, and using cost-effective ways to provide them with materials. Te Whare Tapa Whā for education discussed by Kate Timms-Dean in her presentation is similar to the four corners for health mentioned by Jayne in her post on cultural sensitivity and indigenous learners. The post about learning theory shows how hard it is to pick just one, and Community of Practice learning theory appears to be preferred by Jayne although she discusses a mix.

Annette has posted the questions she used in a survey of teachers and she is developing a snapshot of some examples.

Nick has described an interesting approach to teaching dry topics such a Pythagoras's theorem in his post on open education resources. What do you think of my idea for involving the students in creating and sharing open education resources? In a post about Adult learning theories and approaches, he also describes the project-based model of learning used in his teaching, and uses some big words like Zone of Proximal Development. Who coined that phrase - do you know?

More to come later.

A light at the end of the tunnel by Lauren Manning

Class sessions this week to get feedback on your Flexible Learning plans.
Web conference: Wed 20 June: 13:00- 14:00 - Adobe Connect.
Workshop: Thurs 21 June - Onsite: 13:00-15:00 - Venue: H606.

For Activity 13, you need to choose a format for the presentation of your Flexible Learning plan and prepare for the mini-conference. Use this week to work on finalising your plans, and post the draft plan to your blog so you can get feedback from the lecturer and the class. It would be great if you can make it to one of the class sessions to discuss your plan prior to the assessments next week.
Dates for assessment.

  1. Wednesday 27 June, 2012 - 13:00 - 14:00 via an Adobe Connect web conference.
  2. Monday 25 June, 2012 - 13:00 - 15:00 in D314, on-campus.
Please keep the presentation to 10 minutes - there will be five minutes for questions and discussion. It is your choice how you present your plan, and this can be online – synchronous or asynchronous or face-to-face. You may choose to use a digital slide show, video, audio, written piece, blog, wiki, verbal description in person, poster etc. You are required to obtain feedback from peers in the class and/or colleagues prior to the final presentation and to include how this has influenced your plan.The presentation is an overview of your plan that has evolved on your blog posts over the last few weeks.  

When you add the draft plan to your blog or link to the presentation on your blog, please add links to previous blog posts that contain additional detail to explain aspects of your plan.
Please confirm or add your name and title of your presentation to the table on the course wiki: Mini-conference


Kārearea By xoque
Apologies if you have already looked at the activity for this week but I have decided to change it and make it more user friendly and relevant to flexible learning - believe it or not.


The tertiary education sector is highly competitive, and now that funding is shrinking even further organisations are scrabbling for a slice of the pie. Is Flexible Learning the answer? How does this fit with the Tertiary Education Strategy for New Zealand?
In this topic we will explore and justify some approaches to providing flexible learning environments for adult learners in the tertiary sector.


Activity Twelve

  • Explore the Tertiary Education Strategy for New Zealand (TES for NZ).
  • How do your ideas for flexible learning, and those of your organisation or consultancy fit (or not) with the TES for NZ?
  • What do you need to include in your plan to fit with the TES for NZ?
  • Post a response to your blog. 
A list of resources is provided on the wiki for you to delve into at your leisure.

