Category: Uncategorized

Topic 3: Equity and Access in K-12 Online and Open Learning Environments (Revised)

In my initial topic 3 blog post I focused on explaining how UDL takes into account the variability of learners and how it is a guideline to ensure equitable access to education for all. Below is Ms.Gateley’s response to that blog post where she challenged me to go beyond UDL and explore other ways to implement OEP into my lesson design.

Below are some questions that I used to expand upon my initial blog post:

  1. What are some possible barriers to OEP?
  2. What are some other examples of OEP?

Here is my revised post;

In Topic 2 we learned that an Open Educational Practice (OEP) aims to remove barriers in education, providing equal opportunity for all. So how can we implement OEP into our lesson design to ensure equity in our teaching practice? By using the Universal Design for Learning Framework! Developed by researchers at CAST, the UDL guidelines are a tool to implement UDL into our learning environment. I had previously learned about UDL in my ED-D 420 Learning Support course. We designed a lesson plan following the UDL prinicples, you can find that lesson plan here, feel free to use and remix it.

Here is a video that I watched to solidify my understanding of UDL

Basham et al. (2018) state that UDL provides choice and flexibility for how information is presented, how students engage with the information and how they show what they know. Designing lessons around the 3 guiding principles “address the academic, social and cultural distinctions that exist in today’s schools” (p.480). The principles are;

Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org/

UDL has the potential to reshape teaching and learning by providing flexibility and choice. In an ideal learning environment, all lessons would be designed using the framework which leads me to wonder what barriers are keeping teachers from implementing it into their practice?

According to a study done by Anstead (2016) there were 6 possible barriers to teachers implementing UDL into their practice (p.130).

  1. Time – “Time to plan, time to plan collaboratively” and “more coordination to implement it better”
  2. Supplies – “Resources”
  3. Professional Development – “Training, support and workshops”
  4. Lesson Templates
  5. Lesson Modeling – “what it looks like in the classroom”
  6. Fear of Change

Reflecting on this list of potential barriers, it seems that what teachers need to implement UDL is support from other teachers. Teachers can support each other by opening their practice to other teachers through the development of a PLN focused on the sharing of experiences and OER. Through discussions on social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, teachers can share tools, strategies and resources, creating a collaborative space where they can learn from and with other teachers.

Moving deeper into my understanding of OEP, I did some research into other ways to implement it. As stated above teachers need support and guidance and Steiner (2018) has created the visual below with stages that can be used to develop and support you OEP. Steiner suggests that the stages don’t have to take place in a linear way, that users can “[make] use of continuous back- and cross-referencing of neighbouring stages”. As a visual learner this diagram greatly increases my understanding of the process of opening your teaching practice.

This course has equipped me with the knowledge and tools to develop a practice based on Human centered learning and an Open Educational Practice. By focusing on relationship development, expanding my idea of success and developing a practice centered around the 8 principles of OEP I can build a learning environment that is accessible and equitable.

This week my pod has been working on a project to critically examine and consider strategies to support digital equity in K-12 open and distributed learnign environment. Check out our Digital Equity and Perspective Pod Project.

References:

Anstead, Mary Elizabeth Jordan. (2016) Teachers Perceptions of Barriers to Universal Design for Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Retrieved from:https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3002&context=dissertations

Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Steiner, Tobias. (2018, February 23). Open Educational Practice (OEP): collection of scenarios (Version 1.01EN). Zenodo. Retrieved from: https://zenodo.org/record/1183806#.XyBt4ShKjIU

Topic 3: Equity and Access in Open Learning Environments

In Topic 2 we learned that an Open Educational Practice (OEP) aims to remove barriers in education, providing equal opportunity for all. So how can we implement OEP into our lesson design to ensure equity in our teaching practice? By using the Universal Design for Learning Framework! Developed by researchers at CAST, the UDL guidelines are a tool to implement UDL into our learning environment.

UDL provides choice and flexibility for how information is presented, how students engage with the information and how they show what they know (Basham, p.480). UDL is organized around 3 principles.

  1. Multiple means of representation
  2. Multiple means of engagement
  3. Multiple means of action and assessment

Our Digital Equity and Perspective Pod Project focused on compiling Edtech tools for UDL. Through our group research we came across Hyperdocs, a way to create lessons using tech and UDL.

What is a Hyperdoc? Holly Clark explores that question in her blog where she talks with Lisa Highfill co-author of The Hyperdoc Handbook.

Part 1- Let kids explore the topic with Multi Media Text (MMT)

Part 2 – On to what a Hyperdoc is…

To learn more check out the Hyperdoc Academy for free courses! Also join the Facebook group and follow #Hyperdoc on Twitter.

References:

Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Topic 2: History and Context of K-12 Open Learning

The focus of this week’s topic is the historical and theoretical trends in k-12 open learning. The movement towards open educational practices is aligned with a societal shift from small geographical communities to an interconnected global community based on collaboration. As the world and society change, the education system changes with it, moving from  the traditional, instructivist “one size fits all” approach to an open approach where barriers are dismantled and  every learner has choice for the “time, place, medium and content”(Roberts, p.530) of their education, becoming contributors to global funds of knowledge. 

Learning theories guide educational practices, helping teachers to choose strategies and tools based on current research. Theories have evolved over the last 100 years; from Behavourism to Cognitivism to Constructivism, moving from an understanding of humans as passive consumers of knowledge to active producers and contributors of universal content.

Retrieved from https://hamizahmohdisa.blogspot.com/2019/10/3-major-learning-theories-behaviorism.html?m=0

Check out my last blog post for a video on learning theories and this website that provides examples of ways each learning theory can be applied to lesson design. 

