Can you really teach an old dog new tricks?
This experiment using Contact North e-learning technology has been an amazing adventure. It all began in May 2008 when David Himmelman, our Program Dean invited me to accompany him to a Contact North workshop about e-learning…it was during this workshop that I became intrigued by the possibilities and the potential uses of this technology to assist in the teaching and learning process...I agreed to pilot one course during the Winter 2009 semester using Contact North technology...little did I realize what fun awaited...
Next, along came Debra Betty, Vice President of Contact North...Debra arranged for Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd to provide me...and a few of my esteemed colleagues...with a rapid adaptation course…Stephen is a most inspiring and extremely intelligent and knowledgeable educator and e-learning pioneer…Stephen's unbridled passion for e-learning and his energy and enthusiasm is contagious. I am quite certain...he does not fully realize the impact he had on this student...many thanks Stephen...be sure to check out his blog...The Murgatroyd Blog...at...
http://themurgatroydblog.blogspot.com/
Not forgotten...are the wonderful tech folks at Contact North and Canadore College...Paul, Erin, and Mike...who continually offered steadfast support throughout this project...if e-learning is to be successful...educators must engage and welcome tech specialists...and fortunately for me...there are none better than those who work at Contact North and Canadore College. Special thanks also to my daughter Emily and son Ben...they both got into the spirit of things and provided me with some great e-learning resources and helpful suggestions...you make the old dog proud.
The value of e-learning is not in the technology itself…but, rather in how the technology is used. E-learning may not be for everyone...nor should e-learning be expected to reasonably accommodate every course…but, properly used…e-learning offers today’s students a flexible, relevant, timely, and efficient course delivery system.
Came across an interesting article titled Farewell Lecture? (January 2009 edition of Science magazine)...written by Dr. Eric Mazur, a physics professor at Harvard University. Professor Mazur challenges the assumption that we know what education is...he claims that for many...our current education model is viewed simply as a transfer of information from teacher to student...Mazur argues this model should be turned upside down...students should become increasingly more responsible for using technology to collect, evaluate, and share learning resources...this approach would help develop independent learners and critical thinkers.
I found Mazur's article insightful...it identifies the urgent need for educators to do a reality check....today's students are part of a wired generation that allows them access to information on virtually any topic...why then would any educator insult students by having them report to class only to transfer information that is readily available online?...further, and this is a tough one if you are an educator...arguably, chances are the online resources are more exciting (You Tube, Podcasts, etc)and effective than standard classroom activity...to remain relevant to our learners...educators must not shun technology...
Before signing off on this last post…it must be acknowledged that I was blessed to have an understanding, patient, and receptive group of students who willingly embraced this pilot project…it made all the difference...thank you to all my 2009 Year I Recreation students...you are awesome and you taught me more than you will ever know...
In class, I too often remind my students of a few of my favourite quotes about learning...learning is a lifelong activity...learning is a change in behaviour...learning is all about process not content...well, together my students and I have learned a lot this semester. Hopefully, other Canadore College faculty and students will have the opportunity to experience e-learning...it is a trip worth taking...
For expert information about Contact North and e-learning courses simply contact:
Debra Betty, Vice President, Contact North
debra@contactnorth.ca
A final note…in the upcoming Fall 2009 semester...all three of my courses will be offered online through Contact North…Yes, it seems you really can teach an old dog new tricks.
That's it folks...the Rec130 e-learning pilot project and this blog are now officially history...it has been a blast...all the best my good friends.
THE END...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Last Class - Wed April 15
Today is our last scheduled Rec 130 class…drum roll please...a record number of students are attending online...likewise, there is a better than usual turnout of in class students…perhaps the excellent attendance can be attributed to the fact that today’s session offers a last chance review for next week’s final exam.
Bruce Springsteen is our musical warm up guest and he doesn’t disappoint…when class starts there is an immediate technical glitch…throughout this course, we have been plagued on occasion with audio gremlins…this time it is a problem relating to our computer…the microphone port does not work…no power...a quick phone call to Mike Buck...Canadore's computer guru…resolves the problem…solution was to plug the microphone into a different port...now why, didn’t I think of that?
As class ends and the curtain comes down on our pilot project…everyone agrees that it has been an interesting and educational experience...we resist a group hug...students hurry off to the library to cram for finals...I log off Contact North for the last time this semester.
