week 8 - The 3 C's of online communication

For this weeks post I used the article by Durrington, Berryhill and Swafford as well as the video by Seimens. 

Module 3 - Assessment...How do we grade in a virtual/collaborative setting?

The virtual world is changing more than just the way in which we learn and how we learn, but also the way in which we assess.  Placing a grade on a students ability to regurgitate facts will not promote student growth.  In fact, our world is so complex, it is very difficult for us to grade students on their isolated accomplishments.  We are having to work together more and more in order to solve 21st century problems.  So, the question is, how then do we put a grade in the grade book for student work.  What do we assess?  If we can use technology in our learning, we can also use technology in our assessment.  George Siemens gives several suggestions that will aide in our ability to grade students on their individual efforts toward a project.  The first is for students to peer grade.  Peer grading allows members of the group to comment on the contributions of the other members and evaluate that contribution as being significant (Laureate, 2008).  He also suggests "encouraging members to participate in open communities" (Laureate, 2008).  Open communities are environments that allow participation and feedback (Laureate, 2008). 
I love the idea of creating a community for feedback.  Besides the forms of assessment George Siemens discusses, what are some other forms of assessment you think will be critical in the virtual setting?

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). (n.d.). Learning Communities.

So how is my video coming along - Video week 6 (update)

I am not going to post my story board just yet because there have been a few changes and I am not sure if I am satisfied with the direction or want to change direction.  I am a little concerned because my job has changed and I am working in a virtual classroom and don't have access to my students anymore so I have to figure out how I am going to get some of my shots and interviews. 

My focus this week was pulling my list of resources so that I can have a solid presentation.  I also wanted to go over the rubric in detail so I can make sure that I have everything on the list. 

I have pulled a lot of scholarly articles and I just want to find the best support from each of articles.

I WANNA JOIN !!!!Technology Organizations

Okay....
So the more I get into this educational technology "thing" the more I find I do not know.  There is so much to learn about and in some ways I have become overwhelmed.  One thing I think I want to do is specialize in a particular area of educational technology.  I think if I specialize then I will be an expert in one area, but what to choose? 

The solution....
I have decided to join an educational technology organization.  The one I think works for me is the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).   I have missed the deadline for the technology conference  this year, but I will have time to save up for the conference next year.  My hope is that it will give me an understanding of the types of technology out there and then I will be able to see which one I am most passionate about and dive deeper into understanding how to implement that type of technology into education. 

If you have any suggestions about other organizations or conferences, please feel free to let me know.  There is so much out there.  Wait...Let me tell you what I am most interested in now so you know where to focus.... I am really into distance learning right now and the technologies that make distance learning easier.  Okay..so I think that is all.

OH...one more thing....If you are interested in going we could form a group and register for the 2013 conference in San Antonio.


Bye

LINK TO ISTE WEBSITE  http://www.iste.org/about-iste.aspx

So George Siemens says what?

George Siemens, Associate Director at the University of Manitoba, says that there is a growing acceptance of distance communication (Laureate Education, 2008 ).  Geographical location is no longer a factor in terms of how we communicate and educate (Laureate Education, 2008 ).  Technology has afforded us the opportunity to learn without geographical boundaries and we are finding that our learning experiences can be rich (Laureate Education, 2008 ).  One of the biggest advantages being that we can have virtual teams working on a project at one time with the ability to have world wide collaboration and as our technology improves, the ability and acceptance of distance education will increase (Laureate Education, 2008 ).

I agree with everything that George Siemens says, however, there is research that suggests K-12 learners may not benefit from distance learning or integrated technology.  In some ways technology has afforded us the opportunity to learn in a different environment, but for young learners many times test scores have not increased.  In fact the integration of technology, depending on the type and use of technology, may not increase the overall achievement of  K-12 learners any more than face to face instruction.  There is an article that you can look up called The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the Most Current Research Has to Say, this article is excellent because it gives an overview of several studies performed and the results in many cases are mixed.  Take a look at it for yourself and let me know what you think.  I posted a link below:

http://www.mff.org/pubs/ME161.pdf


References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education.

Storyboard draft 1 - 7102 Walden Univ

For my Educational Specialist degree we are asked to create a video.  The video is to serve as an introduction for a keynote speaker.  My speaker has chosen the topic of asynchronous and synchronous interaction.  The video shows the process I use for creating the storyboard for my video