Increasing Learner Opportunities with Recent

TechnologiesPresented at Stellenbosch University

By Alice Bedard-Voorhees, PhDSeptember 2009

Presentation Categories

Web 2.0 : Web-based applications that allow learners to create and submit content and interact with others (Slides 5 – 17)

Mobile Devices: Cell phones (Slides 18 – 31)

Virtual Worlds and Simulations: 3-D Immersive Learning with Second Life (Slides 32 – 56)

Motivations for Adapting Instructional Models

Constructivist, Cognitive Theory

Technological LiteracyMore Ways to Deliver Learning(and Professional Development)

Increase LearningEngagement

InstitutionalOpportunity

21st CenturyParticipation

Institutional Considerations: Khan’s E-Learning Model

(Khan, 2008. Used with permission)

Web 2.0 is characterized by the shift in the role of the web user to take an active role in creating and sharing web-content.

The original presentation was based on a forthcoming chapter, “Creating Online Assessments and Preparing Learners for Authentic Displays of Learning” by Alice Bedard-Voorhees, LisaMarie Johnson, and Phyllis Dobson in 2007. It has become an ongoing project as new tools have developed.

A earlier slideshow version of this presentation can be viewed at http://www.slideshare.net/lisamariejohnson/letting-them-show-what-they-

know-tech-tools-for-assessment

Web 2.0: Letting Them Show What They Know

Sample Web2.0 Accounts

Examples of Web2.0 Applications: Audacity, Flickr, Slideshare, YouTube, Voicethread, e-portfolio, blog, wiki, Twitter, Delicious…

Trial accounts have been set up for your use. Links to the tools and user and password information for trial accounts is provided at this link:

http://delicious.com/coloradomtn/showknow

Student Questions That Matter What applications are you using?

Would X help you with learning in this course?

If so, how?

Audio Content: Audacity

Audacity if free, but requires both that you download the application and, for exporting to MP3 format, a plug-in.

Audacity files are created on the desktop and uploaded into a course shell directly or through another service like a paid account in gabcast.

Tip: Consider file size… try to limit to 1MB or less. Do brief segments rather than longer recordings (break it up! Spice it up!)

Download page for Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

Download page for MP3 encoder plugin: http://spaghetticode.org/lame/

Help using Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/tutorials

or http://audacityteam.org/wiki/

Image Service: Flickr.com

Images can be uploaded from multiple sources (e.g., phone, camera)

Annotation Link or embedded viewer could be

placed in class

Visual Images

Example: Learners take pictures of public art that illustrates certain artistic principles. Can send from camera phone to Flickr account created for the class. Link or RSS feed could be placed in class. Students can also use Flickr tools to annotate images.

To set up an account for the class. Go to http://www.flickr.com/

User Name will be the name you enter in the name field

Image found at Flickr.com: Thomas Sly’s Leopard

This Creative Commons License Requires Attribution to

Author: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Using Flickr Collections on the Web

Blogs

Blog.com http://blog.com/

Blogger https://www.blogger.com/

Bloglineshttp://www.bloglines.com/

Blue Kaffeehttp://www.bluekaffee.com/

EduBlogshttp://learnerblogs.org/ LiveJournalhttp://www.livejournal.com/ Vox http://www.vox.com/

Wordpress.comhttp://wordpress.com/

Many options

Multiple forms of media can be

integrated with a Blog (video, audio,

images, etc.)

Tip! Student privacy is an issue when using technologies external to your institution’s servers. Know your institution’s policies.

Twitter: Microblogging (140 Char.)

Replacing Favorites with Social Bookmarking: Delicious

Wikis

Allow for quick content creation and editing

Contributory or collaborative Vary in complexity

(e.g., PBWiki, MediaWiki) Wiki comparison

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_software

For Course or Capstone: ePortfolio

ePortfolio = electronic portfolio, aka: webfolio, digital portfolio

ePortfolio is a digital representation of understanding

and performance artifacts that can lead to personal

reflection and promote exchange of ideas and

encourage feedback (Lorenzo and Ittelson, 2005).

ePortfolios tend to share the common characteristics of being purposeful,

progressive, and reflective endeavors (Gilman, Andrew, and Rafferty, 1995).

