Possible Resource for Sat 'Pitch'

Hi all, I was wondering what you felt about us using this glog rather than the LiveBinder for Sat's pitch. The Live Binder has a lot more info and will be what we use for Submission towards the end of the month.

I am open to feedback/suggestions etc as usual. We are nearly there, I think we have gr8 stuff to share on Sat with the class.

Click to see Glog


By the way, do we want to think about our e-communities name? I think it has possibly evolved from Me-Learn to Me-Learning. I have no problem but it led me to think about a 3rd option i.e.  We-Learn which reflects the collaborative nature of online learning. Just a thought... we could use this as a question we pose on Sat to gain input from the class so that we can generate a bit of discussion. Let me know your thoughts via the comments section below. I promise, no more nagging from me tonight ;-)

LiveBinder as at 22 May 2:21am

Hi guys

This is a link to what is possibly our final LiveBinder We-Learning e-community 
The access key is - task 2.1

Can everyone please check all aspects of it so we can discuss :-)

We are a gr8 team! Thanks everyone.

Almost there - bringing our project togther

Hi guys,

thanks for today. I think our combined efforts have produced a great presentation! I'm just confirming here what we agreed to get done by our next catch up on Sunday 22 May, 12pm @ Broadway. If possible, can research be sent to Heather and Christine by Friday?

1. Finalise our sections on LiveBinder
2. Ensure referencing of ALL sources is done according to academic standards.
3. Integrate our research into the elements of our presnetion e.g. key features, storyboard etc.
4. Determine an appropriate way to present the information to Theresa.

[Christine]

Presentation Running Order

Hi guys,

I'm proposing a running order below as a guide for our presentation on Saturday. It's just designed to help us get through everything we need to and give each of us 'air time'. It's probably best that we present on what we worked on as this will obviously be easier to prepare for. However, it would also be good if we can add details to each other's presentation when relevant.

We will use livebinder to 'drive' our presentation rather than a PowerPoint presentation. We have upto 20 minutes to deliver this so around 4 minutes each (allowing time for questions).

1. Introduction - Christine. This will include who our target audience is; the key unique features of our site [I wont bother going into the features of the actual site e.g. canteen etc] and the justification for our community.
2. Storyboard -Heather. Heather will go through the key features of our site such as the canteen, show and tell, blogs , chats, forums etc.
   
3. Educational Rationale - Christopher. Chris, can you go through the research which supports our design?
   
4. Educational Rionale - Nicoleta. It may also be useful to highlight research which critiques current e-learning design features - but which our site aims to overcome.
5. Q & A - we will all help answer these.
   

What do you think guys?

Storyboard with explanation

Hi All

I have added the storyboard and related text to this blog so that you can please give me input/feedback. The LiveBinder is great, but does not always work as well as we would like when using an iPad, so for this planning phase I decided to add it in this way to the blog. You can leave feedback etc as a comment, that way it is easy to follow and know who said what etc.

Can someone also please confirm that I have understood the assignment correctly. One of the aspects of the assignment is to come up with a storyboard with the related text explaining why it was design in a particular way (what choices were made to include various aspects to the site). I think I have achieved that, but am very open to feedback from you guys, after all we are aiming for top marks (lol). There is also an aspect which requires us to link the literature/research back to the choices made in the storyboard design; this is the area Nicoleta is working on.

Cheers H

Slide 1

This is the 1^st screen participants will see. On the top right they will find the registration button (sign up or sign in). They can also see via the map where other participants come from, it allows them to realise how far and wide the community really is.

Along the top of the screen are 5 hyperlinked buttons. All screens have these buttons in the same position. This allows participants to easily navigate between screens and not have to stress about how to ‘get in’ or ‘get out’ of a screen.

As the site has been created for teacher learning, it was decided to use the theme of a school i.e.

Home = Reception reception = home??

Show ‘n Tell = This is an area teachers can ‘show off’ their students work/examples etc.

Teacher’s Lounge = This is a discussion area, with a range of topics teachers can discuss.

Roll Call = This is the members area, teachers can see details of other participants .

Assembly = This is where participants can find out about guest Webinars & conference details.

Canteen = This is the ‘social’ area where teachers can flag projects they are doing , advertise class projects they are planning and seek other’s to collaborate with them and their classes.

On the top left of the screen, they can click the ‘yellow sticky note’ which will take them to more information about what it means to be part of an e-community, including the benefits of being a member of an e-community. This is particularly important as there is a good chance participants have either never been part of an e-community, thought about what it means to be part of an e-community or understood how to develop and maintain an e-community.

The Web 2.0 modules are listed in icon format rather than URL format as this looks more enticing than a URL, it also allows participants to start to recognise the icons and in doing so, subconsciously begin to feel ‘connected’ to the various sites.

