I started a Master's degree with the University of Roehampton as I wanted to improve my ability to teach learners online, offline, or anywhere. As I am not a digital native (Prensky, 2001), I find myself on a steep learning curve when working with technology. However, there are so many generous people to help me along the way, from my students in class, to my teaching colleagues or fellow learners on the degree course, to the enriched online environment (YouTube videos, or how-to-do-anything tutorials are brilliant!) that I feel I have constant support.
One of the best movements for learners is the democratisation of education online. That is, making education available to all (Comeau & Cheng, 2013) through freeware or open-source applications, such as Open Education Resources (OER), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Creative Commons (CC) and so on. Of course, there are plenty of educators and enthusiasts who share their knowledge for others through videos, blogs, information websites and more. I could go on, but if you are looking to learn, there is usually something online to match learners' needs.
As part of my Master's course, I have to comment on an open-source or freeware application that I'll be using for developing one of my online learning modules. I've chosen TES Blendspace as I have used TES before to supplement my lessons, and I can see how it can be useful in my online design.
The benefits of using TES Blendspace include the ease of use for a time-crunched educator. The application allows for teachers or students to create a virtual bulletin board of multimedia resources, accessible from computers or mobile devices, using material from the internet, or the teachers' own work. The application can be used for flipped learning, for projects or presentations, and its versatility extends to learner assessment abilities.
There are few limitations, but operator use (that is, a novice like me to this application) could impact the final product or the time taken to create the product. I recognise that whilst I am beginning to use Blendspace, it is going to take me longer to navigate around the application. My learners, however, may jump straight in, with their prior technological experience. This limitation of mine could be turned into a more robust teaching moment for the students if I model the learning around their ability to create the work. As I am still sketching the best way to use Blendspace for my learning module, I will evaluate the best way forward. One other limitation that I must be aware of is the distraction and lack of focus inherent with learners conducting online research. To mitigate against this, instructions and learning goals will be clear and concise.
One other challenge that must be forefront in my mind as I develop online materials is to be cognisant of Mayer's (2009) cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Sweller's (Sweller, Ayres, & Kalyuga, 2011) cognitive load theory. Both theories are scaffolded from the psychological perspective that the best instructional designs do not overextend learners' cognitive abilities (short-term and long term memories). Mayer (2014) also considers incorporating motivation into multimedia learning, which I strongly support, alongside my unshakable belief that I cannot assume my learners are a monolithic group. Thus, by using TES Blendspace, I hope the materials will resonate with all learners, perhaps in a mix-and-match fashion.
I'll post my findings. In the meantime, I found an interesting YouTube video on optimising students' learning, and I have included links to three resources for further research. All references are also noted, as some of you may find them useful for your own learning.
Enjoy the educational journey!
Samantha
Resources
How to optimize students' learning? Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw2hi7D1ALE
Future Learn (example of a MOOC)
Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/
Creative Commons
Available at: https://creativecommons.org/
Open Education Resources
Available at: https://www.oercommons.org/
References
Comeau, J. & Cheng, T.L. (2013) Digital "Tsunami" In Higher Education: Democratisation Movement towards Open and Free Education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 14 (3) pp. 198 - 224
Mayer, R. E. (2009) Multimedia Learning. (2nd Ed.) New Jersey: Pearson
Mayer, R. E. (2014) Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction 29 (2014), pp. 171 - 173
Prensky, M. (2001a) Digital natives, digital immigrants. Available at: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-DigitalNatives,DigitalImmigrants-Part1.pdf [Accessed: 26/01/2016]
Sweller, J., Ayres, P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011) Cognitive Load theory. In Mayer, R. E. (2014) Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction 29 (2014), pp. 171 - 173