Belinda Allan

This was my last subject (along with one other) in my Masters degree, so things were beginning to make sense. I was much better at writing to an academic standard as well as reading faster and more efficiently all the papers required.

Being the end of my Masters, and given the amount of effort and grades awarded already, I was determined not to slip down in the grading scale. I had signed up for two subjects (as opposed to one previously) so I knew the workload was going to be high. I approached my workplace (Jiaxing University) at the end of their first semester (November) and asked for a lighter workload in teaching (and the lesson planning that goes along with it). They agreed to 16 hours of teaching with roughly (and only) 4 lesson plans required. With my lesson plans designed between USQ semesters I was down to 14-18 working hours per week due to timetabling. The rest of my time including weekends was dedicated to study and I have to admit most of that was spent in Online Pedagogy as this is where my interests lie.

Coming from a computer science background, I enjoy practically living “online”. This is fortunate for me as I live overseas in a small town in China (roughly 300 000 which is quite small for China). Being a small town in a developing country, there’s not many distractions (i.e. not much to do). So my spare time is basically my own and was spent online studying to complete my masters. My partner and I have rearranged our lives for 2.5 years in order for me to dedicate as much time and effort as I could afford to complete this masters (meaning most household chores were his).

So on reflection, I dedicated a great deal of time and effort into Online Pedagogy from reduction in workload both teaching and household, and from dedicating most of my spare time for my own interests in this subject. From the first reflection question of “what do you want to get out of this subject?” I fully realised how much I wanted to learn and was motivated to ‘get stuck in’ and begin the journey. I have not regretted any of the sacrifices I’ve made along the way and have enjoyed every minute of my learning journey, especially in Online Pedagogy.

Loved this picture when I first saw it and it sums not only social software in the middle, but all of Web 2.0’s offerings. I also like the concept of radical trust as the net and these technologies do assume a certain amount of ethics behind the contributions. But also for a service like del.icio.us it also doesn’t make sense to destroy your own account. That, I think, is what’s great about the truly connecting Web 2.0 applications – you own your account, and yet you are contributing to the whole collective, thereby creating its own ethics through ownership. Brilliant!

A great example of Web 2.0 systems for educational use is from E-club » Blog Archive » Web 2.0 tools in an education context

For example, what about if we ask them to set up a del.ic.ious account (or find one relevant to their topic?), encourage some serendipitious searching and get them to tag their finds with relevant categories of their choosing. They could then develop content to be published in a form of their choosing, maybe even a collaborative task such as a wiki on the topic. We would still have the necessary ‘objects’ that could be assessed- both in content and use of technology, they would be using tools that they both like and need, and we would all learn a lot together through the experience. As teachers we would not be in the drivers seat but would rather work alongside them and guide them on the appropriate use of these tools.

Through this reflection and other good and bad experiences in groups – I don’t think I’ll be assessing in groups ever again. Sure collaboration and sharing in groups, but no piece of assessment of mine will assess group work unless somehow there is an individual mark able to be given – that is clear delineation of work contributed freeing members to contribute as they see fit.

This is fantastic!! And this “in practice” course is really trying to stretch me to find ways to put all that theory into practice! It’s also a big ask for one semester-long course as 2 years of study is a lot to “put into practice”!

I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to end my master’s study!

What do I need to know about assessment that I don’t know now?
My knowledge of assessment is through VET competency style assessment and testing for English level in 2nd language speakers. So more knowledge in general is my first aim.

I really want to know how to assess people authentically within a learning community that is as painless as possible (for teacher and students), relevant (for use outside of class) while still gathering enough information to judge the students’ competency and knowledge of the subject.

What do I need to be able to do that I don’t do now?

Design, run and mark an authentic, relevant and interesting piece of assessment with ease.

What are the sources of that knowledge/skill?
Literature would be my biggest source as I don’t have as much background knowledge on this subject. Also, I’m interested in the practical of designing a piece of assessment. I’ll be reflecting on the theory and practical also.

Are there useful interactions in which I can participate in order to acquire it? What other things might I do?
Definitely, asking others about their experience as we go through the course and participating heavily in the practical component (designing an assessment). Asking them and myself – how well does this achieve its goal? how could we design a more interactive, pain-free assessment? Is this assessment useful to the student outside of class? etc. And of course, reflection on my own actions.

How will I know that I am accessing the correct information and if I am comprehending the knowledge base adequately?
Checking back at this posting for my personal aims. Perhaps I could create a project out of my aims with to-do’s, etc. Of course, reflecting on my aims and how the course is progressing.

How can I test out my new knowledge/skill in the context of an applied situation, and through social interaction?
The first test would be the practical inside the course. The next would be actually designing and assessing something (possibly online along with a course). For me this will start off slowly, but increase over the next year.

What do I need to know about online pedagogy that I don’t know now?
Running a course start to end sounds a little frightening to me still (even at this late stage in my degree). It’s like the first time stepping in front of a class, there’s so many variables to think of… let alone the learning value for the students.

I guess mine is not as much a knowledge quest as an understanding quest. I want to implicitly understand when and what to do to pick up a dying group so they can finish the course easily and happily. When and what to design into the course so that interactivity is maximised and continuous (without dead/boring patches). And just the right level of interaction needed to be a guide on the side without becoming a bossy-boots or lurker.

What do I need to be able to do that I don’t do now?
Being able to deliver content in an enjoyable, interactive and (hopefully) educational manner.

Through the course, creating a learning community with authentic assessment that’s not a chore for the students while adequately measuring their competence and knowledge.

Being a guide-on-the-side without becoming a lurker or overly present.

What are the sources of that knowledge/skill?
Sources might be literature (some theory, some case studies), experiential (delivering something), my other subject (assessment), my prior subject (communities of practice), putting prior knowledge into action (again experiential), vicariously (learning how students and teachers coped), and reflection-on-action from my present and prior experiences as a teacher and learner.

Are there useful interactions in which I can participate in order to acquire it? What other things might I do?
Definitely, asking others about their experience as we go through the course and participating heavily in the practical component (teaching something online). Asking them and myself – how did we keep the interaction going? how could we do it better next time? etc. And of course, reflection on my own actions.

How will I know that I am accessing the correct information and if I am comprehending the knowledge base adequately?
Checking back at this posting for my personal aims. Perhaps I could create a project out of my aims with to-do’s, etc. Of course, reflecting on my aims and how the course is progressing.

How can I test out my new knowledge/skill in the context of an applied situation, and through social interaction?
The first test would be the practical inside the course. The next would be actually designing and teaching something online. For me this will start off slowly, but increase over the next year.

Slavery made this possible – releasing citizens to
participate in the life of the city. Hutchins’ argument is that ‘machines can do
for modern man what slavery did for the fortunate few in Athens’ (op. cit.)”

Do we really have it this easy these days? Most people I know are working and studying, or working more than 1 job and cooking/cleaning themselves to save money. I don’t think our time is that free anymore (if it ever was?)!

For now I’m embarking on 2 learning journeys of the principles and practice of authentic assessment and putting pedagogy to practice in an online learning environment.

So without further ado… I bring you the BilBea Learning Journey. Great to see you here!