Wimba-week3

I was not able to make this week's wimba session. After viewing, it was very helpful information using the visual pictures of building blocks. The building blocks helped me see how everything builds off of each step. As I was not very excited about tackling the Udutu project at least now I feel as though I have a better understanding. It will hopefully go as seamlessly as presented.

Wk3_ comment on Billy Goins' blog

Study Island is a Learning Management System (LMS) or perhaps more accurately based on size, content focus, and emphasis on alignment with state educational standards called a Learning Content Management system. Study Island provides hosting and training content for school systems and home users across the United States.

A semi-formal study released in 2008 showed Chicago area schools in the first year of using Study Island had greater improvement in meeting or exceeding standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) over fifth- and eighth-grade students within the state not using study Island (Magnolia Consulting, 2008). This particular study became a key endorsement for the sale and integration of Study Island within Illinois school districts, including my own. Should a single study, which when read thoroughly admits that other factors may have contributed to the outcome, be the sole foundation for selecting and implementing an LMS?

Wk3_comment on Liz Applegate's blog

In this week’s reading I read an article that sums up the LMS selection process perfectly. When choosing a LMS there is a process that should be considered to make sure you are getting the correct one that is going to manage your users the best. It is best to start off with some sort of checklist or requirements that you are going to need to be included within your system. After you make your list you need to break the list down to the one that will meet your critical needs.

Wk3_Content Tools_What are they?

When creating or setting up an e-learning tool there are a few ways to go. You can go down the expensive road, cheap road, creative road, or the limited creation road. Depending on one’s experience with technology and ability to create items on the internet will help decide which road one will probably take. There are programs for purchase that allow you to pick and choose templates to help set up your e-learning platform. There are also programs, such as HTMLs, that require the user to enter codes to create a platform.

Learning transactions are extremely important in education. Exposing the student to new information and seeing how he or she stores and uses the new information is key for the educator to assess if the student has master what has been presented. The teacher tells, shows, and asks the student in regards to the information presented. The student’s only job is to respond. This seems as though the teacher is doing all of the work and not allowing the student adequate practice with the information or terminology. Laurillard’s “Conversational framework” has the teacher and the student sharing equally the responsibilities of learning. Both are to reflect, interact, and discuss equally the new information. This model is not ideal for e-learning. For e-learning the classes should be tailored to the student and the student should be given the information and then a chance to process and respond to the information such as in the learning transaction model (Gilbert, & Gale, 2008).

A great thing about an e-learning tool such as Moodle is that the teacher is still able to assess a student’s progress and/or learning. Moodle Outcomes are much like a rubric. It looks at the student’s work and assigns an outcome statement to the student’s work. The educator is able to set up the Outcomes or Goals for the e-learning experience in order to assess the student as one would in a traditional classroom (Moodle, 2008).

References:

Development: Outcomes. (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2010 from
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Development:Outcomes

Gilbert, L., & Gale, V. (2008). Principles of e-learning systems engineering. Oxford:
Chandos Publishing.

week 2 comment on Joe Hubber's blog

WEEK 2 READING 7: ADL/STANDARDS/SCORM
MONDAY, JULY 5, 2010


The primary purpose of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) is to harness the power of technology to deliver and distribute education and training (ADL vision). ADL is responsible for the creation and development of the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) initiative, which would allow for Learning Management Systems (LMS) to be used interchangeably without proprietary constraints. The main function of SCORM content is that it has the ability to be used within a variety of systems in order to recognize students and relay their success and mastery of a certain subject or topic (Basic SCORM concepts, 2008). Provided that the LMS is SCORM conformant, the SCORM is interchangeable across a variety of platforms, which leads to the reusability of the original content.

In 2006, ADL partnered with Florida Virtual Schools (FLVS) to create a virtual school program and develop an innovative curriculum that would allow students to use technology to meet their ever-changing educational needs (Pozo-Olono, 2006). The SCORM approach was utilized in order to integrate additional technology into the present courses. This new content took the shape of virtual microscope labs, simulation games, blogging, podcasting, and mobile technology applications. Using the SCORM open model, FLVS was able to adapt content from multiple sources to create a comprehensive program with e-learning capabilities that are able to take full advantage of the reusability quality of SCORM content.

As Pozo-Olono (2006) reported, FLVS is looking to work with ADL to develop a 3-year plan to enable teachers to track student progress and customize lessons based on individual progress more effectively. Using the SCORM approach, students will be able to access and search for topics and/or lessons with greater success and ease.

