Tag: post4

Module 4: Open Pedagogy

On October 31, 2022

In Distributed and Open Learning, edci339

When I first heard the term open pedagogy, I freaked out because it sounded super complicated. However, open pedagogy is the use of open educational practises (OEP) and resources (OER) to support learning and share material and content (Hegarty, 2015). Examples of open pedagogy include Websites or textbooks in which many people can contribute and free online education platforms, otherwise known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

To fully experience a MOOC, I signed up for a beginner digital photography course through Alison. I love taking photos, so it would be good to have some educational experience to back up my portfolio. I enjoyed this first class so much that I signed up for two more: intermediate and advanced digital photography. Each course is organized with various units, such as working your camera, photographic techniques, and how to use multiple editing platforms. Further, each unit has subtopics. For example, the unit on how to work your camera includes sub-topics, such as how to clean your camera and set the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

If you are interested in a MOOC, here is a link to Alison! They offer many different courses, and they are a well-established MOOC.

Throughout my experience with this course, there were few options for interacting with other students or an instructor; however, if I needed help navigating the website or had any questions about the material, I could contact someone via the chat box.

Upon completion of each unit, there were quizzes to complete. To move on to the next unit, I needed to achieve a specific grade; otherwise, I would have to try the quiz again. Further, to sum up, for each course, there was a large quiz at the end, in which I needed to achieve a particular grade to earn the certificate.

Compared to my more traditional courses, this learning experience proved to be a legitimate, autonomous, practical learning experience. My digital photography courses through Allison were legitimate as they were created based on a combination of various facts and research from camera manufacturers and world-renowned photographers. Further, my experience was autonomous as I could complete my course independently and on my own timeline. Also, for me, this was a practical learning experience as digital photography is one of my interests, and it’s something that I would like to know more about so that I can take better photos. Buy more traditional courses are legitimate; however, they are not so much autonomous as I usually have to follow a strict schedule curated by professors. Sometimes my learning experiences in my traditional courses are not so practical as I often have to take courses that I am not interested in, such as computer science.

This MOOC should be considered an xMOOC. An xMOOC is a “space where students are introduced to core skills and concepts and can lightly apply the skills and concepts,” whereas a cMOOC is a “massive space for students, and anyone can share and critique each other’s projects, building a community around doing” (Caulfield, 2013).

Click here for more on the differences between an xMOOC and a cMOOC.

Based on my experience, the MOOC I completed is open. This MOOC is open as all I needed to do to enrol in my course was to create an account, which anyone can do with an email. The format was straightforward to follow, some videos accompanied the text, and the quizzes were relatively easy to complete if you followed along with the material in each unit. However, to get the certificate of completion from Alison at the end of a course, you need to pay a small fee to prove that you completed the course. For many, this fee might make Alison’s courses not open to all. Many people use MOOCs for free education from reputable resources to gain employment. Therefore, the price to get the certificate of completion may be difficult for some to accomplish.

I chose to do this learning activity because I am learning not only about open pedagogy but also about photography. Essentially, this was a two-for-one experience that I enjoyed. I learn best through completing an assignment hands-on, so being able to research open pedagogy through experience, helped me fully understand what open pedagogy is. From my experience, I learned that there are many platforms in which MOOCs are offered, so it’s essential to do some research and choose a platform with a good reputation. Suppose you take a MOOC to use the certificate on a resume. In that case, it’s essential to consider the importance of the platform you use to ensure your certificate is as credible as possible.

I hope you enjoyed 🙂

Amelia

References

Caulfield, M. (2013). XMOOC communities should learn from cmoocs. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2013/7/xmooc-communities-should-learn-from-cmoocs

Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of Open Pedagogy: A Model for Using Open Educational Resources. Educational Technology, 55(4), 3-13. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/stable/44430383

Social Media Use, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), and Media Literacy

by ariehl

On June 14, 2022

In edci338, Social Media

Welcome to my fourth blog post for week five of EDCI 338. I will answer questions about social media use, personal learning networks, and media literacy.

How do notable individuals use social media?

First, a notable individual is viewed as an important figure, and their name might even be a household name. Examples of notable individuals may be prime ministers or presidents, popular content creators, and celebrities. Most of these notable individuals have some social media account, and if they have a social media account, we all most likely follow them. Notable individuals use social media and their mass amounts of followers for self-promotion. For example, successful celebrities use social media to help publicize their brands and keep their names relevant in pop culture. Frequent use of social media helps to keep notable individuals in the eye of the public, ensuring their names are never forgotten.

