Yesterday my students and I had our second Blackboard Collaborate session and we had definitely improved on the week before. This weeks session focused on ethical theories and we followed the same pattern as last week. I had a full, timed, lesson plan again as I have found even if I don't stick to it rigidly it makes me remember the interaction and timings. There seemed to be fewer issues with joining the session although some students did have difficulty. This seems to be more common when using mobile devices and will need monitoring. One of the feedback comments related to the length of time some people spent trying to access the sessions - I am going to collect some feedback on the kinds of issues people are having to see if a pattern emerges.
In previous years when I have facilitated these tutorials as face-to-face sessions I have sometimes found it hard to judge engagement with the key lectures or Articulate presentations that serve as preparation for the discussions. This year in the last 2 sessions it has been very clear that people have done this preparatory work. It may be how I am phrasing the questions but I am sensing a willingness to discuss the concepts in more detail. If this is true then it should lead to a better understanding of how ethics underpins practice and an ability to apply this knowledge. What was lovely about this session was it was clear that we had all learnt from last week and could apply that learning to this session. It felt as though the technology was helping us engage but not getting in the way as much. This will take more time for some than others but is the end goal that I have in mind. Some examples of this was the speed at which people moved to breakout rooms and the way moderators managed their group members who were on mobile devices; also the confidence displayed with the whiteboard tools and the way these were used for feedback. This week the scenario we were using in the breakout sessions was quite long and I wasn't sure how well it would work on the whiteboard so I posted this in their Blackboard group rooms at the end of last week and sent them an announcement stating it was there. I sent a further email reminder on the morning of the session to make sure that they had at least one copy of the scenario per group. I then just put the questions on a whiteboard slide in their breakout rooms. This seemed to work effectively and I will probably use this method again. Feedback this week demonstrated that some people are very comfortable in an online environment and others are not. It would be easy to dismiss the concerns of those that find communicating in this way difficult but instead I would like to find ways of making the process easier for people. I acknowledge that personal preference is going to differ but if we need to use the available technology then it should be accessible. The chat function causes people problems as they find it difficult to keep up. I view this function in the same way I would a Twitter chat and recognise I will need to revisit this to fully understand the totality of the discussion. This is a different way of managing and engaging with learning and will take time for people to develop these patterns of behaviour. So what specifically have I learnt this week? (pleased with)
So what do I think needs improvement?
So another step taken - I now need to consider how best to get people to blog. It feels very much like when I point a camera at Cas she is determined not to look but eventually she will risk a glance - I have every confidence that someone will glance at the blog soon!
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AuthorKirsten Huby Lecturer Child Nursing interested in blended learning, educational technology and improving student engagement. Archives
September 2017
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