Open Educational Practice (OEP) is not a theory but a method (Roberts, 529) to improve the quality and access to education for all. OEP is built on the foundational aspects of Dewey  and Vygotsky’s theories,that learning should be based on real world experiences through creativity and collaboration.  Butcher and Wilson-Strydom (2008) identified 8 principles of open-learning;

  1. Learner centeredness
  2. Lifelong learning
  3. Flexibility in learning
  4. Removal of barriers to access
  5. Recognition of prior learning experiences and current competencies
  6. Learner support
  7. Expectation of success
  8. Cost-effectiveness

OEP requires Open Educational Resources (OER), according to Wiley (2014) to be considered an OER it should include the 5R’s of Openness

  1. Reuse- the right to use the content in a wide range of ways
  2. Revise- the right to adapt, modify, adjust or alter the content
  3. Remix – the right to the original or revised content with other open content to create something new
  4. Redistribute- the right to share copies of the original content as well as revisions or remixes
  5. Retain – the right to make, won and control copies of the content

OER are found in the public domain or are attached to a Creative Commons license designation. Here are some links to OER’s within the public domain;

Open learning practices have the potential to change the way we teach and learn. When combined with public education OEP removes barriers for all learners, bridging the gap between formal and informal learning environments and experiences.

Check out Dr.Roberts Topic 2 post as well as these Google slides on this weeks topic

Also… here is a documentary some of you may find interesting on the paradigm shift in teaching and learning towards a collaborative model.

References:

Barbour, M & Labonte, R. (2018) An Overview of eLearning Organizations and Practices in Canada. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 600-616). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Butcher,N.,&WilsonStrydom,M(2008).Technologyandopenlearning:Thepotentialofopeneducationresourcesfor K-12 education. (pp. 725-745). Boston, MA: Springer US. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-73315-9_42

Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Wiley, D. (2014). The access compromise and the 5th R. Weblog. March 5 2014. Retrieved fromhttp://opencontent.org/blog/archives/3221

Featured

Topic 1: Privacy, Social Presence and Human Centered Learning

In this weeks reading by Regan and Jesse on the ethical challenges of Edtech, the author’s raise 6 individual ethical concerns that are wrapped up in the term “privacy”. These concerns are;

  1. Information Privacy
  2. Anonymity
  3. Surveillance
  4. Autonomy
  5. Non-discrimination
  6. Ownership of Information

As Regan and Jesse point out, using a blanket term to encompass all concerns about online safety runs the risk of oversimplifying the issue. Much of the online world is invisible, which means it can be all too easy to just click a box and assume that all the concerns lumped under “privacy” are being considered and respected. The authors argue that each aspect of privacy needs to be examined separately and equally when bringing technology into the classroom, because it isn’t only it’s effectiveness that matters, but also the ethics surrounding it. By addressing each aspect of privacy with my students I will be guiding them towards a safe and positive online presence, a necessary 21st century skill.

Check out Commonsense.org for some great lesson plans to “practice safe habits and stay safe online”.

The second article Dickers (2018), Social Interaction in K-12 Online Learning examined the importance of “the social” in the meaning making process. The idea that learning is social comes from Lev Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism theory, below is a short explanation (watch the whole video for a great overview of the 4 essential learning theories).

As Dikkers (2018) points out, learning environments have expanded beyond the traditional face-to-face model to a blended model, and just like “brick and mortar” settings the social aspect “is foundational to online learning”. Recently, Covid 19 has made a completely online classroom environment the only option, making curating a “social presence” and incorporating a Constructivist framework into learning design more relevant than ever .

Through research Whiteside and Dikkers (2015) proposed a Social Presence model to “influence and guide individuals meaning making process”. The 5 aspects are;

  1. Affective Association- How teachers and students show emotion online
  2. Community Cohesion – Seeing the class as a community
  3. Instructor Involvement – How teacher shows involvement in student learning
  4. Interaction Intensity – What ways and how often students interact
  5. Knowledge and Experience – ways students share their prior knowledge and experiences with course content

In Dr. Roberts blog post for this weeks topic, she references the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, which also has a social presence component. This framework can also be referenced when designing an online learning environment.

Downloadable PDF from https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/

Dr. Roberts also suggests designing for Human Centered Learning, learning that:

  • Emphasize positive communications and relationship development
  • Co-design well-being supports with the individuals and communities affected by them
  • Broaden definitions of success to reflect a holistic view of human development
  • Broaden learner supports to include more individuals, roles and organizations
  • Restructure education to encourage connection, cross-curricular integration and meaning
  • Broaden curricula to address honest historical truths

While doing a bit of research to deepen my own understanding of how to build an online environment using Constructivist principles, I came across the following video that explains two offshoots of Constructivism; Cooperative and Collaborative learning.

When designing curriculum it is always handy to have some strategies to build around. Check out Neil’s blog on 10 Cooperative Learning Strategies and Edtech tools to go with them. As well as Jessica Mckeown’s blog post Grow Beyond Group Work for some Collaborative strategies.

Garrett Dickers, A. (2018) Social Interaction in K-12 Online Learning. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 509-522 ). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2 

Learning Goals

I am looking forward to adding some online tools to my virtual tool-belt by the end of this semester. Technology already plays a significant role in the daily lives of Canadians and as a teacher I will be preparing my students to be citizens of a digital world. Technology has the potential to empower our learning and expand our understanding. I hope to inspire my students to explore the world around them and beyond with my blog about my own inquiry experiences. A goal of mine for this course is to learn how tech can be used to support personalized and inquiry based learning. Allowing students to build and shape their own understanding with the help of technology can lead to independent learners.

Image result for teachers and technology quotes

Forever a learner and a leader looking to inquire and inspire.