A little about BCIT movie

1
A little about BCIT (movie)
2
Innovative Uses of Educational Technology
linking coursework and community Gjoa
Andrichuk, M.A. Instructor, Communication
Department Computing and Academic Studies June
13, 2006
3
Background Information Needs Analysis

• What kind of technology do you use in your
  classroom and why?
• How can the integration of these tools create a
  different teaching environment?
• How can you analyze the success or failure of the
  technology integration?
• What would you most like to get out of this
  session?

4
Overview

• My TEK Grassroots Project - Connecting Forest
  Ecosystems Students with Industry using a CoP
• Constructing Communication Skills with Industry
  Guests
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills
• Lessons Learned
• My Action Research Project
• Background
• Developing Reflective Skills
• Changing Approaches to Teaching
• Lessons Learned
• Future Directions
• Teaching with ePortfolios and wikis

5
BCITs Technology-Enabled Learning (TEK)
Initiative

• a five-year undertaking to enhance teaching and
  learning through the strategic use of new and
  existing technologies
• for teachers and students with support and
  training from specialist teams from curriculum
  design to multi-media design.
• My first project
• TekInitiative Year 1
• Recipient of 1 of 50 Grassroots Projects

6
A little about their course Technical
Communication 3 4 for Forest Resources

• Course Learning Outcomes
• 1. work effectively in teams
• 2. create agendas write minutes
• 3. compile a literature review bibliography
• write/present a forestry research proposal
• 5. use a Community of Practice (CoP) to present
  and reflect on ideas.

7
A Community of Practice (Wenger, 1998)

• What its about a joint enterprise as
  understood and continually renegotiated by its
  members
• How it functions mutual engagement that bind
  members together into a social entity
• What capability it has produced the shared
  repertoire of communal resources that members
  have developed over time.

8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Constructivist Methodologies(Beers, M. Wilson,
M. 2003)

• Construction of knowledge
• Process not product
• Situated cognition
• Cognitive apprenticeship
• Process-based evaluation
• Multiple perspectives

12
Moving Away From Transmission Practices
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a
fire to be kindled. - Plutarch
13
1. Connecting Forest Ecosystems Students to
Industry Movie www.bcit.ca/tek
14
The Industry Partners Reflection (Knutson, 2006)

• Actually it worked quite well
• The follow up comments - and any additional
  questions - were forwarded by the students, and I
  was able to acknowledge via email.
• This was also a time saver for me, but I was
  still able to conclude my dialogue with them
  after the conference call.

15
Sample Criteria for Question Evaluation

• Adapted from Beers, M. Belfer K. BCIT LTC, 2005

16
2. First Nations Industry Contact the CoP

• Activities
• Receive article and assignment criteria for
• Contesting Ideologies of Natural Resource
  Development in British Columbia, Canada
• (Trigger, 1996)
• Debate
• Post their perspective related to their career
• Respond to a colleagues comments
• Participate in a Sweatlodge
• Reflect on CoP

17
One students response

• I've read S., S. S.'s reactions to Trigger's
  paper. I think what I found most intriguing is
  all three have very strong and largely positive
  opinions and views about the nature of our
  industry.
• My Uncle in Prince George sent me a copy of a
  letter he's written to the politicians and others
  to garner support  to raise awareness to the
  real danger of the future sustainability of the
  forest base. There is a line of serious thinking
  that we wont HAVE forests within 10 years or so.
• In response to my Uncles letter I jumped all over
  it with my newly opened critical thinker and
  demanded proof and sources of information and
  what are their credentials etc...

18
An Excerpt of her speech to the Tek Community

• The CoP was particularly useful to see my
  classmates views on a paper- I was able to
  really get a sense of other points of view, and
  aspects of a situation I may not have thought
  about before.

19
Lauras Reflections Continue

• It was interesting to me that there was initially
  some resistance from my class to the addition of
  this technology to our communication course.
• I think this was partly a case of young,
  ego-centric attitudes not being able to see the
  bigger picture- of how this could be used to
  their benefit in the long run.

20
Lessons Learned from My Grassroots Project

• Learning how to adapt face-to-face classes to
  WebBased ones took more time (UCF Distributed
  Learning Initiative, 1996).
• Finding a balance between incorporating new
  activities, not adding to them created less
  stressed out students.
• Scaffolding for students to readjust their prior
  conceptions and knowledge reduces technology
  culture shock.

