Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Draft of ideas for Ass 1.1 EDEM630

Annotated bibliography of 10 sources: 2000 - 3000 words (6 - 10 pages)
Review essay: 2000 - 3500 words (6 - 10 pages excluding annotated bibliography and references)
What is the change (technology innovation)?
Why is the change important / necessary?
How does the change impact on teachers and learners drawing on the published literature on change models to understand the implications of change with digital technology?
You are required to apply your knowledge of the theories of change relating to the personal context for your selected topic of interest for the research paper or case study you will be preparing for the second assignment of this course. The assignment includes an annotated bibliography and a review essay.
Annotated bibliography guidelines
1. Prepare an annotated bibliography including a minimum of 10 sources using the suggested format of theAnnotated bibliography e-Activity
2. Your bibliography must commence with the heading "Research topic" and a sentence or two summarising the research topic which has guided your analysis of the literature.
3. Your annotated bibliography must include references from authoritative sources. In this bibliography you are free to include the majority of resources provided in the indicative reading list and learning materials. You bibliography should include the following:
  1. One source describing change from the perspective of an ecological framework
  2. One source on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)
  3. One source on Technology adoption cycles
  4. One source on the Learning/Adoption Trajectory (LAT)
  5. Three sources documenting research on your specific technology innovation or characteristics of technology innovation.
  6. Three sources on a change related theme, for instance: Additional change models (e.g Havelock and Hamilton's CREATER model); critique or critical analysis of published change models or peer-reviewed case studies applying a change model to practice.
  7. Review Essay
  8. The aim of this essay is to demonstrate your knowledge on a model(s) of change to answer a key question related to your own personal change context in order to demonstrate your ability to apply theory to inform practice.
    
    Prepare an academic essay of 2000 - 3500 words reviewing a change model(s) and applying the literature to your own personal context with reference to an imminent or recent change with digital technology in education. Your essay should reference practical implications for learners and teachers, i.e. the personal or internal "classroom" context.
1. 1. I like the way this has progressed from the initial concept. For the purposes of EDEM630 I would like to see a section which justifies OSNAP as a change model -- possibly contrasting it with other change models. My concern is that OSNAP is not generally known in the literature as a model for explaining technology diffusion or change with digital technologies -- so you need to be sure that you have this covered.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Review of blogging, microblogging and everything else I have signed up for in the last 3 weeks...phew

Well, I started out not having a very big online presence. I had previously started blogging on 2009 which went nowhere, and I signed up for twitter last year, but ended up creating a new account today to use.
In the last 3 weeks I have created a blog and successfully started to use it. (I think)
Started to tweet, and I actually have followers.
Created a sign in for the ask.oeruniversity
Created a sign in for WikiEducator
Followed RSS feeds
and more?

I am hoping that I can remember what I am meant to be doing at the right times, and I am finding our UCMoodle is keeping me sane, otherwise I feel as though I would have NO IDEA about where I should be when.

I now appreciate having an online presence, but at the same time I am feeling quite open. I am enjoying writing the blog entries and I like that all my thoughts are in the same place. However, I am rereading my online thoughts to ensure not to offend anyone. Twitter is fun, and I feel quite addictive, lucky for me I don't have a smartphone so maybe not too addictive haha. I have already seen how having an online presence has changed my learning for me and opened me up to so much more support. I guess I just need to sort out which to use and how/when to use them.
One thing I am wondering is if there is a word count feature on blogger?

I am lucky enough to be receiving a Windows 8 Tablet this week, so we will see how it all goes throwing another technology into the works....

Monday, July 22, 2013

Some reflecting on Rogers Diffusion Innovation theory

You were correct Wayne, a lot of reading this week :)
I have just started to get my head around 'Diffusions of innovations' and 'The rate of adoption'. I am going to relate it to EDEM630.
The diffusion of the innovation in relation to using a blog for EDEM630, has been through Wayne and Nicki online. They have used blog posts, emails, video tutorials, and forum posts, and offered more channels for diffusion. I am guessing that our classmates are the social system.
Going through the 5 stages in the Decision Innovation process is meaningful to me.