Bruce Springsteen is our musical warm up guest and he doesn’t disappoint…when class starts there is an immediate technical glitch…throughout this course, we have been plagued on occasion with audio gremlins…this time it is a problem relating to our computer…the microphone port does not work…no power...a quick phone call to Mike Buck...Canadore's computer guru…resolves the problem…solution was to plug the microphone into a different port...now why, didn’t I think of that?
As class ends and the curtain comes down on our pilot project…everyone agrees that it has been an interesting and educational experience...we resist a group hug...students hurry off to the library to cram for finals...I log off Contact North for the last time this semester.
Thoughts on Blogging
As well as delivering a course using e-learning technology this semester…I have attempted…through regular postings on this blog… to record the triumphs and failures of our e-learning pilot project.
Blogging is a completely new experience for this old dog…and I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it is to start blogging…check out this excellent web site if you would like to learn more about blogging https://www.blogger.com/start
I have also posted a great You Tube video on the sidebar that explains how you can create your own blog…why not give it a try?
Having blogged away for the past six months I offer these thoughts…blogging is a lonely pastime…blogging is a self-indulgent activity…blogging requires discipline and commitment…blogging consumes time quicker than a Hummer consumes gas...blogging is great fun.
Yes indeed....in the final analysis, blogging offers its own reward…it allows anyone…even a college teacher in northern Ontario to be published…worldwide.
Most importantly, blogging allows for the sharing of information…and hopefully; in some small way, this blog has inspired or challenged a reader or two to consider the merits of e-learning.
Blogging is a completely new experience for this old dog…and I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it is to start blogging…check out this excellent web site if you would like to learn more about blogging https://www.blogger.com/start
I have also posted a great You Tube video on the sidebar that explains how you can create your own blog…why not give it a try?
Having blogged away for the past six months I offer these thoughts…blogging is a lonely pastime…blogging is a self-indulgent activity…blogging requires discipline and commitment…blogging consumes time quicker than a Hummer consumes gas...blogging is great fun.
Yes indeed....in the final analysis, blogging offers its own reward…it allows anyone…even a college teacher in northern Ontario to be published…worldwide.
Most importantly, blogging allows for the sharing of information…and hopefully; in some small way, this blog has inspired or challenged a reader or two to consider the merits of e-learning.
Nagging Questions
As our pilot project winds done…there remains a few nagging questions…how often and for how long do students access the Contact North Rec 130 course outside of their regularly scheduled class times? Do they playback recorded classes? Do they access the course for review or studying purposes?
To my surprise…I discovered Centra actually has a feature that faithfully logs the frequency and duration each time a student accesses the Rec 130 course…the printout looks similar to a phone bill…which records start to finish times for all calls.
At my request, the good folks at Contact North agreed to send me printouts showing when and how often my students have accessed the Rec 130 course..impatiently, I awaited the arrival of these printouts so I could begin my scientific study.
Imagine my complete shock and total dismay when the very next day a fleet of transport trucks pulled up…each transport was loaded with bundles of printouts…ok, this may be a bit of an embellishment…nonetheless, my friends...the number of pages was considerably more than I had anticipated…enough for a small pocket-sized book.
Regretfully, I have not yet finished my calculations…it is taking so long the batteries in my calculator have twice expired…this may extend into a summer time project.
Truth is though…even a cursory review of the printouts provides conclusive evidence that students have been accessing…in impressive numbers…the Contact North Rec 130 course outside of their regularly scheduled class times…now, to tackle yet another even more important nagging question…when will the Maple Leafs win their next Stanley Cup?
To my surprise…I discovered Centra actually has a feature that faithfully logs the frequency and duration each time a student accesses the Rec 130 course…the printout looks similar to a phone bill…which records start to finish times for all calls.
At my request, the good folks at Contact North agreed to send me printouts showing when and how often my students have accessed the Rec 130 course..impatiently, I awaited the arrival of these printouts so I could begin my scientific study.
Imagine my complete shock and total dismay when the very next day a fleet of transport trucks pulled up…each transport was loaded with bundles of printouts…ok, this may be a bit of an embellishment…nonetheless, my friends...the number of pages was considerably more than I had anticipated…enough for a small pocket-sized book.
Regretfully, I have not yet finished my calculations…it is taking so long the batteries in my calculator have twice expired…this may extend into a summer time project.
