Albana Kume

Module 8 – Assessment in E-Learning

Albana Kume — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:48:45 +0000

WEEK 8 OF THE COURSE

Final project

I have some mixed feelings about the end of this class; happy that my busy days came to the end, but I am going to miss my classmates and their great collaboration spirit. I only can hope to see them in my practicum class or in other learning occasions.

This week was dedicated to the final project review and after getting some suggestions from the peers and feedback from the instructor I was able to make some changes to improve my final work. Still I am working on the changes though.

Here is the link to my Final Project

I hope to have the opportunity to implement each activity I developed, because I really liked the process to create them and put passion and efforts on this work. My main reflections would be on the real and great possibility I had to experience my own authentic learning.

The other reflection is about the formative assessment we received. I was able to see this process week after week and to enjoy this learning form, totally new to me at this point.

I’d like to bring here this video about the formative assesment

Here is also Bob and Sue Assessmet video I really like

Module 7 – Assessment in E-Learning

Albana Kume — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:34:46 +0000

WEEK 7 OF THE COURSE

Final project – Draft

This was really a tough week. Really. We focused on the draft of the Final Project and I hopefully I have now a rough draft. Most of the work would be done, but as the feedback and the suggestions from the classmates are coming, I still will need to make changes and improvements.

I enjoyed chosing the assessment tools and playing around with them. There are a lot of them out there and to tell the truth I am glad I have the opportunity to chose. In this case more is better on my opinion, even though one sometimes might feel overhelmed.

We were able to practice again cybercoaching this week for our drafts and classmates are really showing very high level of engagement. Each one gave (still continuing to give) helpful ideas and suggestions and this is the real proof of how the collaborative learning occurs in the online environment.

As I have always said this is not a final project, but a start. At least I got some initial directions, more than some I’d say. This is said from somebody (me), who initially was not even able to distinguish between a formative and summative assessment. So however it will go, for me it is a great success.

Here is the link to my Final Project draft

Readings fot this week were optional, but it was interesting and helpful to know about some free tools and softwares for grading.

I also am reviewing the projects of the classmates, trying to get from them some helpful ideas. It is amazing to know how many different point of views exist even on the same tool some of us has chosen.

Module 6 – Assessment in E-Learning

Albana Kume — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:31:26 +0000

WEEK 6 OF THE COURSE

Cybercoaching

The final project is taking good shape.We had discussions about each one’s project and the contributions the classmates brought were really very hepful.I can say this is a great collaborative community

We had readings to do this week and to get from them the best ideas and suggestions to utilize in our courses. Readings were about Cybercoaching and the Constructivism in E-Learning

It has been a week of work in progress, where each student has been intergrating and modifying their own initial project.Designing a course is really hard and one can’t improvise. At least if one wants to design a course that work. Besides a good design, a good course should have radical links to real life applications, should be based on the constructivism theory of teaching and should have collaborative activities.

The other assessment of this week was about creating a survey.I thought it would have been harder, but I didn’t experienced particular difficulties.This is a precourse survey and I tried to cover all the possible areas which would allow me to better know the student ; background, learning style, personality type, any learning accomodations, expectations,…Link to my SURVEY

Some more efforts on the upcoming week and we will be done.Is this the end?I’d say this would be the start.

Module 5 – Assessment in E-learning Journal

Albana Kume — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:49:10 +0000

WEEK 5 OF THE COURSE

Taxonomy of Assessment – Bloom’s Table

Another week gone.When the course will finish I’m going to miss my classmates and their great collaborative spirit.

This week it was a bit harder; had to rewrite the learning objectives for the final project and post them for peers’ feedback.I can say all of them are so collaborative and their comments help a lot. My learning in this field is at the very beginning step, so I have to consider precious each their suggestions and to keep working hard on each detail. Linked to this I’d say there were some thoughts coming to my mind while reading the article THE RELUCTANT ONLINE PROFESSOR. It really made me reflect on how much challenging the way I’ve taken is. But I will make it, for sure and I’m even happy with my choice.

Here is the link to my Taxonomy Table

This week some classmates posted videos for Bloom’s Taxonomy

Ted also posted a useful model to refer while working on the taxonomy The The Curry/Samara Model

One thing out off topic; I might consider to learn about HTML, posting is being so challeging and each time I have to go through a proxy to open and write my pages.

Bhaskar (the intern of this class) keept a web conference this weekend about his experience as an intern.Useful and helpful advices, very nice from him.He seems to be passionate about teaching and about this experience.

Well, I can say now the most is gone, but again I want to consider this as a start from where to develop all the upcoming activity.

Module 4 – Assessment in E-Learning Journal

Albana Kume — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 19:11:40 +0000

WEEK 4 OF THE COURSE

Assessment Tools – Midterm Project

Half way to the end of the course.It is revealing exactly how my expectations were at the beginning of this class; each day everybody is bringing new contributions enriching my knowledge.

This week we worked in independent groups of three for the midterm assignment.The activity was that of analyzing an assessment tool from a given set and putting it in a group presentation page to show to the rest of the class.I am in group with Ted and Tania and I really can say we are a great team.With Ted being a school principal and Tania a corporate trainer, I really feel in good hands.We chosed to work indipendently on the tool that each one of us picked and after two live sessions on Skype, we were able to create an unique team presentation.All of us showed great commitment, high enthusiasm, perfect timing and I hope a valuable final product.Ted worked on Google Apps, Tania on WebEx and I on the surveys, all useful tools for the learning/teaching process.We inconsciently were also able to experiment Skype as a tool for conferencing, my team mates remained very impressed from the quality of the communication with this tool.

