E. G. Kowch

Welcome toTelecommunications in Education:

Examining Distributed Teaching and Learning

Environments (EDER 677 L.91 )

September 12, Seminar OneCleared for take-off

E. G. Kowch

Agenda for tonight

1. Introductions - getting to know each other

2. Centra Tips

3. Course Overview

4. “The Flow of Things”

5. Sample Student Presentation

6. Organizer for next week

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Class Introductions

A Guide…• My Name is…• My Location / what it’s like where I

live…• My professional practice today (K-

12, Higher Ed, Industry, Government…)

• My interests outside work and learning include….

• Where I am in the program…• What I would like to achieve from

this course…

E. G. Kowch

Centra Communication Tips

• (Audiographic conferencing)• Ten second idea.. Use the X symbol by your name• In breakout rooms, the moderator assigns microphones• We will use WebCT mail as our mail host for this class• You should have email turnaround in 2 days, if you don’t, remind me to

check our mail via (ekowch@ucalgary.ca)

• Let’s brainstorm on the best way to use the tools we try..

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These curious cats are helping us figure out the best Theory and practices for online learning

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• “the flow” of the course• Each week (“live” or not)

1. Topic discussion thread (student led) - where we add to the discussion/learning- post a thought provoking inquiry. Preambles are ok :-)

2. Topic leaders summarize your thread and post it by Wednesday Noon (before next class)

Include URLs, references and new resources you found with others…

Live days ( Synchronicity)• Discuss issues arising from the previous topics (questions / responses)• Discuss new issues / concepts that you’d like to discuss• Content: A Presentation and Discussion on the topic• Content: A Student Presentation / Moderation on an issue of interest (on the

topic)

Course Overview / logisticsThe flow of things..

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Course Overview: The flow of things (cont.)

• Non-live days (Asynchronicity)

1. Material will be posted for you to read and explore

2. Summarize the last discussion that you led before the next class date

3. Work on your discussion thread, reference… communicate with others

4. Look ahead to the creation of you portfolio, plan, ponder…

E. G. Kowch

Course Events

Class Event Type Topic ( changes are welcome)

Sept. 12 CentraOne Conference(“Live session” )

Introduction of the class as an online communityOverview of the telecom course toolsIntroduction to Telecommunications in Education

Sept. 19 WebCT (asynchronous)

The art of online teachingInformation Literacy: Resources

Sept 26 CentraOne Conference

Creating online media: Tools and design principles

Oct. 3 WebCT (asynchronous)

Computer mediated communication systemsYour Personal Distributed Learning Portfolio

Oct. 10 WebCT (asynchronous)

Different telecommunication modes

Oct. 17 CentraOne Conference

Media decision-making –creating online multimedia education

Oct. 24 WebCT (asynchronous)

Administration issues: Creating collaborative online Teams

Oct. 31 CentraOne Conference

Management issues: political, social and technology-related issues

Nov. 7 WebCT (asynchronous)

Teaching and learning online environments: Guidelines and critical reviews

Nov. 14 CentraOne Conference

Telecommunication projects: Ethical , philosophical and Social issues

Nov. 21 WebCT (asynchronous)

Evaluating online teaching and learning environments

Nov. 28 CentraOne Conference

The future of distributed teaching and learning

Dec. 5 CentraOne Conference

Personal Distributed Learning Portfolios: Online Presentations

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Course Objectives:

1. To understand and practice effective on-line instruction and distributed teaching and learning

2. To examine, critically, the social, administrative and pedagogical issues surrounding online learning today

3. To analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet as a medium for education

4. To demonstrate reflective and critical thought about the value of on-line instruction versus face-to-face instruction

5. To consider the changes in education (administration, design) required to realize the full potential of new teaching and learning technologies

6. To survey and use telecommunication technologies in the context of teaching and learning to achieve the full potential of a learning environ

7. To survey and use telecom. Technologies in the context of teaching and learning to achieve course objectives

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The 677 ideas warehouses…as large as your interests… we can go with topics that interest you…

