Monday 25 June 2012

Summary of my Flexible Learning Plan

This is in the form of a powerpoint presentation, comprising 7 slides.

Slide 1;  Definition of flexible learning  - Link to Activity 2

Slide 2 ;     What is the Plan? - Link to Activity 6

Slide 3;      Why have I chosen to do this?  - Link to Activity 4
Creating a safe environment where students have equal access to course materials, activities, interactions and assessments.  Within an environment that fosters respectful behaviour, inclusive of different cultures.  Using Ice breakers activities to help the groups go through the process of forming, storming, norming and performing

Slide 4;      Who are my Students?  - Link to Activity 3

Slide 5;      Honey and Mumford; Typology of Learners - Link to Activity 8
Within Kolb's Learning Cycle.  4 stages of learning which follow on from each other, Honey and Mumford have built learning styles around this sequence, identifying individual preferences for each stage.

Slide 6;      How will I do this?   - Link to Activity 7
Socio-cognitive learning perspective, Vygotsky's(1978) Zone of Proximal Development, embedded in this perspective is the idea that understanding results from personal interactions in social contexts.  Thus, students are viewed as participants in the construction of meaning through their interactions with others (Black, 2005).  To promote a higher level of thinking (critical), students will provide feedback to each other, and thus, co-construct knowledge and understanding(Roehler & Cantion,1997), which is the Active experimentation part of Kolb's Learning Cycle.
This will sit within the framework of Otago Polytechnic's Strategic Plan and the process for inspiring capability in our students.

Slide 7;      References


Thanks, Bronwyn for all your advice and guidance, I have learnt so much in a short space of time, lets just hope I can pass it on to my students now!

Good luck to all those that are yet to present!!  Its not that bad really!!




Wednesday 20 June 2012

Activity Twelve - Organisations

How do your ideas for flexible learning, and those of your organisation or consultancy fit (or not) with the TES for NZ?

My Son had his cross country today and I could see the relief on his face when he could see the finish line, I know how he feels!!!!
I think this post title should be 'losing the plot! me or them, or both!

The Government's vision is that all New Zealanders should have ;
'Access to high-quality tertiary education (that) enriches people's lives, increases their employment opportunities and helps to build a productive skills base to drive economic growth.'

Part of that vision is to move New Zealand away from being a low wage economy, with many people doing unskilled jobs.
The strategy is how the government proposes we get there and whether the organisation I work in provides relevant and efficient processes that support that strategy for the future.  The TES and many other sectors will need to 'live within its means and do more with less', which prompts us to be proactive and look at new and innovative ways of teaching many people with fewer resources, less contact time and less man-power, is flexible learning the answer?  It certainly provides opportunity to think outside the box and be resourceful with new technology so that the same quality education is provided in new and surprising ways.

After reading the TES, OP's strategic plan/charter, the Maori strategic plan and the Literacy/numeracy one, I got a sense that they all aligned very neatly, in fact almost intertwined with each other in their visions and strategies.
Accessible learning for all, any time, any place, any where;


'We will continue to develop our courses for flexible delivery to facilitate learning in regional centres, in workplaces and in people's homes. ' OP Charter.


What do you need to include in your plan to fit with the TES for NZ?

  • Continue to work with Industry to ensure that the learning meets Industry needs. (PEAC)
  • A reliable and relevant moderation process that ensures Industry relevant skills
  • Continue to offer STAR (Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource) programmes to encourage the flow of secondary students into further education
  • Continue to embed literacy, language and numeracy skills throughout the plan


I need to ensure that I continue to enhance my teaching role with up-dated quality resources, self moderation to ensure that the training/education is providing skills for employment, and creating a flexible approach where learning new technological skills will provide the flexibility to access  the wider community. 
Short and sweet, now on to weaving it all together!!!!!


References;

http://www.minedu.govt.nz

http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz



http://www.tec.govt.nz/Tertiary-Sector  Draft Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Strategy released






















Monday 18 June 2012

Activity Eleven; Indigenous Learners

How can you include examples of New Zealand's indigenous culture in the design of your eLearning courses - language, society, history, political issues etc.?

The Hospitality and Tourism programmes within Otago Polytechnic attract a small percentage of Maori and Pasifika students and the continuing challenge is to retain those students to success and completion, within those programmes.

Designing an eLearning course in regards to incorporating language of the indigenous culture could mean initially incorporating key words in the titles of the course, so that there is a bilingual component to it. Introduction to Tourism looks at NZ history and culture, exploring the domestic attractions and the way they are being marketed before expanding globally to other cultures. There would be opportunity to incorporate more indigenous History of the local Otago region and the local tribe of Nga Tahu
 
What approaches can you utilise to meet the needs of indigenous learners?


Otago Polytechnic recognises the need to equip its staff with' knowledge of culture, heritage and language skills'( Greenwood, J.,& Lynne- Hairata, T. A. (2009), by encouraging all lecturers to gain the Certificate in  Mata a Ao Maori.  I have recently completed a certificate in Te Ara Reo Maori and found the learning journey very inspiring as it involved;

  • Introductions, singing and welcoming speeches
  • Maori protocols, customs and processes
  • Large and small group work
  • Relationship building
  • Repetitive, cognitive rhyming games
  • Laughter, fun and support (from lecturers, students and Wananga)
  • Participation in a safe environment
  • Scenarios provided for us to connect the learning
  • Weekly singing and prayers
  • Role plays e.g. buying groceries at the shop
  • Noho Marae, sharing of food
  • Weaving and learning our Whakapapa
  • Course books, CD roms and dictionaries
  • Preparing and presenting a 15 minute speech in Maori 
Emphasis was placed on a holistic and full immersion of the language with each member feeling part of the family.  We collaborated and attended to the oral and spiritual nature of the language, we learnt about our history and culture.  I listened to their stories and they listened to mine. There was respect, hospitality and reciprocal attending to needs.  It was an emotional farewell at the end of the year.  This process of learning is outlined in the video; Te Whare Tapa Wha, all the domains were attended to and I made a journey of safe passage through the course,  "Students and teachers worked as a whanau".(Greenwood, J.,& Lynne-Hairata, T.A. (2009).
My experience has led me to incorporate some of these sections into my teaching to meet the needs of indigenous learners, there are support staff and technical help available as I have come to understand that "Academic goals are not separated for the holistic development of the people who are to be its graduates". (Greenwood, J.,& Lynne-Hairata, T.A. (2009).

 Outline any experiences you have had working with indigenous learners.


On average approximately 3% of our learners are indigenous.  Generally speaking they have low literacy and numeracy skills, so are offered the support at the beginning of the programme, having been through the orientation process.
Attendance is important for group work, learning practical skills and assessments, these students fall behind often because of commitments to family or other personal reasons.  This is where on-line assessments give that flexibility but for Hospitality/Tourism Industry practical skills are obviously very important.


What were some of the challenges that you and the learners faced?


The challenges for us as educators are to fully engage the learners at the beginning of the course and for the learners to feel safe and supported in a new environment. (Powhiri process).


How did this affect their learning?


If attendance becomes an issue then the process becomes disjointed, it is then easy to get behind with work and many of these learners do not achieve their certificates.


References;

Greenwood,  J., & Lynne-Hairata,  T.A. (2009). Hei tauira: summary document. Wellington, New Zealand: Ako Aotearoa.

Knowing your Learner - Engaging Maori Learners.  http://literacyandnumeracyforadults.com

Neal, T. & Collier, H (2006).  Weaving Kaupapa Maori and e-learning.  Journal of Maori and Pacific development, 7 (2): 68-73.

Clayton, J.F., Rata-Skudder, N., & Baral. (2004).  Pasifika communities online: and implications.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Activity Ten; Sustainability


The Otago Polytechnic sustainability vision is that our graduates, our practitioners and our academics understand the concepts of social, environmental and economic sustainability in order for them to evaluate, question and discuss their role in the world and to enable them to make changes where and when appropriate.  Our goal is that every graduate may think and act as a “sustainable practitioner”. 
Education for Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic




Sir Ken Robinson said in his 'Are school's killing creativity' speech ,' that children starting school now (2007) will be retiring in the year 2065 and we have no idea what sort of a World that will be, and how do we equip them with the skills to be able to deal with that World?  The speed with which technology is advancing makes me feel that the World is on fast forward mode all the time and that advances in education, knowledge and intellect does not necessarily mean improvements in the way decisions are made regarding the sustainability of our Planet. We have not learn't by our mistakes and sustainability globally for our children means trying to give them practical skills to survive!!!


