Danger and value in the threads April 2016 One of my teachers for the semester presents a video clip at the beginning of each module that I think is wonderful. He recaps our discussions for the past week and gives us a heads-up for the upcoming week and at the end of each video he says “see you in the threads”. Prior to this class I looked at the discussion threads as somewhat irritating because in my attempt to read all assigned readings before participating in the discussion, I often get to the discussion to find so many threads have already been posted that I feel like it is pointless to get into the discussion at this point. This is even worse where teachers insist on discussions being done by a couple of days after the beginning of a module or unit. This particular teacher has helped me to see the value in discussion threads. As I study about online communities and sharing ideas and best practices I have come to realize that there is value in these discussions, but one must participate fully to gain the full value of being in the threads. There is also danger in the threads because even though they do not make up a major part of the grade, it can make a difference in the final grade for the class. So, there is danger and value in the threads and as I move forward in the MDE I must adjust my approach, and make time for the discussions. It is a lot to read and then respond, and then respond again to the response while trying to read and do assignment for more than one class. However, I do thank my Professor for revealing the nature of the threads and their hidden danger and value, and my personal plan is to take advantage of the value and avoid the danger. CHAOS April 2016 Before I entered the MDE program the word “chaos” to me meant a bad situation with no good end in sight. I have learned that in the context of distance education chaos drives the discovery of new knowledge. This concept was difficult to grasp at first because it was one in a number of new concepts, terminology and words that I encountered when I began my graduate studies. As I struggled with the technology of online learning, being back in academia after so many years away and this whole new world of study I began to identify with this concept because I was experiencing it. Everything seemed new and different and became overwhelming, but I had waited so long to return to Grad school that I was determined to endure the chaos and see it through. As the semester progressed the chaos subsided and the process of discovery began as pieces of the chaos I had experienced coalesced in new knowledge. My chaos came as a result of my old knowledge being challenged by new concepts and ideas. Once I had discarded some old established ideas and embraced some new ones, I came to settle on what I learned and the chaos was gone. Finally, I realized that when I experience chaos it is my life experience trying to teach me something. I know from studying DE that there was (and still is) chaos in the beginning and that is a necessary process - regardless of what we choose to call it. Stories of MOOC’ s and Online education April 17, 2016 There is much talk about the value of MOOC’s (or lack thereof) based on the early history of online offerings, including MOOC’s. My earliest impression of anything online was that it was social, not serious, not professional - simply a way for people to connect. Stories were told about individuals who signed up for online classes and paid someone else to take all the classes, or about some online school that were actually selling certain diplomas for little more than a large fee. The stories about MOOC’s were even more disheartening. They were described as having the appearance of being online education, but students who signed up were disappointed because the pedagogy and content of MOOC offerings. While I contemplated going to school online, these stories caused me to have major reservations about the quality education I would receive online. I was also concerned about how exactly things like exams, class projects and interaction with the teacher could work in an online setting. UMUC and the MDE program have put my anxieties to rest regarding online education and MOOC’s. I actually consider myself fortunate because not only has my experience been counter to the stories I heard, but I have discovered a field of study that I love, quality course content and teachers who are good at navigating novices like myself through the world of online study. MOOC’s I have found to offer a range of classes and individuals can find classes on most subjects - either free or for a fee. I am now an advocate for online classes and I know I will not go back to traditional classes that are subject to one teacher using the same lecture notes for twenty years. Orientation or Student Support? April 13, 2016 Pursuing a Graduate degree in Distance and e-education has opened up a world to me that I did not realize existed, and rejuvenated dreams within me that I had long since dismissed as highly unlikely. I have discovered what appears destined to be my next great love – working in the field of distance and online education. There have been times however that I have experienced a sense of confusion and mental chaos, not so much with the subject matter, but with the overall infrastructure of the virtual classroom. Besides the fact that I have not been in school for the last15 years, I wondered what other factors contributed to this experience or what could have been done to avoid this. It then occurred to me that with all the focus and consideration put on student support in online education there was no orientation in the sense of what that meant in the pre-digital age. I served on the Orientation Planning Team for five years while studying for my undergraduate degree and the objective was to help students