Course Objectives
What are some philosophical underpinnings, for example, why do we run workshops rather than classes, pedagogy?
Hands on workshops provide a safe space to learn a new skill with a familiar technology and/or to learn a new skill with a new technology. We provide you with a sandbox so you can play carefree and feel like a kid in a playground again. Playing at work triggers creativity and innovation. Playing with others at work encourages teamwork. We encourage you to bring your own devices so you are able to create and learn in a space that is familiar to you. This frees up brain power and makes room for fun. We have found when people are working hands on together ideas are born as creative thinking emerges when we are free to think in the moment.
Our hands on workshops provide online spaces that simulate your current e-learning environment. Simulated environments serve as a bridge between learning tech and implementing tech. You are able to practice actions and responses before going live with students. We are able to duplicate your current online environment which creates a familiar space for you who play and where it is safe to be creative and make mistakes and be messy.
Hybridity would perfectly describe how we learn. We are constantly making connections within things to create meaningful understanding. (New London Group, 1996) (ETEC 510) It is our thought that having authenticity in workshops environments will help make the connection between the tech and the learning objectives you are trying to achieve. While reading about the tech is important, it is different from experiencing it in real life. The best way to practice real life situations during training is simulations.
We are here to help you choose the right tech for your project and to help ensure that your digital assets reaches its full educational potential. The practical considerations behind educational technologies are hard to find written down, it is our goal to share this knowledge in a way that encourages success. We believe creating online learning objects alongside us and your peers will help you to establish the confidence needed to be creative and create digital artifacts on your own.
When choosing to create multimedia artifacts it is important to consider the amount of time you have to devote to building the asset. If you are having students create the asset it you need to consider the time you expect them to devote to it. Turning text based lecture notes into a podcast or screencast, typing out a transcript of your video or applying style attributes to a word document so it can be read by screen readers are examples of tasks that can be done in 20 minutes. Identifying areas where students can choose their own medium for assignment submission, you define the assignment criteria and students define the details for submission is an example of what you can do in the next 20 days. (Tobin, 2014 ) (ETEC 524)
Our workshops follow the design process outlined by Brennan & Resnick (2013). We design open-ended activities that encompass imagining, creating, playing, sharing, and reflecting. This theory also relates to many of Seymour Papert’s ideas when it comes to providing learners, “objects to think with” and play with (Stager, 2014). Seymour Papert’s ideas of, “building knowledge structures” (Stager, 2014) also connects to Turvey & Pachler’s (2016) connected learning theories. Following the connected learning theory, we support designing learning objectives with open-ended targets and provide an opportunity for participants to share their perspectives and interests in effort to give a sense of empowerment and ownership of their learning. Both of these theories support the development and transferability with 21st Century Skills and together connect with Kafai (2006) and Peppler’s (Stager, 2014) understanding of the emerging DIY movement. (ETEC 512)
If you can use technology to make things you can make a lot more interesting things. And you can learn a lot more by making them. This is especially true of digital technology. (Stager, 2017) (ETEC 510)
Our workshops follow a constructivist approach to learning.
The crux of constructivism is in the active construction of meaning through interactions with the social and the physical environment. (Bush, 2006, p.16)
(ETEC 512)
Why do we build persistent resources that can be openly shared?
We believe in Open Pedagogy. Open Pedagogy can include creating, adapting or updating Open Educational Resources (OER). We recognize the power of the internet and how it has widely opened doorways to information, knowledge and educational resources.
Open pedagogy is that set of teaching and learning practices only possible in the context of the free access and 4R permissions characteristic of open educational resources. (Wiley, 2013)
The 4R permissions of OER are free to reuse, free to revise, free to remix, and free to redistribute. A most recent example of sharing is how the Chatbots workshop came to TRU. The paper based Build a Chatbot Workshop originated at the 2019 ALT Annual Conference which was hosted at the University of Edinburgh. Anne Marie Scott asked if we would like to co-facilitate the workshop with her while she was here consulting with TRU and OpenETC. After the workshop Anne-Marie graciously left us with a copy of the workshop materials so we could continue to educate faculty, staff and students about the importance of designing robust conversations before jumping into the tech. Did you know that TRU also shares resources with OpenETC? Our very own Brain Lamb is one of the original creators of this wonderful resource. OpenETC provides easy access to WordPress, Sandstorm, Mattermost and SPLOT. Sharing resources for these applications provides staff and students easy access to the digital technologies. They can learn how digital technologies work and think about how they can be used to transform their learning. With your own digital space you can collaborate with others to create new information that can be shared widely.
