CIL: Virtual Learning and Training

CIL: Virtual Learning and Training: Teaching and Learning with Drupal

Meredith Farkas, Norwich University, Head of Instructional Initiatives

• written lecture notes

• discussion forums

• assignements

• quizzes...

  • can't just use irl stuff for online courses...”pretty frickin' boring!”...MF got her MLIS online about six years ago

• web 2.0 ideas for the classroom

  • it's the age of participation

  • wisdom of crowds...love it!

  • Social constructivism ...teacher is a facilitator, not a “sage on the stage” (use that for my Manib Lib Conf talk!!!!)...and get peeps talking...will there be enough people/twitters for a session hash tag?...hmmm....could suvey and do if so...

  • about the experience

• MF now teaches @ SanJose State Univ...online...

  • didn't want to use their course management system...focussed on instructor, not student interaction...was allowed to do her own thing

  • used drupal (drupal.org)...OS content management system...used for a huge variety of things

• why use blogs?

  • Familiar medium for two-way com

  • faculty communication with students

  • one place to look...eg “housekeeping” tag...keeps stuff together

  • builds sense of ownership over the medium for students

  • community building

  • reflective learning...thinking about what you're learning

  • writing in public

  • everyone is a teacher and learner

• blogs can:

  • promote critical and reflective thinking

  • enable collaboration and knowledge-sharing

  • create an informal environment for student discussion and communtiy building

  • encourage dialogue and debate

  • encourage students to teach as well as learn and co-costruct their learning experience

Joan Peti...(substitute...) Using “prezi”...blogging at the american university in Cairo..wow...

• instruction and ref librarian

• accredited US univesrity

• mostly Egyptian students

• required info lit class

• moved course from Blackboard to a simple wiki

• http://lalt.wetpaint.com – check it out

• shifted emphasis from passing to learning the skills

  • strict attendance + in class assignments

• implemented blogging

  • issue with lack of freedome of speech in Egypt...bloggers are regularly jailed...repressive

  • wanted students to appreciate and understand the tools, even in this environement

  • used word-press...but was overwhealming for tech-newbies

  • for last blog...asked students how they liked blogging – and they loved it!!!

  • shocked lib staff!...students had historically hated the class...but deal was sealed with the blogging experience

• lessons learned:

  • take advantage of key moments

  • own your disasters

  • define success

  • sometimes crisis = opportunity

  • ill-considered ideas hastily implemented can be a great success!!!

• I thought this session, from description in flyer, would be more about creating tutorials etc...oh well, still some fab points

• you have to find the right tech for your students