Positive Vibes in Tech Education

Well, it might not seem as exciting as "Interview with a Vampire" but ol Drac wasn't trying to integrate technology into programming. Or was he?... So, back to the mission at hand, my very first podcast! I chose the Zoom platform to record, and used YouTube to upload.  It took a few takes, so I tried to seem natural and human (which I am) by being honest about the situation as we had tried a few times to get things right, but got a great interview in at the end! Here, Mr. Jan Steen of K-State Research and Extension gives his experience on his work integrating technology for adult learners with the Kansas PRIDE Program. I did ask permission from him, which was granted. The reasoning? This is Extension, and this interview was about a program backed by applied research, which is our duty as public servants in Extension to deliver. Enjoy! For more information the Kansas PRIDE Program, or to see the videos to which he is referring, visit:  https://kansaspri...

Wikis provide great opportunities for collaborative learning, knowledge construction, critical thinking and contextual application (West and West, 2009). One team that I work with that could benefit greatly from a wiki concerning lesson planning would be my Community Vitality Program Focus Team (hereafter known as the CV-PFT) concerning our signature program, the Board Leadership Series (hereafter known as BLS) (Kansas State University, November 2018). The course is advertised "So you have joined a board...now what?" It can be a scary proposition for anyone that has never served! The series tackles the roles of boards and is research focused, content centered, and time sensitive (King and Cox, 2011). In the past year there has been a call to revise the content, and make additions and edits. I believe that a wiki would be a perfect place to construct the training in a place where everyone can collaborate to refine the program.  In the BLS there are four modules broken ...

First, a little history of wiki, as outlined by West and West (2009) in video form (above). Ranging from free, fee based and self hosted sites, all give varying levels of support and security (West and West, 2009).  Let's think about the pros and cons of wikis for adult learners. Putting on their Thinking Caps with Rodin's Thinker First, let's look at the cons: We all know about Wikipedia for sure, and we are warned of its possible inaccuracies. Why is that? Well, it's because anyone can edit the pages due to its collaborative nature as a free online encyclopedia (West and West, 2009). Although there are people that monitor such change to help keep the information relevant and accurate, those are the risks. Some wiki host sites require a bit of background in online page building, which could present challenges for beginners (West and West, 2009). Keeping on top of spelling, grammar, conciseness of content while avoiding controversy among peers are ...

Quick question: Is blogging the same as a discussion board activity?  There are many similarities. Both are housed online. Both have the opportunity to share thoughts, opinions and ideas. Let's ponder the dark clouds (or cons) in the blue sky first, then savor the sunny sky (or the pros), shall we? The Dark Clouds In any situation, one must explore the concerns that arise in an online learning environment. The main difference is some discussion boards, like some you might be used to, are housed behind a password protected and moderated fortress that allows for privacy. In contrast is that this blog, like many others, are open to the public to access. While etiquette is followed on an online learning environment such as a discussion board ("Netiquette", 2019), one cannot be so sure of those that may stumble upon your musings out in the open of the world wide web. Concerning legal issues, such as plagiarism, the net is an easy place to copy and paste from one o...

So this is it, my very first blog post. Time to dive in. Just do it. You will do great. Everyone else is going through the same thing, just have fun with it! Things I tell myself. When I started EDACE 765 I was SO STOKED to begin learning to blog, podcast, and much more. Now it is time for my first blog post and I find myself hesitant and experiencing a strange hand sweating phenomenon, as well as an overwhelming sensation that I might just start stress crying. Fun times! As my heart races and my fingers hesitate, this is what I am going to lay down as my foundation: We are all here for the same reason: Learning. We are all adults and we would not be here if we did not want to grow and learn from others, and because this is so, we are all going to be constructive and supportive. We all have experiences that we own, and respect is given to all. We are all in the same boat, and that is comforting. Those with experience will guide others kindly through the waters, even if...