Archive for 2012

Week 3 Blog Effective Communication

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Communication is the key to success. The lack of communication can cause things in life to get very complicated and difficult unnecessarily. This week we had the pleasure of listening to the same message in three different mediums. People can easily misinterpret a message that is sent through the various mediums of communication. The key to successful project management is effective communication-sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner (Portny, et al, 2008, p. 357).  When watching the multimedia program "The Art of Effective Communication" my perception or view of the message being sent changed each time it was presented through a different medium. The first message that I viewed was through email.  At a first glance of the email, I thought the email came across as unfriendly, and impatient. I got the sense that she was irritated and border line angry. Email can become impersonal or misunderstood (passioncomputing.com, 2010).  Her email was clear in terms of what she needed, however I think the element of compassion was lacking in this instance.



I then listened to the voicemail. I have to say that when I heard the voicemail it completely changed my perception of her mood when she created the message. The email didn't have any tone so the perception rendered impatient, and unfriendly. The voicemail let me know that she was really just asking for what she needed. Her voice sounded calm and friendly. I would also like to add that she sounded professional. The face to face method is the one that sold me completely. The tone in her voice was calm and collective. Her body language showed that she was calm and the smile at the end of the message was equivalent to the icing on cake.


The face to face method conveyed the message most effectively. While the other two mediums are acceptable forms of business communication, the message is still left up in the air for interpretation. It would be much more helpful to just speak to the person face to face. This way, you can perceive the whole picture in real time. You can pick up on nonverbal cues. With a busy work day normally it is difficult sometimes to even find the time to meet with someone face to face to have personal discussion. However, in the long term, face-to-face communication just might assure that communication is clear and understood (Martin, 2007).  Technology is a blessing and a curse. Two of the mediums still leave room for interpretation. The PM needs to ensure that the messages received  are not misunderstood but are indeed clear and concise. The most efficient thing for the PM to do is to  hold weekly meetings to convey information to the team.


References

Martin, C. (2007). The Importance of Face-to-Face Communication at Work. Retrieved September 20, 2012 from  http://www.cio.com/article/29898/The_Importance_of_Face_to_Face_Communication_at_Wor            k?page=1&taxonomyId=3154

Passioncomputing.com. (2010). Using Email Effectively. Retrieved  September 20, 2012 from http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/Copywriting/Using-email


Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.





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            As I take this time to sit back and reflect over the past eight weeks, I can't help but to see how much I have truly grown in my knowledge of distance learning. Distance learning is defined 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, et al, 2012, p. 32). Distance learning is the present and will be the future of education world-wide. We live in a global society. No longer are engineering jobs limited to those who study and live in the United States. These positions are being sought for by engineers around the world. Some of who have completed their degrees at an online institution.

            Distance learning allows for so much flexibility, that a person can work their full time job, attend to family obligations, and have time focus on completing their degree in a convenient manner. It allows the student to access their course work regardless of where their location. Blended and hybrid models offer students the advantage of taking the course online while receiving some face to face instruction. The course offerings are becoming virtually endless  Who wouldn't want to chose this options? I am certain that distance education will continue to grow and become a top consumer investment in the next ten to twenty years. Some students for more comfortable in the online environment versus the traditional face to face education. Some people strive better in a independent environment where they can move at their own pace and build their confidence at their own pace within the class itself.
            As an instructional designer I believe there are several things that can be done to dispel the negative perception of distance learning. Ensuring the rigor of the course by setting clear and concise objectives will be beneficial to both the instructor and the learner. A syllabus to clearly list the expectations of the course. The syllabus would also list and organize the assignments and activities for the course. I also believe that have a resources link that will allow the students to reference and use when completing the course.  Kunuka, Rouke, and Laflamme (2007) suggest that engaging the learner requires instruction that is well structured, with clear responsibilities for students, and that provokes students to join in deeper levels of discussion. (Simonson, et al, 2012, p. 222).

