Reflection on the ILT module and my future steps

    The Innovating Learning and Teaching (ILT) module has opened my eyes to the revolutionary possibilities of digital technology in the classroom. Creating online course, experimenting with gamified tools, and learning about AI-based tools have helped me better understand how technology is integrated into teaching-learning process. One of the primary lesson I learnt was the chance to go into different learning theories, such behaviourism and connectivism. Now I am able to consider how I might use these theories in my instruction, which gives me an opportunity to create learning activities that are more relevant. Additionally, I learnt a lot about frameworks like the Padagogy Wheel, the SAMR model, the CoI framework, and TPACK. Hence, all of them have improved my comprehension of how technology can support different approaches to teaching.

    In addition to this, I have had an up-close look at designing online courses through my work with LMS like Google Classroom. I now know how to manage and organise content efficiently while taking into account the nuances of online and blended learning. These tools, along with others like Wordwall and EdPuzzle, made it clearer to me how dynamic and interesting learning can be through the use of multimedia and interactivity.

    In particular, the AI session was quite insightful. During the lesson, we were given the task of writing AI tools that we use in our daily teaching practices. Few of the tools we looked at and wrote were truly AI-driven, as it turned out. I was able to differentiate between applications that actually employ AI, such as ChatGPT and Magic School, and others that would just automate tasks without utilising AI features. It also made me realize how necessary it is to balance between digital tools and interpersonal communication in order to enhance critical thinking and improve student engagement.

    I see a lot of exciting possibilities when I think about how technology will impact education in the future. AR/VR technology might produce immersive language learning experiences, and AI-based tools and platforms might personalise lessons based on real-time data. However, I think that ensuring ethical use and protecting student privacy will become more difficult as these technologies develop. I believe that my role as a teacher is to guide students on how to use these technologies without leaking personal data.

    In the future, I want to encourage interaction in my classes by including tools like Kahoot! and Curipod, which I ironically came across the last week of our sessions. I believe that AI might assist with teaching, but it will not replace us. Additionally, I want to promote the ethical use of technology in the classroom highlighting the value of protecting data. Also, I am dedicated to keeping up with the newest innovations in education as I pursue my professional development. To make sure that I am constantly improving, I plan to actively participate in webinars and online communities.

    Last but not least, I plan to continue keeping this blog and posting on a daily basis. This is because through this module, editing, proofreading and posting my insights on new information and theories has become sort of a habit for me. Designing online course turned out to be a quite intriguing process as well, even though it had its own difficulties and took a lot of time to organise. I think I will design another online course soon.😁

Areas for improvement in my online course

    Greetings to my fellow teachers! Once again I am writing about the development of my online course. However, this time, the post that I am writing is going to be the last one under the label of online course design. It has been a wonderful experience to design the course "Mastering Everyday English Writing" which forced me to consider how to make opportunities for learning that are both useful and engaging. Even though the course provides a range of resources and exercises to assist students, considering how it was implemented has shown where it could be improved to increase its overall effectiveness and inclusivity.

    Lesson alignment with the overall objectives of the course is one of the factors I have taken into account. Lesson 5 was originally split into two separate topics, but it was reduced into a single final writing assignment. This modification made the module simpler, but it also showed how crucial it is to make sure that every task is directly related to the main objective of the course. Formative assessments also could be incorporate into the updated version of the course, successfully linking lessons 1-4 to the final project, strengthening the sense of continuity and advancement (Al-Freih, 2021).

    Another aspect of the course that may be improved is collaboration. There is room for more interactive, group projects even if platforms like Padlet and Kialo give students the chance to brainstorm and develop ideas together. For instance, in Lesson 4.1, students may collaborate on writing a short story, and in Lesson 4.2, they could edit another person's personal narratives (Sun and Rueda, 2012). 

    Furthermore, any successful online course must be accessible, and I understand that this particular course needs to be made more inclusive for learners with different needs. Content would be more accessible to students with visual impairments if audio descriptions were added to videos in tools like Edpuzzle or Twee. Furthermore, offering simplified instructions or bilingual glossaries could help students with different skill levels overcome the difficulties and guarantee that everyone participates completely in the course.

    The possibility of technology fatigue, which can result from using several digital tools, is another factor to consider. While the course integrates lots of digital tools in tasks, offering diversity, some students may find it too much to handle. Combining activities into fewer platforms could simplify the technology ecosystem, improve course usability, and lessen students' cognitive load (Zhao et al., 2019).

