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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Ja

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

My online course structure

         Hello my fellow teachers! I am back posting another time about the development of online course on everyday English writing. This time I will be sharing my online course' structure. There are 5 modules overall with two lessons each (Pic 1). The last lesson (lesson 5) does not have divided structure as it is for final writing project assignment. Overall, each lesson covers a particular topic. For instance, lessons 1.1 and 1.2 are dedicated to Email structure and writing email for different purposes. Lesson 2 is focused on improving writing skills in messengers and choosing the tone in informal context. Meanwhile, lesson 3 is designed for writing on social media and blogs. Last but not least, lessons 4.1 and 4.2 are focused on writing stories and personal narratives.

Pic. 1

       There is also a clear outline of each lesson that I decided to follow (Pic 2). 

        

Pic 2

        

        Each lesson will have lesson overview first. I will include it before lead-in in every lesson to set clear expectations for students to refer to while completing the tasks. Lesson overviews are particularly good in activating learners' prior knowledge and anticipation of the lesson flow, which in turn increases student engagement (Richards, 2015). After that, there is lead-in activity to activate students' schemata. Schemata is the way students can activate their prior knowledge in writing by answering the questions based on what they have read, experienced, or observed (Dang, 2018). Thus, I plan to develop lead-in activities as discussion boards, or brainstorming boards to encourage learners think about the topic being taught. This activity will be followed by Input, which I think will be provided as variety of materials in different forms of multimedia - videos, infographics, articles, worksheets. After Input, I decided to put guided practice and free practice. Guided practice will be in the form of assignments to be completed with the help of different digital tools and Google Classroom submissions as well. Meanwhile, free practice will be provided as a form of assignment, or home assignment, that should be submitted exclusively through Google Classroom as Google Docs document. Finally, some of the topics may include discussion forums, peer feedback forums, or quizzes made with Google Forms. 

        When it comes to the feedback from the teacher, I think as the course goes on, the teacher may give feedback either orally or in a written form. The written form will be visible to learners on Google Classroom alongside with grades, while oral feedback can be given through different ways. First way is conducting a Zoom meeting to share personalized feedback to each student so they understand exactly what they should improve in their works and what they should focus on (Carby, 2023). In addition to this, the teacher may give video feedback, or so-called veedback, so the students get more information from the teacher about their writing in the form of a video, which also increases rapport between students and the teacher (Ali, 2016). Therefore, feedback will be given in different forms once the students enroll and start submitting their works.

        References

    Ali, A.D., (2016). Effectiveness of Using Screencast Feedback on EFL Students' Writing and Perception. English Language Teaching, 9(8), pp.106-121.        

    Carby, N., (2023). Personalized feedback in a virtual learning environment. Journal of Educational Supervision, 6(1), p.36. 

    Dang, U., (2018). Activating schemata in ESL writing. University of Arkansas.

    Richards, J.C., (2015). Key issues in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.