PPEL - Unit 2: Task 3, 2nd LO

Regarding this 2nd LO, I decided to comment Maria João Spilker’s work…

http://www.mindomo.com/view.htm?m=6bee60bc4f9d45ee88d07b65a23e0941

This work is about Online Teaching and Learning, based on Paulsen, M. F., 2003, Part One: Online Education Teaching and Learning in http://www.studymentor.com/



Her work deals with Online Teaching and Learning and she presents a well structured Mind Map, or a scheme if you prefer, on this topic and also five YouTube video presentations to help giving a more complete scenario in terms of presented topics. The scheme is excellent and gives an overall perspective on the areas related to online teaching and learning, e teachers, e teacher’s workload, e teaching techniques and e teaching opportunities. Bearing in mind the videos… (Which I will analyze as I present each one.)

1 - Teacher’s Workload, by Beth Dobler.

One of the video deals with Teacher’s Workload from a Learning Institute video on Efficient Online Teaching, by Beth Dobler. I found it very joyful, light and appealing, and its author, Beth Dobler gives an extremely stimulating approach on Teacher’s workload, giving her personal experience to illustrate it and she actually gets in touch with the audience, for we hear the reactions of the viewers. Through the presentation says that she believes “in the efficiency of online teaching” and in “the power of teaching online” and, because she also suffers the effects of teacher’s workload, she “presents time saving solutions”. She is in favor of the element of collaboration between teachers and she points out that “sharing knowledge” is the best strategy “to find what best suits for each other” in online teaching and learning environments. In my opinion this approach is excellent, very enriching and it opened my horizons regarding Beth Dobler, although the colleague has already mentioned her work, this was my first contact with her and in the future I will, definitely, accompany her work!

2 - Teaching Opportunities, published by Brunswick.

Regarding Teaching Opportunities a YouTube video is here to enlighten us on the changes that have been taking place over the last years in relation to the world, the surroundings and more precisely education. “Future is accelerating and Educations is rapidly adapting to a new reality”, where Internet emerges as an essential element providing access to new education tools, new perspectives and new ways of teaching and learning. The background music and the topics and the media way in which they are dealt grasped my attention right from the start; I found this video very clear and innovative!

3 - “Podcasting in Plain English.”, by Lee LeFever.

Bearing in mind the technique one-to-many we have “Podcasting in Plain English” and “Blogging in Plain English”, both videos are from YouTube, by Lee LeFever and they are elaborated with the use of cartoons made in paper. They are joyful, creative and easy to understand. Regarding Podcasting, at first it is established the difference between podcasting and broadcasting, then it is referred the advantages of it, and we need to have access to it and what we can gain with it, namely, according to the author, “with podcasting we don’t have to depend on traditional media”. I find this resource joyful, creative, easy to understand and ingenious and this presentation gave me excellent hints about it.

4 - “Blogging in Plain English.”, by Lee LeFever.

With the video “Blogging in Plain English” we get in touch with blogs, the messages they convey and hints on why their impact has become so big since 2003. According to the author “Blogs give ordinary people the power of the media in creating a personal kind of news that is appealing to a number of small audiences”, allowing in this way the emergence of “communities of bloggers that share, work and experience with each other” for “anyone with an idea can start a blog with the click of a button and share news minutes later”. Lee LeFever also says that “blogs are websites organized by blog posts – individual new stories – that make the news a true way street and what we do with them” is a reflection of our own perspective of everything. I found this presentation creative, stick-to-the-point and lighthearted…it is an easy way of presenting blogs and showing the significant impact they have in our lives.

5 – “Online Discussion – Teaching with Online Discussion Forums.”, by Mark Fullmer.

This presentation is regarding the technique many-to-many. This video is not new to me for the colleague Ana Marmeleira also presented it in her Annotated Bibliography. Throughout this video references are made on the possible activities regarding Web 2.0 and its implications on Online Teaching and Learning. This video is also enhancing and it is important to have something related to this, because I find Web 2.0 tools are in this type of learning and teaching (although this is not my choice of election, but I respect my colleague's decision!).