Here is the link to our Assessment Toolbox

We chosed to keep a professional look of it, without sacrifying the content of our work.All three of us think that presentation is important for the eyes, but content is more.

The discussion area was crowded even on this week to. The classmates introduced the tools they are going to present next week and we had to comment on those choices.I’d say there are some of those tools which would be very interesting for me to use.There is plenty choice with them, and what I intend to do is creating a document for future references to use when needed for my course.

Bhaskar (the intern of this class) started also facilitating two optional discussions; about the difficulties that we had while writing the learning objectives and how would we convert in an effective way our learning objectives in tasks.

Well, at least I’m not the only one having difficulties with writing learning objectives and since the others said they also have, being in the club makes me feel a bit better. This means we only can improve.

Module 3 – Assessment in E-Learning Journal

Albana Kume — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:29:50 +0000

WEEK 3 OF THE COURSE

Perfect E-STORM

Another full week. Step by step I’m learning new things and all the process requests each day more efforts and new challenges.

This week we had the opportunity to know more about assessment tools and integrate them with learning objectives.I feel like pieces of a puzzle are coming together and I’m glad my efforts seem to make some sense.

The readings for this week were on Bonk’s article on thirty emerging technologies for online learning/teaching.The article has been written five years ago, but still is actual and it has particular value in our case when considering the assessment tools.

Peers’ discussion was deep (still goes on at the moment I’m editing this post) even this week and for each of us it seems to be great interest on different key points that Bonk brings in his article.Personally, I see very useful for my case the technologies related to collaboration issues and to some assessment tools.Definitely almost all those tools are to be considered when creating my future online course.

One of the assignments of this week was about creating a concept map. Here I have to be sincere; I’d never heard about a concept map before.I had to do some research and to tell the truth I think if I’d known about it before I’d have been facilitated in many learning and working situations.I chose to use bubbl.us as a beginning and later on I might work on other more complex applications.

Here is the concept map created for this assignment

This week we also started brainstorming on the Midterm assignment.The project is on different assesment tools and we will work in groups and will develop one tool of our choice.I’ve chosen to work on Surveys and go deeper to understand how to integrate them on my future course programming.
I’m willing to see how it will evolve.It seems for each challenge won, there is another waiting right for me.Ok, I’m ready to take it.

Module 2 – Assessment in E-Learning Journal

Albana Kume — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:29:00 +0000

WEEK 2 OF THE COURSE

Blogs as tools of assessment

I have to admit I had hard days this week . I experienced some frustration related to the access of tecnology, my home computer at home was loading very slowly the WordPress pages and I had to do some work during my office hours.Finally the technology problems seems to be away and I’m getting more confidence with my blog.

To tell the truth I have never been interested in blogs. Neither I’ve been interested in assessment tools (I’m still in process to become an instructor), but after this week I can understand that these technology tools are really very useful.

Peers’ discussions this week were particularly rich and the discussion board on this topic at the moment has gone over hundred posts. All of us theorically agree on the use of blogging as a good tool for the assessment, and on my future course I might need to include this tool, since I’m ever becoming more confident with it .

The two main discussions’s lines of this week have been “blogs vs social networks” for assessment and “teacher vs. learner centered learning”. We came at the conclusion that blogs are more suitable for educational purposes than the social network interaction.This last one is seen mostly as a way to communicate and socialize.

Blogs also seems to address very good the learning and teaching to a learner centered theory, given its cooperative, collaborative and interactive features.

Module 1 – Assessment in E-Learning Journal

Albana Kume — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:05:17 +0000

WEEK 1 OF THE COURSE

Icebreaking. Interviews, Surveys and Wikis

Getting to know my classmates. Some Web 2.0 assessment tools

The first assignments for this week was “Interview one of your classmates”. The objective for this activity, besides serving as an icebreaker at the beginning of the course, was starting to exercise with some useful assessment tools, particularly in this case with the interviews. It was very interesting to know more about my classmates and to find many of us to have common interests and points of view.

During this week we also discussed about surveys and wikis as tools of assessment. Discussions came up very reach and constructive. Personally I think that interviews and surveys can serve as initial screening and information collection of datas, in order to understand the strengths and to address the work on the needed areas.

I particularly liked the wiki activity where each of us was asked to reflect and write the proper thoughts on netiquette. Even here the contributes of the classmates were strongly valuable on the content and on the collaborative environment created. In this sense wikis can be considered a good tool for collaborative learning, containing individual and group records.Link to my Wiki.

Here it is a link the Interview I had with one of my classmates.

Everyone feels free to add comments and thoughts.

Blog on my educational experience and on my personal interests

Albana Kume — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:11:20 +0000

This blog is created from Albana for the class of Assessment in E-Learning at UW-Stout.

It contains activities on topics developed during course, informations about the author and pages of her personal interests.

Please visit the dedicated pages. Your opinions and contributions are highly appreciated.

Enjoy!
Albana

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”. John Dewey