CECS 5510 Week 13

There is not much time left in the session to complete your project, so it is a good time to think about what needs to be done.

What is left to do?

At this point, I am refining my course, looking for any missing items, grammatical mistakes, or broken links. Canvas has a lovely feature though that makes link checking a breeze. In the settings, there is an actual Link Check option, it will run your Canvas course through and check all links you’ve included. It found one missing or broken link in my course which saved me from having to go into my modules and hand click every link I used. This was a huge time saver for me.

What challenges have you faced?

I am still unsure about the best way to share my course with you and others, for example my CECS 580 portfolio. The only export option for the whole course is as an IMCSS file, which is a file type exclusive to Canvas. I was able to save the file as a .zip, but even then end users would not be able to view the course in html or any other common viewer. So I decided to add the join link to the top of my job aid so that anyone who had access to the job aid could view the course as a student.

Will you be able to meet your timeline for completion? Why or why not?

I will be finished in time. My course is built, my job aid is 98% complete, and I am getting ready to create the outline and transcript for my 10 minute video.

Will you be able to implement? Evaluate?

I will not be able to implement the entire course as is. The district decided to focus on GAFE skills for now. We are actually bringing Canvas online for all 9-12 teachers as their LMS platform for the 2016-2017 school year, so my work energies are now focused on being the project manager for this huge task. We are planning on going live with badges for digital learning in the fall as well. Basically my three person team is carrying two massive boulders up a tall hill. The great thing though is that the people who have gone through the GAFE module have loved it and responded well to the requirements and expectations. I have received feedback from end users, and had to tell the Director of Professional Learning and Advanced Academics she had actually not earned her Google Sheets badge because she had imported a sheet of her own rather than following the directions.

CECS: Week 11

By the end of this week, your full initial development must be completed. Were you able to finish according to your timeline? Why or why not?

My course is all published and all components are created and have been added. However, the timeline in the modules has been confusing for me recently. There was confusion on my part of when the 3/4 feedback was due to my group. I also see no where to turn that in…So I feel like I am behind in that I thought I had another week to work on 4/4 and review the 4/4 of my group partner’s course. There is still fine tuning needed for my course. I am certain that items have been overlooked. It is easy to do when you have worked on something for so long.

What technology challenges have you faced? What “people” challenges have you faced? How have you sought to overcome these difficulties? What have you learned about completing a major project within a professional deadline? What will you do differently next time?

I have not faced any technology challenges thus far. I have found Canvas to be user friendly and robust in its options and features. My people challenges have been minimal too. I have received some feedback from users that helped me to make my requirements more specific in some modules and less specific in others. Professional deadlines are extremely important to meet. I have never not met a deadline and I do no plan on starting any time soon! This semester has been challenging, but it has provided me a place to push myself and to grow as a designer and a learner. Moving forward I will look at branching out with online chats and additional apps in Canvas. As far as development, I don’t have a lot of changes in mind currently. I continue to appreciate the peer review process though.

What were your strengths as a designer?
What do you need to improve?

I believe my strength as a designer is my attention to detail. My design documents are generally very thorough. I like to think of my problem as both a teacher and as a student. This helps me consider potential gaps that need to be addressed. I think I need to improve in being willing to move away from my idea of how the course should run. In the end, if I am designing for another facilitator, I have very little control in how they actually implement and present the material that I have designed. Even with a job aid, the person running the course has the final say in what they opt to present. So knowing that at some point, another facilitator might present my course that I have spent 100s of hours creating without following my vision is hard for me to consider.

 

CECS 5510 Week 10

There is not much time left in the session to complete your project, so it is a good time to think about what needs to be done. What is left to do? What challenges have you faced? Will you be able to meet your timeline for completion? Why or why not? Will you be able to implement? Evaluate?

At this point in the course, I have the bases of all my modules created. I still need to refine modules 6 and 7. I feel very strongly about modules 1-4. My biggest challenge is not having a test audience to give me feedback on the actual assignments and process. I used the GAFE module as a practice with the InTAcT members in my district and found that some of my assignments lacked specificity. Though I have received peer feedback, the feedback from learners in the actual use of the module is extremely helpful.

I will meet my timeline as far as the modules themselves go. I need to start looking at my job aide and what all would be included with that. Part of my problem with the job aide, is that I will be the one teaching or facilitating the course. I understand the importance of a well developed job aide though, because I may not always be there to facilitate the course.  I have found the timeline to be more than ample, but I could also see how time gets away from course designers.