One FLVS student (A. Aggarwal, personal communication, July 13, 2010), states that the ease of use with FLVS is present. In addition to homework assignments, the platform offers interactive games, which aid with lesson comprehension. For those concerned about the lack of contact with instructors, FLVS has incorporated this aspect in. Aggarwal states that the instructor contacts the student and the parent a minimum of once a week to discuss progress. Both students and parents have access to the online platforms.

FLVS educator Mike Findley (2000) allays the fears of those concerned with the use of virtual classrooms in regards to the social aspect and usability of virtual platforms. Thanks to the use of the SCORM initiative, FLVS has branched out to create Florida Virtual School Global Services. This program provides highly qualified instructors throughout the United States the opportunity to teach courses in the program. With this addition, FLVS is now able to offer expanded curriculum choices as well as extra-curricular club activities.

week 2 comment on Kathy Kellen

What Do CMS/LMS Cost?:
You Have to Look at the Big Picture!

Taking a closer look at the specific costs and procedures for launching VLEs gives a sense of greater appreciation for FSO, Dr. Holly Ludgate‘s vision, and everyone who has had a hand in its development! The significant person-power hours in the multi-faceted process of launching even a single course are staggering, let alone the long on-call hours for support specialists.

Kevin Kruse’s article “Measuring the Total Cost of e-Learning” (2002-2004) engages the reader in a fictitious company’s comparison of costs for Instructor Led Training vs. Asynchronous e-Learning. Factors to review include: gathering assumptions and baseline data on the life span of the course, the total number of students, student learning time in the classroom, reduction in seat time, and burdened compensation for both the instructor and the student being trained; determining the design and development costs; determining the delivery costs; the administrative and maintenance costs. All of these then result in the total cost comparison. It is strikingly evident that decisions should not be made until the final step when the whole picture is clear.
Companies who build their own LMS focus on the key functionalities that are the prioritized, most critical needs of their organization.
Hierarchies and the operational rights at each level must also be considered. According to David Boggs in his article “Learning Management System (lms) Hierarchies” from Articlesbase (2005-2010),
Remember that learning management systems
hierarchy is a way of organizing and managing the
training of your people. It requires some thought.
The business rules that you establish for your LMS
hierarchy must mirror your organization’s framework
and your e-Learning goals and objectives.

A quick Google search points to EasyCourseCreator.com where the initial cost is clearly spelled out. With a set up fee of $2000 and an annual service cost of $9950, Easy Course Creator gives access to LCMS, LMS, and CMS creation.
It is obviously a much bigger business than the general public would have any idea of.
Sources:
Boggs, D. (2005-2010). Learning management system (lms) hierarchies. Articlesbase. Retrieved on July10, 2010 from
http://www.articlesbase.com/e-learning-articles/learning-management-system-lms-hierarchies-476435.html
Kruse, K. (2002-2004). Measuring the total cost of e-learning. E-LearningGuru.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2010 from http://online.fullsail.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=assignment.main&itemId=194014
http://www.easycoursecreator.com/web/index.php?siteid=145&pageid=350 Retrieved on July 10, 2010

UDUTU

1. Finn, Kate
2. Lesson Title: Verbs
In this lesson students will learn how to identify action and linking verbs in a sentence.
3. The lesson will be correlated with my Action Research project which is using technology as an extra resources for Adult Basic Education (ABE). In the ABE course the adult students grade equivalency is third grade to an early ninth grade. For many of my adult students, we will need to start very basic and work up. Many of them have not been to school in several years and have forgotten what verbs and subjects are.
4. This lesson will go with my action research project
5. I will be using a mixture of self-directed and blank scenarios. It will be important to use the blank scenarios so the students will be able to see the correlation between the set up in the classroom books and the Udutu site’s examples.
6. http://web.me.com/katepfinn/Site_5/Introduction.html here is my AR website. The introduction explains a bit more about my project.

wk2_LCMS Systems_What are they?

In Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) there is less focus on structure and more focus on the content. By setting up LCMS this way there are more ways for a learner to gain a full understanding of the content and be able to share the content. LCMS is set up so that the content will be somewhat tailored to the learner (McGee, Carmean, & Jafari, 2001).
There are a few differences between LCMS and CMS or LMSs. LCMS seems to be a precise combination of both CMSs and LMSs. CMS allows there to be content creation and storage of data. LMS allows the learner to have certain administration capabilities. These are the two application ideas that LCMS has used from both CMS and LMS. Unlike LMS, LCMS gives the learner application of content (LCMS roundup, 2001).
LCMSs seem to be more time efficient and more business savvy. Since the learner has to take a pre-assessment that will tell the administrator what content areas the learner needs more training in, it is saving the company much time. It is not only saving the company time and money for not having to pay for a standard training that the learner may already know 80% of content, but it is also getting that employee trained more quickly and getting said employee to work faster earning the company money.

