My Learning Portfolio :)

This is my EDCI 339 learning portfolio.

Category: edci339

Blog Post #5

August 5, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Open Education and OERs

This week was super interesting for me because through this week’s readings I learnt that I have used a lot of OER’s in my educational journey without even knowing. To me, open education is defined as a tool accessible to everyone to learn through/by, adapt with, and use as their own to further education. In today’s learning environment I believe these resources are particularly important because they help provide support to students and teachers alike in understanding topics, as well as “levelling the educational playing field” in a sense by introducing resources such as Khan Academy.

OERs in Developing Countries

Building on the first reading from this week on the history of OERs, the impact OER’s could have on developing countries is top of mind for me. Historically women and children in third world countries have been “disadvantaged” or simply forgotten about in education. Opportunities for education of any sorts can be hard to come by in these developing countries, however,  OERs can help to assist the delivery of education worldwide.

Photo by Yannis H on Unsplash

This article by SFU discusses OERs being used in Africa The first property that OERs have to work to provide education in developing countries is accessibility. If you have internet, you have access to education through OERs. While I do understand there are still many places without internet, OERs are a game changer in connecting education worldwide. Additionally, having these resources being accessible online also reduces the cost of education. This is something of value in a third world country as unfortunately some people would not have the means to pursue education otherwise. OER’s cut costs by eliminating textbooks for example and the cost of attending “school” physically (commuting costs for example). Listen to this podcast episode by Teaching in Higher Ed for more. The other major component that OERs provide in terms of education in developing countries is the quality of education. Teachers and students alike can learn from OERs, elevating the level of education on both edges of the sword. OERs open doors to new teaching methods and learning resources, perspectives, and collaborative insights on a subject/topic. These are just a few ways in which OERs can benefit education for all, especially in providing access to education in developing countries or those who would not otherwise have learning opportunities. Here’s another article discussing the impacts of OERs, this time in the global south.

Khan Academy

Photo by Saad Ahmad on Unsplash

To conclude this blog post I just wanted to provide a little shoutout to everyone’s favourite OER; Khan Academy. But really, if you haven’t used Khan Academy (especially in calculus courses), you are missing out! To my knowledge Khan Academy is the first OER I became familiar with, and is also my most used. Like many students, Khan Academy is the first place I go when I am stuck on a question or need a little extra help to understand a new method/topic. This is a great personal example on how OERs are commonly and effectively used in my education. Check out this video below for more on the effectiveness of Khan Academy in the classroom!

Blog Post #4

July 29, 2024 / / 0 Comments

UDL Guidelines

This week, our resources focused on the Universal Design for Learning guidelines by CAST. This is the first I have heard of the guidelines, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized how valuable they are to my personal educational journey. I would UDL as a resource to provide support and guide instructors in helpful ways to optimize the learning experience for students, regardless of limitations or learning styles.

Why are UDL Guidelines Important to Me?

Photo by Lacie Slezak on Unsplash

Having never worked with the UDL guidelines it was interesting to reflect on my learning journey so far and compare what could have been different if resources like this were utilized by my past instructors. UDL recognizes that everyone has a unique way of learning, and we all retain information differently. These guidelines are designed to create an accessible and inclusive environment for everyone- something that can be adapted to and altered on a case by case basis. Looking back on my education thus far, the UDL guidelines could have helped me thrive in learning new things because of ADHD. I have attached this link here to learn more about ADHD in education, but for me it is attention span that impacts my learning the most. UDL would have helped me in instances where my attention span negatively impacted my learning by fostering a supportive environment where I could learn at my own pace. Check out this article for more on how UDL can help students with ADHD. Giving students access the tools/support they need to succeed is a critical part of UDL.

Privacy Online

Photo by Philip Oroni on Unsplash

As we have learnt in previous weeks (check out more here), our digital image is so important in addition to protecting ourselves online. In all honesty, privacy hasn’t really been a huge concern for me until recently. I almost always accept terms and conditions without reading them, as well as not paying attention to where my information is going or being stored. The question is, how many people are just like me? In short, a lot. This blog post from Berkley further explored terms and conditions, highlighting the lack of care most users have. It was even found in a study that 91% of users just press agree without actually reading. In fact, Deloitte did a study where results showed this lack of care. “98% [of users] agreed to give up their first-born child” among other strange agreements, simply because people didn’t bother to actually read the terms and conditions. Check out this short video below to learn more about why this is important.

Blog Post #3

July 21, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Creating a Community

In my own personal experiences, having a sense of community in an online “classroom” just isn’t the same as in person. It can be isolating and somewhat boring without interaction. With that being said, there are still ways we can stay connected with one another to help build a community. In my opinion, communication is a key aspect in this.  Discussion boards, zoom calls, and group chats are just a few of my favourite ways to get to know my peers and build up a sense of community. Visit this article from the University of Toronto for more creative ideas and a guide to creating community online.

