View on K-12 Online Learning

What Is My View On K-12 Online Learning?

It is the future. 

I feel that with the speed at which technology is growing, to assume that education will remain the way it once was is ignorant. Children today are introduced to technology at such a young age, often times before they reach school-age. With that said, technology has become the learned way to access and share information. Having students sit in a classroom and be "lectured" will ultimately not hold their attention, as it once did for generations before.

With the option of K-12 Online Learning, or at least some sort of technological component, future teachers can reach out to the varying needs of their future students. We are talking about a total shift in the way we view the education system. The change is going to take time, but it WILL happen.

LMS Content Flow and Organizaiton

LMS Content Flow and Organization

This was my first time using Google Draw. I chose to create the above "drawing" using a Google tool, since my LMS is Google Classroom; the connection seemed fitting.

Since my LMS is pretty simple, especially because it isn't connected to a specific content area, I wanted to keep my drawing simple. The four areas that I chose to focus on were (as seen above) LMS Platform, Content, Teacher Input, and Student Output. I found that these four areas make up a majority of what an LMS is.

I briefly described either what each are, or how each will be utilized through my LMS.

I expect that more would be added to each of the four sections as I continue to use the LMS, and more sections would be added as well.

I found this exercise helpful, as it promotes organization for the creation of the LMS. It may have even been a better idea to do this first.

Building My LMS

Building My LMS

As I am no longer a classroom teacher, I was having a bit of a hard time coming up with a focus for my LMS. When doing some research about the benefits of using an LMS, I found the following quote to be most helpful:

"Look at the LMS as an overall strategy rather than just a tool."

After taking that into consideration, I was able to have a more focused approach to developing my LMS. I decided that I would use my LMS as a "bulletin board". I will be posting assignments, announcements, and resources that the students of the program I oversee can view and complete to show understanding of newly implemented policies and information needing to be shared.

I have decided to use Google Classroom as my LMS. The current, and only, issue that I am having is the inability to invite/add users outside of my domain. Though this wouldn't necessarily be a problem, as all of the students I would be adding to the class are within my domain; sharing it with my professor and peers of my graduate course is impossible. I have resorted to taking screenshots and sharing my posts that way.

I see the importance of using an LMS in the classroom, especially as the push, or rather the path towards technology implementation in education is rapidly growing. The idea of a "flipped classroom" is supported with the use of an LMS, as it allows students to access lessons, videos, and activities out of the classroom; allowing the in-class focus to be on sharing and review.

Online Learning Environment Design Concept Map

Online Learning Environment Design Concept Map

Below is the Mind Map I created using Exam Time. It focuses on four aspects of the LMS I am using for our EDT 540 course. They are technology, expectations, communication, and content.

Learning Maps and the Importance of Color

Learning Maps and the Importance of Color

Below is a simple Learning Map that goes through the steps that students will need complete an initial use of an online program called Khan Academy. Khan Academy is an online learning tool that offers individualized practice for students in a variety of subjects. The school that I work at is currently using this program in Math classes to support all of our students.

After reading articles about how colors can enhance memory performance and choosing the right color, I created the above Learning Map. I kept it very simple, identifying the three steps that students are expected to complete by giving each step its own color, and offering a bit more detail in a lighter shade of the same color. This will allow the students to visually follow the steps in the progression that I want them to. I used a brighter color to express things that I want the students to be sure to read, and chose a light/cool color for a background to allow all of the text to "pop".

Taking color into consideration when creating Learning Maps, like the one I created, will allow the creator to get their points across in a way that is both visually appealing and effective.

Engaging the Online Learner: Chapter One Summary

CHAPTER ONE: Learning in an Online Environment

I feel that a pre-requisite before taking ANY online class, would be to read this chapter. After reading it myself, I feel that I now understand the "flow" that many of my professors use to facilitate a positive learning environment for their offered courses. Online learners would truly benefit from learning about the different "phases of engagement" and why completing each one in a certain order is important to creating a successful online learning environment.

The chapter simply lays out "rules", or guidelines, about how to make online learning engaging. When doing a bit of searching to see what else was out there as far as rules for creating engaging online learning communities, I came across this website. It is a fellow blogger's list of what they feel are the 10 most important factors. This website goes hand-in-hand with what Conrad and Donaldson explain within chapter one.

My favorite part of the chapter was the comparison between the "Passive Knowledge-Absorbers" and the "Active Knowledge-Generators". These two labels sum up the entire focus of the chapter. 



PKA's (Passive Knowledge-Absorbers) are those who rely on the instructor of the course to spew out information to them. Expecting this type of facilitation from the instructor could be expected from a "lecture-based" online course, however this is not the path that many online courses are taking. Instead, online learners are expected to be AKG's (Active Knowledge-Generators). By being an AKG, something called "power-sharing" is able to happen. Power is shifted from being solely in the hands of the instructor, to being spread amongst the learners within the course. "When an online facilitator invites learners to be a part of the process, more often than note, learners rise to the occasion." (pg. 6)

All in all, chapter one was a great way to open up the "how-to" of teaching and learning online. The chapter offers information and guidelines for both instructors/facilitators as well as students/learners.

What is Clive's "PIAF"

VERY FIRST BLOG POST!

After searching through Clive Shepherd's Blog, I found a few posts about "PIAF". This is a "simple series of four phases through which a workplace learning intervention should progress." Each letter stands for a separate phase:

Preparation: Helping the learner to prepare for a productive learning experience.

Input: Providing the formal element which hopefully will inspire the learner and act as a catalyst for changes in behaviour and on-going skills development.

Application: Providing opportunities for the learner to test out new ideas and skills in the work environment.

Follow-up: Helping the learner to continue their learning journey using on-demand content, coaching and support from peers.

Shepherd notes that instruction is often provided in just one phase -- Input. By doing so, learners are not able to receive the necessary support and review of what is being taught; a connection between content and practice is not given and therefore possibly forgotten. He also notes that he is skeptical of PIAF's application in an educational setting however, I find it comparable to the A.D.D.I.E Model. 

A.D.D.I.E is an instructional design model that helps instructors, instructional designers, and training specialists plan and create instruction. It includes five phases:

Here is a link to a Prezi that I made on the A.D.D.I.E Model. 

I believe the PIAF model is applicable to an educational setting in that it prepares the learner, provides instruction, gives an opportunity for the learner to apply what they have learned, and then continues with follow-ups of what was learned (possibly applying learned material/skills to future lessons or experiences).