Not every day a Vice President visits your class…so today we rolled out the red carpet for Debra Betty, Contact North’s Vice-President, Program Development.
Also, joining us for today’s session was David Himmelman, Dean of Canadore College’s School of Recreation, and Professor Bill Ramore.
Our three guests wanted to observe first-hand how things were unfolding with the Rec 130 e-learning course pilot project...students were given no advance notice that we would have company in today's class...nothing special was planned...just a typical class.
As students assembled for class, things got rocking with a two-minute Beatles music video downloaded from You Tube. Once the Fab Four’s opening act was over...it was time for the main event...a lecture on sport safety and risk management...hint: never ever, ever, ever...try to compete with the Beatles.
After patiently sitting through 45 minutes of a riveting and life transforming class, David and Debra were finally successful in wrenching the microphone from my hands and seized the opportunity to have a town hall conversation with the 78 in-class students and the 26 e-class students.
On the up side…students expressed enthusiastic support for the new course delivery model using Contact North technology…and were especially pleased with having the option to choose how and when to take each class.
On the down side…a number of students shared experiences relating to difficulties with audio and problems viewing You Tube videos. Debra promised to follow-up on these concerns with her Contact North technical experts.
Debra graciously offered these excellent suggestions:
• improve classroom lighting for better screen viewing
• encourage e-students to communicate using microphones rather than text chat
• utilize in-class students to assist with computer operations
• increase professor’s salary (ok...maybe, Debra didn’t use those exact words…but it certainly is another excellent idea)
Debra and David thanked the class for their participation in this unique pilot project and wished everyone success in their studies...they promised to keep in touch. Recreation students responded with thunderous applause...bid our guests adieu and rolled up the red carpet.
No Rec 130 class this Fri Mar 13...students write Mid Term (cancelled last week due to inclement weather)...next class is scheduled for Wed Mar 19.
Been a long days night...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Did You Know?
A friend sent me a most interesting You Tube video titled: Did You Know?
The video has been added to the side bar...obviously, any follower of this blog has the IQ of a genius...so no doubt the video should be more appropriately titled: Of course I Know.
Go ahead Einstein...check out the video...see the types of things the less gifted may not know.
Enjoy...
The video has been added to the side bar...obviously, any follower of this blog has the IQ of a genius...so no doubt the video should be more appropriately titled: Of course I Know.
Go ahead Einstein...check out the video...see the types of things the less gifted may not know.
Enjoy...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Seventh Class - Wed Feb 25
Last class before the Rec 130 mid term test…so why not liven things up a little with Mr. Benny Goodman and the sounds of the Big Band era?
As my students collected for the start of yet another Rec 130 class, they were greeted with a Benny Goodman music video(downloaded from You Tube). While I am 100% confident Benny is not on any of my students’ I Pods…there was a whole lot of toe tapping going on before class.
Interesting quirk…later when I attempted to playback the recorded class...the Goodman music video kept playing over and over and over and over and over (like the song that never ends)…inexplicably, I simply could not exit, nor fast forward, nor skip over the Benny video…not sure what caused the problem...another question for the Contact North folks…meanwhile; any ideas how to get those Goodman tunes out of my mind?...too much Goodman can be a bad thing.
Today’s class was largely about helmet safety, helmet standards, and helmet design features…again I found the e-learning platform (Centra) remarkably helpful in accessing web sites and instructional videos. The ability to efficiently access, download, and share web-based content is a feature of e-learning that in my humble opinion greatly enhances learning and assists teaching.
Mid Term test is Fri Feb 27…following week is March Break…no classes.
Next Rec 130 class is Wed Mar 11...plenty of time to forget Benny and all that jazz.
As my students collected for the start of yet another Rec 130 class, they were greeted with a Benny Goodman music video(downloaded from You Tube). While I am 100% confident Benny is not on any of my students’ I Pods…there was a whole lot of toe tapping going on before class.
Interesting quirk…later when I attempted to playback the recorded class...the Goodman music video kept playing over and over and over and over and over (like the song that never ends)…inexplicably, I simply could not exit, nor fast forward, nor skip over the Benny video…not sure what caused the problem...another question for the Contact North folks…meanwhile; any ideas how to get those Goodman tunes out of my mind?...too much Goodman can be a bad thing.
Today’s class was largely about helmet safety, helmet standards, and helmet design features…again I found the e-learning platform (Centra) remarkably helpful in accessing web sites and instructional videos. The ability to efficiently access, download, and share web-based content is a feature of e-learning that in my humble opinion greatly enhances learning and assists teaching.
Mid Term test is Fri Feb 27…following week is March Break…no classes.
Next Rec 130 class is Wed Mar 11...plenty of time to forget Benny and all that jazz.
