Introduction to EDER677

Hello there,
I presently live in Calgary and work at SAIT where I do interesting things like train instructors how to work with and put courses on WebCT 4.1 (SAIT's present learning management system). There is a huge consideration on moving to a newer LMS but that hasn't happened as of yet.
My 3 kids are out of the house and I guess I could say I am one of those empty nest people. That does have advantages as I got to go into the mountains and ski for 3 days just this last weekend.
I enjoy hiking and skiing in the mountains. The attached picture is a summit near Confederation Pass in the Kananaskis area.
Here is a picture of me on a casual Friday.



Doug

Synchronous and Asynchronous Tools

I have discovered that there are a whole array of new tools out there. Some of them are synchronous as well as asynchronous in nature. It is amazing what one can find and what other course participants are able to add to the list of tools of which I am aware.

Presently, I am reviewing a tool, Skype, which I thought could be used for audio and later video chat anywhere in the World where someone can access the Internet.

Well, this product is amazing (not to say that there aren't other amazing products available). I didn't realize that the audio / video option also has a chat component if you have any difficulty with your main line of communication.

It has numerous social networking tools with which one can interact over the net. Some of these are less useful for a serious chat but can come in handy for passing on information. The other option is to literally buy credits to use Skype from your computer and it allows you to call a land line next door or across the globe.

Other tools include Web Conferencing, Business Hook ups, and a multitude of options that weren't available even 3 years ago. Kids today are so lucky.

Doug

Session Four - Response to Qing's paper

One of the things that I enjoy in taking a course such as this is that it certainly makes me think. I was working along and thinking about how I would develop an online course, especially given all the neat social networking tools I have run across.

So, I started by figuring out how can one put these into a course and how students would react or not react to them and how would they use them. You may have figured out where I am going with this one. I was using only my experience which gives me a certain view of the world. I don't think of myself as overly biased but sometimes the tweaks that bring things up to a conscious level are certainly helpful in looking at how one can develop communication and how it is used.

Well, I have to now change what kind of lenses I have been using as I had not given any thought to how different genders respond emotionally and physically to what Qing refers to as Computer mediated Communication. So, one more dynamic to throw into the mix.

Doug

Thoughts on Distance Education

I have been involved in Online Education for the last seven years. It has been an exhilerating experience as I have come in contact with people from a number of different places. Most of these have been in North America (ie. a number of Canadian provinces and a hand full of Amercian states).
The experience I have had has to do with learning related to work. A good number of students come from the the Construction and Energy fields. They are working on upgrading their skills relating directly to their line of work or they want to move into another field of endeavour and need different skills.
I have also taken courses from the University of Calgary as I was initially attracted to the idea of why people would take online courses. Once I got into it, I got pretty much hooked as I had the opportunity to interact with other people who were doing the same kind of things that I was doing. I met a good number of folks who came from a variety of employment backgrounds but with a similar interest in training. It was a fabulous experience to learn from others and to teach them skills that I had acquired.
Another reason to start taking online courses had to do with an excellent manager who I had at the time. Her idea was that if you were going to understand what made an online student tick, you had to take one or more online courses so you got an idea of what the students went through. A very wise lady. Doug

Distributed Learning January 19, 2009

January 19, 2009
This week I finally got into the swing of things after fussing and organizing getting into a course at the University of Calgary. The course started on Jan 12, but the funding wasn't in place, I had now taken a course in this program before, and being late always causes some anxiety for me.
I quite enjoy online learning as it gives me an opportunity to learn, experience other peoples' ideas, and is a form of stimulation to exercise the grey matter upstairs.
I don't do vegging well and the couch potato thing drives me crazy. If I haven't got the chance to do some exercise, not only physically but mentally, I feel rather sluggish.
So, a new year, a new course, new learning, experiencing new people. What a deal.
Doug Engh