The finale - and where to now?

So what has been achieved in the last ten weeks?

The group have explored and shared a wide range of websites and Web 2.0 tools, and they have produced ideas and are using some of the newly discovered tools:

• A Google Group has been used by Freelance Journalism students
  
• •A Google Site is being used as a resource for Grammar students
  
• •Photoshop Extension program will be offered in term 1
• •A Flexible Learning Framework toolbox learning object has been trialled and evaluated
  
• •Pilot program planned – Gardening
• •Pilot program planned – Fashion
• Pilot program planned - 20 Great Ways to Market Your Business Online
  
• •2 course proposals are under consideration:
  - Course Name: Unlocking your Creative Potential
  
  
  - Creative Freedom at Work

So I think we can be proud of our achievements!

It's important, though, to look at what the journey was like for participants. Looking back over the weeks and thinking about our reflections in our final meeting, there is much contradictory feedback. This is not really surprising as it reflects each individual learning experience. Some of the comments were:

"exciting", "frustrating", "overwhelming", "rewarding"

"needs more structure - prefer to have been asked to explore a specific tool"

"good to have the freedom to play and find out what's possible and relevant to me"

"provided opportunities to experience e-learning and to try things out"

"time is an issue"

"connecting with other tutors is good"

"lack of confidence is a problem - more information on ettiquette - a need to cater for the lowest common denominator [technically] became evident"

"now I know it's possible to run a course online"

"an opportunity to extend my knowledge".

In terms of where to now? the clear winner on the feedback front was the need for foundation skills (referred to in week 8 post). So I am leaning towards a two-tier system where skills-based workshops in Web2 tools will be available for those who want them. The skills-based learning will not be a pre-requisite for attendance in an exploratory program - but is there for those who want it. The delivery method for these workshops is likely to be via a virtual conference room and will include the 'how to' as well as real-life examples of how the tools are being used right now.

Another great suggestion was to provide some coaching alongside the exploratory approach to learning so there is another layer of support.

So, in a nutshell add another layer of learning opportunities and provide a more robust level of individual support.

2009 looks busy!

Week 9 - Marina and Eve

Marina and Eve chose to facilitate a great session on "SMARTing" your goals. This was content they have co-delivered many times in a classroom so the challenge was to transfer the content into a virtual conference room. It was really interesting watching how they worked together to present the information - one person presenting, and the other keeping track of text and managing the whiteboard. I thought it was a great demonstration of how helpful it is if you are lucky enough to have a co-presenter. One delivering the content and the other watching the text - then they swapped.

They sent an email before the session asking us to think about our goals - so we knew what was coming and were ready to participate in the session. The first slide was a couple of questions to establish what they group knew about goal-setting. The was a good starting point because it engaged everyone in the group immediately. Other activities involved us thinking quietly about our response - in a classroom it might be a short paired discussion before feeding back to the large group. This felt strange to me in an online environment, sitting silently thinking. It may be an idea to ask the questions first of those who have more knowledge. Others can then consider their response while this is happening and this would eliminate the silence.

Marina asked for a volunteer to offer a goal and then as group we SMART the goal. This seemed to be successful. I was concerned about whether other participants would stay focused on the activity as it revolved around one person. Generally the feedback was that that people did stay focused and people were contributing to the discussion through text and voice unasked.

Marina and Eve have both said that as a result of Denis' presentation and their own facilitation they can see opportunities to use this technology in their practice - which is great!

The forum this week has been hopping! Liz and Ken were facilitating. Liz came up with idea of having a Twitter in our forum just to see what it's all about - and twitter we did! The result was that 75% of the group contributed and there were the most posts in any discussion. So the lesson for me? Encourage short and sweet contributions and people will give it a go! Thanks Liz.

