One of my fellow students posted this.
"This term has carried over from last semester and it is a word that just doesn't not want to fit into my vocabulary. Can I get an example of what you expect in the section:- Pedagogical view (Pedagogical concepts)" -Lynn
I always like to see a post like this if I too am struggling in the same or similar area. Not that I wish hard times on anyone else I just like the idea that a question was raised that I need to ponder. This always makes me feel more involoved and not as lost because clearly someone else is in the desert with me trying to find the wellspring of knowledge.
So I decided to try and add something of an answer here based on some research. As I am writing my Assignment 1 paper I am very lost and a bit frustrated. Ahhh Life or something like it....
Pedogocial view: is the methods and theory behind the educational process, also reference see page 222-223 in Distance Education: A Systems View.
I think this helped me more than I will know. Back to writing and reading and writing some more.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Second Life
A good friend of mine was discussing his undergrad class at Clemson University and a professor who had made second life part of the face-to-face curriculum and in their off hours they could have study groups or pickup class assignments if they had missed a class.
I thought that this was an interesting idea to start face-to-face and then move into a virtual classroom that allows students to record and keep learning. This is also perhaps a bridge to allow traditional format students see the opportunity available in the virtual world and perhaps they can get the best of both worlds.
I thought that this was an interesting idea to start face-to-face and then move into a virtual classroom that allows students to record and keep learning. This is also perhaps a bridge to allow traditional format students see the opportunity available in the virtual world and perhaps they can get the best of both worlds.
The Time and Space Conundrum
So as a full-time employee and a part-time student I am having time issues I am constantly reading and absorbing, or writing and wanting to actually finish something started. The process of learning in the online masters while interesting is as frustrating. You read and you read some more and then you talk it to death and then just when you can’t take it anymore you write a paper! The old tried and true method every college uses only at times I feel isolated like now. I don’t have any outlet for one on one face to face interaction with someone who actually understands the material covered. I guess this is my problem because I decided to get my Masters in a very specific area. I do however wonder if all students in a Masters go through this blue period. Where the excitement wears off and the work overwhelms I am certain most do. I am trying so hard to manage my time, my knowledge, and my life it is a hard line to walk.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Chapter 7 review
Chapter 7 of Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education discusses the approaches to the design of technology-based learning. This chapter starts with a quote…
“As you design online courses and programs, you will find that the more you replicate the traditional campus model online-creating what we have called the “bolt on” model-the more your costs will resemble or exceed traditional campus costs. The point is that high (or low) costs are not intrinsic to online learning; they are a result of the design choices that each institution makes.” –Heterick and Twigg (2001).
I love this quote because I rationalize that the general public sees distance education in terms of low cost and quality. Where as in actuality it is a mode that needs to be further exploited to raise the education standards for all people and for learning institutions, the cost are a side thought in development. Statistically it is more expensive because a larger teams of experts are needed in addition to the academic development it then employee IT professionals and may need a larger technical support department in the long run just to allow education to take place over virtual means. I do cringe when I hear people belittle online education although I do empathize with hiring managers that suddenly have to wade through applications and resumes of online school graduates and have to determine the good from the diploma mills.
Another idea discussed are the Neats and Scruffies these are two terms I had never seen in any text book they refer to faculty that develop programs the Neats being very planned and rigid and the Scruffies being more intuitive and open ended. I am not sure how these terms apply to my educational experience but in the following weeks I want to examine this concept further. I am defiantly a Scruffie! Ok well onward march. More to come
“As you design online courses and programs, you will find that the more you replicate the traditional campus model online-creating what we have called the “bolt on” model-the more your costs will resemble or exceed traditional campus costs. The point is that high (or low) costs are not intrinsic to online learning; they are a result of the design choices that each institution makes.” –Heterick and Twigg (2001).
I love this quote because I rationalize that the general public sees distance education in terms of low cost and quality. Where as in actuality it is a mode that needs to be further exploited to raise the education standards for all people and for learning institutions, the cost are a side thought in development. Statistically it is more expensive because a larger teams of experts are needed in addition to the academic development it then employee IT professionals and may need a larger technical support department in the long run just to allow education to take place over virtual means. I do cringe when I hear people belittle online education although I do empathize with hiring managers that suddenly have to wade through applications and resumes of online school graduates and have to determine the good from the diploma mills.
