Category: edci335

Peer Review for Pod #7

July 23, 2023 / tanya77d / 0 Comments

Interactive Learning Resource Topic: The Circle of Courage

Hi Noah, Ayden and Raquel,

First thing first, being an international student, I greatly appreciate your choice of topic as it is highly informative and piqued my curiosity about the indigenous way of life. I enrolled in this resource to seize the opportunity to educate myself further on the subject.

Identify components of the Interactive Learning Resource that might be missing (e.g., appropriate outcomes, alignment, interactivity, inclusivity, technology use and rationale, presentation, grammar, spelling, citations, etc.).

According to the blueprint:

To enhance the effectiveness of your resource, you could look into addressing the following loopholes:

->Explain why you selected this topic.
->Identify one or two common misconceptions about the subject.
->Clearly state the intended audience for your presentation.
->Justify the use of technology choice (Google Slides) to host your project.
->Outline the assessment approach for evaluating learning outcomes.
->Elaborate on your learning theory philosophy and its principles.

Provide a summary of The Interactive Learning Resource’s strengths and weaknesses. Draw out specific examples from your peers’ work to justify your feedback.

Strengths:

I really liked how you have structured your learning design and throughout the learning resource, one finds succinct definitions that are accompanied by visual representations.
The way you incorporated Jamboard was something I really admire about your learning resource. There is nothing that works as well as collaboration in class, so providing your students with that sacred space is a step in right direction.
The open-ended essential questions that you used are comprehensive, reflective and thought-provoking. They are bound to lead to engaging discourse if used in a class discussion format.
Each module includes an interactivity task and that is a great way for the students check their learning or just place it in a relevant context.

Weaknesses:

Apart from the previously mentioned loopholes in the initial section, I did have reservations about using Google Slides as the platform for hosting your resource. Considering the rapid advancements in technology, exploring alternative tools might offer greater flexibility and functionality, enhancing the overall learning experience for the target audience.

Provide general, specific, and practical recommendations to your peers on how to improve their Interactive Learning Resource.

-> Explore diverse assessment techniques, including peer assessments, quizzes, presentations, and project-based evaluations, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of students’ performance beyond self-assessments.

->Provide detailed descriptions for each interactive activity, including step-by-step instructions, required resources, and expected learning outcomes. This ensures effective implementation and alignment with the learning objectives.

->Create a comprehensive assessment plan that outlines evaluation methods and criteria for each learning objective, combining formative and summative assessments to monitor students’ progress throughout the learning process.

->To foster an inclusive learning environment, you could tailor some activities to cater to various learning styles, such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners, that accommodates and caters to all students’ preferences.

-> Encourage continuous feedback from both students and educators to identify areas of improvement in the resource.

-> Establish real-world relevance by connecting activities and assessments to practical applications whenever possible, perhaps that would help students perceive the significance of the covered topics and developing a deeper understanding.

By filling the above mentioned loopholes, your resource can become more robust, engaging, and effective in bridging the gap and facilitating meaningful learning experiences for all students.

Thank you for creating it. All in all, it was a great learning experience for me and I wish you best for the final assignment.

🙂

Blog Post #4: | Designing for Interaction

July 8, 2023 / tanya77d / 3 Comments

Happiness by Steve Cutts

What kind of interaction would the video require from your students? Does it force them to respond in some way (inherent)?

At the very onset, prior to playing the video clip, students will be asked to draw a picture of something (using Jamboard) that brings them immense joy. Once students have drawn their pictures, students can be engaged in a “guess who drew what?” discussion. This can be done as a rapport-building exercise or a warm up to the lesson ahead.

“Reflective” or “Observable” Interaction (Bates, 2019) : Then, students will be engaged in a pre-clip activity using the digital tool (Mentimeter), where they will be prompted to share their personal opinions through a discussion format. The purpose of this discussion would be have learners look within, introspect and evaluate their present day beliefs and ideas.

A snapshot of the Mentimeter slide that will be used to initiate inherent interaction.

In what way are they likely to respond to the video on their own, e.g., make notes, do an activity, or think about the topic (learner-generated)?

Students may choose to contemplate about the discussion questions individually before they engage in peer discussions(learner-learner interaction) or they may choose to take notes to write down their critical reflections (learner-self interaction). As noted by Bates (2019), this interaction with learning material should aid their memory “retention” and “comprehension”. Additionally as highlighted by Koohang, Riley, and Smith ( 2009, p.93) such a design holds potential to empower students to “to seek knowledge independently and manage the pursuit of their goals”.

