WELCOME TO MY FIRST BLOG:

If ignorance is bliss..then I was a very happy person until I met Stephen Murgatroyd.

On Nov 27 and 28, 2008 I was most fortunate to attend a Ten-Step Rapid Course Development Workshop for e-LEARNING facilitated by Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd (biography to follow). The workshop was organized by my new best friend Debra Betty, Vice-President, Contact North. Dr. Linda Sorensen, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Algoma University also assisted in the workshop by relating first-hand experiences using e-LEARNING.

The workshop was for the benefit of program faculty in the School of Recreation and Leisure Services, Canadore College, North Bay, Ontario (www.canadorec.on.ca).

SOME BACKGROUND:

Over the past two-years enrollment in Canadore's School of Recreation and Leisure Services has increased substantially. Currently, there are over 200 full-time students taking courses in six different diploma and certificate programs offered by the School. In addition, the School is struggling to respond to requests from individuals seeking to take courses by distance learning. This semester, faculty are using e-mail and the college's online computer program TLM (The Learning Manager) to deliver course content to 9 part-time students and 8 practitioners.

CANADORE...WE HAVE A PROBLEM:

As a consequence of Canadore College's School of Recreation and Leisure Services rapidly increasing enrolment, there follows an associated problem (or as Dr. Murgatroyd would correct me...not a problem; rather, a challenge): how best to deliver learning to in-class students and to others who wish to learn from a distance? Thankfully, the cavalry arrived in the form of Debra Betty of Contact North, Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, and Dr. Linda Sorensen.

On Nov 27 and 28 we gathered in a computer classroom and waited for the click of a mouse to begin our quest to learn from these experts about the wonders of e-LEARNING. In retrospect, it was fitting that this workshop was the first training event ever held in our School's new building which will not officially open until January 2009. Canadore employees in attendance were: Program Dean David Himmelman, Professor/Program Coordinator David de Jourdan, Professor Bill Ramore, Professor Brian Bennison, and Professor Larry Sheppard.

DR. STEPHEN MURGATROYD:

I was simply blown away by Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd's presentation and his wonderful insights into this whole business of education. In fact, the idea to start this Blog was inspired by Dr. Murgatroyd. For the information of readers who may not know Stephen Murgatroyd, I have taken liberty to copy a bit of his biography, as posted on his excellent blog (it is well worth a visit).

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/10b/8b

Dr. Murgatroyd worked with major corporations (Oracle, EMC, Citibank, Heinz, ASDA (Wal-Mart's UK division), Barclays Visa and many others) on major change and development programs.

He designed learning systems, such as Athabasca University's online MBA program and a creative work-based learning Masters degree as a partnership between Lifeskills International and Middlesex University.

He has written over 20 books, numerous articles and written, presented and directed television and radio.

WORKSHOP ACTIVITY:

Stephen spoke of learning communities. He spoke of the need for teachers to get caught up to their tech savvy students. He spoke of the merits of using the Internet (blogs, learning assets, etc) as valuable tools to enhance learning. He spoke of the necessity for teachers to actively engage students in the learning process. He spoke of the advantages of students being involved in developing curriculum and contributing to new learning/teaching resources. He spoke of how outcomes can be effectively and efficiently delivered by using a technique he referred to as story boarding.

He quickly dispelled the myth that e-LEARNING was not as effective as traditional approaches employed in classroom-based learning. On the contrary, he provided convincing evidence that e-LEARNING offers unlimited opportunities to stimulate and advance learning and is the best way to deliver curriculum in a timely, relevant, and student centered manner.

During the Winter 2009 academic semester I will be delivering a course (Rec 130: Legislation and Risk Management) to over 100 college recreation students. As a pilot project, approximately 50 students will be in-class and 50 students will be learning from a distance through Contact North (an organization I will offer some information about in my next posting). Throughout this course I will be embracing the e-LEARNING principles and strategies espoused by Stephen Murgatroyd.

My plan for this BLOG is to post regular updates on my preparations and experiences delivering a course using e-LEARNING. In addition, I am going to extend an invitation to my students to offer their feedback and will post any comments they provide. Likewise, you are welcome to join us for the journey and your comments and contributions will be appreciated.

I look forward to sharing my adventure.