Author: Lisa Lewis

M. Ed

Lisa Lewis

Recently I completed my Master’s of Education (focus Educational Leadership & Online Learning and Teaching)

Here is a link to my completed Master’s:  http://viuspace.viu.ca/handle/10613/2657

My Goal was to design a first year blended transitional course on the effective use of digital tools for academic purposes that also includes the implications of the student’s digital footprint, professionalism and personal learning networks

Course Overview & Learning Outcomes:

Unit 1.  Introduction to Web 2.0

Digital Footprint and professionalism – a student’s perspective

  • Understand the implications of digital profile in terms of longevity, reach, and changing context.
  • Understand and assess the influence of an online profile.
  • Explain strategies for online reputation management.

Privacy Roles and Responsibilities – Sharing information online

  • Use social networking sites in an educational setting in an appropriate and secure fashion while protecting users’ privacy (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Flickr)
  • Demonstrate protection of privacy and freedom of information in dealing with own and others’ personal information.
  • Discern among private, recordable, confidential and sensitive information (e.g., what may be shared, what legal or professional obligations exist, what consent is required, etc.)
  • Describe how to comply with VIU’s Technology Acceptable Use Policy and other student ethical conduct policies and program-based professional guidelines.

Unit 2.  Telling Your Story – Introduction

Creating a professional image online – E-Portfolios

  • Create and curate an academic profile (i.e. D2L E-portfolio or WordPress)

Ways to tell a story (blogging, etc.)

  • Use a broad range of media texts in order to express ideas through multiple forms of media (e.g., traditional print, electronic, digital, etc.)
  • Create and share multimedia objects, applying best practices.
  • Create and use a personal web-space to express ideas.

Unit 3.  Tools and Technology

Working together online

  • Create and participate in a personal learning network.
  • Use video and web conferencing tools and instant communication tools (i.e. D2L, Collaborate, Google hangouts, etc.) for learning or research.
  • Engage in group development using collaborative creation (e.g. discussion forums)
  • Collaboratively create documents with peers (e.g., shared creation and editing using Google docs, Coggle, etc.)

Digital Presentation

  • Appropriately and efficiently share digital media such as podcasts, music, and video.
  • Optimize and use digital images, audio, and video in a variety of formats (i.e. Text based software such as Prezi, SlideShare, etc.; video media such as Prezi, SlideShare, VIUTube, YouTube, ActivePresenter, Jing, etc.; and audio media such as podcasts, etc.)

Digital Study Tools

  • Use social networking tools for communication related to learning or research.
  • Access and utilize current reference programs for citations and attributions
  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of electronic tools available for creating and managing online resources (e.g. mind-mapping software, flashcard programs, Library apps, organizers such as Symbaloo, etc.)

Unit 4.  Telling Your Story Revisited – Tying it all together

Final E-portfolio presentation

  • Demonstrate course mastery through uploaded assignments into an e-Portfolio

A Learning Circle

Lisa Lewis

For some time I have been wanting to incorporate aboriginal ways of learning and knowing in to my teaching practice. This semester I will be teaching Physics 047 & Chemistry 047 (Grade 11 equivalent). I haven’t been fully satisfied with the atmosphere of the classes, many sit alone and we really only incorporate a very liner thinking processes. VIU is very fortunate that it is on Snuneymuxw Territory.

Liesel Knaack, at the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning, offered to help me in my journey to expand my ways of teaching. To that end she connected me with Sharon Hobenshield, Director of Aboriginal Education. Sharon called together an Indigenization circle for science class learning which comprised of an Elder, Faculty and Students who wanted to share and support me.

It was truly an amazing experience that touched my soul. Everyone was so supportive. The students told me what worked for them and what they appreciated. The Elder reminded me that this was only one step on a student’s journey, that they come from somewhere and go somewhere. They was so much information and support.

I created an initial mind-map from what I took out of the experience. Initially, on my first day of class, I plan to acknowledge the territory that I work on and have the students sitting in a circle, where they can make eye contact and connect (no voices from behind). I will also get students to introduce themselves, starting on the right so they can learn about each other.

Indigenization Learning Circle
Indigenization Learning Circle

 

Procrastination

Lisa Lewis

I am currently working on my paper to go with my Master’s Project for my M.ED at VIU. I am interested in the topic. I am teaching the course that I am writing about (FNFS 103. Succeeding Online: Tools and Technology for Learning) in September. Thus my Masters will really prepare me for my students in September. The problem? The weather is beautiful, things need doing, the ocean is calling, Facebook is distracting…. In short everything and nothing.

Heck, right now I am updating my blog rather than working on my Masters…..

What are you procrastinating doing?

