Learning Strategies and Communities of Practice

The world of Instructional Design has many varied pieces. As I study the subject, I have to say that I learn more and more. Through the Online Learning Consortium, I have become a better Instructional Designer. Reached has proven the value of learning strategies and communities of practices.


I read and reread different resources. I found that deep learning is most effective, but there are cases where surface learning is just as effective. What helped my understanding the most was an article titled, Deep and Surface Learning: The Literature, and another article titled, Unlocking the Mystery of Critical Thinking, by Linda B Nilson, Ph.D. (December 1, 2014). These articles demonstrated, to me, how deep learning is associated with Cognitivism and Connectivism and surface learning with Behaviorism. Further study into deep learning showed that they are critically intertwined.

I also have been researching:


  • ID Skills/Competency: Specifically analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging tech and the potential use as part of Planning and Analysis
  • Learning Trends: Mobile Learning (Pedagogical use of technology)
  • Learning Theory: Practical use of Deep Learning

Communities of Practice

Wenger and Trayner define a community of practice: "A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." I find this helpful and authentic as we all have a fundamentally social nature.


I have been networking with communities of practice without consciously realizing it. I regularly participate with the Brightspace Community. I have attended the ID2ID program, a collaboration between Penn State and Educause. I have become part of the PI Mentorship Academy (PIMA).


I have found that communities vary in what they offer. Groups like the IUP's Center for Teaching Excellence appear to act more as a resource center, while ID2ID, the Brightspace Community, and PIMA are more interactive. PIMA introduced me to the ins and outs of grants. It was helpful to be in a place where others are new to grants. However, I found myself overwhelmed. Being with others who share the same plight as I give me comfort and resources for the process. 


ID2ID is an amazing group of Instructional Designs. The community members are staff and faculty. We share opinions, concerns, questions, and resources. I have been asked different questions in the ID2ID sessions as ideas come to mind. One question (asked me by one of our faculty) I posted was about should faculty have an assignment deadline on or near a holiday. I got several replies. All recommended avoiding doing so.


In PIMA, we meet once or twice a month. Each session involved a different grant concept. Through PIMA, I have established a network of people I can call on to share with in the future.


My chosen research topic is the pedagogical use of technology. In the Brightspace Community, I found tremendous information on this subject and others who share my interest.


I keep up with my research topic as my involvement continues in most of these groups. Having a focus related to my specific interests keeps me on track. I find that time is my enemy, but I am happy to entertain ideas from the communities.


Not to exclude faculty, IUP has the Center for Teaching Excellence. It is an excellent place for our faculty to gain information, advice, and interact. Being involved in a community of practice is essential as part of our scholarship to help us stay abreast of the latest topics and share ideas with others.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Break the Silence: Effective Feedback Using D2L Brightspace

Image
  Providing detailed feedback is  an   absolute must for  effective  online  teaching.   Feedback is  a  tool  for  instructors  to communicate course content, guide , and lead students toward  a growth mindset.   One of the biggest influence s  on  students'   work is good feedback.   Without good feedback,   students  cannot improve their work and can impede future learning.   Feedback  for learning in higher education   highlight s  many studies demonstrating  technology’s ability to boost student engagement with feedback . What  D2L  tools   can f aculty use  for  giving and personalizing feedback ?   Rubrics   D2L Rubrics can be created to evaluate  activities   in  Assignments ,  Discussions,  and the Grade tools   with a  predefined set of criteria.   You can add additiona...
Read more

Pow, Gami, Mate Oh Me Oh My!

Image
 I have used a few tools for my projects.  When I created these I was doing different responsibilities, some of which will continue in my new Instructional Design position.  Others may or will not. I say this for you to understand with the purpose was behind these projects. I have experience with the tools PowToons, StudyMate, Tellagami.   I would say that I have a tie for my favorite. One is Tellagami.  Telligami fun. I have not tried it but I believe it would be appropriate for students to learn by creating. I believe it would also be useful for instructors and students to use Tellagami® to create book reports, solve math problems and recite lessons. It has short comings, such as getting it to work in D2L, or getting the character to say where you put it, and you cannot get back to the gami when once posted online except to make minor text changes.  If you use it for specific purposes, it can be useful.  The product currently is compatible with iPhon...
Read more

Value of a Community of Practice

  Researching Communities of Practice (CoP) I have found them of great value. I joined a few CoPs such as the Instructional Design Central, ID2ID (part of my Peer Mentor program), Brightspace Community, and Higher Education Teaching and Learning (part of LinkedIn). Doing so has provided me with new ideas, advice from peers, and numerous resources. Larger CoPs would be hard to follow. Smaller groups are more effective and give you a better feel of a community. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) faculty have an excellent opportunity to be part of a CoP. The CoP we have is the  IUP Reflective Practice Project . Reflective Practice (RP) is a project sponsored by IUP’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to support faculty and encourage reflective and effective teaching. The reflective practice offers both monthly large group , Saturday workshops, and teaching circles . I would recommend joining CoPs, such as those we have here at IUP, or others faculty may find that ar...
Read more