Pirate on the High Seas of e-Learning

Final Assignment - We've arrived!

As the final bell is about to ring (Monday 4 November)on this module, a few administrative guidelines for the assignment. The final assignment should be no less than 5 pages (5-8 pages is a reasonable length) 1.5 paragraph spacing Arial, 11 Font. We look forward to receiving and reading your final products.

Arriving at the harbour...

As we enter the harbour after our journey through this module, there are a few things that I'd like you to keep in mind. As with any trip, when you will have pictures and memories of the journey. So let's make sure you have packed in your memory card before you disembark... In writing up your assignment, have you identified a need? If yes, then have you checked to see if this is your perception or a real need for staff or students in your environment. Be sure to include this in your writing. Using your blog and ideas you've developed, add (or pack in) all the relevant literature to support your ideas. Use these to start building the argument for why your chosen design and development plan was needed. Then finally, think about how you will check or evaluate the process (view and edit your pictures, if you will). Now, in order to disembark, we need to ensure that you have cleared all the cupboards and drawers in your cabin. This means, have you taken a look back at your curriculum analysis knowledge, your assessment knowledge or theories of learning? Have you taken note of how much you have learned, not just for this module, but throughout your MPhil journey and used this in writing up your assignment? Remember, you may not think of it now, but somewhere tucked away in the back of your mind (drawer) you have gained knowledge and skills in a variety of HSE areas....use these! I trust that you have all had a great journey and look forward to seeing the "album" (assignment) on 4 November.

e/merge Africa - Online Seminar - Designing Blended Courses for Low Resource Context: Will They Still Come to Class?

Please feel free to sign up/ follow the new Seminar Series on "Designing Blended Courses for Low Resource Context: Will They Still Come to Class?" hosted by the e/Merge Africa site.

I think the theme is crucial for those educators in our developing country contexts. To see more and to join the movement go to web address:

http://emergeafrica.net/live/

Nice Slide Share on the 7 C's of Instructional design

7 cs learning_design_mooc from Grainne Conole

ICS Learning Group: Instructional Design Strategies for eLearning

ICS Learning Group: Instructional Design Strategies for eLearning: The ADDIE model has got to be one of the, if not just *the*, most popular instructional models used in the eLearning development process. I...

e-Learning Acupuncture: Authentic Learning in Online Courses

e-Learning Acupuncture: Authentic Learning in Online Courses: The library at my school has a book entitled A Guide to Authentic e-Learning by Jan Herrington. Unfortunately, it is currently signed out....

Developing your developmental skills

As we enter week 3, I hope that you are all enjoying the experience (and not pulling your hair out!) of the module. This week we focus on the development phase of the project that you envision. Taking an excerpt out of Michael Allen's book "Leaving ADDIE for SAM" (pg 15), I'd like to remind everyone what the ADDIE model requires from the Development phase. In this phase you should be specifying the learning events/activities, specifying the instructional management plan and delivery system, reviewing/selecting existing materials, developing the instruction and validating the instruction. Remember, though that these are guidelines of what your process should be. Ultimately, this week you should be using what you know from the Analysis and Design phase of your project to really think about the details and theoretically come up with the materials you are going to use in your course/module/intervention. The end is in sight...so don't lose the momentum you've already gained working through the module. Finally, please remember to contact your mentors directly should you need some extra, specific assistance.

Don't Reinvent the Wheel or Free Medical Resources

If you are looking for some free medical resources in order to save you from having to create your own, check out Steve's Stuff.

Useful tools for the voyage

I trust that you are all enjoying your cruise and that the waters are relatively calm after submitting research assignments. The ADDIE ship is definitely an interesting one, with many activities to do but also an oversupply of lifeboats and jackets for support. Reading the blogposts and comments made over the last few days, I've noticed a common thread - what tools do I use? I believe that the value of using ADDIE for this module allows us to stress the importance of starting at "A" and determine what the needs are first and foremost and then think about tools. So many resources pop up on the scene for computer/tablet and cellphones on almost a daily basis that it is often possible to be overwhelmed by the possibilities and end up going nowhere slowly. That being said, I've come across a site through a colleague recently that may be a useful tool for students and staff alike. ThinkBinder is an online "study" group which I found to be quite an interesting way to combine different resources and discuss topics at the same time. Another one of my favourites is Wikispaces where students and staff are able to have a conversation while building and sharing resources. Happy sailing!

