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NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Learner: Barbara Andrine Koenig

EL7004

Dr. Glen Gatin

The Online Learner

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Faculty Use Only You have met the basic requirements of the activity. Good use of a theoretical framework. Try to be more critical and reserved. Use fewer concrete and descriptive examples, summarize instead. Examine issues on a conceptual level. The purpose of doctoral level work is to develop the capacity to explore and work with current theories specific to the field of elearning. Course materials are prompts only, look for current resources. While you generally express yourself well, work on academic writing. See my comments below. Consider using the services of the NCU writing center to help with scholarly writing. I downloaded the rather large file containing your presentation and it looks great although it did not provide any information about the number of slides or offer any way to interact with the presentation. It would be better if you uploaded such a presentation to a webpage or wiki and provided a link instead.

Gatin

June 2, 2012

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Collaboration and Interactivity in Online Learning

Learning styles are as applicable in online courses as they are in face-to-face classes. It is important to address the needs of the individual learner and offer a variety of types of activities throughout an e-Learning course. Palloff and Pratt (2003) state that it is not necessary, or feasible, to address all learning styles within one lesson or differentiate each activity to individuals, but rather to offer a variety of opportunities within the course. OConner states that learning styles are personally constructed filters people use to orient their relationships with the world and it is implied that these filters can evolve and may be influenced by age, experience, and maturity (Palloff and Pratt, 2003). There are different models of the concept of learning styles from the work of Gardner, Claxton and Murrell, Paulsen to interpretations and fusions of different models, it is apparent that there is no one single way to teach or to learn (2003). Icon Logic recently offered an online course in advanced Captivate creation through. Within the course, the class had the opportunity to discuss the importance of paying attention to the learners styles of capturing information (Siegel, 2010). The course instructor directed the class to a website and we had a discussion of the seven different learning styles that are readily recognized by educators today (Overview of learning styles, n.d.). These styles are an expansion

Comment [G1]: Good introduction of a theoretical framework for your discussion. Be critical in your use of the theory and mention any academic challenges. For example. Willingham, D. (2005). Do Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learners Need Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Instruction? Ask the Cognitive Scientist, Summer. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/summer 2005/willingham.cfm Comment [G2]: Citation? Read and cite original sources.

Comment [G3]: Avoid this construction in academic writing. Comment [G4]: ..found in the works of Comment [G5]: Rephrase so this clause follows smoothly from the first part of the sentence. Comment [G6]: Citaiton?

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of those mentioned by Watkins (2005), which were only three: auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic. In the Captivate class through Icon Logic provided an activity of identification of self-learning style inventory using a scale of 1-7 and each student individually rated each category using the number only once. The following form was provided: _____Visual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. _____Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music. _____Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing. _____Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch. _____Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. _____Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. _____Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study. (Siegel, 2010)
Comment [G7]: New sentence.

The lesson from this activity is that learners do not only learn through one learning method; they have a preferred method of learning, that can change depending on a variety of variables. Watkins (2005) suggested that the learners identify their primary and secondary learning styles within Activity 17 (p. 103). Learning styles have a big impact on online learning. Learning is a social event; it involves interaction and discussion with either peers or mentor/facilitators. It is helpful to know that if paired with a learner in a cooperative group that is a intrapersonal learner, it may be helpful to dialogue with your peer a bit to open them up to the idea of working together. Collaborative activities can be a stressful thing in online learning. Setting group dynamics and norms are essential to a successful collaborative activity (Watkins, 2005). Conrad and Donaldson (2004) stress the importance of setting these norms, especially for communication and successful collaboration amongst group members. When discussion opportunities are
Comment [G10]: Norms are not so much set as measured. Comment [G9]: The meaning of this sentence is unclear. Rephrase and simplify. Comment [G8]: In academic writing all assertions of fact must be supported by a citation from current peer reviewed literature?

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Comment [G11]: ..standards? Comment [G12]: This citation is very dated. Look for peer-reviewed literature published in the last 3-5 years to support any information introduced from a source of this vintage. Comment [G13]: Is all of that information helpful to learning?