E. G. Kowch

Assignments / Deliverables

1. A publishable paper (25%) Due Oct 17 2. Participation (20%) Ongoing3. Personal Distributed Learning (PDL) Portfolio (30%) Due

Dec 5• Including:1. A personal narrative explaining your ideal PDL with:

I. Summary of your text discussion facilitationII. An Interpretation of that experienceIII. Summary and Analysis of your audiographic confrence facilitation

2. Collaborative (teaching online) proposal (5%) Due Oct 33. Your online project - a teaching environment (20%) Due Dec 3

E. G. Kowch

Defining Distance Education

• Breakout Activity Discussion Question: What is “distance education”…

To answer in your group, think about distance … between two …• People?• Places?• Time zones?• Ideologies?• Cultures?• Memories?• Social Economic Groups?• Institutional Realities?

• (Moderator, please report back to the main group with a few notes

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Some Facts related to Distance Education

(Simonson, 2003)

• 1680 institutions in the US offered 54,000 online courses last year

• Frederick Jackson Turner rand the correspondence program at U. Wisconsin from 1886 on..

• “Telemedicine” refers to distance education at a distance and “Telelaw” refers to law at a distance.

• Research shows that students who learn at a distance do not learn any worse, or better, than traditional students.

• Horses do not learn well via distance education

E. G. Kowch

Some Facts related to Distance Education

(Simonson, 2003)

• Satellites used for distance education orbit approximately 23,000 miles about the equator

• They travel at a speed equal to the speed of the earth (this is geo-sychronicity).

• Geo-sych orbit makes the satellites appear to be stationary• The location the satellites orbit (there is traffic up there) is called the

Clarke Belt, after Arthur C. Clarke.

E. G. Kowch

Some Facts about to Distance Edcuation(Simonson, 2003)

• Why is it so much easier to use the internet today? Internet packets sent by Internet Protocol (IP) are the reason.

• The internet packet switched network means that messages are divided into packets that are disassembled and then sent to a distant site where the packets are reassembled into the complete message.

• Cisco has capitalized on the disassembling / assembling machine protocol. When you own the encoders/decoders, you own the beach.

• When you own the software creating the messages (Microsoft), you own the beach parking lot.

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Communications Theory (dehydrated)

Source (encoder)

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Communications Theory On One Slide

Source (encoder)

Message (content..the stuff)

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Communications Theory On One Slide

Source (encoder)

Message(content..the stuff)

Channel (the medium or conduit)

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Communications Theory On One Slide

Source (encoder)

Message(content..the stuff)

Channel (the medium or conduit)

Receiver (decoder)

E. G. Kowch

Communications Theory On One Slide

Source

Message

Channel

Receiver

Feedback

Feedback

E. G. Kowch

Communications Theory On One Slide

Source

Message

Channel

Receiver

Feedback

Feedback

This is the This is the designdesign principal behind tele-communication. Think principal behind tele-communication. Think A lot about which part of this model we are using, and when.A lot about which part of this model we are using, and when.

E. G. Kowch

Next Week’s Topics (on WebCT)(1) Defining Distance Education(2) Online Teaching

• Recommended Readings• Paloff & Pratt,(2001) Chapter One: Online Learning in the New Millennium:

• Online learning today, • New technological developments and new modes of delivery, • New issues for both faculty and administrators,

• New Governance issues are emerging• Intellectual property and course ownership are becoming bigger issues• Faculty and student training online

• Recent Developments in K-12 online learning• The effectiveness of distance delivery

Oblinger, D., (2000). The nature and purpose of distance education. http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=647 (do you agree with Oblinger? Why or why not?)

Deliverables for next day (Sept 19th)• Introduce yourself to us in writing, in the WebCT discussion area.• Please email me your digital picture by next Tuesday, Sept. 18th.

E. G. Kowch

Adieu from Calgary, until September 19th..our next Live session is on September 26th, 7 PM Mountain time