As far as implementation, I will not be able to fully implement all 7 modules. I have already implemented Module 3, and will be introducing Modules 1 and 2 shortly. Learner evaluation has been requested, and I am awaiting additional feedback.

 

CECS Week 8

What feedback have you received and what have you done as a result? Why? Given that many standard corporate ID projects last about 3 weeks and this is week 8 of the session, how do you feel about working on a professional timeline?

I wrote a bit about my changes in last week’s blog post. The feedback that I received helped me rethink my 3rd module. All the other modules had hands-on activities. However, module 3 was mostly quiz based. There were still a couple of time when I felt a quiz was still the best way to show mastery, I did adjust some of the others to reflect hands-on learning. I also decided to include the evaluation form for each of my modules rather than lumping them in in pairs, with the exception of modules 1 and 2 because 1 is so short. I am still working on the 2nd half of my course, which consists of modules 5-7.

I have mixed feelings about the 16 week timeline. I know that for this particular class, the 16 week timeline is a good thing. It gives me time to change and reflect upon my design and my implementation. It also gives me the chance to get feedback and revise my vision as needed. However, the “cushion” of having 16 weeks has removed some of the urgency of getting everything done in a timely manner! While I have not missed a deadline, nor do I plan to, this week and going into the week of UNT’s spring break I find myself spending less time than I should on my modules. I even waited until the last day to my blog post. I think a shorter overall timeline is good because it helps you keep your sprint pacing. 16 weeks is definitely not a sprint, so I found myself ahead of where I needed to be at this point so I slowed up. Now I have to find my pace again and get back on track so that I don’t end up falling behind.

I enjoy meeting deadlines. It is one of my personality traits. I also, however, work on things until they are as close to perfect as I can make them. That is another minus to the 16 week timeline. I will continue to go back and look at modules 1-4, which is a good thing up to a certain point. After that, I may end up changing things that do not need to be changed or overthinking my goals.

 

CECS 5200 Experiment 7.2

When looking at the disagreement between the “Big Five” publishers and the ALA over the cost of eBooks both sides raise serious concerns. However, after reading both an Open Letter to Librarians  and the HarperCollins Responds to Library eBook Controversy I find myself coming down on the side of the publishing companies.

The free market and supply and demand can make higher prices a reality for consumers. In this case, the consumer or purchaser is a library, the supplier is the publisher, and the demand is for ebooks. This demand has risen in recent years, ebook readership has especially increased in readers aged 18-29. 47% of readers in this age group have used the ebook format (Desilver, 2014). To meet these demands, libraries increased their ebook catalog from 38.3% in 2007 to 67.2% by 2011 (Gould, 2010). This increase in demand can put publishers in the position to raise prices. This may or may not be fair and ethical depending on your perspective, but it is in keeping with the open market. 

Ebooks have a lower rate of “friction” than print books and for some publishers many of the loan policies are in line with the lifespan of the average book (Vinjamuri, 2012). Friction, in relation to a library book, is everything from not being turned in on time, the general wear and tear condition, the physical requirements of getting the book, and the delay between returning patron and new patron. Publishers argue that ebooks have little to no friction and significantly less than print books (Vinjamuri, 2012). There is no travel time required to check out an ebook, and missed due dates are a problem of the past for ebook readers as the book returns to the library bookshelf at the end of the loan, unless renewed by the patron. The book is also then granted to the bookshelf of the next person on the waitlist if that applies. As far as the lifespan discussion goes, the specific example discussed, Harper Collins, mentions that the 26 lend policy is roughly the equal of a year’s worth of lending a print book. The point is made that many paperbacks don’t live much longer than that time frame, though one opponent to the pricing and lending policy says the lifespan of paperbacks is closer to 40 or 50 lends (Vacarro, 2014 and Vinjamuri, 2012). Even taking these higher numbers for lifespan into account, the lend vs. lifespan argument loses value when when you look at the policies of other publishers. For example, Penguin Random House books have no loan limits and Macmillan titles are available for 52 lends or two years, which is in line with the projected print book life span.

Despite the reasons or feelings of those on both sides of this debate, the overriding argument is that the current copyright law supports the side of the publisher. Ebook consumers are not actually buying the book, rather they are buying a license to the digital content. In terms of print books, libraries have the Copyright Act of 1909 on their side. This says that after the initial purchase, the original copyright owner can not keep the material from being resold or in the case of libraries, loaned. However, since ebooks are not traditionally purchased and are instead licenses, the first-sale terminology of The Copyright Act of 1909 does not hold true (Vacarro, 2014). So while this may seem unfair to libraries who gain much of their catalog from donations and patron support, the current law landscape supports the rights’ of the publishers to charge the libraries for additional licenses or renewal of already purchased licenses.