Slide 2

This is the Show ‘n Tell area of the site. Teachers are able to upload their student’s work to share what they have done, or ideas that have worked for them.

They can also discuss, or add a podcast of a tool they have discovered which they have found useful. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences, knowledge, questions and answers.
Could we add another little feature that we can have like a students of the month award where we showcase a couple of people's work??

Slide 3

This is the Teacher’s Lounge. This is where teachers can find links to other participants blogs. Participants are encouraged to visit each other’s blogs so that they can learn from each other and with each other.

They can post ideas or ask questions of others as to how to use a particular Web 2.0 tool in the classroom.

They can also post discussions regarding various pedagogical aspects to teaching and learning.
Maybe we should also add a chat option here as an attempt to build community among members? This could also be useful for teachers who from the same school too. We can advise in the sign-up to our community, that the ICT integrator's presence is also required occasionally. What do you think??

Slide 4

This is the Roll call area of the site. This is where participants can find out a bit more about other participants, who they are, where they come from, what their interests are etc.

It is important we have this aspect to the site, as it will allow participants to begin to feel they ‘know’ each other a little more. It will also allow them to find like minded participants who are in their geographical area, or overseas. This has many advantages including being able to support each other’s learning i.e. expand their personal learning networks (PLN).
In Classroom 2.0 there was also an option to 'add colleague' which puts the participants on a short list and you get feeds on their updates etc. Would that also be useful here in fostering the community element?

Slide 5

This is an example of one of the modules they will be learning. On the left, they can see what they should be able to achieve once they have been through the module. There is a discussion forum available to them for this specific module which is different to the various other discussion areas found on the site. This will ensure they can have topic related discussions without them being lost in the other discussions that take place on the site.

In order to provide for different learning styles, participants are able to either download the module in hardcopy, or watch a video of the various steps. Some participants may choose to use both the hardcopy notes while watching the video. Participants can choose the learning method that suits them.
LOVE IT!

Slide 6

The Assembly area of the site documents information relating to Webinars and or conference that will be held. Conferences can take place online as well as f2f. The f2f conference would be an annual event called Me 2 Conference. This name was chosen to try and reflect on the inclusive nature of learning/networking that takes place.

Slide 7

The Canteen is the social area of the site. This is where participants can find or start different interest groups other than Web 2.0 related.

Participants can find a list of the schools using the site.

Participants can create ‘adverts’ so that collaborative inter school projects can be worked on, thus expanding students learning networks.

Heather you are amazing! love your work!

Updates

Hi guys, can we use this page for updates. I added the same info into our to do list, but think it might get lost there as we all start to 'tick off' what we are doing, thus the need for the duplication. Sorry, I know it is a pain and I am open to suggestions, just don't want us to find we have forgotten something.

Thanks!

Please Note: If you are going to upload a PowerPoint, or Word document to the Live Binder, it is better to convert to pdf as it will then open beautifully in our Live Binder. If you are not able to convert to pdf, I am happy to conver it for you if you send it to me. Heather

From Heather's to do list:
A storyboard or diagram that represents the e-Learning community design - I have uploaded a draft storyboard idea into our Live Binder. If you guys have a chance, can you please give me feedback. At this stage, I do not have the descriptive text as I will do that once eveyone is ok with what it looks like. The buttons at the top are hyperlinked and are working, as is the module button for Blogs.
I want to see if I can add comments to the pdf, if not I will think of a different way to present the storyboard - 1/5/11 H

From Christine:
Thanks Heather for all your hard work I LOVE what you've done!!! You are an absolute super efficient legend!!! THANK YOU that must have taken you ages to do. I will also try and find a fun quote for collaborative learning. Will be in touch.

FYI: Theresa has asked us to complete a table in her wiki to log group members and the focus for our site. Just letting you know that I've done that for us.


From Heather - thanks Christine, I saw that :) we do make a gr8 team. I probably should not have worked on it and rather studied for my exam today, I know I did badly which is sad as I have been working so hard all semester ... I totally went blank, it was as if there was not an idea in my head :( :(

Anyway, back to this, I think I will email Theresa as I have noticed twice now a comment about a written submission from groups, we have worked hard on our proposal 'container' and do not want to find out that doesn't 'count' and that she is expecting something quite different. Not sure if there are other issues with the class, but there is now a new doc up that the group needs to work on and submit. In some ways, we have past that stage, what do you think?

From Christine - lol I did see that yesterday and I must admit I went a little crazy with rage. We are TOTALLY past that point. I think this is a bit overkill. Can you cc me on your email. Very interested in what she has to say on whether we can by-pass this considering where we are at.

I hope you're exam wasn't as disasterous as you think it went - I don't think I could study for an exam now!! Fingers crossed you did enough to get through!!