6 - “Wikis in Plain English.”, by Lee Lefever.

This presentation is also not new to me… the colleague Ana Marmeleira also made reference to it in her Annotated Bibliography and it is also on the technique many-to-many on Online Elaboration - Wikis. Like the previous presentations by Lee Lefever, I find this one also creative and joyful since its beginning; it is also done with the use of drawn cartoons and it gives significant guidelines on Wikis, how we make them and what we can do with them…it provides a good set of hints regarding this tool!

In conclusion...

Overall, I found Maria João Spilker’s choices regarding the YouTube videos very good and extremely intelligent for they provide her work a more complete and objective analysis on Online Teaching and Learning. I enjoyed this presentation and its analysis very much for I found it challenging mostly due to the amount of information presented in it! Thank you for your work!!!

PPEL - Unit 2: Task 3

Comment on Annotated Bibliography...

I chose Ana Marmeleira’s Annotated Bibliography. This work has a wide variety of texts, in reference to books and articles, and also two YouTube videos, one about Wikis in Plain English, which I found very appealing and interesting, and another one on Teaching with Online Discussion Forums. Regarding the content and the pertinence of it, I found Ana Marmeleira’s work straightforward, stick-to-the-point and clear. Besides giving a small summary – in some cases more extensive than in others - regarding the topics dealt on each one of her choice’s, in some situations, Ana Marmeleira also presented her point of view enlightening some of do’s and don’ts of her readings. In terms of accessibility, Ana Marmeleira’s work was made with easy, accessible and objective references in relation to the texts dealt.

Here is the list of reading choices:

1) How to manage your Online Teacher workload (Kate Butler)
http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/ManagingFlexibleDelivery/content/article_4180.htm

2) Manual Web 2.0 para professores (org. Ana Amélia Carvalho)
http://www.erte.dgidc.min-edu.pt/publico/web20/manual_web20-professores.pdf

3) Interview to Stewart Mader – Wiki in Education (Debora Batello)http://www.contosdaescola.net/interview-with-stewart-mader-wiki-in-education

4) Is There a Space for the Teacher in a WIKI? (Andreas Lund; Ole Smørdal)
http://www.wikisym.org/ws2006/proceedings/p37.pdf

5) Wikis in Plain English (commoncraft) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

6) Student-Centered Collaborative Learning Via Face-To-Face and Asynchronous Online Communication: What’s the Difference? (Ainslie Ellis)http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne01/pdf/papers/ellisa.pdf

7) Teaching with Online Discussion Forums (Mark Fullmer) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3xo1RipS-c

Dealing with the analysis of Ana Marmeleira’s work…

1) How to manage your Online Teacher workload (Kate Butler)
http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/ManagingFlexibleDelivery/content/article_4180.htm

Interesting approach regarding the teacher’s work and workload in online teaching. This article offers the reader some good suggestions regarding time and “information management on course design and activity types and also on technical issues.”

2) Manual Web 2.0 para professores (org. Ana Amélia Carvalho)
http://www.erte.dgidc.min-edu.pt/publico/web20/manual_web20-professores.pdf

Na extraordinary guideline on Web 2.0 and its tools. The book is divided in ten chapters and during my quick reading I found them all very useful. I share my colleague’s opinion that this book is a very resourceful tool for the ones that are interested in knowing more and using Web 2.0. Excellent choice…it’s in my readings’ list!

3) Interview to Stewart Mader – Wiki in Education (Debora Batello)http://www.contosdaescola.net/interview-with-stewart-mader-wiki-in-education

This amazing article is based in an interview to Stewart Mader, who led the creation of Wikipatterns.com. In this interview a pertinent highlight is given on the importance of Wikis in Education. Apart from this, this interview also focuses on the book Wiki in Education – its impact and the do’s (and don’ts) of Wiki in this area. Bearing in mind my experience with Wiki, I find this analysis very significant and valuable for it presents an excellent tool because it provides students a very resourceful tool to work in group in distance e-learning courses.

