week eleven, reliable evaluations

In the Session 11: Validity and Reliability discussion folder, consider and discuss the following:

• How would you know when an instrument is valid?
• How would you know when an instrument is reliable?

"We must select the specific evaluation techniques based, first and foremost, on the nature of the expected learning. Evaluation techniques must provide evidence of learning; therefore the evaluation task must allow for the expression of the kind of learning involved." (Cranton, 2000)
I think that this quote says it all. Valid instruments must reflect what we expect the students to learn, they must provide hard evidence of that learning and they must align with the kind of learning (domain and levels within the domains). If the technique does not align with all of these factors it will not be valid nor reliable. Evaluation tools developed with thoughtful consideration will benefit our learners as they will understand what they are required to accomplish and ultimately what they have been able to accomplish. Well developed tools will benefit us as evaluators as it will be made easier to judge the work of our learners in a fair and credible manner.
C.

week eleven, curriculum design evaluation

C. Designing an Instrument for Evaluating your Curriculum Design
Learning Partners
Create an instrument for evaluating your curriculum design.

• Choose one instrument to develop;
• Create a list of questions that need to be answered;
• Rank the questions according to their importance;
• Decide on the most appropriate way to collect the data;
• Create the tool according to your choices.

I will develop a survey type tool.

Questions will include:

1. Is the instructional problem identified in the course description?
2. Are the instructional objectives of the course clearly stated in the outcomes listed for the course?
3. Is the content of the course sequenced in a way that is clear and makes sense?
4. Does the course design include strategies for instruction?
5. Are the instructional strategies supported by well developed materials?
6. Do the evaluation tools reflect the objectives set out in the course outcomes?
7. Are the evaluation instruments reflective of the levels of learning within the domain of the outcome?
8. Do you find the course to be comprehensive and complete?

I did develop a surveymonkey tool. Check it out here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8FHNJWP

week eleven, summative evaluation for my course

For the summative evaluation I would choose to have the students write an eight to ten page paper about educational technology and it's value. Elements to include in the paper would meet back to the outcomes stated in the course outline.

Directions to learners:

1. Give your paper a title that describes the topic.
2. Pay attention to the length of your paper. It should be eight to ten pages, not including title and reference pages.
3. Your paper should follow the American Psychological Association's guidelines.
4. Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper.
5. Suggested headings may be the following:

• The value of technology in education
• How technology can enhance the educational experience
• Tools for learning
• How using technological tools can transfer into skills outside of the classroom
• Tools for evaluation
• Enhancing pedagogy using technology

6. Proper terminology of educational technology and it's appropriate interpretation should be included in the paper.
7. Every paper requires an introduction and a conclusion. Include a brief explanation of the topic in your introduction.

The pros of having the students write a paper on the topic is that it gives them a chance to express in words what they have discovered during the course. It is an opportunity to curate all the pieces and make sense of them in one place, using words to fully express their relevance. It gives me, the evaluator, a chance to see how the learners have assimilated the information and made sense of it in their own contexts.
I am not sure that there are any cons to this strategy. It might be noted that in the formative evaluations there would be opportunities to assess the skills involved in operating the technology.
I could have a practical component to the summative evaluations as well. Summative evaluations could be split into a practical exam and a final written paper.  For the sake of this exercise I have chosen the paper as my final summative assessment.

I would use the rubric model to mark the papers and would provide feedback in the marking process. I would make the rubric available to the learners in advance so that they have clarity about what is expected beyond the instructions.

A little aside on confirmative evaluations... In my own courses in the Esthetician program in which I teach, it might be very difficult to seek out confirmative evaluations. My learners scatter to the wind after graduating. In this course with educators it might be easier to track them down to perform some confirmative evaluations. As Morrison et al (2103) points out, it is of interest to the evaluator to assess whether or not the learners continue to perform successfully over time and does the course need to be revised to be more effective.  I often wonder how my grads are doing and I like the idea of confirmative evaluations. A quick online survey using Survey Monkey would work well. :)

C.

week ten lesson plans and ROPES exercise and templates

Session 10 Activity Sheet: Lesson Plan Template

 

·         Lesson Title: LEARNING HOW TO BLOG

·         Readings for the Session: __________

·         Time for the Entire Session: 3 hours

·         Resources: COMPUTERS

·         Session Learning Outcomes: THIS LESSON MEETS BACK TO OUTCOMES # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 AND 6. 

