blog
Apple iPhone
Not really e-learning related - unless students are listening to podcasts of lectures, sending and receiving texts to and from academics, recording videos of lectures or using the generous and sleek screen to share information face-to-face.....
The last point is one of my favourite features of Apple's new iPhone, the buttonless, touchscreen interface. The picture quality is sharp with brilliant colours and boasts seamless animation between menus (480x320 pixel resolution, 160 dots per inch).
The Safari web browser renders web pages as they were intended to be viewed, rather than as stripped down WAP versions, and quickly too when using Wi-fi.
Lack of Bluetooth and 3G is an issue for sharing/connectivity but as a phone/media player hybrid this is a pretty important development.Labels: apple, iphone, toys
taxonomy
After the first and very successful academic year of using Moodle at Royal Holloway it is time to quantify, qualify and report on how this e-learning tool has been used. Quantifying is relatively straightforward and can be done either at backroom database level or by casting an eye over the front end.
However, qualifying use is more involved and of greater value when showing how e-learning can impact positively on the student and staff experience. I believe that one or both of two simple taxonomies could be employed. The first could group courses by the tools they are employing - resources, discussion fora, wikis, quizzes, etc - while a more pedagogically focused view could look at the wider attributes of given courses in Moodle.
One taxonomy could identify the e-learning element of academic courses as being either Informational, Supplemental, Blended or Distance. Another could describe courses as being Web-enhanced, Web-focused or Web-driven.
A course which is Web-enhanced or where its e-learning element is informational might be where timetables, deadlines and the course handbook are offered online, and where the tutor can post messages. Many tutors dip their toes in this way and often move to increase their online presence by moving towards a Blended or Web-driven approach where some elements of face-to-face work such as lectures, seminars or written formative assessments are replaced or augmented with electronic journal articles, audio or video artefacts, online discussions or online assessments.
I would hope that year-on-year, more courses would increasingly blend traditional techniques with e-learning based approaches, and that this progress can be tracked and used to support more investment in e-learning and greater incentives for those who embed it in their teaching. Web-driven or Distance courses do not feature too heavily at RHUL but I anticipate that this will change dramatically in the future. Our experience of increasingly blended courses will contribute to successful, interactive distance courses.Labels: blended learning, distance, e-learning, informational, reporting, supplementary, taxonomy, web-driven, web-enhanced, web-focused
facebook
Facebook is undergoing a massive uptake in usage, due no doubt to a recent upgrade which has improved performance and usability. . Another driver of uptake and continued use is the number of Applications available to the user. This of course is part of the revolution that is web 2.0.
In the past, mass content was created by the few and interactivity was limited. This 'unilaterality' has been addressed by web 2.0 which has resulted in a paradigmatic shift - now content is created by the masses and interactivity is central to that content. Many third-party developers are now offering interactive applications which can be added to Facebook users' profiles.
My ongoing quest is 'how can we use this technology to improve teaching and learning?'. I know of a tutor who uses the honesty application to gather anonymous feedback from students - this I believe is much more reliable than using the institutional VLE where students know that they can be tracked.
The ability to create groups and to self-enrol on such groups is invaluable to community building and interactivity. That facebook is not 'owned' by the institution or that a group can be owned by students as well as academic staff may well facilitate more student-centred learing.
Many of the applications however are disappointingly unready for 'market' and do not perform properly or consistently. The flickr and bookshelf applications are examples which spring readily to mind. Over time these problems will be solved and increasingly advanced use will emerge.
Should we abandon our VLEs and move to Web 2.0 services, or should we adopt a web 2.0 institutional approach?Labels: e-learning, facebook, social web, web 2.0
Clickers - PRS
I'm currently looking into a number of Personal Response Systems (PRS), also known at Audience Response Systems (ARS) or 'Clickers', with a view to piloting them at Royal Holloway.
There are a number of issues to address, and as ever in e-learning, these can be divided technologically and pedagogically although there is always an overlap to consider.
Pedagogical:
- Does this really add interactivity to lectures or seminars?
- Will such interactivity really be meaningful?
- Can such interactivity and the results gathered be acted upon in the lecture hall?
