All posts filed under: Online Learning

A Theory of Online Learning

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I created the attached online learning conference with two of my peers in the Master of Educational Technology course, ETEC 512, Applications of Learning Theories to Instruction, to summarize my belief that online learning environments are best designed from a constructivist perspective that is learner, content, community, and assessment centered. A teachers role in twenty-first century education is (in my opinion) far more complex than it once was. Anderson (2008) argues in his article, Toward A Theory of Online Learning, that online learning is “often limited by bandwidth constraints, which limit the users’ view of body language and paralinguistic cues” (p.47). I think that the onus falls on a teacher in an online classroom to plan activities that make a learner’s pre requisite knowledge known, (such as self-assessment activities, surveys, and questionnaires) and thus rely less on body language and paralinguistic cues; which in actual fact could be easily misunderstood and are at best a subjective form of assessment. Online learning may be more challenging to design, and to facilitate, but it is also far …

Internet Safety E-Lesson

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It has become a responsibility of educators, parents, guardians, and our greater community to protect our children from the Internet. The world-wide web is a powerful tool with limitless potential. The challenge facing all of us is to lead by example and partake in safe Internet practices. I follow a number of websites that I recommend to anyone studying the topic. Check out, Common Sense Media and CyberTip.ca to get started. When tasked with the challenge to produce a constructivist e-lesson in ETEC 530, Constructivist Strategies for E-Learning, I decided to create a project based lesson targeting Grade 11 media art students, entitled “Don’t Be A Victim”. Constructivism is a learning theory which states that people construct their understanding based on experience and reflection. I believe that knowledge is constructed, and place value in constructivist learning strategies that are project, product, or problem based. I find these types of learning activities to be more meaningful for students. I have found that when the learning activity is personally relevant (as it often is in a constructivist lesson), and a …

The Economics of Technology

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I am one of three educators who created an online learning conference to introduce students to the concept of macro economics as it relates to technology. I’m very interested in economics as the social science has contributed to my decision making and is present in every action I take. Take the concept of opportunity cost as an example. Opportunity cost is the loss we incur when we choose one action over another. Time is an excellent example, as it will “cost” you time simply to read this post. An economist has to then ask himself or herself, is the value I gain from reading this post worth the loss in time. I hope so! The attached online learning conference, The Economics of Educational Technology, will take you through a 7 day collaborative inquiry-based learning activity. You will learn key terms to further develop your understanding of macroeconomics. You can read two academic summarizations, “The Economics of Educational Technology” by Puryear, J.M. (1999, September), and “Some Simple Economics of Open Source” by Lerner, J. and Tirole, …

Wiki Author

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I published the wiki, Computer Assisted Collaborative Strategic Reading (CACSR), in 2012 as part of the course requirements in Design of Technology Supported Learning Environments, ETEC 510. I investigated two instructional platforms that attest to improve the proficiency levels of reading comprehension in school aged students. My research was followed with this publication, that targets educational professionals and fellow scholars. I concentrated my efforts to author this professional work in both a succinct and detailed way. Please click on the card to read my report on the CACSR model. Reference Avenia, T. (2012). Computer-Assisted Collaborative Strategic Reading [Wiki]. Retrieved March 1, 2015 from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Computer-Assisted_Collaborative_Strategic _Reading