Instructor Presence

Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash

As per this week’s reading, instructor presence matters. Building off the last section on creating a community, instructors play a large role in class community. We rely on our instructors to relay information, provide quality instruction, and provide a lending hand. One thing that has proven helpful for me is instructors posting weekly, or even daily announcements. Often these announcements cover what needs to be done in the upcoming time period, and helporganize the information in a more digestible way.  For example, our professor’s blog page with weekly updates. These posts help me manage my time and stay on top of assignments. An open line of communication is another thing I have felt to be super helpful in an online course. In particular, asynchronous courses. Having an open line of communication where you can email and/or connect with an instructor whenever you need is super helpful. Especially when you don’t have a set class time, it can sometimes be tricky to get a hold of instructors. Communication with each other is key, in my experiences. Additionally, having an organized course site makes it so much easier to navigate tasks and overall maximize the learning experience. This website from the University of Oklahoma is awesome to check out! It takes a deep dive at the topics we focused on this week.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

This Week’s Main Takeaways

For me, this week provided a few main takeaways. These were as follows

  • Online community can make or break a learning experience
  • Instructors play a large part in how online community is formed
  • How we connect with one another online should be an important consideration of students and instructors alike

Response Post for Meaghan

July 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Hi Meaghan,

Thank you for your post. I really liked the layout of your post- the headers, visuals, and overall design was thoughtful. I also appreciated the references your included at the bottom, this is helpful and also important to provide credit to the appropriate sources. This is something I should probably be doing in my own blog posts. I especially enjoyed the section under “theories and technological developments to current education practices” where your discuss the pandemic’s impact. I think the pandemic really highlighted how powerful technology can be in education, and also how frequently we use technology in education without even realizing. Now, I couldn’t imagine school without the use of technology in education, even down to Brightspace. Keep up the great work!

Response Post for Xavier

July 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Hi Xavier,

Thank you for your post. Like many of our peers I’m sure, I too use Brightspace as my primary platform for classes at UVic. Using Brightspace definitely has been a learning curve for me, especially in navigating course sites. With that being said, I do appreciate all it has to offer in providing an accessible place to learn and keep up on work. My suggestion moving forward with our weekly blog posts would be to utilize headers and opt in to more resources/visual learning aids. Adding headers can help organize your writing, making it easier to follow. I think a couple photos could also elevate your work further! Great work!

Response Post for Melanie

July 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Hi Melanie!

Thank you for your post. I appreciated how you were able to link your person experiences in creating a whiteboard animation to this week’s post. This personal touch was so impactful and added depth to your post. I also enjoyed your perspective on the reading. I was born in 2004, so your perspective challenged mine (you being a 90s baby). For example, I just thought YouTube was always around, where as for you this was a big deal in the world of technology. Something I will consider using in my blog posts moving forward is your “conclusion” header. It was a nice way to wrap things up and provide a little summary for the reader. Great work!

Blog Post #2

July 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

What I Found Most Interesting

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

This week, the reading on the past 20 years in tech ed stood out to me the most. I was born in 2004, so a good majority of this article was based on technology that was in education long before my time. It’s interesting taking a look back on how technology was up and coming back then, in comparison to how rampant and vital technology is today in education. Arguably, I use technology as my biggest technological tool wether it be leaning on google and YouTube to further explain a topic, or Quizzlet to master subject material. Technology is a huge tool in education if utilized correctly. For example, it is tools such as Brightspace that allow us to take this course fully online and asynchronous. Check out this podcast for more on technology in education!

Artificial Intelligence in TechEd

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

Ai has become all the rage in the last few years. I graduated high school in 2022 and had never heard of ChatGTP or ai what so ever. And then I came straight to UVic where everyone had started to use ChatGTP. But what is ChatGTP?

ChatGTP can be useful in many ways to education, but also poses the risk of copyright and plagiarism. I have yet to use ChatGTP in an educational context, purely because I am scared of the risks associated with using ai, but there are many ways in which one could use ai to assist them. Ai can help you in explaining a concept, summarizing or highlighting main points from a reading, and even has the advancements/ability to complete tasks for you. Check out this article by Forbes on how ai is used in the classroom. It is important to highlight the importance that while ai can essentially do the work for you, this is not your work, so credit to ai is important. Many classes at UVic do not permit the use of ai. With that being said, I have also had courses where professors have encouraged the use of ai, and encouraged students to experiment with platforms such as ChatGTP. I’m curious to see how ai will continue to evolve and impact learning. Wether it be within the classroom or beyond, ai seems to be growing both in capability and popularity. This week left me intrigued with the evolution of tech ed, and how I can utilize technology in my educational journey.

Blog post #1

July 8, 2024 / / 1 Comment

Introduction

My name is Lauren and I am from White Rock, BC. I am entering my third year at UVic in the fall to continue my studies in business and economics. Although I have been studying both thus far, I think I will stick with an economics major and make business a minor. I live on the Island right next to campus during the school year, but reside at home in White Rock with my family over the summer break. My favourite thing to do during summer break would have to be soaking up the sun and watching the sunset.

Pictured above is the sunset from my yard at home in White Rock.

My Journey with EDCI

EDCI and multimedia learning has always been a strong interest of mine. Ever since I was in Pre-K I have found visuals and interactive learning tools assist me to best absorb information when in an educational setting. Wether it be Kahoot games or whiteboard animation videos, finding new ways to learn can be so beneficial. Unfortunately for me, my instructors did not opt for the multimedia approach when it came to teaching. This may be surprising as I was in high school just 2 years ago (2022 graduate).

In this day and age, social media is so incredibly popular and integrated into everyday life. Everyone I know is on some form of social media- even my grandparents! Social media is one example of a powerful digital tool that I think could be really educational, if used responsibly and affectively. It’s a place many of us learn so much already in terms of day to day tasks, such as easier ways to curl your hair or fry an egg from a viral post/tutorial. I already know ways that social media can be educational for practical use in daily life, but how can I use it to help assist my learning in University? This is something I hope to uncover. This past June I took another EDCI course. We focused primarily on animations, but learning multimedia’s educational potential has really opened my eyes to endless possibilities.

Digital Image

So far, we have briefly touched on digital image. Learning why our digital image is so valuable is important to me, and has the potential to impact so much, including future career opportunities. Additionally, this is our digital identity. This can reflect so much of who we are as individuals, but it can also be scary in cases where digital identity is misleading. Recognizing the importance of my digital identity and steps I can take to help protect how I present myself online are just a few ways EDCI 339 can assist me in my learning.

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