To begin, there was some apprehension entering this first class, as I had read about other EDUC5001G courses where the professor required students to post to a wiki - a fairly passive and individual exercise. I thrive in groups. So far it looks like this course design involves more reflection and collaboration.
Week 1 introduced the HPL (how people learn) Framework. A framework characterized by student/learner-centered approaches, and the application of prior knowledge to form new knowledge. I was certainly able to consider my prior learning and its impact on the course design, LO#1 in the syllabus. It seems this course will inquire about my prior learning and encourage me to think about the impact on design often. Already in week one we were doing that, as we were asked our preferences with respect to norms, routines, dates, language used in the syllabus (outcomes and assignment descriptions for example), asynchronous and synchronous activities, and more.
Week 1 was a really great first start. The instructor immediately engaged students and made everyone a host as a means of encouraging participation and ownership of the learning environment. A poll was used to determine the comfort/experience students had using adobe connect. An astonishing number of students in this class have never taken an Adobe course before, so I was pleased to be able to offer assistance, advice, and expertise. I am not shy of the spotlight when I am confident in what I have to say, share, or contribute. This was one of those times.
There is also a wide variety of backgrounds and experience among the students. This should make for some diverse opinions should people elect to participate. If this week is any indication, participation will not be an issue - the course design and instructor decisions are clearly directed at establishing comfort levels, prior knowledge (to allow students to create a familiar context), respect, and support so that students feel safe to share ideas.
I observed that Dr. Robertson took on a facilitator role, and empowered the students who were Adobe Connect veterans to lead the first breakout groups. My breakout group was terrific. It consisted of myself, Erica, Peter, Patrick, and Kelly. The conversation was engaging and we covered a lot of ground. My peers appreciated my humour, which was a surprise as I have been told I am…shall we say….an acquired taste? Here is an example of what I find funny...
From a design standpoint, this approach allowed the newer students to learn from current students, which relieved the newer students of some anxiety related to the unknown virtual environment. Every student in my breakout group was new, and was relieved when I used humour and assisted them with the user interface to help them feel relaxed and safe to ask questions. There was a lot of chat activity, and multiple opportunities for students to interact (ex. check marks to change status).
Anyway, the breakout group decided to form an actual group for the first assignment – a 10min presentation on “questions we developed to discover each other’s background and experiences as they pertain to learning, then analyze the findings and the implications for course design”. During the third hour we shared some exciting ideas and plan to meet in a few days as a group to create a project plan.
There was discussion about the learning logs. Students may work in groups or individually and the learning log can be a table or some other format. I am choosing this format for now, as I prefer to type my thoughts. A table seems restrictive, but I will consider it if this medium doesn't allow me to articulate my learning effectively. It is clear the How People Learn framework is a cornerstone of the course, so my task this coming week is to brush up on the HPL as well as collaborate on the first group presentation (due next week).
It looks like the tutorial slides will be available before class. This strategy makes sense as it allows students to come to class prepared to learn, having formulated opinions prior to class. It also takes away the potential for "surprise" activities which can negatively impact comfort level as students are reacting instead of contributing/sharing.
It looks like the tutorial slides will be available before class. This strategy makes sense as it allows students to come to class prepared to learn, having formulated opinions prior to class. It also takes away the potential for "surprise" activities which can negatively impact comfort level as students are reacting instead of contributing/sharing.
Looking forward to next week!!
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