Lights, Camera, Action
School of Recreation and Leisure Video
Be sure to check out the short video about Canadore College’s School of Recreation and Leisure…posted on the side bar of this blog.
The video was written, directed, and produced; by students in Canadore College’s Television Broadcast Program…congratulations on a job well done…Hollywood awaits you.
Be sure to check out the short video about Canadore College’s School of Recreation and Leisure…posted on the side bar of this blog.
The video was written, directed, and produced; by students in Canadore College’s Television Broadcast Program…congratulations on a job well done…Hollywood awaits you.
Sixth Class - Wed Feb 18
No news is good news…right? Well, not much to report on today’s class. Guess, the old dog is finally getting more comfortable with this e-learning thing.
Contact North has solved the mystery of our missing e-students…some sort of technical glitch…it must be said that the quick response and enthusiastic support received from the good folks at Contact North is simply outstanding…students and faculty are most appreciative…small wonder Contact North is the gold standard in e-learning.
Since the Rec 130 Mid Term test is scheduled for Fri, Feb 27…most of today’s class consisted of a review and a question and answer period.
After class, I decided to save and review the chat text generated by e-students. While not exactly highly scientific, I categorized the content of the six pages of text chat as either course relevant or not course relevant. Approximately 72% of the text chat messages were deemed course relevant…not certain what to make of this statistic…interested to hear your thoughts…please feel free to share your opinions…simply click on the below COMMENTS link...come on you know you want to.
Next class is Wed Feb 25.
Contact North has solved the mystery of our missing e-students…some sort of technical glitch…it must be said that the quick response and enthusiastic support received from the good folks at Contact North is simply outstanding…students and faculty are most appreciative…small wonder Contact North is the gold standard in e-learning.
Since the Rec 130 Mid Term test is scheduled for Fri, Feb 27…most of today’s class consisted of a review and a question and answer period.
After class, I decided to save and review the chat text generated by e-students. While not exactly highly scientific, I categorized the content of the six pages of text chat as either course relevant or not course relevant. Approximately 72% of the text chat messages were deemed course relevant…not certain what to make of this statistic…interested to hear your thoughts…please feel free to share your opinions…simply click on the below COMMENTS link...come on you know you want to.
Next class is Wed Feb 25.
Three Cheers for the Home Team
Membership has its privileges…who would have thought this experiment in e-learning would be the stimulus for an exclusive club…curious?...read on…
As faithful readers of my blog know, Canadore College’s School of Recreation and Leisure has partnered this semester with Contact North…world leaders in e-learning… to deliver a 3 hour/week course (Rec 130: Legislation and Risk Management) to 113 students.
Breaking with tradition, students decide how they will attend each class…”in person” or “online”...students also decide when they will attend… in “real time” or “future time.”
For each Rec 130 class, students are offered a menu of three attendance options:
1) Attend live class in person (in-class)
2) Attend live class online (e-class)
3) Attend in the future by playback of recorded class (r-class)
Now back to that exclusive club…since our first class approximately 22 students have consistently attended classes “online.” As strange as it may seem, a special bond is developing amongst these learners...in fact, they have even taken to referring to themselves as the “home team” (very apropos, since most of these students take the course from the comfort of their homes).
When these home team students logon for their class, they greet each other with a friendly “hi how you are doing?...not exactly a secret code…but on the other hand…many of these same students previously did not know or acknowledge each other prior to this experiment…what next...team jackets?
It is also apparent from their text messaging and their comments made during our class discussions that the “home team” is developing close friendships with one another...and are willingly to lend support and to openly share course related and non course related information…as Martha Stewart might say…that’s not a bad thing.
As faithful readers of my blog know, Canadore College’s School of Recreation and Leisure has partnered this semester with Contact North…world leaders in e-learning… to deliver a 3 hour/week course (Rec 130: Legislation and Risk Management) to 113 students.
Breaking with tradition, students decide how they will attend each class…”in person” or “online”...students also decide when they will attend… in “real time” or “future time.”
For each Rec 130 class, students are offered a menu of three attendance options:
1) Attend live class in person (in-class)
2) Attend live class online (e-class)
3) Attend in the future by playback of recorded class (r-class)
Now back to that exclusive club…since our first class approximately 22 students have consistently attended classes “online.” As strange as it may seem, a special bond is developing amongst these learners...in fact, they have even taken to referring to themselves as the “home team” (very apropos, since most of these students take the course from the comfort of their homes).
When these home team students logon for their class, they greet each other with a friendly “hi how you are doing?...not exactly a secret code…but on the other hand…many of these same students previously did not know or acknowledge each other prior to this experiment…what next...team jackets?