Key Features of our E-Learning Community

We-Learning (updated version)

Our own We-Learning Me-Learning community is based on the model proposed by Gilly Salmon and David Shepherd (2004). We will be using this model to show the key design features of our own learning environment.

In attempting to address all aspects of this model, we have used Salmon and Shepherd’s layout and images. In addition to using their layout, we have included the key elements of our website to demonstrate how we attempt to meet aspects of a good learning environment.

Stage 1 - Access & Motivation

“Motivation is an essential element to get participants through the early stages of use of the hardware and software systems and towards engagement and mobilisation of learning.” (Salmon and Shepherd, 2004)

· Our site is designed for schools as a way of up-skilling and training staff.

· Login and general administration to access the site will be managed by the ICT facilitator at each school (and supported by a how-to manual for each user which is emailed/sent at enrolment).

· One of the key features of motivation is purpose. Each user must know why they are a member of this community. We believe that by providing specific modules for skill development will assist users know their purpose within this community. Users will be able to determine the number of modules they participate in based on their own individual needs.

· Membership while organised at a school level will preferably be voluntary.

·

Stage 2 - Socialisation

“Whether the community will last a few weeks or a few years, it’s a very special learning and teaching opportunity.” (Salmon and Shepherd, 2004)

· Each school will have their own area on our site. The purpose of this is to establish a familiarity so that community can be more easily built/developed. The aim of this site is to promote a genuine online learning community that will later drive life-long learning.

· While the general engagement in modules is aimed at a school level, members will have opportunities and are encouraged to engage with other colleagues not at their workplace through our site forums, chats and webinars. Opportunities through the teacher’s lounge and show and tell area allow for teachers to collaborate and network outside of their own school.

· Once a year there is a Me 2 Conference which will be delivered face-to-face as well as via webinar for people unable to attend.

· Blogs will be used as a learning journal but also as a tool to engage other users in assisting the learning process. Participants will be encouraged to read and comment on each other’s work; and where appropriate help to collaboratively solve problems.

· Class Rules are also an important part of our learning community. Here is where we explicitly state the expectations for each participant – i.e. to engage in some discussion to develop a real sense of community and to remove feelings of isolation. This area will contain the code of conduct that is expected as a member of a collaborative learning community.

Stage 3 - Information Exchange

“The big advantage of asynchronicity is that everyone can explore information at their own pace and react to it before hearing the views and interpretations of others.” (Salmon and Shepherd, 2004).

· Modules are accessed and completed at user’s own pace. This allows for differentiated learning experiences which are paced to meet individual learning needs.

· Discussion boards are open 24/7. This will allow for greater access to the site and in time, as the site grows, allow for both interstate and international participants to contribute.

· Information provided on our site will be made available in a variety of formats for example, podcasts, texts, instructional videos etc. All webinars given will be made available as podcasts so that around Australia and the world can access at a time that suits them.

· Blogs are used for individuals to track their own learning as well as comment/support other uses. These blogs will be a great tool to show people the process a learner has engaged in and can be used as a resource for future participants.

· The Show and Tell area allows users to showcase work samples, new tools or problems that they collaboratively solve. This area is open to all users not just school based. Show and tell and the forums are a great tool for learners to share resources as well as ask others for guidance as to where to find needed resources. This is an important feature in creating a sustainable community as it takes the onus of ‘providing answers’ away from the moderator and onto the community.

Stage 4 - Knowledge Construction

Users “take control of their own knowledge construction in new ways.” (Salmon and Shepherd, 2004).

· Each module has resources (including text and videos) and user manuals which will be used by participants to complete manuals. The variety is essential in meeting individual learning needs and/or preferred learning styles.

· The nature of blogs means that the construction of one’s knowledge can be documented and tracked. The blog is used to show how users develop their knowledge on particular web 2.0 tools. In this capacity it can act as an assessment tool to showcase their final product and the process involved in getting to that end point.

· The Show and Tell area allows users to showcase their new skills by showing work samples or their products. It also allows other users to see the potential of some of the Web 2.0 tools used.

Stage 5 - Development

“participants become responsible for their own learning and that of their group. They build on the ideas acquired through the e-tivities and apply them to their individual contexts.” (Salmon and Shepherd, 2004).

· At the completion of their chosen module users are expected to integrate their new knowledge into their practice. This will be evidenced in their learning journals/blogs as well as the show and tell areas of the site.

· Users can choose to complete another module of their interest. The modules will be designed in a way that builds on knowledge and integrates acquired skills.

· Users can contribute to discussions and learn from other users on new tools that can help inform or improve their practice. Discussions can be used as a how to or as a think tank on how to use a particular Web 2.0 tool into the classroom/teaching practice.

Source:

Salmon, G; Shepherd, D (2004). All things in moderation. All things in moderation company, England. [Viewed 30^th April, 2011] http://www.atimod.com/e-tivities/5stage.shtml