Topic	Main Ideas	References	Exercises (Learning Strategies)	Evaluation	Timing
Review of last session	Last week we learned about how blogging can be of benefit to our learners as a journaling tool.  Any questions?				10 minutes
Overview of session	This week we will focus on creating a blog post. We will set up the blog and learn how to post information, paste photos and links into the blog and how to share your blog with others or hide it from them.				5 minutes
Presentation	Show learners several blogs spaces and explain how they can be used for multiple purposes (ie: journaling, marketing, sharing information). Tell that blogs are especially useful as journaling tools in and out of the classroom for students. After short lecture, demonstrate how to set up an account in Blogger and have the learners work in pairs at the same time as the professor to create a blog for one of the students. Take appropriate breaks to check in with teams and make sure everyone is on the right track. Once the task is completed, have the teams create another blog on their own for the other student and be there for questions or for troubleshooting.		hands on blog creation	informal assessment and correction as the class progresses and learners make their way through the process	30 min. lecturette 2 hours to complete the tasks
Summary	Inform the students that they will be using their blogs to record some information and perspectives throughout the rest of the course. They will be directed to do these tasks by the professor as we go along, but they are welcome to post and play as they wish to gain experience and comfort with the tool.				15 minutes.

C. Developing a Lesson Plan for Your Curriculum

Individual/Learning Partner Activity
In the previous courses you were exposed to other models of organizing a lesson plan. In this course, you will be using the ROPES model. ROPES stands for Review, Overview, Presentation of content, Exercises, and Summary. An example of how to use the ROPES model in a lesson plan is provided at the end of this session.
To meet the learning requirements of each learning outcome of the session and using a lesson plan template:

• Identify and sequence topics to build on learning;
• Select teaching strategies and evaluation methods that are congruent with the learning outcome;
• Choose materials and resources;
• Identify timing required;
• Include a welcoming activity such as an icebreaker;
• Use the ROPES Model and the following headings for your lesson plan.

• R eview (of the last lesson. Relate it to the learner and the current topic);
• O verview (of the key objectives, agenda, and why the lesson is important);
• P resentation of Content ( may vary based on content pieces );
• E xercises ( in focus activities, activities for evaluation, or group work );
• S ummary ( i.e., how did you bring all the pieces of the class together? );

Consult with your learning partner and your facilitator if necessary.

Templates from Google Scholar

Although in my next post I commented solely on the template found in the course materials, I did find these templates in Google Scholar to share.
This first one is pretty basic and not as effective for my purposes as the one we have in our course materials here...worth a look anyways!
http://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib07/PA01916442/Centricity/Domain/1803/Lesson%20Plan%20Format.docx
This second template is very explicit but I quite like it for that aspect. However, as I mentioned in my other post, simplicity is a good thing too. I like that this one has sections for the bridge in and homework as well.
http://elementarypgms.sp.brevardschools.org/RTI/Documents/MTSS%20-%20Secondary%20Level/MTSS%20Secondary%20Day%203%20State%20Training/Academic%20Engagement/Math/Instructional%20Implications/Lesson%20Plan%20Template.docx
C.

week nine, technologies and assessment

Self-select into ONE of three groups based on a learning domain by signing in to the group forum. The facilitator will start a sign-up thread within each forum to ensure that all three domains are being handled for the week.

1. Cognitive Group
2. Psychomotor Group
3. Affective Group

Instructions:

• Think of something that would be taught within the domain you have selected;
• Create a learning outcome to describe the learning that would be demonstrated;
• Describe a traditional way in which you could evaluate the outcome formatively or summatively;
• Determine an alternate way in which you could evaluate the outcome using a technology tool. If the technology or the tool is specific and might be unknown to everyone, describe the tool and how it can be used.
• Alternatively, you may wish to identify the use of a technology tool for either formative or summative assessment of learning where a traditional method is not practical.
• What areas of your design could benefit from blended learning activities?
• Is there a place for an online task or research project?
• How could you use technologies to enhance both formative and summative evaluation strategies in your course? What technologies specifically might you consider?

