Some News Items about E-learning

As I don't have any new news about anything related about the EASL spaces at Auburn (ok, so I just sent out all my emails with the survey), I thought I would instead point folks to some recent news items that are connected with some form of e-learning.

You may have seen this article about "Still in Favor of the Flip" in reaction to an apparently lonely study out there suggesting that flipping the classroom does not work well:  http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/30/despite-new-studies-flipping-classroom-still-enjoys-widespread-support.
Note that the majority of studies, of anecdotal evidence, of stories, suggest that flipping the classroom increases student learning, student engagement, student ownership of the classroom and of the materials -- but I can see quite a few people being uncomfortable with that kind of student role.  And of course we should not underestimate, understate the increased faculty involvement with that course if flipping is done well and meaningful activities happen in the classroom.
Note also that the study itself is emphasizing its findings as preliminary, with the sense that quotations were taken out of context, thus distorting the findings.

But what about having students get e-books?  Well, apparently at least young folks in the UK prefer paper books over digital books, according to http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/25/young-adult-readers-prefer-printed-ebooks
We have seen similar research in this country as well, though the sense is, I believe, that folks distinguish between reading for pleasure and reading for work -- and with reading for work, aka studying, the possibilities for annotation and sharing of annotation are growing in leaps and bounds.

Second EASL Room in 2014

Auburn University is planning on a second EASL room for Fall 2014.  We are starting to plan how this room will be set up.  Chances are that we will not have different table shapes in it, as we have in the first space, but rather that we will be able to use the soon-to-com student and faculty feedback to make some decisions on what kinds of shapes are preferable.
Chances are also that the space will be quite a bit larger than what we currently have, possibly allowing for twice the number of students.  A great opportunity to rethink the way some of the natural sciences and math classes can be taught here.

Brandon Butler on Copyright and Fair use -- Challenging some Urban Myths

If you are one of the folks who has been concerned about fair use and what that means for your use of other folks' materials in your teaching, you may find Brandon Butler's reading of the law a breath of fresh air.

Butler, from the Association of Research Libraries, has worked with copyright and fair use for many years.  He came to Auburn University at the end of October to provide us with a new way of thinking about fair use.

Lesson 1:  Do not worry about percentages or how much you can take

These seemingly set in stone rules are simply special agreements that were created for particular cases and then got lives of their own.

Lesson 2:  Think about transformation and community practice.

So, instead of getting hung up on how many words, pages, or seconds you are using, think instead about
Is the use of the material transformative, that is, am I providing a new framework, or perspective for it that let's us experience the material in a new way, different from the original intent.  For example, if I take an image of an art work and add it to my web site for beautification, then I am not really changing the original intent of the art work.  However, if I am then discussing the image in the critical light of a social, cultural, historical context, the image is transformed.

And if you are a member of a community that does things in a certain way, has always done things in a certain way (eg, display multiple choices on a draft board) then moving this kind of display online does not change the community practice -- key is that the practice has to be accepted.

Some more Resources

Butler shared a couple of handouts with us
Infograph about Fair Use
Online Resources
Video of Butler's Talk

New web site for EASL

Last week saw some fun new developments for the active learning space(s) at Auburn University.

1.  A mini crowd sourcing, using facebook, yielded some potential new names for the space as incubator is just not quite cutting it for the long haul.  With EASL and EAGLE acronyms, we moved into a spirited email vote and discussion of what name we should adopt -- LEAP was added during that discussion, and after two rounds of voting the narrow winner emerged:  EASL aka Engaged Active Student Learning.
So, our EASL rooms and spaces can be seen as the connection to Canvas, and a scaffold for creation.

2.  We now have one Youtube video live, and some more in the works that showcase our first EASL space:



For more and continuing information about various aspects of EASL and future videos, go to http://auburn.edu/easl/

3.  Our joint proposal for a poster session at the next ELI (Educause Learning Initiative) conference in February 2014 was accepted, so hopefully we will have some more news by then about the results the classroom has yielded so far.  And yes, now waiting to hear the verdict on my IRB proposal.

Incubator Classroom Has its First Media Appearance

The incubator classroom was featured in Auburn University's student newspaper, The Plainsman, in their October 10, 2013 edition.