present and group norms are in place, or in process, an online community is possible (Varvel, 2001). Collaborative Groups online are different from face-to-face classes. So much of our interaction as human is non-verbal in the form of body language. In a face-to-face collaborative activity, when someone feels uncomfortable, upset, disagreeable, it shows. This is not the case with online courses. It is important to understand the roles of the successful e- learner to assimilate themselves within the online community (Palloff and Pratt, 2003). The instructor should encourage a warm and welcoming environment and create opportunities to develop and demonstrate expectations for the students. Encouraging openness and sharing, warning of the use of humor and sarcasm with non-verbal communication, being honest, forming a learning community and responsibilities that come with that, collaboration and participation, and encouraging the students to work on technical deficiencies all are important roles of e-learners that a facilitator should stress (2003). Two examples for clarification: 1. In an online class at Hamline University, a group of students completed an activity where roles were assigned by the instructor. I was the assigned the role of the facilitator. There was a lot of pre-reading and forming of discussion questions. This job assignment was taken seriously and I was extremely prepared. One of my peers started to pull away from my prompts and sidetracked the entire group. I pulled the reins back in through stating in the discussion, I want to get everyone back on track The instructor was online as an observer. The disruptive peer then posted, youre the facilitator, facilitate. It was an uncomfortable situation. This interaction between two peers in a synchronous discussion in front of the group showed a decrease in participation of the other group members. Later the instructor emailed and complemented on keeping the activity on track and acknowledged that it

Comment [G14]: Support this with current findings.

Comment [G15]: Page number? Comment [G16]: Avoid the telegraphic styleHere I present two examples of situations where I What do these examples clarify? Comment [G17]: Pre-reading and forming of discussion questions was required.

Comment [G18]: Avoid colloquial expressions in academic writing.

Comment [G19]: ..resulted in.. Comment [G20]: ..me..

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was not an ideal situation. 2. A second example was in an online discussion involving my colleagues husband, who was a film student at a local university; there was a critical exchange between him and another peer. My colleagues husband lost his temper and immaturely posted some harsh curse words. He was taking to a discipline hearing through the university and expelled out of the university with one semester remaining. There was no way to talk his way out of it and claim that his intentions were out of context through interpretation because the discussion was in type and recorded. There was no plausible deniability because the evidence was present and it was a tough lesson to learn. There are different types of interactivity and collaboration within the online learning setting and advancements seem to be added daily. The roles of games and interactivity in learning are important components to effectively engage the e- learner and encourage participation (Watkins, 2005). Conrad and Donaldson (2004) suggest that through the involvement of the learner and interactive games or real life simulations hook the learners, engage them at a much higher level than a sit and get online lecture model. Learning is a social experience and opportunities to interact, discuss, debate, argue, cooperate, and even compete allow the learner to have a vested interest in the material being learned. Activities and simulations were separated and defined distinctly by Conrad and Donaldson (2002). Activities were defined as a game that includes tasks that provide an element of engagement, decision making, and knowledge acquisition from a new perspective, whereas simulations explore and replicate from real life situations through virtual dissections, virtual construction, or virtual software exploration (p. 93). Interaction within the online class allows the students to discuss outside of the critical eye and reflect on the perspectives of their fellow learners. The most valuable online learning
Comment [G24]: ..in.. Comment [G25]: ..engaging.. Comment [G26]: Colloquial expression. Comment [G23]: for effectively engaging the elearner and encouraging Comment [G21]: New sentence. Comment [G22]: ..exist..

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Comment [G27]: ? Spell out the terms on first mention followed by the acronym in parentheses. Subsequent mentions use acronym alone. See APA Manual 6th Ed. Section 4.09

experiences I have had were the ELL courses through Hamline University. The instructors were like the directors of an orchestra, giving us the instruments, allowing us to practice, then bringing us together to show what beautiful music we could produce. Some of the best papers I have ever written came from the opportunities to interact with my peers, learn from my peers, and teach assignments to my peers in a reciprocal manner. The group interactions were so well planned out that each one of the group members knew exactly what our objectives of the activity was and the appropriate outcome we needed to have. The roles changed for each assignment so each one of us could rotate and experience the different roles. It gave many of us the opportunity to empathize with the instructor to see how the teaching of a class requires a high level of interactivity. In addition to the examples of interactivity and collaboration provided within this document, the following is an example of one of three collaborative/interactive activities I have proposed for the leap course I am developing for the district. These will tie into a software simulation of the LEAP system within the Schoolnet program, a curricular management (CM) /knowledge management (KM)/ learning management system (LMS) utilized within DPS. The software simulation will be in the Moodle platform just after the LEAP overview captivate embedded video (submitted separately for EL7004-Activity 2). The example of proposed collaborative activity is: Teaching Teaching: Summary: The groups will consist of 6-8 participants selected by the facilitator. The group will refresh norming behavior through blackboard interaction and one team lead will be assigned to reach out

Comment [G28]: ..the..

Comment [G29]: ..mentioned above.. Comment [G30]: Spell out on first usage. Provide citation. Comment [G31]: Citation.