Week 8: Denis

Thanks to Denis for his impressive presentation on gardening. Denis gave a really professional presentation and was noticeably comfortable in the room. His strategies for engagement, voice, text and whiteboard all worked really well and the slides were effective as well. Denis had obviously given a lot of thought to his presentation and structured it well beginning with an ice breaker, making good use of his slides as visual aids and regularly asking for feedback or creating little activities to engage the group. Denis was explaining about how the conditions in the garden change depending on the time of year. To demonstrate his point he had some images of the same house and garden at differnt times of year. During his explanation he asked two of us to keep on a particular part of the images so that we could identify what changes were occurring. This was a really fantastic way to engage participants as we sat up and concentrated awaiting the questions which were to come. he also re-capped regularly to check for understanding.

Also, thanks to Joanna for facilitating our forum this week. Joanna asked some great questions and introduced us to TED as well as linking us into yet another great podcast.

This week I have been busy analysing the program as part of my studies and am writing my end of semester essay and the image at the top of this post shows us what we have learned and how we might be better supported in our learning. I was assisted by comments from Helen and Ken on last weeks blog post where I expressed my concerns about the level of forum activity and about the possibility of developing some skills training. This is an excerpt from my essay about those topics.

"One of the learning objectives was to “use a discussion forum as a collaborative learning tool” and it is not clear whether or not this objective was met. It was pointed out to me that lurking in a forum is a legitimate activity which may lead to learning. Lave and Wenger (1991) agree and state that “Legitimate peripheral participation refers to how newcomers become integrated into a community of practice [and] think of it as learners "learning in a situation". (In Fincher, 2003). Feedback from lurkers has suggested that they saw no purpose to this engagement – it would be just for the sake of participating. This statement really struck a chord with me and I realised that perhaps my expectation of intrinsic motivation, at least in relation to the learning objective described above, was unrealistic. Although the Moodle reports indicate that participants visit the forums on a regular basis they cannot tell me whether people are learning. This is one reason I would like to improve forum participation. Another is simply to expose the group to the possibilities of collaborative learning in this way. Interestingly, when each participant took a turn at facilitating the forum, a strong leadership role was adopted in every case which seems to indicate that there is understanding within the group of how a forum might work in their context.

Another barrier to participation may be the small size of the group and the appearance of a small but knowledgeable sub-group which prevents contributions from the less experienced. It may be that having the choice of waiting for our weekly meetings to ask questions is limiting participation in the forums. So perhaps fewer, or even no virtual conference sessions are the answer. It may then, be worth providing two programs: an asynchronous program which takes an exploratory approach and a synchronous virtual conference facilitation program. As yet the best approach is unknown and will be something I discuss with participants in the final face to face meeting."

"Basic skills’ training has been identified as lacking in this program. Therefore it may be prudent to offer scaffolding in the form of monthly skills-based sessions conducted either in the virtual conference room or in an asynchronous format such as a forum or a wiki. This strategy will provide participants with opportunities to experience both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning. These sessions will stand alone so that participants can elect to attend sessions in areas of personal interest. It is not my intention to make skills training a pre-requisite for participation in future programs but individual consultation with potential participants prior to enrolment is likely to result in a less bewildering and more positive experience for everyone.

Seagrave Holt and Farmer (2005) describe the use of “exemplars through storytelling of cases of innovative online teaching practices”. Including relevant exemplars is likely to enhance the skills training program so that the practical How to… techniques can be positioned within a recognisable context."

Ken's suggestion to include a session on "What to write" is also a great idea which could be embedded within one of the skills workshops.

Thanks guys!
Ann

Fincher, D. (2003). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, A Review. http://derrel.net/readings/SituatedLearning.htm [accessed 14 Nov 2008]
Lave, J. and E. Wenger, 1991 Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. New York: Cambridge University Press

Week 7 - Jennifer and Helen

This week we were lucky enough to take a trip around the fashion houses of the world! We watched video and saw fantastic photos on a very slick looking site called style.com. Jennifer is a fashion designer by trade and took us on this exciting web tour. Next Helen showed us her Ning site which is using with a group of teachers who are learning about Photoshop Elements through digital scrap booking. Both presentations used web tours as their tool of choice but unfortunately our technology let us down and synchronised browsing didn't work! So we each entered the URL into our own browsers and then moved around as directed by our presenters. This was definitely a challenge for both presenters as it's difficult to make sure that everyone is with you. This is an example of how different it is to facilitate online versus face to face. What we learned is that there are many ways to engage the senses online. style.com is very exciting, fast and generated (for me at least) a sense of entering a world which I never would in reality. The web can do this for us and we can do this for our learners - we can give them access to experiences through technology that they otherwise might miss.

