The first step in this process is a Needs Analysis, which seems pretty straight forward.
Then I went to choose a course, which is when it became very clear that while I was interested in lots of courses I had no clear objective for any of them.
Initially i looked at IT skills that I lacked, but i tend to just learn as I go and I have a pretty strong background (grad dip and pre-teaching career in IT) so this was not really challenging.
So more thought was required, which led nowhere. Back to the readings where one thing stood out
Required Skills - Current Skills = Curriculum Objectives
My initial thought was to take the Latin course that i have been meaning to do for years to refresh my knowledge and which is useful in teaching. I searched for courses and started, but then realised i really don't enjoy studying languages and i want to get this done reasonably quickly so need something i will enjoy and get stuck into.
That did make me consider the purpose for doing the subject which was to design a flexible approach to studying the early middle ages. I then realised that I don't have a central text or website to use for core knowledge, and indeed my knowledge of the middle ages is piece meal based on previous needs and interests but with huge gaps.
If I am to design a course I need a framework and a clearer idea of the key questions.
So my needs are
That is pretty big, so I need a whole course, which is when i went back to the Great Courses series my uncle introduced me to many years ago on CD.
Sure enough there are heaps of course on their website on the early middle ages
I signed up online and started listening to different courses.
The Early Middle Ages by Philip Daileader was instantly appealing, he has a great voice, uses video effectively and the course guide is excellent. I love reading but also need to hear it to make things really sink in.
Even better it comes with an app so I have it on my laptop at home but also listen to it while driving from my phone.
It has big questions i can use for my course design and provides the background understanding i need to guide students more effectively.
It seems to meet my needs well and is really engrossing, indeed i am already up to lecture 6 and have only just done my needs analysis
Then I went to choose a course, which is when it became very clear that while I was interested in lots of courses I had no clear objective for any of them.
Initially i looked at IT skills that I lacked, but i tend to just learn as I go and I have a pretty strong background (grad dip and pre-teaching career in IT) so this was not really challenging.
So more thought was required, which led nowhere. Back to the readings where one thing stood out
Required Skills - Current Skills = Curriculum Objectives
My initial thought was to take the Latin course that i have been meaning to do for years to refresh my knowledge and which is useful in teaching. I searched for courses and started, but then realised i really don't enjoy studying languages and i want to get this done reasonably quickly so need something i will enjoy and get stuck into.
That did make me consider the purpose for doing the subject which was to design a flexible approach to studying the early middle ages. I then realised that I don't have a central text or website to use for core knowledge, and indeed my knowledge of the middle ages is piece meal based on previous needs and interests but with huge gaps.
If I am to design a course I need a framework and a clearer idea of the key questions.
So my needs are
- Gain a clear outline of the main periods, cultures, personalities and events in the early middle ages
- create focus questions for students to investigate in a study of the period
That is pretty big, so I need a whole course, which is when i went back to the Great Courses series my uncle introduced me to many years ago on CD.
Sure enough there are heaps of course on their website on the early middle ages
I signed up online and started listening to different courses.
The Early Middle Ages by Philip Daileader was instantly appealing, he has a great voice, uses video effectively and the course guide is excellent. I love reading but also need to hear it to make things really sink in.
Even better it comes with an app so I have it on my laptop at home but also listen to it while driving from my phone.
It has big questions i can use for my course design and provides the background understanding i need to guide students more effectively.
It seems to meet my needs well and is really engrossing, indeed i am already up to lecture 6 and have only just done my needs analysis
I have been very slack keeping up with this task, but have been enjoying the course.
ReplyDeleteThe course I have selected is provided by http://www.thegreatcourses.com.au/ and is of course a commerical course.
the course had some immediate appeals, one of the key ones being the app on my phone which means i am able to cover a lot of the course material by simply listening which i can do while doing other tasks and repeating lectures until i understand the material.
I enjoy reading so the course guide and questions i cover at night as relaxation. I am finding i am acquiring a pretty comprehensive understanding of the medieval period while spending very time solely on the course material.
revisiting my learning needs analysis it meets both Job Performance Needs and Individual Needs identified by Clark, D. (2014) as it will both help me do my job better and is an area I have wanted to study for at least 10 years for my own personal satisfaction and interest.
i haven't been as conscientious as I hoped, and have been a little snowed under with school and getting horses ready for show season.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I have been making study progress and am now up to lecture 12 (halfway).
I have listened to the lectures beyond that but only in the car so only half listening.
The course I have selected is definitely based on cognitivist theory with the lecturer imparting knowledge and the student (me) eagerly absorbing their ideas and knowledge to answer questions and spark my own investigations. The Internet medieval sourcebook has been very useful as I read some of the documents he refers to although i have struggled to find many of them.
I guess that reflects my early education and that I revert naturally to this model and find it familiar, comforting and even enjoyable.
Obviously other people think very differently and have their own preferred learning styles, oops, bad words I forgot they aren't a thing now :-) I mean we all like familiar settings and that probably is a barrier between me and my students in many of them favour more social ways of learning that I do.
I am finally cracking on but still feeling my way.
DeleteI have attempted to share my learning experience using a google blog site at http://flex5601.blogspot.com.au/ simply as an extra exercise in using google tools which drive my current use of technology. This choice was made because I use google sites, google classroom, google drive and google docs to work with existing classes.
In retrospect choosing an external page to mahara was a poor choice as no one has commented on my blog. This is understandable given time constraints and if people are not currently using google they would have to create a login.
This is a valuable lesson in ensuring that I use tools that my intended audience already has access to.
I have posted some comments to the forum on the assignment website and have received some encouraging feedback.
I have also made the effort to comment on most of the other projects which has to me highlighted a difficulty in trying to match constructivist theory and the current model of online learning which is the current preferred approach (Anderson, T., & Dron, J. 2012). . I have not come across a course that is able to create a social learning environment, and without it there seems to be an obvious problem in trying to negotiate outcomes and developed genuine shared learning experiences. This seems to be an emerging concern in online learning design, sparking a return to instructional design ideas (Morrison, D. 2013).
I have found Brigitte's reflections on her BeeLearning site really useful and most of my understanding of what to do has come from that. This has been really useful as it emphasises the need for models and exemplars as common ground for thought and discussion and I am definitely going to include some in my course. I hadn't previously realised how much of my learning is social and relies on modelling and discussion with others, but I have really struggled working totally independently this semester. Previously I would have said i learnt best working independently by reading and listening, apparently not.