Domain: Cognitive
Topic: The benefits of hand washing
Outcome: The learner will identify the benefits of hand washing.
Traditional way of assessment: A written quiz.
Alternate assessment strategy using technology: Socrative quiz. This is an online test taking tool that will send a copy of the results to the teacher in an email. It is free to sign up and create tests and quizzes. Students sign in to the student site and log into a "room" number that correlates with your teacher site. The teacher makes the test available and the students complete it using their devices. This could even be a smart phone.
This tool could be used as a formative or a summative evaluation tool. I think that using a multiple choice format might be a better formative assessment strategy and a fill in the blank questionnaire would be more suitable to a summative evaluation as it demonstrates a higher level of knowledge.

There are many opportunities for myself to use a blended learning approach in my own design work. As the subject matter is using technology to educate, there will be many opportunities to try out technological tools and integrate them into the course work outside of the classroom setting. Online tasks such as blogging, using Google Drive as a collaborative tool or creating a video trailer would be excellent and fun ways of integrating tech into the design.
I would consider using the Socrative tool in my design. As well, I would consider making comments and providing feedback in the programs that I am asking my learners to use such as Google Drive and Blogger. Using a discussion forum can be a place for assessment and feedback as well. Rubrics can be made in a digital format and shared with students completely online as we have in this course.
Here is a link to a site that lists 26 online assessment tools: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/26-teacher-tools-to-create-online-assessments/
I have used the Socrative and also the Poll Everywhere app which is a neat tool for small polls in a group using phones. As I said earlier, there is a wide array of tools to consider. Choose ones that fit your materials and objectives and ones that you personally enjoy using. Be proficient at a few good ones and leave the rest. :)
C.

week nine, technologies AND large group discussion (Staley reading incl)

TECHNOLOGIES DISCUSSION:

What are the latest technologies that can be used for adult education and what is the impact of these technologies on learners if selected for a design project?

Consider whether adults are prepared to use the technologies available.

What are the implications as you make technology design choices for your own course project?

It is difficult to keep up with the latest technologies that are available for education.  Slick programming for e-texts, gamification, holographic images and interactive models are all becoming more prevelant and more accessible for all. The new applications keep coming in and it is virtually impossible to keep up! Using blogs, wikis, online discussion forums, web searches, collaborative tools such as those found in Google Drive or any array of apps that pertain to the subject matter are becoming more popular in the classroom environment.
Not all adults are able to maneuver their way through the technology nor are some even willing. Educational settings are still seen by many as places where professors lecture to you, you take notes in a binder and you write and study. With educational technology (the subject I chose for my area of interest) the possibilities are endless in how to use the technology and the apps that are available. I would suggest that small steps into integration of technology will allow the learners to get used to the idea and time to be able to see the benefits of it. Learners who are completely fluent in their own technologies such as texting, Facebook or Instagram and gaming do not always easily adopt educational technologies or navigation of online learning platforms. And, some younger learners who have been exposed to educational technology in their classrooms such as Smart Boards do not actually know how to use them.
Implications can include more time spent mentoring on the technology which is supposed to enhance learning and not impede it. Taking valuable time to explain technology and to make sure everyone is able to use it can take time away from the actual subject matter. Conversely, implications can also be that learners will learn how to use the technology and they will integrate it into their own lives and workplaces. Many of the skills that can be learned in projects using technology have built in skills that will transfer in to the learner "real life". As an example, using blogs and website builders allows the learner to gain experience that can be used in a business sense. Having a place for learners to go to receive tutoring on device use or how to navigate a program is a good idea. Or, making these skills a prerequisite for the course could be a strategy.
In the classroom setting, there may be times when servers go down, devices do not work properly, learners forget them, the power runs out on their devices or an app is not working at that moment. A plan B is always in order. "Old school" teaching methods such as lively discussions or simple lecturing can always fill the gaps when technology lets us down. Having an extra device in case a learner needs one or a charger for someone who needs it would be a good idea as well.
C.