To read the article, please go to http://issuu.com/theplainsman/docs/the_auburn_plainsman_10.10.13_issue_ec3be4a714cc56/1?e=1266707/5171255

WrapUp from Teaching Professor Technology Conference

Last week's conference ended on a high note with some great presentations on using Web2.0 tools for collaborative work in classes.

Particularly interesting was the presentation on Prezi and how you can use it for brain storming (but you can only have 10 folks on it at the same time).  Watch out for possible accessibility problems.

Another highlight was the presentation on using Pinterest for business writing assignments.

For the full program, go to http://www.teachingprofessor.com/conferences/technology-conference-2013 and also check out the online resources they made available.

Second Day at the Teaching Professor Conference -- Technology, in Atlanta

I think this is the first conference I have been at where the majority of attendees are indeed faculty who are here because they teach, they want to learn about new ways to teach, new tools.  Quite exhilarating.

The topics from yesterday ranged from the commercial perspective (we can do it all for you) that textbook companies have moved towards to the collaborative perspective (with limited resources, what can we do jointly?).  From we provide the content (MOOCs) to we provide the guidance (active learning in a flipped classroom).  From small tools focusing on isolated tasks (interactive white board apps) to online help for tasks students do not want to learn (http://www.citelighter.com/ for citation management) to adaptive learning (platform that guides students individually through learning process).

And all the questions and discussion, here at the conference and on facebook with my friends center pretty much around one thing:  control.
Who has control over the academic content -- I am not just talking ownership but potentially more importantly about what is chosen to be learned?
Who has control over the students' approaches to this content?
Is it the textbook company that will develop the adaptive learning platform?
Is it the higher administration that, through their process of implementing online courses as templates, does not give adjuncts the choice of what they can or cannot teach?
Is it the students who choose what is important to them about a particular topic?
Is it the faculty member who teaches the course?

All of these options are on the table, and they all have some merit.

The Teaching Professor Technology Conference in Atlanta

The Teaching Professor Technology Conference in Atlanta

I am spending this weekend at the Teaching Professor Technology to see learn more tips and tricks for flipping the classroom, mobile learrning, and whatever else comes across as interesting.

You can find more information about this conference at https://cws.auburn.edu/oit/wah.

So, what did I learn about yesterday?
The two pre-conference workshops focused on student interaction and how to improve it -- essentially, how do you prepare as an instructor so that student discussions are meaningful and move into the direction you want them to move to -- and how can you flip your class.

Some of the highlights for me were points and reminders like

• prepare for discussion -- your questions to students need to be connected to learning objectives  in obvious ways
• give students time to answer -- research indicates that instructors think they have waited for 10-12 seconds for student answers but those seconds were really only 2.3.  Or they thought that they were teaching a discussion-intensive class but when observed, the discussion was dominated by the instructor who would talk ten times more than all students combined.
• give students other ways to participate than just the large class -- let them write notes, let them talk to neighbors or work in groups.
• remember cultural differences if you are fortunate to teach a diverse class.

But probably the greatest take-away was the wrestling with the issue of how do we grade participation -- should it be a real grade, and if so, how much of the final grade?  Or should it be simply seen as another tool to gain student learning towards the objectives of the class, and so no special grade needs to be attached to it?

I would argue that the second option may be the right one to go with -- but in a very transparent way for the students.  They need to understand not only that you expect them to participate but why this is important -- because they will learn better, and it is the learning of the content, skills, knowledge that really makes the grade of the class.

The second workshop on flipping the classroom was rather interesting -- it turns out that what we did this summer is almost exactly what other people get money to do -- hmmm.
The concept of flipping the classroom as something that has multiple definitions, eg, homework done in class, content absorption done at home or content delivery done at home and collaborative learning done in class or shifting what parts of Bloom's Taxonomy are focused on in the teaching of the entire class (flipping the pyramid on its head.)
 reminder of traditional pyramid

Incubator Classroom at Conversations in Celebration of Teaching

Incubator Classroom at Conversations in Celebration of Teaching

On Friday (Sept 20), I participated in Auburn University's first Conversations in Celebration of Teaching, an internal conference allowing faculty to showcase how they are using new methods in their teaching.  This year's focus was definitely on the e-portfolio, with lots of posters on assessment, rubrics, assignments.  However, some of the posters covered other aspects of innovative teaching as well, such as flipping the classroom or taking an introductory Spanish course completely online.

