Thursday, December 20, 2012

Week 8 Assignment 1: Educational Technologies Blog


EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES BLOG                                                                              

          In review of technologies related to digital citizenship, ethics, and netiquette from my colleagues, there are two technologies for digital citizenship and netiquette that are beneficial to adult learning in the field of employee training.  It is critical for employees of online educational organizations understand and use good digital citizenship and netiquette as they serve inquiries and students across the world.  The employees’ main forms of communication with their inquiries and students are through the use internet technologies, and telephone conversations.  In order to build and maintain positive, respectful, and trusting relationships with their inquiries and students, employees must communicate in ways that reflect good digital citizenship, ethics, and netiquette as they use the Internet.

          The first technology resource, “MirandaNet World Ecitizens” is from Melitta Williams’ blog post, http://melittawilliams.wordpress.com.  World Ecitizens focuses on web users taking responsibility for their actions and behaviors on the Internet to reflect understanding between peoples and communities within nations and across the world.  By doing so, they are taking steps to make the web world a better place.  World Ecitizens (WE) provides wed based resources for educational collaboration in areas of responsible citizenship, mutual respect, combating social injustice, and conflict prevention and resolution.  WE mainly focus on young people/students.  Their theme to make the world and the web a better, responsible place for all people and users is one that applies to all people/students, regardless of age or learning environment.

          Employees can take part in a training class to learn skills and practices of building and maintaining mutual respect between them and their inquiries and students, as they communicate via the Internet.  The training class can take part in an open discussion, followed by a group activity on mutual respect on the Internet and the skills and practices they should display in their communications.  Following the training class, the employees can take an online assessment to verify and demonstrate their understanding and acquired knowledge on mutual respect in internet communications.


          The second resource is Netiquette, from Franklin (Shawn) Eason’s blog post, http://shawneason1.blogspot.com.  Netiquette is an internet website that provides core rules and behaviors that support internet etiquette and online ethics.  The rules, behaviors, and cultural norms extend to all types of internet communications and data, such as text, audios, graphics, emails, and videos.  The ten “Core Netiquette Rules” are: spell check, no all caps, tell the truth, be yourself, do not flame, do not spam, be conservative, do not send email at night, shop secure sites, and use discretion.  The rules centers on the “Golden Rule of Netiquette,” do unto others online as you would have done unto you (Netiquette, 2012).  The main goal of the website is to inform and teach the internet culture the guidelines that exhibit cyber etiquette and digital manners as they communicate on the Internet.  Netiquette recognizes and takes into account internet users are human beings, which display the human condition of sharing information with other human beings, and in sharing, they should display and maintain netiquette behaviors (that are human).

          The trainer would develop and set up for employees to take, as a part of their training portfolio, an online training course on the “Core Netiquette Rules” for internet norms, behaviors, and practices to adopt and use as they communicate on the Internet.  The employees will complete the online training course by the time presented in their portfolio.  The employees will then participate in a face-to-face training class to review and affirm the “Core Netiquette Rules” for internet norms, behaviors, and practices they should follow in the internet communications they perform.  The employees will take part in learning activities, such as team debates, role-plays, and internet communication demonstrations to verify their understanding and ability to communicate on the Internet in ethical, netiquette ways.


          Digital citizenship, ethics, and netiquette are behaviors that all internet users should learn and practice as they communicate with others throughout the world.  These behaviors are not restricted to age, sex, and/or nationality.  When internet users demonstrate good digital citizenship, ethical consideration, and netiquette manners, they are creating an internet world that is safe, respectful, and better for all participants. 
                                                                     References

Eason, F.  (2012). Emerging Technologies in Education.  Retrieved from


Netiquette.  (2012). Netiquette.  Retrieved from http://www.networketiquette.net/

Williams, M.  (2012). Blissful Blog.  Retrieved from http://melittawilliams.wordpress.com

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Week 7 Assignment 1: Educational Technologies Blog


EDUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES BLOG                                                                                   

          In today’s society, the most common way to communicate with other people is by some form of electronic exchange of information.  In centuries past, there was a limit to the forms and methods of communications to use.  This is no longer the case in today’s world of digital communication explosion.  People communicate using a large assortment of digital devices, in a multitude of ways.  People can now digitally communicate in such ways as emails, text messages, twitters, cellular phone calls, or blogs.  Through digital communications, people are able to reach out to others all over the world, at any time of day.  Communication is no longer limited, but expansive.  With this expansion, comes the responsibility of the communicators to communicate in respectful, educative, and protective manners (Ribble, 2012).  People need to learn and exercise good digital citizenship.

          An area of digital citizenship that is important in the field of adult education and employee training is email ethics.  More and more business and academic interaction takes place through electronic mail.  Unfortunately, many of the emails are unintentionally offensive.  The email may also be sent or read by the wrong person.  It is important for employees of the educational organizations know and practice the rules and/or guidelines of ethical emails.  There are specific core rules to follow in constructing and sending ethical or netiquette emails (Roblyer & Doering, 2012). 

          Netiquette emails will be a subject presented and trained in a New Employee Training Class.  New employees will receive in-class training on the core rules of netiquette.  The class will discuss and construct emails together using the core rules, to ensure each employee has a clear understanding on how to construct and send ethical emails in their position.  The new employees will then be placed in pairs to practice sending and replying to emails with one another using the netiquette rules.  The employees will save the emails they do together and send them to the training class email for review and discussion on the good ethical netiquette practices they followed and used.  