What activity could you suggest that they do after they have watched the video (designed)? What type of knowledge or skill would that activity help develop? What medium or technology would students use to do the activity?

Thinking Out Aloud (TOA): With an aim to encourage collaboration, critical thinking and communication among peers and groups, students will be required to record a podcast in a group of three. The purpose of the activity is to encourage students to consider broader implications of the video and how it may apply to their lives.

Podcast Prompt :

“What are the key insights or takeaways from the video on Happiness, and how do they apply to our lives or society as a whole?”

How will you address any potential barriers for your learners in the use of this video to ensure an inclusive design?

Inclusion is my foremost concerns when I think about the barriers that might pose a challenge to my students’ learning or impede their progress. To address this, I would like to give them options to choose their production task. This can include:

Writing a blog post: Anyone who chooses this over the podcast must comment on their peers’ posts (at least 2) as well.

CANVA presentation/infographic: They could choose to work in pairs and create a presentation about their takeaways from the video or share their insights visually .

Ultimately, the motive of designing this task for interaction is to promote active learning and engagement with enhanced motivation while simultaneously creating opportunities for collaborative learning, peer-to-peer interactions and a safe space to construct knowledge together.

My response to Taylor’s blog post:

Joysna’s blog post:

References

Bates, A. (2019, October 10). 9.6 Interaction. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/chapter/pedagogical-roles-for-text-audio-and-video/

Koohang, A., Riley, L., Smith, T., & Schreurs, J. (2009). E-learning and constructivism: From theory to application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5(1), 91-109. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/44824/

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think!: a common sense approach to Web usability. Pearson Education India.

Blog Post #3 | Inclusive Design

July 3, 2023 / tanya77d / 3 Comments

Prompt : Consider the learning environment for your current design. What potential barriers can be reduced or eliminated to provide more pathways for learner success?

“What is essential for some is almost always good for all.”
Meyer et al. 2014, pg. 51.

The other day I was thinking about the assessment methods I had devised for my learning design and I remember devising the assessment plan as mentioned in the link for subtopic-II (https://padlet.com/tanya77dixit/learning-design-blueprint-wnmi37zlwlejcvfv) with the intention of involving students from diverse backgrounds. In order to ensure inclusivity. My assessment plan consists of five alternatives that students can select from, as I aimed to make every student feel valued and included.

A snapshot of the assessment plan as devised in the blueprint task.

However, on deeper reflection I started to reconsider the class discussion/ debate task that I think can be modified to be more accommodating of my learners needs. At present, the task requires students to sit down in their respective groups and collate points through mutual discussion/ debate pertaining to the interaction between social media and generation gap. Next, move to a bigger circle and have students choose either sides depending on personal inclinations before moving on to have a whole group discussion/debate.

What concerns me about Plan A is that not many of my students would show inclination to stick in a back and forth debate. Next, they might now understand each other’s accents very well and that can possibly threaten the flow of the task, while also risking its fulfillment.

My plan B includes replacing debates with role plays where the students who are at B2 as per the CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) scale would be able to curate conversation to the best of their abilities with no pressure to be spontaneous and hence, easily navigate their language related challenges with ease.

Moreover, Socratic Circles that would transform the debates to a more structured, guided and inclusive format while simultaneously encouraging active listening, critical thinking and respectful dialogue is another option worth considering over the original plan.

Not only would these two options provide assistance to those in need, but they could also serve as effective exercises for building rapport among my students. Needless to say, my plan B would still be tentative as my students will be the determinants of what will actually transpire. Gauging and assessing what they need as per their present abilities will help me chart a more stable design. Overall, in order to be a good educator, I am prepared to take on a flexible approach to understand and cater to individual requirements of these students, which stems from my desire to make the time they’d invest in this endeavor amount to something worthwhile.

My comment on Mumen’s blog post:

REFERENCES

Meyer, Anne, et al. Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice. CAST Professional Publishing, an Imprint of CAST, Inc., 2014, UDL Theory Practice, retrieved from: udltheorypractice.cast.org/

Well! What is Open Ped?

June 18, 2023 / tanya77d / 2 Comments

Having reviewed the various approaches to learning environments, I came across Open Pedagogy, which piqued my curiosity and sparked my interest in exploring my own thoughts on the subject. What did I think about it?