It is worth mentioning that the overall situation is actually improved from prior to 2011, when many publishers had limited ebooks available or refused to allow libraries to have access to their ebooks at all. Included below is a summary of the “Big Five” policies on libraries and ebooks as of 2015.

• Penguin Random House have their complete list of titles available for ebook loan. All titles are available under perpetual licensing, so no loan limits apply. However, the cost of the ebook is generally three to four times higher than that of the print version (Maier, 2015).
• HarperCollins Publishers has its entire catalog available for ebook loan as well. Their policy has not changed since the issue first arose in 2011, ebooks are available for 26 loans, then the license must be renewed. The price is generally equal to that of a print book or less.
• Macmillan publishing updated its available ebook list in July of 2014 to include more of their catalog. Titles are currently covered for either two years or 52 lends, whichever comes first. The cost of new titles, those less than 12 months old is $60.00 while older books, published over a year ago are available for $40.00 (Maier, 2015).
• Simon & Schuster updated their policy in 2014 as well, allowing libraries to remove a previously required “Buy It Now” option from the ebook listing. All ebooks have a one-year expiration date on licenses and the prices are higher than the average consumer cost per book (Maier, 2015).
• Hachette Book Group has made its full catalog of ebooks available for library use as of 2013. HBC releases new ebooks at the same time as the print version and the cost covers an unlimited number of single user circulations. However, HBG has no set prices, though the price is generally three times higher than the hardcover print price (Maier, 2015).

 

 

References:

Boog, J. (2011, March 2). HarperCollins responds to library eBook controversy. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/harpercollins-responds-to-library-ebook-controversy/25439?red=as

Desilver, D. (2014, January 21). Overall book readership stable, but ebooks becoming more popular. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/21/overall-book-readership-stable-but-e-books-becoming-more-popular/

Gould, M. (Ed.). (2012). State of America’s libraries report 2012 (Rep.). Retrieved http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2012/new focus-on-ebooks

Maier, R. C. (2015, April). Big Five publishers and library lending [PDF]. American Libraries Magazine.

Marwell, J. (2011, March 1). Open letter to librarians. Retrieved from http://harperlibrary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/03/open-letter-to-librarians.html

Vaccaro, A. (2014, June 27). Why it’s difficult for your library to lend ebooks.Boston.com. Retrieved http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/06/27/why-difficult-for-your-library-stock-ebooks/rrl464TPxDaYmDnJewOmzH/story.html

Vinjamuri, D. (2012, December 11). The wrong war over ebooks: Publishers vs. libraries. Forbes. Retrieved http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/12/11/the-wrong-war-over-ebooks-publishers-vs-libraries/2/#74b065d11abc

CECS 5510 Week 7

You have completed a rough version of ½ of your full course now. Have you had to make revisions to your design based on the structure of the LMS? How well is the design model working for you?

I actually found that the structure of Canvas worked well for my original design document. Each of my modules had discussion assignments, hands-on assignments, tutorial materials, and assessments. The Canvas LMS has options that support each of these components. PDFs embed nicely, videos can be imported or linked from Youtube. The quiz feature has options for multiple choice, open response, true false, matching, and more. The ability to add images is a nice option, as is the chance to edit the html directly if you are brave enough to do so.

However, with all that said, I am going to adjust one of my modules based upon the feedback that I received from my peer reviewer. She mentioned that most of my modules are activity based, and follow a similar format. Read an article, research an article, practice the learning, reflect on the learning. Module 3, the Google Apps for Education module, is more compliance based. While this is actually part of the design, I appreciate her feedback that I could instead assess their understanding and mastery with hands-on tasks rather than a quiz. So I am going to adjust the assignments for Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Chrome. The quizzes have activities within them, but I will pull those out and make them more robust and more in line with the idea of applying knowledge rather than just passing a quiz. I am keeping the iPad Basics quiz as it is compliance based per district standard.

I mentioned in last week’s post that I have really enjoyed working in Canvas. My district is actually in line for the paid version from Region 11 and I expect it to be ready when we return from Spring Break. I am also going to be offering a face to face professional learning session on Canvas for our 1:1 teachers during my district’s Summer Learning Summit. I have been very impressed by what Canvas offers as a Learning Management System.