coming into a totally new experience to find their bearings, to know all the basic information necessary to survive and thrive in this new experience. This is what I was missing!! My enthusiasm was in place, I was prepared to study hard, but just finding my way around this technological virtual maze of new type of resources, new terminology and new vocabulary became difficult. Is orientation the answer? Maybe not the only answer and certainly not in the format in which it was conducted 15 years ago, but surely a comprehensive orientation course with a similar objective would have helped to avoid my mental chaos. The information is available but not at the same time and not in one place. Webinars are conducted but the typical online student cannot participate in a Webinar at 2 in the afternoon. I am guessing it will come down the dollars and cents like everything seems to – but if done right it just might be cheaper that devising means of fixing things that go wrong in the midst of a fast-paced semester. I am discovering that it’s all in the approach one takes to online study – which requires a radically different strategy if one is to be successful. Online classes are like a very fast race, and once that class begins the student must keep up – even if the pace is killing them, because there is no pause until the end. I still love what I am studying though, even when it leaves me cramped up and struggling to stay in the race, and every semester I learn a few more things which I will try the next time around. March 29, 2016 CHAOS ... it's a good thing!! I have developed a new perspective on chaos - that is chaos that is born out of the speed of knowledge production and the learner's attempt to "catch up" their learning to the speed of information production. March 17, 2016 ONLINE COLLABORATION OR COMPETITION? Here's a thought to consider for online group projects as the DE community seeks to formulate theories that enhance the online learning experience and specifically address the isolation that is experienced by online learners. Admittedly, I did my Bachelors by the traditional mode of learning and I do miss the stimulation that a good class discussion brings. When I decided to do my Masters online however, I just knew that component would not be a part of my graduate online learning experience. I have however learned enough about DE to know that one of the issues being researched is that of collaboration and how this should inform and enhance online pedagogy, and this was exciting news to me. I had a recent experience however, that demonstrated some of the challenges that DE scholars face. I was part of a study group that was assigned to work on a group project requiring each group to split the work among themselves but we had to await instructions. The very day the instructions were posted I had some computer issues that was not resolved until two days later. When I checked, the group had split all the items among themselves as if I didn't even exist! That is isolation! I was forced to ask someone to give up one of their topics in order to have something to work on! I found myself wondering if expecting an email from the group leader to find out if I was dead or alive before all topics were taken was an unreasonable request - especially since it was the beginning of the project. I also found it interesting that no one else in the group thought to ask - it felt more like individual projects. What type of group dynamic can be developed if no one in the group even thought to leave one topic available with the expectation that I would do it? Are we even trying to develop any type of group dynamic? There are technological tools available to promote successful collaboration in online learning environments but I think the question becomes what type of collaboration are we aiming for? Are just aiming to say we exchanged a few emails and did some independent work - or are we genuinely trying to share, exchange and create new knowledge? So yes - I am feeling somewhat slighted and that got me wondering. Now back to homework. March14, 2016 Things are settling down and so am I. Hopefully I can finish this semester on a strong note and not feel overwhelmed and panicked. February 23rd, 2016 I have heard of a steep learning curve, but I am experiencing it academically right now, though I must admit some of the steepness is unintentionally of my own making. Nevertheless - I will press on. February 18th, 2016 I am definitely feeling just slightly overwhelmed - but still excited about what I am learning. I think being an more mature student returning to school it is like entering a new country as an alien and even though I might feel slightly lost sometimes, I am still confident I am in the right "country". February 9th Well - has it been only a week? So far, I have managed to keep pace with the class but it is a lot of reading. Time management and no last-minute work - we will see how it goes - still loving DE! February 2nd, 2016 I am excited to be continuing my pursuit of the MDE at UMUC. I learned some lessons during my first set of classes which I plan to apply this time around so that I wont be as stressed. I do find this field of distance education and online learning to be fascinating and look forward to all that I will learn during this class. Wave 2 Reflections I found the theory of transactional distance theory to be most interesting because it helped me to understand how distance is not related to Geography in the field of distance education. What I found least interesting was the establishment of the professional type organizations because distance education is changing so fast that simple collaboration between educational institutions without forming separate organizations would seem like a better use of time. My main “a-ha” moment was centered around the various