Multimedia Interview Assignment

To close out this course, learners were asked to create a multimedia project highlighting the integration of technology into adult education.  The project was to consist of an interview with a curriculum specialist who was familiar with integrating technology into the classroom.  Not only was this assignment designed to connect learner's with field professionals currently utilizing technology in their curriculum, it was to provide us with first-hand experience utilizing popular technologies. 

For me, this assignment was definitely a learning experience!  Prior to this course, I had NO experience with blogs or blogging and ZERO experience planning, editing, or producing a multimedia project.  This course, especially this particular assignment, challenged me in ways I had never encountered before; however, after I got over the initial anxiety and confusion, I found these challenges to be very exciting and fun.  It was nice to learn in ways other than the traditional (and now boring) read and write methods. 

For this assignment, I interviewed Mr. Arthur Smith, Program Director and Full Time faculty member for the Business and Leadership Programs at Southwestern College Professional Studies.  I choose to interview Arthur because he was the first instructor I encountered within my undergraduate program who utilized technology in the classroom, and I found this integration to be very beneficial to my learning experience.  Although I was initially intimidated by Arthur's use of technology, his course (Research Methods) ended up being my favorite and not because I enjoyed the course topic!

The technology Arthur and I discuss during the interview is BlackBoard Collaborate.  Arthur describes Collaborate as web conferencing software which is tailored to education.  As the interview showcases, Arthur uses Collaborate to connect, interact, and engage his online learners.  While detailing Collaborate, Arthur explains the benefits and challenges of this technology, how he integrates and introduces Collaborate to learners, and his evaluation of how Collaborate supports the needs of adult distance learners.

To learn more about what BlackBoard Collaborate technology is and how it can be used successfully within adult education curriculum, please take a moment to view my interview with Mr. Arthur Smith. 

 

 

 

References

Smith, A. (2013, October 3). Integrating Collaborative Technology in the Classroom. (S. Floyd, Interviewer)



Audio/ Video / Podcast: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners

Our topic for discussion this week is podcasting; more specifically, the benefits of integrating podcasts within higher education curriculum.  According to information provided by King and Cox, integrating digital media, including podcasts, is a must for today's curriculum. More now than ever, our world revolves around and depends on technology; technology has transformed our social culture, the professional community, and the field of education. For curriculum and facilitators to remain effective and relevant, the technologies of today must be incorporated into our educational practices.

For many learners, technology and digital media are familiar forms of obtaining news, entertainment, communicating, and seeking information (King & Cox, 2011). This familiarity has created a demand for technology integration into education.   Many of today’s learners are looking for educational endeavors which offer on demand availability, practicality, and variety; incorporating digital media into the classroom can help meet the needs of current learners (King & Cox, 2011).

Audio/video media and podcasts can be very beneficial additions to curriculum.  This form of content delivery supports many different learning styles, it can be very inexpensive and easy to create, and it promotes engagement with content and discipline (King & Cox, 2011).  Podcasts and digital media also help instructors to be more efficient by providing instructional support through use of tutorials, Q&A productions, and pre-course content (King & Cox, 2011).  Although digital media has its negatives involving copyright issues, legality, and proper usage, this form of technology integration into curriculum can make learning much more enjoyable and effective for both learners and instructors.
 
Below, please find a short Pros and Cons list as well as a fun informative video spotlighting podcasting in education; enjoy!

Pros:

• For many, podcasts are a familiar form of digital media
• Portability and accessibility
• Can provide additional assistance for difficult concepts
• Supports multiple learning styles
• Can provide additional instructional support
• Cultivates engagement, critical thinking, problem solving, and lifelong learning
• Student created podcasts provide opportunities for empowerment, deeper thinking, and expression  
• Podcasts are relatively easy and quick to create
• Inexpensive to produce
• Assist with faculty efficiency
• Help students attach meaning to their learning experiences
• Adds variety to course communication and content delivery

Cons:

• Copyright and legalities can be overlooked or misunderstood
• Can be ineffective if produced incorrectly (too long, boring, poor quality)

References

King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The Professor’s Guide to Taming Technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Wikis for Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Construction

This week's blog assignment required each learner to create an eight week lesson plan which utilizes Wiki technology within the curriculum.  Considering I am not currently within a position of instruction, my lesson plan is merely a fictional sample designed for this assignment alone.  Although my lesson plan is fictional and I have no experience instructing the course described in my plan, I did attempt to make this plan as realistic as possible.  This sample course is an online eight week course within higher education. Learning components of this course include class discussion activities, blogging, and Wiki collaboration.  It is my belief that the Wiki project described within my sample lesson plan will foster knowledge construction and collaboration through its constructivist nature which supports social interaction, meaning making, and information organization (West & West, 2009).

