How to Fight Lex Luthor Using Only Digital Tech in Adult Ed

This post is the first in a series for this semester’s course, “Digital Tech in Adult Ed,” with Dr. Rob Power at UOIT.

I probably won’t win any SEO awards for my post title [My first EDUC5405G post], but I wonder if it matters. It’s the content that counts, isn’t it?

The title, the contents of your page’s <title> tag,  is one of the single most important factors for ranking in the search results.
—https://yoast.com/wordpress-seo/#titles

The new post title courtesy of Portent’s Content Idea Generator. It was the first idea generated using “Digital Tech in Adult Ed!”

About Me

You’ll find some information about me on the About page of this site. (Yes, I’m the widowed father of 6 kids. They have helped me realize how much more I have to learn.) But, that might not satisfy your curiosity. You could browse the Archives, but they mainly provide reports on ministry activities. The ThingLink I created for class reveals some of my educational interests. “Digital Tech in Adult Ed” is the last course in my MA program at UOIT before beginning my thesis work. For my thesis, I intend to investigate the use of video and screencast technology in assessment feedback to promote a community of inquiry, particularly in the field of online theological education. Dr. Robin Kay is my thesis advisor.

Blogging Platform

I will be using my existing WordPress blog for the learning blog requirement of “Digital Tech in Adult Ed.” I’ve chosen this approach to create updated content for my blog, which is otherwise often neglected. The course code categorizes each post. Classmates (and others) can follow only the EDUC5405G posts if they wish. (Hint: use the category RSS feed!) I’ve used a self-hosted WordPress site for a long time. WordPress is a great platform and self-hosting means that I’m investing in my brand and have more control over content when I post.

Digital Tech in Adult Ed

I have enjoyed the courses I’ve taken in the MA program so far. However, I have been eager to take a course that specifically focuses on adult education. That has been difficult to arrange with only three electives in the MA program. Our work at Horizon Education Network is mainly at the level of adult education, so I welcome the opportunity to reflect critically on my daily work. I’m interested in exploring digital tools that fill gaps in our Moodle environment and help us meet our goals. While <iframe> support creates vulnerabilities, the potential of integrating many kinds of external resources within Moodle is worth exploring. However, this course has greater potential to make me a better educator through the exploration of the theory of adult education. The ability to use that theoretical knowledge to select and deploy appropriate tools meaningfully will endure longer than many of the tools.

My lesson plan for Assignment 4 will achieve andragogical and technological outcomes by training facilitators to provide video and screencast feedback. Feedback is a critical factor in education. Hattie’s synthesis of over 500 meta-analyses identified feedback as the second most important factor in improving student achievement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Despite technological changes, communication of feedback is typically limited to text typed in the digital margins of electronic assignment submissions (West & Turner, 2016). Feedback that incorporates audio, video, and screencasting has the potential to increase social, teaching, and cognitive presence (Borup, West, Thomas, & Graham, 2014). My thesis research will require that several facilitators have the knowledge and skills necessary to give assignment feedback in video and screencast form. The lesson I create for Assignment 4 will address this potential gap.

Stay tuned for reflections on Week 1 readings.