This idea flowed into the second presentation. The Ning site created it's own atmosphere - it's pink and girly. The theme was selected specifically for it's audience. Participants in the scrap booking program are posting their photos. There are videos and a couple of blogs and places for students to access resources. Helen described how she set up the site and said it took her about half an hour. Even if we multiply that by 10 for a person who is less technologically confident, it's still not a lot of time to set up a brand new learning space.

Through the week Jennifer and Helen facilitated our forum. This has been a challenge for everyone so far and I am beginning to question its value in this context. On the one hand, if I don't introduce the concept to the group they will never understand how it can be used. On the other hand, to introduce the concept and fail to engage the group in this way is may discourage people from joining a forum in the future.

My intention was to create a collaborative learning environment. To some extent this has been achieved by sharing our discoveries each week in the virtual conference room. In those sessions there is a feeling of an established group. However there is little activity in the forums and even less collaboration.

As the weeks pass it is becoming clear to me that a series of "How to..." classes would benefit many in the group and this is something I will endeavour to provide in 2009.

Week 6 - Joanna

Joanna gave a fantastic presentation in the virtual conference room last night about her new Google Group. Joanna is teaching a Freelance Journalism course and is using Google Groups to provide her students with access to resources as well as an opportunity for discussion between classes. She has customised the site with a great graphic and provided easy to follow instructions. The whole group have joined and some are actively participating. She mentioned that she had posted eight times while her students had posted only four times. What followed was a comment that this is a pretty good ratio for a brand new forum.

Joanna's presentation was supported by a web tour and a Powerpoint slide show. She spoke confidently and seemed quite at ease in the conference room which was great to see. Participants were interested in what she had to say and there were lots of questions. There was a lot of discussion about text chat:

- it's distracting (yes it is!)
- it's fun
- it's a way of asking lots of questions without interrupting the faciltator.

We discovered that you can actually mute text chat from participants. I suppose this is a way to focus the group. However I noticed that most of the questions and lots of the responses came via the text chat so I wonder what the effect of removing this feature would be on participation. Maybe we can try it.

This week began our participant faclitation of the Moodle forum began. Each pair will facilitate for one of the next five weeks. Engagement in the forum to date has been minimal but this week was active and interesting. There were four discussions:

Motivating students to complete on line learning
Time for us all to be on LinkedIn
Learning Styles and E-learning
Uptake of E-learning.

One participant was trialling a toolbox learning object with two students, one of whom decided early on that e-learning was really not for her. She was expecting to learn about teaching in the same way that you might learn computer skills online. The volume of reading was overwhelming and she withdrew favouring a face to face approach. The other student however stuck with it and has almost completed her tasks. The conclusion of our forum discussion was that the structure and language were to complex. It will be interesting to hear what the other student felt about the environment.

There was a bit of discussion about the value of joining social networks where opposing views were voiced. Some are already in, and love it, while others are dabbling and are not yet convinced!

Next was a discussion about e-learning styles followed by the final topic - Uptake of E-learning. I thought that both these topics had the potential to become great discussions. It was the first time I had seen passionate posts, posts with substance, posts with great questions. I am going to try to keep these discussions going beyond their week and am hopeful that people will continue to engage.

My final comment about yesterday is triumphant! During our virtual conference session we talked about the pros and cons of forum discussions and one of our number said

"this is all new - we, the teachers, need to lead..."

