Moe's Musings of Online Teaching and Learning

After sorting out the word press menu system and I have decided that the word salad is a similar function and fits better with my past research methodologies and the way I visualize and work with data. It is not that I am locked in analogue technology so much that I don’t think this type of sorting of information works for me as and is entirely dependent on interactive technology to complete the task. I understand engagement, I apply the critical inquiry process and tend to follow a systematic set of outcomes and frame my teaching practice within a social and cognitive presence. I think one thing that has been understated in this course is student feedback, and reflection rather than just assessment through testing. This has not been highlighted enough in my mind in the inquiry process.

Finally, I think that open platforms are good for to encourage reflective learning, but there too are hidden frames and social risks that come into play in how one ‘reflects’ publicly. Perhaps there could be personal log/journal that is not published could be also promoted to provide reflective balance.

With students returning to the classroom or through a blended online environment, I wanted to design an activity that would begin in the classroom and then continue the activity with an online, ‘report back’ collaborative exercise. I want students to see the connections between course content (lecture, readings, suggested resources) as a continuum of interconnected learning opportunities.

The learning outcomes were
1) learn where the new library was located on campus
2) demonstrate the tasks and skills necessary for a successful library database searches,
3) identify the steps and procedures for locating the selected resources (articles/books) in either the physical library or online e-books.
4) articulate the process in an online discussion forum

The activity was to review the textbook for suggested readings at the end of a specific chapter, find an author listed. Then they were to visit the library website and look for a book by the same author, and then located it on the shelf or online.
The final step was to go the that section in the library and take a picture of the book on the shelf, and upload this image and write a description in the online discussion forum to ‘share’ their results.

After reviewing the article by Anderson et al. (2001) I do not feel that my views of effective teaching practice have changed exactly but maybe I can see a framework that might provide needed structure for analysis. However, I feel that authors’ frameworks of assessment do not include essential qualities of intuition and compassion. Even the metaphorical pioneer teachers had to rely on their creative side to find ways to keep students engaged, and in most cases, deal with the struggles of loneliness in rural and isolated environments and likely a chronic lack of resources (book, pencils and chalk).

One practice that flows from the compassion is also the ability of teacher as advocate, and even in an online course we must be willing and able to assist students connect with mental health resources, or financial aid/student loan information. Often this is challenging for contract faculty who sometimes are teaching multiple courses, for different institutions during the same semester.
Perhaps the most significant characteristic that generates effective teaching practice is self-awareness for our own individual needs. The ability to pull back, and to take a critical look is essential but also sometimes a luxury that contract faculty do not think they have. The idea of teaching presence needs to be promoted grounded in a well-rounded sense of connectedness; one that not segment life from outside the classroom or computer forum. One interacts and impacts the other as with any other occupation, and we must be ready to evaluate and find solutions to both challenges in both spheres.

When thinking of recent effective teaching practice, I thought about how my mind has changed with social media format of twitter as a teaching tool. I had been resistant to seeing social media as an educational tool since I have a background in old school media and broadcasting where all content is produced and refined before it hits the literal air waves. Twitter, for me, has become a main go-to source of current happenings like headlines in a newspaper used to be. It was rather revolutionary for me to then shift my thinking when I experienced twitter as an academic platform. Twitter conferences and twitter feeds of historians or other scholars I follow has radically altered my perception and criteria of effective teaching tools.

I have come to realise that limits to text and the inclusion of a single graphic can be a powerful tool as it directs the information in a very focused way. Of course it can be dangerous undertaking too, with the openness of the platform I have found that generally the ideas (from those who post replies) can be a very positive and add to new knowledge and the continue the conversation in all sorts of ways.
In addition, the openness of questioning or help in finding teaching or resources has help build a social/teaching community that we all desparately need during periods of pandemic isolation.

The two most prominent aspects for me from this course are the needs for consistent and clear presentation methods when designing support materials and to provide students equal access and opportunity to connect both with myself as course instructor and with fellow students even for students in an open learning, self directed course with continuous enrolment. Multi modal opportunities are good ways to enhance and reinforce course content, however I found the lesson segment of Clark and Mayer’s principles to be of greatest interest. I often tell students that ‘less is more’ when they are writing assignments yet I continue to complicate my lecture presentations with too much information and sometime confusing graphics.

On the other hand, when creating media to enhance social presence, and provide important information on academic supports, it helps to direct students towards useful resources and diminish potential stigma at the same time. I had not thought of it before, but making a short video about those supports, that students can view on their own, is a good way to create greater social presence.