Artifact: Curation Assignment: Benefits of Online Learning and Web 2.0 for CALL
EDUC 5199G Special Topics in Ed & Dig. Tech: Computer Assisted Language Learning
Description
For this assignment I collected and annotated twenty articles about my chosen topic. I began with synchronous and asynchronous learning in Computer Assisted Language Learning, but found that it was impossible to locate enough articles dealing specifically with this topic. I changed my title to “Benefits of Online Learning and Web 2.0 for Computer Assisted Language Learning”. "My topic" (a curated page on Scoop.it) is a public board that displays the articles I have "scooped" and, my comments on them. Users can search the site and my topic, and source it for articles to add to their own topics on Scoop.it. I had never heard of this curation tool before this assignment. Though I am familiar with Pinterest for personal use, I found Scoop it to be an interesting and active professional community.
The content of this assignment is valuable in any discussion about computer mediated language learning (CALL) because the articles focus on Web 2.0 and its influence on learning. That said, the curation assignment itself has great potential for use in online learning because it teaches valuable skills including: Online research, sorting and evaluating sources, annotation and connection making, and curation. The Scoops I have curated are resources that showcase innovative uses of web 2.0 tools for language learning online ranging from article about online learning, academic papers about web tools, and blogs with tutorials for integration of web 2.0 tools in the classroom.
After opening my topic for the course assignment and searching for articles, I immediately created topic pages for other interests and began curating these as well. I found this task timely and authentic. I will continue to use Scoop It to curate my interests and share my ideas for academic use.
Reflection & Research
Key ideas: curation, computer mediated communication (CMC)
My interest in online learning began when I realized I needed to continue completing courses even after graduating from the faculty of Education. Keeping current and modelling lifelong learning is important for educators at any level, and once I was out in the professional world, online courses were the only option for me because of the flexibility they afforded. When researching Masters programs, completing the degree entirely online was the only method that interested me, even though at the time I lived minutes from Western University. Beside the convenient delivery method, the UOIT program offered an M.Ed in Technology which fascinated me. As someone with plenty of online learning and teaching experience, I wanted to experience post-graduate level synchronous courses, and learn how to improve online learning. I think that my program and this portfolio demonstrate my interest in this area.
My artifact for Special Topic represents my final course in M.Ed program. The format of the curation assignment in particular points to the power of the internet and the academic requirements of learners today. There is an overwhelming amount of information on the web that must be critically analysed and carefully considered. I was shocked by the sheer number of articles I could find by Googling my topic, but more so by the pages suggested by Scoop It that apparently matched my search criteria and topic. Initially curation seemed a simple task. However, when sorting through the articles I had collected based on their titles and brief reviews, I understood why curation is an extremely valuable skill. Firstly, to source articles for a specific topic is difficult and time consuming. Searching the internet is a skill. Secondly, reading critically and making connections is essential.
In a “Scoop” from my curation assignment, “Is Content Curation in Your Skill Set? It Should Be”, an article for Learning Solutions Magazine by David Kelly, the author notes the social and popular nature of curation on today’s internet. He likens it to photography, an analogy that spoke to me: With the power of the internet everyone has access to the same information source in the same way that technology has become more readily available and affordable allowing the average person to take photos that are the same quality as a professional photographer. This fact does not negate the need for expertise in the field of photography.
To me this means that teachers are not obsolete, but also that there is great value in the ability to organize and explain information, above and beyond the ability to create it. What I mean is that, regardless of the consequences of technology on language or education, a new skill has emerged that has great value. I see curation as a tool that I will bring to my professional practice (as a professional and personal tool, as well as a tool for students) and a skill I hope impart to my students, along with acknowledgement of its value.
For this assignment I collected and annotated twenty articles about my chosen topic. I began with synchronous and asynchronous learning in Computer Assisted Language Learning, but found that it was impossible to locate enough articles dealing specifically with this topic. I changed my title to “Benefits of Online Learning and Web 2.0 for Computer Assisted Language Learning”. "My topic" (a curated page on Scoop.it) is a public board that displays the articles I have "scooped" and, my comments on them. Users can search the site and my topic, and source it for articles to add to their own topics on Scoop.it. I had never heard of this curation tool before this assignment. Though I am familiar with Pinterest for personal use, I found Scoop it to be an interesting and active professional community.
The content of this assignment is valuable in any discussion about computer mediated language learning (CALL) because the articles focus on Web 2.0 and its influence on learning. That said, the curation assignment itself has great potential for use in online learning because it teaches valuable skills including: Online research, sorting and evaluating sources, annotation and connection making, and curation. The Scoops I have curated are resources that showcase innovative uses of web 2.0 tools for language learning online ranging from article about online learning, academic papers about web tools, and blogs with tutorials for integration of web 2.0 tools in the classroom.
After opening my topic for the course assignment and searching for articles, I immediately created topic pages for other interests and began curating these as well. I found this task timely and authentic. I will continue to use Scoop It to curate my interests and share my ideas for academic use.
Reflection & Research
Key ideas: curation, computer mediated communication (CMC)
My interest in online learning began when I realized I needed to continue completing courses even after graduating from the faculty of Education. Keeping current and modelling lifelong learning is important for educators at any level, and once I was out in the professional world, online courses were the only option for me because of the flexibility they afforded. When researching Masters programs, completing the degree entirely online was the only method that interested me, even though at the time I lived minutes from Western University. Beside the convenient delivery method, the UOIT program offered an M.Ed in Technology which fascinated me. As someone with plenty of online learning and teaching experience, I wanted to experience post-graduate level synchronous courses, and learn how to improve online learning. I think that my program and this portfolio demonstrate my interest in this area.
My artifact for Special Topic represents my final course in M.Ed program. The format of the curation assignment in particular points to the power of the internet and the academic requirements of learners today. There is an overwhelming amount of information on the web that must be critically analysed and carefully considered. I was shocked by the sheer number of articles I could find by Googling my topic, but more so by the pages suggested by Scoop It that apparently matched my search criteria and topic. Initially curation seemed a simple task. However, when sorting through the articles I had collected based on their titles and brief reviews, I understood why curation is an extremely valuable skill. Firstly, to source articles for a specific topic is difficult and time consuming. Searching the internet is a skill. Secondly, reading critically and making connections is essential.
In a “Scoop” from my curation assignment, “Is Content Curation in Your Skill Set? It Should Be”, an article for Learning Solutions Magazine by David Kelly, the author notes the social and popular nature of curation on today’s internet. He likens it to photography, an analogy that spoke to me: With the power of the internet everyone has access to the same information source in the same way that technology has become more readily available and affordable allowing the average person to take photos that are the same quality as a professional photographer. This fact does not negate the need for expertise in the field of photography.
To me this means that teachers are not obsolete, but also that there is great value in the ability to organize and explain information, above and beyond the ability to create it. What I mean is that, regardless of the consequences of technology on language or education, a new skill has emerged that has great value. I see curation as a tool that I will bring to my professional practice (as a professional and personal tool, as well as a tool for students) and a skill I hope impart to my students, along with acknowledgement of its value.