The ship has sailed (and it is called ADDIE)

The module is now officially underway. We have sailed from the safe harbour of our daily lives and work out into the rough but exciting open seas of e-Learning. To get you started and working please take note of the following important notes:

1. Please make sure you can (and are) posting on your own blog and commenting on this main module blog as well as on your fellow-students' blogs. There is nothing worse that saying something and having the feeling that noboby is listening. Let us afford each other the respect and support that we would expect for ourselves. Let us breach the divide and become a community of practice.
2. Please work very hard from this moment to choose a small learning intervention. We cannot stress enough how this is going to assist you in getting your project done. The moment you have an idea, the ADDIE model/ process makes sense and you can follow the process of the module.
3. Follow ADDIE. The whole idea is that through the 4 weeks of this module you will be focussing on the different phases of ADDIE. I.e. in this week one you should look at Analysis. Week 2 = Design. Week 3 = Development. Week 4 = Implement and Evaluate.
4. Be reflective and reflexive. As you know the blogs you created for yourself serve as a reflective space where you document and record your learning as you work through the ADDIE process with your small e-learning intervention. Please write soon and write often (reflective) and please help others by giving positive feedback on their ideas (reflexive).

Hit the ground running - 12 Days before the module starts!

Module dates: 30 September - 25 October 2013/ Assignment: 04 November

We hope you are in good health and still going strong in your Mphil HSE journey! We suspect everyone is enmeshed in their research assignment at the moment – good luck for that process.

 Our e-Learning module starts in 12 days’ time and we just wanted to give you a heads-up so that you can have the most meaningful module experience possible. Our experience from last year showed very clearly that getting out of the starting block was the most difficult thing to do and some colleagues only got blogging and commenting and working on their own e-learning intervention in week 2. Once going everyone found the process enlightening and very exciting.

 We want to give you a chance to “hit the ground running” come Monday 30 September and that is why we are asking you to do the following two very simple tasks:

1. Log on to your own blog (the one you created in February) with your Gmail account details. In case you forgot, your blog can be found in the right-hand colom of this blog.
 2. Read the blog post with ideas you made in February and write another one reflecting on your expectations for the module.

That is it for now! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Warm rEgards

JP (jpbosmanATsun.ac.za) , Steve (walshATsun.ac.za) and Lianne (lkeillerATsun.ac.za)

Lets talk about technology - Chat with Zoho

The chatroom below is an example of an anonymous synchrounous communication tool that is embedded on a website (in this case a blog). I created this chatroom by using Zoho's Shoutbox Chat. The steps are:

1. Go to www.zoho.com and create an account. Log in with the account.
2. Choose the Chat tool
3. Inside the chat tool, choose the Shoutbox option
4. Provide your Shoutbox with a Name, a title and choose colours you like
5. Click on Generate code and copy the HTML code that is displayed in the box
6. On any website or blog that has an HTML editor paste the copied HTML code (step 5) into the editor and save.
7. Enter a pseudonym or your own name and start chatting.

Voila! You have your own chatroom available for your website or blog.

Brainstorm and crowdsource with Google Moderator

Sometimes one is just surprised to find something you did not know existed - and for free! Trust Google to come up with that category of surprise - with Google Moderator.

When we Analyse our students as part of the ADDIE design cycle we often create pre-course surveys (using Google forms e.g.!) to ask students if what we had in mind when we designed the course/ instruction "gells" with their knowledge base and expectations. This is a big step forward for most instructors and students really respond well (I can say this from personal experience). But what if we can go even one step further. What if we can have a more open-ended process through which we can gather ideas that students or co-facilitators may have on the topic of the course? What if we can have students ask questions (especially in a large class) and then let the students themselves vote which are the most prevalent questions for an instructor to answer? What is we have a tool with which one can brainstorm in class as well as online (synchrounous and asynchrounous)?