    
(Sample 8 Week Lesson Plan)

Course Title: 
Understanding the Five Offerings of Leviticus


Target Audience: 
Bible College Students


Learning Objectives: 

1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of Old Testament Levitical Offerings.
2. Recognize the significant connection between Levitical Offerings and God's Redemption Plan.
3. Analyze Levitical Offerings of old and how they apply to the Saints of today

Course Materials:

1. King James Bible
2. The Five Offerings of Leviticus Study Guide by Jimmy Swaggart - Swaggart, J. (1989). The Five Offerings of Leviticus: The Cross of Christ Series. Baton Rouge, LA: World Evangelism Press. ISBN 978-1-934655-23-8
3. Computer with Internet Access

Major Class Activities:
Assigned Reading/ Class Participation: Students are expected to read each week's required reading selections and watch every assigned multimedia selection.  Students are also expected to actively participate in each week's learning activity be it discussion board, blogging, live chat sessions, or Wiki group collaboration. (20 Points)

Blogging Activities: Students are required to create and maintain a blog for course discussion. Blog posts and replies must demonstrate working knowledge of topics discussed, reflection, and critical thinking. (40 Points)

Wiki Project: Divided into small groups, students will collaboratively create a Wiki page highlighting one of the five Levitical Offerings.  Wiki content must include descriptions of offering purpose, procedure, relation to Old Covenant, relation to New Covenant, and significance to Saints of today.  Evaluation of Wiki will be based on collaboration, content, and visual appeal. (40 Points) 

  

Course Schedule: 
                                  

Week 1/ Course Overview Introductions	* Study Guide Introduction –  Pg 7-8 * Course Syllabus * Blog "How To" Video http://youtu.be/rA4s3wN_vK8	Intro Discussion Activity Create a Blog
Week 2/ Whole Burnt Offering	*Chapter 1 of Study Guide –  Pg 9-26 *Leviticus Chapter 1 in Bible *Watch Burnt Offering Podcast	Burnt Offering Blog Activity
Week 3/ Meat Offering	*Chapter 2 of Study Guide –  Pg 27-42 *Leviticus Chapter 2 in Bible *Watch Meat Offering Podcast	Meat Offering Blog Activity Wiki Survey
Week 4/ Sin Offering	*Chapter 3 of Study Guide –  Pg 43-59 *Leviticus Chapter 4 in Bible *Watch Sin Offering Podcast *Wiki "How To" Video http://youtu.be/-dnL00TdmLY	Sin Offering Blog Activity Schedule Group Wiki Meetings Mid Course Evaluation
Week 5/ Trespass Offering	*Chapter 4 of Study Guide –  Pg 61-77 *Leviticus Chapter 5 in Bible *Watch Trespass Offering Podcast	Trespass Offering Blog Activity Initial Wiki Group Meeting
Week 6/ Peace Offering	*Chapter 5 of Study Guide –  Pg 79-93 *Leviticus Chapter 3 in Bible *Watch Peace Offering Podcast	Peace Offering Blog Activity Wiki Group Collaboration
Week 7/ Wiki Work Week		Wiki Blog Activity Wiki Group Collaboration
Week 8/ Wikis & Wrap-up	*Review Fellow Learner’s Wikis	Wiki Discussion Activity Course Evaluation

 

References:

West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration: The Power of the Read-Write Web.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

 

Wikis: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners

If there is one aspect of my higher education experience that has remained constant throughout each and every course and each and every degree program, it is group projects.  Regardless of the degree program and in spite of the course topic, group work seems to be a standard in higher education, at least in my experience.  Prior to coursework within KSU’s Adult Education graduate program, I did not appreciate the educational value of collaborative assignments, and until recent introduction with Wiki, I did not particularly enjoy collaborative projects.  Now that I have experienced Wiki’s collaborative capabilities, my perspective on group work has shifted from dreaded interaction to exciting opportunity. For me, Wiki collaboration takes group work from static dry tedious email communication to any time user-friendly information sharing and editing. 

As mentioned in King and Cox’s Guide to Taming Technology, Wiki’s are a practical tool for collaboration, they are political in that they support freedom of participation, and they are timely concerning up to date information potential. In additional to Wiki’s practicality, this collaborative tool has the ability to create communities of learning (King & Cox, 2011).  By connecting people from all walks of life (learner, expert, professional) who share similar goals and desires, new learning is generated through reflection, interpretation, and meaning negotiation (King & Cox, 2011).  Aside from Wiki’s collaborative benefits and learning community potential, Wikis offer several additional benefits to adult education:

·         Offer self directed learning opportunities (King & Cox, 2011)

·         Provides exposure to and preparation for group work within the professional community (Hazari, 2009)

·         Supports contextual learning and provides real world problem solving opportunities (West, 2009)

·         Many Wiki providers offer free services and software installation is not usually required (West, 2009)

As far as negative aspects of Wiki go, there are not many:

·         Editing can be done by anyone if Wiki is not password protected (King & Cox, 2011)

·         Most free Wiki subscriptions offer limited word processing features (West, 2009)

·         Wiki customization is limited depending on level of subscription (West, 2009)

·         Free Wiki subscriptions can include advertising (West, 2009)  

     

As highlighted, Wiki’s offer several collaborative and educational benefits.  Not only does Wiki integration into curriculum enhance learning through sharing knowledge, encouraging problem solving, and allowing learners to take ownership of their learning, it provides learners with a collaborative tool that makes group projects more enjoyable and learner-friendly.    

References

Hazari, S., North, A., & Moreland, D. (2009). Investigating pedagogical value of wiki

technology. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 187-198. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/200157232?accountid=11789

King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The Professor’s Guide to Taming Technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.  ISBN: 9781617353338  

West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration: The Power of the Read-Write Web.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.  ISBN: 9780470343333