Hi to my new community

Helloooooo everyone out there, my ClustrMap tells me that I've had 14 visits in the last 24 hours. Frauke from Lesley's group in H800 has just left me a comment on my last post. I'm trying to write (in isolation) about ownership for TMA04 and about how all the new Web 2.0 tools can provide an enhanced sense of ownership, responsibility, engagement and pride in one’s work. Writing so much in isolation is a struggle! I've just had a burst of energy and engagement by looking at my blog and interacting, even just a little with a fellow course member. Thanks, Frauke, we have reciprocated in our help for one another.

Consolidation and dung beetles

Photo: The rare flightless Dung beetle rolling away its ball of dung - Photograph by Mike Gerhard
http://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/addo-elephant-park-accommodation.html

I've spent most of my time this week consolidating and reviewing. There's been such a pressure of not having enough time to do that, and arrange things in my head into some kind of satisfying mental map. I am reminded of a dung beetle just like this one that we saw crossing the road in the Kruger Park one day - I wanted to get my ball just like his but H800 kept shovelling more you-know-what for me to roll up!! My ball was getting too big to control - hence my "no more!" moment. Now it feels better as I've spent the last several days going through files, identifying quotes, making mind maps and at the end feeling a much better sense of ownership and pride in what I have done, and we have done together. Just got to finish getting it all on paper now for the final TMA....

Keeping up in H800

I mentioned in my 'Visual representations' post that I am a visual learner and often think in diagrams. We have just read a paper at the end of Week 24 that mentions the 'collaboration, creativity and enjoyment' involved in online learning. Here's a diagram I made just to relax and get creative, about the time pressure issues I felt last week, and that I believe we have all been feeling to some extent. It's about keeping up as the H800 train rumbles on.

Each week we have to read, watch, or listen to materials or carry out other activity instructions. The prescribed time for the activities is 16-20 hours per week. Many of us find it difficult to keep pace with the activities, let alone share with the rest of the group, consolidate and apply to our own individual contexts. Every so often there is a double week, with two weeks of activities packaged together, and that can afford us some more spacious working and reflection time, as the diagram illustrates.

I particularly have been finding insufficient time to pause, review and consolidate, as I have commented here before. My earlier attempts at summaries were very rewarding and I would like to be able to complete those. The weekly cycle depicted here is how I organise my learning, but it is being compromised by what is, in my view, too many activities, especially at the end of the course when most people need a breather before ploughing into the final TMA. The learner's affective (emotional) response is another important aspect of learning ownership that we have been discussing, and I am sifting out the various dimensions of ownership here in my blog, before writing about it for the TMA.

On teamwork

Week 24 was a real roller coaster ride. We are in the second last week of activities, and I had been really hoping to implement my new skimming strategy, skirt over the last three weeks material and quickly identify the material necessary for TMA04 and the end of course assessment (ECA). I came rather unstuck as the material in both Weeks 23 and 24 has been very challenging; there is no let up in the pace or pressure of the course. I am not a natural skimmer (more a natural plodder actually; well at least careful and methodical).

I'm travelling to the UK in 10 days time for a family wedding. My husband is giving away his god-daughter and I'm doing the bible reading, so it's pretty important for us. However TMA04 has to be finished early to fit this in. Couple this with school holidays and a laptop developing strange glitches in line with my rising level of desperation - and boom!!! Panic set in when I read the forums on Friday and realised there is still so much I should have understood.

However two fellow students came to my aid - Julie and Alan, thanks so much for identifying with me and offering some words of support. It meant everything. John stepped in with some helpful advice to get to grips with the difficult paper by Etienne Wenger about Communities of Practice, and together we showed what a great learning community we have for ourselves. Each person brings their own capabilities, viewpoint, insights, and sometimes listening ears. Together we attempt to construct meaning and move forward in our learning.

I'm still feeling really pressurised but so thrilled to be part of our group - we've come on a long journey and have built some strong connections together.

More on ownership & learning and teaching approach

I found food for thought in a further two slides in the infoDev ICT in Education presentation that I referred to in the post above. As I continue to reflect on issues of ownership of learning for TMA04, it struck me that another facet of ownership is to what extent the learner's role is passive or active, and the teacher's role provider or facilitator. Almost at the end of the course, I am 'analysing, evaluating and constructing' as we move towards TMA04 and the ECA project. I'm not too interested in passively reading any more papers; the reflection and construction I'm doing here in my blog seems to be far more satisfying.

On timing and skimming

Image: www.trcc.commnet.edu

It's official. I'm developing the art of skimming. As a new OU student and returning to formal studies after last graduating with my Masters in 1993, I have often wondered during H800 whether I would acquire this ability. In Week 12, we considered a paper by Richardson (2005) which observed that we can bring about desirable approaches to studying by appropriate course design, teaching methods and forms of assessment. Richardson also found that there is an intimate relationship between students' perceptions of quality, and the approaches to studying that they adopt. Perceptions of quality and learner experience are multi-faceted; important aspects including the course design and structure, mapping against learning outcomes, appropriate workload and assessment tasks. So drawing these threads together, I would say that although the course design and quality of materials is generally excellent, I am at a 'tipping point' where the course workload is affecting my perception of quality (and ownership) and is bringing about a more shallow or superficial approach. Either that, or I am internalising and consolidating the course material to such an extent that I can now adopt more efficient study methods!! In the next few weeks I have no option but to fit the course around ROL (rest of life) rather than fit ROL around the course, which I did seem to be doing in the beginning. TMA04 has to be finished early by at least a week so I'm going to be multi-programming between that and trying to achieve what I can from the remaining weeks of course material.

TMA02 Reflections

It's the week after I completed TMA02, the second assignment. This one carries twice the weighting of the previous one, ie 40% of the continuous assessment mark. I found it challenging, creative and tough all at the same time. I love being creative and put in three diagrams. I love illustrating my work and now hope that it's recognised as adding to my textual explanations - after all a picture speaks a thousand words and we are meant to be multi-media, are we not. Even thought about making a video to describe what I understand by learning experience, but that will have to come in the goodness of time!

After we have done the TMA, we are supposed to have an Elluminate session to discuss what we would change about it and what ideas we have about being assessed. Personally, after getting to the end of the Everest challenge I would rather not ponder about different ways I could have made it to the summit - this way was just fine thank you! All my chosen activities allowed me to investigate / express my understanding of a particular aspect of technology enhanced learning and its application to my specific context. I also brought in lots of connections to quality management which is my professional area.

I did write about blogging, about being inspired by fellow tutor group members John and Tracey, and about how rewarding I am finding this blogging thing. I regard it as a fun 'scrapbooking space' within which to privately reflect and share with others if they are interested. I am am also inspired by Martin Weller's blog (http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk) where he explains that that blogging provides an alternative forum for academic discourse – liberating academics from the need to write journal or conference papers if they wish to put forward an argument or discuss a point of view. By being able to self-publish in a blog, it is possible to establish an online academic identity. Much food for thought....