755+Course+Portfolio

= EDET 755 Course Portfolio = = Catherine Murphy, M.Ed. Educational Technology =

Research and Practice in Distance Education
TPOL Chapter 10 Presentation (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/TPOL+Chapter+10+Presentation) TPOL Chapter 13 Presentation (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/TPOL+Chapter+13+Presentation) Research Synthesis (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/Research+Synthesis)
 * Goal 1. To be knowledgeable about research in aspects of distance education and the use of telecommunications in educational and other settings.**

The course readings from Theory and Practice of Online Learning, subsequent group discussions, and the creation of multimedia presentations for Chapter 10 (The Development of Online Courses) and Chapter 13 (The Quality Dilemma of Online Education Revisited) certainly increased my knowledge of aspects of distance education and the use of telecommunication in educational and other settings. The overview of dilemmas facing distance education professionals was eye-opening and thought provoking. I found myself thinking about the struggles distance educators face and how to address them in the future. Namely, being an advocate for distance education, and the integration of technology into distance education curricula, keeping my technology skills up-to-date, and showing educators how to enhance their instruction through the use of technology. I chose to do my research synthesis on the use of Web 2.0 and Social Networks in E-Learning. I truly believe that Web 2.0 and Social Networks will become a mainstay in the fields of online education within the next few years and will continue to evolve as we change the way we teach and learn. The knowledge I gained through these projects will help me in the future as an instructional designer by making me more knowledgeable of all aspects that go into distance education, from the perspective of the students, instructors, and all other stakeholders involved. I am excited to continue to research the field of distance education to make myself a better educator in the future.

LMS Rubric (http://et755techdivas.wikispaces.com/Rubric) LMS Summary I (http://et755techdivas.wikispaces.com/Summary+1) LMS Summary II (http://et755techdivas.wikispaces.com/Summary2) LMS Reflection (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/LMS+Reflection) Research Synthesis (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/Research+Synthesis)
 * Goal 2. To critically evaluate examples of distance education implementation in educational and business settings.**

This course offered many opportunities for critical evaluation of examples of distance education implementation. To create our LMS rubric as a group, we drew from previous knowledge gained throughout the program, and through course readings and discussions in this course. We made sure we our rubric covered all the important aspects of distance education course design, that was broad enough to cover a wide variety of subject matter, while still being detailed enough to note both the positives and negatives of the two courses we chose to evaluate for the LMS Summaries.

The LMS reflection allowed me to critically evaluate course content I had a hand in creating myself, which will certainly come in handy in the future with my professional goals. The research synthesis was a chance to critically evaluate literature on the use of Web 2.0 and Social Networks in online education, which is a professional interest of mine that I plan on continuing to research in the future.

All the activities involving critical evaluation and research in this course were valuable and left me wanting to delve deeper to gain more knowledge to better myself as an education professional.

[|Orientation to the M.Ed. in Educational Technology LMS Site] (http://tinyurl.com/6kf2xqs) LMS Reflection (http://murphycat.wikispaces.com/LMS+Reflection)
 * Goal 3. To construct effective delivery of courses, topics, or training by using existing CMS tools.**

Creating the Orientation to the M.Ed. in Educational Technology program was an invaluable learning experience for me. Working with a group to obtain the goal of a creating a complete online course had many practical implications for me as far as reaching professional goals. To create this course, my group and I used several Web 2.0 tools, such as Google Docs, Wikispaces, and Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Live Meeting to collaborate in real time to design our course. We obtained data from current and former students during the design process to make our course materials valid for new students in the M.Ed. in Educational Technology program, as well as any person interested in enrolling in asynchronous online courses. Our goal is to fully implement this course to make it available to anyone online through an open source Course Management System (CMS). We will continue to conduct formative and summative evaluation of the course to improve the course and interact with our students.

The LMS Reflection acted as an evaluation of the course we developed from an instructor's perspective, as well as that of a student by participating in a course developed my by classmates. I used the rubric created with my teammates earlier in the course to evaluate our course based on components such as design, content, and assessment methods. By evaluating the course designed by my classmates that I participated in as a student: Digital Photography/Adobe Photoshop, I was able to critically evaluate both from an educator/instructional designer perspective, as well as that of a student, which I believe will serve as a great advantage as I move forward in my career as an instructional designer/trainer for adult learners. I will be able to see all sides of the equation, knowing how to design courses that will create the optimal learning experience for students, and a pleasurable experience for the instructor.