Course DescripTION
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Students will explore learning management and content management systems for hosting and organizing online learning activity. Investigations will look at proprietary (e.g., Desire2Learn), open source (e.g., Moodle) and non-traditional systems (e.g., Web 2.0) regarding the pros and cons and technical competencies for the design of learning activities and course management. T |
course Learning Outcomes
1. Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS) and non-LMS environments.
2. Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
3. Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments.
4. Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS and non-LMS environments.
5. Integration of current cognitive learning and brain-based learning theory.
6. Examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments.
7. Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
2. Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
3. Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments.
4. Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS and non-LMS environments.
5. Integration of current cognitive learning and brain-based learning theory.
6. Examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments.
7. Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
Evidence of Learning #1: Mentorship Moodling
MENTORSHIP MOODLING
LEARNING OUTCOME ADDRESSED:
Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS)
This evidence of learning was to learn about a LMS--for myself, this was the Moodle interface. Individually, we were to learn (master) a specific feature or application of the LMS and teach what we know to the rest of our group. Working collaboratively, we planned and organized what we would teach and the logistics of how/when we would present and share our knowledge to each other. The entire Moodle presentation lasted for 2.5 hours, and my effort was to teach the discussion forum application in Moodle (see my PowerPoint below). Overall, this experience provided an excellent opportunity to learn how to use Collaborate as a moderator, and although there were a few glitches and issues with Collaborate, I thought it came together quite fluidly and was quite an informative workshop.
The session was recorded, but this recording was lost.
Below are the links to my colleagues recorded sessions:
Sonny~Moodle Lesson and Activity:http://oltd504.mcdhaliwal.ca/
Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS)
This evidence of learning was to learn about a LMS--for myself, this was the Moodle interface. Individually, we were to learn (master) a specific feature or application of the LMS and teach what we know to the rest of our group. Working collaboratively, we planned and organized what we would teach and the logistics of how/when we would present and share our knowledge to each other. The entire Moodle presentation lasted for 2.5 hours, and my effort was to teach the discussion forum application in Moodle (see my PowerPoint below). Overall, this experience provided an excellent opportunity to learn how to use Collaborate as a moderator, and although there were a few glitches and issues with Collaborate, I thought it came together quite fluidly and was quite an informative workshop.
The session was recorded, but this recording was lost.
Below are the links to my colleagues recorded sessions:
- Breanne~ Moodle Quiz and Choice:
Sonny~Moodle Lesson and Activity:http://oltd504.mcdhaliwal.ca/
Evidence of Learning #2: Moodling Around
MOODLING AROUND...
LEARNING OUTCOME ADDRESSED:
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a LMS--plan learning opportunities & create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS environments.
The task was to create a unit of study using a specific LMS interface. The build included the following elements: A home page with intro graphics and text; a lesson, or content with which your students will engage; quizzes; online discussion(s), an assignment for the students to "hand in" (upload), a grade book, a means of providing feedback or submitting opinions (survey, choice...), and a calendar.
I found that Moodle is a moderately intuitive learning platform, and thanks to YouTube, there are many videos to assist with understanding the elements required for course development. At various points in the process, I found specific tasks a challenge, but in replaying videos I was able to reach some kind of clarity. There were some visual and technical aspects of Moodle that I was not particularly fond of, but overall I found that Moodle worked for my skill level and the final product provided a clear and effective format that was more than suitable for an e-learning environment.
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a LMS--plan learning opportunities & create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS environments.
The task was to create a unit of study using a specific LMS interface. The build included the following elements: A home page with intro graphics and text; a lesson, or content with which your students will engage; quizzes; online discussion(s), an assignment for the students to "hand in" (upload), a grade book, a means of providing feedback or submitting opinions (survey, choice...), and a calendar.
I found that Moodle is a moderately intuitive learning platform, and thanks to YouTube, there are many videos to assist with understanding the elements required for course development. At various points in the process, I found specific tasks a challenge, but in replaying videos I was able to reach some kind of clarity. There were some visual and technical aspects of Moodle that I was not particularly fond of, but overall I found that Moodle worked for my skill level and the final product provided a clear and effective format that was more than suitable for an e-learning environment.
Evidence of Learning #3: OPEN LMS
OPEN LMS~CANVAS/INSTRUCTURE
LEARNING OUTCOME ADDRESSED:
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a LMS--plan learning opportunities & create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS environments.
I had the opportunity to use the free version of Canvas/Instructure LMS, which is a cloud-based tool. From my readings, one of the benefits of Canvas is the fact that students and teachers have data portability, unlike the problem with many LMS’s where school assignments are trapped in the system. The layout is very clean and modern, and it has several useful features built-in, like calendar, discussion boards, chat, and assessment tools. I was also reading that everything is connected to other Web services, including Google Docs, Facebook and Twitter, and students are notified when something changes in a course - whether that's the deadline for an assignment or a grade that's posted, and those notifications come via email, Facebook message, or text. I found the service very easy to use and the help videos make all tasks quite clear and manageable. This is a tool I would highly recommend as a learning management system.
