Online Instructional Design resources

There are a whole new set of rules required when setting up material in an online environment vs plain paper copies. Being a computer immigrant (someone who was not born into the computer age) I find it very difficult to read online for extended periods of time - it doesn't feel so natural. I like Kate's idea of "chunking" information and adding hyperlinks for lenghly materials.
Useful Resources for online instruction design:
1. http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/wbi/
This website provides links on how to "best utilize (the) internet's attributes and resources." It also have "chunks" of information about different online learning possibilities, as well as some good visuals. I like how its lay-out uses some of the features Kate recommended when presenting information.
2. http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/onlinelearning.html
This webpage is a lot of links for online learning resources covering the following topics:
General Instructional Design Resources
Assessment Strategies
Designing for Inclusion
Designing of Online Activities
Evaluating a Good Website
Fabulous Freebies
Facilitation Skills/Teaching Strategies
International Conferences
Learning Styles and Profiles
Managing Courseware Design
New Paradigms and Research in Instructional Technology
Publications and Forums
Software and Applications
I'm sure there's something for everyone here!

Instructional Design & Copyright & Intellectual Property

Kate Fannon
Is Instructional design a license to impose "instruction" or what?

What are deadly, dull learning situations?
- talking at your, little motivation
- non-passionate delivery or content
- boring, delivery - poor presentation
- rigid learning/teaching
- lack of relevance
- forced learning
- passive learning - non-engagement - no questioning

Cone of learning - Edgar Dale

Technical Aspects - Online vs Printed Page
- very clear instructions
- full page scan - not able to online
- use lots of white space
- meaningful graphics
- chunk information - lots of headings
- good introduction
- hyperlinks for lengthy pieces of information
- carefully consider sequencing / navigation

Effective or Transformative Learning Design
- Constructive
- Collarborative
- Conversational
- Reflective
- Contextualized
- Complex
- Intentional
- Active/Manipulative

* Webquest - Alternatives to detention - for ESL Learners
http://www.users.on.net/~katef/detention/default.htm

Rubric - an assessment matrix of how student's work will be graded

* Role Play - unpredictability
http://www.users.on.net/~katef/unpredictability/default.htm

* Fablusi - role play software
www.fablusi.com

Reflections on 3 Week Facilitating Course as a group
- what did we personally learn?

Carole McCulloch - Motivating & Engaging people in an online environment
Web Communities - where people share information
- needs relevant content and members can share best practices
- make it visual, remind members that it's a pleasant place to visit, 'networking' sharing information with one another
- 'guide on the side' replacing the 'page on the stage' of people's learning or for facilitating/moderating skills
- inclusiveness, caring

Peter Schultz - Copyright & Intellectual Property (IP)
- Use it & Promote - Lose it!
- What is it? - protect origin & creative effort
- Why important? tangible asset, competitive advantage, 'passive' income
- Types: Copyright, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Patents
- Managing IP - list what organisation has and add to Asset sheet
Resources:
www.flexiblelearning.net.au/copyrightkitchen
www.copyright.org.au
www.aesharenet.com.au
IP Australia
IP toolbox

Progress 1 of my own elearning project

My Project: Spicing up my online units for Cert IV / Diploma in Bus Admin
My Update: I've updated and added some more units for this semester and we are using the information for the first time this week. I've been more aware of making sure students update their online information to ensure they add their own email address - for more regular contact (motivating).
I've added a wiki for our fortnightly meetings - inviting students to add agenda items as required. How successful this will be will only come to light after a few fortnightly meetings.
I have requested a guest student login for our group to access these online units - and if one's available I will ask our Orange group to have a look and offer feedback.
I'm continuing to use my blog: http://millersmindmap.blogspot.com to keep all of my online learning in one place.
My Barriers: My most recent barrier has been the QA process through Online Educational Services (OES). It is a very lengthy, very "particular" and very discouraging process. At one point they had "misplaced" 2 of our units. None of my other face to face teaching material goes through such strike scrutiny. However, with my heart on my sleeve I will push forward and develop another two units ready for next year, and continue to improve what is currently there. I've learnt a lot this time around with OES - I'm not going to sit back and wait nicely next time - I'm going to ensure OES know I need my work by a certain date and ask them to acknowledge my requests for work submitted.
I'm glad I have this project - as it's my incentive to keep looking for new and exciting ways of making my students' learning experience more enjoyable.

Onlline Facilitation Workshop

globeofblogs.com is another really good blog website!

Poison Pills for your Online Program - what should you do:
- negotiate/allocate time
- ask for help
- work with others
- plan/flexible
- introduction / explain what you're doing
- identify client needs
- obey the rules (anti virus protection, firewalls)
- give clear explanations
- interact regularly with participants
- motivation
- getting team onside
- good record keeping
- reflect / modify
- access for all
- compatable technology
- provide handouts/support materials

Catriona Ward - adelaide-i-globe TAFE SA Adelaide South - E-moderating:
Moderating & Faciliating online - how is face to face different from online?
- ask for feedback/reflection
- blended learning
- explicit information/instructions
- interactive environments
- need guidance
Skills required:
- Pedagogical (teaching skills) - guidance, challenging, education, questioning
- Social (share info about each participant; social interactions; chatrooms; discussion forums, explore) promoting human relations; group cohesiveness; group dynamics
- Managerial - scheduling, record keeping
- Technical - students need to become comfortable with the technology
Role of Facilitator:
- goal setter
- discriminator
- the host
- the pace setter
- the explainer
- the entertainer/motivator - log-on to monitor activity; games/quizzes
- the communicator - phoning participants who seem to be "lost" or not contributing
Other components to e-facilitating:
- teaching processes
- interpersonal qualities
- technical skills
- communication
- technques
- content expertise

Online Role Playing:
- similar issues to classroom role-playing
- toolboxes/pretend environments - good for individuals
- take on particular roles - good for groups
- simulations of real life situations
- what happens if individuals are all at different stages in the online environment or there's continues enrolment?

Onlline Facilitation

Online Facilitation is a whole new 'teaching' ballgame and it is taking me back to my early teaching and then lecturing days - when I really had to think about the processes I needed to go through when presenting my classes. As Katriona mentioned there are a whole set of new facilitating skills to be developed when using this mode of presenting a learning environment - especially when you don't ever see the students in a face to face environment.

I believe that if it is possible to get participants together for regular workshops (like our SA Start up programme) then information can be shared a lot more quickly and more interestingly. However, if this is not always possible I believe a lot of "visuals" - photos of facilitators and participants; visuals of working environments would be important to keep the participants focussed. Perhaps webcam's during chat sessions would be handy.

Online facilitation requires a different mode of organisation on the facilitator's behalf. They have to keep very good records of when and what people have contributed to ensure all participants are learning something. They would need to be creative about motivating people via very non-visual email (and perhaps a very good typists). They need to be attached to the computer on a daily basis.

I agree that being a participant in the SA Start up programme has given me an insight into how my students view the online learning environment. Where I previously felt they needed long winded explanations about how to "get on with it" I now realise this is boring, off-putting and un-inviting - thereby demotivating some.