References:
LCMS roundup.(2001). Retrieved July 13, 2010 from Learning
Circuits http://web.archive.org/web/20071012195821/http://www.learningcircuits.org/2001/aug2001/ttools.htm

McGee,P., Carmean, C., & Jafari, A. (2002). Course management systems for learning: byeond accidental pedagogy. Retrieved July
13, 2010 from http://books.google.com/books?id=VG2aF54Zef8C&lpg=PP1&pg=PA209#v=onepage&q&f=false

Week 1 Wimba 1

Though I was not able to attend the live version of Wimba this week, I was able to view the archive. I liked how this first Wimba really gave a clear expectation of what will be going on this month. It was introduced then explained. This wimba helped me as I planned how to attack my homework for this week. The great thing was that it was not only for this week, but gave a broad view of what we will not only do this month, but what we will be learning.

WEEK 1 LMO OVERVIEW

The alphabet soup of online learning systems seem to all be intertwined. Course Managing Systems focus more on allowing the student to become an active learner and an active participant in the planning of the learning. Creating a way for a student to become more emotionally connected to his or her studies. (Community College Week, 2010) When choosing the best Classroom Management System for a class or school one must consider if the school has enough funding and if the Classroom Management System will work for all the students involved. (Community College Week, 2010)

Moodle is being used as a Classroom Management System as well as a Learning Management System. Moodle in the classroom is known for giving students a platform to show what has been learned and ways of showing what has been learned. Moodle has crossed over and is now showing up in the corporate world of Learning Management Systems. (MarketWatche, 2010) As corporations work on expanding the company that means there are more demands for employees. With these demands comes more training. Companies have started implementing applications and educational type software to help train the employees and giving them that platform to expand on what has been learned.

As stated before the alphabet soup of online learning systems seem to be intertwined. As educators are using these management systems in classrooms so are corporations using on the employees. We as humans are ever evolving and learning it only makes sense that all learning resources would some how tie into each other.

References

(2010). Out of Office and into Moodle. MarketWatch: Global Round-up, 9(5), 213-

214. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.

(2010). The Right CMS Can Engage Students, Promote Retention. Community College

Week, 22(16), 4. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

week 1 Abbie Toy

One aspect of online learning that has been a difficult transition for me is academic writing. I chose to do a blog post about the process and purpose of academic writing because it is something that challenges and intrigues me. There are some major differences between the writing taught in high school and the writing expected at the college-level. Gocsik (2005) defines academic writing as "moving beyond what you know about a topic and beginning to consider what you think." A few ways in which academic writing is different from all other types of writing is that it is writing done by a scholar for scholars and the academic community. Instead of being personal, it leans more toward analytical. When I write it is very hard for me to not include my personal opinions. I think this was the hardest transition for me when I began writing on an academic level. The Dartmouth Writing Program (Gocsik, 2005) suggests picking an audience, taking a stance, and being confident in what you are writing. Topics need to be provocative, startling, controversial, or fresh! If you aren't interested in what you are writing; no one else will be interested enough to read it!

No wonder I'm struggling with academic writing - in the article "Demystifying Academic Writing: Reflections on Emotions , Know-How, and Academic Identity, the authors outline some of the challenges of writing as being self-doubt, creating ideas, doubt of relevance, lack of skills, and fear of critique (Cameron, J., Nairn, K., & Higgins, J., 2009)! That is only a few of the examples of why it is hard for people to start writing! I know that I struggle with most of these challenges. These authors also note that "developing an identity and voice as an academic writer results from the process of coming to terms with writing emotions and developing procedural and technical writing know-how."

Often students are thrown into academic situations where they have to write scholarly papers, and are never formerly taught the proper format. More focus needs to be placed on instruction of academic writing and research. One group of people are developing an idea that could change the way academic writing is taught - it is called writing consultations (Murray, R., Thow, M., Moore, S., & Murphy, M., 2008). A writing consultation takes place between two academic writers placed together to help improve writing practices. The partners will take turns being the writer or the consultant. The consultant leads the writer through six steps while filling out a template to keep notes. After filling out the template, they switch places and work on the other person's writing. The process is meant to change writing behavior. I think this is a wonderful idea, because it is always easier to bounce ideas off of someone else and share different expertise. I hope that more online learning environments think about using this process when students are presented with big academic writing assignments. I would not have felt so overwhelmed and alone during the writing process if I could have been paired up with another classmate to do a writing consultation!

