Collaborative Training Environment

Sherry Rooks Week 3 App

Collaborative Training Environment

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

Designing asynchronous learning for multiple locations within an organization can be at best challenging. This week we learned in our text, Teaching and Learning at a Distance, that the instructional environment should be viewed as a system, a relationship among all the components of that system—the instructor, the learners, the material, and the technology“ (Simonson,Smaldino,Albright,Zvacek). Keeping that in mind with regard to our Collaborative Training Environment this week, the two suggested technologies would be either a Wiki using PBWorks.com or Office 365. Both of these tools would fit the required criteria of needing to be able to be asynchronous, for the staff members to share information via captions and documents as well as participate in ongoing collaboration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DdD2Pdu48 

In office 365 one is given several very useful tools. The sharing of files and having the ability to edit them from almost anywhere would fit this scenario perfectly. Another aspect of Office 365 is also the communications tools. The communications that can be used are audio, visual or instant messaging, for instant connection and online meetings. Office 365 also allows for the sharing of a calendar for the entire team online. However, Office 365 does not allow for tracking of usage by the team members. And it is for that reason that a Wiki being used may be more advantageous. It is for that reason that a Wiki is recommended for this project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xirlvOBn59s

A Wiki by definition is a collaborative website that can be edited by anyone who has access to it. This in itself sounds very simplistic, perhaps too simplistic for the need that we have here. However, the truth is, it is exactly what is needed here. For this particular project, it is recommended that PBWorks.com be used. PBWorks.com has powerful abilities to share documents, videos, and captions, but also allows for users to be able to work in an asynchronous manner. However, an important component that this Wiki has that would be preferred over Office 365 is the ability to track the usage of the other team members and the work that they do. Training is only effective if it is done. If the training is not ever completed, it will not be able to be put into use. One of the pitfalls of online learning can be ensuring that the work is actually being completed. PBWorks.com offers a feature that allows the administrator to track and keep record of the users activity. And it is for this reason, this instructional designer recommends PBWorks.com for this project.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/online-software.aspx

http://pbworks.com/

Distance Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment - Week 1

Sherry Rooks

EDUC – 6135 Distance Learning

Walden University

Instructor: Dr. Celeste Fenton

 

Prior Thought of Distance Education

The term Distance Learning is a term that is relative to one’s own personal definition, past experiences, present education or training, and their vision of the future with regard to distance learning. As for me, the term distance learning has been just that…learning at a distance.

My very first experience in distance learning was to take a few professional development courses many years ago. For these courses you could sign up and pay online, however, your materials were mailed to you. Once you had completed the course you then were required to mail back in your materials for grading. A more recent experience was with a well-known college, Oral Roberts University. In the year 2006 I took and completed several courses via their distance learning program. However, these courses were based on exactly the same format as my previous experience in distance learning. I was mailed the materials and was required to mail back to the college my assignments as I completed them. The only true difference was in the taking of my final exam. In each course a final exam was required and had to have a proxy to be given at the local college. Soon after that I enrolled at Ashford University’s online school. The classes at Ashford were much more of a true online course in that there were discussion postings that were required to be completed on a weekly basis. The purpose of these was to take the place of the classroom in a virtual manner. However my time at Ashford did not even begin to prepare me for my time here at Walden University.

At Walden my first experience with a class was the required course Walden Student Readiness Orientation. This course was designed specifically to ensure new students knew what to do prior to starting class. It has proven to be very effective in preparing me for my time here at Walden and has shown me that not all colleges are the same when it comes to distance education.

Definition of Distance Education

According to our text book, Teaching and Learning at a Distance, Distance Education is defined in chapter one as: “institution based formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors”.(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek) That definition is certainly a mouthful. In a more simplistic manner of saying things..The definition of Distance Education , also according to our text can be broken down into four categories: 1) Institutionally based 2) Separation of teacher and student 3) Interactive telecommunications and 4)The sharing of learning experiences by using data, video, and voice to share with. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek) Taking each of these items on a one by one basis we can get a deeper understanding of what distance education actually is. The first criterion is for the learning to be institutionally based. If it is not based on a  formal institution of learning, then it does not meet the needed criteria for Distance Education. The second criteria is for the separation of teacher and student to be in effect. This means that the teacher is in one geographical area and the student is in another. The separation of the teacher and student could be within the city at different locations or up to an even including being within different countries. The use of interactive communications systems has been drastically changed in recent years. Its original intent was to be the transfer of information over telephone wires. Now, it also encompasses the transmitting of information via computers as well as other modes with the new wireless revolution. The sharing of learning experiences is one of the most well-known aspects of distance learning at present. It is the use of sharing learning through numerous different means. Today, distance learning utilizes videos, web 2.0 tools, as well as data and voice tools to teach or learn with.