There are services that can do that. Ideascale is one (which works quite well), ThinkTank is another (quite expensive software and facilitation services usually). But Google is also playing in this space now. With Google Moderator (www.google.com/moderator). As with all Google services one simply goes to the new service, activate it and then sign in with your Google account (if you are not already signed in).

Lets's try it out! I have created a Moderator series for the Mphilhse where all participants can go and ask questions - vote on them and also reply with ideas or answers etc. Go to the following web address and contribute your question or idea:

 http://www.google.com/moderator/#15/e=2055e4&t=2055e4.40

Please comment on this blog post if you think this could be helpful in your teachingand learning, research or professional environment.

How To ...

Download a YouTube video with Firefox
Install this add-on: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/easy-youtube-video-downl-10137/

Download a YouTube video with Chrome
Install this add-on: http://www.chromeextensions.org/music-videos-photos/youtube-downloader/

Download a YouTube video with Internet Explorer
Install this add-on: http://download.cnet.com/FVD-Suite-IE-Plugin/3000-12512_4-10822981.html?tag=dropDownForm;productListing;pop

To Copy a Website for Offline Viewing
Download HTTrack: http://www.httrack.com/

Some Medical Open Educational Resources
Merlot: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?category=2683&&sort.property=overallRating
Corsera: https://www.coursera.org/category/health

I hope you find these links useful as you embark on your e-learning module. See you online.

Links to Some e-Tools

2013 blog addresses

Please click on the comments below and in your comment add:

1. Your name (e.g. JD Drinder)
2. You blog's address (e.g. http://pinkprincess.blogspot.com)

This is important as we can then add your blog to the Blogs I read part of the Central blog and so all of us can have access to all the other blogs (neat!)

Welcome to the 2013 module

Welcome to the module!

Today's meeting has the one goal: To get your hands dirty with e-Learning.

To achieve that we are going to talk, discuss, think, guide, learn how to blog, comment ...

Let the experience wash over you (but do not forget to make notes on your hand-out. I have recorded a short welcoming message on www.soundcloud.com it should play below. Have fun!

Technologies mentioned during the presentation:

• Whole bunch of technologies described at: http://checit.wikispaces.com
• Steve's podcasting website for SU FMHS - https://fmhspod.sun.ac.za
• Soundcloud for recording on the fly (our group): http://soundcloud.com/groups/mphilhse
•  MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses): https://www.coursera.org/  | https://www.edx.org/
• OERs (Open Educational Resources): UNESCO Open Educational Resources | MIT Open Courseware
• Wikis (collaborative website on the fly): http://www.wikispaces.com/| 
• Learning Management systems (LMSs): Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai - eLearninglearning website
• Social networking technologies: Facebook | Twitter
• Clickers (Audience response systems): http://www.participate.co.za/ | Maties mobile connect
• Blogs: www.blogger.com | www.wordpress.com

According to the MPhil HSE Class of 2013, e-Learning enables:

Hello ADDIE I am SAM

It is rather interesting that the new instructinal design "kid on the block" would be called SAM as the ADDIE approach (as far as I can remember) originated in the US army!! Well, as you already know, or soon will find out, ADDIE (the model we suggest as a first foray into the world of designing e-Learning interventions) is not the only one around. one of the new kids - SAM - could also be very valuable to take note of. Lianne, fellow facilitator, gave me a heads-up to a new book on SAM by Allen Michael "Leaving Addie for SAM". Find a review of the book at web address: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1012/

Plannng for 2013

Just confirmed - we now have three facilitators on the e-learing module of the Mphil HPE for 2013: JP Bosman, Steve Walsh and Lianne Keiller. 

This creates the opportunity for  more in depth collaboration and facililitation and we are looking forward to this year's first meeting (1 Feb) and of course the module in October.

Now busy with updating the module outline as well as preparing for the upcoming orientation session.