Mobile Devices: Cell Phones

Phone Uses

As Receptors for Content Delivery/Retrieval

As Devices for the Creation of Content

As Transmitters, Interactive Devices for Class Activity

Content Delivery/Retrieval: Louisiana Community College and Technical

System

Cell Phones IN the Classroom

A Beta StoryAlice Bedard-Voorhees, PhD, Colorado Mountain College

Rebecca Woulfe, Acadium, Inc.

Photo Used with Permission

Beta: An SMS Classroom Response System

Students used cell phones to respond to multiple choice or short answer questions

Teacher incorporated questions into PowerPoint or web interface

Beta Test - Technology

Data - Demographics

Gender Female 46% Male 54%

Previous use of clickers Yes 92 % No 8 %

Age 18-21 7% 22-25 31% 26-30 15% 31-35 31% 35+ 15%

Beta Test - Results

Ease of use Frustrating 46% Some difficulty

23% Okay 31%

Use by choice Yes 15% No 62% Unsure 23%

Impression* Better able to pay

attention 15% More likely to come to

class 7% Distracting 62% Frustrating 62%

*Note: Percentage does not equal 100% as students could select more than one item

Data – Student Comments

Only practical for people with unlimited text messaging.

– 31-35 male

Seems like a lot of steps.– 35+ male

Need free text plans provided by school.

– 22-25 female

I think it will work to obtain the attention of the younger students.

– 26-30 female

Data – Instructor Comments

Two steps with phone rather than one for submitting response was frustrating.

Potential exists when unlimited texting is widespread.

Educator – Lessons Learned

Why Beta is different from Pilot

That student expectations about paying for text varied (Kolb, 2007)

Students wanted it to work quickly like their Clicker exercises (Prensky, 2007).

That survey embedded in case studies engaged students (Oblinger, 2005).

Developer – Lessons Learned Set “beta” expectations

Important to match “texting” demographic

Early adopter approach

Issue with “join” – teacher experimented in class more than anticipated

Questions for Further Study

Does learner prior experience with Clickers

create a different set of expectations? Does learner experience with paying for technology in

courses impact satisfaction? What part do demographics play? What part do economics play in expectations about the

use of technology? What considerations need to be made by the institution

about mobile devices? How would this technology serve distance interactions?

Relevant Bookmarks

Sources and notations for the clicker (Mclk presentation can be viewed at this link:

http://delicious.com/constantlearningorg/COLTT

Virtual World Learning Experiences

What is a Virtual World?

Virtual Worlds: three-dimensional simulation environments

Elements: computer-generated artificial environments, role and/or game participation, human participation through characters called avatars

“Immersive Digital Environment”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Immersive_digital_environment

Computer-generated environment Can be reality-based or fanciful Allows participants to enter into that

experience

Virtual Worlds: 3-D Immersive Environments

Individual software that is installed on individual machines or servers

Simulations that are connected to the internet.

There are simpler versions of virtual worlds and there are also Serious Games. Second Life is being used by hundreds of higher education institutions.

Why SL?

Immersive Environment provides experience, allows application and creation (create 3D objects and events, interact with others through voice and text, interact with objects).

Student participation through avatars (representative characters) allows students to participate in ways they might not in classroom due to shyness or self-consciousness.

Extends the traditional classroom: Allows field trips and guest visits that might not otherwise be possible.