Personal Definition of Distance Education

My personal definition of Distance Education has changed considerably throughout this week. After reflecting over this past week, I believe what I have crafted in the following Mind Map shows what I perceive the definition of Distance Education to be:

            “Provided by formal institutions, it is learning and or training that is delivered in an asynchronous manner and is delivered by means of the internet without regard to the geographic or time constraints of those teaching or being taught”

 

 

 

 

References:

 Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Reflection

 Reflecting on Learning Theories and Instruction

“I have a Master’s in Education, what in the world am I going to learn in a class on Learning Theories and Instruction?” That was my pompous thought process as I saw the next course I was to take here at Walden. It did not take long for me to eat my words so to speak.  As I reflect on the course Learning Theories and Instruction I can see that I have gained a deeper understanding of how of my own personal learning process operates, the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation, as well as how this knowledge will be implemented in my future position as an instructional designer.

In my previous degree I learned quite a bit on differentiated Instruction.  Truth of the matter is the degree could have been called a Master’s in Education in Differentiated Instruction.  There was so very much I did learn, but now I see there is also so very much I had left to learn. In this course the creating of a Mind Map was very revealing to me. I have been aware for a while that I was a visual learner, but then to see how my learning has evolved with the use of technology was quite a different matter.

Going into this course I was a bit more interested in the constructivist theory of learning. At present I am the First Vice Chair of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Student Unit. The discipline of Family and Consumer Sciences has been found by research to be best taught and learned in the Constructivist theory. It is for this reason that I was interested to see how this theory of learning leant itself to online learning. Certainly the intense project we had to complete of the Learning Matrix not only showed me the Constructivist, but all others as well. I was very surprised at the difficulty I had in mulling my way through that assignment. One would have thought with my prior degree that this assignment would have been a relative easy assignment. However, I found it to be quite taxing at times as it challenged me in ways of understanding that I had yet to explore. Thanks to that assignment I now believe I have a complete understanding of the learning theories and how they relate to the various aspects of designing instruction.

At present I work with the “at-risk” youth of my community. I only work with about 12 or so at a time. With these youth 12 is plenty at any one time. One of the questions that has plagued me is how to motivate these students. I generally have taken away all of the “excuses” for these students in the learning environment I have provided for them. However, motivating them to want to learn has been another issue altogether. Dr. Ormrod’s talk on motivation really helped me to learn how to help these students want to learn. I have since applied what I have learned to two of my most unwilling students. I am happy to report these two young men actually sit, and truly do their work now.

There has been so much in this course that I know I will be using in my future as an instructional designer. It is my hope to bring the Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum into the technology era by incorporating online instruction into the classroom of idle and high schools across the country. Then, this important discipline will be brought back to life within the schools. So, as I reflect on the course Learning Theories and Instruction I can see that I have gained a deeper understanding of how of my own personal learning process operates, the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation, as well as how this knowledge will be implemented in my future position as an instructional designer.

References

Ormond, J. (2009). Theory of Social Cognitive Development, [Video Presentation], Laureate Education.

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Reflecting on My Personal Learning

• Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?

Before completing this matrix of learning styles I really had no idea the various aspects that went into the human mind learning.  Having taken prior courses on learning and the brain I was aware of the mechanics of learning. However, this matrix showed me the maturation of learning in our society. Now, I can see that as one who fancies themselves a visual learner, I am  really a learner that applies the Connectivist Theory of learning in my life. This is actually quite an accomplishment in that I am an adult learner. As such I have had to get used to using technology, which has not always been easy!

• What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

I now see that I a true Connectivist. This is to me humorist because it was not all that long ago that I did not even know how to turn a computer on, let alone operate it. I can still remember writing my weekly articles on a word processor that looked like a typewriter. And at that time that was the current technology. I can honestly say that if it was not for my teenage daughters I would not be nearly as up to date on technology as I am. Well, them and the necessity of going back to school.

• What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

What doesn’t it do with my learning would be more like it. When I say I  am a true Connectivist, I am sincere. As I sit down to complete my studies, I have to make myself read the book. I find I very easily connect to the internet to learn what I want to know. I have to be careful, because I must still read the book as well.

In my readings and such as I am learning, when I do not understand something I instinctively reach for the search bar of the internet. If I need to know what something looks like I search for an image, if I need a sample, I search that as well. The internet is an amazing place to get that quick fix of information.

Please take a moment and enjoy this video by the founder of Connectivism-George Sieens!

Connectivism's Reflection

I started off this week as I usually do reviewing the various things that I would be required to do for my assignments. Then I saw it, Mind mapping. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that on this week’s assignment tab. How was I going to complete something that I had no idea what it was or what it looked like? In reflecting upon this week’s assignment of creating a mind map of our personal learning network I gained a new understanding for how my network has changed my learning, digital tools that I use, why I do what I do when I have a question, and how my personal network truly does show the connectivism theory of learning.