My overall design approach has worked well for me. With the exception of the few quizzes that I am moving over to hands-on activities, my original design document has changed very little. I think my original plan and the way I went about my design process served me well for this project. I am also fortunate that this project and the requirements are in line with what I like to do and what I do in my job. I am always looking for ways to improve my instructional design and the implementation of design. I have enjoyed this process and the chance to have others look at my work and give me constructive feedback to help me grow and improve.

CECS 5510 Week 6

You have begun putting together your full course. What has gone well? What has challenged you? What feedback have you received? What feedback have you given? What have you learned from the process of developing instruction in an LMS?

I have enjoyed working in Canvas. My favorite part of this course and the design process is that it 100% a case of my degree and my real-world job meeting. When I came back to work in January, the team I work on sat down and decided we had to change our approach to professional development. This fell right in line with the goal of this course, or what I see as one of the goals of this course–to move our understanding instructional design and learning forward. So I have actually been working on this course times two simultaneously. For reasons of time and scope, the full 40-45 hours that I developed for this course won’t be rolled out for real-world testing until later this semester, over the summer, or early next fall. However, we did share out the Google Apps for Education Module with the InTAcT members on Thursday and Friday of this week. I feel incredibly excited about this comprehensive professional learning plan. It has become my work/school baby and admittedly I have to remind myself that feedback isn’t personal! I have the lead on this project at work, and as such I have to take the feedback I receive in a gracious manner, even if it doesn’t match my vision. This is my same perspective on peer feedback that I receive here.

In my UNT course, the GAFE module is actually my 3rd module overall, but I was glad to have that extra push from work, as it has left me in a good position going into the second 1/4 of my UNT course. I have modules 1-3 ready for peer review, but I have only asked for review on modules 1-2 at this point. Dan Baxter, who is in my peer review group, and I looked over each other’s modules this weekend and gave some beginning feedback. Dan had one module that he had published, but I looked at both module 1 and module 2 and gave him some thoughts on what he did have finished. His plan is very different than mine, which makes it interesting to read through. I have given him feedback on the length and breadth of his assignments as well as grammatical issues and clarity concerns. In return, Dan provided me with some clarifying points that I could change or add to make my syllabus more clear and to make my activity requirements more clear.

I have learned that I very much like Canvas. At the start of this year our teachers were given the choice between three different learning management platforms: Edmodo, Google Classroom, and Canvas. I knew that I was past using Edmodo, but I wasn’t sold on Canvas. I can now say that I would recommend Canvas to any of the teachers with whom I work. I also feel confident that I could support them as they create courses and modules for their students in Canvas.

CECS 5510 Week 4

The model that I selected for the purpose of this assignment was that of Backward Design. The term “backward design” as it relates to modern curriculum design is built from the theory work of Tyler from the 1940’s, which had a heavy reliance on behavioral objectives and curriculum development that began with objectives. The work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe encourages curriculum design to begin with objectives while also recognizing diversity and the human experience (Boozer, 2014). The Backward Design model asks designers to be familiar with the required standards and the anticipated outcomes and using assessments that are appropriate to supporting those standards and objectives. In this sense, the assessment is designed prior to the lessons, activities, and instruction. Goals and objectives are also open-ended and designed to lead the learner to the desired outcome.

Backwards Design consists of three stages (Boozer, 2014)–

• Stage 1: Identify the desired results.
• Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence.
• Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction.

Stage one is focused on the end result and being able to answer the question what should my students know/be able to do by the end of this unit? Stage two looks at answering the “how” for stage one. How will I know if my students know it/understood it/reached the end result that I expected? Stage three is where the instructional development happens. The goal question to be answered here is how will the instruction/lessons lead to the results I want?

Additionally, the Backwards Design framework allows for flexibility as the design asks designers to differentiate between three levels of knowledge. Those levels are “worth being familiar with,” “important to know and be able to do,” and “big ideas and core tasks” (Graff, 2011). The Backwards Design model differs from traditional instructional or curricular design where the designer begins with asking themselves what do I want to teach (Graff, 2011).

The design model that I have done the most reading about is the ADDIE Model. The ADDIE Model is a five stage cycle model. The ADDIE Model starts with the educational need while the Backwards Design model begins with the goal outcome in mind.   The ADDIE model is aimed more at the facilitator, developed with the facilitator in mind (Piskurich, 2015).