    Therefore, in the process of course design, the crucial step is to think back on these areas that need improvement. I think that every change presents a chance to better serve students' needs. I'm convinced that this course may develop into an even more successful and inclusive experience for students if I strengthen alignment, boost teamwork and collaboration, increase accessibility, develop feedback systems and address technology fatigue.

References

Al-Freih, M. (2021) ‘The impact of faculty experience with emergency remote teaching: An interpretive phenomenological study’, IAFOR Journal of Education, 9(2), pp. 7–23.

Sun, J.C.Y. and Rueda, R. (2012) ‘Situational interest, computer self-efficacy and self-regulation: Their impact on student engagement in distance education’, British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(2), pp. 191–204.

Zhao, Y., Lei, J., Yan, B., Lai, C. and Tan, H. S. (2019) ‘What makes the difference? A practical analysis of research on the effectiveness of distance education’, Teachers College Record, 121(3), pp. 1–44.

The Usage of Zoom platform in blended learning: benefits and challenges

 

    Zoom has developed into a vital tool for blended learning, successfully bridging the gap between face-to-face and online instruction. In this blog post, I will explore the benefits and challenges of using Zoom in blended learning.

    I believe that Zoom's accessibility is one of its biggest advantages. Both learners and teachers may connect easily, no matter where they are, owing to the platform's adaptability with a variety of devices. Zoom offers a way for students who are unable to engage in in-person sessions to do so virtually, preventing them from missing important learning opportunities (Li and Lalani, 2020). Lessons may also be reviewed because of the recording option, which gives students flexibility while balancing their schoolwork and other activities.

    In addition to this, Zoom's interactive resources improve student engagement. Participation is encouraged by features like chat, polls, and breakout rooms. Breakout rooms, for instance, facilitate small-group talks during peer collaboration exercises, which are crucial for cooperative learning and critical thinking (Martin and Bolliger, 2018). Additionally, the chat feature enables students to exchange ideas or ask questions without interrupting the lecture's flow.

    Zoom is a flexible tool for a range of educational purposes because it also facilitates multimodal learning. For example, teachers can accommodate materials to both visual and auditory learners by using the screen sharing tool to provide slides, videos or live demonstrations. The capacity to incorporate different media formats into online instruction is consistent with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, which make sure that all students may access the content (Hodges et al., 2020).

    However, Zoom is not without its challenges. Technical problems, such as unstable internet connections, can make it difficult to participate for teachers and, most importantly, students. These difficulties worsen the digital divide and produce unequal learning opportunitiess for learners in places that lack adequate digital infrastructure (Xie et al., 2020). To lessen these problems, teachers should offer asynchronous options or alternative resources. 

    Zoom's application raises privacy issues as well. To safeguard student data and guarantee compliance to institutional regulations, features like screen sharing and video recording need to be carefully managed. To protect participants, teachers need to be aware of privacy settings and promote ethical platform use.

    Summing up, Zoom is a useful tool in blended learning because of its adaptability and a variety of functions, even though it is not a perfect digital tool. Teachers can optimise its potential to develop inclusive and stimulating learning environment by solving the issues with access and privacy. For example, synchronous Zoom sessions combined with asynchronous material distribution can help accommodate different learning speeds and lessen "Zoom fatigue" (Hodges et al., 2020). Additionally, offering teacher and student training on how to use Zoom effectively can improve the quality of the learning process as a whole.

References

CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Available at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org 

Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T. and Bond, A. (2020) ‘The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning’, Educause Review. Available at: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning 

Li, C. and Lalani, F. (2020) ‘The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how’, World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/  

Xie, J., Siau, K. and Nah, F. (2020) ‘COVID-19 pandemic – online education in the new normal and the next normal’, Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 22(3), pp. 175–187. doi:10.1080/15228053.2020.1824884.

Ensuring inclusivity in my online course

        Greetings to my fellow teachers! When I created the online course, I wanted to make sure that the learning environment was inclusive. And in this blog post, I will discuss the steps I took to guarantee diversity and how UDL principles influenced my choices.

        Universal Design for Learning: What is it?

    A paradigm for developing learning environments that accommodate the various demands of every student is called Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL, which was created by the Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST), places an emphasis on offering a variety of interaction and expression methods in order to accommodate different learning styles and skill levels (CAST, 2018). Teachers may eliminate obstacles to learning and create an inclusive environment where all students can succeed by implementing UDL principles.

     My approach to inclusivity in my online course

       One of the main principles of UDL is involving students with diverse interests and learning styles. I used a variety of tools and methods to do this:

• Interactive content: I made use of Padlet for group brainstorming, Google Forms for short polls and tests and other digital tools to make content interactive. By accommodating both auditory and visual learners, these resources guarantee active engagement.
• Tasks in Edpuzzle with subtitled videos: I made Edpuzzle assignments that allowed students to watch videos with embedded comprehension tests. I made sure all videos had subtitles so that a wider audience could access the information, especially for students who are hard of hearing or who would rather read than listen.
• Flexibility in participation: Students have the freedom to express themselves whatever they feel most comfortable by choosing to upload voice recordings using the Voki platform or as a text in Google Classroom.

       In addition to this, representation in teaching materials is essential for inclusivity. I ensured that the course content was both accessible and varied. All lesson overviews were designed in simple language, with headings and bullet points to enhance readability. For visually impaired learners, PDF resources were made compatible with screen readers, ensuring that every student could access the materials without barriers. Fruthermore, I incorporated visual and audio aids throughout the course. Captioned videos made lessons accessible to those with hearing impairments, and narrated slides in a presentation for final writing assignment (with the help of AI) allowed students to comprehend new information better. Also, recognizing that some learners could find it difficult to type becaues of cognitive or physical challenges, I gave the students of online course the choice to submit voice recordings for storytelling or explain their written work. For instance, in one activity, students recorded their responses to a prompt about crafting an informal message.

    References

CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Available at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org

My course' rationale pt. 2: SAMR model, CoI framework and so on

    This blog post is the second part of the rationale that guided my online course's activities. When it comes to incorporating technology into the course, the SAMR model is crucial. Four layers of technological integration are included in this paradigm, each of which builds on the one before it:

• Substitution: Without altering the work, technology directly replaces traditional tools. Pen and paper writing is replaced in this course by Google Docs, which provides the same function but in a digital form.

• Augmentation: For instance, Google Docs' spell-check function and real-time feedback tools (Write and Improve by Cambridge) improve the writing process by assisting students in recognising and fixing errors right away.

• Modification: In this layer, the work is significantly redesigned with technology. This level is best demonstrated through collaborative writing assignments on Google Docs, where students communicate on a shared document. This encourages collaboration and creates new dynamics that aren't achievable with traditional approaches (Puentedura, 2014). Redefinition is not applied in my online course.

    The Community of Inquiry (CoI) is another important concept that I have employed. This paradigm guarantees that the course fosters teacher presence, teamwork, and critical thinking. For example, cognitive presence is promoted by exercises like examining sample emails and reflecting through quizzes (Garrison et al., 2017). Students may develop a feeling of community and learn from one other through peer evaluations and group conversations in the Google Classroom forums, which promotes social presence. Meanwhile, teacher presence can be seen through teacher feedback (video feedback as well - veedback), making sure that students feel encouraged over the whole course.

    Bloom's Taxonomy also influences the course structure, ensuring that activities evolve from basic to more advanced ones. Students begin by focusing on shorter writings, such as personal emails and social media posts. As students progress, they write their own short stories and personal narratives, provide comments to peers. By the conclusion of the course, students should create their own unique messages and posts, using all of their newly acquired knowledge and abilities (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001).

    Furthermore, motivation is yet another important factor. The course incorporates activities that are applicable to students' daily lives, including creating social media posts or professional emails, which keeps them interested. Learning is made more enjoyable and competitive by gamified components like leaderboards in Kahoot! and Goosechase and quizzes (Ryan and Deci, 2017). Additionally, students are given choice in some of their tasks, which encourages them to put more effort into their work.

    Talking about learning management system (LMS), I used Google Classroom to create this course on writing. Using Google Classroom as the LMS has several advantages. It provides a central place for all course materials, assignments, and discussions. Its integration with tools like Google Docs, Kahoot, and Quizizz enhances the interactivity of the course (Darby and Lang, 2019). However, there are also challenges like limited customisation options compared to other LMS platforms like Moodle. Some students might also need time to become familiar with the interface since the stream and classwork are on separate pages. The tasks are also quite difficult for a newcomer to be understood at first glance.