OLTD Courses

Lisa Lewis

The Courses

  • OLTD 501 – Introduction to Online Learning – Competencies and Environments
  • OLTD 502 – Digital Learning Continuum
  • OLTD 503 – Online Communication
  • OLTD 504 – Special Topics-Learning Systems
  • OLTD 505 – Special Topics-Open Educational Resources
  • OLTD 506 – Special Topics-Social Media
  • OLTD 507 – Special Topics-Cloud Computing
  • OLTD 508 – Special Topics- Mobile Learning and Gaming
  • OLTD 509 – Emergent Environments and Technologies
  • OLTD 510 – Capstone Learnings

Minecraft world

Lisa Lewis

Evidence: Video of Minecraft world created

Learning Outcomes:

  • Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of mobile learning and gaming environments
  • Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, and misconceptions

I was very much a newbie to the world of Minecraft before this assignment. I had heard of it, seen people dress up as characters from it, but never so much as looked at it. For this assignment we had to ‘play’ in the Minecraft world and determine how it could be used in the classroom. In order to figure out how to use it in the classroom, I had to play with it my self and evaluate it with the rubric that Jay, Corina & I built. After all, how can I evaluate a tool for use in the classroom if I could not use it myself?

What I discovered is that Minecraft is a very flexible, creative world that has tremendous applications in the classroom. As you can see on the video, I tested the world for use in Math and Biology. I am especially happy how my labelled ‘cell’ turned out. For visual learners, students who love gaming or creative people, the ability to create three dimensional structures to illustrate concepts (or for example calculate volumes and areas in math) really personalizes the learning experience. Students can work collaboratively or individually, this can be done in the classroom or from a distance. the key word is personalization.

Are there some challenges to having Minecraft assignments? Sure. I work with adults. Not all of them will be interested in this or could afford to buy the program. In the k-12 systems there are also challenges (though MinecraftEdu eliminate a bunch of them!). Overall Minecraft scored very high on the game evaluation rubric. While it is certainly a tool that I would use in the classroom I would likely make it an optional assignment or alternative way of presenting a project. Participating in this assignment really opened my eyes to what games can do in education

Game Based Learning Evaluation

Lisa Lewis

Evidence:

Live form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11O0gh5P5PdBQUrP8lrmtK6xaFA6XCPeF54jD2NuIo0I/viewform

Evaluated Game & Critical Questions documented: OltdGroupAssignment3JayLisaCorina – good

Learning Outcomes:

  • Critically assess and evaluate resources for best practice in mobile learning and gaming environments
  • Integration of current cognitive learning and educational gaming theory and examination of current research around best and emerging practices
  • Critically assess and evaluate resources for best practice in online learning

For this project, Corina, Jay & I developed an evaluation form for educational games. This idea is educators could use this form to evaluate the a game that they wished to use in the classroom.

What can happen in the classroom (both face-to-face and online) is unfortunately, educators become excited about some new and shiny tool but don’t stop to critically assess the resource to see if it is appropriate for the learning environment. It is important to evaluate the resource. An easy way that this can be done is through a rubric. If the rubric is designed for a particular learning environment then the educator will be able to compare and assess different resources. As we stated in our overview “the elements we included in our evaluation rubric will ensure that any app we assess for use with students will meet their needs for learning, growth, differentiation, individualization, creativity, and authenticity, as well as safety and academic concerns”.

Our rubric was designed using current theories and emerging practices. One theorist that resonated especially was Jim Gee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQAgAjTozk) and we used many of his principles in creating the rubric. The second was Futurelab’s RETAIN model and Four-Dimensional Framework (media.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Serious-Games_Review.pdf). The RETAIN and 4D framework provided the scaffold for us to create the rubric

Digital Learning Conference

Lisa Lewis

digital footprintI recently had the pleasure of attending the 2015 Digital Learning Conference ()put on by Randy LaBonte (@rlabonte).

Charlene Stewart (a colleague & OLTD cohort member) attended with me. We were also fortunate enough to see two other instructors Mary O’Neill (@maryjoneill) and Avi Luxenburg (@aluxenburg) and several other OLTD students. It was wonderful to meet so many people that I had only connected with online. It definitely felt like meeting with old friends.

The keynote speaker Dave Cormier (@davecormier) spoke to us of Rhizomatic learning. Learning like Rhizome plants, does not come from nothing but is rather part of a large, complex, underground root system that is the sum of our being. It is a new way to look at the idea that student are not empty vessels but have experience & knowledge and are linked to a wide community. Curriculum is not the content of the course but is other people and your connection to them. My favourite Quotes: Learning for uncertainty in the age of abundance & Divergent thinking is much more important than convergent thinking.

My theme for the conference was community building. So I attended a fabulous lecture by Avi and another by Avi and Mary on building community. For all the details, check out this site: https://sites.google.com/site/aluxenburg/. Some key thoughts (in images):

4D learning wordleJo Axe & Samantha Wood from Royal Roads presented all about tools for student engagement. They shared this wonderful resource with a list of terrific digital tools: http://set.royalroads.ca/technology-tools (really, check it out).

The presentation that Charlene and I did went fabulously well. I am very proud of us that we presented at a conference FOR THE FIRST TIME. Our topic was Mind Mapping – Harnessing the power of student collaboration (link below)

Other Links: