OLTD 509: Emerging Environments and Technologies
“Develop practical and technical skills in all phases of concept, development, design, implementation, etc.”
In OLTD 509 we were assigned the task to prepare a seminar week on an emerging technology. Our group chose tablet computing. We asked the question “Is there a place for tablets in education?” The seminar participants were assigned readings and videos, were asked to join group discussions, evaluate apps and reflect on their week in a blog post. To fully understand the limitations and strengths of tablet use, we proposed to the participants to use only their iPad for all course work during the tablet seminar week. If problems arose within their week of tablet use, the group was asked to use #tabletproblem and share their challenges. What transpired was a troubleshooting exchange of ideas, suggested solutions and discoveries. The week felt charged with engaged participants as they faced the tablet challenge and shared their frustrations and successes using a tablet. As facilitators, we were unsure what would transpire through the week and to our surprise most of the learning and engagement came from the hands on experience testing the limitations of tablets for education. The texting and posting of day to day issues trying to use a tablet instead of a computer or laptop had all members involved with helping each other and brainstorming ways to accomplish their seminar week challenge “together”. It was another reminder that when we come together as a community of learners anything is possible. More knowledge is acquired as group members converse, share and reflect on their combined experiences.
The task of creating an engaging seminar week for tablet computing fulfilled the learning outcomes of developing practical and technical skills in all phases of concept, development, design and implementation.
The design of the seminar week on tablet computing is my evidence of learning in OLTD 509 as it reaffirms the importance of addressing different learning styles with varied learning activities, creating a strong facilitator presence, encouraging collaboration and promoting the use of technology to engage learners. Facilitating a successful seminar week of learning an emerging technology allowed me to be able to envision creating a similar seminar week of learning in an online environment with secondary students.
In OLTD 509 we were assigned the task to prepare a seminar week on an emerging technology. Our group chose tablet computing. We asked the question “Is there a place for tablets in education?” The seminar participants were assigned readings and videos, were asked to join group discussions, evaluate apps and reflect on their week in a blog post. To fully understand the limitations and strengths of tablet use, we proposed to the participants to use only their iPad for all course work during the tablet seminar week. If problems arose within their week of tablet use, the group was asked to use #tabletproblem and share their challenges. What transpired was a troubleshooting exchange of ideas, suggested solutions and discoveries. The week felt charged with engaged participants as they faced the tablet challenge and shared their frustrations and successes using a tablet. As facilitators, we were unsure what would transpire through the week and to our surprise most of the learning and engagement came from the hands on experience testing the limitations of tablets for education. The texting and posting of day to day issues trying to use a tablet instead of a computer or laptop had all members involved with helping each other and brainstorming ways to accomplish their seminar week challenge “together”. It was another reminder that when we come together as a community of learners anything is possible. More knowledge is acquired as group members converse, share and reflect on their combined experiences.
The task of creating an engaging seminar week for tablet computing fulfilled the learning outcomes of developing practical and technical skills in all phases of concept, development, design and implementation.
The design of the seminar week on tablet computing is my evidence of learning in OLTD 509 as it reaffirms the importance of addressing different learning styles with varied learning activities, creating a strong facilitator presence, encouraging collaboration and promoting the use of technology to engage learners. Facilitating a successful seminar week of learning an emerging technology allowed me to be able to envision creating a similar seminar week of learning in an online environment with secondary students.
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“Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of online learning environments and tools”
My second evidence of learning for OLTD 509 is a blog post titled “My Story for Using an Emerging Technology for Student Engagement”. This post outlines my journey as a teacher/facilitator implementing online environments and emerging technologies to increase student engagement. With the building of an online Photography course that students could access anytime and with the introduction of student websites (ePortfolios) to house all their learning throughout the course, I was able to achieve a personal goal to increase intellectual engagement in my photography class by:
· Promoting student ownership of learning
· Inviting student to be co-designers of their learning
· Fostering collaboration and community building for learning
· Bridging student’s experience of learning outside of school by exposing them to digital technologies
· Engaging students in becoming literate with technologies
An important element to the creation of student ePortfolios was using student teachers at VIU to mentor and validate their use in a university setting. Students were eager to embrace the Weebly tool for their learning experience and were equally engaged with the use of an online learning environment.
The two referenced articles in the blog (Johnson and Dunleavy & Milton) reaffirmed for me what is needed in my teaching to increase student engagement.
My second evidence of learning for OLTD 509 is a blog post titled “My Story for Using an Emerging Technology for Student Engagement”. This post outlines my journey as a teacher/facilitator implementing online environments and emerging technologies to increase student engagement. With the building of an online Photography course that students could access anytime and with the introduction of student websites (ePortfolios) to house all their learning throughout the course, I was able to achieve a personal goal to increase intellectual engagement in my photography class by:
· Promoting student ownership of learning
· Inviting student to be co-designers of their learning
· Fostering collaboration and community building for learning
· Bridging student’s experience of learning outside of school by exposing them to digital technologies
· Engaging students in becoming literate with technologies
An important element to the creation of student ePortfolios was using student teachers at VIU to mentor and validate their use in a university setting. Students were eager to embrace the Weebly tool for their learning experience and were equally engaged with the use of an online learning environment.
The two referenced articles in the blog (Johnson and Dunleavy & Milton) reaffirmed for me what is needed in my teaching to increase student engagement.