the end of Section 6

At this stage of the course I am very tired again but also quite satisfied. I have a feeling of achievement and advancement, but I also feel overwhelmed by the vastness of resources I still have to explore. At the end of the course we all have concentrated more on our own projects, but there is still a sense of the group work felt on the forum and we still support each other even out of the ATM402. I believe we all are on the top of the 5-stage model of e-moderating (http://www.atimod.com/e-moderating/5stage.shtml): development, where we are able to seek support and resources from the outside, where our independent learning has increased. The UELPlus template for the course does not leave any mysteries any more to myself, however, I am not very familiar with other functions of the software. I find it less foreign though and I am more apt to adapting its functions than before. It seems that I can learn other parts of it in the same way as I had learnt how to operate with ATM402. Despite one objective of Section 6, it is a huge activity. To design evaluation, think it over, read on related problems and finally redraft the evaluation plan was a great effort. In my case, all the study on Section 6 has brought a dramatic shift from the initial draft of my evaluation plan to a very different, pre-design idea of how to evaluate the use of blog. Through studying the supplied materials, I have learnt that to evaluate means to choose less than more. I realised that only through very clear objectives grounded on a small area, evaluation becomes coherent and feasible. I still have some gaps in the questionnaires, but I hope to fill them in co-operation with my own teaching team and the e-learning specialists from the School of Distance and E-Learning, of course, if the evaluation has any chance to be put into practice. Especially, reading Evaluation Cookbook edited by Jen Harvey enabled me to see how the tiniest problems of e-teaching and learning have to be pre-tested before being implemented (pp.44-48 and 46-52). From there, and due to peer and tutor’s feedback, I decided to change my evaluation plan. In my own context I would like to apply evaluation of the blog technology on a pre-design level and use the results before I start teaching with the adaptation of blog for assessment. I also need to practice blogging on my own and I am going to ask two colleagues to join me (one from the course and one from the Learning Services).
Other skills to be developed: I need to study more methods of assessment and evaluation, especially quasi- experimentation as described in Advances in Quasi-Experimentation on http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/advquasi.php. I need to learn how to write an evaluation report: the Evaluation Cookbook provides some good examples, but I need to consult the format with Learning Development Services and the School of Distance and E-Learning.

the end of Section 5

My impressions of online learning as a student are much more positive than before. I have become a confident learner and I feel I can even grasp technical aspects of online design related to online tests and different forms of assessment. Through the constant research and practical adaptation of such sources as JISC, MTT, MERLOT, RDN, CAA, IML I have understood that online knowledge is accessible and online design ‘doable’ even for the beginners like myself. There has been a certain level of learning routine which I developed until now which helped to enforce my confident attitude, but most of all it was the group forum and continuous contact with other students that reduce my anxiety about new elements of knowledge or design. There has been always someone there to help! I treat the material on this course more flexibly and the links provided on the UEL Plus make it possible. I am not so afraid that I cannot research every single recommended source which links with another source and another source. I think I have learnt how to be an online learner and apply my knowledge according to the ILO’s on each section and on the course as a whole. It was particularly due to the activities on constructive alignment I can see how much my personal project has gained from this experience. I would be able to design my own online activities from the ‘internal’ point of view - from the inside of the process of online learning. Through the assessment activities in this section I have learnt how much every word in the guidelines and every element of the assessment design matters and can affect the result of assessment. I particularly enjoyed learning about self-test and different softwares for assessment, again, I realised that I can do it too! I am going to apply them to my teaching now (still on the WebCt when I write it), even before I start designing my real online module. Through this section I have learnt how online assessment and self assessment can be applied to blended learning which I party practice at the moment. However, summative online assessment is not yet possible in my teaching, but I will readapt formative forms of assessment. Today I had group presentations from students all day and I was looking at them from the point of view of how online peer assessment could help them to solve traditional teamwork problems before the deadline. I would like to write a short paper about this particular problem and publish it on one of the openwares which we have been using. I think my feelings at this stage are similar to those of others, we all realised that on this course we learn through practising what we will be teaching and therefore our motivation has increased. The closest similarity I find with Les who also teaches a vocational module and Gosia who is going to apply blog to her assessment. Nevertheless, I have also realised that there still gaps in my knowledge on online teaching and learning which I need to cover. They are methods of online assessment: PowerPoint Interactive Mode which I am going to learn it from the guidelines available on the Internet and different test and quizzes which need a closer analysis – I am going to research the case studies from Swinburne Home (http://www.tafe.swin.edu.au/indsci/assess/examples.http). Before we move fully to the UELPlus, I will need to learn Respondus which is used by the UEL WebCt which I will consult with Michale Parkes, our advisor. Another area I need to know more about is standards of CAA. It can be done through colleagues ‘in-house’ or Learning and Teaching Support Network (my discipline – advertising does not have a subject centre for online teaching yet)

