Time to revive this blog with two new MOOCs

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by EWagner79

Two very exciting MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) have appeared on my radar in the last week, so in the spirit of online learning I thought I would sign up for them both. I am a big fan of the MOOC style of learning though in the past I haven’t shared as much (and therefore haven’t got as much out of them) as I would have liked to. Of course the idea of a MOOC is that you can come and go as you please and need to according to the areas that you would like to learn about. However, I really would like to expand my PLN to include other passionate teachers using technology so that is the thinking behind joining the following two MOOCs.

The first is the DigiFoot12 MOOC put on through Student 2.0. I am very excited about being a part of this MOOC as I often talk to students about their presence online and the effect that they may have on their future. Basically, putting your best (digital) foot forward. This MOOC will hopefully expand my understanding of digital footprints and get her other people thoughts and ideas about his extremely important and often disregarded topic. In future posts I will be sharing my understanding and thoughts about what a digital footprint is and why it is so important plus any other “ah-ha” moments I have during the MOOC.

The second is the game based learning MOOC put on by the Centre4EduPunx. as a gamer and a teacher I am very interested in how games can be used to engage students in a way that allows them to explore curriculum and other (and often more) important skills and knowledge as well as develop a love for learning and in turn pursue, what I believe is the ultimate goal as a teacher, life-long learning. I think game-based learning is an essential tool (one of many) that educators should understand and use in the process of teaching and learning. That said, I don’t think that I understand it very well yet, and need to increase my learning in this area and so I think this MOOC will definately be a stepping stone in that direction.

I have included links if you are interested in joining either or both of these MOOCs. I would encourage you if you have participated in a MOOC that you give them a try. They can be some of the best learning and professional development that you will engage in.

E-portfolio reflections

I have been thinking about eportfolios over the last number of weeks but as usual I have not been updating my blog with these thoughts. This is a habit that I really want to start including in my learning process.

As I have been discussing eporfolios and looking at others examples I have definitely been inspired to not only create my own (i have been quite slack with getting this done, however I want to take with this rather than just jump in head first) but also to examine how students at my school can benefit from creating them. In my educational context there is a strong push towards student safety and therefore they may need to create their eportfolios behind a walled garden. However, as long as the tool that is used in creation is easily transferrable after the student leaves the school then it will be useful in the long term rather than just a school-based activity or assessment.

Recently I was listening to Joyce Valenza on the EdTech Crew talking about students producing for real audiences and gaining control of their digital footprint. I am a firm believer in giving students opportunities or at the very least giving guidance on how to not only keep themselves safe online, but also to use the medium to put their best foot forward and show the range of interests and skills that they have gained. As she was sharing her passionate thoughts on this topic I couldn’t help thinking that one of the ways to be able to achieve this is in an organized and powerful way was through the use of an eportfolio.

I have come to the realization that eportfolios are a way to take control of the information about yourself and put it forward in an organized and useful manner for anybody who cares to have a look.

Purpose for my E-Portfolio – Answering the Why Question

What is the purpose of this portfolio? As a first e-portfolio it is difficult to narrow down exactly what this is for except to say that it will help to document my e-learning. I am also thinking of adding another page that will focus on my skills and learning thus far including my certificates, presentations, past positions and jobs. However, for the moment I just want to experiment with the idea of an e-portfolio by documenting my learning in what they are and best practice.

This week I watch Helen Barrett’s “Blurring the Boundaries” presentation and found it reinforced and inspired my desire to work on an personal learning e-portfolio. I have embedded the video from YouTube below if you haven’t seen it yet.

I wonder sometimes about the journey that I have taken so far in e-learning and sometimes wish I had started linking and collecting earlier as there are so many inspiring and useful resources that I have probably forgotten. We live in an age where we can record and glance back over, not only the photos in the shoebox or the documents in a folder, but document on all of the major events in our lives that can easily be recalled, viewed and stored again. Creating an e-portfolio will allow me to document and reflect on where I have been in the future and help guide where I am going. Hopefully, also, others will follow, lead, discuss, collaborate and ultimately learn.

EpCoP MOOC Level 1

I feel that I have been a bit slack with keeping up with learning about e-portfolios, though in reflection I have learnt a lot over the last week about what e-portfolios are and how they can be used. It is amazing to think that they are more than just virtual folders of information but contain evidence of learning from a variety of sources and tools. They are so much versatile than paper and folders and can show information and of course learning in so many and varied ways.

Fortunately when I check the level 1 for the EpCoP MOOC, I had already completed most of them. There is so much to learn about e-portfolios and I am eager to continue this journey to build on the knowledge that I have already gained about what they are. It wil be a challenge to get everything completed but the rewards certainly outweigh any difficulties and pushing to get through. I am becoming more and more convinced that e-portfolios in whatever form are a vital part of the future of e-learning and more importantly, life-long learning.

I hope to share more of my learning in this blog in the coming week as I often don’t stop to consider sharing but keep pressing on with the next step. I becoming convinced that I need to take a breather more often as I am exploring and enhancing my own e-learning to help others to also benefit from my time and effort. One can hope.

Sharing by ryancr
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My Delicious Links Tag Cloud

In the process of making a tutorial in Tildee for the EpCoP MOOC I decided that I would make a quick tag cloud of my delicious links since the option was there. You can see the result below. It really does show a number of my interests and gives at least a little insight into what I spend my time tagging on the web. Hopefully by the end of the year the e-learning link will be a little larger than it is now.

 

First Screenr Presentation – Wordle

Tonight I thought I would bite the bullet and record my first Screenr tutorial on the basics of creating a Worlde word cloud using the text from the Electronic Portfolio Wikipedia page. It took a few tries to get it to a stage I was happy, but I think in the end it was worth the effort. I think I could do more to develop my skills in this area but consider this a good first try.

What do you think? What is good about this Screenr? How could I improve?

http://www.screenr.com/ftSs

The Start of eLearning

Strictly speaking this is not really the start of my eLearning journey, however, I think it is time to try and put more focus and effort into developing my eLearning and ePortfolio.

This decision has been helped through the EpCop MOOC that is beginning on the 1st of August, 2011. There is an excellent and dedicated group of people involved in this project who are committed to developing ePortfolios, other people’s eLearning and expanding our digital footprints. These are goals that I have set myself in the past but never had close connections with people who have similar goals, which is of course where motivation and “stickability” comes from. This is an exciting journey for me as well as a one that will be quite challenging. I hope that I will develop habits while being involved in this project that will continue long after it is finished and will help me to learn and share with others who share similar goals. If I develop these habits I will definitely class that as a form of success.

In my ePortfolio I will be reflecting on how learning can be enhanced through the use of technology and various web 2.0 tools.

Elearning 2.0 by OurWorld2.0
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