Image retrieved from http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Diffusion_of_innovations on 23/07/2013

In relation to my learning through EDEM630, without Wayne's and my peer support and guidance, I would not have found my way to my research topic quite so quickly. Here is how it relates to my changes in technology so far

Knowledge: I was introduced into using a blog for personal use, but without Wayne exposing me to this style of learning, I am unsure if I would have been exposed to it.

Persuasion: I am persuaded by comments from my peers and Wayne to continue on my blogging journey, and also the drive to pass EDEM630.

Decision: The advantages of changing to use this new technology far outway the disadvantages, and the fact that I am actually enjoying it helps.

Implementation: I am unsure if I would be implementing the change to using this new technology quite do effectively if I didn't have the course requirements.

Confirmation: I managed to set up my page, I am using it, I can label EDEM630, and I am enjoying it...Confirmed!

After going through this process of seeing how it applies to me I feel as though this process is missong some key things for me in this situation.

Motivation: I needed a reason to want or need the new technology. In this case it is for my course.

Support: I have found that people need to know they have support if they need it. In this case I rang Chris Murphy (my former Principal) who is also enrolled in EDEM630 to help me set my blog up as I was confused at the time.

Time: This applies to the rate of adoption, it is the time it takes someone to use the technology. I feel as though it does depend on the reason for using the technology.

In this case the rate of adoption for me as a blogger has been early adoption. I don't think I am always an early adopter, but but in this case it was mandatory to passing my course and not falling behind.

In relation to Rogers 5 factors of compatibility is the most meaningful to me. For me complexity and Simplicity definitely refers to the changes in teaching using technology. I have come across a lot of Teachers who find using new technologies to hard and have not adopted the new technology as a result. That also takes me back to people needing support when going through the decision innovation process.

I also feel that marketing comes into the decision innovation process. An example of this would be the use of iPads in education. The use of iPads in Mid Canterbury schools relates to Robinsons (2009) insights into the process of social change because the peer to peer conversations and networks has allowed for unplanned marketing and therefore more schools are adopting the change to iPads. iPads have therefore had a more rapid rate of adoption as they have had relative advantage.

(Robinson, L. (2009) A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Taken from EDEM630 course notes)

Reading through Robinsons reading and going back to my research topic.

With access to specific online tutorials, is the way we teach and learn starting to change in educational institutions?"

I think this is an innovation that is starting to spread. I was talking to a highschool IT Teacher who spends quite a bit of time out of the classroom. He runs his class with a blog and creates his own video tutorials for the students to use.

I think youtube has given online tutorials relative advantage because it has created some kind of background knowledge and familiarity for Teachers.

Using specific online tutorials is compatible with existing values and practices because we can use tutorials that link to our NZ curriculum and learning objectives.

They are simple and easy to use, a click of a button and some kind of screen will do the trick.

Teachers can trial them in whatever context they want to to become familiar with the use of them.

the sane kind of assessments can be used to create observable results.

In conclusion I feel as though I have my head around Rogers Diffusion Innovation theory, I have found it helpful to think about it in relation to my research, and it certainly makes sense to me in relation to adopting new technologies.

(Robinson, L. (2009) A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Taken from EDEM630 course notes)

Looking forward to being part of the Mooc #SP4Ed

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

EDEM630 Provisional Essay Plan

My goal for writing this essay is to distinguish what changes online tutorials are having on teaching and learning. Throughout my research I will be looking at specific online tutorials. I will also be looking at the OSNAP change model.
Through out my essay I need to include

information on the OSNAP change model
references from quality relevant readings
teachers opinions
student voice
examples of specific online tutorials
the changes that are happening in education
the advantages of tonline tutorials (positive changes)
the disadvantages of online tutorials (negative changes)
key findings relating to my topic
the importance and significance of the changes
links to my ecological perspective
my own experiences

Sometimes I have a habit of going off on a tangent, I need to ensure I organise my information logically so it makes sense to the reader. I need to proof read and edit my essay, and also have an outsiders input at this stage. When I have finished my draft I will look at the assessment guidelines and ensure I have set my essay out appropriately.

