We have been working here, at the college I am at to create a virtual experience for future purposes. I work at a men's college and many of the men work (not as many women work here in the gulf - but the number is increasing).
Virtual opportunities would offer lots of advantages. To start - and connected to the into, working men (and women) could take classes. This is interesting, very interesting because due to the virtual environment we could now have men and women in the same course. This is forbidden now at the college level do to cultural reasons.
Additionally we have areas, curricular areas, that may benefit from virtual options:
1) We are attempting to introduce the liberal arts and do not have qualified instructors at all campus locations. We have 16 ish campus locations and 17 000 students.
2) Credit recovery could be done via online for students whom fail to meet course requirements.
3) Foundations English courses could be done online and once the acceptable level has been met the student could move into the regular program.
Currently I have been able to work with 4 colleagues that will make a one week trial successful for data collection and student feedback to gain an insight from their perspective on the values and or benefits of virtual learning.
I will include some of the details of the development in a comment, following:
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Student Reflections
I have also been using Blogger for students and have been teaching them about the curriculum design tool I use, Teaching for Understanding, and found some of the brief reflections insightful. If interested - feel free to take a look, at:
http://viewsonnewsathct.blogspot.com/2010/02/tfu-reflections.html
http://viewsonnewsathct.blogspot.com/2010/02/tfu-reflections.html
Week Four Reflection
Hi All,
As I mentioned in an earlier post I do feel bad that I was behind quite a bit. It is 100% my fault and things are looking better. Just got a paper back from a journal (third revision) and it looks as if it is going to get the OK in the next few months here. I am surprised how long it took to develop, write, and get this far. Basically a two year project now - but may have made it.
Tomorrow the sports season will also wrap up. I coach the running team, and tomorrow we have a 21 km race - I will also run, so have been working hard with the running team and my own training. I like to stay with the pace of my runners, but recently we have had a lot of luck and their youth is getting me (good for them). So, I'll be able to focus so much more.
This week I have been able to take a look at the Virtual High School, and a lot of the other schools that you folks are investigating.
I gave two presentations this week to my supervisors - gaining permissions to trial a unit, for a project aimed at this course, hence; I wanted to take a look at several school practices. In the proposal (the presentations) I am looking at the potential for future course design (virtual options) but am thinking small (to pilot). In a one week, one unit course I would like my students to investigate "People that Matter" in looking at a specific topic. One group is studying different nations so I want them to get to know people from the nations (i.e. Rwanda - who were the people involved in the 1957-1994 Genocide). In the other group they are researching technologies, so they should come to grips with the people involved in the timeline of the technology (i.e. if the technology is computers - what roles did: George Boole, Claude Shannon, Tim Burners Lee, and Bill Gates, play).
I met first to determine which courses would be future targets, and then met again to present a proposal to get permissions to teach from my desk for a week. I suggested, based on what I am reading from your posts:
1) mandatory phone calls
2) mandatory e-mails
3) mandatory blog posts
4) watching short videos (three) of me guiding the process
5) a submission of their ongoing research paper before and after (NEW: People that Matter)
6) a possible trip to Dubai to go to the book shop to find a book on their topic/people being researched
7) a casual movie or coffee outing (social event)
I will have student services come and explain the goals and that this is not a virtual week, but a virtual unit from my course (so they should stay in country and attend other classes: this is a concern)
I will administer a survey/questions to students pre and post and interview them to get a snapshot of their feeling
I will never be able to compile all of this in a formal article (I think) in 10 weeks, but will try and will attempt to write this up for the college journal (our version of the Teacher Record)
Very exciting week for me as I was able to 1) get going deeply into this course 2) start looking into the VHS, 3) have finished the article, and 4) will run (me and my runners) the 21k here in just 10 hours time. Then I will feel so free and dig even deeper.
Kind regards to all - especially if you have made it this far
Steve
As I mentioned in an earlier post I do feel bad that I was behind quite a bit. It is 100% my fault and things are looking better. Just got a paper back from a journal (third revision) and it looks as if it is going to get the OK in the next few months here. I am surprised how long it took to develop, write, and get this far. Basically a two year project now - but may have made it.
Tomorrow the sports season will also wrap up. I coach the running team, and tomorrow we have a 21 km race - I will also run, so have been working hard with the running team and my own training. I like to stay with the pace of my runners, but recently we have had a lot of luck and their youth is getting me (good for them). So, I'll be able to focus so much more.
This week I have been able to take a look at the Virtual High School, and a lot of the other schools that you folks are investigating.
I gave two presentations this week to my supervisors - gaining permissions to trial a unit, for a project aimed at this course, hence; I wanted to take a look at several school practices. In the proposal (the presentations) I am looking at the potential for future course design (virtual options) but am thinking small (to pilot). In a one week, one unit course I would like my students to investigate "People that Matter" in looking at a specific topic. One group is studying different nations so I want them to get to know people from the nations (i.e. Rwanda - who were the people involved in the 1957-1994 Genocide). In the other group they are researching technologies, so they should come to grips with the people involved in the timeline of the technology (i.e. if the technology is computers - what roles did: George Boole, Claude Shannon, Tim Burners Lee, and Bill Gates, play).