4) Is There a Space for the Teacher in a WIKI? (Andreas Lund; Ole Smørdal)
http://www.wikisym.org/ws2006/proceedings/p37.pdf

This article draws our attention to the teacher’s role regarding Wiki activities. A concise and objective analysis in which the teacher’s role is described as very important, for it is he that establishes the balance between the student’s findings and his guided objectives and he is also the one to whom students address to find support in the “making of” activities.

5) Wikis in Plain English (commoncraft) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

A very joyful and creative perspective on Wikis, how we make them and how we deal with them. In a more practical speech one may say that it actually provides a “good prescription” on Wiki’s usage.

6) Student-Centered Collaborative Learning Via Face-To-Face and Asynchronous Online Communication: What’s the Difference? (Ainslie Ellis)http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne01/pdf/papers/ellisa.pdf

This article provides an interesting and significant glimpse on another important online learning technique…the use of forums. I agree with the author of this annotated bibliography’s point of view regarding this choice for it is – and I subscribe her words – an excellent way for it allows” more students [even quieter ones] to participate (…) and the details of the discussion remain and it allows backtrack and reread messages.”

7) Teaching with Online Discussion Forums (Mark Fullmer) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3xo1RipS-c

Another video presentation, this time on “Teaching with Online Discussion Forums”. Throughout the presentation references are made to the activities available on Web 2.0. I found this resource not as pertinent as the others already mentioned in this Annotated Bibliography, but I respect my colleague's choice!

In conclusion, in my opinion Ana Marmeleira’s work highlighted and gave an important contribute for my next readings. Although is true that some were more appealing than others, on the overall I find her choices pertinent and significant in terms of notions and tools implied in Online teaching Techniques. As the colleague presented seven references, I decided to join my appreciations as I gave my comment in order to provide a more complete analysis.

PPEL - Unit 2: Task 2 LO

Online Teaching Techniques and the use of Web 2.0...

This presentation was developed with the following resources:
Powerpoint, Toonlet.com and E. M. Powerpoint Video Converter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfKMz_irqsw

Educação e Sociedade em Rede

Comentário sobre Cibercultura...

A ideia de cibercultura expressa uma inovação, uma nova era cultural nas formas de estar e de comunicar na sociedade. Neste sentido, os pensamentos, as atitudes, os valores e as práticas inerentes e identificativas da sociedade são transmitidas num "ciberespaço", criado graças à "interconexão mundial dos computadores", que é acessível e global para todos, traduzindo assim uma ideia de globalização cultural de "um universo oceânico de informações" com fortes implicações civilizacionais.

... e três exemplos significativos...

Tendo em conta a proposta lançada pelo Prof. António Teixeira, eis os três exemplos de significativos de cibercultura descritos por Pierre Lévy em Cibercultura: o correio electrónico, a música tecno e o hipertexto.

Relativamente ao correio electrónico, Pierre Lévy faz uma análise da noção de correio através dos tempos e quando chega à “nossa era” descreve-o da seguinte forma:

“O correio electrónico, como sistema social de comunicação, encontra-se intimamente ligado à ascensão das ideias e das práticas que valorizam a liberdade de expressão e a noção de livre contacto entre indivíduos. Podemos ver claramente, nesse caso, como uma infra-estrutura de comunicação pode ser investida por uma corrente cultural que vai, no mesmo movimento, transformar o seu significado social e estimular a sua evolução técnica e civilizacional.” (p. 125)

O acto de consultar, enviar e escrever um e-mail é um reflexo da nossa forma de ser uma vez que o que escrevemos é parte inerente da nossa identidade. Na produção e envio de um e-mail, dependendo dos nossos receptores , este pode ser reenviado e re-acrescentado para outros, o que faz com que a nossa mensagem começe a sua viagem e consequente proliferação, transformando-se num aglomerado de textos abertos e identificativos da forma de estar, pensar e agir de quem os escreveu. Assim sendo, estamos perante uma arte de comunicar que tem fortes implicações culturais, sociais, tecnológicas e civilizacionais vistos sermos seres activos, pensantes e sempre na busca de nos mostrar e de sermos vistos quer se trate de um ambiente real ou não.

