504 Learning Systems
Students will explore learning management and content management systems for hosting and organizing online learning activity. Investigations will look at proprietary (e.g. Desire2Learn), open source (e.g., Moodle), and non-traditional systems (e.g., Web 2.0) regarding the pros and cons and technical competencies for the design of learning activities and course management.
Course Outcomes Winter 2015 Instructor: Avi Luxenburg
Through course activities, online discussions, readings and research it is expected that students will:
- Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS) and non-LMS environments.
- Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
- Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments.
- Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS and non-LMS environments.
- Integration of current cognitive learning and brain-based learning theory.
- Examine current research around best practices and emerging practices for both LMS and non-LMS environments.
- Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
504 Critical Challenge Question
How can Learning Management Systems (LMS and/or Non-LMS) help me develop courses where students learn in the best way for them (teacher-structured/personalized), while providing me with the tools I require for efficient and efficacious presentation, moderation, support, and assessment (for, as, and of learning)?
Canvas LMS Instructional Video - Quizzes
OLTD Program Learning Outcomes Addressed:
Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS) and non-LMS environments.
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
Assignment Summary and Reflection:
I created this screen cast as part of the LMS Jigsaw activity where cohort members worked together as a team to learn Canvas. Our team was exceptionally collaborative and worked closely to learn many aspects of the Canvas system prior to the Blackboard Collaborate presentation, done in real time, where we chose to integrate live instruction with our own instructional videos. I didn’t end up showing my video as part of the presentation, due to time constraints, but I was glad that I made it. First, preparing for a screen cast helped me focus on the information in a way that made me understand it inside out (reminding me to include video presentations more often as options for my own students)! Second, I learned how to use Snagit as a screen capture tool. And last but perhaps most importantly, I gained much needed practical experience creating an instructional video. Preparing for a "lesson recording" is quite a bit different than the more organic flow I get to enjoy working in a face to face environment, where my focus is to respond to my students. My preference , to borrow from Karen Hume, has always been to "start where they are" and then walk along side my students challenging them to carve out their own pathways in learning.
I see being able to create screen casts with varying accommodations as an absolute essential skill in order for me to successfully design online courses in ways that honour the focus I have on differentiated instruction. Personalizing learning for students is an overarching principle of the work I do in an Alternate Education setting. Learning how to provide varying visual contexts, along with a familiar voice, would go a long way not only in helping students to access information differently but also to help them be able to sustain a personal connection with me as their instructor.
Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to Learning Management Systems (LMS) and non-LMS environments.
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
Assignment Summary and Reflection:
I created this screen cast as part of the LMS Jigsaw activity where cohort members worked together as a team to learn Canvas. Our team was exceptionally collaborative and worked closely to learn many aspects of the Canvas system prior to the Blackboard Collaborate presentation, done in real time, where we chose to integrate live instruction with our own instructional videos. I didn’t end up showing my video as part of the presentation, due to time constraints, but I was glad that I made it. First, preparing for a screen cast helped me focus on the information in a way that made me understand it inside out (reminding me to include video presentations more often as options for my own students)! Second, I learned how to use Snagit as a screen capture tool. And last but perhaps most importantly, I gained much needed practical experience creating an instructional video. Preparing for a "lesson recording" is quite a bit different than the more organic flow I get to enjoy working in a face to face environment, where my focus is to respond to my students. My preference , to borrow from Karen Hume, has always been to "start where they are" and then walk along side my students challenging them to carve out their own pathways in learning.
I see being able to create screen casts with varying accommodations as an absolute essential skill in order for me to successfully design online courses in ways that honour the focus I have on differentiated instruction. Personalizing learning for students is an overarching principle of the work I do in an Alternate Education setting. Learning how to provide varying visual contexts, along with a familiar voice, would go a long way not only in helping students to access information differently but also to help them be able to sustain a personal connection with me as their instructor.
Prezi: The Tip of the Iceberg
Link to Tip of the Iceberg Prezi with voice-over
OLTD Program Learning Outcomes Addressed:
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments.
Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS and non-LMS environments.
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
Assignment Summary and Reflection:
This assignment was about building a Non-LMS learning environment focusing on platforms for Communication, Community Building and Assessment. It really got me thinking about the personalization aspect of building web-based learning environments, especially for the atypical students that I work with who have a myriad of obstacles to learning. Though I was really impressed with Canvas, the LMS that I examined as part of this course requirement (so much so that I immediately transitioned a great deal of my English course to the Canvas platform for Term 3), I did see the value of examining Non-LMS apps. There are an abundance of them out there and the investigation lead me to learn how to discriminate appropriately - definitely a worthwhile venture!
Contemplating the possibilities of integrating Non-LMS applications into my practice and evaluating their worth seemed to give me the impetus to actually integrate them into my practice! I revisited previously known apps like, Google Drive which prompted me to create an assignment that had students situate themselves accordingly with Google Docs extinguishing the need for keeping track of external flash drives! I especially enjoyed learning more about a Kim Chalmer's assessment find called Plickers. This app is the only one that I know of where students are NOT required to have digital devices to participate in a real-time class assessment and I look forward to experimenting with it in the months to follow. (See Prezi for more information).
Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments and tools.
Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of LMS and non-LMS environments.
Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of LMS and non-LMS environments.
Develop skills to optimize learning experiences through personalization based on characteristics, needs, stages of development, current personalized learning mandates, misconceptions etc.
Assignment Summary and Reflection:
This assignment was about building a Non-LMS learning environment focusing on platforms for Communication, Community Building and Assessment. It really got me thinking about the personalization aspect of building web-based learning environments, especially for the atypical students that I work with who have a myriad of obstacles to learning. Though I was really impressed with Canvas, the LMS that I examined as part of this course requirement (so much so that I immediately transitioned a great deal of my English course to the Canvas platform for Term 3), I did see the value of examining Non-LMS apps. There are an abundance of them out there and the investigation lead me to learn how to discriminate appropriately - definitely a worthwhile venture!
Contemplating the possibilities of integrating Non-LMS applications into my practice and evaluating their worth seemed to give me the impetus to actually integrate them into my practice! I revisited previously known apps like, Google Drive which prompted me to create an assignment that had students situate themselves accordingly with Google Docs extinguishing the need for keeping track of external flash drives! I especially enjoyed learning more about a Kim Chalmer's assessment find called Plickers. This app is the only one that I know of where students are NOT required to have digital devices to participate in a real-time class assessment and I look forward to experimenting with it in the months to follow. (See Prezi for more information).