I was invited to participate as one of the supporting units, focusing on the Incubator Classroom.  My oldfashioned poster brought some interested folks to my table, so I am hoping that I will get more of the word out and more faculty interested in teaching in this kind of setting.

Poster at Conversation in Celebration of Teaching.

First meeting of Faculty -- Feedback and Exchange of Ideas

We had our first meeting of the faculty who are teaching/going to teach in the new classroom space for feedback and an exchange of ideas.
The first few minutes were dedicated to issues with the room -- the consensus is that the teaching station needs to move into the corner, and that this would not create the illusion of a front of the room but instead will improve site lines and possibly remove the teacher from the center of activity (which is still perceived as a position of privilege).  Some reports on the touch screen -- apparently buttons are preferred rather than a touch screen that allows for more flexibility.
One interesting point about the glass boards -- glare is an issue, though that is controlled through the dimmable lights.  And of course the monitor size and height.

Positive feedback:

traditional table chair

Steelcase chairs

Students have commented on the chairs as being very comfortable, especially in comparison to our regular tablet chairs.

They also like the amount of work space on the tables, although the orange table is not that popular.


Faculty exchanged ideas about what they were doing in the classroom, including gallery walks, role playing, individual and group assessment to measure the level of preparedness, negotiation of assignments between groups and faculty and within groups.  One recurrent theme was that this rooms allows for the application, practice of learned concepts -- whether this is in reading education, game theory, or health administration.
Students love that they can work on their projects in class, with the help of others and immediate access to the faculty member.  When students work on the glass boards or use the monitors to work on their projects, one additional effect is that other groups see what the level of presentation is and rise to the challenge -- the design, complexity, and depth of student work appears to increase.

Incubator Classroom: Two weeks in!

Incubator Classroom:  Two weeks in!

The incubator classroom has its first two weeks completed, and I keep getting feedback from faculty and, more second hand, from students.  In addition, now we have ten courses scheduled in the room (up from the original seven).

We need to work on the height of the monitors -- they need to come a good bit lower, so we are going to start with one and see if just a few inches is enough of a difference or if we need to be more radical -- maybe think about a swivel arm that will get the monitors further down.

We need to work on the noise level of the equipment -- hopefully, when the cabinet furniture finally arrives, that issue will be contained.

Faculty are concerned with students not paying attention to their classmates when others are talking - so, either faculty need to set clearer boundaries and/or student groups need to use the microphone to get though to the other groups who are busily working away on their own project.

Undergraduate students in particular like the colors of the space -- graduate students not so much -- and a large group of faculty entering the room is quite the experience in terms of what comments they come up with.

Question -- is there some good color evaluation theory out there that can be used as the basis for evaluating color in the space?

Sustainability in the Classroom

Sustainability in the Classroom

Today, I worked on a survey for students to evaluate the active learning space - I do need to come up with a better name for these kinds of spaces here at Auburn University -- happy to hear suggestions.

For other information -- I heard back from the Interior Designer who worked with me on this project -- she sent me data on sustainability of the furniture and carpet in the room.  Here some of that information:

Interface is the company we got the carpet from, and their information on recycled materials and such can be found at https://www.interfaceflor.com/default.aspx?Section=2&Sub=3&Ter=3.

Please also see the links below for environmental info about the furniture products

http://www.izzyplus.com/environment.aspx

http://www.steelcase.com/en/company/sustainability/pages/products.aspx

http://csr.steelcase.com/

http://www.steelcase.com/en/company/sustainability/pages/our-perspective.aspx

Also, because the glassboards last much longer and perform better than whiteboards, we are saving lots of whiteboards from being landfilled after end-of-life. The glassboards will last the life of the building and be able to be moved to any future building—and will still keep on performing!

So, that may not make this room LEED certified (it is, after all, in the building on campus that had the first air conditioning on campus, which, unfortunately translates now into one of the more ineffective systems on campus), but it is good to see that today's companies take these challenges seriously.

Incubator classroom, Day 2

Well, it looks like we may have lost one class because the monitors are too high up and/or too small, so statistical procedures and problems are too difficult to read.  We have started the discussions on how to adjust the monitor locations so that this is less of an issue.