            I believe that as an educator and instructional designer, that I will need to really incorporate my background as an educator when developing the implementation of the course. Learning theories will play a major part in the delivery method of course. I must provide instruction that caters to the variety of learners in the classroom. This also includes learning styles. I would also need to communicate and foster a sense of community in the course so that all participants are wanting and willing to engage in meaningful discussions."  I must also realize that students are coming in with prior experience. Some good and some bad. "It is the repsonsibility of the instructor when designing the course, to be certain that there are hints and suggestion, clearly articulated expectations, and information presented in multiple locations for easy access" (Simonson, et al, 2012, p. 225).

            In the future, it is my goal to continue to polish up my skills and finish the Instructional Design program here at Walden University. Keeping the tenacity and wiliness to learn and apply what I learn in my profession. As an educator I already incorporate a lot technology in the courses that I teach. I have learned to use what I know already from teaching and transfer that knowledge and technology to use in the ID field and vice versa. Providing meaningful instruction will always be the goal. Meaningful instruction creates positive learning experiences. This is how I will continue to improve distance education.

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


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Week 5 Blog

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Blog Assignment Week 5

website: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/history/21h-311-the-renaissance-1300-1600-fall-2004/

                This week we were required to search through Open Course websites and kind of get a feel  of the quality of courses that are offered out there on the world wide web for free.  In my search of courses this week, I wanted to identify a course that was in the content area that I teach in high school.  I came across this course title The Renaissance from 1300-1600 which  was offered during the Fall 2004 semester.  I teach the Renaissance period in my World History class so I decided to see what this course really had to offer




                I found this course to be very user friendly and easy to navigate. On the homepage there was a picture of Tycho Brahe with his quadrant mural. Astronomicae Instaurata Mechanica, 1558 along with the course highlights, course features, and course description. The thing that surprised me the most was the lack of course objectives. I searched through the entire course and did not find one objective listed. Objectives should state the conditions under which learning should occur, the performance expected of the learner, and the standard to which the performance will be matched (Simonson, et al, 2012, p. 158).


As I continued to navigate the course, it really impressed me at how well planned the course was based on the syllabus that was provided. The course also featured several different syllabus to show how the course changed over the years. A syllabus is an important document in any class because it informs students of how the class will operate, the policies they must adhere to, when assignments are due, etc (www.wpi.edu., 2005).This course also had a calendar feature. The calendar feature listed all the assignments in order and the days in which the assignments were due. This would really help a student stay organized.

Each week there were several different readings that students needed to accomplish in order to be aligned with the lectures that were taking place that week.  The students in this particular class were required to purchase six different books for the class. I believe that six books for one class is a little excessive. Books are not cheap at all. Makes me so thankful that Walden includes your books in the tuition that is paid up front.

Overall, I thought the site was well organized, easy to navigate, and informative. It was disappointing to see the lack of objectives for the course. I am sure this is not a deal breaker for most college students, however as an educator it bothers me that none are posted. Objectives are the roadmap for the course. This course is also an undergraduate course. I could see a third or fourth year student taking this course with relatively no problems. I could see a freshman or sophomore possibly struggling with this course because of the rigor of the course. It requires the learner to be very self directed and motivated to do well in the course. On a personal note I will be using some of this course content to serve as supplemental materials in my classroom

 

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.

www.wpi.edu. (2005). Writing a syllabus for a distance learning class. Retrieved July 29, 2012 from http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/ATC/Collaboratory/Teaching/syllabus.html

 

 

 

 




Week 3 Blog

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Distance Learning is becoming more of the normal educational experience as technologies advance in the 21st Century. Digital technologies for learning, such as self-paced learning modules, multimedia case studies, simulations, video tutorials, and communications and assessment tools, can increase the array of learning opportunities for adult students and their teachers. (www.ed.gov 2010) I chose to reply to the second example in this week's resources. Being that I am a history teacher this example was right up my avenue. The history teacher wanted his students to tour a prominent art museum located in New York and critique two pieces of art in which students were then to discuss amongst themselves their critiques. The fundamental issue here is that the class is located on the west coast. So naturally a virtual field trip will allow students to accomplish the task at hand. He/she would need to take a virtual tour of the museum. The museum of Natural Science in New York offers virtual tours of the exhibitions. They also offer comprehensive packages for teachers to distribute to their students.