Aoraki Mt Cook by Mathieu Poumeyrol

Things are speeding up as several of you head for the finish line with your plans. Make sure in your posts about each of the topics that you also indicate how the principles relate to your Flexible learning plans. This post is the first part of a summary of interesting points that people have been discussing on their blogs. Some of you have been really busy bees and others not so busy.
Lisa S has posted a stunning critique of the meaning of access and equity, and inclusive teaching in horticulture. See if you agree with the discussion about the difference between learning, education and training. Lisa has also posted her early ideas for her flexible learning plan: "to create a plant selection course delivered on-line". Go on give her some encouragement... In an earlier post, Lisa describes an example about her assessment of the flexibility of a Diploma in Horticulture programme using the dimensions of flexibility in the grid from Casey and Wilson. Time is well above average on the flexibility continuum as is Instructional approach and resources.   
Fifi has several posts which we need to catch up on. Firstly, she describes an example of video learning where midwifery students are capturing the learning of practical skills on video. The three types of interaction important for learning are mentioned. See if you agree with the benefits of this model for learning. In a post about Activity 6, two strategies for getting midwifery students to connect with practice are outlined. See if you agree with my suggestions for collaborative work and ways to enhance reflective learning and reflective practice. For Activity 7, Fifi has chosen constructivism , and her post explains this learning theory in plain english in the context of midwifery. The single most important point she makes is that strategies to encourage constructivist learning involve getting students to think, and problem-solve and become inquirers rather than passive recipients of information.  Check out her other posts as well because she makes some interesting points.
Maari in her post about open education makes some very valid points, and mentions some of the challenges for the viability of her business if she were to provide free learning materials and services. I believe that open education practices per se are more important than the provision of open materials, because I consider that facilitation and teaching by someone with a reputation in the field is generally what gives learning the edge for students. Really what do students come for and pay for? There is tons of material in any topic on the Internet or in books, and people could teach themselves if they really wanted to. I strongly believe that by making materials open, the advantages provided by the free advertising far out weigh any loss of income since open materials are more likely to be picked up by search engines. This is the vehicle to attract people to facilitated courses for which they are probably only happy to pay a fee if it is something they really want to do.
Helen G has a wonderful diagram to illustrate her plans for flexible learning. She mentions the ADDIE model of design. It is always a good idea when planning or implementing new approaches to do some evaluation along the way - the Addie model infers it should be left to the end, but it is advisable to gather feedback along the way when implementing a new approach. Feedback can be obtained from colleagues, students and /or experts from industry. Also a teacher's observations of how it is working are valuable so it is a good idea to record these somehow, and perhaps discuss the process with a mentor as part of this evaluative process. See what you think about her ideas about using and assessing students' blogs. Helen G also has an excellent list of strategies for becoming more open in her post about OER. What are your thoughts about my suggestions re digital information literacy? You may also be interested in reading the Executive Summary of the MoE project: Digital Information Literacy: Supported Development of Capability in Tertiary Environments
Lisa R has posted two very thought provoking posts about universal design, access and equity and equity means everyone has the chance to be equally frustrated - see if you can contribute to solving her dilemma, and whether you like my suggestions. Her pictures are also well worth a look.
Cat has outlined some very interesting and workable strategies for teaching wound management with veterinary nurses. See what you think - she would love some feedback I am sure. In a later post about open education, Cat discusses how open resources could be used to educate people in the third world about animal husbandry so that better care can be provided for their animals which are very important for their livelihood.
Suzanne has presented a fabulous description of two learning situations. They are very different, and both sound incredibly engaging. They involve blood loss scenarios and also a collaborative weaving class. She uses the term "minds on" learning. See what you think. I have made a suggestion about using digital portfolios in a post-graduate course, so that assessment is ongoing and more student-centred rather than  based around discussions and an essay. See if you agree with my ideas. 
A question to think about
How many of you like to drip feed the students modules rather than show them everything to be covered in the course from the start? What do you think are the pros and cons of these two approaches for students?
Suzanne has also written a fabulous description in her context of some of the challenges and the existing situation surrounding access and equity and inclusivity and diversity. She has some excellent ideas Suzanne especially around designing assessments where students can present their knowledge through weaving or singing.
Helen B has written a lively post about her initial ideas for the Flexible learning  plan where she has brainstormed some ideas for an anaesthesia induction video.The points she makes in another post - open resources and philosophies - about the benefits of open resources versus the potential fish hooks and loss of income are valid. How can we get round the idea that OER appears to be all about digital resources, and as Helen says what about the folk who cannot access computers and the Internet - how can open materials be provided to them? Mobile phones are prolific in African States so I hear, and maybe that is an option? Helen also makes the point that it is not very flexible to have to choose just one learning theory. So even though she has chosen constructivism it is evident that she uses a mix of learning theories - check out the discussion around this topic.
More to come in the next instalment....................

