Tuesday, 5 March 2013

engaging online learners



Engaging Online Learners

Online Learning has lead Open and Distance Learning Institutions to greater height in term of educational researches. Much research efforts have been emphasised on engaging online learners. The truth is engaging learners is not a new instructional approach (Conrad and Donaldson, 2004). Collaboration acquisition of knowledge is one key successes of creating an online environment. And although interaction can be analysed through various learning theories, constructivism is often seen central to learning and addresses epistemology within the context of the individual and within the social construct. The key assumptions in individual constructivism are elaborated by Smith and Ragan (1999).
In the recommended book below, the authors walk us through the phases.

  • Phase one is “Connect”. Connect with the people in the learning environment.

  • Phase two is “Communicate”. Expand the conversation from social to academic.

  • Phase three is “Collaboration and Cooperation”. Now the learners are in one phase together.

  • Phase four is “Co-Management and Co-Leadership”. We’re all in this together, learner ownership.

Connect and Communicate
A leaner’s aspiration:

Figure 1                                                                                                      Figure 2
 Figure 3
 
Figure 4                                                                                        Figure 5






http://www.owlcreek.net/images/websites_aitc.jpg
ATTRACTIVE WEBSITES

2. VIDEOS



The Top 10 Ways to Engage Online Learners



 Engaging Students

 

10 Web 2.0 Strategies for Engaging Learner



Tutor's Video



3. INTERESTING CONTENTS




Introduction – eLearning Professionals (Click here)


4. INTERACTIVITY

Take the poll: What do you think of online learning?

Submit a CODE to http://PollEv.com - Click the figure below to participate in the poll (Do remember your choice of code!)




 Take the quiz: Are you ready for Online Learning?

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Additional elements in Mind Map Exercise 3.3

Mind map
After reading the article, Neal M, and Morgan .,J (2012)  " The Professionalization of Everyone ? A Comparative Study of the Development  of the Professions in the United Kingdom and Germany",
European Sociological Review  , Vol. 16, No.1 , 9-26

I have added the variables of

1. Evolution of the E-learning professional

2. Spins off from the above to include- history, university qualifications, continous professional development, vocational,  government intervention , top down or bottom up approach .

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Mind Map Activity 3.3

Mind Map of What makes a E-learning Professional 


What is notable from my readings of what makes an E-learning professional is that

1. Regular Employment that a person derives from doing a practice , and that a professional usually belongs to an association or bodies of persons who practices the same .

2. E-learning professionals depends on the definitions of what is a E-learning professional

3.  Stakeholders are involved .

4. Quality is synonymous with being a professional.

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Supplementary Activity 3.2





·

Zorah -PDP needs analysis grid- Technology Related Skills


How do you rate your own:


Technology related skills
Yourself compared with other lecturers in the Faculty of Business and Management
Comment
Complete novice
Below average
Average
Above average
Expert
1
Web searching skills



/

Do this for research work
2
Awareness of portals and electronic journals


/


Use electronic journals for research
3
Experience of audio and visual facilities of the web; Netmeeting, Skype, digital photos , webcasting, podcasting


/


Experience only podcast, iLectures, Skype
4
Ease wit communicating without ever meeting face to face


/


Have to supervise postgrad students face to face
5
Ability to master new software and new applications,, and to quickly identify the benefits for any particular context

/




6
Interest and enthusiasm for pursuing serendipitous discoveries on the web


/


Time constraint
7
Ability to cope with large amounts of information and discern what is essential – in short to find the nuggets among the dross



/

Yes
8
Online communication skills ability to give sensitive feedback and critical comments on students work


/


I do try to be encouraging with students in E-forums
9
Understanding of online course design :how to write online teaching material, how to design online activities, how to transform teaching or training material for online environment

/



This needs improvement but have tried Moodles system in online teaching
10.
Skills in developing online community: what works and what doesn’t; providing focus, animating online groups, developing collaborative activities

/



Need to improve on this
11.
Awareness of existing research on e-learning, online communities , online training

/



ditto
12.


Knowledge of the debate about learning objects; repositories, metadata, IMS standards
/




None
13.
Understanding of the processes for making online material accessible to people with disabilities
/

/


None
14.
Awareness of Open Content developments ; leaders, take-up, rationale and awareness of the Open Source movement

/



Some awareness of Open Sources movement
15.
Experience of various e-learning platforms : different facilities offered by the major contenders
/




None
16.
Understanding of the issues surrounding plagiarism and methods of prevention including assignment design and software detection


/


Yes have some understanding
17.
Understanding of digital copyright issues: what is allowable and what is not; how to obtain copyright clearance.


/


ditto
18.
Awareness of games and gaming in the online context; what skills are developed through playing online games ?


/


ditto
19.
Understanding of bandwidth and knowledge of the benefits of broadband for e-learning


/


Some understanding, yes
20.
Awareness f different models of elearning; distributed learning . blended learning , online learning


/


Aware of blended learning because this is what is practiced in my university