21
One of My Action Research Questions

• What is the nature of my interactions as an
  instructor and communicator through the various
  enabling tools available?
• How do these interactions affect my teaching
  effectiveness?

22
The problem I was trying to solve

• As an instructor, how can I
• reflect in action
• and
• reflect on action/practice
• to solve this problem?
• (Schön, 1983)
• And reflect for action (Hartwell et al. 2001)

23

• Whats something youre working on solving in one
  of your courses?
• Action Research topic in Sidebars
  http//online.bcit.ca/sidebars/
• current/index.htm

24
Where to start with me getting to know myself
as an instructor by

• Analyzing student assignments
• Analyzing anonymous exit slips to address content
  mastery every two classes (Angelo Cross)
• Keeping a reflective journal (Schön)
• Creating a teaching perspectives inventory
• (TPI) (Pratt, D. Collins, J.).

25
The Results and Application of my TPI Scores
http//www.teachingperspectives.com/

• Highest results
• Apprenticeship 43/45 -engage learners in their
  zone
• Nurturance 39/45 -promote caring and trust
• Developmental 35/45 B9 -build more bridges!
• Transmission 35/45 B12 I8 A15
• Beliefs (B) Intention (I) Action (A)
• Lowest results
• Social Reform

26
A little about my students
27
A recent e-mail from Laura May 12, 2006

• Work is tiring when we are out of in the bush
  all day. My roommate is great would have been
  nice to have a class full of 19 year olds like
  him.
• The work is physical and i get to think too-
  mostly outside when things get fully rolling.
  They give us trucks to drive which is awesome up
  here cuz the price of gas sucks. I should have
  one next week.
• The leaves are starting to pop this week, and
  bears are waking up. We saw a smaller injured
  black bear monday morning, and a young moose
  Tuesday morning, and bunnies too. The spruce hens
  just sit on the road and unless we slow down
  they'll be flattened.

28
How the students use technology

• Forestry is integrating technology into many
  functions, from data collection and compilation,
  to communication, public relations, and every day
  office activities. We use palm pilots and GPS in
  field activities in the workforce. Laura, May
  3, 2006

29
Action Research is a Spiral Process

• While I was learning to reflect on my plan and
  how I was implementing it, I was trying to build
  apprenticeship models for the students to reflect
  on their practice as professionals as well.
• By creating exit surveys every two weeks, I could
  inform my teaching effectiveness and be able to
  make changes or give rationale.

30
In todays lecture on introductions, what was
least clear to you? (Angelo, T. Cross, K.P.
1993)
31
Muddiest Point In todays lecture on
introductions, what was least clear to you?

• 14 students, 12 responses
• 6 - Affirmative nothing, nada, yes, all clear,
  just fine, all pretty clear
• 1 - Negative nothing was clear

32
Three September Reflections

• Our class field trip consisted of about 20
  students and 4 teachers. We drove up to Kamloops
  and had a few stops along the way to look at
  various aspects of forest health and timber
  values...
• The Picture above is of cows on open range from
  our first tour with the Ministry.  I know that
  this field trip was meant for learning purposes,
  and I did learn things, but the best parts of the
  trip were a lot of the other things.  For
  example
• This is a Gawd-Awfull work eating peice of
  C_at_P! 

33
Evaluating Reflections (Boud Knights, 1994)

• Unsatisfactory
• simply telling the story or evaluating an
  activity
• Satisfactory
• Evidence of the student working with or
  extracting learning from the experience

34
Three April Reflections

• My goals for the field trip were to learn as
  much as I could and stay out of trouble. I
  accomplished both goals nicely.
• My goal of the field trip was to understand
  first nations involvement in the forest industry,
  as well as to observe and become aware of the
  growing use of prescribed fire. I was shown...

35
To this!
36
Nitaas reflections

• As far as I am concerned, I know very little
  about the management of Coastal Forested
  Ecosystems right now
• I wanted to get out of the trip  More knowledge,
  connections, and
• I now know more about the environment in which
  forestry professionals work
• I will now be able to interact with First Nations
  groups on a more informed level.

37
Lessons Learned from My Action Research

• Knowing my teaching perspective and reflecting on
  my interactions improved teaching and learning
  dramatically.
• Setting ones (teachers) own goal created
  relevant activities for students who participated
  more.
• Completing feedback loops on CATs built trust.
• Increasing interaction between faculty and
  students built better rapport.
• Working on planning, development, management
  with specialist teams was very empowering.

