There were several anatomies that fit within my practice, especially the Curator, Collaborator and the Experimenter. I chose to work on the Curator and attempted a social experiment for the Collaborator (more on that towards the end of this post).
To delve deeper into this topic I will explain how I incorporated the critical challenge question “how to create a sense of belonging in a digital environment” into the EXTEND Curator badge https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/Curator-Module-2021.pdf activities. To begin with, I reviewed the Creative Commons licenses explained in this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvJGV6YF6Y. Understanding Creative Commons is essential for my work as a contractor. I quite often am researching images or videos to imbed into curriculum through Creative Commons sources. Creative Commons uses license elements, to learn more about them go to https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/, or if you want to search for a product go to search.creativecommons.org. The image that I selected was for Facebook and Twitter. It is licensed CC BY-SA which included the following elements: BY – Credit must be given to the creator SA – Adaptations must be shared under the same terms To view the image click on this link "arsp_050" by theanthonyryan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Next, I looked at locating three Open Educational Resources. The ones that I selected were through Vancouver Island University’s library by narrowing my search criteria to adult learners, social connection, and Open Access items only. The documents that I found are:
I applied the following CRAAP criteria to this the first article, Nontraditional Adult Learners: The Neglected Diversity in Postsecondary Education. Currency: The timeliness of the information: The article was published online on March 6, 2017, and the initial publication was January 1, 2017. It has not been revised or updated. The topic that I wanted to research initially was during the pandemic from 2020-to date, however it is extremely hard to find relevant information from an open educational resource that fits this criterion. So, this article from 2017 is current enough. The links to the article are fully functional, and a downloadable pdf is available. Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs The article does relate to my needs particularly because it focuses on non-traditional adult learners NAL) and the challenges that they (we) face when attending courses in post-secondary institutions. The intended audience is post-secondary academic institutions and program planners. It is written at a level, with enough data to affect policy changes. I understood it very well and could see how it could form some changes within program planning such as incorporation of prior learning assessment (PLA) into programs. Authority: The source of the information The creator of the article is Joseph. C. Chan, an assistant professor at DePaul University’s School for New Learning, a competence-based, individualized degree-completion program for adult learners. Joseph Chen is a licensed clinical psychologist, Associate Professor, and Director of Student Support Services at SCPS. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Wheaton College and completed his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. His clinical experience includes community mental health, juvenile corrections, and university counseling centers. His research interests include: the impact of culture on perceptions/behavior, the change process, health and wellbeing, and the influence of groups/community/systems on worldview development. Accuracy: The reliability and truthfulness of the information The information in the paper is supported by lots of good evidence. As an adult educator, I was pleased to see references to Malcolm Knowles, an adult education practitioner whom I have studied. Knowles is credited for explaining the difference between pedagogy, or the science and art of teaching children, to andragogy, the science and art of teaching adults. This article in Sage Open has had 25,626 view and downloads, Cross referenced 22 times, cited in the Web of Science 12 times. However, if you search for it under Google Scholar it shows that it has been cited 108 times. This article has been peer reviewed, in fact, Safe Open posts this on their website “peer-reviewed, "Gold" open access journal from SAGE that publishes original research and review articles in an interactive, open access format. Articles may span the full spectrum of the social and behavioral sciences and the humanities.” https://journals.sagepub.com/home/sgo The article was error free and grammatically correct. Purpose: The reason the information exists I believe that the author wrote this article to affect change in post-secondary institutions, especially around course delivery, implementing prior learning, creation of adult friendly campuses, and changing mindsets of academic institutions to understand that non-traditional learners are a huge market for post-secondary institutions. I believe that the information is based on facts, demographic trends and research and is not just opinion and/or propaganda. There is an undertone of personal bias in the article but not one that makes it unreadable or not credible. Through the EXTEND Curator badge activity I can honestly say that I have a much better understanding of how-to curate information that is valid, current, open sourced, and licensed. This information will be important for my studies at VIU and through my professional practice. Ok, here’s the other thing that I did. I conducted a social experiment, thinking that it would fit well with the Collaborator badge https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/Collaborator-Module-2021.pdf. I already had a Twitter account, so I reached out through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to various professional organizations that I am involved with, and informally through my social network. I posted this question “What digital tools do you use in your educational programs for adult learners to create a sense of community (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.?)? Your contribution is greatly appreciated! “ with these hashtags: #extend #adultlearners #VIU #oltd502 #Curator. Here is a summary of what I received back from the posts: Twitter: I posted the tweet to the International Association of Emergency Managers, Canadian Council @IAEMCdnCouncil and to the International Association of Facilitators @IAFacilitators. 