Tendo em conta o segundo exemplo, a música tecno, o autor Pierre Lévy descreve-a como o “som da cibercultura”, pois é igualmente resultante de um “patchwork musical virtual” com fortes implicações culturais, sociais e claro está civilizacionais.

“A música tecno colhe o seu material na grande reserva de amostras de sons.(…) Programas de computador montam “textos originais” por meio de recombinação de fragmentos de corpus preexistentes. Os sites remetem uns para os outros, sua estrutura hipertextual gerencia uma interpenetração das mensagens, um mergulho recíproco dos espaços virtuais. É, portanto, a questão dos limites da obra ou de seu contexto que, após as vanguardas do século XX é recolocada de outra forma, e com intensidade particular, pela ciberarte.” (p. 136)

Na concepção da música tecno está implícito um novo gosto que corresponde ao rosto de uma nova identidade musical que tem um forte impacto nos que a criam e naqueles que a cultivam ao nível cultural e, inevitavelmente civilizacional.

“A música tecno inventou uma nova modalidade da tradição, ou seja, uma forma original de tecer o laço cultural. (…) No tecno, cada ator do colectivo de criação extrai materia sonora de um fluxo em circulação em uma vasta rede tecno-social. Essa matéria é misturada, arranjada, transformada, depois reinjectada na forma de uma “peça original” no fluxo da música digital em circulação. Assim, cada músico ou grupo de músicos funciona como um operador em um fluxo de transformação permanente em uma rede cíclica de cooperadores.” (p. 142)

Por fim, perspectivando o último exemplo, o hipertexto…

“Eis o hipertexto global, o metamundo virtual em metamorfose perpétua, o fluxo musical ou icónico na enchente. Cada um é chamado a transformar-se num operador singular, qualitativamente diferente, na transformação do hiperdocumento universal e intotalizável.” (p. 149)

Com o hipertexto estamos perante uma noção de texto aberto e infindável onde cada interveniente dá o seu contributo e cria novos contextos literários amplos e globalizantes, deixando uma obra literária virtual aberta onde os autores são todos os que contribuem para a sua propagação, ao contrário da ideia anteriormente defendida em prol da identidade do autor e da sua individualidade. Para exemplificar esta ideia, Pierre Lévy vai buscar da Biblia e indica que se trata de uma obra sem autor, precursora do hipertexto, pois “a sua constituição resulta de uma selecção de uma amálgama tardia de um grande número de textos de géneros heterogéneos redigidos em diferentes épocas”. E, face a esta perspectiva, Cibercultura faz “emergir uma nova forma e maneira de agir. O texto dobra-se, redobra-se, divide-se e volta a colar-se pelas pontas e fragmentos: transmuta-se em hipertexto, e os hipertextos conectam-se para formar o plano hipertextual, indefinidamente aberto e móvel da Web.” (p. 149)

PPEL, Unit 2 - Task 1

Annotated bibliography in Online Teaching Techniques...

• Paulsen, M. F., The Online Report on Pedagogical Techniques for Computer-Mediated Communication.
  Source:
• http://www.nettskolen.com/forskning/19/cmcped.html

A very challenging and interesting report that puts in evidence pedagogical techniques on computer-mediated communication and it also presents an overview about them. This report, according to the author, Prof. Morten Flate Paulsen, was presented in Birmingham, England in June 26-30, 1995 at a conference conducted by the International Council for Distance Education. Bearing in mind the author’s work, the report starts by making reference to one of my favorite techniques – brainstorming. By brainstorming we understand “creation of a pool of ideas” on a specific topic and this approach helps the “class” to “break the ice” by introducing a topic which will make the group think in a creative way and expand their thoughts upon the ideas of the elements of the “class”. In this case specifically, Prof. Paulsen used this technique to lead the participants to share experiences in pedagogical techniques that have been applied in CMC.