Virtual Worlds Examples

HipihiSecond LifeMetaplace (Beta)World of WarCraftSims OnlineVirtual UniversitySerious Games (Food Force, Beer Game,Sushi Roll)

Learner: Dr. Alice Bedard-Learner: Dr. Alice Bedard-Voorhees Voorhees Avatar: MustangQuimby Avatar: MustangQuimby MessmerMessmer

Evaluating A Second Life Course Experience: A Learner Evaluates and the Faculty Responds

Presented at AECT, November 2008

http://www.aect.org/secondlife/08-archives.asp

Graduate Course from Boise State University

EDU 597 Teaching and Learning in Second Life

Faculty: Dr. Lisa Faculty: Dr. Lisa Dawley Dawley Avatar: Mali YoungAvatar: Mali Young

Khan’s E-Learning Model

(Khan, 2008. Used with permission)

Implementation Realizations Users must be have technological capacities to

actually download and run Second Life. (Dial-up won’t work.)

New users will have a learning curve.

Instructors will want to consider how best to use the virtual world for course experiences.

Campus needs to make rental or ownership, and policy decisions.

Needed Materials and Services in Addition to Instruction

technical support

advising

library

object repositories

tutorials

(Source: Khan 2005a; Khan 2005b)

Technological Checklist: ED597

Blackboard needs provided by Boise State (Boise, 2004) SL Technological and pre-requisite skills appear in the syllabus; Linden Labs provides tech support.

System: http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php http://blog.secondlife.com Prerequisite skills: Use of camera controls Ability to fly, walk, and teleport Knowledge of communication tools (IM and chat) Basic building skills (create prims, add textures and content) Basic inventory management (can find items, wear clothing, make a note card) It is recommended that participants have at least 10-20 hours of prior participation in Second Life before the course begins (Dawley, Syllabus, 2007b. Used with permission).

What Simulations Offer

Source for Learning Opportunities Provided in EDU597

While we can read, view, and listen to learning resources, virtual worlds offer a level of experiential learning:

Simulations: (Example: creating and running a business)

Role Play: Taking on an identity as part of the learning process

Building: Creation, Design, Exhibit

Participating in Social Events (Example: guest visits, conferences, job fairs, socials, campus fairs)

Source: Robbins & Bell, 2008, pp. 284 – 285.

Design Challenges and Development

It is challenging to offer an entire course experience in SL.

While chat can serve a hearing-impaired guest, screen readers don’t work in chat.

R and D groups are working on access for visually and kinesthetically restricted users. (Sierra, 2007; Foster, 2007)

Like Other Apps: Plan B thinking is needed when the SL grid has problems

Guest Presenter

Project Based-Learning Assessment Products:

Slideshow Project + Additional Project Container to Share with Class

Conclusions

Faculty member in this course had done an excellent job organizing considering institutional and learning support, modeled learning experiences, and communicated extensively.

Second Life can provide an interesting and lively space for social learning and exploration; Second Life is best used for more than text discussions only.

Data-driven research is developing to measure the learning effectiveness of Second-Life learning experiences (Example: http://www.aect.org/secondlife/archives/24-hornik/really-engaging-accounting.ppt#256,1,Really Engaging Accounting: Second Life™ as a Learning Platform

Second Life Screen Shots

Second Life educators are providing a wide array of rich, educational activities.

Dubai Women’s College Open Area—Engaged in a Geography Game208, 42, 29

Immersed in Cellular Structure 148, 149, 34

Accounting: Interactive T-Account

Students become game pieces Enables students to practice their

understanding of the concept of normal account balances

Feedback is provided Correct responses Incorrect responses

Wrong side Correct type Wrong type, Correct side Wrong side, Wrong type

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/shornik/second-life-a-learning-platformSource: http://www.slideshare.net/shornik/second-life-a-learning-platform//

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/shornik/second-life-a-learning-platformSource: http://www.slideshare.net/shornik/second-life-a-learning-platform 444, 176, 22

Sloodle: Course Management and SL Converge

240, 160, 33

Colorado EduIsland: A Collaboration Among Colorado Community Colleges