TOEP has taught me a lot - and I will likely learn a lot more

In this blog post I'll talk about my learning relating to RSS and newsreaders. I've use an RSS newsreader to collect and subscribes to a number of sites prior to the requirement for the Tools of Engagement discovery activity. Even though, I learned quite a bit through this TOEP task.

The first thing I learned is that in addition to RSS standing for "really simple syndication" it also means "rich site summary." This second meaning seems to be a simpler way to understand what an RSS feed is used for.

Another thing I learned is that Bloglines, which is an RSS reader similar to Google Reader, is alive and well. When I implemented a project similar to TOEP in my course my students discovered mid-semester how transient technology is. Bloglines was the de facto standard for newsreaders. As my students approached the RSS discovery activity Bloglines was suddenly discontinued. This I saw as a teachable moment; no matter how "standard" a technology seems to be - there's always a new "standard" right around the corner. A principle that TOEP tries to instill is that one should never get too caught up in the tool and instead learn the principles behind how and why a broad technology concept is used.

And the third thing I learned through TOEP was how to make a public blogroll. The link on the TOEP site to View All Blog Entries was created as a result of conversations among the TOEP team members to try to find a way to make the reading (and browsing) of other TOEP participant's blog entries easier. When my students reviewed their classmates blogs they had to click each blog post.  NOW all TOEP blog posts are easily scannable from a single blogroll page.

I learned this new time-saving technique as a result of TOEP and as a result of being able to communicate with others about what my goals were and collectively we discovered a way to accomplish this goal. I'm sure this is just one example of many ways we will all learn along side each other through TOEP.

My first blog entry for the SUNY Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP)

This is my first blog entry in response to the SUNY Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP) a set of self-paced on-demand professional development activities. The objective of this project is to provide an opportunity for faculty to explore new instructional technologies to discover how these tools might be useful to assist teaching and learning.

A basic premise of TOEP is to encourage self-discovery in a safe environment while promoting a community of learners. TOEP recently received funding through a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG). In addition to supporting the further development of the project, research will also be conducted to determine if this form of professional development is effective to provide faculty with the knowledge they need to be able to use the new technologies for the purpose of communication and collaboration and to provide skills to allow the development of meaningful and engaging assessments to gauge student learning. 

TOEP requires faculty to develop a personal blog to reflect on what their new knowledge about the tools means for them personally and how it relates to their discipline. As the main PI on the project I am disqualified to be considered for incentives available to faculty from participating institutions, however, I will also document my reflections through my own blog entries. 

The first TOEP activity asks to view a video about lifelong learning and comment on which  habit is the most appealing and which is most difficult. The most appealing to me is to play. This is what drives some of the successes that the many projects that TOEP is modeled after have achieved. In a safe and non-threatening environment I'm free to explore, make mistakes, learn from my mistakes, and succeed.

The most difficult habit for me is habit #3 - viewing problems as challenges. The video points out that we often learn the most as a result of the curve balls life throws at us. This can loosely be interpreted as being able to easily adapt to change. Once I'm comfortable with a process I'm afraid to change to something I'm less familiar with. However, this trait is most useful to be able to grow to become a transliterate person in today's  technological society. Transliteracy is defined by Sue Thomas as, “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and films, to digital social networks.” Since technologies change so rapidly many established technologies are often phased out and replaced with something new. A trait of someone who is transliterate and tech savvy is someone who is able to adapt to change in relation to mastery of new tools.

So, this concludes first blog entry for TOEP. I will track the successes of my peers as they make progress and try to comment on some of the entries submitted by others. Although I am personally already quite familiar with a number  of the technologies in TOEP I will strive to reach new understandings that challenge my current level of understanding. I will explore how these tools can be useful in relation to my personal needs and in relation to my responsibility to provide effective support for faculty who I work with on a day to day basis as an instructional designer. My progress will be based on my own intrinsic motivation to succeed. I hope everyone has personally rewarding experiences progressing through the discovery-based learning activities in TOEP.