End of Section 4

According to the Guide for Learning Technologists, in the online mode there is no "amelioration of body language/tone etc" and "no social immediacy". I believe that the interaction with each other is an important part of learning and increases personalisation. I am one of those who "are only comfortable working in collaborative groups where they have sense that they "know" the others in the group". I think private emails and matching us into buddies’ teams is very important. It would help develop trust for each other (which becomes crucial in collaborative tasks) and 'test' communication with that one person before it goes on the forum. One learner could have some initial feedback from the others. As Gilly Salmon's model shows us, there are certain steps in moving from access and motivation to knowledge development. When I think how online would affect my own teaching context, first of all I have to appreciate the potential of the employability skills which can be enhanced. I teach advertising and I see the biggest opportunity in using online for two aims: hands- on exercises which can be self-assessed independently and peer assessed in a team, and a constant process of self-reflection and communication with others (including alumni and practitioners from the outside world). Advertising demands being continuously up to date with what is happening out there. A reflexive blog and online tasks would give the students (and the tutor) a chance for the exchange of thoughts and comments on an every day basis. The online mode also gives more confidence to students who otherwise have problems with articulation. This is a great ‘testing’ foundation for the future pitching process. They can get extended peer support, especially from more experienced peers who should be linked in my module’s context. Besides, peer support develops independence since student rely more on each other rather than the tutor. In advertising, independence and self-management would be an essential skill. Being connected with other peers and alumni would serve as incentive which aid retention. They would feel more motivated and associated with the group even beyond the degree, shifting at the same time towards a CoP to be used in the future career. The latter would be the greatest advantage of online in my contetx. There is a useful website with a vocational edge which showed me how to apply online on business related degrees: http://www.learningcircuits.org/ which is created by an American organisation ASTD which launched Learning Circuits in 2000.
My 5 bonding suggestions in my own context: 1.
1. Entertainment: each week I would ask for posting a short description of a favourite advert (or a link if possible) from TV by each member. It would serve as avatar for a week for that person. Other could see it and if they want they could comment 'in private' thread, but basically it is not to open a big discussion but increase the visual presence.
2. Voting: choosing a leader of the group for each task, it would make others check who is in fact replying and mostly present, in other words, who would suit that role.
3. Creating a helping team: It would be a task from the 3rd level of Salmon's model (information exchange). I would ask the group to create a skills tank, where each person would say what they are good at, it should be something relevant for the course (technical or advertising related) and something irrelevant (hobby, talent, certificate)
4. Motivating factors: I would post info about competitions and festivals which could be discussed by the whole group and other interested parties (from the industry). Mostly such festivals offer awards and other incentives. My online course would be linked to them anyway.
5. Practical effect: They can build up a portfolio at their own time and space by using the links suggested by others. (wiki would be very applicable as a site for socialising). They can work with a partner outside of the class and develop a partnership relationship to be used in the future (e.g. in creative advertising graduates have to apply for job in twos: creative and copy writer)
In regard to wiki collaborative project: What is most important and also conducive to the success of the project is that everyone understands the division of labour and the objectives of the task. A collaborative project can be only achieved if all members share the same goal and they have a clear understanding of what they are required to do. Additionally, the success depends on the appreciation of the members' contribution. Our task is based on the PBL method which means we all participate in solving the problems and everyone is an equal partner. However, there is a need of leadership which we all appreciated throughout the project. At this level I differ from other members of the course in that 1. I regard wiki as suitable to be a webiste, 2. i appreciate the off-topic, more private communication. While doing the task on the difference in support, I have had a chance to revisit my own teaching support in a f2f mode. Yes, it is true that the online mode is not only technically but most of all psychologically different from the f2f: http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/. Students have to be trained to get adapted to it and there is always a risk of technical failure. Yet, there are more plusses of online than minuses, such as: students' working at their own pace and leisure, less inhibiting interaction (an important factor for students with special needs or religious constraints), constant availability of sources, peer support, different tones of communication (formal and informal), an opportunity to revisit and change individual statements. However, when assessment comes to play, the above becomes more frozen within the borders of e-assessment categories and deadlines.

the end of Section 3.