I met first to determine which courses would be future targets, and then met again to present a proposal to get permissions to teach from my desk for a week. I suggested, based on what I am reading from your posts:
1) mandatory phone calls
2) mandatory e-mails
3) mandatory blog posts
4) watching short videos (three) of me guiding the process
5) a submission of their ongoing research paper before and after (NEW: People that Matter)
6) a possible trip to Dubai to go to the book shop to find a book on their topic/people being researched
7) a casual movie or coffee outing (social event)
I will have student services come and explain the goals and that this is not a virtual week, but a virtual unit from my course (so they should stay in country and attend other classes: this is a concern)
I will administer a survey/questions to students pre and post and interview them to get a snapshot of their feeling
I will never be able to compile all of this in a formal article (I think) in 10 weeks, but will try and will attempt to write this up for the college journal (our version of the Teacher Record)
Very exciting week for me as I was able to 1) get going deeply into this course 2) start looking into the VHS, 3) have finished the article, and 4) will run (me and my runners) the 21k here in just 10 hours time. Then I will feel so free and dig even deeper.
Kind regards to all - especially if you have made it this far
Steve
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Week Three Reflections
I am glad to be here in this course, despite some difficulties. I am not "the best" online student I guess as I get caught up in venturing off - and the tangents I follow need to be tamed and better concerted to the task at hand.
I guess one of the reasons I find this process challenging is my lack of USA based K-12 educational experience. I am a Canadian and have taught abroad for all of my teaching life. I am very surprised even hearing the word "charter" school as it is something out of my working vocabulary - but not anymore. Of course I can catch the concepts - but there has been a considerable learning curve for me. An exciting learning curve - and one I need to keep working on.
I sat down with a truck load of documents from the course (I say in good humour as I love reading) and enjoyed the documents from this course. After becoming more familiar with some of the concepts and organizations in the field of virtual schooling I spent an afternoon watching news and reports on these virtual schools all stocked on youtube. I have included a link to some, a top 10 list, in a previous post on Blogger. This is news to me - less so now after a couple of weeks reading, but I really needed to get my baseline up to par. I am getting there.
Another issue, I sound like a whining student, but am not (I love the process and accept the responsibility for my own lag time) is where to post what. I do fond it a little confusing as we are on a couple different platforms - but can simply enjoy working this out. I am not sure I have it worked out 100% - but I am getting there.
I have isolated a couple of schools I will look at for my research, and will work this in to the google spread sheet in the next couple of days here. I apologize for the delay.
I will also consider two ideas for a project. I am working at a technical college in the middle east and we have technology at our dispense. One "thing" we dont have are online options. One thing we do have are issues that could be solved via virtual options. I am not discussing blended options, but virtual options. For example many of our students fail foundations English courses, and standardized English proficiency tests - virtual courses could allow students to catch up. Secondly, we are attempting to bring in liberal arts courses in the areas of: journalism, photography, and art history. Since these are new programs we do not have qualified staff. With guidance and research, I feel, basic courses could be established. These ideas are still being worked out - and feedback would be welcome.
Kindest regards to all
Stephen Pellerine
I guess one of the reasons I find this process challenging is my lack of USA based K-12 educational experience. I am a Canadian and have taught abroad for all of my teaching life. I am very surprised even hearing the word "charter" school as it is something out of my working vocabulary - but not anymore. Of course I can catch the concepts - but there has been a considerable learning curve for me. An exciting learning curve - and one I need to keep working on.
I sat down with a truck load of documents from the course (I say in good humour as I love reading) and enjoyed the documents from this course. After becoming more familiar with some of the concepts and organizations in the field of virtual schooling I spent an afternoon watching news and reports on these virtual schools all stocked on youtube. I have included a link to some, a top 10 list, in a previous post on Blogger. This is news to me - less so now after a couple of weeks reading, but I really needed to get my baseline up to par. I am getting there.
Another issue, I sound like a whining student, but am not (I love the process and accept the responsibility for my own lag time) is where to post what. I do fond it a little confusing as we are on a couple different platforms - but can simply enjoy working this out. I am not sure I have it worked out 100% - but I am getting there.
I have isolated a couple of schools I will look at for my research, and will work this in to the google spread sheet in the next couple of days here. I apologize for the delay.
