MOOCs for Professional Development

L. Kay Abernathy, Ed.D.Educational LeadershipLearning and Innovation

TCEAFebruary 5, 2015

What is a MOOC?

Massive Open Online Course

• What is a MOOC? by Dave Cormier

• Uploaded on Dec 8, 2010

• Narrated by Dave CormierVideo by Neal Gillis - Research by: Bonnie Stewart Alexander McAuley George Siemens Dave Cormier

Characteristics of a MOOC

• Content is not found in any one place but can be located all over the web.

• MOOCs are free but there may be a fee if participants are working for a certificate or credit.

…More Characteristics

• Courses do not have specific assignments but active participants are required to stay up to date with rough schedules.

• Participants and instructors aggregate, remix, and repurpose that content during the course.

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True to its name, MOOCs can be massive with a few hundred to several thousand participants engaged in a course simultaneously.

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Classroom is one of many hubs where interaction occurs, including personal blogs or portfolios, websites, social networking sites, and more.

**The-Year-0f-the-MOOCs-Top –Stories-Trends and Lessons Learned, NYTimes, 2012.

Topic and PurposeTo investigate a MOOC of social media content for professional development related to initiation and implementation of social media tools for professional development concepts transference to PK-12 educators and students.

• Introduction to Connectivism

• Downes, S. (2012)

• “Connectivist learning is a process of

• immersion in an environment, discovery and

• communication…”

Literature Review -- Introduction to ConnectivismDownes, S. (2012)

“Learning is not a matter of transferring knowledge from a teacher to a learner, but is rather the product of the learner focusing and repeating creative acts, of practicing something that is important and reflecting on this practice.”

• Literature Review

• Transference is an individual’s ability to use past experiences and new knowledge, shaped by interaction, feedback, and reflections of understanding, to apply in new learning situations (Bransford & Swartz, 1999).

• Transference aligns with the foundational approach of constructivism where learners demonstrate and apply knowledge learned from one context to another(Berryman, 1990).

Literature ReviewSupports• Identify and provide different tools available to implement social media for

community, teachers, and students.• Identify learning management system availability.• Provide professional development in social media development knowledge

and skills, using either face-to-face or online strategies, to be able to:– Capture and store evidence in a variety of multimedia formats and social

media tools.– Reflect on Learning .– Give and receive feedback as part of formative assessment

for learning.– Plan and set goals as a lifelong learning strategy.– Collaborate using social media tools.

Literature Review

Barriers

• Availability and access to web-based social media tools.

• Availability of curriculum materials.

• Access to free learning management systems.

• Access to free network storage.

• Teachers beliefs.

• Administrators beliefs.

Literature Review

Barriers

• Demographic characteristics of teachers

• Teachers’ technological and content knowledge

• Technical, administrative, and peer support

Research Questions

– How has the participation of a PK-12 educator in a MOOC Social Media course contributed to the transference of social media practices to other educators and PK-12 students?

– What identified support systems, barriers, and challenges did MOOC participants find to exist in their school regarding technology, policy and procedures, and implementation of social media tools for communication?

Research Questions

-- How has the PK-12 educators’ knowledge of social media tools supported the implementation of social media with educator colleagues?

-- How has the PK-12 educators’ knowledge of social media tools supported the implementation of social media with community?

– How has the PK-12 educators’ knowledge of social

media tools supported the implementation of social media with PK-12 students?

ParticipantsFall 2014 distributed survey about social media use to 112 enrolled participants in the MOOC course, Social Media: Communication Tools for Educators.

• 112 possible respondents

• 100 did not complete (MOOC Option)

• 12 completed course and survey

• 10.75% response rate

Participants• Examination of blogs, Facebook postings, and Twitter

posts representative of participants who completed the MOOC course during the same timeframe as the 12 survey respondents

• Analysis revealed three themes

– Social Media Tools

– Reflective Writing

– Transference to Practice

Qualitative Findings-- “Prior to this course I had basic exposure and used social media in my personal life but really hadn’t wrapped my head around how it could be used in the classroom. I had basic ideas but was limited by policies and my own lack of training on ways to use them” (Student 1).

• “ I firmly believe time invested by Educators in educating themselves will be the biggest long term benefit to the students they teach and connectivism is a trend worth following ” (Student 1).

• ”The MOOC made my PLN “Personal Learning Network” much larger and taught me that the PLN is a constantly changing environment ”(Student 2).

-- “One thing I am determined to do is to ensure that students get to collaborate, contribute and share knowledge with others especially those with a diverse point of view” (Student 3).

-- “My social networking has increased dramatically in the last few weeks—I am more familiar with Twitter, and I am more comfortable using it. I have enjoyed being a part of a Facebook group—it’s very easy to navigate and find members of my class. WordPress is a great way to share thoughts and reflect” (Student 4).

MOOC PD ImplementationQuestions to consider:

• Who is the audience?

• Why are we encouraging the use of MOOCs for professional development?

• How will the courses be used to show evidence of learning?

• How do you provide educators and students a choice and voice in their learning?

Recommendations for Future Study• Examine barriers that impede the transference social

media tools for communicating with the public in today’s PK-12 settings.

• Research how PK-12 classroom teachers use current social media tools and reflections to provide formative feedback regarding educator and student progress.

• Research how PK-12 educators communicate

with parents and community.

References and Resources

• WordPress: Abernathy WordPress Blog

• Facebook: LU Social Media for Communication MOOC

• Twitter: #LUSocial Media Tools for Communication

• OpenEducation.Blackboard.Com: Search for Social Media: Communication Tools for Educators

References and Resources

• What is a MOOC?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc

• Connectivism – Shawn Burke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-20Oqm1GvsU

…More References

• George Siemens: Changing Schools, Changing Knowledge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR_ziHA_8LY

• Social Media in Education, February 27, 2014,

http://youtu.be/chhjlvnjvxo

…More References

• Social Media in Education, February 27, 2014,

http://youtu.be/chhjlvnjvxo

• Social Media, Participative Pedagogy, and Digital Literacies, Howard Rheingold, May 6, 2010 at Collaboration Technology Summit 2010, Case Western Reserve University

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRG_Xy6y5G0

…More References

Downes, S. (2011). How to participate in MOOC. Retrieved from http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-participate-in-mooc.html

Doing what comes naturallyBy Jim Dillon on March 26th, 2014 |

…More References

http://smartblogs.com/education/2014/03/26/doing-what-comes-naturally/

Paul Stacey’s Blog @: The Pedagogy of MOOCs http://edtechfrontier.com/2013/05/11/the-pedagogy-of-moocs/

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George Siemen’s Interview on MOOCs and Open Education.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2cEzsMEMY

MOOCs and Beyond – Updated to 7 Things You Should Know About MOOCs, June 2013.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRG_Xy6y5G0

…More References

MOOCs and Beyond – Updated to 7 Things You Should Know About MOOCs, June 2013.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRG_Xy6y5G0

Social Media in Education, February 27, 2014,http://youtu.be/chhjlvnjvxo

…More References

• Social Media, Participative Pedagogy, and Digital Literacies, Howard Rheingold, May 6, 2010 at Collaboration Technology Summit 2010, Case Western Reserve University

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRG_Xy6y5G0

Contact Information

L. Kay Abernathy, Ed.D.lkayabernathy@lamar.edukayabernathy@gmail.com