Another idea discussed are the Neats and Scruffies these are two terms I had never seen in any text book they refer to faculty that develop programs the Neats being very planned and rigid and the Scruffies being more intuitive and open ended. I am not sure how these terms apply to my educational experience but in the following weeks I want to examine this concept further. I am defiantly a Scruffie! Ok well onward march. More to come
Chapter 6 Reading Review
Today I cracked open my book and started to read chapter 6 in Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education It is entitled “Planning for Teaching with Technology” In this chapter Bates and Poole discuss the fact that many elementary and grade school teachers plan their lessons in depth and also know how and why planning makes their performance effective. On the flipside many Higher Education professionals and professors do not. Yes they generally have an idea of where they wish to lead their class in the abstract they may even have decided what key points to cover but not in the same formal lesson plan of their grade school counterparts. The idea of instituting technology in any program needs to follow a plan. Just as if you were to construct a house you would have a blueprint for the outcome this is the outline and plan needed to institute a curriculum or even an educational program. Technology becoming a vital role in the business of education is necessary as students move away from face-to-face classes due to economic demands making it hard for students to devote four years to full-time academic study and thrive. Students and even continuing educational demands is changing the way we view technology in education and how it is provided. Education with technology has the means to deliver higher educational demands to a population in need. As you build a strategy to blueprint a program or even a class you must develop the why, and the how. They showcase two strategies that universities can establish one is how administration can plan ahead and develop an idea of standardized teaching approaches and the second is to workshop the vision of the administration and allow for concrete ideas and educational planning, such as; text book, goals, and other details that will make the course a success for the student population. A systems approach to course planning is given in a marvelous chart on p.137 PLAN-DESIGN-DEVELOP-DELIVER-ASSESS STUDENTS-EVALUATE COURSE-AND FINALLY MAINTAIN.
Bates (2000) discusses models of course development and dubs them certain names that lend to the explanation of the model discussed.
The lone ranger approach-Instructors working alone, with the aid of small grants and in some instances grad students to establish the initial phase of development in this model.
Boutique course development-This professional approach starts with faculty whom pairs up with and instructional designer and develops a model.
Collegial materials development-several departments or professors collaborate to develop.
Finally project management- Gaining insight from a team of people whom are each skilled in a different area of course development i.e.-multimedia, Text, CD-Rom, Creative, and theory.
I found this chapter very enlightening the course and curriculum development of major universities and also of online universities intrigues me being able to identify the goals and the techniques used was something I hadn’t cognitively been looking to examine although am glad that I have it will definitely aid me in thinking about my career goals and ideas if I decide to continue in the field of academic instruction.
Bates (2000) discusses models of course development and dubs them certain names that lend to the explanation of the model discussed.
The lone ranger approach-Instructors working alone, with the aid of small grants and in some instances grad students to establish the initial phase of development in this model.
Boutique course development-This professional approach starts with faculty whom pairs up with and instructional designer and develops a model.
Collegial materials development-several departments or professors collaborate to develop.
Finally project management- Gaining insight from a team of people whom are each skilled in a different area of course development i.e.-multimedia, Text, CD-Rom, Creative, and theory.
I found this chapter very enlightening the course and curriculum development of major universities and also of online universities intrigues me being able to identify the goals and the techniques used was something I hadn’t cognitively been looking to examine although am glad that I have it will definitely aid me in thinking about my career goals and ideas if I decide to continue in the field of academic instruction.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wiki=Frustration!!
In my OMDE 603 class we are expected to work with our fellow students and a mass a glossary with different terms I was having difficulty with the concept. I had never used the website or a website to build a wiki. Brainstorming is the part of the assignment I have been stuck in and then now I am compiling terms and defining them in my own words.
My group had already started by the time I realized how to get into the site. I am a member of group 5 the terms they defined are as follows:
1. M-learning
2. Distance Education / Learning
3. E-learning
1) Learning Management System2) Netiquette3) Collaborative Learning4) Author ware (or Author Tools)5) Virtual Field Trip
1) Pedagogy
2) Andragogy
These terms were suggested so far.
My group had already started by the time I realized how to get into the site. I am a member of group 5 the terms they defined are as follows:
1. M-learning
2. Distance Education / Learning
3. E-learning
1) Learning Management System2) Netiquette3) Collaborative Learning4) Author ware (or Author Tools)5) Virtual Field Trip
1) Pedagogy
2) Andragogy
These terms were suggested so far.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Required Readings
Reflections on the required readings for Week One.
Required Readings:
Terminology-Moore & Kearsley, Chapter 1, "Basic Concepts," pp.1-23
History-Moore & Kearsley, Chapter 2, "Historical Context," pp. 24-45
Bates & Poole, Chapter 3, "The role of media and technology in education," pp. 47-74.
The first required reading Distance Education: A Systems View was a great introductory reading assignment. I had actually read this in a past class and it was a nice refresher. The most important thing I gathered from reading those 23 pages was that you have to have a concept of what education is intended to do for society, how we can utilize in the Distance Education feild and the models of education used in the delivery of materials to the student.