I will also consider two ideas for a project. I am working at a technical college in the middle east and we have technology at our dispense. One "thing" we dont have are online options. One thing we do have are issues that could be solved via virtual options. I am not discussing blended options, but virtual options. For example many of our students fail foundations English courses, and standardized English proficiency tests - virtual courses could allow students to catch up. Secondly, we are attempting to bring in liberal arts courses in the areas of: journalism, photography, and art history. Since these are new programs we do not have qualified staff. With guidance and research, I feel, basic courses could be established. These ideas are still being worked out - and feedback would be welcome.
Kindest regards to all
Stephen Pellerine
Online School Videos via youtube
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfo90UfiioY
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu5SMhuK-Bo&NR=1
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28j2DXEV7hw&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18WNMCDlGBs&feature=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jU1WujyADk&NR=1 (longer version of 4)
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a32eDsxDfjY&feature=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPwXmHyxLJM&feature=related
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-43Yf67L9w&feature=related
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpXcICZ_vA
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L11USL6P0AQ
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu5SMhuK-Bo&NR=1
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28j2DXEV7hw&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18WNMCDlGBs&feature=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jU1WujyADk&NR=1 (longer version of 4)
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a32eDsxDfjY&feature=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPwXmHyxLJM&feature=related
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-43Yf67L9w&feature=related
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpXcICZ_vA
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L11USL6P0AQ
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Week Two Reflection
It is interesting for me how I feel like I am entering a new world when I enter this course. I am now, kind of lost, but have hope that I will be able to fit on a track soon enough.
Perhaps I am traditional in the sense that I enjoy "a" base source of literature (i.e. a textbook) and lectures. I guess that is why I normally come to Columbia in the summer for lectures - and do feel that online courses are often hard to follow. I have found that this course is especially interesting as I can get the feel for moodle - via these challenges.
I am working on deciding what exact school I will follow as I am interested in the Oregon Virtual School - but quickly ran into dead-ends, but dead-ends that were soon resurrected. I have ran into both the Salem public schools at: http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/ and Salem-Keizer Public Schools Online at: http://www.skonline.org/index.htm.
Now I need to determine if these courses are acceptable for the task at hand.
Steve
Perhaps I am traditional in the sense that I enjoy "a" base source of literature (i.e. a textbook) and lectures. I guess that is why I normally come to Columbia in the summer for lectures - and do feel that online courses are often hard to follow. I have found that this course is especially interesting as I can get the feel for moodle - via these challenges.
I am working on deciding what exact school I will follow as I am interested in the Oregon Virtual School - but quickly ran into dead-ends, but dead-ends that were soon resurrected. I have ran into both the Salem public schools at: http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/ and Salem-Keizer Public Schools Online at: http://www.skonline.org/index.htm.
Now I need to determine if these courses are acceptable for the task at hand.
Steve
Friday, January 29, 2010
Week One Reflection
In week one I was able to get into the program and start to look at the documents within.
My greatest surprise was not just in the first week, but as I moved into the week two readings. I am not American, and not in America (perhaps this is justification for the next comment): I had no idea that virtual schools existed for K-12.
I had a feeling that we were discussing hypotheticals here, and that in the future should such situations arise, we could think about the pedagogy for the future. I am quite surprised that there are indeed schools that exist today - schools which not only supplement education - but offer it full time.
What I am puzzled about is 1) are diplomas granted? 2) how can we be sure that students are indeed doing the work themselves, and 3) is this really the way to to?
I am fascinated and excited when I think of these issues, the things I wonder, and hope to move further along a continuum of understanding - and still need to work out how to be a good online student myself. I have a lot of energy to study. I have decided to take this TC Masters as I can go and do most of my courses on campus - and I have, and find it more difficult to be a good online student.
I am a great distant school student. Give me a list of A,B, and C to do and off I go. Here, as there are weekly A,B, and Cs to do I get caught up between work, family life, my running/photography and course work. So, this course is more than just the content for me. This makes it all the more exciting.
Kind regards
Steve R. Pellerine
My greatest surprise was not just in the first week, but as I moved into the week two readings. I am not American, and not in America (perhaps this is justification for the next comment): I had no idea that virtual schools existed for K-12.
I had a feeling that we were discussing hypotheticals here, and that in the future should such situations arise, we could think about the pedagogy for the future. I am quite surprised that there are indeed schools that exist today - schools which not only supplement education - but offer it full time.
What I am puzzled about is 1) are diplomas granted? 2) how can we be sure that students are indeed doing the work themselves, and 3) is this really the way to to?
I am fascinated and excited when I think of these issues, the things I wonder, and hope to move further along a continuum of understanding - and still need to work out how to be a good online student myself. I have a lot of energy to study. I have decided to take this TC Masters as I can go and do most of my courses on campus - and I have, and find it more difficult to be a good online student.
I am a great distant school student. Give me a list of A,B, and C to do and off I go. Here, as there are weekly A,B, and Cs to do I get caught up between work, family life, my running/photography and course work. So, this course is more than just the content for me. This makes it all the more exciting.
Kind regards
Steve R. Pellerine
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
