Jess’ E-Learning Blog

Good news! It is actually a storyboard, the way it is supposed to be done and it’s only missing two little boxes. Fantastic! One last screencap has to be started, but since it works on the same template as the others, it won’t take too long. And then all I have to do is write the 1000 word explanation/justification and I’m done. : )

One thing I am a little worried about is that it might be a little too large to embed directly into the assignment page I’ll create in my blog. From memory, any image in here can be followed back to its source (i.e. flickr) where it can be viewed in full size. If not, then I’ll see if I can post the image to my DeviantArt account and link to it in the assignment.

Today I’ve tried to finish both my storyboard and my screencaps for the final assignment, but I’ve had trouble figuring out the parameters of each of them. I’ve always looked at it as the storyboard is the process which the learner has to go through to accomplish the specified learning objectives. As in, first there’s pre-course training, then there’s a quiz to determine prior learning, which then tells learners if they need to participate in mod 1or wait for mod 2 or 3, etc.

But while the platform is designed to house the learning program, it has bits and pieces which are not reliant on the course. For instance, there is an area where learners can change their settings, such as background colours, patterns, headers, etc, if they want to explore and develop their technology skills. This has been incorporated as a way of facilitating development in a humanistic way and is in no way related to the course ’Understanding the Impact of Drugs and Alcohol’. So, my dilema is; if I am supposed to ‘imply’ the platform, does that mean that I have to put the settings page and the home page and things like that in the storyboard? And if I do that, then I’m not really storyboarding the program, I’m storyboarding the platform, so do I put things like ‘face to face interaction’ or ‘webinar’ in the storyboard as well?

I think I’m still a little bit confused. If we had been shown a completed ‘real’ storyboard or design or something, instead of the really basic, no-content ones we were shown at the beginning of module two, then I think I might have a better idea of what the storyboard is supposed to look like.

Just forgot to add this in the previous post…

In terms of providing a pre-course training program, I want it to be situated on the platform which the program is on, so that learners learn exactly what they are going to need to do in the program itself. In addition, I would make any asynchronous parts of the pre-course training available to learners afer they have completed it. I would do this so that if learners forget something, then they can re-teach themselves how to do it. Failing that, I would then direct learners to ask their instructor or a fellow learner for help.

And also, I am using my blog at the moment to put down all my notes for this assignment because I’m not sure exactly how my assignment is going to look and it’s better to have everything down on (figurative) paper than running around and getting lost in my head.

So, I’ve decided to work on this assignment from both ends - the learning theories/content and the technologies available and suitable.

I’ve decided on technologies which could be used for the content I have. I’ve decided the possibilities are instant messaging, social networking, blogging, wikis, group discussion boards and webinars.

These technologies have been chosen largely for the following reasons. They support the humanist learning approach I am adopting in this program by allowing for individuals to form groups, support each other and relate their experiences. Secondly, they do not require a high speed internet connection, which means that learners with slow internet connection can still participate in the learning. Third this list has a mix of synchronous and asynchronous technologies, as well as asynchronous technologies which can be used in a synchronous manner. This is beneficial as the course can be divided into synchronous and asynchronous components. Lastly, these technologies are highly flexible in how they are used. Therefore, I can adapt them to almost any learning content which I have and get learners to do a lot of different stuff within the technology.

I want to use a platform which can support all of these technologies so that the learners do not need to go outside of the platform. I want it to be this way because the learners are not technology savvy and I do not want them to get confused, frustrated or lost. So, I want to use a platform in which this can all be embedded. However, the platform also needs to be flexible and user-friendly enough for DoCS to change the content or activities, etc when the program is reviewed.

Having everything embedded into a platform so that it all looks streamlined has additional benefits. Firstly, it will make it easier to give pre-course technology training to learners. They will only have to learn how to access, navigate and interact with the platform, instead of how to use each technology separately. This leads to the second benefit which is that the learners are less likely to become overwhelmed and distraught with all the different technologies they are using if they do not know that they are using them. This will make e-learning a less frightening experience for the learners.