I could see myself using the Backwards Design model. I think in some ways it is more user friendly than the ADDIE model and potentially more client friendly.For example, as I work with my team to develop and design our plan for professional digital learning in our district, we are working backwards. We started with what we want our learners, in this case adult teachers, to know and then begin discussing how we could create assessments that would let the learners show what they know. After talking about and answering those two questions we moved into the actual design component of our plan.

An ID model is about the design of the unit, module, course, or lesson. A learning theory is a component of that design, but it is not the process of how you design. You should take your client’s learning philosophy in mind when designing, but the design itself comes through the ID model that you work through.

References:

Boozer, A. (2014). Planning backwards to go forward: Examining pre-service teachers’ use of backward design to plan and deliver instruction (Order No. 3618183). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1529499010).

Graff, N. (2011). “An effective and agonizing way to learn”: Backwards design and new teachers’ preparation for planning curriculum. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(3), 151-168

Piskurich, G. M. (2015). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (3rd ed.). Wiley.

 

5200 Experiment 4

For the purpose of this experiment, I looked at Learning Management Systems as they relate to blended learning, online learning, and professional learning. There are multiple platforms for schools to evaluate when looking for the right Learning Management System (LMS). Some of the most popular LMS platforms are Edmodo, Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, and Canvas (formerly Instructure). There are many factors schools should consider when deciding which LMS to use: cost, features, audience (Pappas, 2015). I have experience with Edmodo, Google Classroom, Canvas, and Blackboard.

My experience as a learner is with Blackboard. So I am less familiar with the ins and out of the backend of this platform. I like that the entire semester is available on day one, for the most part. This allows me the freedom to work ahead when I have time.  It also means I can go back and review prior readings as needed. I like the discussion board features in Blackboard as well. As a teacher, my students used Google Classroom and Edmodo. I work in a GAFE district so Google Classroom was a natural fit for my students. Now, I am exploring Canvas as a designer of professional development courses for teachers in my district. I am also looking at how to provide professional training on using a LMS in a blended classroom in grades 3-12.

One reason that a LMS is a good option for adult learners is that it can be self-paced. This allows learners to work when they have time without fear of missing a firm deadline. Depending on the design, a LMS allows for flexibility in course order as well (Thanekar, 2013). From a professional development standpoint, a LMS is a way to streamline training and centralize resources. Teachers are able to go back and view modules and tutorials on different professional learning requirements. Additionally, having adult learners use an LMS models and reinforces the blended learning options that many 1:1 districts are encouraging.  

Moving forward, a strong Learning Management System will have to evolve to support and meet the needs of both the learners and instructors. To do this, platforms will need to be more open, personal, social, flexible, and provide analysis and mobile support (Stone & Zheng, 2014). Expected future trends will address how individuals learn and new options for delivery and assessment. It is likely that there will be an increased social aspect to Learning Management Systems (Stone & Zheng, 2014).
References:

Pappas, C. (2015, April 11). How to choose the best learning management system. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/how-to-choose-the-best-learning-management-system

Stone, D. E., & Zheng, G. (2014). Learning Management Systems in a changing environment. In Handbook of research on education and technology in a changing society. IGI Global.

Thanekar, P. (2013, April 30). 10 advantages of leveraging LMS for blended learning. Retrieved from https://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2013/04/30/10-advantages-of-leveraging-lms-for-blended-learning/

 

CECS 5200 Experiment 3

I was familiar with all of the terms except social bookmarking. I have heard of Diigo, which is a social bookmarking site, but I have not personally used it and did not realize that it fell under this category. My experience with RSS feeds is directly related to blogs that I follow, but I have not used one first hand. Social media, media sharing, and blogs and microblogs are the concepts from this experiment that I am most familiar with on a consumer and creator basis.

 

On a personal level, I am an avid user of Facebook. I admittedly check Facebook numerous times a day. (In fact, while working on this assignment, I stopped and checked Facebook!) Overall, I feel positively about my experience on Facebook, though I can admit that I do sometimes find myself comparing myself to the lives of others. One of the important things for us all to remember, and this includes having conversations with our students, is that what you see on social media may not represent the whole truth of the situation.

 

At the professional level, I have used blogging in my classroom and I have a Twitter account that I use as a PLN. In the classroom my students responded very favorably to blogging. They became excited when they had comments, and stepped up their writing when they didn’t. Blogging opened up communication between kids who normally wouldn’t speak to each other during class. However, I have also seen the ugly side of Twitter with students. Cyberbullying and inappropriate pictures are two of the biggest negatives that I have observed. This is why I think it is so important for social media awareness to happen both at home and at school.