The personal change context I would like to focus on is the shift to using these online tutorials positively to support the classroom. I think that the online tutorials need to be well planned for and relevant to learning. At this stage I feel as though the Teacher still plays a huge part in developing high quality learning through online tutorials.

My key question is directly related to my research topic "With access to specific online tutorials, is the way we teach and learn starting to change in educational institutions?" I think the key question here would be "How are the online tutorials changing the way we teach and learn." I am interested in this because I want to know what changes teachers are actually making, and I will be interested to see if the changes are for the benefit of the teachers (less planning and work) or the learners (more specific teaching and more time to work with others) and if they are meeting our NZ Curric AO's.

The main themes I plan to address in the body of my essay are:

A description of the OSNAP model
A description of my research topic with references to support my ideas
The OSNAP model in relation to my research e.g. how it relates to change in teaching and learning using online tutorials
Where online tutorials are being used
How online tutorials are being used
The changes that using online tutorials are making in relation to teaching and learning - positive and negative
The theory of teaching it applies to

I anticipate that in my conclusion I will have seen some really positive influences for change using online tutorials. I think I will find that they support teachers learning, and that there will be positive changes to the educational environment. I think the changes will be that the teacher does not always have to be the expert, so it will support the ako way of teaching and learning. In reference to 'ako' I will be interested to see if there is any evidence to show that the online tutorials still supports that not all students learn the same way. "Taking a ‘personalising learning’ approach that puts every student and their achievement at the heart of education and recognises that one size does not fit all." Retrieved from http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/PolicyAndStrategy/KaHikitia/StrategyOverview/StrategyApproach/Ako.aspx on 17/07/2013
I will be very interested to see what else I come up with in my conclusion. At this stage I really don't know.
My next mission is to come up with a title......any ideas?

Mindmap

I have had a look at some of the mind maps posted, and I am impressed. I am hoping I am on the right track here. My research topic is:

"With access to specific online tutorials, is the way we teach and learn starting to change in educational institutions?"

I am specifically looking at the changes that are happening, have happened or may happen from the introduction of the online tutorials in education. My identified change is the introduction of online tutorials in education.

In my mindmap you will see that online resources are all the way through, because without these we would not have the need or drive for change in relation to my research.

Students, Teacher and Technology are at the centre because without at least 1 of these 3 there would be no need for the online tutorials. Technology refers to the resources the students, teachers and school have available. It also refers to internet connectivity, reliability of resources and the ease of using them in an educational context. I still feel as though there is room for teachers, as they would need to guide students to the appropriate online tutorials, and set students tasks to ensure they met learning outcomes.

In the second part of my ecological perspective I have referred to personal values and personal attitudes. This relates directly to the teacher. I think this is so important because how the Teacher feels about online tutorials and their attitudes and experiences with them has a major impact on their use or non use of these tools. I refer to PD (professional development) here because Teachers will need different levels of support to use online tutorials effectively. The PD may be around spects like the tutorials themselves, or how we can assess using these tutorials, the changes we need to make, or simply sharing different online tutorials to use. MCFCS (Mid Canterbury Fibre Connected Schools) is a huge part of our development towards change in ICT. We are lucky enough to have support from them in areas of PD and advice. We have a say in what we want from them and the MOE funds them to support us as a cluster. The BOT is a vital part of this change (Including the Principal), they come after the students and teachers because I feel as though things need to be trialled and changes need to be made before the BOT can see the advantages of them. I am a strong believer in 'doing' and proving, as opposed to talking around a table (within context).