- Are we mistaking student-centred learning design with interactivity
- Will the students have access to the software and hardware - or is this yet another unilateral, uni-directional e-learning tool?
- Will this cause a rethink in lecture design?
Technological:
- Can existing materials e.g. PowerPoint presentations be easily repurposed?
- How straightforward is the workflow in creating an interactive presentation in this way?
- What is the training/support requirement for staff/students, or should that be presenters/audience
- Does the system support 'turn-up-and-teach' or does a presenter have to book equipment in advance, mobilise AV help and abdicate responsibility for success to others/room booking lottery?
- Can the results be easily captured, shared, represented, re-used, compared?
- Can electronic whiteboards be ued in conjunction with Clickers?Labels: (ARS), Audience Response Systems, blended learning, Clickers, e-learning, interactivity, Personal Response Systems, PRS
audio lectures
I'm looking into the recording and distribution through Moodle of English language lectures. There are a number of issues to consider from pedagogical and technological viewpoints.
Pedagogical:
- how will students use this type of resource?
- should the lecture/workshop/seminar differ because it is being recorded?
- what is the value, in terms of the learning experience, of this resource?
- meta-tagging, naming conventions for consistency
Technological:
- how much pre- and post-production will be required
- how to train and support tutors and students
- which format to use - the source WMA or the flexible, ubiquitous and well supported MP3 format?
- which WMA-2-MP3 convertor to use? iTunes or Switch? Should an enterprise be dependent upon free proprietorial tools?Labels: audacity, audio, e-learning moodle, itunes, mp3, recording, wma
consultancy
one-hour consultancy meeting with academic tutors
I wonder would such a thing work? Rather than lead with moodle, which has become a very easy 'trap' to fall into, a more course-centred meeting might be good starting point, especially for those who feel they should have something online because their colleagues do, without pehaps considering pedagogical reasons for adopting an e- or blended-learning approach
topics could include:
- learning outcomes and how they might be facilitated with online elements
- tutor readiness for online learning
- student readiness for online learning
- identifying 'gaps' which could be filled with technology
- choosing the appropriate tools for the job
- additionally, an evaluation of the previous year's online elementLabels: blended-learning, consultancy, course design, e-learning, HE, moodle, online learning, Royal Holloway
toolbook
We are looking at Toolbook, an E-Learning content creation tool with which tutors can create interactive content such as simulations, assessments and I hope, branched-learning - without any sort of programming knowledge. Output can be as a flash file and it makes use of JavaScript. How easy is it to use? How powerful is it? These two questions are inter-related. Is it SCORM compliant? Will it report to Moodle? I will find out and report later.
Labels: content creation, e-learning, HE, HEFCE windfall, moodle, Royal Holloway, ToolBox
moodle & turnitin
At Royal Holloway we are currently looking at the technological, pedagogical and administrative issues surrounding the long awaited development which allows the integration of two of our e-learning services: Moodle and Turnitin. I will be reporting our findings here in late spring, in advance of a summer implementation and the design and delivery of training/support for the academic and administrative communities.Labels: e-learning, electronic submission, integration, moodle, plagiarism detection, plagiarism prevention
wikis in H.E.
I am currently promoting and gathering support in the use of wikis at RHUL. Part of this work involves researching their use, reporting on good practice and building or own hardcore of practitioners here. Link to Wiki Powerpoint Presentation.
I will be adding to this post over the next few months and welcome comments and advice.
Apparently, Elvis Presley in the movie Blue Hawaii semed to know about wikis even back in 1961, when he said "Wiki-wiki to the beach."Labels: blended-learning, e-learning, Elvis Presley, good practice, HE, moodle, online learning, promotion, Royal Holloway University of London, wikis
introduction
Martin King is a Learning Technology Officer at Royal Holloway University of London and a freelance E-Learning Consultant specialising in Moodle.
This is the first post of what I hope will be many over the next few months. The topics will be Moodle, Turnitin, Question Mark and their use in Higher Education and Professional Development, along with more general e-learning issues. I intend to capture some ideas and thoughts, as well as report on the work I am currently busying myself and others with.Labels: e-learning, HE, moodle, question mark, Royal Holloway University of London, turnitin