As many notable individuals do, engaging with a public audience in the media space carries many risks and benefits. The benefits of engaging with the public audience in your media space can be exposure and publicity. Sharing more frequently increases your exposure, giving you more publicity. In turn, more people will come to learn your name and perhaps love your brand. However, risks of engaging with a public audience in a media space can include a difference of opinions among yourself and your viewers and experiencing negative replies and critiques. Having different views among yourself and your viewers can cause negative comments, and experiencing negative responses and reviews about yourself can damage your mental health. Further, experiencing negative replies and critiques can cause you to feel you must reply to these negative critiques. However, addressing comments may not be the best idea when we are in emotionally volatile states.

Here is a collage of some well-known people from around the world!

What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

Being a notable individual, you are most likely in the public eye, which comes with the benefits. Some of the benefits include receiving special treatment, being recognized wherever you might go, being a role model to many individuals worldwide, and having an abundance of new opportunities. Essentially, notable individuals with social media have so many followers that someone will recognize them no matter where they go. Because of this recognition, these people may receive preferential treatment and attention. However, these individuals can use their PLNs and massive platforms for good. Again, a PLN is the network of people we connect with over online media to share opinions, thoughts, and concerns. Having a PLN in the public eye Can help you broadcast important information and spread awareness about topics and issues that are important to you. The more people are aware of these issues you care about, the more people can do something about it! This mass publicity can be life-changing for certain people, organizations, and topics.

Building a community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting. What are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

Often, employers utilize in-house means of communication, which can have its benefits, but also be limiting and restricting. For example, Establishing an in-house communication platform allows all information to be readily available and accessible to its employees. However, these employer-implemented community platforms serve the people inside the company, and all the information shared over this platform is limited to said company. In turn, there is not much room for diversity.

Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources. So how do you build a PLN to rely on?

Building a PLN requires searching for those who deliver information you agree with and using verifiable resources. People who use verifiable resources are typically viewed as reliable. Following their content and information, you can rest assured you will be informed. Your digital identity and reputation reflect who you are as an individual. Constructing your PLN and the people you associate with in a way that reflects your beliefs and values is crucial.

ABC News suggested 5 more ways to spot disinformation on social media.

How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize the risk of sharing misinformation?

Veteran storytellers typically have a lot of followers and subscribers and thus a lot of media coverage. Because so many people are tuning in to what veteran storytellers have to say, these storytellers must share factually accurate information. In the wake of COVID-19 misinformation, UNHCR shared this document of ten tips to minimize the sharing of misinformation via social media. Some suggestions made to reduce the sharing of misinformation follow:

It is important to press pause! Social media moves quickly, and it is essential to take breaks.
Check the source!
Is the message criminal or dehumanizing?
Do you truly understand the material and the issue you are reading about?

Click on this video to watch an awesome crash course on media literacy!

What is media literacy? Why is it important? Why is it dismissed?

Media literacy, simply, is the ability to analyze and understand media messages (Hirst, 2018). Media literacy is crucial because it helps us become wiser consumers of media and responsible producers of our media (Fresno Pacific Staff, 2018). Further, media literacy helps us develop critical thinking skills (Fresno Pacific Staff, 2018). Despite being so crucial, media literacy is often dismissed, but why? As stated by Julie Smith, we tend to be more interested in what we believe than what is actually true (Miller and Smith, 2021). Instead of looking up factually accurate information, we look for information confirming our beliefs. This is known as a confirmation bias.

Further, open dialogue about media literacy and factual information can easily create conflict because of our confirmation biases. Once people confirm their beliefs, it is nearly impossible to change what they believe and show them that the information they have found to verify their beliefs is false. Thus, media literacy is wholly disregarded and dismissed.

Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

Sharing our thoughts and opinions through our PLN will attract people with varied opinions. It is essential to aim for mixed views to consider other arguments and beliefs. We must be cautious and create a factual consensus within our PLN. We want people to trust us and our opinions, and we must use trusted resources and verifiable information.