Truth is though…even a cursory review of the printouts provides conclusive evidence that students have been accessing…in impressive numbers…the Contact North Rec 130 course outside of their regularly scheduled class times…now, to tackle yet another even more important nagging question…when will the Maple Leafs win their next Stanley Cup?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Twelfth Class - Wed Apr 8
Today is a perfect day for e-learning...winter has returned to North Bay with a vengeance…it is snowing and so cold outside that even the snowmen are wearing scarves…today is a perfect day to stay at home and attend class online…
In fact, attendance today was interesting…there were 27 students in class, 35 students online, and a number of students who were participating in off-campus activities who will view the recorded class at a later time.
The Rolling Stones were the warm-up act for today's class…well, at least for a bit…while we were waiting for the main act to start…this old dog was distracted…somehow, a mischievous student hijacked the computer…next thing you know we were watching a ballet performance…but you know...Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and ballerinas…not much difference…just my humble opinion...
This semester, we are extremely fortunate to have a lovely young lady from India in our recreation program…she does not seem impressed with snow; however, she is most kind and agreed to share a video about her country with us…how appropriate to be watching a video on India as the snow falls outside…it was simple to download and play this video using Contact North technology…and her video provided an educational treat for her classmates.
During today's class, it became apparent to this old dog that the novelty of delivering and participating in our e-learning class has waned somewhat…students and professor are becoming so accustomed to using Contact North technology that everything is becoming automatic…
Next class is scheduled for Wed April 15...hard to believe this will be our last Rec 130 class...time does fly when you are having fun.
In fact, attendance today was interesting…there were 27 students in class, 35 students online, and a number of students who were participating in off-campus activities who will view the recorded class at a later time.
The Rolling Stones were the warm-up act for today's class…well, at least for a bit…while we were waiting for the main act to start…this old dog was distracted…somehow, a mischievous student hijacked the computer…next thing you know we were watching a ballet performance…but you know...Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and ballerinas…not much difference…just my humble opinion...
This semester, we are extremely fortunate to have a lovely young lady from India in our recreation program…she does not seem impressed with snow; however, she is most kind and agreed to share a video about her country with us…how appropriate to be watching a video on India as the snow falls outside…it was simple to download and play this video using Contact North technology…and her video provided an educational treat for her classmates.
During today's class, it became apparent to this old dog that the novelty of delivering and participating in our e-learning class has waned somewhat…students and professor are becoming so accustomed to using Contact North technology that everything is becoming automatic…
Next class is scheduled for Wed April 15...hard to believe this will be our last Rec 130 class...time does fly when you are having fun.
Contact North A Marketing Tool?
Discovered an unexpected advantage of using Contact North technology to help deliver courses…please let me explain…
On Saturday, April 4 Canadore College hosted another very successful Annual Open House. Throughout the day, a continual stream of curious visitors wandered the halls…stopping at various program information kiosks to chat with college students, administrators, faculty, and staff…
As part of the day’s activities, recreation program faculty organized a tour of our new School and provided a one-hour information and question/answer session…while extolling the merits of our various programs…we casually mentioned our e-learning pilot project…since we were meeting in our electronic classroom, we decided to offer an impromptu demonstration of how e-learning works…
We logged on to Contact North‘s web site and quickly downloaded and played portions of a recorded Rec 130 class…we explained how delivering a course using Contact North offers students choices on how and when to attend classes…our brief demonstration was very well received…our guests were impressed…prospective students; especially, seemed warm to the idea of using this technology…parents and friends of program applicants also seemed wowed…
At day’s end it dawned on us…by using this type of technology for some of our courses, we may gain a competitive edge over other educational institutions that offer recreation programs…not a bad thing; especially, if you happen to be a relatively small college located in northern Ontario…and furthermore...using e-learning technology is consistent with our School's ambitious goal to ultimately offer relevant, timely, and accessible education to students; regardless, of their earth address...think big or go home…right?
