Using Technology to Offer Learning Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

Walls

Blair Roy, Project Specialist broy@otan.us

Outreach & Technical Assistance Network(OTAN)

Objectives• Reflect on personal experiences with

online learning• Explore the opportunities of teaching

online• Consider your next steps to offering

online opportunities

What Experience Do You Have with Online Learning or Teaching?

• What do you think of when you hear “online”?

• Have you taken an online class?• Have you created an online class?• Have you administered an online class?• Have you created a Web site for your

students?• What are your expectations for this

presentation?

Are we ready for the changes?

• Barbara Treacy, EdTech Leaders Online• “The change we are in the middle of

isn't minor and isn't optional” – Clay Shirky, author and professor, NYU

• The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Alvin Toffler & Herbert Gerjuoy

But We Don’t Have Access!

• everyoneon.org• Low cost Internet service providers• Low cost equipment

• Other great resources on Web site• Digital literacy training

What does online learning look like?

• CMS/LMS – course/learning management system

• provides a secure environment for teachers and learners

• to interact with the environment and one another

• to construct knowledge with and for one another

• independently or collaboratively– Examples – Moodle, Angel, BlackBoard, Deisre2Learn

(D2L), Sakai, etc.

Definition of online learning

Allen & Seaman, Class Differences – Online Education in the United States, 2010

How to Host Your Course?

• Hosting• Free

• OTAN for adult educators in California• Your school district?

• Fee• GoDaddy• Remote Learner• And many more

About Moodle for a Minute

• Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

• Free, open source software package• Designed to help educators create effective

online learning communities• One of many choices out there to get you and

your learners online.• The course is built around the course content,

using CMS tools or any Web 2.0 tools.

Opportunities of Online Learning• Learners construct, collaborate, connect, and work

separately• Flexibility – anytime, anyplace learning, synchronous, and

asynchronous• Access - to experts and resources that may not be

available locally:– Hippocampus.org– USALearns.org

• Personalization - Customizable to meet individual needs and learning styles

• Reflection – learners have time to reflect before responding• Pacing – individualized as allowed by the teacher• Learners can take charge of their learning

More opportunities…

• Depository• Your content• Publisher content

• Always on• Scheduling• Secure• Participation

• Digital literacy• Grading• Record keeping• Communication in

one place with history

Key Elements for a Successful Online Environment

• Provide thorough directions• Respond in a timely manner• Teachers need to be present• Stay engaged to keep the learners engaged• Use a variety of activities and resources• Consistency• Consider file formats• Monitor learner progress• Building community is crucial

What do your students need?

What can you have in your online class?

• Books• Files• Videos• Images• Assessments• Assignments• Communication

• Grades• Web pages• Links to Web sites• Recordings• ???

What can you do in your online course?

• Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing activities

• Vocabulary building• Record an audio file and upload to course• Language Practice• Link to relevant videos • What is blocked at school, is open at home• Secure site for students to upload files

ADULTEDCOURSES.ORG

Let’s Take a Closer Look

Organization - Dashboard

Organization - Calendar

Communication - messaging

Communication – e-mail

Communication – Chats

• Easy to use• Save sessions• Meet with one• Meet with all• Students meet

Communication – News forum

Recordings - PoodLL

• *Specialized feature• Listening activities• Student recordings• Dictation• Video recordings

PoodLL Sample

PoodLL – Student View

Online Meetings - synchronous

• *Specialized feature – Adobe Connect• Tutorials• Demonstrations• Meetings• Recordable for later viewing• Share documents and Web sites

Adobe Connect Online Meetings

Assessments

• Assignments• Lessons• Forums for reflection • Choice for one question feedback• Quizzes

Assignments

• Upload a single file or multiple files• Any file type can be uploaded

• Inline text can be typed• Offline activity as a grade

placeholder• Students can submit individually or

as a group

Assignments

Assignment grading summary

Assignments submitted

Assignments Grading page

Assignment graded student view

Assignment Creation

Assignment Creation

Lesson Example

LESSONS – Deliver content, check for comprehension, provide different branches based on answers