The sole instance I could recall and the primary connection I could establish with Open Pedagogy relates to a past semester when my professor assigned an assignment without providing a rubric. It did definitely leave me ill at ease. However, then it began to make sense. She expressed her intention of not wanting us to confine our work within predefined parameters, essentially avoiding constrictions or already set boundaries that could potentially stifle our creativity and limit our exploration of the subject matter. Now when I think about it, rubrics can to a certain extent impede a person’s ingenuity, if not totally restrict it.

Previously, I obviously didn’t devote much consideration to it, but now, after conducting some research on the said instructional approach, I could see a multitude of ideas emerge and simultaneously evolve. Especially, after looking at David Wiley’s mind map of Open Ped, I could see what the 5 Rs (Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix and Redistribute) meant.

Source: https://online.umkc.edu/what-is-open-pedagogy/

Catherine Cronin, an open education researcher describes Open Pedagogy as “a values-driven, transformative approach to teaching and learning that is based on collaboration, connection, and the creation and sharing of knowledge in a networked world.”

This learner centered approach emphasizes on learner agency, empowering them to take an active role in their own learning. Take what I am doing right now, maintaining a blog where I regularly reflect on my learning experience, engaging in peer discussion and sharing insights. This is open practice!

Open Access Journals where students are the publishers, authors, peer reviewers, and even editors is another example of how open pedagogy contributes to the dissemination of knowledge.

Upon reflection, I have come to realize that, without consciously intending to, I have structured my learning design blueprint in alignment with the principles of Open Pedagogy. As an illustration, the case study assessment and CANVA presentation will facilitate student collaboration, enabling them to collaboratively generate their own open educational resource (OER). This process will actively involve them in research, content curation, and the publication of their work under an open license, exemplifying the principle of authentic assessment. It appears I have hit the mark!

My comment on Noah’s blog post :

REFERENCES

Cronin, C. (n.d.). Opening up Open Pedagogy – Catherine Cronin. http://catherinecronin.net/research/opening-up-open-pedagogy/

What Is Open Pedagogy? | UMKC Online. (n.d.). https://online.umkc.edu/what-is-open-pedagogy/

Blog Post #1 | Learning, Motivation, and Theory

June 4, 2023 / tanya77d / 2 Comments

Prompt: Describe an example from your life of when you were taught using each method described in this article: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.

In retrospection, I have encountered the three learning theories throughout my learning journey and they have vastly shaped and influenced my personal development and professional growth as an educator.

For me, behaviorism was the most evident in my early days of schooling, perhaps when I was a toddler. Our good behaviour was rewarded and reinforced, and the ‘undesired’ behavior was condemned. I distinctly remember my elementary teacher used to give me those tiny sparkly stickers as a sign of her appreciation and it used to be a big deal back then to have received one. I was no exception, just like everyone else I also used to look forward to those moments of appreciation. I will say though that this method was successful in fostering a deep sense of discipline and responsibility in me.

When I began middle school, problem-solving, independent thinking, and critical thinking became the more resorted approaches. It was through group discussions and sometimes, even debates that we tried to unlock the mysteries of science and the dilemmas of social science. Sadly, I had to leave the enchanting logic of fairy tales behind and embrace the lens of reality. Cognitivism here allowed me to construct my own rhyme and reason with logical thinking. My curiosity for learning was definitely instilled by my Social Science and English teachers, who made it a point to involve their students in instigating discussions that really made us think and analyze before we digested or integrated any learning.

After moving to university to study English literature, Shakespeare and Milton among other great authors really challenged my world view and it was here that I more actively started connecting the dots between my favorite authors’ views and what I witnessed in my reality. The challenging yet intriguing perspectives of the philosophers, novelists, and dramatists made me reflect more keenly than ever before I put together and devised my own knowledge and learning of this world. As “memory is always under construction as a cumulative history of interaction” (Ertemer & Newby, 2013, p.141), the Constructivist approach cultivated in me critical thinking skills and facilitated a comprehensive understanding of worldly sophisticated ideas which I can say will always be a ‘work in progress’.

Thanks to all these wonderful learning experiences, I stay committed to learning as a life-long learner. Needless to say that these three learning theories are still an integral part of my learning. I come across them in my day-to-day existence. Even when I am watching news I am cautious about what I believe and digest, and what I discard as it might not appeal to my cognitive faculties.

All in all, these learning theories have largely contributed to my well-rounded development. They have not just contributed to my academic prosperity but equipped me with valuable life skills and attitudes that extend to both the private and professional spheres of life.

Response to Joysna’s Blog post:

REFERENCES

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 133-148.