On Saturday, April 4 Canadore College hosted another very successful Annual Open House. Throughout the day, a continual stream of curious visitors wandered the halls…stopping at various program information kiosks to chat with college students, administrators, faculty, and staff…
As part of the day’s activities, recreation program faculty organized a tour of our new School and provided a one-hour information and question/answer session…while extolling the merits of our various programs…we casually mentioned our e-learning pilot project…since we were meeting in our electronic classroom, we decided to offer an impromptu demonstration of how e-learning works…
We logged on to Contact North‘s web site and quickly downloaded and played portions of a recorded Rec 130 class…we explained how delivering a course using Contact North offers students choices on how and when to attend classes…our brief demonstration was very well received…our guests were impressed…prospective students; especially, seemed warm to the idea of using this technology…parents and friends of program applicants also seemed wowed…
At day’s end it dawned on us…by using this type of technology for some of our courses, we may gain a competitive edge over other educational institutions that offer recreation programs…not a bad thing; especially, if you happen to be a relatively small college located in northern Ontario…and furthermore...using e-learning technology is consistent with our School's ambitious goal to ultimately offer relevant, timely, and accessible education to students; regardless, of their earth address...think big or go home…right?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Eleventh Class - Fri April 3
Seeing Is Believing
Friday morning and the clock on the wall strikes 8:30am…time for our end of the week two-hour Rec 130 class…today’s musical guest is Mr. Bob Segar…Give me That Good Old Rock and Roll…
Once Bob exited the stage we viewed an excellent You Tube video titled Did You Know?…this video caused quite a stir and considerable discussion about technology and how rapidly our world is changing…in fact, the video sidetracked me somewhat from my lesson plan...but this seemed like one of those teaching moments...and students were eager to discuss issues relating to the video…we found ourselves sharing information…
We talked about e-readers…a great concept that may eventually do away with books, newspapers, and magazines…people will simply download reading materials on to a small laptop-like computer for their electronic reading enjoyment. I first learned about this technology from Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd...truth is, I actually eyed his e-reader with great envy. My birthday is fast approaching and I am hoping my new screen saver displaying an e-reader will be noticed by my wife and that she will take the bait and make her not so subtle husband the proud owner of an e-reader.
We also talked about fibre optic technology that has made it possible to develop roll up TV screens…a concept difficult to imagine…sounds like science fiction commented one of my many genius students...indeed, it is difficult to imagine…thankfully; Contact North came to our rescue…
A really neat thing about using Contact North technology is that when you get sidetracked and discussions head in unexpected directions…you can simply locate websites and instantly share information to enhance discussions…we visited sites that showed pictures of e-readers and roll up TV screens…with e-learning there are few limitations…seeing is believing or at least it may help us understand... or at best it may provoke our imaginations to consider what could be...
As a teacher, I acknowledge the potential to over use videos or to be easily distracted by the seductive lure of neat things on the world wide web…however; if thoughtfully chosen...material that is relevant and timely can be a powerful tool in the learning/teaching process.
Next class is Wed April 8.
Friday morning and the clock on the wall strikes 8:30am…time for our end of the week two-hour Rec 130 class…today’s musical guest is Mr. Bob Segar…Give me That Good Old Rock and Roll…
Once Bob exited the stage we viewed an excellent You Tube video titled Did You Know?…this video caused quite a stir and considerable discussion about technology and how rapidly our world is changing…in fact, the video sidetracked me somewhat from my lesson plan...but this seemed like one of those teaching moments...and students were eager to discuss issues relating to the video…we found ourselves sharing information…
We talked about e-readers…a great concept that may eventually do away with books, newspapers, and magazines…people will simply download reading materials on to a small laptop-like computer for their electronic reading enjoyment. I first learned about this technology from Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd...truth is, I actually eyed his e-reader with great envy. My birthday is fast approaching and I am hoping my new screen saver displaying an e-reader will be noticed by my wife and that she will take the bait and make her not so subtle husband the proud owner of an e-reader.
We also talked about fibre optic technology that has made it possible to develop roll up TV screens…a concept difficult to imagine…sounds like science fiction commented one of my many genius students...indeed, it is difficult to imagine…thankfully; Contact North came to our rescue…
A really neat thing about using Contact North technology is that when you get sidetracked and discussions head in unexpected directions…you can simply locate websites and instantly share information to enhance discussions…we visited sites that showed pictures of e-readers and roll up TV screens…with e-learning there are few limitations…seeing is believing or at least it may help us understand... or at best it may provoke our imaginations to consider what could be...
As a teacher, I acknowledge the potential to over use videos or to be easily distracted by the seductive lure of neat things on the world wide web…however; if thoughtfully chosen...material that is relevant and timely can be a powerful tool in the learning/teaching process.
Next class is Wed April 8.
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