Our local community are sometimes hard to get together as a community. We have 90% of our students on buses and having parent evenings often ends up with the same 20ish parents turning up. Our local community does not have a lot of say in our education or what goes on in the school. I feel as though the changes are happening without them, although it would be nice to see them more involved. Online communities would be in the same stage as our local community e.g. Partners in Learning, Microsoft IT Academy, UC Learn. I feel as though the change in the classroom using online tutorials would be heavily supported by these outfits, and I would hope that the local community become involved. At this stage I feel as though the local community would be further away in my ecological perspective, but I am hoping for some change in their attitudes and values towards online tutorials this year.

I have added National Standards and Ministry of Education in there. In relation to my research, I don't feel as though they are a central part of the changes that are happening. I feel as though there is no support for online tutorials in relation to the National Standards or through the MOE directly.

Although MOE does support TKI, there is still a lot of outdated material on there, and I feel as though the use of this would not affect my research.

Politics are very far away from my students. In relation to this change in education II feel as though there is no support for or against it from the government.

In my final stage there is the International Market. I have already seen a change in the way UC deliver educational content using online tutorials, I wonder how far this may spread and if places will start marketing and profiting from them.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Annotated Bibliography

Bot, M. (2011). Online Tutorial Videos. 4th Year Project Report Software Engineering. University of Edinburgh Division of Informatics

Description:
Bot describes the Youtute system. This is a web service from the School of Informatics tutorials which makes them accessible to students so they can use them to revise tutorials. His document describes the work performed on the YouTute system, not the initial set up of the system. He focuses mainly on the improvements made to the system in it's 4th year.

Evaluation:
This is an interesting paper for my research because it links to the online video tutorials that I will be looking into. It has some information at the conclusion of the paper as to the success of the programme. It also has data from a user evaluation. Youtute has been set up to 'support' the classroom learning that happens in the School of Informatics, as oppose to replace it. This source is linked to university research, therefore I feel as though it would be a reliable source.

Berge, Z., and Collins, M.(1995). Computer Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Description:
Berge and Collins describe the changes and shifts happening in education with the introduction of new technologies. In the introductory chapter they discuss the way in which education has changed to being independent exploration by the learner. They state that not all of education happens in the classroom and that students can learn through 'unplanned learning'. They find similarities between distance education with in class learning using technology. This chapter supports using technology to support education.

Evaluation:
In the introductory chapter of this book there is a lot of information relevant to my research. The writers discuss the importance of using technology in education, and they describe things I have been thinking about i.e. different learning styles, the effects of new technology for the Teacher, learning outside the classroom. This chapter of the book has been published in a Magazine. I feel as though the editor of the magazine feels as though the information and source is reliable enough to publish their works. Therefore I feel as though it would be a reliable source to use.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Final decisions for research topic EDEM630...parts edited from previous blog with more detail added

Well I think that after nights of thinking, a lot of feedback from Wayne and all those in my household (Thank you) and actually dreaming about it last night I have clarity on what I am going to look into for my research for EDEM630.

"With access to specific online tutorials, is the way we teach and learn starting to change in educational institutions?"
The specific digital technologies I will be looking at are online tutorials as a tool.

It is important to me because it is something I have been using in class and I am seeing a shift in education. I am wondering if it is going to benefit the teacher and students or if it is going to create laziness in educational institutions. I wonder if it raises student achievement, is it motivational, does it allow students to access new skills when they choose to, does it make some peoples jobs obsolete, or if anyone is generating income from it. I also wonder if the tutorials are always meaningful, as anyone can post a video on youtube. I would be interested to find educational videos on youtube similar to teacher tools tutorials (as the video links on www.teachertools.co.nz all link to youtube.) in other curriculum areas.

