Discussion Assignment Seven
For this week's assignment, you should first read the posting about the MERLOT Faculty Development Editorial Board Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources – MERLOT Classics 2009, which was given to our Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website.
Then you should review this week's reading assignments, which include the MERLOT Website and the section on MERLOT's awards for Exemplary Learning Materials, including the previous winners.
After you have reviewed these materials, post a message in which you discuss your ideas about if and how this award should be noted on our EUODS website.
In addition, briefly discuss what information you feel should be included in the 30-minute presentation at the MERLOT International Conference so that others will know about the work we are doing to make our website a valuable resource for educators and students.
Posts
17 comments:
MERLOT looks really neat -- a great resource (and named after a wine). Is this award something you applied for? How recognizable is MERLOT in the education/IT community?
I DEFINITELY think that the win should be noted on the website. Perhaps it could be something subtle, like under the banner have in smaller text "Winner of the 2009 MERLOT etc etc" with maybe the MERLOT logo if you're allowed to use it and a link to their site (or your award on their site).
As for the presentation, you will probably want to spend some time on DS and its 8 gazillion educational uses and how cool it is and how much potential it has and how this site is designed to help educators tap into that. But I think a unique focus of this site is how it's developed, and that this class (and past and future classes) are collaborating on the content. It's sort of a meta-educational process -- we're learning about how to use this technology, we're generating our own ideas, we're teaching each other, and we're working to make the site better to help teach others. (I'm not at all surprised that you won, as this seems to be what MERLOT itself is trying to do). It might also be worth mentioning how the medical/dental program has tapped into this as a result of this class, and how DS is thus far not used much in medical/dental education but this site is looking to change that.
On the other hand, this gal thinks it shouldn't be subtle... I am thinking a banner that scrolls across the screen, maybe even have us create a video for You Tube with all of us jumping and dancing about and shouting and then post it on the site... but if you go for more subtle than that (Yawn!!!!) I would put the Merlot Logo on it with the award title.
You have to understand....I am on Spring Break this week so I am rested and fun loving!
It seems to me that the award must be recognizable in the IT Community because of some of the speaker addresses I watched while previewing their sight. Some of the past winners, I am aware of and the quality of past winning sites is nothing to take lightly. In my opinion, this is a big deal. And shouldn't it be. How many of us in searching for links, sites, etc... found the U of H site or even Dr. Robin's name mentioned?
Now what to include in the 30 minute presentation... My thoughts are to include: how the site came to be and how it is opening up in other directions like the health field due to including graduate students creatively adding to the evaluation and change of the site to make it not just a site for IT students but for a multitude of users. You might want to include visions you have for the site and also I would give a run through of the site so that the people at the convention want to bookmark it for their use using their social bookmarking system. Also include opportunities it has given you ... speaking at conferences... Spain trip...You might have to talk fast to get all of that in.
L Kieler, you made a few very good points. I find Dr. Robin's name all over the place when doing searches, including as a Wikipedia reference on the Digital Storytelling entry.
I also like your idea of the presentation including a "how the site came to be" section...I'd be interested in that myself!
MERLOT features great educational resources. I think it's fabulous to be honored with the MERLOT Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources! My suggestion is that we note it on the introductory page of the site. Another idea is that we add a news section to the site, so that we can update visitors with the latest developments such as this recognition.
For the presentation, since it's an "international" conference, perhaps you could mention the idea of trying to further develop the site on an international level by adding different languages. Who knows, you may find some foreign language speakers who would be interested in a collaboration.
Deidre,
I like your description of the work in DS as a sort of a meta-educational process. Dr. Robon should definitely use it in his speech.
Dr. Robin,
When are you going to sock it to us with the mid term? I got socked today by Dr Thrasher in my motor learning class... it wasn't pretty!
Merlot contains a lot of material about the many teaching opportunities/elements for faculty to use in today's tech savvy world.
I am beginning to wonder if I am really worthy of Masters in Education because I still feel like there is so much to learn- especially in technology. But I guess as in everything in life, it is constantly changing and new opportunities are presented. Therefore, I just have to try and stay abreast of the different teaching modalities that are around and will continue to come, and keep Dr. Robin's number handy :) In no way, will completion of this program allow me to stop learning more about educational tools. Sorry, I deviated from the assignment but I just had a moment.
Again, congratulations on the award! I agree that the "Winner of the 2009 Merlot etc... title should be place on the website. I feel it should be in big bold letters on top of the website, and the link below it-especially, because some people might think its a wine award.
As for what should go into your presentation, that could be tough to put it all in 30 minutes because there are so many uses for DS. So, it looks like you may want to start with the history of DS, the development of it at U of H, your personal incorporation of DS into it with your classes, and the masters/doctoral students using DS in their own learning. If you have time, then you can go into how the students (undergrad, masters, and doctoral) are using it for class/teaching projects. Going a step further, how in the med/dental group are going to use DS for patient education.
As Lauren noted, since it is an international meeting, mentioning Lauren's suggestion could be a plus.
