Reflections for Session 2: Learning Resources and technologies - WEEK 3 and 4

Session 2: Learning Resources and technologies - Week 3 and Week 4 Reflections

In this session, we focused on online tools and technologies, social media in higher education, Intellectual Property and Copyright and Open Educational Resources.

I must say that I before this session, I had little knowledge of open educational resources (OERs) and the different licenses needed to make a resource open. I enlightened myself further on these through my research online and also by taking the online course of understanding OERs using Technology-enabled learning lounge.

Session 2 looked at the use of learning technologies, Web 2.0 tools and OERs etc. The technological tool I found to be useful for my course was Facebook. All my students have accounts on Facebook and I generally feel that by using a technology they know and are comfortable with, by making me bit more approachable and real and by linking their classmates via the web, we end up making the social interaction more engaging, interesting and meaningful.

The other tools shared by the rest of the class was enlightening as well. Several of the other tools mentioned by them include, Mindomo Desktop, Google slides, Flickr, Animoto, GroupBoard etc. Most of them were completely new to me and from the members discussions, I got to see how beneficial they are for their courses and that I could also incorporate them in my course as well. Moreover, for the first time ever, as part of the learning task 2, I created a video about using Facebook as an educational tool and uploaded it on YouTube. You may view this video at this link =  https://youtu.be/iy1ObCt1vwo

Furthermore, the session had a discussion on OERs which I think is the new direction for teaching in higher education. I got to explore a plethora of various OER resources applicable to my field of teaching. With Open access of teaching materials, educators and students are in for a treat to make the learning experience meaningful, insightful and educational. I know for sure how well these will be accommodated in my teaching career from now.

Thank you for reading.

Please feel free to comment.

Stay tuned for more reflections soon.

Have a blessed day

Cheers 😊

Reflections of Session 1: Technology enabled Learning and Future of Learning in Higher Education - WEEK 1 and 2

Reflections of Session 1: Technology enabled Learning and Future of Learning in Higher Education - WEEK 1 and 2

Week 1

For week 1 discussion topic, we were to pick any point/question from the chapter 2 in the eBook and discuss it in the forum. I talked about one major problem that I am facing with my classroom teaching which is that the students come from a diverse background and have different learning styles and so, how can I make my teaching personalized so that students at all levels of ability can succeed in my courses? Through my readings, I shared that ‘Differentiated Instruction’, may be an answer to this problem. I posed a question in the discussion forum that how can differentiated instruction via online teaching and learning be most effectively utilized?

One of my group members commented that he is making his course more personalized by giving local examples for better understanding of concepts. I ‘am also doing this in my course and I think it is quite beneficial.

Dear colleagues, I m still open to suggestions to help find effective solutions to this problem.

Week 2

For the learning task in week 2, we were to discuss new knowledge gained from reviewing the various videos and other resources from the introductory session and to explore how learning technologies which will influence learning and the future of Higher Education globally and regionally.

The readings by Garrison (2000) and Vaughan et al (2013) was indeed very informative and the videos were interesting to watch. I understand that the TPACK framework offers several possibilities for promoting research in teacher education, teacher professional development, and teachers’ use of technology. I hope my University would think and invest on implementing this approach in the near future.

From my own readings and after reading the discussions and comments by some ED403ers, I have learnt that Information and communications technology (ICT), has been employed as an education enhancement in higher education. Furthermore, M-learning or mobile learning is very popular. It is convenient in that it is accessible from virtually anywhere and it can replace cumbersome resources such as textbooks, visual aids, and presentation technology. Mobile devices are also used in online settings to enhance learning experiences.

The implementation of learning technologies both globally and in the PICs has it challenges such as gender, social, and geo-political barriers to educational access. At the universities, students may face barriers to quality education, such as teacher competency, training and preparedness, access to educational materials, and lack of information management. My own experience at the university is lack of teacher interest in using new technology, for e.g., many older lecturers refuse to use MOODLE as an e-learning tool.

In my personal view, as an educator, I am open to embracing advancements in technology because it makes the learning and teaching environment easier and enjoyable.

Thank you for reading.

Please feel free to comment.

Stay tuned for more reflections soon.

Have a blessed day

Cheers 😊
#ED403

INTRODUCTION

Hi there,

I am Sheemal Shareeka and I welcome you to my blog. The blogging world is completely new to me and I am introduced to it because of the course ED403 of the PGCTT online program offered by the University of the South Pacific. Through my blog I will be sharing my personal reflections of each session in the course ED403: Innovation in Learning Technologies and Professional Practice.

I hope you will enjoy reading and I humbly invite and request you to provide comments.

Thank you!