Many organizations in today's society use numerous venues to advertise to their customers. For example, many organizations have facebook, or twitter accounts which allows people to follow and post comments about the organization. Media sharing sites can facilitate the review of your peers work. The artifacts posted on media sharing sites can be viewed and commented on by a much wider audience than a video sent to a family member or a friend. (Laureate Education Inc. 2009) I believe that for this particular assignment, the instructor should have students blog their critiques. Upon review of the blogs students should then post their blogs to the museums social media website if available.



In terms of the discussion portion of the assignment, I would suggest that the instructor create a wiki page for students to have their discussion. The instructor can create multiple tabs on the wiki page so that students could select the corresponding tab with pieces of artwork that they critique to further their discussion on the matter. Wikis are web-based, making it possible to edit from any computer. (Berners-Lee 2012) A wiki can be an excellent tool for collaborative online writing assignments and group activities compiling information in a single online resource (Simonson, et al, 2012). I would also leave an option for students to create podcasts and embed them in the wiki page.

 

References

Berners-Lee, T. (2012). Advantages of Wikis. Retrieved July 13, 2012 from http://wonderfulwikis.wikispaces.com/Advantages+of+wikis

Ed.gov. (2008). Technology and Distance Learning. Retrieved July 13, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/tdlearn.html

Laureate Education Inc. (2009). The Technology of Distance Education. Multimedia Program.

 

My Definition of Distance Learning

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I recieved my undergraduate degrees from Lincoln University. The first Historically Black College and University established in this nation. As you can see I have a lot of school pride. I received my Master's degree in Teacher Leadership (Administration and Supervision) for the Notre Dame of Maryland University in preparation for becoming an assistant principal at the secondary level.Walden University is my first online, distance education learning experience. I have heard of the term distance learning before while I was in the Army. As soldiers we had an opportunitnity to pursue our educational goals. So many soldiers took advantage of the benefits. Officially Simonson, et al (2012) states in their defining distance learning in four components. Distance Learning is Institutionally Based where there is a seperation of the teacher and students were interactive communication are used to share media, resources and learnings experience amongst classmates.

This week we were required to provide a personal definition of distance education. At a first glance I told myself "this is easy" So I defined distance education as education that doesn't take place in the classroom and it involves technology. I knew learning took place however, it wasn't in the classroom. I knew there was accountability because assignments had to be submitted for grades. I knew resources were provided in order to deliver the essential knowledge needed to meet course objectives. I never considered attending an online university. What I didn't consider was the actual rigor of the courses. The actual amount of real learning that occurs on a daily basis. The collaboration between between classmates, their personal experiences and connection to a group of adults who value and respect each others professional opinions.

What I didn't forsee is how my definition would change throughout the course of the week. I seriously took my time and considered much before actually developing a definition for myself. With that I said I formulated a more complex definition. Distance Learning is defined as " Learning that is communal with classmates that are connected through technology outside of the traditional classroom in order to collaborate, and interact with each other. This interaction leads to group discussions, that fosters a sense professional responsibilty to contribute meaningfully to the learning of all individuals involved in the class. It is through this relationship buliding, technology and resources that allows learning to take place."

 

My own personal experiences with online education has been nothing but the best. It is more than what I expected. I have learned so much from each of my classes here at Walden. I think we all will be "Masters" of APA at the conclusion of this program. I have taken bits and pieces of what I have learned and have incorporated them into web 2.0 tools for my students. I use edmodo in all of my classes. My students have weekly discussion questions that they must answer and respond to. They post the majority of their homework on edmodo as well. It is my objective to help my students be somewhat prepared as to the world that awaits them once they leave the beautiful halls of high school.

Distance Education is a rapidly growing field. It attracts thousands of new students or persons of interest on a daily basis. Acording to Simson et al, (2012) the Sloan Consortium cited in 2008 that enrollment in online courses increased to 4.6 million from 2 million in 2003. This field will continue to grow by the numbers each year. It is convienent to take courses online. It is fits practically anyones lifestyle. The benefits are plenty. The online collaboration with my class serves to be a great beenfit not only to me but to my classmates and in my case. my sttudents".Distance education is here to stay. It is imperitive that the integrity of these courses are kept for all to enjoy the benefits that it brings.

 

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.

 

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