Sources

Cameron, J., Nairn, K., & Higgins, J. (2009). Demystifying academic writing: Reflections on emotions, know-how, and academic identity. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 33(2), 269-284. doi: 10.1080/03098260902734943

Gocsik, K. (2005). Dartmouth Writing Program. Retrieved from www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/what.shtml

Murray, R., Thow, M., Moore, S., & Murphy, M. (2008). The writing consultation: Developing academic writing practices. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 32(2), 119-128. doi: 10.1080/03098770701851854

week 1 Joe Hubber's post

One of the more astounding and surprising aspects of course management systems (CMS) is that most anyone who is associated with them, or have used them, are not about to answer whether or not they work at keeping students engaged, or if they are an accurate measure of mastery (Carmean & Brown, 2005). Faculty members embrace them for use in their classes because higher education students embrace the new modes of learning, so little effort is extended to determine their success.

According to Carmean and Brown (2005), the individuals that claim that CMS is a success are doing so based on the notion that any of inclusion of technology is beneficial, but more often than not “[w]hat is missing is assessment “(p. 3). McGee, Carmean, and Jafari (2005) posit that students and faculty alike began to use the CMS with the unexpected result of it becoming a learning management tool. This led to some difficulty with the functionality of the CMS, which in turn caused some frustration. Those individuals that were closely involved, and consequently directly impacted by this frustration began to voice the changes that they wished to see occur in CMS. McGee, Carmean, and Jafari documented their desires. Participants wished to see the CMS become more social, involving more feedback and interaction, they wished them to become more engaging to accommodate all learner preferences, and students had to be able to take some ownership of their learning. In investigating these aspects, it became apparent that the end users must become directly involved in the design process.

This raised other issues, and as McGee, Carmean, and Jafari mentioned, administration must find a way to balance the economic realities of the situation. As Walker (2010), points out, the Great Recession has left its impact on schools who will now be hard pressed to stay within budget. School systems now faced with diminishing budgets must look at ways to implement CMS in an open-source environment, taking advantage of applications that they can use for free. Sources such as Moodle are becoming the norm in areas where schools were not able to afford Blackboard. Open source systems such as Moodle and Google apps make it easier for both the students and the teachers to access what would otherwise be expensive and unaffordable programs.

What all the experts agree upon is that the development of the CMS is an evolutionary process that does not remain static. If the CMS is to continue to succeed, it will require the input of all involved in its use.

Sources

Carmean, C., & Brown, G. (2005). Measure for measure: Assessing course management systems. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.

McGee, P., Carmean, C., & Jafari, A. (Eds.). (2005). Course management systems for learning: Beyond accidental pedagogy. Hershey, PA:Information Science Publishing.

Waters, J. (2010). Prepare for impact. T H E Journal, 37(5), 20-25. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Week 1 Reading_History of VLEs

When did distance learning start?

When posed with the question, “When did distance learning start?” one must first define educate. To educate is defined as “to develop the knowledge, skill or character of…” (Webster, 2010) by the Webster’s Dictionary. A simpler definition is “to provide information with” (Webster, 2010).
Many times one man’s idea can change the course of how people do things or view things. For example, E.M. Forster is believed to be ahead of his time with his short story “The Machine Stops” he wrote in 1928. In this story Forster creates a world that is divided into two. The way the citizens communicate is through a contraption that acts much like an audio/visual contraption. Using this tool the citizens are able to share ideas and knowledge (Wikipedia, 2010).
Today, nearly 82 years later, students are able to study abroad without moving to another country. With the use of computers, internet, email, and applications such as Skype, Wimba, and BlackBoard students are able to communicate with each other as well as the professor on a daily basis. Distance learning can be defined as “learning that uses television, audio/video tapes, computers, internet, etc;, instead of physical attendance at classes in a centralized facility” (BuisnessDictionary, 2010).
One may not be able to produce an exact date of when distance learning began, however, by looking back in history and look at some great men and womens ideas, one can be sure distance learning was sparked from these ideas.





References:

education. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved July 3, 2010,
from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/education

distance learning. (2010). In Businessdictionary oneline. Retrieved July 3, 2010,
from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/distance-learning.html

The machine stops. (2010). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops