User:Ssukow

Open Educational Practices Checklist

This page documents activities completed in the Open Educational Practices course.

Introduction

 * Hi, my name is Steph Sukow, and I am a Communications Adjunct at College of Lake County who teaches English during the day at the high school level. The idea of OER is critical as it provides more educational opportunities to our students - especially those who are attending night classes at the community college level. So often, I hear students struggling to work full-time and pay for college expenses such as books. OER is a way to provide them with more access to critical educational resources and experiences that can further their education.


 * The concept of open pedagogy interests me as it seems to be focused on student-driven learning, which is often the format that drives online and blended-learning. I hope to learn more about what this looks like in practice. Has anyone used open pedagogy practices in their classrooms already?


 * I am excited to learn from and with everyone this term.

Open Educational Resources

 * Cable Green, director of global learning at Creative Commons mentioned that “The 5R Open Course Design Framework will propose effective instructional design guidelines for educators to propel OER towards mainstream adoption in classrooms around the world.”


 * I can apply the 5Rs in my course design work by openly publishing course material which will invite participation from different other users to apply and design course materials over time.


 * To strengthen student learning, I believe Retain, Reuse, Revise content in the open resources is what is meaningful in the Wikiversity resources I use. In the courses I teach, students will be able to contribute to the content by being able to reuse the material each semester. As part of their course participation, students can revise the content to make it their own by enhancing the content with current information. Similar to some of the previous messages, students will continue to have access to the information to allow them to retain it for themselves into the future.


 * Reference: The 5 Rs of designing an OER course. https://www.ecampusnews.com/2014/11/19/oer-course-design-475/

Wikis

 * In the heart of my informative speech unit, I am teaching how to evaluate source credibility. Inevitably, the discussion of the accuracy of Wikipedia always arises. Topics of discussion include when to use Wikipedia, when to cite it, and how the information is vetted. While I do teach students not to cite Wikipedia informal essays, studies show that Wikipedia is very accurate and enhance user understanding of the topic being researched. The links provided more information and extended learning opportunities, which is why using wikis in a learning environment can have positive effects.


 * I chose to edit a Wikiuniversity page about communication/activities. While my contribution was small, I wanted to add to a hypothesis section to create further conversation. I am not sure if the contribution was officially accepted, but it has remained present on the page. Is there a time limit or a verified way to know if changes were accepted?


 * The concerns I have again lie in the accuracy of the information. Also, formatting can be inconsistent and harder to read, which might impact the retention and understanding of a given topic. I wish there was more consistent formatting or layout, which might help college students who struggle with reading comprehension or retention. Are there ways to help students learn to navigate and retain key information from Wikis? Does anyone have strategies to share?

Pressbooks

 * My department at CLC is very interested in moving to OER, and as a result, perhaps writing or crafting out own book. Since there are so many strong resources available and using OER can save our students money, we have talked about this idea. I have registered for Pressbooks. Besides this platform are there others to use? I am a big fan of Google Suites products and wonder if using Google Docs might be easier to share.


 * Having played around with Pressbooks today, I like the opportunity to organize the layout and appendix of a book. I can see how easy it is to organize material and develop a comprehensive resource. I also like that there is a social aspect to the site that allows for the free sharing of ideas. It seems like this platform would be easy to collaborate and share resources with colleagues, departments, and even the greater community. Thanks for sharing this source.

Multimedia

 * The use of video and screencasting is especially helpful in online and blended learning environments. Currently, I teach one traditional course and one blended version of the same course. I make a video to walk students through each module and lesson for my blended course and have even started sharing some of those videos with my face-to-face course. Videos and multi-media presentations appeal to many types of learners, can be rewatched, and are asynchronous in nature, thus providing students with opportunities to learn at their own pace.


 * In addition to Screencast-O-Matic, a tool like EdPuzzle allows instructors to create interactive experiences for students. With multiple choice and free response questions, teacher voiceovers, and the inclusion of instructor notes, this platform can help students to be active learners while engaging with multimedia presentations. Here's my YouTube playlist with my blended course walkthroughs and lessons: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmMbjEiDVG1DzYBHNX7tysM87btubb0LC


 * When I'm not adjuncting, I am a high school teacher/instructional coach. I make a weekly tech tip video that gets shared with the staff. Here's that playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qeHuCPAfZk&list=PLmMbjEiDVG1BYlOxJbt0beV8y5yc5JPzj


 * Videos from Kahn Academy, TED, and other platforms also make great resources and can be included in any classroom to enhance student learning. I look forward to viewing videos from all those participating in this coures this week! https://youtu.be/kqt7KVOOE08

Accessibility and UDL

 * I appreciate the emphasis on multiple mean and accommodations. Providing students with opportunities to access the same curriculum in a variety of ways can ensure that all students have access to course content. Understanding what students can and have the ability to access is important. For example, do students have laptops, tablets, or phones? How might a resource look on any of those platforms? Do students even have regular access to the internet or are they seeking alternative places to connect? Do students have learning accommodations? These are all questions to ponder.


 * Looking at my own content, I know I need to turn on closed captioning to make sure that students have access to my resources. I could also provide more reading alternatives if students preferred reading to watching a video. In addition, I have color concerns with a font. I like to bold and highlight text. I need to know more about specific colors and readability.


 * According to Wikipedia, these features need to be considered when reflecting on web accessibility:
 * A high contrast version of the site for individuals with low vision, and low contrast (yellow or blue) version of the site for individuals with dyslexia.
 * Alternative media for any multimedia used on the site (video, flash, audio, etc.).
 * Simple and consistent navigation.
 * Device-independence.

When looking more into design, I found these tips:


 * Reduced noise.
 * Useful content more prominent.
 * Shorter pages allow users to see more before tiring.

Instructional Design

 * I really appreciate backward design theory (also called understanding by design - UBD) or the process of starting with learning outcomes and working backward. Often, there is more than one path to help students achieve mastery of a specific learning objective. In blended and online learning formats, we have the power to differentiate with greater ease. Using OER can allow us to pull in great resources and tools based on our students’ needs.


 * Of the models presented in this week’s introduction, the COI model was most intriguing to me. I appreciate the idea that first we need to establish a community of learners through a social presence. In a speech class, this aspect of instructional design is critical. If students are connected to one another, they are far more likely to engage and communicate messages. I also appreciate how this model encourages the instructor to focus on purposeful teacher presence and cognitive presence to support students as people and learners.


 * The course that I am evaluating using OSCQR is my blended CMM 121 course. Currently, we are using Blackboard at CLC. I am excited to use Canvas next year as I think it will help with the overall aesthetics and navigation of the course. The biggest areas that I need to revise in include the course tools and technology, being more explicitly with the frequency of tools accessed, specific web browsers to use, and more accessibility standards. My course is not currently OER, and I plan on moving in that direction over the course of the next year. My strength is my communication with students and timely access to resources, feedback, and student-teacher engagement. My rubric can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19bYacYlfBOEZsoMUqL0x8oa96lFap1NM/view?usp=sharing

Final Project
Link to my lesson plan

In my CMM 121 course, I have selected an introductory topic - Intro to the Communication Model. For this lesson, I want to reinforce key terms and challenge students to engage with and apply the concepts in multiple ways.

My hope is for students will be able to apply these concepts in this lesson and continue to do so throughout the entire semester. During this experience, students will engage with their peers and practice communicating asynchronously. This lesson has a variety of activities and provides experiences to engage and express their own ideas.

I have built this lesson in a Google Doc that could be shared openly on the web. I chose this platform because any course I teach will be uploaded on an LMS. CLC is moving to Canvas but is currently using Blackboard. A Google Doc can be reshared and posted within the LMS or publically on the web.

Introduction to the Communication Model OER Lesson