Internet Learning Volume 5, Number 1, Fall 2016/Winter 2017 | Page 44

3 Questions for an Online Learning Leader
Most recently, I have been exploring
social media for visual, digital,
and technological literacies. By using
backwards design, we can start thinking
about how students can provide visual
evidence of their learning or visual
documentation that they have achieve
the desired results as a form of assessment
(i.e. image, video, and visual data
sharing tools) rather than using traditional
forms, such as research papers or
exams. Moreover, I have thought differently
about how I present information
to my students incorporating more
visual components to better affect their
cognitive and affective learning, including
the incorporation of more open education
resources found through social
media and other online repositories.
Finally, I would urge educators
to consider ways to incorporate cultural
and global literacies into their course designs
and learning outcomes as well. It
is important that students have cultural
competence, can think critically about
their own culture and others, and can
understand how we are all interconnected
across the globe. With the advancements
in technology, these literacies and
competencies are crucial to the advancement
of our future as a global society.
In each stage of our course design
from developing the learning
outcomes or the desired results, determining
documentation or evidence
students will present to the instructor
as assessment of student learning, and
the actual learning activities including
content and student interactivity can
incorporate these literacies.
3 What are your two favorite technology
tools for instruction and why?
That is a hard one. It really depends
on what you are trying to
accomplish in your class.
My pedagogical approach includes
providing my students with experiential
learning opportunities that
ensures them with real-life, generalizable
skills in order to be successful in
their future profession or endeavors.
In working to accomplishing this effort,
I examine what trends are taking
place in our society and organizations
throughout the country, including what
digital technologies are being used to
communicate with each other, what
applications are being used to improve
productivity, and how are people consuming
and creating digital materials.
Two of my favorite resources include
the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis
and Research (ECAR) reports and the
Pew Research Center Internet reports.
It is just as important for me to understand
how children and teens are using
technology as it is to understand how
organizations and businesses are using
technology. Also, I am a social scientist
and my teaching and research are
in the areas of human communication,
communication technology, and organizational
communication, so how
I teach and what I teach inform each
other. I often run pilots of technology
use (i.e. clickers, virtual worlds, social
media, Open Educational Resources,
and more), and consistently survey my
students. I provide them with real-life
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