Musings - Open and Network Learning

#ONL201- Topic 5 Joining ONL201 is one of the best decisions I have taken in the recent past. It is not often that such an opportunity comes along, and time could not have been more appropriate.  I had a great learning time with my PBL group12. Regular Group discussions helped me survive the course. I would have been lost without the group. The discussions were always productive, and had an action item list at the end. Having a collaborative learning contract at the beginning helped in setting up expectations and knowing that all are aware of their responsibilities.  Our group was good with keeping up with their respective roles. There were accommodations and mutual respect for everyone, and there were contributions by everyone as well. I learnt most through group discussions. Scenarios and FISH document helped me keep the focus. My prior experience of Open and blended learning help me connect better with topics but i had to relearn many of the concepts. I also got exposed to many tool

#ONL201- Topic 4 During COVID-19 outbreak  many of us turned to ‘emergency remote teaching and learning’. What would happen when we go back to campus in the next semester?  Going by the current situation, very likely, we will be converting our modules to  online or blended learning. The topic on Online and Blended Learning in ONL course was timely. It got me thinking how would I design a successful online course for the next semester. Would a reflection of my experience of past semester useful i.e. a reflection of just concluded online course offering in response to a crisis? What researched resources are available to get guidance on taking full advantage of the affordances and possibilities of the online format?  Various terms are defined for remote learning : distance learning, online learning, e-learning, blended learning, mobile learning, and others.  It is important to be familiar with the vocabulary and to align course with one or more of these terms. It is well established by nu

#ONL201- Topic 3 I had spent most of the time during Topic 3 weeks reading the given readings : Are Online Learners Frustrated with Collaborative Learning Experiences?  [Capdeferro & Romero 2012]  Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment  [Brindley et al 2009] Capdeferro & Romero (2012) addresses the topic of learners’ frustration in online collaborative experiences and, attempts to identify the sources to which the learners attribute their frustration.  Results of a survey from online learners participating in a Master course shows that perception of an asymmetric collaboration among the teammates was the most significant source of frustration.  I could totally relate this with a few instances I observed in my blended module offering this semester. 3 out of 20 teams mentioned unequal contribution by team members and the team deliverable quality as well as learning experiences marred by the unpleasantness that comes with it. In our PBL group, we

#ONL201- Topic 2  I felt somewhat settled in the course by the start of  the topic on Open Learning . I knew what to expect in the PBL group discussion. I was behind schedule for the blog deliverable though L  Due to COVID, my teaching and research work was shifting to mostly home and online by this time. Struggle for finding time for setting up e-learning course for my own modules and for completing ONL201 deliverables was intense. The topic of Open Learning however connected me back to my early career at two mega Open Universities of the world – IGNOU and UKOU In the PBL group discussion, we explored the benefits and challenges of openness in education. The term “open” has become associated with open source content . It is often referred to as Open Educational Resources (OER), including MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). These are fast changing the face of education. We looked at issues around copyright, open licensing of content (Creative Commons) and how this can be leveraged for

#ONL201-Topic1     Is it important for Educators to be Digitally Literate?  The first challenge I  faced to understand this topic and scenario was to find a definition of ‘’digital literacy’’. I found that the definition of digital literacy has shifted in the past few years as more and newer technologies have permeated the classroom. I found American Library Association ’s defines it suitably well  "Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills." Digital Literacy  is unarguably becoming important to our education systems. While students may be adept at using digital tools, their understanding of what these tools can do is often limited. For example, students use social media like Instagram or Facebook to post photos but don’t think to use the platform for their projects. They record themselves for voice messages to friends but do n

#ONL201 It all began on Feb 24, 2020 ...... This is my first blog post  😊 I was really excited to start on this learning journey. It has been a few years since I formally joined a  course of this length. Further, this is a unique setting for me, working with a group of educators from diverse background and from far off places. It  also interested  me as it comes at a time when I foresee applying some of the theories and methods very soon in my modules. We were  just at the start of a pandemic and safe distance measures are affecting University teaching in an unprecedented way. I could foresee blended and e-learning to be incorporated in my module teaching while this course is on. This meme below expresses the feeling I had about discovering endless learning possibilities. In my first week here, I tried to grapple with course structure and related issues. I was not  confident if I had understood everything but hey! I felt  blessed with an understanding team of  course fac