Category: EDCI 339

Below is my e-portfolio for EDCI 339:

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Revised Blog

Attached links to individual topic blogs:

Topic #1

Topic #2

Topic #3

Here is a  link to a google doc where you can see my edits. I edited my blog post and added two new outside sources and an infographic!

Enjoy the final draft blog below!

How can you ensure equitable access to authentic, meaningful & relevant learning environments for all learners in K-12 open and distributed learning contexts? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?

 

When considering equitability in open and distributed learning environments, one has to examine the whole learner- homelife, access to technology, past education experience, exceptionalities, and cultural identity. 

One approach that many educators are now using, to ensure equitability in the classroom, is the Universal Design for Learning, defined by Basham et al. (2018) as “educational systems that offer multiple ways of engaging students, representing information, and demonstrations of mastery” (2018, p.477). UDL uses a learner-centred approach, which inherently makes the teacher ensure equitable access for every student. Terence Brady in his TED talk “Universal Design for Learning—A Paradigm for Maximum Inclusion” agrees with this statement, saying that UDL at its core is inclusive only because it is student-centred.  He continues stating that we “must view difference as an everyday occurrence in the educational process and celebrate it.” By using UDL we are able to create accessible and equitable learning. 

UDL consists of three main principles and 3 more subcategories (total of 9) as seen in this chart. These principles are integrated into the lesson planning process to foster an inclusive design style.

Link to the interactive version 

Adding a UDL approach to an online environment can be more difficult than a F2F class but it makes open and distributed learning an option for students with exceptionalities.  In a fully online environment, UDL  was proven to “[enhance] the learner perception of their own efforts and increase persistence in large-scale online course completion” (Basham et al., 2018, p.489). Furthermore, in an online-blended-environment, UDL was proven to “increase learner satisfaction and learning outcomes” (Basham et al., 2018, p.489). Many federal education initiatives have begun to adopt and endorse the theory because of its research base (Basham et al., 2018, p.480)

The implementation of UDL in both brick-and-mortar schools and online school systems has enabled teachers to begin the class expecting and normalizing student learning diversity which enables all to have an equal chance to succeed and grow.

Here is a link to an article about how to use UDL in an online environment. The website also has a whole series on “Reaching and Teaching all students with UDL”. I have also created an Infographic using Canva to highlight the main ideas!

Another consideration when creating equitable access to an open and distributed learning environment would be a student’s cultural background. We must have representation and resources to make all students feel valued. This is especially important for Canada’s Indigenous youth because part of the reconciliation efforts is the curriculum’s calls for Indigenous education to be represented in public schooling. Here is a graphic of the First Peoples Principles of Learning that educators across BC reference to help integrate Indigenous principles into their classroom and lesson plans.

PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17

When considering the cultural background of students in an online environment, it is important to make sure each person feels seen, valued, represented, and supported. There are 8  design principles outlined by Kral and Schwab (2012) that can help teachers do just this. These principles are:

1: A space young people control

2: A space for hanging out and mucking around 

3: A space where learners learn 

4: A space to grow into new roles and responsibilities 

5: A Space to Practice oral and written language 

6: A space to express self and cultural identity through multimodal forms

7: A space to develop and engage in enterprise 

8: A space to engage with the world

(Kral and Schwab, 2012, p. 58-90)

Beyond the classroom (online or in-person), it is also important to have Indigenous learning centres that offer resources to areas that may have low access to technology, which in turn allows Indigenous youth to represent themselves and preserve their culture and language in new and innovative ways (Kral and Schwab, 2012). 

Creating equitable access requires dedication and forethought. As stated in Neil Selwyn in his blog titled “Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19”, teachers are being faced more now than ever with the challenges of creating an online environment due to COVID-19. It is important, now and always, to look to the experts who have dedicated their careers to making an online environment equitable for all their students. In doing so, we can build an online learning community that is open to all learners, and those learners will feel supported and able to succeed. 

Resources:

Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

CAST (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2 [graphic organizer]. Wakefield, MA: Author.

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC). (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2020, from http://www.fnesc.ca/

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012 Retrieved from:   http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p197731/pdf/ch041.pdf

Selwyn. N. (2020). Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19.[Weblog]. Retrieved from: https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2020/04/30/1380217/online-learning-rethinking-teachers-digital-competence-in-light-of-covid-19

Schlichtmann, G. R. (2020, May 27). Distance Learning: 6 UDL Best Practices for Online Learning. UDL Best Practices for Distance Learning. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/universal-design-for-learning/video-distance-learning-udl-best-practices.