The second reading based on the same book although it was chapter two. It gives the history of Distance Education and the generations of evolution it has underwent. When you start a journey of in depth exploration on a particular subject matter the history and evolution is important. Distance education started at the turn of the century and was invented as a for profit idea. It has been aimed at various demographics throughout the decades and currently it is working adults but slowly it is being mainstreamed as a valid alternative for anyone. As technology evolves so does our education what started as a postcard correspondance idea has morphed into a highly technical field with the invent of the internet. The world population as a whole has more information available than any generation before.
The last of the required readings was in the book "Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education" This chapter discusses the role of media and technology in education. This is a wonderful support chapter that can add more demension to the other two chapters. It explores the adaptablity in education and how educators as well as students can be apprehensive to change. The best story I pulled from this chapter is a story about Socrates and how he was upset because he learned that a student had read and memorized a poem. At that point he was infuriated because he felt that students would need to be wise by remembering it and not reading. He felt that you could not become wise without memorizing everything.
Distance Learning is defiantly my favorite term used because it doesn’t have the negative connotations of distributed learning which I feel makes the realm of education appear like a mass marketed idea for profit which I realize that historically correspondence courses have followed the trend that while providing a service they also make profit. E-learning and online learning I believe are too narrow to sum up a field of education mainly because even in an online course many types of technology can be and often is utilized to students. I hadn’t heard flexible learning before and really don’t like that from a low education point of view it would seem unstructured. I try to always look through the eyes of an employer and how they would view each type of education and with that if I had a potential employee I wouldn’t necessarily want one who defines their education as Flexible, or Independent because how will they react to strict deadlines, will they be a team player? In terms of quality I believe that the words online, and E-learning as well as distributed learning all feel relatively generic and I would really want to investigate each program on a potential employees resume to make sure it does come from a respected and accredited college or university. In the texts that I have read for this course and for prior distance courses I believe that Distance Learning seems to win out most likely because it is generic enough to cover a wide variety of technology used in their field.
Required Readings:
Terminology-Moore & Kearsley, Chapter 1, "Basic Concepts," pp.1-23
History-Moore & Kearsley, Chapter 2, "Historical Context," pp. 24-45
Bates & Poole, Chapter 3, "The role of media and technology in education," pp. 47-74.
The first required reading Distance Education: A Systems View was a great introductory reading assignment. I had actually read this in a past class and it was a nice refresher. The most important thing I gathered from reading those 23 pages was that you have to have a concept of what education is intended to do for society, how we can utilize in the Distance Education feild and the models of education used in the delivery of materials to the student.
The second reading based on the same book although it was chapter two. It gives the history of Distance Education and the generations of evolution it has underwent. When you start a journey of in depth exploration on a particular subject matter the history and evolution is important. Distance education started at the turn of the century and was invented as a for profit idea. It has been aimed at various demographics throughout the decades and currently it is working adults but slowly it is being mainstreamed as a valid alternative for anyone. As technology evolves so does our education what started as a postcard correspondance idea has morphed into a highly technical field with the invent of the internet. The world population as a whole has more information available than any generation before.
The last of the required readings was in the book "Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education" This chapter discusses the role of media and technology in education. This is a wonderful support chapter that can add more demension to the other two chapters. It explores the adaptablity in education and how educators as well as students can be apprehensive to change. The best story I pulled from this chapter is a story about Socrates and how he was upset because he learned that a student had read and memorized a poem. At that point he was infuriated because he felt that students would need to be wise by remembering it and not reading. He felt that you could not become wise without memorizing everything.
Distance Learning is defiantly my favorite term used because it doesn’t have the negative connotations of distributed learning which I feel makes the realm of education appear like a mass marketed idea for profit which I realize that historically correspondence courses have followed the trend that while providing a service they also make profit. E-learning and online learning I believe are too narrow to sum up a field of education mainly because even in an online course many types of technology can be and often is utilized to students. I hadn’t heard flexible learning before and really don’t like that from a low education point of view it would seem unstructured. I try to always look through the eyes of an employer and how they would view each type of education and with that if I had a potential employee I wouldn’t necessarily want one who defines their education as Flexible, or Independent because how will they react to strict deadlines, will they be a team player? In terms of quality I believe that the words online, and E-learning as well as distributed learning all feel relatively generic and I would really want to investigate each program on a potential employees resume to make sure it does come from a respected and accredited college or university. In the texts that I have read for this course and for prior distance courses I believe that Distance Learning seems to win out most likely because it is generic enough to cover a wide variety of technology used in their field.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Master of Distance Education: A Students View
An Introduction:
Spring semester 2009, taking two very difficult classes towards my Masters in Distance Education through the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). This is my second semester and I have already conquered one class albeit the Introductory Class OMDE 601 and in addition USCP 611 a library science introduction class. As I start the new semester I ponder and bring curosity to what I am about to embark upon and how it will challenage me, change my views and morph me into the Woman and educator I strive to be. My Classes are OMDE 603 which is titled: Technology in Education and OMDE 606 which is titled: Cost and Economics of Distance Education. The reason I have started this blog is simple...It's mandatory! Ha.
