Better late then never

Hi,Folks, I realise I haven't posted a link to my Evaluation plan such as it was/is. I own to being disorganised and having all sorts of projects on the go at once. I am still struggling with the arms of the octopus. And the end is in view with my Final Report. But first things first- Evaluation Plan. Couldn't work out how to link to it on the Wiki page. Somedays I despair that I will ever understand all tha tis required!

I found the session with Bronwyn when she was in Auckland invaluable to get me focussed with my plan- it has been easy for me to get into overwhelm but that has given me a better appreciation of what some of the students go through when they return to study as mature students and are struggling to manage the technolgy as well as the course content.

And the elluminate sessions I participated in gave me reassurance that there were several of us paddling in the same waka so to speak.

I am currently up to the discussion and results part of my final report and hope to finish the whole thing this weekend.

And I can say now that with or without my report I have been given some release time in 2011 to develop our diploma programme to a degree. I mention this as some of the earlier discussions we had focussed on Management not allowing enough time for development- it just became another thing we managed. And Bronwyn challenged us/me to speak up and make our needs known - talked of starting a revolution and I put my hand up! Well, Ididn't need to start a revolution but there is recognition that release time is necessary. Enough of this... back to the report... distraction... cup of tea and then settle down again.

A little distraction

Couldn't resist this! Happy final write ups. I feel as if I am perching in mid air myself!

How to contain the wriggling octopus... part 3

Illustration by Peter Arkle for TIME

Finally I am in the Kno.What I have but dreamed about in terms of managing textbooks and required and recommended reading is all but here in a manageable format.

Want to Kno more? Read here the article in TIME November 15th p.48

Maybe "they" will let me test drive it here in New Zealand for my project for my last paper presuming that I can get on and finish this paper. Who knows what is possible. And it wont be for want of trying. An email has already gone...

How do you stuff a large octopus in a small container?

Trying to stuff all those legs into a very small container has been a total draft stopper for me!

However... valuable one on one time with Bronwyn on Tuesday (not to mention the scrummy lunch that Oriel provided) has me refocused and back on track again. Hope... no, plan to have my draft report up for comment by next week and then I can get on with reading and giving feedback on all the other reports. It feels good to be visible again. It is definitely time for me to surface again!

Have been up since 4am catching up with the reading that Bronwyn has sent in her latest email.
I am aware more than ever that studying online has not yet become a natural process for me and is taking quite an adjustment. I am so used to spreading my notes and reference reading all around me that I am struggling with trying to have enough windows open to be able to move comfortably from one reading to another and then to my notes and back again. I have this dream of having a bank of computers lined up, each screen displaying a different reading so I can wheel myself along to find the relevant piece at any one time. However...
In the Handbook for Learning-centred Evaluation of Computer-facilitated Learning Projects in Higher Education there is this quote

“(Ehrmann, 1999b) likens the process of evaluation to the use of a small torch to glimpse what sort of animal might be in front of you in a huge, dark cave. In this metaphor, the cave is the process being investigated, and the torch is the evaluation. The cave is large and complex, and the torch beam is narrow and weak; each evaluative question is equivalent to pointing the torch in a particular direction, to see what is there and what walks into the light.”

I resonate with this analogy and realise that online learning for me often feels that I am wandering around in a huge dark cave with a very small torchlight. I can empathise with the mature students on our Certificate course who struggle with some of the online activities in our blended courses and watch with envy as their younger classmates navigate the material so easily.
So the Needs Analysis that I am doing for our project is highly relevant for me also as I am taken out of my familiar and comfortable way of studying and learning.
The other section of the article that I found interesting is How can you Unpack your own Assumptions about Teaching and Learning? in the Introduction. Lots to reflect on but I am mindful that I need to just get on with the project as time is running out to get the work submitted. My mind is untidy and loves doing all the reading around and for a project and then I find I am up against time in writing it up! C’est la vie. Alarm has just gone off to get up (LOL) . Time to get ready for the day ahead. I suspect tonight will be a late study night and an early rising tomorrow.

Ehrmann, S. (1999b). Flashlight Evaluation Handbook. Flashlight Project. Available: http://www.ctl.wsu.edu/CTLSilhouette/mode/author/flashlight/EvaluationHandbook [1999, 24 December].

Spring is around the corner!

Question time! I received this image in an email that started out in Canada. Wanted to use it as our city spring here in Auckland is in stark contrast to the spring scene that Bronwyn posted two blogs ago. Being ever obedient I wanted to acknowledge the source so went scurrying to trace it. Google images has it from 3 different sources. One appears to be the "original" but what do I know! So, how does one reference this- give all three or choose what appears to be the original? What do you do?

Thoroughly enjoyed connecting on Elluminate last week. Helps with the isolation I feel at times. I do like to get on and do my own thing AND I like having others around and being part of a learning community.

I worked on a small project with Rachel Byars in a previous paper so it was good to hear her sharing her wisdom about her needs analysis project. I, too, am focussed on a Needs Analysis so it was very helpful hearing how she went about things and some of the obstacles she ran into etc. Have to put my head down as I will be away for the whole of the term break without access to a computer. Actually I will have no access to phone or TV and there aren't any roads on the island let alone a vehicle. Just warm sea and sand and hammocks slung between palm trees. Sheer Bliss. Follow this link http://www.macsnananu.com/ and you will see where we are staying.

Just a bit of useless trivia - my Mother was raised on this Island from age 4 till she was 11 when they returned to NZ. My Maternal Great GrandMother is from Wallis Island (tiny speck in the Pacific next to Futuna). She ran way to the "big smoke" (aka Fiji) and had her family and raised them there. The family who own and operate MacDonalds are in- laws so to speak.

Why am I telling you all this? Not sure but it means that I need to get my Evaluation Plan all done and dusted before I fly out. So watch this space...

"Are we starting a Revolution?" asks Bronwyn.

Yes, I believe that I will if that is what it takes. I agree with Bronwyn in the discussion email that by " everyone working too hard they are doing themselves and others a disservice, and the managers in actual fact because they get a false sense of what is achievable. "

So ... I need to stand up and be counted and give straight and honest feedback about what is possible and what is not regarding time. I have a good Head of School who is reasonable - and - I am aware that there are constraints he is dealing with.

And I need to be prepared with evidence to back up whatever stance I may need to take. Mmmm... need to reflect further on this as there is a project looming as I mentioned in the email discussion.