Further, there are benefits of having a PLN that values media literacy. For example, Creating a PLM that values media literacy will help spread awareness to others that media literacy is an essential skill to understand and assess the messages they are reading on social media.

I hope you all learned something and enjoyed the read 🙂

Amelia

References

Fresno Pacific Staff, (December 17, 2018). Why do today’s students need media literacy more than ever? Fresno Pacific University. https://ce.fresno.edu/news/why-today-s-students-need-media-literacy-more-than-ever/

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263

Miller, J., and Smith, J., (June 6, 2021). Media Literacy. EDCI 338. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0

Designing for Interaction

by ariehl

On June 9, 2022

In edci335, Learning Design

Hi there!

Welcome to my fourth blog post for week five in EDCI 335. We are going to discuss designing for interaction. Our learning pod is creating an interactive learning resource on stress, and I will discuss eustress and distress. I have selected a video that I can see using with my learners, and I want to discuss how I might make it an interactive experience.

From 7:24 to 15:02

How are learners likely to respond to the video on their own?

While watching this video on eustress and distress, there are some ways in which learners will likely respond. Stress is a topic within mental health, and perhaps students might feel the need to write down experiences in which they have felt eustress or distress. In the video, a lot of information is shared with the students, and students may decide to make notes on their own about what is being presented in the video or how they feel about the video. Taking notes about how the students feel while watching the video could serve as an activity that is learner-generated (Bates, 2015). Further, this learner-generated activity reflects the learner-content mode of interaction proposed by Anderson (2003).

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

The video I have chosen has not been designed to be inherently interactive, meaning this video does not push learners to respond (Bates, 2015). However, a teacher would be able to design this video to encourage interaction with learners very quickly (designed interactivity). For example, in the video, there are no pauses or breaks for students to stop and write notes or think about their answers to the questions being asked. Instead, I would design this video to encourage interaction with learners by pausing the video at times when the speaker asks a question. Pausing the video will allow students to think of an answer and share it with the class.

Further, the activity I have chosen to assess students is a compare and contrast chart between the types of stress. Pausing the video during moments where critical information is shown would allow students to take notes about what eustress and distress are. At the end of the video, students will have a compare and contrast chart of eustress vs. distress.

This activity can help develop skills such as listening and notetaking. Students will be asked to listen and take notes of what is being presented for them to create their compare and contrast chart. To do this activity, students would only need paper and a pencil.

How much work for you would that activity cause? Would the work be both manageable and worthwhile? Could the activity be scaled for larger numbers of students?

As I mentioned earlier, designing this video to encourage interaction with learners would be quite easy for teachers. Teachers must watch a video a couple of times before presenting it to students to ensure that the material will be understood easily. While watching this video to vet it for students, teachers could write down at what times the video should be paused for learners to reflect on their answers to the questions and write down notes.

Preparing for this activity would be quite manageable, as the teachers would need to watch the video before presenting it to their students. Further, not only is this activity manageable but watching the video and writing down times at which the video should be paused would be very worthwhile for the student’s understanding and reflection.

The activity of pausing the video to create a compare and contrast chart with the information presented could be easily scaled for a smaller or a larger number of students. Some students are slower at writing than others, but there is no harm in waiting a few extra seconds to resume the video for students to finish what they are writing.

Designing for inclusion is vital! Image: Moore, 2016

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

As we learned last week, designing for inclusion is vital, and there are many potential barriers for learners (Moore, 2016). Some potential barriers for learners that could present themselves during this video are:

Difficulty understanding the speaker’s accent.
Difficulties for learners with English as a second language.

I, like many, have difficulties understanding some accents, which could be a barrier for learners. To ensure inclusive design with the use of this video, I chose a video on Youtube that included:

Subtitles: to be read while listening to the video.
A feature to slow down the video: slowing down the video for learners will allow more time for them to understand what the speaker is saying and write down notes.

Turning on subtitles and slowing down the video will help learners with English as a second language and with difficulties understanding accents, making it slower and more accessible for them to read and understand.

I hope you enjoyed the read!

Amelia

References

Anderson, T. (2003). Getting the mix right again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2), 1–14.

Bates, A., (2015). Teaching in a Digital Age. BC Campus. (2nd e.d.).

Moore, S. (2016, June 22). One Without the Other. Retrieved from https://blogsomemoore.com/2016/06/21/one-without-the-other/