337 people saw the tweet, with 6 engagements. I did not receive any replies, but my tweet was forwarded by IAF to two different chapters. LinkedIn: I received 241 views of my post and the following comments: “For the most part in this virtual environment, I have been using Zoom and MS Teams in combination with MS One Note as the foundational instrutional platforms. For less formal matters, Whats app has proven to be of great value to keep the teams communicating outside of the virtual classroom.” “When working online, I use a combo of Nearpod and Collaborate Ultra to deliver Tutorial material and encourage small group work (mostly case based learning). Also highly supportive of our student's Facebook pages for the program. Finally, use SMS and other means of contact to connect w them while they are on placement. Hope that helps.”. Facebook (FB): There were 12 replies on my private FB page, none from the Victoria Facilitator’s Network. People replied that they use Zoom (the professional package with higher security levels), email, private FB groups, FB messenger, Facetime, Slack, MS Teams, WhatsApp, Google docs, and Twitter. The experiment was somewhat successful, but it did not increase my network at all. It helped validate the tools that I was thinking that I would use in the future for social connectedness and to develop a sense of belonging. References: Chen, J. C. (2017). Nontraditional Adult Learners: The Neglected Diversity in Postsecondary Education. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017697161 Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds : Learning and Social Media. AU Press. https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.viu.ca/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzg2MTMwNF9fQU41?sid=9bc398c1-5bb6-48e3-b04f-f1cb3decf5ca@sessionmgr4007&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1https://web-a-ebscohostom.ezproxy.viu.ca/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzg2MTMwNF9fQU41?sid=9bc398c1-5bb6-48e3-b04f-f1cb3decf5ca@sessionmgr4007&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1. Lee, B. (2013). Social Media as an Informal Learning Platform: Case Study on Adult Learning at SIM University, Singapore, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 93, 2013, Pages 1158-1161, ISSN 1877-0428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.007.
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In reading the Shifting Perceptions, Changing Practice: Ontario Extend research report, the first thing that caught my attention was the difference between professional learning and professional development. I have been involved in adult education for close to thirty years and the term professional development was common in the areas where I worked. However, the shift to professional learning really resonates with me because as Lopes states in the report:
“A key element of many professional learning programs is that they are outcomes-based, and therefore “success” requires evidence of completing the program. The goals are intentional; individuals extend their professional knowledge by engaging and interacting with learning resources and activities in a way that challenges previous assumptions and leads to a change in practice. This process will empower educators to make informed decisions about the practices and technologies that will best suit the needs of their students and their own continuing professional learning needs.” (Lopez, 2018). The next thing that I noticed was a reference to a book from 1971, The Adult’s Learning Projects by Alan Touch. I like how the author emphasized that learners need to take control of and planning their learning schedules. In all my adult education studies I never came across this book. I did however study Malcolm Knowles, in this article he is noted for adult learners having accumulated a foundation of life experiences and knowledge and they want that to be acknowledged (Knowles, 1975, 1984). This is certainly the case with the adults that I work with. As an educator, I strive to draw on their educational and life experiences to make the programs more fruitful. The research paper references Twitter and how educators are using it. In my professional experience I use it as more of a news outlet and not as a resource sharing outlet. I find LinkedIn to be a better platform for sharing resource information. I was struck by the changes from the two iterations of the program. In my opinion, I usually find that people are motivated to participate when there is something in it for them (recognition, additional money, etc.). For this program to really take off, I believe that the success will come from the accreditation of the program and with a financial incentive for educators. Upon reviewing the EXTEND program I was torn between working on three badges; Curator, Experimenter, and Collaborator. In the end, I decided to select the Curator badge for my EXTEND project as it reflects what I do on a regular basis. I just did not realize that I was naturally curating information. I am a researcher by nature, I tend to want to explore deeper into any subject that I am working on. I guess we are all researchers in the OLTD and MEdL program, aren’t we? However, I just may sneak in a bit of the Collaborator badge into the major project. My task is to curate information, and validate the authenticity of it, using the CRAAP assessment below: Currency - the timeliness of the information When was the Open Educational Resource (OER) published or posted? Has the OER been revised or updated? Does your topic require current information? Are the links functional? Relevance - the importance of the information for your needs Does the OER relate to your needs? Who is the intended audience? Is the information in the OER at an appropriate level for your learners? Authority - the source of the information Who is the creator? What are the creator’s credentials or organizational affiliations? Are the creators/collaborators contributors qualified to write on the topic? Accuracy - the reliability and truthfulness of the information Is the information supported by evidence? Has the OER been reviewed or refereed? Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors? Purpose - the reason the information exists What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade? Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? Sources: Bates, T. (2014). The role of communities of practice in a digital age. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/10/01/the-role-of-communities-of-practice-in-a-digital-age/. Knowles, M. (1975). Self-Directed Learning. Chicago: Follet. Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lopes, V., & Porter, D. (2018). Shifting perceptions, changing practice: Ontario Extend [Report]. eCampusOntario (Ontario Online Learning Consortium). Retrieved from https://www.ecampusontario.ca/publication-reports/. Tough, A. (1971). The adult’s learning projects: A fresh approach to theory and practice in adult learning. Toronto: OISE. Retrieved from http://ieti.org/tough/books/alp.htm. The purpose of this blog post on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) is to reflect on how I incorporate the CoI framework into my own adult education facilitation practice, with non-profit and Indigenous organizations.