theories and the focus on the learner’s perspective of distance education. I gained a deeper understanding of the course I am studying and an appreciation for the quality teaching we receive in the MDE program. When I have my challenging moments I recall the evolving nature of my field of study and appreciate that I am involved in something that is still in the developing stages. I would revise my definition of distance education by including the shift to web-based technology, but I would retain some indication of the earlier forms of distance education delivery. The internet is without doubt the technology of the day but the reality is that internet access is not a given in developing countries, which ironically has some of the largest population of potential distance education students. I found Tony Bates video interesting because he chronicled the development of OUUK in a way that helped me to understand the position that OUUK holds in the field of distance education. It also clearly showed how political support for distance education in the early days afforded the university an opportunity to employ the best teachers and researchers which explains the superior quality of OUUK’s printed course material. Dr Bates left me with a clear picture of the historical development of distance education in the United Kingdom. We have covered every learning objective listed in the syllabus to date. My only comment on that would be I wish I had more hours in the day to cover the additional readings. 10/25/2015 Halfway There We are halfway through my first semester of pursuing my Masters degree and I am excited and a little apprehensive. I am excited because I have wanted to pursue my graduate studies for a long time and it is finally a reality, while at the same time I think about if I will be able to perform well in my classes. I love what I am studying and find it a fascinating field because the idea of teaching or designing online classes is appealing to me and even more appealing is the idea of working in the comfort of my own environment. I am learning so much about distance education that I did not know before and I am looking forward to the knowledge I will gain throughout this course and how it will impact my life. 10/25/2015 Wave 3 reflections During my readings for wave 3 I experienced an “a-ha” moments reading about the use of video games for learning. I have always been skeptical of video games because their content always seem to include violence or negative behavior. Discovering that video games had to potential to facilitate academic learning was fascinating and caused me to reconsider my opinion. Holmberg also gave me a bit of an eye- opener by implying that we have merely scratched the surface as far as optimum use of the internet for learning is concerned. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next. My original definition of distance education was “Distance education is the offering of educational opportunities where teacher and learner are in separate locations but collaborate through a system where educational material is presented through different media (text, online, etc.) and evaluated and adjusted accordingly to ensure success of learner and teacher.” In reading about the Community of Inquiry and the untapped technological potential, I would delete “evaluated and adjusted accordingly to ensure success of learner and teacher” and replace it with “which provide opportunities for interactions between learner, teacher and content that enhance planned learning outcomes.” My previous definition was in a context that did not consider the importance of interaction in the distance learning process. The church I attend has close to 6,000 members with varying work schedules that prevent many members from taking advantage of educational opportunities offered. A total of 12-14 educational courses are offered each year and people who have schedule conflicts have no option but to miss out on them because there are no options but the traditional instructor-led classes. I see online classes as an option for my Church because they already have the technology in place and the number of people who participate in active study could increase significantly if online offerings were made. October 8, 2015 Reflections November15, 2015 As I reflect on my experience in OMDE 601 I am excited, exhilarated and exhausted. I am excited because I have found something I love to learn about which will be significant in the next chapter of my life. I am exhausted because this is my first experience with online learning. Not only did I study course material, but I also learned how to navigate the different areas of course work and have developed strategies that I will use for the rest of my course for a successful outcome. I am also very grateful for my teachers who have been helpful in their comments, and gracious in answering my questions and quelling my fears. I am looking forward to the next semester and my future in DE. November 24 MDE Reflections Current DE technology is developing new and exciting methods of teaching and learning emerge with new technology. While I am excited about the new directions in DE, I also think that there is so much technology being developed at such a rapid rate that the focus is moving from quality learning and teaching (which is one of the main criticisms of DE) to simply what the next new “toy” is. I also believe that development in DE is more focused on developed countries, with developing countries left to “get in where you fit in”. A more international approach should be developed so there is a governing body that can oversee DE development in all socio-economic contexts. Developing countries have a large number of potential students who do not necessarily require or desire the same type of courses or technology as developed countries. |