    Talking about the model of learning in my online course, I believe that the course follows a flexible blended learning model, combining live sessions with self-paced tasks. This approach ensures that learners can access materials and complete assignments at their own convenience while still benefiting from real-time interaction with the teacher and peers. I believe that this structure, along with the carefully designed activities, will help learners feel more confident in their writing abilities and be prepared to handle everyday communication challenges.

References

Anderson, L. W. and Krathwohl, D. R. (2001) 'A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives'. New York: Longman.

Darby, F. and Lang, J. M. (2019) Small teaching online: Applying learning science in online classes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. and Archer, W. (2017) E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. 3rd edn. Abingdon: Routledge.

Puentedura, R. R. (2014) 'SAMR and TPCK: A hands-on approach to classroom practice'. Available at: https://hippasus.com/

Ryan, R. M. and Deci, E. L. (2017) 'Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness'. New York: Guilford Publications.

My course' rationale: activities design and learning theories

    Welcome to the third post under the label of my online course design, my fellow teachers. This time I am going to reflect on the activities and tools that I have chosen for the course and explain how these activities align with learning theories. 

    Before the discussion of activities that I created, I would like to note that learning theories, SAMR model, CoI (Community of Inquiry) framework and Padagogy wheel helped me build the structure of the online course' activities. There are also several digital tools that I incorporated into Google Classroom assignments to enhance learning and meet set learning outcomes. The first category of online course' activities that I am going to discuss is activities that have behaviourism in them. Behaviourism is a learning theory which tells that learning happens through interactions with the envrionment that has conditioning (imitation, practice and habituation) (Adjini, 2021). Usually, the activities that follow behaviourist manner are controlled by the teacher and the teacher is the one who provides stimulus as well (Budiman, 2017). Therefore, most of the completion exercises or those exercises that require repeated actions (drills) reflect the principles of behaviourism. In my online course, there are some activities that rely on the principles of this learning theory. Among them are: 

• Wordwall activities when students have to drag and drop definitions, or match definitions (lesson 3.2);
• Google Quizzes on email writing (lesson 1.1), common texting language practices (lesson 2.1);
• Quizizz reflection quiz (lesson 3.2);
• Kahoot! quiz on story structure (lesson 4.1);
• External links with worksheets (fill-in activities)

    Therefore, all of the mentioned activities reinforce practice of students' knowledge under conditioning and provides immediate feedback, which is also a component of behaviourist learning.

    The next learning theory is cognitivism. This theory is built on the notion that learning occurs inside the mind, focusing on how information is processed, stored and analyzed with the help of internal mental processes (Dilshad, 2017). I believe that the video with questions embedded from Youtube on EdPuzzle platform and then share as an input in my lessons is the definitoin of an activity that reflect cognitivism. EdPuzzle prompts learners to actively process information as they watch videos. In particular, questions at intervals might help learners analyze and remember key points of the information learnt. Also, I designed an assignment that included practicing on Write & Improve AI tool developed by Cambridge. This platform provides detailed feedback to student writings, giving them an opportunity to edit their works and proofread. This process aligns with the principle of cognitivism to allow learners refine their knowledge by providing feedback through guided practice (Institute of Education Sciences, 2016). 

    The next theory that I considered while designing activities for my online course is constructivism. In this theory, the learners are expected to have active involvement in constructing knowledge and meaning. Thus, constructivist teaching in our case should promote students' critical thinking and encourage them to learn independently, shifting the focus to students' own efforts to build blocks of knowledge in their minds (Jafari, Davatgari and Amineh, 2015). Activities that would make students learn through experiences and reflection in my online course are creation of blogs, writing short stories, recordings made with the help of Voki (lesson 2.2 lead-in activity), Wakelet resources (lesson 3.1 input). In particular, resources from Wakelet space can be used by students to analyze the content provided in different forms.

    On the other hand, there are some activities that reflect the principles of social constructivism. Social constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the construction of knowledge through social interaction (Saleem, Kausar and Deeba, 2021). In English language writing classes, social constructivism can be applied in pre-writing stage in a form of discussion activity, or brainstorming with group members (Fu, 2018). Through this, the students can construct their knowledge through cooperation and persuasion of their classmates. In addition to this, I integrated discussion boards in Google Classroom in some lessons, discussion on Kialo platform with prior stimulus (image) (lesson 4.1), pair work writing task, Padlet boards. Therefore, all these activities enable learners' engagement in a dailogue, construct their knowledge and improve their writing.