Dr. Robin, there is so much information-I have no doubt that you will be at a loss for words to fill up that 30 minute presentation. I know you will do us proud!!
I have surfed through some of the MERLOT ward-winning sites of 2008, and been especially impressed by Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History. It’s quite an innovative approach to teach history, which brings about excitement, interests, and creativity in students beside the important awareness that history is not merely about the past and dead people, but experiences, values, heritage and influences in the present, too. Connecting concepts: Interactive lessons in biology is another excellent web site, which applies the concept of computer game in learning. These sites are worth being recognized.
I can’t help comparing them with EUODS. One of the strong points of EUODS is that it has a whole section to introduce other links and resources on digital storytelling. This may be subjective view, but I think to be largely extended and linked are the hallmarks which make online resources different from textbooks.
As for how to make it known that EUODS is an award-winning site, we can add a banner or a line saying so under the title of the site in Home. I don’t think we need to change “Home” into “About us”, but I’m wondering if we need to add information about the site and people contributing to building it in “Home.”
In your 30-minute presentation, I think Dr. Robin can talk about how we screen and add information to the site to keep it always resourceful and updated, because new information is the essential thing that makes the value of a web site.
I share with Mymelchor the feeling that we are overwhelmed by the amount and freshness of online information and knowledge, as well as the speed of innovations related to them. I guess this is the feeling when we work online in this time of technology. It is challenging, and intimidating sometimes, but it opens wonderful chances to collaborate. Most good web sites are not created and hosted by individuals, but the results of hard work of communities, and we learn while we are working this way.
Ahn, I really like your point about most sites these days being the work of communities rather than individuals. There really is just too much information out there for any one person to do it justice. It's interesting to think about how this will change our perceptions of ownership and authorship over time.
Congratulations! What a wonderful way to be acknowledged for the time and effort you have put into something you believed in and has had a passion for for so many years. I believe the logo of the award should be put on the home page of the website. After you receive the award, maybe you can include a picture of you recieving the award. I don't think it should be subtle because viewers may not have a chance to appreciate this site. However, you don't want to seems as if you are tooting your own horn.
You should include the history behind your passion of how you got into DS and what your vision was about DS and education. Also include how you have incorporated this website and educating your own students by having them put thier two cents into it. I do agree with Diedre and Margo that you include how it is being used in the medical and dental fields. You can be a pioneer in opening the box for more DS to change how education is done in this day and age.
I would have not thought of how this award could give an opportunity for this website to be in other languages. Lauren has a great point in that others may want to collaborate with you in doing accomplishing this goal.
I like LKieler idea of showing people your site so hopefully some of them will make it a favorite.
Congratulations on winning the MERLOT award! You are in good company, because the previous winners have some great sites.
I agree that having the logo on the DS home page would be good. I checked out the other winners sites, and I like the way that Molwave acknowledged the award. They just posted the logo along with a quote about why they won the award.
I think that pertinent information for your speech would of course be why you are passionate about DS, what kind of people use the site i.e. educators, health professionals, even family historians, and hobbyists. Since this is an educational award you should focus on it's educational uses. For example teachers can use it to introduce topics, students can use it to present research, tell fiction stories, do creative writing. It can be used in any subject.
I posted a comment a while back (more than one week ago) but did not see it on this assignment section when I reviewed it again today. I am re-posting this comment again. Hopefully, it will not get lost this time.
Congratulations! The Editorial Board Award is the highest award honoring exemplary models for Faculty Development category. I think this award should be placed somewhere at the top of the EUDOS website, make it visible, dignified but not too flashy. You have a diverse population of students in your class. I think you should mention this diverse student population taking your classes, to include the medical educators and how medical educators can apply digital storytelling to medical education.
From looking that the Merlot website, it looks like that you have to contribute of educational material to the website first. The educational material goes through a peer review process and is then selected for the Merlot Classics Award or the Editorial Board Award.
It’s impressive to me that the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling is the proud Winner of the 2009 MERLOT Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources; and rightly so: this site, innovative brainchild of Dr. Robin and years of research, is quickly becoming very popular among students and academics alike. I am privileged to know for sure that faculty in my college utilize this site as a resource for their own teaching and learning activities.
I feel strongly that a graphic (blue ribbon or otherwise) should be tastefully placed on the main page of the site so that all visitors will know (perhaps even on the navigation pane so that it is displayed throughout the site).
In terms of information to include in the preso: I would definitely highlight the journey (showing screen captures of the various stages of the site throughtout the years) – and I’d definitely highlight the modern, dynamic method in which the site will be delivered – hopefully sooner than later!
Shawn, Tatiana and Deidre pointed out that there needs to be a section highlighting the journey on how the DS site came to be. Maybe a 'History' link in the About us section. We could make a Digital Story on the History of the DS site with a kind of year by year timeline. Also how DS has infiltrated into a variety of fields like health, forensics etc and become more than just a digital tool and how our DS site caters to all professionals, educators and students in various vocational fields.
As for the Merlot award, there could a little gold badge on top corner the side with text at the bottom - Winner of the Merlot award or something like it.
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