38
Future Directions

• Have students do reflective activities in more of
  their courses appropriate to their specific needs
  (Bates, 2003).
• Lead students in their own project-based path
  have them invite industry guests perhaps
  display their work in a blogfolio
• Continue working on whats best taught
  face-to-face and whats best on-line.
• Continue to work on process-based assessment.

39
Do you have an opportunity for study?

• Could your students benefit from learning with
  technology?
• Have you considered doing some action research on
  one of your teaching challenges?

40
Technology is a tool, a means to an end, not
an end in itself (Bates, 2003. p. xiv)With our
assistance, technology can help support students
learning experiences.Action research can help
teachers find answers to their questions.
41
ePortfolios as an Effective Work Search Marketing
Tool - Samples

• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Elaine-
  Young
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Christo
  pher-Mah
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Paul-Ku
  n
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Dave-Ha
  wthorne
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Paul-Mc
  Cann
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Jovita-
  Rose
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Lori-Bo
  wman
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Colleen
  -Tucker
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Parveen
  -Bains
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Sandip-
  Sidhu
• http//eportfolios-bcit-ca.bryght.net/blog/Richard
  -Xi

42
ePortfolios as an Effective Work Search Marketing
Tool Pat Slatten, BCIT

• Things that worked really well
• Thorough advance planning was crucial
• Excellent advice technical support from my
  Instructional Development Consultant and the LTC
• Flexibility in extending dates as required. For
  example, most eportfolios were ready to be shown
  to industry by mid-December, but it wouldnt have
  been an ideal time of year for employers to
  respond.
• Students learned to use this technology, and
  employers were receptive to this technology.
• Two of the challenges
• The blog technology is not ideal to use for a
  showcasing eportfolio
• I wished all eportfolios had included audio
  voice-overs,
• One participants strong CD eportfolio, was only
  able to be converted with partial success,
  largely because of limitations with the blog
  technology.

43
http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/howtowiki

• http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/HomePage

44
A sampling of my wikis

• http//careo.elearning.ubc.ca/wiki?Incorporatingwi
  kis
• http//careo.elearning.ubc.ca/wiki?wikisandstudent
  s
• http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/comm1143a

45
How to Create a wiki

• Go to http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/HomePage
  Erase all of the letters after the /
  http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/ Type in your own
  homepage word (be brief so you can add to the
  title later) http//wiki.elearning.ubc.ca/CANHEI
  T When your page opens, Write down instructions
  or a welcome paragraph. Add a link to team pages
  or other links by adding words to your wiki
  address

46
Have Fun!
47
In the beginning you may have set goals

• How can you see your interactions as an
  instructor be supported by technology?
• Would you embark on the extra time required to
  augment face-to-face classrooms?
• Do you believe your teaching effectiveness might
  change with utilizing an increased amount of
  resources in your course?
• Which ones would you love to use?

48
What do you do?

• Do you have students interact with industry or
  mentors or real-life complexities?
• Do you ever work across disciplines?
• Are your courses constructivist oriented or more
  transmission based?
• What is the profile of your average student do
  they engage in their coursework?

49
How Im using technology to get industry and
students to join in.

• CoP Community of Practice
• Relationship building with faculty and industry
  partners in Renewable Resources
• Nagging. (and stating policy)
• From the course outline
• To receive a percentage grade, you must
  participate in and complete all assignments.

50
3. Changes in approaches

• September 2005
• Reflect on your field trip
• April 2006
• Set a goal for your field trip and reflect
  whether your goal had been achieved or not.

51
My Action Research Questions

• What is the nature of my interactions as an
  instructor and communicator through the various
  enabling tools available?
• How do these interactions affect my teaching
  effectiveness?
• How do my teaching strategies contribute to or
  interfere with the students success in achieving
  these course content goals
• Knowing self as a learner and communicator
• Developing technical and academic writing skills
• Developing verbal and non-verbal presentation
  skills
• Developing interpersonal awareness.
• Instructor What are my perceptions of my ability
  to create an effective learning environment for
  Forestry Ecosystems students?
• Students What are the students perceptions of
  my ability to provide them with an effective
  learning environment?