        Last but not least, there are activities that contain the principles of connectivism in them. Connectivism is a learning theory that focuses on learning as a networked process, using digital tools and digital connections to facilitate teaching-learning process (Goldie, 2016). As the course that I am developing is an online course on writing, I believe that networks, which are the main concept of connectivism, have to be prioritized. Students in my online course have to navigate through different channels, tools, platforms and often synthesize information on their own. The usage of platforms like Wakelet, or having a Goosechase scavenger hunt game in my lessons facilitates networked learning as well. Also, there are two of three parts to the activities that I create, so the learners will be gaining knowledge from different sources meaningfully. For instance, the learners should watch a YouTube video, complete an interactive task on Twee based on that video, learn through materials on Wakelet space and proceed to discussion on Padlet. I believe this is how connectivism can be applied in my classroom. In addition to this, there is an activity during which the students are asked to use shared Google Docs for writing project. This also integrates connectivism as learners co-create a piece of writing real-time, despite being in an online space. This way, they can actively participate in the lesson.

References

Ajdini, F. (2021). Behaviorist theory on language learning and acquisition. Filologjia-International Journal of Human Sciences, 9(15-16), 90-96.

Budiman, A. (2017). Behaviorism and foreign language teaching methodology. ENGLISH FRANCA: Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 1(2 December), 101-114.

Dilshad, M. N. (2017). Learning theories: Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism. International Education and Research Journal, 3(9), 64-66.

FU, J.-J. (2018). A Study on the Application of CAT in English Writing from the Perspective of Social Constructivism. DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education and Human Science, (icaem). Available from https://doi.org/10.12783/dtssehs/icaem2017/19081.

Goldie, J.G.S. (2016). Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital age? Medical Teacher, 38 (10), 1064–1069. Available from https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2016.1173661.

Institute of Education Sciences. (2016). Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively . Available from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/508_WWCPG_SecondaryWriting_122719.pdf

Jafari, R., Davatgari, H. and Amineh, R. (2015). Journal of Social Sciences, Literature and Languages Review of Constructivism and Social Constructivism. ©2015 JSSLL Journal, 1 (1), 9–16. Available from https://www.blue-ap.com/J/List/4/iss/volume%2001%20(2015)/issue%2001/2.pdf. 

Saleem, A., Kausar, H. and Deeba, F. (2021). Social constructivism: A new paradigm in teaching and learning environment. Perennial Journal of History, 2 (2), 403–421. Available from https://doi.org/10.52700/pjh.v2i2.86

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Jalinga Studio field trip insights

 

        Hello, my fellow teachers! This time, I am going to share my insights on video studio named Jalinga that we went to as a field trip on Week 8 session of ILT module. Overall, this studio consists of a small room where teachers can record their online lessons/courses. It has lots of facilities and offers opportunities for teachers, especially those in our field, to explain their lessons in an interactive way, recording videos simultaneously with presentations, videos, and so on.

    Here are the few "pros" of Jalinga studio that I would want to point out:

• you can record all of the videos on a simple white/green background and then edit it however you want;
• there is noise reduction in the studio on all the walls and ceiling;
• there is only one camera that records talking person, which reduces the level of anxiety (especially to those who are not used to talk on camera);
• there is a teleprompter installed in front of a "stage" so the talking person can read the script along the way;
• available microphone of a good quality that reduces noise;
• interactive features are accessible - writing notes on a screen with special pencil, browser mode, feature of viewing course materials with sensors, interactive presentations and so on.

    After being introduced to all these features, I began to wonder: "Why is this video studio so perfect but still not widespread enough so we are just hearing about it?" And, unfortunately, I got the answer right away. Roll drum... Pricing! An hour of recording at the studio costs 1 mln som, which is just under 100$. It is not affordable for the teachers in our country. I suppose this video studio would be suitable for big projects promoted by the government that aim to develop online courses for masses, or for those projects that have sponsorship deals. However, as a private tutor, you wouldn't be spending this much on recording courses unless you have a clear business plan or if you are a public persona with established community. 

    Hence, I would cleraly recommend this place for those who plan to create big projects and monetize them. However, even for YouTube courses/content, choosing this studio would be spendthrift. In this case, I would personally search for other options that are free of charge/cheaper and offer at least half of the interactive features Jalinga Studio has. Even though I do not plan to develop the content with the help of Jalinga Studio yet after the field trip, I am left with overall good impression of the place and facilities it had. Especially the quality of available equipment.

    Tune in to my blog and feel free to share your thoughts from our field trip in the comment section!

inside view