Thanks Ken, you can come back! :)

Week 5 - Ken and Liz

This week saw the first of our participant presentations in the virtual conference room. Ken teaches 20 Great Ways to Promote Your Business Online. Yesterday evening he showed us his very well established Profitable Hospitality website where he shares not only his own knowledge and expertise in the area of hospitality, but also that he has become adept at tapping in to the vast array of information which is available on the web. Ken is also using Google Sites as a teaching and learning tool and Google Groups as a collaborative tool. So Ken is already immersed in the world of Web2. What then, I wonder is he gaining from this program? I'm going to ask him!

Liz is new to the world of Web2. She teaches a Crash Course in English Grammar and worked with Ken to develop a resource library for her students. She decided on Google Sites as her tool of choice. Her idea is to link her students to existing drills and other grammar exercises already available online - rather than reinventing the wheel - brilliant! Her students will have the option of working independently through those exercises which are relevant for them between classes. She is also keen to incorporate some collaboration through Google Groups in the future. Liz reported that it took her about an hour to set up the first incarnation of her online space which again, is brilliant and also encouraging for others who are taking their first steps.

Last night we had webcam functionality enabled in the room for the first time. In this room only the current speaker is visible. Participants seemed to like it and I like it as well. I think that a real-time visual image of the speaker adds another dimension to virtual conferencing. It humanizes the experience and adds that bit of body language, a smile or a nod for example, which is likely to minimise any misunderstandings.

Both presenters seemed confident and comfortable in the virtual conference room. Both used web touring to share their work and both used informal discussion to engage their audience. The group as a whole are now texting easily in the room and seem to enjoy asking their questions in this way. Some are speaking very confidently as well. There were many questions for our presenters which demonstrates an interest in their topics and a willingness to learn from each other. The collaboration between Ken and Liz was very pleasing as I have felt that collaboration was missing in this project. It now seems to be emerging in small ways as the paired facilitation work begins and as they ask questions of each other.

There is a feeling, (and I can't describe it any other way), that in this group, the group dynamics are changing. This group are working independently. Apart from the paired facilitation activities, they rarely connect outside of our weekly meetings - which is the same as most of the face to face programs we offer at the college. However, yesterday I observed subtle differences in the way that people enter the room and greet each other. They know each other better now, they ask direct questions of each other. In the context of Tuckman's forming, storming, norming and performing theory they seem to have moved into the Norming stage without going through the Storming stage. I have observed no jockeying for position - in fact quite the reverse. Those who are more confident have tended to hang back to give those who are less experienced the opportunity to participate. I have seen this before in online groups and I wonder if online group dynamics develop in a different way. Comments on this would be most welcome. I'm looking forward to watching what happens over the coming weeks.

Week 4: Asynchronous E-Learning

This week we were joined by Mo Kader who delivers a range of e-learning courses using asynchronous text-based strategies. He believes that this method provides great flexibility for students who can log on and collect their next assignment or ask questions when it suits them. This delivery style seems well suited to the busy lifestyles we seem to have adopted on mass in the 21st century! Thanks Mo, we appreciate your time.

That said, our asynchronous forum has been very quiet this week. For this group it seems to be an additional burden - just another thing to do - and something which so far has not been of great value to participants. My thoughts are that our regular weekly meetings in the virtual conference room may provide sufficient contact and that people are busy thinking about the multitude of technologies to which they have been exposed. Maybe the forum is overkill.

For the facilitator (me), this is problematic because I don't actually know whether people are happily engaging or whether they need help. I have to confess to doing a ring-around earlier in the week after which I was greatly relieved to find that there is a whole lot of activity going on out there! It's also possible that including the expert speakers early in our program has accentuated the lack of feedback as these sessions left very little time for us to chat about what people have been doing in their projects. This is something I may re-think next time.

So that brings me to my learning for the week which is about creating appropriate conditions for e-learning. They are:

Trust - to post or blog for the first time is a big step. Participants have to feel they are in a safe environment and that anything they share will be well received. It takes time and requires confidence to build this kind of trust.

Freedom to explore and engage with tools of relevance.

A structure in which to engage and explore which incorporates multiple methods for regular feedback.

To set realistic goals.

A high level of support is necessary along the way.

The space to reflect.

The ability and willingness to learn independently.