The CoI is a framework representing the process of creating collaborative-constructivist learning experiences through three independent elements; social, cognitive, teaching presence. (Koole, 2013). Teaching Presence: In my practice, as an adult educator, with the Canadian Mental Health Association I facilitate a national Living Life to the Full program (12 hours). It is an introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and is delivered virtually via Zoom over 8 weeks, once a week for 1.5 hours. I endeavor to build my teaching presence by designing meaningful learning sessions and activities and facilitate the learning to enhance the experience with the participants. As a facilitator, I strive to make it relatable to their day-to-day lives. Social Presence: To develop social presence, I encourage the participants to maintain communication during, and after the sessions have ended. I create an environment where it is safe and respectful for all to speak. At the beginning of the session(s) I have the group develop group guidelines of how we are going to work together. These guidelines include (but are not limited to) honesty, respectful, safe, non-judgemental, discreet, helpful and not hurtful, and confidential. After the sessions are completed often the group will communicate with each other via email, text, WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram. Cognitive Presence: To relate the sessions to everyday life I have the participants complete assignments that are reflective of the topics that we discuss. I get them to journal throughout the sessions and during the week between. I ask them to apply any of the tools and techniques that we discussed and to contact me if they have any questions. Often people will say that they had an incident that occurred that week and they remembered what we had been discussing and caught themselves before they overreacted to it. In reviewing the slides that Randy Labonte shared with us on the CoI Pedagogical Model, I was intrigued by the layering of the Indigenous wellness wheel over the CoI (Labonte, slide 10). This is something that I intrinsically do when facilitating Indigenous groups, and I will incorporate it into my practice going forward. Sources: Koole, M. 2013. The Community of Inquiry Framework. https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/ LaBonte, R. (n.d.). CANeLearn CoI Pedagogical Model. Google Slides. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oWjqekSidngIMJWtPa8f3TiwYEKr4DCmzV_HDz0XMpI/edit?usp=sharing. Week One: Does learning take place differently in online and blended learning environments?5/17/2021 The objective for the first week's activity was to review material by Tony Bates and respond to the critical challenge question (CCQ), "Does learning take place differently in online and blended learning environments?".
This blog post will reflect on the process that I went through to delve deeper into the topic of learning in different environments. I was lucky enough to work with Sam and Ginger on this activity. We met several times via Zoom to brainstorm and fine tune how to approach the activity, including; creating a video response, playing a Jeopardy game asynchronously and recording our responses, and playing the game synchronously with the cohort. We landed on the latter and presented the game to the group on the Saturday morning session. We chose four categories, online learning, blended learning, cohort trivia (to add some fun!) and factors that affect learning. The first three categories were relatively easy to compile questions, as they were based on Tony Bates' video and posts. The factors that affect learning was more challenging for all of us to come up with factors that were relevant to the critical challenge question. After quite a bit of discussion we came up with the following four questions:
If you want to look at the Jeopardy game here you can click on this link to the game in JeopardyLabs https://jeopardylabs.com/play/online-learning-31. It is free for anyone, if you want to join it the membership fee is $20 (USD) for a lifetime membership. References: Bates, T. Online learning and (k-12) schools: do we need a different curriculum for online learning?https://www.tonybates.ca/2021/01/12/online-learning-and-k-12-schools-do-we-need-a-different-curriculum-for-online-learning/ Bates, T. Online learning and (k-12) schools: 6. Strengths and limitations of online learning in the school sector. https://www.tonybates.ca/2021/01/19/online-learning-and-k-12-schools-strengths-and-limitations-of-online-learning-in-the-school-sector/ Bates, T. Online Learning in K-12: Hits, Misses, and Where to from Here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZLu_IphhoY Bates, T. Research reports on Covid-19 and emergency remote learning/online learning. https://www.tonybates.ca/2020/07/27/research-reports-on-covid-19-and-emergency-remote-learning-online-learning/ University of Central Florida. Blended Learning Toolkit. https://blended.online.ucf.edu/blendkit-course-diy-project-tasks/ |