Link to Avi's Canvas Tutorial: http://oltd504.mcdhaliwal.ca/canvas_tutorial.html
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a LMS--plan learning opportunities & create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS environments.
I had the opportunity to use the free version of Canvas/Instructure LMS, which is a cloud-based tool. From my readings, one of the benefits of Canvas is the fact that students and teachers have data portability, unlike the problem with many LMS’s where school assignments are trapped in the system. The layout is very clean and modern, and it has several useful features built-in, like calendar, discussion boards, chat, and assessment tools. I was also reading that everything is connected to other Web services, including Google Docs, Facebook and Twitter, and students are notified when something changes in a course - whether that's the deadline for an assignment or a grade that's posted, and those notifications come via email, Facebook message, or text. I found the service very easy to use and the help videos make all tasks quite clear and manageable. This is a tool I would highly recommend as a learning management system.
Link to Avi's Canvas Tutorial: http://oltd504.mcdhaliwal.ca/canvas_tutorial.html
Evidence of Learning #4: Blogging
BLOGGING
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LEARNING OUTCOME ADDRESSED:
Examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments. In this piece of evidence I reflected on my philosophy of education, examined current research and best practices for LMS and non-LMS educational environments. My reflections came from practical considerations as I was working through specific assignments in the course. The writing touches upon my overarching principles with regard to educating 21st century digitally savvy students. The opportunity to read and respond to my peers blogs was a valuable experience in terms of getting to know my peers, and providing a sense of connection to their challenges and experiences as educators. |
Evidence of Learning #5: NON-LMS ToolKit
NON-LMS Toolkit & NON-LMS Wiki
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LEARNING OUTCOME ADDRESSED:
"Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of non-LMS environments and tools." My Non-LMS Tool-Kit came out of the Non-LMS Wiki that our cohort created. With the Wiki we were placed into groups under the headings: community, content and assessment. All the groups were to research and vet up to five resources from their topic of choice. Each resource was assessed and rated for usefulness as a tool for a non-LMS environment. I researched various discussion/discourse tools under the Community topic. The entire project brought together a multitude of resources for each of the main topic areas, and this list allowed me to assess which tools I would use for my own Non-LMS toolkit. In completing this task, I was better able to visualize how I would transform my own non-LMS course with the fabulous tools that are available (for free). The abundance of online tools forced me to think of how I need to narrow down which tools I would utilize in an e-learning environment. From a teaching perspective, too many tools can be overwhelming and time-consuming for students to learn to use effectively. |
Evidence of Learning #6: Summary of Learning
Final Project
LEARNING OUTCOME(S) ADDRESSED:
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc. Also, to examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments.
My last piece of evidence is my culminating project for Learning Management Systems. I chose to create a Newhive visual expression as a platform to show my learning from the course. Initially, I was intrigued with Newhive after reading through one of my peers reviews on the Non-LMS Wiki, and the Newhive website provided a profusion of inspired examples of projects. I am easily taken with a visual product, so I had to try it. I enjoyed the creative experience of learning and playing with this new tool, and I actually found it a remarkably simple format in which to express my learning.
For my culminating project, I chose to articulate the critical question through a series of visual expressions. The visual expressions conveyed my thoughts and experiences with LMS/Non-LMS, which in turn answered many of the leading questions. All the pages were linked to the home page, which housed the critical challenge question along with the leading questions. This task allowed me to reflect on my past and present experiences in building lessons, units, courses with LMS and Non-LMS. Most importantly, the questions prompted me to re-focus on the research and best practices for teaching in an e-learning environment.
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc. Also, to examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments.
My last piece of evidence is my culminating project for Learning Management Systems. I chose to create a Newhive visual expression as a platform to show my learning from the course. Initially, I was intrigued with Newhive after reading through one of my peers reviews on the Non-LMS Wiki, and the Newhive website provided a profusion of inspired examples of projects. I am easily taken with a visual product, so I had to try it. I enjoyed the creative experience of learning and playing with this new tool, and I actually found it a remarkably simple format in which to express my learning.
For my culminating project, I chose to articulate the critical question through a series of visual expressions. The visual expressions conveyed my thoughts and experiences with LMS/Non-LMS, which in turn answered many of the leading questions. All the pages were linked to the home page, which housed the critical challenge question along with the leading questions. This task allowed me to reflect on my past and present experiences in building lessons, units, courses with LMS and Non-LMS. Most importantly, the questions prompted me to re-focus on the research and best practices for teaching in an e-learning environment.