Using online tutorials affect the way we do things and how we are going about new learning. I have found that people are referring to 'youtube' as a teaching tool if they are unsure how to do something. I also access a lot of online tutorials in my Microsoft partners in learning for my professional development. I have recently started to bring it in as a teaching tool in my classroom.

The information providers will be myself and my own experiences, people I talk to, my own experiences, students and educators who publish information on the topic. I think Microsoft will have some information on the topic, as they have so many tutorials available. Also Apple have itunes U courses, so I am hoping there will be some information there. I have had a look at the Khan Academy and there are a a lot of resources there too. We all find information online, and in our course notes our lecturers have left vimeo tutorials for us to use. I would like to think most educational providers in New Zealand are using online tutorials, but this is something I would like to look into further. It will be interesting to talk with Teachers in my community about what they use and how. I am also attending the ULearn 2013 in Hamilton this year, I will be interested to see if video tutorials are used or referred to.

The major questions for this topic are:

Is using online videos to teach skills changing the way we teach?

Does online learning promote a new way of learning?

Do online tutorials make jobs obsolete?

How do parents and our community feel about using online videos to learn?

Do online tutorials support classroom teaching?

What kind of learning style does this cater for?

Will it make classroom teachers lazy?

Are there students that have difficulty learning this way?

I think it is important to consider the teacher and the learner in this research, I am not looking at online tutorials exclusively, I am looking at them as a teacher resource. I am also looking at how using online tutorials may start to change the way we teach and learn in educational institutions.

I feel that this topic is important on an international level, anyone with internet access can use online learning. I would like to look at this specifically in relation to education in NZ, but that will depend how much information I can find. I may end up spreading my research out to international institutions. A perspective suggested by one of my lecturers was to evaluate the OSNAP change model as a framework to understand or implement change with digital technology in education. I could then contrast and compare this with other models as we go through the course.

My topic is definitely important now. Education is changing, and we are seeing a shift towards an online environment. I will be interested to see how far back I can find research on this topic. I think that this is a great start for me as it is something I would like to know more about and it is relevant to my teaching.

Research topic

Technology is certainly changing the way that we do things.

As I sit in a room full of friends who are all on a device of their own it makes me think back to the cup of tea and scones culture we seem to have moved away from. At the click of a finger we can check the weather, what’s open, and what activities are highly recommended to go to. I am curious as to whether this takes some of the spontaneity out of life. After becoming a Mum last year I made an executive decision to rid my life of facebook. I was a serious facebook user and had been regularly updating my profile with posts, photos and videos of what we were up to and what Tyler (baby girl) was into. As my family all live overseas this was a great way to keep them up to date. The decision to ‘permanently delete’ my profile was met with surprise from friends. I have been asked why I did it and it came down to this….I want to have tea and scones and talk about what I have been up to with friends. When I see people in the street I want to be able to ask them how their day is going and be met with surprise when they tell me. When people see Tyler I want them to say how much she has grown or she was ‘this big’ last time they saw her.

I wonder if working on a project in the garage with Dad, or sitting down with Mum and watching her knit whilst attempting to knit some kind of scarf (because it is long and thin) might be a culture that we may soon be referring to as in the past. Certainly from a teaching point of view, I no longer need to learn everything before I attempt to teach it, because I know I can type it into a search engine and find an ‘expert’ within minutes. Online tutorials intrigue me. Today I was looking for a cable for HDMI to VGA, I didn’t know if they made them or where I could get one so I googled it, In the google search there was actually a 5 minute online tutorial of how to use one of these cables.

It just makes me think. What will the classroom end up being? Will Teachers set up a scroll down list of hyperlinked tutorials to teach their students skills? Will we no longer need a planning folder with all our own work in it? Will National Standards end up being run by online tutorials for students to follow in order to achieve At? Is youtube taking away that quick phonecall you make to Mum, an Aunty or sister to ask how to get red wine out of the carpet?

I feel like I know where I want my research to lead for my paper, I just don’t know how to specifically ask the right question……..So I have come to this

How are online tutorials changing the way we communicate with our students?