My thoughts on Vlogs and Blogs...
I am an avid blogger via my private Myspace page that is available only to close family and friends. I enjoy taking Distance Education classes and I feel this is how my blog came about in its first inception. I have always had a love of writing and after taking half of my undergraduate classes online I was introduced by a friend to myspace. Myspace of course is a social networking site much in the same vein as the ill fated Friendster, and Fratastic Facebook. I had no real interest in social networking of course give me a site where I could meet with and hook up with corporate America to further my job prospects and you'd have me there with bells on. Although after my 500th friend made me join I suddenly became an avid social networker collecting friends as though they were baseball cards and thus the blog just happened. Long lost friends, Family, random people I met at the bar all converge to get to know a little bit more about me and it is a vanity project. Where else can you go and talk about yourself and everyone is supportive aside from AA, and a therapist's office. I love the idea where semi sane people can express thoughts some crazy, others funny but all in all original for the world to partake in and enjoy. It was love at first blog! I try and blog anytime something exciting or new happens in my life. Currently me and my husband are expecting our first child, and unlike many people are first child is coming in the form of a 7 year old, who has been in foster care her entire life and via a adoption website we were matched. I joke that it is like E-Harmony for the childless. Seriously though this is an exciting and magical time in our lives and my blog reflects all the emotions that come with it. Now Vlogs and me have a very differant relationship as soon as youtube launched I decided to share some vacation footage with my best friend via youtube. My videos constantly received negitive feedback and frankly I was like "They are for a friend" but that is not how many people see youtube it is very differant than let's say a Photobucket account where you can store your pictures and share with friends they are much more viewed and available to strangers who can then rate and discuss you. It is far too much scrunity for me personally. I think that the written word is becoming too casual and unfortunatly obsolete with Vlogs. I do the candor that you can possess in the flesh although I am just not up for the Vlogesphere.
More to Come...
Onto the subject of what will be discussed in future chapters hmmm...The books I am forced into reading and the ones that I pay lots of money to read each semester.
Spring semester 2009, taking two very difficult classes towards my Masters in Distance Education through the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). This is my second semester and I have already conquered one class albeit the Introductory Class OMDE 601 and in addition USCP 611 a library science introduction class. As I start the new semester I ponder and bring curosity to what I am about to embark upon and how it will challenage me, change my views and morph me into the Woman and educator I strive to be. My Classes are OMDE 603 which is titled: Technology in Education and OMDE 606 which is titled: Cost and Economics of Distance Education. The reason I have started this blog is simple...It's mandatory! Ha.
My thoughts on Vlogs and Blogs...
I am an avid blogger via my private Myspace page that is available only to close family and friends. I enjoy taking Distance Education classes and I feel this is how my blog came about in its first inception. I have always had a love of writing and after taking half of my undergraduate classes online I was introduced by a friend to myspace. Myspace of course is a social networking site much in the same vein as the ill fated Friendster, and Fratastic Facebook. I had no real interest in social networking of course give me a site where I could meet with and hook up with corporate America to further my job prospects and you'd have me there with bells on. Although after my 500th friend made me join I suddenly became an avid social networker collecting friends as though they were baseball cards and thus the blog just happened. Long lost friends, Family, random people I met at the bar all converge to get to know a little bit more about me and it is a vanity project. Where else can you go and talk about yourself and everyone is supportive aside from AA, and a therapist's office. I love the idea where semi sane people can express thoughts some crazy, others funny but all in all original for the world to partake in and enjoy. It was love at first blog! I try and blog anytime something exciting or new happens in my life. Currently me and my husband are expecting our first child, and unlike many people are first child is coming in the form of a 7 year old, who has been in foster care her entire life and via a adoption website we were matched. I joke that it is like E-Harmony for the childless. Seriously though this is an exciting and magical time in our lives and my blog reflects all the emotions that come with it. Now Vlogs and me have a very differant relationship as soon as youtube launched I decided to share some vacation footage with my best friend via youtube. My videos constantly received negitive feedback and frankly I was like "They are for a friend" but that is not how many people see youtube it is very differant than let's say a Photobucket account where you can store your pictures and share with friends they are much more viewed and available to strangers who can then rate and discuss you. It is far too much scrunity for me personally. I think that the written word is becoming too casual and unfortunatly obsolete with Vlogs. I do the candor that you can possess in the flesh although I am just not up for the Vlogesphere.
More to Come...
Onto the subject of what will be discussed in future chapters hmmm...The books I am forced into reading and the ones that I pay lots of money to read each semester.
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