At the end of this section i feel rather tired. The pace was very intense and there were lots of readings. The whole idea Learning Objectives was new to me and at the beginning I felt reluctant to accept it. However, throughout the discussion with the team and the readings (especially Hodgins, H.W., ‘The Future of Learning Objects’ in Wiley (ed.) The Instructional Use of Learning Objects 2000 and the workshop by Dr Steve Yacovelli) I realized that I have meeting using LO’s in my career under different names. The concept is not new, it goes back to manual databases and tagged references collected by ancient monks, yet the new technology gives it a new twist of universal usability. Les provided lots of relevant metaphors and analogies like cars, bikes and object programming which helped me altogether to understand the metalevel of LO’s. There is something very simple about LO which was identified by Wiley (2000) who compared them to LEGO blocks. Hodgins and Conner (2000) wrote directly that LO, like LEGO blocks can be created and recreated, “ this allows children of all ages to create, deconstruct, and reconstruct LEGO structures easily and into most any form they can imagine” This quotations says it all. It shows us great disadvantage but also a threat coming from this fantastic flexibility. It was my concern which I shared with Eva that LO’s may be completely misused if not abused. I haven’t found anything yet on the ethics of LO’s, maybe it is not necessary and it simply has to be defined on the level of validation when all LO’s have to “excuse” themselves, I mean they have to be adapted in agreement with Intended Learning Outcomes. I wonder if our common worry was somehow determined by our communist past and a fear that knowledge, when broken to so basic level, so easily adaptable and reusable, may be completely dittoed and applied for ideological persuasion. Yet as Germaine pinpointed, the same risk we face when speaking about books and articles. I agree with that but I still think that digitally delivered LO carry out bigger risk of ethical misappropriation. I am sure that I will be using LO in my teaching from now on. I have found lots of repositories and openwares which contain very helpful granules of knowledge on advertising and creativity. MIT was quite good, but JORUM and JISC and RDN was the richest for my field. I am trying to identify new ones according to the directions from other participants posted on the forum. I have felt a bit discouraged by specialists who claimed on the forum that only high tech minds can contribute to the LO’s. But on JORUM everyone is invited to contribute, so I really need to check at this level how I can add to those databases myself without technical knowledge of programming. The best way will be to write to JORUM and post my own LO’s which I have (re)created for the purpose of this section from the content of my module guide. It would be also a good idea to try the WebCt in UEL and post LO’s from other members of staff across the schools. I teach lots of elements of advertising knowledge identical for Business School and Graphic Design. Why not create the database which will include them all? Writing module guides will be quicker and less expensive. As Lonmire (2000) admits LO’s should be interchangable with other systems both within and outside their respective environment”. For example, I have identified some relevant LO in repositories for science (structure of brief) and history (main changes in society in particular periods), arts (movements in arts), linguistics (types of rhetorical figures). I believe that my LO’s could be also used across disciplines. We have also agreed eventually that it us - teachers who give the LO's the meaning (or substance as Germaine and Nanda wanted). We all appreciated that customization and interoperability are significant advantages of LO, yet it was only Les who mentioned facilitation of competency based learning which is also important in my vocationally-orientated field. Applying LO’s to my everyday teaching practice seems a good idea and I would like to see the website devoted to them at the UEL. Yet I know there is lost of resistance among staff who are not used to the digital technologies or who disagree that we need WebCt or IT in general being involved to such extent. I am going to try on a micro scale of my own module, but I am aware that without validation it is hardly possible to change anything.

Final Entry Section 2.