This is what I want to know…..

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Research topic for EDEM630

This is a hard one......There is so much I want to research. I am constantly reading about new ideas on how to use ICT in the classroom and I am always curious as to what ideas work.

My research topic is:

"The effectiveness of online tutorials as a learning tool"

The specific digital technologies I will be looking at are online tutorials as a tool.

I chose this topic because:

- I hear about it - people are referring to 'youtube' as a teaching tool if they are unsure how to do something

- I use it - I access a lot of online tutorials in my Microsoft partners in learning professional development

- I have recently started to bring it in as a teaching tool in my classroom

It interests me because I wonder if it raises student achievement, is it motivational, does it allow students to access new skills when they choose to, does it make some peoples jobs obsolete, or if anyone is generating income from it. I also wonder if the tutorials are always meaningful, as anyone can post a video on youtube. I would be interested to find educational videos on youtube similar to teacher tools tutorials (as the video links on www.teachertools.co.nz all link to youtube.) in other curriculum areas.

I feel as though the information providers will be people I talk to, my own experiences, students and educators who publish information on the topic. I think Microsoft will have some information on the topic, as they have so many tutorials available. Also Apple have itunes U courses, so I am hoping there will be some information there. I have had a quick search and there is quite a lot of information about achievement and online tutorials which I am very interested in. I feel as though everyone who is studying in this day and age in developed countries is affected by my research topic. We all find information online, and in our course notes our lecturers have left vimeo tutorials for us to use. I would like to think most educational providers in New Zealand are using online tutorials, but this is something I would like to look into further.

The major questions for this topic are

Is there a shift to a flipped classroom teaching and learning style using online tutorials?

Does online learning promote a new way of learning?

Do online tutorials make jobs obsolete?

Do online tutorials support classroom teaching?

What kind of learning style does this cater for?

Will it make classroom teachers lazy?

Are there students that have difficulty learning this way?

I think it is important to consider the teacher and the learner in this research, I am not looking at online tutorials exclusively, I am looking at them as a teacher resource.

My topic is definitely important now. Education is changing, and we are seeing a shift towards an online environment. I will be interested to see how far back I can find research on this topic.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Hello

Hi everyone,
My name is Arnika Brown, I have been teaching at MTSS (Mt Somers Springburn School) for the past 5 years. In my spare time I do like to get outdoors, but when I am indoors I love going onto my Microsoft partners in learning profile http://www.pil-network.com, and working on my ICT skills towards badges, there is so much free PD on there. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Well, I have just realised that I did start a blog in 2010,(as I found it) and I tried to make it work in my classroom, but alas, it all fell apart.
I have a 1:1 laptop classroom that has been running for 4 years now, and I am just feeling like I am starting to work it effectively. In my class I have a huge range of learning styles and abilities, and I find that the laptop programme supports students in numerous ways. We have been predominantly using Microsoft over the years, which seems to have paid off, as we are now hopefully going to be part of the IT Academy which will be interesting.
In class,I use an Apple desktop so we have also used iMovie, iPhoto and Garage Band as a class. I think it is important for the students to experience as many different types of learning platforms as we can offer. We also have an IWB and a 50inch plasma that we use for shared learning. I am very passionate about e-learning, and am working towards my Post Grad.
Last year we set up a Weebly as a staff, and we feel like having a blog is our next step. We have had a look at numerous other blogs and are just trying to figure out how we can set one up to benefit all Teachers, students and our wider community.
I would like my blog to motivate parents to become involved in their childrens development and learning online, and to be able to comment on work they have done. We have our Weebly set up as our school website www.mtss.school.nz, and our next step is definitely to have an open space for parent feedback.
I have attached a picture of our lovely Mt Somers, I have an amazing view of it from my classroom window.

I am really looking forward to this course, and can see already that it will be great for me professionally.

Thanks, Arnika