It is also apparent from their text messaging and their comments made during our class discussions that the “home team” is developing close friendships with one another...and are willingly to lend support and to openly share course related and non course related information…as Martha Stewart might say…that’s not a bad thing.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
New Scientist Report - Pod Cast vs Live
Stumbled across an interesting article in the respected New Scientist Report written by Ewen Callaway, Feb 18, 2009.
The report makes a convincing argument that iTunes university (e-learning) is better than in class learning. I have recently been introduced to iTunes university...thank you Ben...and it is well worth checking out...in fact iTunes university will be a topic for a future blog; meanwhile, I have taken the liberty of posting the article below for your enjoyment.
New Scientist Report - Feb 18, 2009
Students have been handed another excuse to skip class from an unusual quarter. New psychological research suggests that university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.
Podcasted lectures offer students the chance to replay difficult parts of a lecture and therefore take better notes, says Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study.
"It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," she says.
Launched less than two years ago, Apple's iTunes university offers college lectures on everything from Proust to particle physics to students and the public. Some universities make their lectures available to all, while others restrict access to enrolled students. Some professors even limit downloads to encourage class attendance, McKinney says.
To find out how much students really can learn from podcast lectures alone - mimicking a missed class - McKinney's team presented 64 students with a single lecture on visual perception, from an introductory psychology course.
Half of the students attended the class in person and received a printout of the slides from the lecture. The other 32 downloaded a podcast that included audio from the same lecture synchronised with video of the slides. These students also received a printed handout of the material.
The researchers told the students they would be tested on the material in a week, and they also asked students to hold onto their class notes.
Clear results
Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71 out of 100) on the test - substantially better than those who attended the lecture, who on average mustered only a D (62).
But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes.Students who listened to the podcast one or more times and took notes had an average score of 77, McKinney says.
Motivation might have been an issue, as the experiment did not count for class credit, though the highest scorer in each group earned a $15 iTunes gift certificate.
McKinney want to now test how podcasts affect learning across an entire semester, rather than from just a single lecture. Students might find them more useful early on in a class, when the material is still new, she says.
Though her team's paper is subtitled "Can podcasts replace Professors," McKinney thinks these technologies can buttress traditional lectures, particularly for a generation that has grown up with the Internet.
"I do think it's a tool. I think that these kids are programmed differently than kids 20 years ago," she says.
Darren Griffin, a geneticist and education researcher at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, says podcast lectures are good for lecturers too. They free him up to spend precious class time interacting with his students, rather than just talking at them.
To further coax them into the classroom, he gives his students brief quizzes before each class. "I get 98% attendance that way," he says.
The report makes a convincing argument that iTunes university (e-learning) is better than in class learning. I have recently been introduced to iTunes university...thank you Ben...and it is well worth checking out...in fact iTunes university will be a topic for a future blog; meanwhile, I have taken the liberty of posting the article below for your enjoyment.
New Scientist Report - Feb 18, 2009
Students have been handed another excuse to skip class from an unusual quarter. New psychological research suggests that university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.
Podcasted lectures offer students the chance to replay difficult parts of a lecture and therefore take better notes, says Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study.
"It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," she says.
Launched less than two years ago, Apple's iTunes university offers college lectures on everything from Proust to particle physics to students and the public. Some universities make their lectures available to all, while others restrict access to enrolled students. Some professors even limit downloads to encourage class attendance, McKinney says.
To find out how much students really can learn from podcast lectures alone - mimicking a missed class - McKinney's team presented 64 students with a single lecture on visual perception, from an introductory psychology course.
Half of the students attended the class in person and received a printout of the slides from the lecture. The other 32 downloaded a podcast that included audio from the same lecture synchronised with video of the slides. These students also received a printed handout of the material.
The researchers told the students they would be tested on the material in a week, and they also asked students to hold onto their class notes.
Clear results
Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71 out of 100) on the test - substantially better than those who attended the lecture, who on average mustered only a D (62).
But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes.Students who listened to the podcast one or more times and took notes had an average score of 77, McKinney says.
Motivation might have been an issue, as the experiment did not count for class credit, though the highest scorer in each group earned a $15 iTunes gift certificate.
McKinney want to now test how podcasts affect learning across an entire semester, rather than from just a single lecture. Students might find them more useful early on in a class, when the material is still new, she says.
Though her team's paper is subtitled "Can podcasts replace Professors," McKinney thinks these technologies can buttress traditional lectures, particularly for a generation that has grown up with the Internet.
"I do think it's a tool. I think that these kids are programmed differently than kids 20 years ago," she says.
Darren Griffin, a geneticist and education researcher at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, says podcast lectures are good for lecturers too. They free him up to spend precious class time interacting with his students, rather than just talking at them.
To further coax them into the classroom, he gives his students brief quizzes before each class. "I get 98% attendance that way," he says.
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