Comment [G32]: Capitalize proprietary names.

Comment [G33]: New paragraph.

Comment [G34]: What does this mean? Comment [G35]: Avoid jargon in academic writing.

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Comment [G36]: ..comprised of.. Comment [G37]: ..who..

to participants about expectations. The groups will be from 6-8 participants and they will participate both synchronously and asynchronously to complete the assignment. The participants will be certified teachers within Denver Public Schools. The teachers will use this class to discuss current classroom issues from the LEAP (Leading Effective Academic Practice) from the expectations and indicators of the performance management issues. The LEAP performance framework is a pilot the district is providing in answer to the Senate Bill 191 (Engdahl, 2010). Each participant will select one expectation or individual indicator that they would like to discuss. Through collaboration, discussion, and sharing of resources, the DPS teachers will discover support systems within their ranks. Goals/Objectives: Students will select and discuss an Expectation or Indicator from the LEAP framework to discuss within the group. Students will review the selections of their peers and respond at least once to each peers post. Students will post, in live discussion, a valuable findings from the activity that they will implement within their own classroom to facilitate improved student performance.

Comment [G38]: (DPS)

Comment [G39]: Place this with the first use of the LEAP acronym. Comment [G40]: Pilot study pilot project? Comment [G41]: ..response to the requirements of.. Comment [G42]: What is this?

Collaborative Learning: Small Group Reflective Interaction.

Recommended Experience Level Learner Beginner and up Facilitator- Moderate and up Mode: Asynchronous Time Required: Two to four days for full evolution.

Materials: Team threaded discussion board.

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Web access

Process: Learners will receive there group assignments and instructions for the activity. Learners will post in the threaded discussion area their Expectation or Indicator that they would like support or advice with. In a synchronous team activity, the group will individually post to each of their teammates concern. Team members will engage in an interactive discussion concerning their experience with the Expectations or Indicators to help each other.

Facilitator Notes: Facilitators make and assign groups for this activity. Facilitators provide the threaded discussion area. Facilitators interact as necessary within the team (at least once per team).

Comment [G43]: Summarize rather than include long lists. Is this material from a published document or working paper? Citation required.

From the feedback from Activity 1 for this course, I attempted to provide connections with the course readings. I have also referenced current research that supports and adds to the text, being that they range from publication date of 2001-2005. I also am expanding my own use of technology by incorporating my own learning into my work through the Moodle platform and embedded captivate videos. I have included an example of an informative captivate video and am currently making an interactive software simulation as a next step, incorporating ideas of collaboration and interactivity from this course. I am working to expand my own technology base by taking two courses next week on podcasting and webcam use within the K-12 classroom that I will incorporate into my research and understanding of e-learning pedagogy.
Comment [G44]: You introduced learning styles theory in your introduction. Your paper should have developed themes related to that theory and provided supporting current peer-reviewed literature last 3- 5 years) Your conclusion should also resolve the discussion of the theory.

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References Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. DePraetere, T. D. E-learning: Learning through the use of devices [Internet]. Version 17. Knol. 2010 Aug 15. Retrieved June 8, 2011, from http://knol.google.com/k/thomas-depraetere/e-learning/20ohkjtmn38cb/2 Engdahl, T. (2010). Final Senate vote endorses SB 10-191. eDUCATION nEWS COLORADO. Retrieved July 3, 2011, from http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2010/05/12/5080effectiveness-bill-advances-in-house Siegel, K. (2010). Adobe Captivate 5: The Essentials. Riva, MD. IconLogic. Levine, S. J. (2005). Making distance education work: understanding learning and learners at a distance. Okemos, Mich.: LearnerAssociates.net. Methodology. (n.d.). websters-online-dictionary.org. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/methodology Overview of learning styles. (n.d.). Learning Styles Online.com - including a free inventory. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/ Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2003). The virtual student: a profile and guide to working with online learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Papanikolaou, K., & Boubouka, M. (2010). Promoting collaboration in a project-based Elearning context. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(2), 135-155. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=5554600

Comment [G45]: Look for a current peer reviewed source.

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0&site=ehost-live Powell, S. D. (2005). Learning Modalities. Introduction to middle school. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall. Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown Up Digital: how the net generation is changing your world. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. Varvel, V. (2001, March/April). Facilitating every student in an online course. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://learners.ncu.edu/CourseRoom/Default.aspx?course_code=EL7004&learner_course _id=213818 Watkins, R. (2005). 75 e-learning activities: making online learning interactive. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

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