Tech Tool for Hybrid Courses

When we (Leadership and Civic Engagement) offer hybrid courses through Extension, we mostly resort to using google sites as the repository for course instructions, documents, videos and other resources. While using the University’s LMS (Canvas) would give us more options such as integrated apps and allowing comments, etc., it has been difficult for participants to access Canvas since they are not registered students at the University. We end up using the DORS (Destiny One Registration System), which has been problematic with Extension programming, so we mostly avoid it. There have also been issues at times for participants to access documents and other items within Google products if they are not using a google email account (which we don’t, and shouldn’t, require!) I would also like any app we use to be accessible and usable from a mobile device, as some of our participants do not work at a desk, and potentially would be using their phone to assess course materials. 


So, this week I decided to do some exploring to figure out if there would be other platforms or applications that could be used for online courses. 


In the past I have used Slack for short term projects. Participants have been able to access the platform easily and are able to navigate the system of channels. The big drawback with Slack is that the free version stores history for only 90 days. I visited with Extension IT about a paid account, but apparently they’d need to purchase each workspace, which wouldn’t be fiscally feasible. 


I checked out Notion, a workspace app that a friend, who works in a different Extension department, recommended recently. She shared a Notion board with me as an example. I liked the layout, and it was easy to navigate on my phone as well, and it seems like this might work out for an online course, but I have more questions around the cost. Since another department is using it internally, I am curious if they purchased a subscription. I double checked Extension’s “supported software” list to see if it had been added, but it hasn’t been. If this seems to be a useful solution, I may ask Extension Technology staff to consider it. 


I signed up for a free Notion account, so I could experiment and play. The amount of options and flexibility is a bit overwhelming. I haven’t figured out how to lay out a board yet like the one my friend shared. This app would take some learning. I found the options for using AI within the app interesting, though the stuff I tested with it didn’t seem all that useful to me (though more specific prompts might generate better results). I think Notion is worth more investigation. Even if I didn’t end up using it for an online course, I could see using it personally, to organize work documents and materials, or with my work team. 


The other tool I found via an online search is Joomla. Joomla is an open source software, which was an immediate appeal to me, as it would be free to use. This page has a basic description of how Joomla works.  As I navigated around, I quickly realized that Joomla is beyond my skill level, and is probably geared more to developers with more knowledge. 


The reality is, google sites mostly work for our hybrid courses. I suspect there are "tips and tricks" that I am not using yet, that could potentially improve the sites I am building for our department's courses. A search and discover task for another day! 😃

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Open education.

I was introduced to open education during my first learning technologies course last fall, though I was aware of the creative commons and have, on occasion, used photos from sites such as Pexels and Unsplash . I was not aware of the various types of open licenses or the repositories, though I wonder how much I have unwittingly been exposed to, or used. For me, it’s a bit like being in my middle school science classes and trying to imagine the solar system, cellular biology, or atoms; just relying on line drawings to understand the vastness or not-visible aspect- it’s really hard to wrap my mind around the possibilities and scoop up what parts could apply to me in my current setting.  While I was perusing the resources for this module around open education, I got a bit nostalgic and compared open education resources to the role of the public library, pre-internet. Certainly not the same as open education activities available online, but maybe more accessible by the fact that a libr...
Read more

Microlearning with Nidhi Sachdeva

  This week I began by listening to a podcast episode that I started a couple of months ago, but I put aside. I knew I needed to listen intently and put time into exploring all the resources that were mentioned. The podcast was around a couple of topics that I am interested in: microlearning and cognitive load theory.  I stumbled on this podcast episode by searching for resources on “microlearning”. The episode is an interview with Nidhi Sachdeva, a PhD candidate from Toronto, who is studying microlearning and cognitive science. She has developed “midweek microlessons” for classes she was teaching. The microlessons are around topics such as interleaving, cognitive load theory and other related topics. The microlessons are linked in the show notes - a win/win, as I could see the design of the lesson, and also learn about each topic at the same time.  A side note regarding the podcast: There is not a transcript, which means I had to scribble down names, quotes, etcetera. I...
Read more

Exploring tools for Photovoice project.

For this tech tool exploration, I decided  to look for a tool that could be used for a photovoice project . More specifically, a way to create an attractive online photo exhibit, that is easy for participants  to upload photos and descriptions, and easy for classmates to add feedback and ask questions. App or site needs to be free and would need some privacy options.   I first dug around in some photovoice sites. I figured I might find some recommendations for an online exhibit. While I knew photovoice can be used to collect qualitative data and is a method used internationally, I quickly learned its scope and usage is much larger than I had realized. For example, in a short time I found three different definitions/uses of photovoice including:  Photovoice is a “participatory photography project” https://photovoice.org/ PhotoVoice is a non-profit organisation which promotes the ethical use of photography for positive social change. Photovoice is a powerful qual...
Read more