At the end of Section 2, I feel much better about both: the structure and content of the course. Finally I have mustered the navigation tools and grasped the relationship between the discussions and individual tasks. I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of readings and a number of the written individual responses which are required for our portfolio. During Section 2, the most valuable finding for me was the realisation that the psychosocial methods and the quantitative outlook can co-exist without guilt and even complement each other (Atherton 2005; Biggs 1994). My previous view of the UEL teaching philosophy was that it was rather quantitative orientated, and in that sense I differed from other participants who could appreciate the qualitative methods promoted by the Institution. Yet for me, all those methods were underpinned by the qualitative measures aimed at the table league winning and increasing the students’ numbers. Yet I have changed my point of view due to the discussion we had and the readings I had gone through (particularly Biggs 1994 and Ramsden 1992). I can see now that the quantitative beahavioural approach can be as much applicable in teaching as the qualitative social constructivist approach. They can complement each other, but in my practice I want to promote mainly the qualitative dialogical mode which would “disrupt” the framework of a traditional lecture session and motivate the students to participate actively in the process of producing knowledge together. This attitude is possible even if the Institutional policy does not allow us to give up grades or exams. Before I learned about Laurillard’s “Conversational Theory”, I had been doing it for some time by applying a phenomenological theory of dialogue from Hans Gadamer and through the inspiration from Michail Bakchtin and his theory of the polyphonic dialogue. The challenge I have faced through this course is how to relate the issue of the dialogue to the design of the online content. As the next step leading me to the design of my individual project, I want to broaden my knowledge on this problem: I am going to refer to Derek Rowntree’s Success factors in material-based learning, aimed at the print material, and the infoKit (on the JISC infoNet website) aimed at the VLE opportunities. When designing our own projects, it is important to remember what Marton proved in his research, that “students differed in the way the related to the information they read (deep versus surface understanding)” and how they tried to organise their learning (holistic/atomistic)” (section on Phenomenonography). Since the brain works so differently and unpredictably, it is difficult to generate one ideal prototype of the course for everyone. I have realised that, for example, “ With the mature learner, the accomodation/assimilation approach (Donaldson 1984) can stimulate better effects than the more chaotic, interpretative approach (Biggs 1994) . I agree with Eva who pinpointed her need to organise her work in sequences and chunks, otherwise she would not be able to understand and apply the course material. Some learners (at least Gosia, Eva and myself) tend to print and sort the materials in a chronological order and relate it to the aims and objectives of the course. I want to take it into account when designing my own online project which should be grounded on adragogy (M.Knowles 1984) and lateral thinking (De Bono 1991). These two approaches not only allow the learner to apply their own individual style of learning, but they also develop deep understanding and permit a scope of mistakes as part of the learning process. As Knowles states, “Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for leaning activities”. I know from my own experience that the fear of the mistake with technology can be very constraining and thus should be “embedded” into the online course (e.g. a trial task before the proper assessment). What can help to establish the best manner of the delivery of the content is the VARK test, if it could be applied before the design of the course, or if the content could be adjusted to the VARK features of the learners. I have found out from other course participants that they appreciate, like myself, the kinaesthetic mode and I want to do more research now on how to “translate” ” the kinaesthetic mode into the representations of the online content. Nomen omen, I found out in the ETM402 guidelines that we can ask for help an expert in creating online content who, in fact, would be sub-hired by the University to share with us a certain amount of his/her knowledge. Selling knowledge in chunks by "sage on the stage" can be a blessing sometimes!

the end of section One

At this initial level I feel rather confused. The UELPlus is still unknown to me. The first stage of activities brough about some ice-breaking between the members and we feel a bit more encouraged by each other. We come from very different fields and have very different skills. This makes me feel relaxed since I know not all of us are specialists in e-technologies. We have established 3 models of online courses after Mason (1998) and we all agreed that ATM402 is an integrated model. I have learnt a lot about blogging as such in teaching, this is my special interest on this course and I am pleased we started from this activity and it is embedded on the course! I did not know that blogging has so many hidden problems, like privacy issue, institutional regulations, and design constraints. I am afraid blogging on my planned project cannot be open to the public as at the UEl we have to use the internal blog (at the moment on WebCt). In this section I had an opportunity to articulate my own ideas for e-innovation in my teaching practice. The template, although tedious, helped to ground my thoughts and observe how much I have to prepare and study to complete my goals. I will definitely try to implement blogging in my own context, but also ice-breaking activity to launch the exchange of views among the students. This activity serves perfectly face-to-face learning. Particulary valuable in my own context is the adaptation of blogging for foreign students. I am helping to unify the Erasmus students who come from different countries of Europe, I think blogging could be a great tool of informal communication for them, idealy prolonged beyond staying at the UEL. But here, again, issues of copyright and privacy can make a problem. In regard to this last problem, I want to explore the area of blogging standards and UEL regulations. I am going to contact the School of Distance and E-Learning to find out more about this. The other skill I would like to acquire is learning how to use the internally embedded blog myself. I don't know how to so it yet, but I am going to consult the ATM402 tutor. I am also going to create my own archive of sources which I can use on this module.