So, above you see what I ended up creating this week. I truly learned a great deal about my learning doing this assignment. I am what we learned in our studies this week and as Marc Prensky would call it a “digital immigrant".  A digital immigrant is one that was born prior to 1970 (I was born in 1961) and who has had to learn to use technology to survive in the business world. (laureate-media.com) I would certainly say that describes me. I still remember years ago going to the library and the one computer they had pulling up one long page of listings when I did a search on the search engine. We learned in our video this week that George Siemens defines the learning theory connectivism as a learning theory that integrates technology, social networks, and information. And as we can see from above, that certainly describes the way my personal network works. Gone are the days of not so old that I sat for hours reading books to try to understand the information presented—now I just use the World Wide Web.

Digital tools are like a new toy to me. This week while I was exploring the web to understand what mind mapping, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 resources were I ran across some wonderful new toys such as animate.com. It seems like there is a never ending supply of new things to discover with regard to digital tools. To have a favorite, would be hard to say. However, one thing is for certain, I would not want to have to do without the Internet!

After I settled down a minute from reading the instructions for a mind map, I did what I always do when I have a question—I went to the Internet and used the Yahoo search engine to pull up photos first, (I am a visual learner) and then reliable resources that would describe what a mind map is. From there, I began evaluating various software to use for creating a mind map. I found a wonderful easy program called Mind Genius.

In retrospect, I can truly say that my style of learning truly depicts the new theory of learning, connectivism. I am a graduate student in a course about how to design instruction with technology, learning online, searching for answers to problems or info I need online, and interacting with friends, family, classmates and fellow colleagues via online! Yes, I would say my personal learning network truly depicts connectivism!

 Here is a short video for you to enjoy from George Siemens. Hope you enjoy!

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6115/01/mm/tec_timeline.html

Connectivism

The Brain & Learning

The brain and learning, information processing theory, and problem-solving methods during the learning process.

Greetings and welcome back to my blog. This week we are taking a look at the brain and learning. At first thought one may think why? Why would I want to investigate the brain and how it learns to become an instructional designer? But then think about it a minute. How could one not study the brain and how it relates to learning to be able to create effective learning programs? In the society we live in now things are changing minute by minute. The technology that is current now, will be obsolete very soon. One needs a way to have a cutting edge in the field of Instructional Design if one hopes to be around for long, let alone be effective. The cutting edge I have found this week…is to become aware of and understand how the brain relates to learning.

This week we read in the book “Learning Theories & Instruction” (Laureate) chapter 2-Learning and the Brain and discovered the basic building blocks of the brain, its structure and functions.  Of all that I read I would say what stood out to me most was the knowledge of the Limbic System. The Limbic System houses two distinct area of the brain-1) the Hippocampus & 2) the Amygdala.

Do you see something that could be potentially fatal for designing a learning program with the way the brain operates? Within the same department if you will of the brain houses both that which is needed for attention AND that which produces fear and anxiety! A good lesson to learn here is to make certain that your programs are user friendly. Otherwise, they will become quickly unusable by those that are asking you to design, which means your effectiveness, will be null and void.

Now, let’s take a look at research I have done regarding the brain and learning this week. I have located two online articles or journals to investigate to see what else we may be able to glean from this subject

Article One:  Brain and Learning Research: Implications for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners

Journal article by Fara E. Green; Education, Vol. 119, 1999

Regarding brain structure please read the following quote from this article:

”Dramatic developments in brain research and imaging technology are rapidly advancing our conceptualization of the human brain. Sylwester (1993, 1994) discloses how modern studies of brain structure show incredible complexity of approximately 100 billion neurons, each connected to thousands of other neurons and forming more connections than there are atoms in the entire universe. Describing the brain as modular, Sylwester explains how a few standard nonthinking components combine information to form a complex cognitive environment. The brain is powerfully shaped by genetics, development, and experience while actively shaping the nature of our experiences and culture in which we live.

Current brain studies underscore the important role adults play in facilitating an early stimulating environment for children. Calling for classrooms that are closely related to real-world environments, Sylwester believes curricula must include many sensory, cultural, and problem layers that stimulate the brain's neural networks.”

From this article we can see that it also shows what we were learning this week about the importance of  a stimulating environment for the children as well as having classrooms closely related to the real world experience’s-this of course works well with the Constructivist approach we learned about last week.

Article Two:  Accelerated learning in practice: brain-based methods for accelerating  learning

By Alistair Smith                                                                                                    

I was so excited to find this book online. This book is specifically about basing your learning on the brain-thus the name Brain Based Learning! It truly seems that this book is a must read for learning more about learning. It certanly makes the case for needing to understand the brain and how it fucntions to be able to effectively design instruction.

Wow, we have covered a lot this week! I am finding each week to be a little more fascinating than the week before.  Check out the Principles of Brain Based Learning above.

Well, until next week enjoy this little video about the Limbic System.