Clickshare USB deice, aka hockey puck

In case you were wondering what I meant by Clickshare -- this is the device that plugs into laptops so that students can connect their laptops to the monitors.  The corresponding app allows for iOS and Android devices to do the same thing, although the laptop sharing is more flexible.

Incubator Classroom

Today is the big day -- classes are starting in the incubator classroom here at Auburn University.  Last night, the almost final touches were added to it, so that folks will be able to connect via laptop through HDMI and via wireless through Clickshare.

The colors of tables and chairs are really nice, and the touch screen in the room corresponds with the colors of the tables to make the controls hopefully more intuitive.

Incubator Classroom

Faculty have been working in groups to rethink the classes they teach in here, and we will have ongoing discussions this semester how these changes are working, to improve the classroom experience and to help future faculty think about issues.

Star date:  5-7-2013

Having just spent a couple of hours reading articles about MOOCs, I am stunned by the voices who worry that the students who sign up for MOOCs, who participate, are not who they say they are.  I know, it comes out of the discussion to give credit for such courses, but what seems to be missing in this discussion is the glory that the tools are there to connect interested people with great content and interactive tools so that they can learn, discuss, create new ideas that otherwise they may not be able to do on their own.  Is this a substitute for the traditional classroom -- not 100%.  Is this a feasible alternative for folks who do not have access to education otherwise -- absolutely.  Is this disruptive innovation -- of course as the folks who have little or nothing now have more than before, and over time these offers will change what is happening in the traditional classroom -- and hopefully for the better.

I am not saying anything new here, obviously.

And completely different -- still trying to MOOC -- and what I am realizing is that while I was fine in the course the first couple of times I went in, the fact that the course did not change, did not, on the surface, reflect my progress, as the home page did not change to reflect that I am at a different moment in time, at a different moment in learning, makes it difficult for me to pick up where I left off.  I am not sure how that can be helped, unless one uses the course stream or the module or syllabus and assignment view.  maybe the first page only needs to be up for a couple of weeks and then it needs to be shifted to a different view to allow for a better reflection of the progression for the student.

Star Date 5.3.2013 -- watching myself being an online student makes me realize that when I teach online I will need to focus on such things as
 -- small assignments that will make students interact with the content in the course -- larger, longer assignments will just foster procrastination, with the final disaster as almost certainty.
 -- ensuring ways that students can connect effectively with each other -- again, small things need to happen -- it may be a group task or an ongoing monitored discussion.  Otherwise, though, an individual student will never be able to join the community.

I know that this is not ground breaking new stuff, but it is always different to read about it and then to experience this oneself.

Star Date 4.26.2013 -- so falling behind in my classes, no surprise there.  Here my student lesson for the day, though.  I am wondering if having a visual representation, like a map, of the course orientation, would help folks -- and I am also wondering if there is a better way to show in Canvas what part of what module a student has already visited, dealt with, covered.

Star date:  4.22.2013
Second week in the MOOC experiment -- what tips can I give to students who may want to go this route:
First one:  set up routines -- check the online environment on a regular schedule to learn about new posts, new assignments, new discussions.  Even if Canvas tells you that there is new stuff happening, changes are you will not be able to get to this right then and there, so a scheduled participation, like attending a class, is a must.
Second:  do not procrastinate -- as easy as it is to do in a self-paced, independent learning environment, it will come back and haunt you.  This becomes especially for required or suggested readings.

Star Date:  4/19/2013
The mission is figuring out how to develop learning content in higher education for mobile, hybrid, online, active learning -- and getting faculty and students excited about this.  First steps:  Taking a couple of Micro-Moocs offered through the Canvas Network on mobile learning design and quality online course design.

A little later in the day -- had time to catch up on my mobile learning class, listening to the archive of Metcalf's webinar on mobile learning at http://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2013/04/17/instructional-design-mobile-learning
Some thoughts from this webinar
The connection between Social, Realtime and Mobile and the connection with constructivist pedagogies and andragogies and new instructional technologies and tools finally makes it doable (not easy) to develop, deliver, and have students work on, create meaningful, authentic assignments, projects, discussions that make it very clear to students what the connection between content, degree, program and the application to the real world can be.
However, that connection also needs to be established by the faculty who create the content and the assignments, and that is not a technology question, a mobile question, but a question of -- are we ready to make that change?  And if so, how are we going to make that change happen?