Tedx  Talks. (2017, February 10). Universal Design for Learning—A Paradigm for Maximum Inclusion | Terence Brady | TEDxWestFurongRoad [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRZWjCaXtQo

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Optional activities

included within each artifact:

• Connections to course outcomes
• Connection to course content
• Connection to outside sources
• The reason for choosing that activity
• Other miscellaneous connections and thoughts

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Optional activity 1: Webinar with Dr. Bard Brown

 

Here is an article link to further define Alan Mclean’s 3 A’s and one to define Circle of Courage as I talked about in my audio recording.

 

Optional activity 2: Padlet 

Here is a Google Slides to describe my Padlet experience.

My Padlet question was #7.

Link to articles to answer the Padlet questions 

Link to Padlet

Optional activity 3: Slack Conversation 

link to a transcript of the video (I strayed from the script a little bit but these are the main points that I spoke about in the video!)

Optional activity 4: Live Twitter Conversation 

Link to transcript version. 

Here is a link to 15 ways to use Twitter in education. I found it helped me visualize how it can be used in education!

 

Citations:

Circle of Courage Images–Source: Used with permission. Artist: George Blue Bird. The Circle of Courage is a Trademark of Circle of Courage, Inc. For more information, see Web site: www.reclaiming.com or e mail: courage@reclaiming.com. Principles of the Circle of Courage–Source: Used with permission. From Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steve Van Bockern (pgs. 137-138). Copyright 1990 and 2002 by Solution Tree (formerly National Educational Service), 304 West Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47404, 800-733-6786, www.solution-tree.com.

Source: Reclaiming Youth Network. “The Circle of Courage Philosophy.” 2007. (13 July 2007). Reproduced with permission. 

Ways to Increase Online Student Engagement. 9 Ways to Increase Online Student Engagement | WBT Systems. https://www.wbtsystems.com/learning-hub/blogs/9-ways-to-increase-online-student-engagement.

Burdette, P. J., Greer, D., & Woods, K. L. (2013). K-12 online learning and students with disabilities: Perspectives from state special education directors. Online Learning, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v17i3.327

Deschaine, M. E. (2020, April 20). Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning. Michigan Virtual. https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/supporting-students-with-disabilities-in-k-12-online-and-blended-learning/.

Dr Valeria (Lo Iacono) Symonds on June 14, Dr Valeria (Lo Iacono) Symonds on July 15, & *, N. (2020, July 15). 21 Free fun Icebreakers for Online Teaching and virtual remote teams: Symonds Training. Symonds Research Training Course Materials. https://symondsresearch.com/icebreakers-for-online-teaching/.

The motivated school. Pivotal Education. https://pivotaleducation.com/hidden-trainer-area/training-online-resources/the-motivated-school/.

Moore, S., & Hodges, C. B. (2020, March 11). Inside Higher Ed. Practical advice for instructors faced with an abrupt move to online teaching (opinion). https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/03/11/practical-advice-instructors-faced-abrupt-move-online-teaching-opinion.

Muskin, M. (2020, April 29). 7 Tips for Managing Distance Learning in Preschool. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-tips-managing-distance-learning-preschool.

Norman, S. (2018, March 12). 15 Ways To Use Twitter In Education (For Students And Teachers Alike). https://elearningindustry.com/15-ways-twitter-in-education-students-teachers.

N., J. (2018, December 5). How to Keep Young Learners Engaged in Your Online Class. TwoSigmas. https://twosigmas.com/blog/how-to-keep-young-learners-engaged-in-your-online-class/.

Papadopoulou, A. (2019, December 20). Learner Assessment in Online Courses: Best Practices & More. Learnworlds. https://www.learnworlds.com/learner-assessment-best-practices-course-design/.

Papadopoulou, A. (2020, April 28). How to Build an Online Learning Community (In 2020). Learnworlds. https://www.learnworlds.com/build-online-learning-community/.

PSYCH 424 blog. Applied Social Psychology ASP RSS. (2017, October 30). https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2017/10/30/online-education-and-peer-interaction/

Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press..

Selwyn. N. (2020). Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19.[Weblog]. Retrieved from: https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2020/04/30/1380217/online-learning-rethinking-teachers-digital-competence-in-light-of-covid-19

Schlichtmann, G. R. (2020, May 27). Distance Learning: 6 UDL Best Practices for Online Learning. UDL Best Practices for Distance Learning. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/universal-design-for-learning/video-distance-learning-udl-best-practices.