Open pedagogy is also described in a broader context; Tom Woodward describes Open Pedagogy as a “path towards connection and community.” (Grush, 2014)
Open pedagogy could be considered as a blend of strategies, technologies, and networked communities that make the process and products of education more transparent, understandable, and available to all the people involved. (Grush, 2014) (ETEC 524)
Why do we share the work of other institutions rather building everything from scratch?
We are able to offer so much more when we share. When we are passionate about projects and when we consider how others will use and implement them in their institutions we are building assets for longevity. Digital assets are costly to produce and to procure.
Those who grew up in educational technology before the computer remember that the early struggle to achieve adoptions of new technologies was ideological as well as economic. Today, that struggle is much less a matter of convincing stubborn minds and more one of obtaining funds. (Orey & Branch, 2017, p. 135) (ETEC 524)
Why do we fuse good teaching practice in all the technologies we produce?
Many times the operational principles behind digital artifacts have the power to shape learning. The operational principle pertains to how the digital artifact works to change the state of the learner. The question at the forefront of our minds is, how will this digital artifact aid in greater understanding or generate possible confusion? (Orey & Branch, 2017) (ETEC 524)
We promote the use of non-disposable assignments rather than disposable assignments by modelling the creation of persistent, reusable workshop artifacts. In his blog post The Challenge of Non-Disposable Assignments, Alan Levine quotes David Wiley’s definition of disposable assignments:
These are assignments that students complain about doing and faculty complain about grading. They’re assignments that add no value to the world – after a student spends three hours creating it, a teacher spends 30 minutes grading it, and then the student throws it away. Not only do these assignments add no value to the world, they actually suck value out of the world. (Levine, 2017) (ETEC 524)
Modeling good practice re: persistent resources / non-disposable assignments = demonstrates the possibilities of open pedagogy, creates authentic learning environments, and is sustainable. This way of approaching course design efficiently uses limited faculty time and promotes academic integrity for students, responding to two of the most common concerns raised in post-secondary.
We believe, when possible, in letting students do it their way. You set the objectives and the students choose the medium they respond with. With the wonderful array of resources readily available to students why not let them have choice in the medium they use to respond to the assignment criteria with. Almost every student has a phone, tablet and/or a laptop that will allow them to create podcasts, screen casts, and videos.
The information transmitted by the student who wrote the traditional written essay could also be demonstrated by recording an audio podcast or by the student “reporting” on the topic via video. (Tobin, 2014, p. 17) (ETEC 524)
Communication has grown from gestures to verbal to writing. Writing is a “container technology” (Strate & Lum, 2000, p. 71) that hold humans accountable. Communication systems have evolved from “inventions of the mind” (Strate & Lum, 2000, p. 71) to highly sophisticated and complex, even today most humans do not understand the mechanics behind them. Text must be read before it becomes an effective mode of communicative technology. McLuhan coined the term the medium is the message, he considers technology to be an extension of man. When asked to explain the expression the “medium is the message” McLuhan states: (ETEC 565B)
When we look at tools we are looking at things, take a look at the student example below which explains how new media remediate filmstrips and how filmstrips acted as an educational technology.
Why do we use primarily open source resources?
A key component of our work is prioritizing access and equity in post-secondary education, and open resources are a key component in keeping costs down for students. This isn’t just about things like open textbooks – though we support them! – but also about ensuring that students aren’t paying extra for services like homework systems or classroom engagement tools. We support faculty finding open-source alternatives to these tools that protect student data and are free for use.
We also believe strongly in open pedagogy, which means we share the resources we develop and encourage the faculty we work with to do the same. Building a robust, open ecosystem helps to keep the costs of education down for everyone, and helps us all find access to the best resources to support our work.