According to Prof. Paulsen a pedagogical technique is a way of achieving teaching objectives. Throughout the report, he author also points out in a very clear and objective way that there are four pedagogical techniques: one-alone techniques, one-to-one techniques, one-to-many techniques and many-to-many techniques. Once he states them, he describes them and specifies each one bearing in mind the approaches to be used.

In this online report, Prof. Paulsen also makes reference to other books and their authors as well as their contributions for the topic in question.

To sum up, balancing to the embracement of online education by some institutions – which I am sure to increase significantly in the future - , I feel this report is very enlightening and it can also be a good resource for further researches.

• Kim, Kyong-Jee and Bonk, Curtis J., 2006, The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Survey Says… - A survey substantiates some ideas about online learning and refutes others, Vol. 29, Number 4, Educause Quarterly.
  Source:
• http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/TheFutureofOnlineTeachingandLe/157426

An interesting and well illustrated survey based on a study conducted by a group of individuals that believed to have relevant experience and insights regarding the present and future conditions of online education. This survey was also built as a way to understand and to bring insights to the use of technology in teaching, within both higher education and corporate training settings. This survey takes place from late November 2003 to early January 2004 and it shows several demographics of online instructors to portray a significant perspective of online teaching, its growth, its expected quality, its pedagogical techniques and it also presents predictions on to measure the quality of online teaching in the future. A good overview of the future of teaching in online environments.

• Salter, G. and Hansen, S., Modelling New Skills For Online Teaching, Department of Computing and Information Systems, University of Western Sydney.
  Source:
• http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane99/papers/salterhansen.pdf

The content of this article is easy to grasp and it draws our attention to the need and (continuous) search for modelling new skills for online teaching. The authors make reference to the advantages of online material and describe the included methods for teaching online: asynchronous computer mediated communication, synchronous computer mediated communication, online assessment, learning resources, documents, multimedia, links to external resources and student prepared material.

The article also puts into evidence the new role of the teacher, which is now a facilitator instead of an expert authority (old perspective).

Another aspect that is also highlighted is the importance of the real and constant need to evolve because “as technology is evolving so rapidly (…) new teaching possibilities arise regularly” and we must be prepared for that.

I found this article very lighthearted and interesting for it deals with the urgency to monitor and update teaching strategies in order to teach successfully in an online environment.

• Bawden, David et al., 2007, Curriculum 2.0? Changes In Information Science Education for a Web 2.0 World in Digital Information and Heritage, INFuture 2007.(Pages 27 – 40)
  Source:
• http://infoz.ffzg.hr/INFuture/2007/pdf/1-03%20Bawden%20et%20al,%20Curriculum%202.0.pdf

Web 2.0 is depicted as an essential facilitator of online teaching for it “provides both the content of learning, and the tools to promote learning itself.” (p. 39)

In my opinion this study provides a significant glimpse of how Web 2.0 can be used and its implications in five countries, for they are the countries of origin of its authors – England, Australia, Ireland, Lithuania and Slovenija. A very interesting work!

“…the use of Web 2.0 facilities by academic staff themselves, for their own purposes, will enhance their understanding, and hence promote more credible teaching.” (p.40)

• Shihab, Mahmud, 2008, Web 2.0 Tools Improve Teaching and Collaboration in English Language Classes, Presented at the National Educational Computing Conference 2008, San Antonio, TX. (Page 1-21)
  Source:
• http://staging.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Research/NECC_Research_Paper_Archives/NECC2008/Shihab.pdf

A very challenging and stick to the point approach on Web 2.0 taking into account its huge role in online teaching and more precisely in English Language Classes.
“Web 2.0 tools, namely blogs, wikis, podcasts, and RSS were introduced to change teaching practices of in-service high school teachers to improve the collaboration of today’s students in the English language classroom.” (p.1)

This text deals with an experience in which changes in teaching practices, interviews, and other resourceful strategies were put into practice to study the best method in order to put into evidence the effectiveness of the learning process. In my opinion, this article depicts an idea of the impact and potential that Web 2.0 has and will have in online teaching and I found its reading very representative and enlightening.