Tedx  Talks. (2017, February 10). Universal Design for Learning—A Paradigm for Maximum Inclusion | Terence Brady | TEDxWestFurongRoad [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRZWjCaXtQo

Verenanz. (2020, July 23). Questions for Online & Open K-12 Teachers. https://padlet.com/verenanz/5na90f0mkywgdcmh.

How can you ensure equitable access to authentic, meaningful & relevant learning environments for all learners in K-12 open and distributed learning contexts? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?

When considering equitability in open and distributed learning environments, one has to consider the whole learner- homelife and access to technology, past education experience, unique learning needs and exceptionalities, and cultural identity. When we consider all aspects a student brings into the classroom, we are able to understand what makes them successful.

One approach that many educators are now using is the Universal Design for Learning, defined by Basham et al. in their chapter titled “Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable”. They define UDL as “[an] educational systems that offer multiple ways of engaging students, representing information, and demonstrations of mastery” (2018, p.477). It focuses on a learner-centred approach, which inherently makes the teacher ensure equitable access for every student. UDL consists of three main principles as seen in this chart. 

Link to the interactive version 

These principles are integrated into the planning process to foster an inclusive style of lesson planning. Many federal education initiatives have begun to adopt and endorse the theory because of its research base (the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Technology Plans 2010 and 2016, Ed Tech Developer’s Guide 2015, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008,  and Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015) (Basham et al., 2018, p.480). Adding a UDL approach to an online environment can be more difficult than a F2F class but it makes open and distributed learning an option for students with exceptionalities.  In a fully online environment, UDL  was proven to “[enhance] the learner perception of their own efforts and increase persistence in large-scale online course completion” (Basham et al., 2018, p.489). Furthermore, in an online-blended-environment, UDL was proven to “increase learner satisfaction and learning outcomes” (Basham et al., 2018, p.489). The implementation of UDL ensures all students are welcomed in your classroom and can be successful learners.

Another consideration when creating equitable access to an open and distributed learning environment would be a student’s cultural background. We must have representation and resources to make all students feel valued. This is especially important for Canada’s indigenous youth because part of the reconciliation efforts is the curriculum’s calls for indigenous education to be represented in public schooling. 

PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17

Kral and Schwab outline a few principles that can help make indigenous youth feel welcome, seen, and safe to explore through learning. These principles are:

 

1: A space young people control

2: A space for hanging out and mucking around 

3: A space where learners learn 

4: A space to grow into new roles and responsibilities 

5: A Space to Practice oral and written language 

6: A space to express self and cultural identity through multimodal forms

7: A space to develop and engage in enterprise 

(Kral and Schwab, 2012, p. 58-90)

When considering the cultural background of students in an online environment, it is important to make sure each person feel seen, valued, represented, and supported. 

Beyond the classroom walls, it is also important to have indigenous learning centres that offer resources to areas that may have low access to technology, which in turn allows indigenous youth to represent themselves and preserve their culture and language in new and innovative ways (Kral and Schwab, 2012). 

As stated in Neil Selwyn in his blog titled “Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19”, teachers are being faced more now than ever with the challenges of creating an online environment. It is important to look to the experts who have dedicated their careers to making an online environment equitable for all their students. 

Resources

Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

CAST (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2 [graphic organizer]. Wakefield, MA: Author.

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC). (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2020, from http://www.fnesc.ca/

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012 Retrieved from:   http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p197731/pdf/ch041.pdf

Selwyn. N. (2020). Online learning: Rethinking teachers’ ‘digital competence’ in light of COVID-19.[Weblog]. Retrieved from: https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2020/04/30/1380217/online-learning-rethinking-teachers-digital-competence-in-light-of-covid-19

In past courses, I have learned about open education under Canada’s early definition. Led by Paquette in the 1970s, open education was a “pedagogical…interrelation among three key elements: the physical layout of the classroom, the learning activities and the teacher interventions” ( Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.529).

This meant that unlike today, it was about breaking down physical walls in the classroom, focusing on collaborative learning and student autonomy, and a teacher’s roles shifting to a guider rather than a leader. This collaborative learning idea was supported by earlier educational philosophers such as Dewy and Vygotsky who both valued what can be learned through socialization and learner-learner interaction. Later into the 80s and 90s with the innovations of the internet, open learning changed to be defined as “…support[ing] the production, use and reuse of high quality open educational resources (OER) through institutional policies, which promote innovative pedagogical models, and respect and empower learners as co-producers on their lifelong learning path”(Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.528). In more simple terms open learning means to reuse, revise, remix, redistribute, and retain (the 5 Rs)  (Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.532) open education resources to allow teachers and students to learn and collaborate together, using a larger base of resources. The use of open educational resources can be used in an online and in-person setting but is more traditionally utilized in an online learning environment. There are now eight principles to open learning,

• Learner-centeredness;
• lifelong learning;
• flexibility in learning;
• removal of barriers to access;
• recognition of prior learning experiences and current competencies
• learner support;
• expectations of success;
• Cost-effectiveness. (Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.529)

The most recent definition of open learning is that it is learning that utilizes OER. UNESCO defines this: “OER [are] “any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them ” (Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.532).