Review the Cranton (2012) chapters and Morrison et al. (2013) for a discussion of the considerations a designer must make as he/she integrates technology into a curriculum. As you read, make specific notes related to the following and begin to consider how you can integrate this new information into your current curriculum design project:

• Matching technology choices with the learning context;
• Matching technology choices with the learner profile;
• Matching technology choices with the learning outcomes, their domains and levels;
• Matching technology choices with the evaluation plan

LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION TOPICS:

How can technology integration into curriculum design engage the learner?

What are the pitfalls of "too much" or "inappropriate" technology integration in coursework?

The Staley reading poses 10 questions when making design choices regarding technology. How can Staley's 10 questions support selecting technology for curriculum design? How might his 10 questions support you in designing your project?

week eight, theories

What is a theory?

How do facts and concepts fit into theories?

How does an instructional strategy for teaching a theory differ from that of teaching a concept? A fact?

THEORY:

In my attempts to find a comprehensive definition to an educational theory, Wikipedia had a nice one! Here it is:
Learning theories are conceptual frameworks describing how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed, and knowledge and skills retained.
retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education)

and...here is a nice definition of the word theory: (I have highlighted the definition that I will work from in this exercise)

theory

[ ˈTHēərē, ˈTHi(ə)rē ] noun

noun: theory · plural noun: theories

1. a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained:
   "Darwin's theory of evolution"
   synonyms: principles · ideas · concepts · philosophy · ideology ·
   

   system of ideas · science

   More

   
   
2. a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based:
   "a theory of education"
3. an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action:
   "my theory would be that the place has been seriously mismanaged"
4. a collection of propositions to illustrate the principles of a subject.

Powered by OxfordDictionaries · © Oxford University Press

FACTS:

A fact is an association between two things. A fact can only be recalled - they have no specific application.
Concrete facts are those that you can make sense. (Fire trucks are red) The initial presentation should provide the student with experience of the objects of the fact. (let each learner see what red looks like)
Abstract facts cannot be observed or experienced.  The designer should attempt to find a concrete representation of the fact. If the fact is that Indianapolis is the capitol of Indiana, a map would form a concrete representation of the fact.
Strategies for learning facts are rehearsal/practice( repeating over and over or answering questions related to the fact), elaboration (answering questions as to why the fact is true or explaining relevant information about the fact) and developing mnemonic (associating a word or phrase to remember facts).
(Morrison et al, pp.142-143)

CONCEPTS:

A concept is a category used to group similar ideas or things to organize knowledge. Concepts are representations that reflect the structure of the real world.
Performance for a concept can be either recall (stating its definition) or application (identifying new examples of the concept).
Recommended recall for concepts are the same as for facts: repetition, rehearsal, review and mnemonics.
Instructional strategies would be the same as facts (rehearsal/practice, menemonics) if the objective is to simply remember the concept.
Elaborative interrogation approach would also work (answering questions) or identifying examples that conforms the learners interpretation.
Integrative strategies might have the leaners generate examples and non examples in a categorization strategy or describe similarities and differences.
Organizational strategies help the learner transform new information into a more easily remembered form by having the learner classify new examples.

Facts and concepts fit into theory (the supposition of a system of ideas intended to explain something) as they are the ways of explaining the theory or idea. The facts or concepts are the way to the theory behind them. Teaching a theory (the bigger picture) is broken down by teaching the facts and concepts behind the theory.
The four generative strategies listed in Morrison et al (pp139-140) are recall, integration (combining existing knowledge with new information), organization (analyzing, outlining and categorizing to identify how new ideas relate to existing ideas) and elaboration (adding learners ideas or existing knowledge to new ideas).
Theories, in general, are abstract facts that form an idea. The instructional strategy for abstract facts is to find a concrete representation of it. I think that finding examples of where a theory could fit into a circumstance that is real and viable would be a good strategy. Theories could also be a grouping of similar ideas (concept) and the instructional strategies for concepts could include all four of the generative strategies, depending on the nature of the theory.
Recall of the idea of the theory itself would be sufficient as a basic tool to remember the concept of the theory. At the elaboration level, learners could compile knowledge and their own ideas to create a more full and integrative picture of the theory that would be retained as learned ideas as the learner would be involved in critical thought and personal interrelation with the process. Powerful transformation happens at that level, in my mind.