How using a VLE has been so far?

Now having been an undergraduate using a VLE for the last three years I have been able to see the system from both sides, It was a valuable tool for me to access lecture slides, resources, and even grades, but I never witnessed the system being interactive. Thus I am now from the flip side of the coin scratching my head for ways to make it interactive as the educator. I have been lucky enough to been given an opportunity to work upon a blended learning program or two, and this has given me greater insight into how not to use the system from my own experiences.

It seemed like a dumping ground for sure when I was accessing it, but I must admit I am unsure if I would have engaged with it in any other way.

 

This is the kind of pages upon the VLE (Moodle) which the university of Wales Trinity st David (UWTSD) had when I was an undergraduate. It was useful for resources but not much interactivity and now I am working on a module on Moodle myself I too struggle to make it interactive.  

You can see here the use of audio PowerPoint so the students get a similar lecture experience, I have also created reflective exercises for the students to engage in and resources for them to access, Apart from checking who has signed in and emailing those who haven't,  I have very little control over the students and who engages with the resources or not. The more independent learners all engage and this is evident in the assessments they are producing. I have offered online tutorial support on many occasions but they have been declined or no shows, however interestingly when I offered face to face support they all attended and it was a success. One of the benefits of the VLE is that the sources are available long after the sessions have been completed and the students are able to re access as and when they please. I do so wish I had this facility when I was doing my degree.  

 

The difference with the VLE is it is not supporting the face to face session but is a tool which is used to replace it. Newland (2014) make reference to the fact that students feel the use of a VLE is successful as a repository for materials and resources, but it is clear that's students do not feel the VLE could replace contact with tutors. This supports my experience so far using the Moodle system for the blended learning program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personalised learning using a VLE

So how can a VLE impact upon each and every student who engages with it? Surely every student while accessing the same resources will take different things away from the experience. The whole idea of higher education is that the student experience while similar to that of others should be very subjective.

So while the VLE is a one size fits all platform, it is possible to for the student to tailor the resources for their own needs.

VLEs first developed from a need by users to bring together a range of tools in one product to support learning. At first, this idea of a ‘one stop shop’ was fine but as technology developed, the new approach to a VLE has seen some changes such as a "personalised learning environment (PLE)".
Chalk (2010) discussed in their recent paper how the 'one size' of approach to the use of the VLE will not fit the needs of all the students. This then become another consideration for me during my designing stage.  It became evident that I needed to provide a good range of varied curriculum choices and varied tasks so each student was able to tailor the program in a way which suited their own learning styles. This was achieved using presentations, ted talks, links to online journals, reflexives exercises, quizzes and crosswords, and as previously mentioned the social networking tools such as face book and twitter.

Britain & Liber (2004) argued that there is a strong link between the way a VLE is designed and the way it is typically used. Therefore it is  important to make sure the VLE I create is fit for purpose. This is when I feel it is important to have strong objectives for the course and the resources that will be placed within the VLE. In the case of the stress management course I feel the resources (while creative) fit the students who maybe more academic rather than those who are practical. Even though practical exercises are provided, I have no real evidence that the students are engaging with them. The implementation of social media should help with this issue, and using resources such as todays meet and Google hangouts will enable the students to be reactive to the exercise provided.

It then could be said that the VLE provides an opportunity for students to have a personalised learning experience from using the VLE and be empowered throughout their own learning experiences.  I feel while it is important for the educator to be reflective in their practise in using such technology I also feel it would be wise to encourage the learners to also be reflective regarding their own learning, and having tools such as comments boxes enables the student to think and reflect upon anything they wish to add.

 

 


References

Chalke, J., 2010. Consideration of the uses of e-learning: Does one size fit all?. Int. J. of Information and Operations Management Education, 3(4), pp. 368-381.

 

 

Britain, S. &. l. O., 2004. A Framework for the Pedagogical Evaluation of Elearning, london: Bolton University. Accessed 23/02/2015, Available from http://www.pgce.soton.ac.uk/IT/Schools&Comp/VLEusage/VLEpedagogy.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

WHY do we need a VLE?

Many years ago when I was a student the thought of a virtual learning environment (VLE) was the dream of sci-fi fans,  but now I find myself as a trainee educator trying to devise and create an environment for students to utilise so to enhance their educational experience. I have seen many different versions of VLE  and many ways in which I think it doesn't work. Certain educational establishments see it as simply a dumping ground for information for the students to access as and when, but for me this kind of environment would not translate well into a class room so should not be acceptable as an online version either.

It would be unheard of to throw lots of information at students and not give them time to respond or reflect upon what they had just learnt. Not giving the students the opportunity to actively engage in the topics or concepts under investigation could be detrimental to their learning outcomes, but when it comes to online courses this is general thought of as good practise (O'learly,2015).  This may be due to the fact training is an issue and the previous generation are nervous to use new  technology or software, but with a new generation using the net for everything it seems only reasonable to expect this will be the same for education.

Every educational establishment should now be considering the use of  an interactive VLE in the lesson planning, the setting of homework, for use within assignments or assessments,  and for peer feedback at the very least. There are many advantages for the use of a VLE such as ease of access for both the educator and student, but as I have mentioned it can also become a dumping ground which has no or very little interaction between the student and the teacher. In the case of the former is it the best way to provide education for the less confident student?

