EDUC 760 - E-Learning for Educators
This course is described on the UW-Stout website as: "Historical background and current trends in online learning. Concepts and foundations of best practices for successful teaching online. E-learning theory, principles, learning management systems, and web-based technology tools."
Below are samples of my work created during the class
- Closed captioning
This assignment asked that we use tools to add subtitles to a new or existing video to improve the accessibility.
I chose to add subtitles to a training video for DES225 - Pixel & Vector Art" that I created to teach game character interactivity using the Unity Game engine, and covers controlling animation states using C# scripting.
- Class Reflection - "EDUC-760 “E-Learning” - What I’m taking with me
Prior to enrolling in this course, I was given the opportunity to teach two classes simultaneously – one in person, and one on-line delivery. While I embraced technology and the learning management system to deliver content and assignments, I was still quite new to teaching and general classroom management.
On reflection, my ability to understand and address the needs of the students across these two unique delivery methods was, and still is, developing. What that A/B comparative experience let me appreciate was the ability for quick online feedback, content rollover between semesters, but also one unexpected outcome – the LMS allowed me to immediately apply student input. I had answered a student’s question by directly updating/clarifying the project requirements. This was a small interaction, but it set the tone for the rest of the semester by:
1.) Reflecting through action my ability to listen/adapt/accommodate student needs,
2.) Showing confidence in individual gave and influence within their class community.
3.) Demonstrating that students have a voice in the class and an understanding that they may guide their own learning outcomes providing students with a choice between projects (or constraints) has also been very popular and I plan to continue giving students agency in some of their learning activities.
EDUC-760 has made me aware of many tools that will make my next E-Learning experience more enjoyable and more successful: Community building, moderating discussions, importance of concise and clear communication, accessible design, and an attention to the “digital soft skills” that tie all of these facets together. I am also more aware of my learning style, noting my increase in audio or text-to-speech delivery of content, but also requiring time to absorb and reflect input, and time to process, design, and deliver.
I feel that this course demonstrated some best practices for on-line discussion. Having received so many years of teacher-focused delivery, I am aware that I have developed some biases about delivery styles. At first, student-led discussions felt a bit like “giving away” classroom control, but in allowing for sharing unique points of view, it does so much to empower and engage students.
My preference remains for sharing a physical space with others in a classroom or studio. There is efficiency in providing feedback, pinning artwork onto the wall all to critique, and nonverbal communication cues when interacting face to face that are experiences currently difficult to replace online.
As we start Fall semester of 2019, my goal is to focus on a delivery with perhaps less but more meaningful content. A fluid delivery will afford the audience more time to absorb, and reflect, and would provide a level of customer service that I would also expect.
Many of the examples of blended or flipped classrooms found in BlendedLearning.com: like “Station rotations”, and “instruction from home” could easily be applied to my classes and I feel that the students would enjoy the variety. With better planning, I think custom video tutorials could result in a more concise lesson and video feedback to affirm student learning.
Karl Koehle 08/01/2019
Click image to see the full discussion
- Creating online Assesment - Survey
Whether evaluations are formative or sumative - getting feedback from students is imperative in knowing if they are following along with the material being presented. This exercise was in creating an online survey, quiz, or test.
- Online Curated Collection
Using a service such as "Scoop.it" can allow an instructor to create a "playlist" of website links, videos, images or documents and include helpful descriptions, course specific references, and additional commentary on author.
Click image for full survey
- Discussion Prompt & Moderation
For this class assignment we were asked to choose a topic from our reading to discuss futher with our classmates in an on-line setting - using Canvas Learning Management System. Open-ended questions were encouraged to engage in ongoing dialog.
Karl Koehle - 7-2019
https://www.scoop.it/topic/digital-art-animation-games