Kotare by dcysurfer / Dave Young
Please note that the course timetable has been revised for this week, and also for the final week's presentations - they will now be held on Monday 25 June 2012 - 13:30 - 15:30 in D314. I will have an Adobe connection so the distance people can join us. Those of you joining from a distance can connect via an Adobe Connect web conference on Wednesday 27 June - 13:00 - 14:00. I have emailed to ask those of you who have said you are ready to present to ask if this could be an option as time slots for people presenting on-campus are getting  full.  Please everyone check if your preferred time is correct on the mini-conference table on the wiki , and let me know if you will be presenting at either of these days if your name is on the not confirmed list

Kate Timms-Dean will be presenting this week's topic in an Adobe Connect web conference - Thursday 7 June 13:00-14:00. A recording will be made available if some of you make it to join in the discussion.

So what is the week 12 topic about?
Indigenous people are ethnic groups who live in a geographic area with which they have the earliest known historical connection. Historically, many Indigenous groups, including Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, have been the subject of colonial expansion. This has often resulted in territorial and cultural conflict, and the intentional or unintentional displacement and devastation of Indigenous populations (Wikipedia, 2010). In the contemporary context, Indigenous people often feature strongly in the lower echelons of society in terms of employment, socio-economic status, health status and educational attainment. As a result, it is important to consider the needs of Indigenous learners in the development, design and delivery of flexible learning programmes and courses.

Activities
Post responses to the following activities on your blog - after you have accessed the readings and media material for Indigenous Learners. An additional article has been emailed to you.

  • How can you include examples of New Zealand's indigenous culture in the design of your eLearning courses - language, society, history, political issues etc.?
  • What approaches can you utilise to meet the needs of indigenous learners?
  • Outline any experiences you have had working with indigenous learners.
  • What were some of the challenges that you and the learners faced?
  • How did this affect their learning?



The Education for Sustainability swirl
In this topic you will be exploring the meaning of sustainability for your practice and how to be a more sustainable educator. Before you can do that, it is necessary to understand the concept of sustainability in an educational context. For example, workload for teachers and students and the ways in which course materials, activities, assessments and class interactions can be structured or designed to support learning which is time and cost-effective and enduring while providing a high quality experience. The six principles of education in What is Education for? by David Orr is a good place to start your exploration. For example, principle 2: The goal of education is not mastery of subject matter, but of one's person.


Activity Ten – Sustainable Flexible Learning- work on the learning activities - no class time this week.
  • How can you become a more sustainable practitioner?
  • What sort of learning and teaching strategies meet your philosophy of sustainability?
  • Post your reflections about sustainability to your blog once you have viewed the presentations and completed the readings.
  • Read the article on student workload and find out how to calculate it - Lockwood, F. (2005). Estimating student workload, readability and implications for student learning and progression. Australia: ODLAA.
  • Watch Sir Ken Robinson discuss Do schools kill creativity?: "we are educated out of creativity not into it". He ends with saying: "we have to educate the whole person". This 20 minute video is well worth watching. 
Two readings are recommended on the course wiki.

Internet minute infograph by intelfreepress      






This week in Flexible learning we are looking at the hot topic of technologies for teaching and learning.

Technologies for learning and teaching are in a constant state of flux. Therefore, it is important for teachers to stay informed about the trends, and be confident about trying new approaches. Technologies such as mobile devices, ePortfolios, and social media (Web 2.0 tools and approaches) are now relatively common terms in education. The Horizon report (2012) underpins this topic so please use this resource as the starting point for your explorations. For this topic you are asked to design a learning activity using a ‘trend’ technology. Since this is a huge area, some resources are suggested, but you need only focus on one specific area in your explorations. For example, mobile devices, or ePortfolios or social media. The technology you choose may be something from the Horizon report, or the other types mentioned here. Six trends in higher education are described in the 2012 Horizon report. Read more about the activities and resources for Technologies on the course wiki.

Classroom sessions this week
Web conference: Adobe Connect
Wed 23 May: 13:00-14:00

Workshop: Thurs 24 May
Onsite: 13:00-15:00
Venue: H606

http://irudiak.argazkiak.org/276df12b972b1b876f80402474acdf8d_c.jpg
Learning theories are used to explain what happens when learning takes place. Learning theories can provide a conceptual framework for understanding a variety of learning situations, and also guide solutions to teaching and learning design. Learning theories in this subject are grouped into four traditional categories: behaviourist, cognitivist, humanist, and social and situational (includes constructivism). Adult learning theories based on these categories are covered more fully in the Learner-Centred Learning course.

In the Flexible learning subject, you need to choose a theory which underpins the flexible learning strategies you are planning to introduce. Before looking further afield, you may wish to refresh by looking at previous work you have done in this area.If you find a learning theory that you wish to use and it is not mentioned in the course materials, please add information about it to the wiki in the section called: Theory

Activities: Adult learning theories for Flexible Learning.

  • Explore adult learning theories relevant to your context.
  • Choose a learning theory for your Flexible learning Plan.
  • Describe the learning theory on your blog. Include the following:
    • Define the theory.
    • Explain the reasons for choosing the theory to support your FL plan - including the features of the theory which suit your students and style of teaching.

Lisa M has shared a range of strategies. I am interested to hear about the how for some of them. For example, how is content "kept updated to reflect what is happening in society at a local, national and international level"?  How does she "Encourage class discussion and the sharing of thoughts and ideas"? Can this occur outside the face-to-face classroom as well, and how might this look? I also ask about ways to connect students to professional networks so they can sample real world situations at a local, national and international level. You may wish to help out here folks.

Ron has brought an interesting idea to the mix - should flexibility mean an encroachment on teachers' time, and does it mean higher resource costs - time and money? See what you think about Ron's discussion of the issues. Ron has also posted a video blog - listen for the birds accompanying him. He is seeking alternative ways for students to access the learning while he is away on trips such as this. He also mentions connecting assessments to the tasks to get students to engage. See if you agree with his suggestions and mine about how to engage the students while he is not there.

Annette has written an excellent post about access and inclusive teaching and learning. See if you agree whether inquiry learning and good IT skills, are necessary for preparing OT students for practice in the real world.

Helen G has compared and contrasted a school example with one from the polytechnic. Which one has the most flexibility do you think? She has also discussed access and equity and some of the issues affecting inclusive teaching and learning in the most recent post. Perhaps resilience is the key for students and teachers so they can deal with whatever crops up.

Helen B has her strategy document ready with a great example of flexible learning design. In an earlier post about access and equity, she discusses how peer support has been used in the classroom. See what you think about the example for IT support.

Jean is really going to town with QR codes and Pinboard spaces for her fashion students. Can you give her more inspiration?

Jayne has a great example of some strategies she has designed. This is your opportunity to let her know if she is heading in the right direction. I like the idea of developing case studies and have suggested an extension of this.

Cheryl mentions the dilemma of students getting access to a practical placement. I have suggested using a virtual clinic for the students who cant get placements. I refer to a blog describing dog training in second life: http://sltranimal.blogspot.co.nz/ It isn't that expensive to get someone to create something like this in a virtual world. There is already a midwifery clinic in second life and a virtual hospital. Here is a link to information about the virtual vet clinic at Melbourne university.

The Meerkats say Nah!
Lots of activity to report on, and such creative ideas so I am breaking my summary into two parts, otherwise the post will be far too long. I have chosen an image of Meerkats to represent the theme of inquiry whch is coming through in your posts. Aren't they such curious alert little creatures.

Cat has written a very funny piece about the wonderful flexibility offered by the Vet Nursing school. Can you beat these strategies in your programmes or courses? It makes me want to do the courses just so I can play with the animals.

Lisa M's post demonstrates that she has considered a variety of ways to support inclusive teaching. Check out the Cone of Learning about passive versus active learning. The diagram prompts us to think about the importance of offering choice to students to encourage deeper learning. Who would be happy with 10% engagement when 90% is possible? Lisa believes that: "... everyone learns and comprehends at a different pace. No 2 students are the same." Two questions spring to mind for me from her post.

  • Do you agree that peer support is important for Lisa's students? 
  • What strategies could she use to encourage peer support and address the diversity in her learners?
Jayne has discussed some options that might challenge access to online materials. To access the OT programme students need to purchase a computer and broadband access, but I have suggested providing materials and activities that students could download on to a smartphone or ipad - they will only need access to a wifi network which could be free in their local area - cafes and libraries, campuses. She has some good initial ideas for introducing flexibility. Any suggestions for tools or strategies that she could use with her students to get them to interact in groups?

Fifi has shared an excellent example of truly student-centred learning obtained when she interviewed a colleague. See if you can spot the flexibility in the approaches she describes. In a later post about access and equity, she also discusses some of the factors impinging on students' learning, and mentions: " More flexibility brings with it more independence but also the need for more self-direction and more self-motivation. These traits are not automatic in many learners."

Interaction could be key to the approach Lisa takes when designing her plan for flexibility - see what you think about Lisa's post with her ideas and goal for flexibility, and if you can give her any suggestions. Read on to her latest post and you will find that her goal may be changing.

Laurie is interested in using blogs with third year nursing students. See the example that she is basing some of her ideas on, and the reasons for using blogs with her students. Perhaps you can contribute to the suggestion I put forward about addressing confidentiality issues. Also, Laurie in the most recent post has discussed the links between the theoretical basis for her teaching - relational capacity, and the practicalities of learning - networked learning. Is she on the right track?

Bend it like learners makes an excellent point - "flexibility gives us the opportunity to take control of our own learning at a time and place that suits our busy lives" is so true. This fits with the findings of a 2012 article called The relationship between flexible and self-regulated learning in open and distance universities. The authors discuss the connections between self-regulated learning and the dimensions of flexibility, including learning styles, and also flexibility of teacher contact, time management and content. Their research concluded that SR learning and flexibility are strongly connected. How do you think their ideas fit with the models used in your courses?

Nick has posted several interesting examples of flexibility in a project-based learning environment. He may be feeling a little lonely out there, unless some of you give him encouragement for the great flexible teaching he is already doing. What do you think about the dimensions of flexibility described in the post about the block course - could additional strategies be used? You may be interested in this 2003 report: The project method in vocational training.One of the factors they claim is important relates to self-directed learning. How do you currently support and guide students to become good at doing this?

Maari has provided us with lots of ideas to ponder and debate about providing access for the diverse groups she teaches. Check out her comment about a situation where open discussion would be very inappropriate. The later post shows two examples she developed using the flexibility grid, and a discussion about when flexibility must have limits. See what you think and please do give Maari some feedback on her ideas.

Freedom-Quilts-02 by The Confluence

This week I have chosen the symbol of the freedom quilts to represent the topic of open education resources and pracitces. My question to you all is: Is open education freeing us from the restrictions of the classroom, or introducing another set of conflicting factors?

Somehow I managed to skip a week in my posts - last week was a focus on you thinking about your plan for flexible learning. All the resources can be found under the topic:  Planning. I will be looking at your blogs to give feedback on your initial ideas. This week, we are taking a look at open education resources and practices. A web conference ( Adobe Connect) is scheduled for Tuesday 8 May 13:00-14:00.

During the early years of the 2000s, the words "open education" were only heard in the context of the broader phrase "open educational resources." This usage pattern unfortunately focused the minds of people almost exclusively on content, subtly nudging them away from considering the broader potential for the application of the principle of openness in education generally. And while OER are a critically important portion of modern educational infrastructure, they are only that - infrastructure.
Across a variety of contexts, the development and availability of high quality infrastructure is important for enabling valuable services and facilitating innovation. Education is no different. As OER became more widely available in the mid-2000s, thinking began to extend to open education itself - the practices, policies, and pedagogies that enable the sharing of OER as well as the new practices, policies, and pedagogies enabled by OER (Wiley, 2011).