Another advantage it could be said is that if offers a way for educator to provide flexible support without a set time or place in which the students are able to communicate.  Communication can open up an infinite number of channels in the format of forums, discussion threads, polls, surveys and instant feedback either as a group or individually, the teacher is also able to link to outside sources such as journals, you tube, or any other electronic sources, (bbc, 2015).  The VLE can in fact become a dynamic resource hub for the students (dynamic not dumping is the key here), the internet has a infinite storage space and this make any VLE a huge resource for students, examples of resources could be Power Points, word documents, worksheets, revision notes, study skills, homework, all of which can be shared and accessed by the students. The tools can be very powerful to engage even the most disengaged students. I have added a small video on what a VLE looks like just in case  anyone has been living in a cave for the last ten years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Confused.com

Create a Visual Learning Environment (VLE) sounds easy right? Whats a V L E

Wrong, I am actually laying in bed and night thinking over ways to do it in my head, I have books on the subject and the more I read, the more confused I feel. How to make it interactive? I have no clue, I feel very much out of my depth with it all, and I am working on a blended learning program as we speak. So ok I need to think of some ways to devise what needs to be on my VLE so I came up with some questions.

• What is the name of your course? How long does it run for?

The course is an introduction to stress management and runs for 10 weeks. It will cover a all aspects of stress and ways to combat it.  

      How many students?  The course is aimed at roughly 10-15 students, who are taking part in a blending learning program for credits for their undergraduate degree.

• Length of course : one  hour online per week with teaching resources and two hours self directed study and one hour working through the reflective exercises provided.
• What age range? All adult learners so above 18 to 90
• Skill level : No previous skill required.
• Submission dates?  Final assessment at end of course, however the weekly sessions will require that the students have completed the session previously, so each week a small  to assessment on  what they learnt so far.
• How will you asses the work? The course will be assessed using a final piece of work which will be submitted electronically, but will also be assessed week after week.  
• How interactive would the course be? The course would be very interactive, with video, audio, image sharing with each other and the course tutor. Each session would start with students discussing how they have progressed since the week before and sharing their experiences of the course so far. This can be done via Skype, or using discussion forums such as TodaysMeet. The course content will need to be engaging and interesting to keep students motivated and focused. Student led learning will be an integral part of the course, so interactivity is a crucial element. Students will want to develop the skills they feel need working on, so they will need to be able to direct their own learning to some extent.

Resources :  

Skype

Pinterest

TodaysMeet

Podcast - Overcast is rated highly

Online forums via the VLE

Video casts : You tube uploads

Pinterest is great.

Audio PP

Quizlet

Google plus as a sharing platform.

Onedrive for sharing of ideas and work completed.

the actual VLE

Now these ideas were generated through a session within the program I am studying on, but none the less they are important questions that needed to be asked. I added a few of my own for example shall I provide a online common room for the students to socialise in? should I allocate some marks for the contributions made upon the forums and online tutorials to make sure the students are actually attending week after week (and not cramming all at the last minute). How do I plan on assessing the online activity that occurs? and should I provide an abundance of work or stagger it work after week? All of which I am not sure what the answer is.... the main one I think I need to come from though is what type of  Blend am I going for? It is all very good mixing things up but if you don't get the blend right then what would be the point... How many bad tasting coffee blends have you come across? I have sampled a few, so the essence of my biggest worry is how do I know I have the right blend for the students?

My first offical job interview

WOW, I applied thinking "not a chance in hell" and I get shortlisted.....While I am proud and very pleased at being given this opportunity I am scared to death. I started prepping and I am a firm believer in the more prep you do the better chances you have, but how do I prep for something I have never had any experience off?

I start using the web, if in doubt ask google, It is very helpful and I start to collect my thoughts on things such as "what are my teaching methods "how will I ensure equality in my classroom" I am starting to panic, I will never feel confident in any of this stuff (I am certain) but all I can do is give it my best. I have to provide a lesson plan for 60 minutes and provide a 20 minute micro teach on a subject which is a little out of my league "health and safety in  a care environment" so I again researched the subject and became enlightened.

Seems I know more about the field than I thought, I mean I did work in a care environment for 10 years.  so lesson all prepped I just have to read up and learn enough to get me through, again I think it is nerves which are holding me back. I found a helpful site which has guided me in my preparation https://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/teaching-and-education/330747-perform-your-best-in-your-teaching-interview and even if I don't get the position I am very grateful for having the opportunity to just attend the interview as it is all great practise.

But promise you wont let my secret out...... I know I can rely on you lot..

I must be mad!

Ok so we get to choose options for an assignment on the course and I go and select E-learning, now I feel there is so much more for me learn when it comes to technology but after a few sessions I am overwhelmed with how little I actually know. Terms such as Podcast, wiki's and Vle's (visual learning environments)  have thrown me of my high horse (so to speak) I thought I was rather techno savvy, turns out I am more like a techno toddler. Now I have hyperlinked those techno words just in case you would like to know more about these things (not sure what to call them), as I now know how little I actually did know.

So I have delved into the world of creating a web space or page to develop for my future or current learners, and I must admit I find it all very exciting (overwhelming, but I love a challenge), it gives me a chance to get creative, and for those who know me I am not very creative so find any means that gives me creative licence exciting. I looked at good few different sites but the one which I clicked with straight away was Word press. I found it easy to use and set up a VLE (very basic I may add) within hours, I felt accomplished and very clever. The techno toddler graduated.

 

 

Now the issue I face is I know a little but not a lot so here the hard work starts. I am snowed under actually trying to teach, create and deliver a blended learning programs and stay on top of my work life balance, but I can already see the value of me giving up my time to develop a resource which will  in the future assist me in my teaching.

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

I just made a new Voki. See it here: my first attempt at making an animation... i must admit i like it.... but only tried one app and to be honest i am finding it difficult to embed within my V L E on WordPress.