          As there are specific rules to follow in constructing and sending emails in an ethical netiquette manner, there are guidelines for employees in the business world to follow that instruct them on how and when to deal with the emails they receive on a netiquette basis.  The guidelines for Electronic Mail at Work, by Virginia Shea, provides specific practices for employees to follow in working with electronic communications a netiquette, professional manner.  The guidelines cover how often to check and respond to emails, the effects of email overload and what to do to combat this problem, emailing the CEO and/or executives in the organization, what emails to keep and which to delete, and whom to contact when email problems arise.

          Netiquette workplace emails would be the subject of team meetings, where the trainer would develop, and present written corporate guidelines, following appropriate practices of the educational organization that will instruct employees on how to work with the electronic mail they receive on a daily basis.  The trainer will review and discuss each of the section of the written guidelines for clarity and understanding, so the employees can follow them without difficulty.  Employees input during the meeting will be welcome and supported, especially when it strengthens their ability to work with the emails they receive in a netiquette manner.  These forms of suggestions will be reviewed and added to the guidelines where appropriate.  The trainer will perform periodic one-on-one email reviews with employees at their desks.  The reviews are to follow-up and ensure the employees are able to use the netiquette guidelines given them from the team meeting with success.  


          Digital technology has made it possible for people to communicate with others across the globe for personal, academic, and professional reasons.  Digital communications can take place at anytime, using a multitude of electronic devices, in an equally number of ways.  It is important to educate/train digital users on the etiquettes of good digital citizenship.  They must become good digital citizens to be responsible, respectful, and protective of the rights and privacies of those they communicate (Ribble, 2012).

                                                                      References

Ribble, M.  (n. d.).  Nine elements: Nine themes of digital citizenship.  Retrieved May 30, 2012,


Ribble, M.  (n. d.).  “Nine elements: Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship.”  Retrieved from

          http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html.  Used by permission of Michael S. Ribble.

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H.  (2010). Netiquette: Rules if behavior on the Internet.    

          Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/netiquette-rules-behavior-internet/

Shea, V.  (2004). Netiquette.  Retrieved from


Copyright© 1990-2004 Albion.com and Seth T. Ross webmaster2004@albion.com

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Week 6 Assignment 1: Educational Technologies Blog



EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES BLOG

The advances in the internet, technologies, and the worldwide web have opened the doors for Open and Distance Education to educate learners across the globe. Through the development of innovative and integration technologies, teaching/training and learning is no longer confined to an in person, face-to-face learning environment. Teaching and learning can take place at anytime and everywhere there is an Internet connection. In Open Education, web technology has made it possible for all types of learning institutions, businesses, professional practices, and corporations/organizations to present free courses to the learning world (Bonk, 2009). For Distance or Online Education, the internet has brought complete degree programs, child and adolescent studies, and professional training and development courses out of the physical classroom to the virtual classroom world. The notion of distance and geographical separation is no longer a significant factor in teaching and learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

Tegrity Lecture Capture is an Open Education technology I found that makes it possible for course programs and lectures to be captured and sent to the web using its cloud-based delivery service. Tegrity Campus uses AAIRS™ integration technology to offer personalized, highly automated lectures with rapid deployment to any authentic web-based source. Instructors can record their lectures or supplementary course contents instantly. The recording is automatically uploaded to the right course. The recordings can be made anywhere, anytime, with or without an Internet connection. Students and/or interested learners are able to use almost any PC, Mac, or mobile device to view recordings and a course using a standard web-browser, because of Tegrity’s intuitive interface.

· As a trainer, I can record a training course and send it to the employees, using the Tegrity Campus AAIRS™ integration technology, without them having to come to the training classroom.

· The employees can access a scheduled training class, using their personal PC, Mac, or mobile devise from home, when they cannot come into work due to an impending hurricane.


Blackboard Learn™ is a technology that helps educational institutions and professional practices and organizations develop and present online programs and courses to students and/or learners around the world. Blackboard technology makes online teaching and learning easier. Educators are able to incorporate multiple media devices, such as video games, interactive assessments, virtual environments, into their online classrooms to learners to access, download, and use. Educators are able to communicate with learners in real-time or stored in the Blackboard classroom. Students/employees are able to enter their classroom, view assignments, complete, and submit them with ease, using any technical device they prefer. Blackboard Learn™ has the capability to allow educators and students or students and fellow classmates to chat, email, face-to-face connect, or collaborate within its system. They no longer need to add an additional technology system to do so.

· When an in-classroom training class has ended, I can use Blackboard Learn™ and send the employees the course interactive assessment to access, complete, and submit from their own desks. They do not have to spend additional work-time in the training classroom to complete the assessment portion of the training course.

· Blackboard Learn™ has a feature that will allow me to use the set-up function to grade submitted training assignments and assessments using its standardized Rubric or one I customize and download. The grades are posted and automatically sent to the designated employees and managers for review and save.


Traditional education is no longer the only chose in education and training for instructors and learners. With the advancements in technologies, the internet, and the Web, educational programs, curriculums, and courses can be developed, delivered, and used at anytime, from anywhere, using a multitude of technology programs and devices. Open Course Ware (OCW), from Open Education makes learning free for all interested learners. Distance or Online Education is gaining in popularity and choice for those with active and busy professional and/or personal lifestyles. Advanced technology has given all people, throughout the world, the opportunity to learn and the ability to continue learning for as long as they desire.

References

Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). EDUC 6177: Using Technology to

Enhance Learning. Distance education: The next generation. Baltimore, MD: Author.


WAL_EDUC6177_01_A_EN.pdf