The book from which this excerpt is taken - Open Education Practices: A User Guide for Organisations - describes some of these practices and policies. The Guide is based on practices at Otago Polytechnic.


Activity Seven - Open Education Resources and Philosophies.

  • Explore Open Education Practices: A User Guide for Organisations.
  • Listen to the recording of the web conference presentation by Leigh Blackall about Open Education practices.
  • Explore Open Education Resource Foundation at Otago Polytechnic and Wikieducator to find out more about the vision for free education to all.
  • Discuss on your blog:
    • a definition of open education practices;
    • some strategies you could use; and
    • why you believe open education resources and philosophies are important for teaching and learning.


http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/440306

It is great to see that so many of you have introduced yourselves on your blogs. We have people from lots of different disciplines - health - occupational therapy, nursing and midwifery, veterinary nursing, sport, animal training, psychology, hospitality, social services, Treaty education training, design, automotive engineering, creative writing and horticulture. I have met about half of you in either the web conference or in the on-campus classroom, and others are meeting me outside class times. Most of you are on track and on the path to experiencing flexible learning with this group, and a diverse one it is too. Some people are experienced bloggers, and others have just made their first post.

I have linked to a few blogs that stand out. I will feature different people each week. Please make sure you encourage your classmates to keep blogging by going to their blogs and leaving comments. A good way to do this is to choose three or four people's blogs each week, and choose different people each time so you get round them all. It is best not to try and read each blog each week (unless you want to of course) as this will be too much work. If you are set up to get email alerts as people post this will make it much easier to do.

Featured blogs
Sarah has introduced herself superbly with a photo - spot the student.  She has quite a different clientele to the rest of you since dog training is targeting people directly in the community. Spot the similarity with Nick's post where he describes the work he does with students (building grass karts and mini pit bikes).  Feebee has given us a great introduction to her professional area, and has linked to further information to illustrate the point she is making. Note: It is a good idea to get into the habit of inserting hyperlinks to extend the reader's experience. Lisa has the most gorgeous picture in her blog, and explains the challenges with teaching students complex software applications for design. Gina has shown us the correct way to give attribution to images, and I love her witty image. She discusses some of the challenges associated with technology when two different groups study in disparate locations.  Brendon has his finger on the pulse and has responded to my comment with a further blog post about his area of teaching. His description of artistry versus science in his teaching is interesting.  Jayne has added a really good profile to her first time blog, in addition to some superb goals for flexible learning. Laurie has also told us about her goals for exploring flexible learning. Ron illustrates the need for flexible teaching in his role so that students can continue to study while her is otherwise committed. Helen has taken the leap as a blogger, and makes an excellent point about how stressful learning situations can affect the end product. I may have missed some of you, if you are not yet added to the course blog, but you will be featured next time.  Annette has made a wonderful entrance to the course with her introduction and given us a great deal of insight into who she is and has been brave enough to include a picture of herself. That will be a great picture for your profile as well. Lisa M  has made a great start and created a profile with her pic - good on you!  Suzanne has reconstituted a blog from last year, with a wonderful picture of herself, and a great explanation of her teaching and goals for flexible learning around assessment.


Some pointers
Over the years, I have found that the best way to understand some of what my students' are dealing with is to experience it myself. So when I wanted to introduce online methods into my teaching, I used online learning to update my knowledge. When I wanted my students to use blogs, I started keeping a blog, and now that my interest lies in mobile learning, so I am teaching myself how to use a mobile phone for some of my professional development.

Some of you have mentioned that you use the Vark Learning styles questionnaire with students. You may also wish to explore the Index of learning Styles (ILS). This has 44 questions so is big, but helps learners explore whether they are reflective or analytical, sequential or holistic learners and much more. It is worth a look.



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