“Open learning became a term to describe flexible learning or asynchronous learning” and later “[a]spects of… [it]…formed the basis for distance or online learning”(Roberts& Blomgren& Ishmael& Graham, 2018, p.529). As open learning and open education resources spread across Canada, distanced/distributed learning began to incorporate it into is online learning designs. These online schools were started to service “students in rural and remote communities” (Barbour & Labonte, 2018, p. 602). Each province and territory has its own Ministry of Education that facilitates online and distributed learning platforms (Barbour & Labonte, 2018, p. 601). Each province has had its own history with online learning and open learning’s role within it (Barbour & Labonte, 2018). With the growth of technology and acceptance of OER, Canda has “one of the highest per capita student enrolment in e-learning courses and programs of any jurisdiction in the world, and was one of the first countries to use the Internet to deliver distance learning courses to students” (Barbour & Labonte, 2018, p. 603). What is important to note is that  BC is one of the leaders in distanced learning, having began distanced learning in 1919 and starting virtual schools in 1993 (Barbour & Labonte, 2018, p. 602). 

Today, Canada is working to incorporate open education resources both in brick-and-mortar schools and online school environments, it is reaching its rural youth with online schools, and is learning how to establish student connection in this new and innovative learning environment. 

Here are some videos to further define open education, open educational resources, and online/distanced learning.

 

Citations:

Roberts, V. , Blomgren, C. Ishmael, K. & Graham, L. (2018) Open Educational Practices in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. In R. Ferdig & K.Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 527–544). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

 

Barbour, M & Labonte, R. (2018) An Overview of eLearning Organizations and Practices in Canada. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 600-616). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

From prior knowledge, I know that building relationships in a classroom is integral in student engagement. A student’s ability to feel welcome and safe in a learning environment allows them to take risks in their learning journey. Relationships bloom from communication and meaningful interaction between students and teachers. It is important to establish lines of communication early in  K-12 online and open learning spaces in order to make students feel open to communicating with both teachers and other students. By including a form of communication that can be private or public, students have autonomy in what form of communication works with their needs and comfort levels. 

Types of online learning:

Amy Garrett Dikkers explores the research behind communication and the importance of a social online learning community in “Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning”.  Garret Dikkers states that the “…social presence is an essential literacy for cultivation emotions and relationships that enhance the overall learning experience” (2018, p. 513).  She goes on saying, although it is widely accepted that a social component is necessary, there is little current research on open and online learning with an emphasis on social interaction (p. 509-510). Nevertheless, She was able to find research to support this accepted fact and zoom in on the building blocks that are needed. To start, there are three forms of social interaction: Learner-learner interaction; Learner-instructor interaction; Learner-content interaction.

Overall, most researchers could agree that learner-content and learner-instructor interactions were the most beneficial in creating grade improvement and the feeling of socialization in an online space (Garret Dikkers, 2018, p.511). Learner-learner interaction is often underdeveloped in online learning spaces, only appearing as small collaboration projects or peer teaching (Garret Dikkers, 2018, p. 512).  Furthermore, there are challenges incorporating students with different learning needs into learner-learner interaction when most popularly, it is in a collaborative project supplying the learner-learner interaction, which is not successful for all learners (Garret Dikkers, 2018, p. 515). A teacher must use the UDL principles to guide how to effectively include all learners into learner-learner interactions. Garret Dikkers puts forth that it is up to the teacher to cultivate a learning space that is conducive to communication, collaboration, and socialization. The use of the “social presence model” can help guide teachers to a successfully interactive course (Garret Dikkers, 2018, p.513).

Different online tools can be used to create these successful spaces, but it is up to the teacher to also consider FIPPA and acceptable use policies and to gain consent before implementing these tools. With all of this in mind, teachers should strive to build relationships through online learning through connecting with their learners through their instruction and through their content and build spaces for students to connect.

In the future, I want to learn how to build these connections. What are successful ways to connect learners to each other, to you, and to the course content?

 

Citations:

Garrett Dikkers, A. (2018) Social Interaction in K-12 Online Learning. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 509-522 ). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.