SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES
This unit was definitely the most interesting to me. I'm naturally a huge fan of embedding various types of media in order to enhance learning. As a learning who excels in a "hands on " enviroment, I've learned to adapt and embrace visual aids when actually touching and feeling is not feasible. Thus far, I've done well.
In terms of likenesses and differences in the platforms, the first thing I noticed is that video is highly encouraged when designing all four. Video for the resources in GBS is a great way to visually aid "the scenario" on the subject for participants who prefer visual stimulation as opposed to only text-based facts and reading when conducting research. That idea is summed up by Hsu & Moore (2010) when they acknowledge that "...the most important resources are stories that contextualize past experience.". What better way to tell a story that will "stick" than in a video. As with GBS, in Achored, I totally see is used in such a way as the movie Mission Impossible. Give the scenario with a storyline, then leave it to the students to solve the issue based on the situation. This also works exceptionally well with MOST because it benefits the student and teacher; the student for obvious reasons and the teacher because it can be used across the program as well as allow for a safe enviroment where lab tests must be conducted (Goldman, n.d.). The most striking difference to me, is that GBS did not seem as conducive to working in groups as the others.
MY REACTIONS
At the onset of the these models, my mindset was on both learning of them and choosing which I thought would be best for our group project at the same time. I must say that with each one I could easily think of a scenario or theme that I would use. For instance, a course that teaches the proper steps and strategies on tracking packages within FedEx or UPS came to mind with GBS. Anchored was a cool reminder of the Sci-fi books my brother and I read as kids. They offered different outcomes for the same situation. As the decisions were made, the situation and outcomes changed. This is an awesome way to include the "what if" factor. Of the four, AI appeared to be the model that allows learners to be the most open-minded and out-of-the-box thinking. As for STAR, it appears to be an all around favorite model...easy to learn, easy to design.
BARRIERS...IF ANY?
Of the four models, MOST would cause the most issue in terms of design. As one who loves design, I believe I'd find it difficult to find a "perfect" balance between the visual multimedia, the text content, and any software that allows student interaction through re-telling a story. More specifically is the balance in text to video content. When I picture a person who just has a harder time understanding a topic than others, my tendency is to offer help. However, that good intention can get skewed by unintentionally gravitating out of the MOST model. As of this post, I've not yet come up with a solution for overcoming that barrier. However, the biggest benefit would be the student gaining appropriate (if not exceptional) knowledge of the topic being covered if the course is designed properly by the designer that can keep it simple and design an effective MOST model online that flows smoothly while maximizing the students' information retention.
WHAT TO USE....HUMMMMMM.
As I mentioned previously, I am a lover of multimedia and use of various types of media within a course; it is what I learn best with so keeping in mind that it is easy to do what you love, I can easily see myself attempting use of each model--focusing on AI and Goal Based at the onset, then MOST. The learning curve for STAR appears not-so-stiff and my need and love of a challenge would reserve use of the STAR model in cases where the others are not necessary. With the trouble of AI being that it is information-intensive, I'd search for some sort of modification in the amount of content required for the model. My mind leads to a series of JAD sessions with the institution/company, for instance, in order to streamline the content. Too much in-depth information not only costs time, it also costs interest. For me, losing student interest is more harmful to a course than time consumption.
TECHNOLOGIES
I have been very fortunate to have been turned on to Coursesites by my teammate this semester. This free online course creation software has proven indispensable when creating a course. It allows for one-stop shopping for creating a course using a variety of structures/models. There are tons of tools that can be incorporated without having to use a varying links to external sites for students. This not only alleviates having to create multiple accounts and remembering multiple logins for students, but the same goes for teachers and /or designers as well. For the purposes of context-based models, I would add one additional application as Coursesites does not (from what I see) have an internal video capture program. For this, I would opt to use Debut Video Capture from NCH Software or CamStudio. Both allow for capturing streaming video directly from your desktop/laptop.
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I had some of the same reflections you shared especially about the MOST model and how it would be quite complicated to produce as a web-based design. Because of its rich multimedia foundation, I felt it would be over my head to try to tackle. I also liked your reflection on the Anchored model. It was my favorite of the four. Like you I thought this was the most interesting unit so far and thoroughly enjoyed the reading assignments. I even ventured out to visit the sites recommended by the authors to get more information about the models--Anchored in particular. Your thinking out of the box about taking the design from academia to corporate is quite interesting. I was thinking about using the Anchored model to build a site for the SAT prep test. I thought it would work best using this model. Thanks for sharing the information about Coursesites. I plan to check it out and see how it can be leveraged in the next module. Good job.
Cynthia
Great blog Kim. I agree with you that Coursesiteis quite a powerful web tool I am most impressed with this becae it self contained all the tools needed to collaborate, show videos etc without having to exit and sign into another web tool. Very powerful. I also cannot see how the MOST model can be created without a lot of design and multimedia support. I would think this needs a huge budget for creation of a course like this.
ReplyDeleteKim, great posting! You really bring a sense of your personal experiences to these learning models, which I think is helpful both for your understanding, and how I view your comments.
ReplyDeleteI think that the barrier you mentioned is very valid. It is more and more difficult to find the balance between technology and content, and I don't have a solution either. As a language arts teacher, I probably want to put too much text on my web sites, but from my technology perspective, self editing is really important. It's always a challenge!