6 posts tagged “communication”
The introduction from the blog post is as follows: "How can we get learners to talk in online discussions, and how can we get the chatty students to shut up? The results have been pretty disappointing so far. Most instructors set up a discussion forum, and ask students to post an original post and to comment on two other posts. But instructors complain that students are doing the minimum and the discussions aren’t exciting. But what are they assessing? They’re just counting how many posts each student gives. The discussions, hence, are seen as tedious busywork."
Today,
on the auspicious day of 9th September 2009 (09.09.09) Vickel Narayan
and I facilitated a workshop with the Department of Management and
Marketing as a requested follow up session to a more generic Web 2.0
session, which Vickel had previously run with the group. Prior to the
workshop we worked with the department to identify outcomes that they
would require from two Ning sessions (number 2 in October) - this helped
ensure that participants voices were 'heard' beforehand, and also that
we didn't run the session that we thought they wanted, as opposed to the session that they actually wanted :-)
Session
1, today's, was a hands-on session that focussed on utilising a Ning
space for their Department which could be used as a way to build more
of a community, communicate and share. There was also conversation
around negotiated guidelines, which they would later need to discuss.
The agreed guidelines would be used to shape interactions they all felt
comfortable with within the online forums, the 'identity' they shared
with colleagues, and the content that was considered appropriate.
By the end of the session all participants had joined the Ning, added a profile and photo, posted to a forum, written and posted a blog reflection, and searched for, embedded and shared a video.
Session 2 will focus on using Ning with learners.
After
a start where there was some trepidation, the room was filled with
laughter and talking. One participant commented in their blog at the
end that they were really happy that everyone was involved and having a
bit of fun! A further participant came up and said she had been really
anxious before attending the session as she felt she would not be able
to do or accomplish anything. In fact, she had achieved a lot and was
really over the moon.
Watch this space for the next installment.
- Multimedia - the nurturing of ideas
Sometimes wondered what all the fuss is about multimedia? Pondered how to express a gnarly concept? For me the answer is illustrated by this animated video "Democracy is..." (bu Lucas Szozda). It is, in my opinion, beautifully eloquent and yet hauntingly simple.
I was out for a run the other day, and listening to podcasts...as you do, and one came up that that I found heartening....
This is an hour and ten minute podcast which features a keynote address by John Maeda. He talks a lot about creative communication...especially through the daily blog that he, as President of the Rhode Island School of Design in the US, keeps and shares with the whole of the institution. Maeda encourages 'thinking aloud' and rather than asking for comments, he asks his community 'what are you thinking?'. He also compares creative leadership with more conservative leadership. Well worth a listen!
Hope you enjoy :-)
You can download the Mp3 file directly by clicking here.
Ever
had that meeting where you have been working on innovative approaches
to something, and then you hit the brick wall? The person or group who
really do not want anything to do with what you are suggesting and are
not open to seeing the potential benefits, but rather focus on issues.
This animation: "Web tech guy and angry staff person"
looks at some of the common barriers frequently mentioned, and
discusses responses while also acknowledging that there is no easy fix.
I found it useful for raising awareness of some of the key points and
how I might open a dialogue around them in relevant situations.
Out running on Friday, I was totally absorbed by what Morris W. Beverage Jr. had to say (Educause podcast).
He started from a point around technology which actually switched me
off to begin with, describing technology as 'things' communicating with
'things' rather than, apparently, seeing the key focus as the
communication and co-construction of artefacts/knowledge that is
enabled through technology.
Anyhow, once I had stopped bristling and listened to what he went on to say, a lot of it seemed to make sense. One point in particular where he spoke about issues in education (for example, plagiarism) are not technology problems, but rather social problems. It make such a lot of sense. Yes, technology such as Turnitin may be developed to attempt to address the problem, but in fact what it needs is a recognition of the reasons behind the plagiarism, which tend to be academic literacy challenges and questions around ethics.
Well worth listening to this podcast as it is likely to strike a few chords no matter what your role is in, or supporting, education.
The Educause blurb is: "Campuses today face a growing number of clashing cultures. Faculty struggle with traditional methods of teaching in an environment where demands for flexibility and convenience are rising. Learners increasingly treat a college degree like a commodity. Battles rage over resource allocation. External constituents exert influence on campus operations and outcomes. This session addresses these issues and the role IT departments need to play to help higher education not just survive, but thrive."