How can I become a more sustainable practitioner? (Me)



  • Analysing the workload and spreading it out
  • Providing study skills
  • Offering support networks within the programme
  • Offering on-line readings and opportunity to email assignments
  • Marking on-line
  • Being aware of students outside influences
  • Having a life and trying to get lots of sleep



Firstly, I wanted to look at the Tourism Industry (the sector) that we are educating our students to enter.  It, like so many other sectors has been profoundly and massively affected by the growth of the Internet, which in turn has an affect on the way the our Tourism programme is designed, implemented and facilitated.  The Travel Agent's role, for example, has changed considerably and will continue to evolve possibly into more on-line or phone interactions rather than the traditional face to face encounters.  
The Tourism Industry has a foundation in relying on being sustainable particularly ecological and adventure tourism, without some sustainability processes in place these sectors would not exist.    


So what are we equipping our students for?


Taking many of these factors into consideration the courses have been embedded with opportunities for discussion, opportunity and demonstrations of sustainability, locally, nationally and globally.  Trying to provide 'authentic participation in the study of local issues'

  • What sort of learning and teaching strategies meet your philosophy of sustainability?
A quote from the Commission on Education and Communication, IUCN, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, sums my philosophy up well;
'a focus on developing environmental thoughtfulness, a commitment to the ethic of human interdependence with nature and each other, and a sense of collective responsibility for community development.'


References;









Sunday 10 June 2012

Activity Nine; Technologies

Technologies for learning and teaching are in a constant state of flux. Therefore, it is important for teachers to stay informed about the trends, and be confident about trying new approaches. ( Flexible Learning Guidebook).  I attended Dr. Thom Cochrane's workshop  and felt slightly overwhelmed by the speed of which these technologies are moving and the slowness of which I am picking them up!

Yes I agree with the first statement and so I decided to try to develop a 'model' activity that could be inserted into the Wiki course content for the Certificate in Travel and Tourism programme. 

The idea is to have short video clips modelling activities, incorporated throughout the wiki which would have a twofold intention of providing a step by step example to follow and would model literacy and numeracy exemplars for the students to access repeatedly and in their own time, if necessary. 

My first attempts at this have been foiled somewhat by the breakdown in the particular piece of technology I wanted to use.  The' Visualizer' enables you to demonstrate an activity with voice over,  record it and embed into Moodle or a Wiki, but the sound was not working on it. 

The Travel and Tourism students have to write formal emails within their course and the idea of this example was to model an email highlighting all the sections that needed to be filled out.  My second attempt was recorded through adobe connect with the assistance of a colleague.  Follow the link to find a draft demonstration, it needs alot of work!!  But gives you the idea.  Be patient! the screen will say 'nothing being shared'  it took me a while to warm up!!!!

https://adobeconnect.op.ac.nz/p8cy18424fg/


On reflection - How it could be improved.

  • The email example is too grainy and cannot be seen clearly
  • The explanation is too long
  • The screen has too many other icons which can be distracting
  • The adobe connect process was time consuming and hard to navigate around as a novice
Attempt number 2;



On reflection;
  • The example is clearer to read
  • I need to work on my methodology behind the explanation
  • Still too long
The Horizon Report was very interesting reading, particularly in the new apps that are being developed almost every second.  This paragragh caught my eye firstly in helping students to choose which University to go to and in helping to orientate them in the first few months.

At the most basic  level, many universities and colleges have developed map and directory apps for current students to navigate campuses and for prospective students to take virtual tours or to enhance physical tours.....check their grades....or (view) breaking campus news.  (The Horizon Report).

References;

The Horizon report 2012