52
My methodologies

• analyze on-line e-mail and CoP interactions
• keep a reflective journal (Schön)
• keep a teaching perspectives inventory (Dan
  Pratt, and John Collins)
• complete a Communication styles inventory (True
  Colors, Lowry)
• complete a Learning styles inventory (Kuhn)
• analyze student assignments Learner style
  inventory, communication style inventory,
  personal reflections on the relationship between
  their identified styles and final course
  products, CoP postings responses, and anonymous
  exit slips to address content mastery and
  perception every two classes
• keep an instructor journal on student reactions
  in class
• conduct a mid-course -survey (ideal and real use
  of face to face, online community of practice,
  email, presentations, team work, field trips,
  industry specialists)
• distribute a post-survey (real use of face to
  face, online community of practice, email,
  presentations, team work, field trips, industry
  specialists.)

53
Learning Outcomes and adaptations for technology
from Transmission models to Constructivist models

• To build research skills
• To construct multiple points of viewing p.12
• To write a literature review
• Evaluate quality and quantity p. 12
• To Revisit knowledge base
• Adapt Lit review from autumn to background of
  formal report in Spring new sources,
  experiences, expertsADAPTATION FOR NEXT YEAR
• CoP Invite industry guests to comment on their
  proposals and literature to help repurpose, reuse
  or improve their knowledge representation p. 13

54
Evaluation Criteria of personal perspective on
course reading
55
Sample Rubric for Comments, Thank yous
56
Evaluation Criteria of Responding to Others
57
The Scale
58
I learned a couple of things.

• Firstly, we are all going to have deep seated
  points of views because of each individual
  attachment and there are no easy solutions to a
  gargantuan and pervasive problem ...
• I looked at the ideologies paper from one point
  of view and others from theirs. Each one has a
  valid view for them. I may or may not agree with
  what I read when I read the article, but I can
  let it digest and come back to it later to be
  more objective.

59
True Colors (Miscisin, 2001) Reflections 4

• green. I really dont think that you can put
  people into groups. I think that everyone has
  characteristics from many groups and thats what
  makes them an individual. I think the best way to
  do good in an interview is to be yourself, since
  that is who they will be working with in the
  future.
• Pat Slatten suggests identify your areas of
  challenge (eg. the feared interview question
  "What are your weaknesses?") through experiencing
  "palest" colour activities or "stretching"
  exercises.

60
Exhibit A MeSource http//www.thirteen.org/ed
online/concept2class/mi/index.html
61
Constructivism

• A collaborative approach to teaching and learning
  where learning is the result of "mental
  construction."
• Students learn by fitting new information
  together with what they already know in real
  world contexts.
• Constructivists believe that learning is affected
  by the context in which an idea is taught as well
  as by students' beliefs and attitudes.

62
A little about inviting industry into a Community
of Practice (CoP)
63
Industry Guests and the CoP

• State objectives to students
• Give criteria for assignment
• Provide Industry Guests Bio Related websites
• Have students post questions for guest
• Facilitate face-to-face/conference call mtg.
• Have students post closing comments
• (Close activity by guests final words)

64
Industry Bio
65
Student Questions
66
Students closing comments
67
Action research

• Instructors use their own learning environments
  or classes to carry out research.
• The four-step process is cyclical iterative
• 1. reflect about a problem
• 2. plan an action
• 3. implement the action
• 4. observe the results.

68
The Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI) is

• if you are examining your personal beliefs and
  values about teaching
• if you are a "Reflective Practitioner" and are
  wondering what to reflect upon (Pratt, 2001).
• http//www.teachingperspectives.com/

69
How can I help them construct knowledge?

• How can I get students to buy-in and
  participate/see its relevance?
• How can we support industry meetings?
• How can I foster relationships with other
  departments?
• How can I adapt transmission activities into more
  constructivist learning and assessment practices?

70
My Journal, Their Exit Slips

• While were encouraged to think IN action and
  think ON action, I wanted to model this for
  students for them to develop professionalism
• Constructivist learning environments aim to
  prepare learners to think like experts, which
  means possessing the skills to effectively think
  in and on action.
• These are skills that need to be explicitly
  taught through learning activities that call on
  the learners to practice these activities. P. 21

71
One of my exit surveys(Angelo, T. Cross, K.P.
1993)

• What was the Question
• Student responses and what to do
• Discussions on how their networking starts here
  and these are their colleagues for the future in
  their field
• My Modelling professionalism and theyre
  modelling professionalism modeling teams
• Responses changed from that point funny
  Nothing in a survey answer is not helpful