Lesson Questions

LessonCheck for understanding with immediate

feedback

Lesson – immediate grading

Forums for discussion, reflection, testing

Choice Activity for Feedback or Survey

Quizzes

• Quizzes created within CMS• Hot Potatoes quizzes• CMS scores all but essay questions• CMS does the math for you• Adds grades to gradebook

Moodle made quiz – Student View

Quiz – multiple choice

Quiz - essay

Hot potatoes quizhttp://hotpot.uvic.ca/

Glossaries to reinforce vocabulary and provideinteractive activities by students

Glossary with listening

Books for content

Learn360 Multimedia

• *Specialized feature • Provides access to thousands of

educational videos to add seamlessly into course

• Teacher creates – students logs into course – instant access with no additional login to view video

• Watch the video as many times as needed

Learn360 sample

Digital badges have arrived!

• Teachers can award badges throughout the course and for course completion• Students can move

badges to their personal backpacks to share digitally

Gradebook

• Powerful• Flexible• Automatic!• Exportable• Customizable

Gradebook – teacher view

Administrative Tools

• Change the settings of your course, Topic vs Date

• Back up your course (import easily to another LMS)

• Reports – see course activity, who signed on, what they did

• Manage users and grades• Manage Questions Banks for

Quizzes

Conditionals and Activity Completion

• Teachers can guide the students through the content

• Conditions must be met to move on• Once conditions are met, activities

are complete, resources and activities automatically open

Editing a Moodle course

Teacher View in Editing Mode

Backup, Restore, Reset, Import• Back up all or some

content• Restore your course if

needed• Reset each semester to

remove student data • Teachers with multiple

courses can import items from one course to another

OTAN Courses for Share

• Advanced ESL• USA Learns Wrap Around Course• Advanced ESL 2: Additional Topics• Developmental English• College Transition & Career

Development

OTAN Courses for Share

• EL Civics through Distance Learning• ESL Citizenship Preparation Course• Getting Ready for College• The Write Stuff • Writing Pathways to Career Success

And a few more…OTAN Courses for Share

• High School Diploma Math Prep• Developmental Math• Digital Citizenship• Digital Photography• Professional & Interpersonal Skills

Advanced ESL by Francisca Wentworth of Jefferson Adult

School

• 18 units• Lessons• Assignments• Quizzes• Hot potatoes quizzes• forums

USALearns Wrap Around Course by Kate Crawford

• 20 Units• USA Learns content• Glossaries• Quizzes• Assignments• Forums

College Transition & Career Development by Debbie Jensen of BPACE

(Some Adv ESL teachers are using this course)• Personal

Success in Writing

• Path A Transition to Higher Education

• Path B Transition to Job Prep

EL Civics Through Distance Learning by Susan Escobar of Elk Grove Adult School• 9 EL Civics topics • suitable for English

learners at the high-intermediate to advanced levels

• requires some basic computer navigation skills

• Susan’s requirements• students must obtain

a score of 211 or higher on the CASAS reading test

• have a personal email account to register for this class.

ESL Citizenship Preparationby Kay Johnson of Jefferson Adult

School• 14 topics

• Assignments

• Forums

• Glossaries

• Hot Potatoes

• Lessons

• Quizzes

The Write Stuff by Francisca Wentworth of Jefferson

Adult School

• 9 writing sections

• Intermediate and Advanced ESL

Considerations• Time• Rethinking how to accomplish

objectives• Resistance to change

Could You Use an Online Course?

Discussion• Is using an online course viable for

your classes? • Would an online course enhance

student persistence?• What do you perceive as barriers to

adding an online course to your classroom?

• Other Comments? Suggestions?

Resources

• Free communities with support• YouTube videos abound for tutorials• OER - Open Educational Resources• Oercommons.org for content

• Commercial support• Moodle demonstration site /• Moodle documentation /

http://www.oercommons.org/

What can OTAN do for you?

For Adult Ed agencies who are WIOA funded: • Free hosting for your online courses• Free Moodle training• Face-to-Face workshops• Online workshops

Are you ready?OTAN Free Professional Development

• Face to face workshops at your site• Online workshops

• Online Resources -http://goo.gl/oHvJmq• Feel free to contact me:

Thank you!

Blair Roy, OTANbroy@otan.us (916) 228-2580