Maren Deepwell

Category: MOOCs

  • #FLcoding16: we meet graphs in the second week

    week-2It’s the second week of the course ‘Learn to Code for Data Analysis‘ and we have started making graphs! Alongside my course participation on FutureLearn I am posting a short summary of my experience on my blog (you can read also my post from Week 1).

    I found this week a lot quicker to get started, partly because I am now more familiar with the course structure but also because the Anaconda interface I am using is becoming easier to navigate. That was a good thing because I have less time this week. Picking tings up where we stopped in Week 1 this part of the course introduces new concepts and methods leading to learning how generate graphs using the plot function. I found generating my first few graphs and changing what they showed immensely satisfying. The data we are using this week is about the weather and the project of the week enables you to use weather data from your own location.

    In order to practice some of the syntax and get more used to using the interface I have started creating my own fictional data set which I am experimenting with in a separate exercise book. Hopefully there will be more time to play with this and the weather project next week. For now, the course continues to engage and educate – enabling me to learn the basics at my own pace. One study resource that I have found particularly helpful is the weekly glossary. I have downloaded both of these and use them to help remember different concepts. See you in Week 3…

  • #FLcoding16: learn to code for data analysis week 1

    flcoding1It’s the first week of the course ‘Learn to Code for Data Analysis‘ and I have just completed all required steps – so this short post is a quick reflection on my experience so far and it’s been a great week!

    Once I got stuck in there were a couple of things that work extremely well for me: first, using the course instructions on the Futurelearn platform together with the Jupyter notebook and exercise data creates a clearly structured and engaging environment. I dipped into the comment sections for some exercises when I got stuck, but in general I found the first week’s exercises really interesting and helpful. I did end up getting things wrong and then learning from the errors that were generated, but it felt both challenging and achievable. Given that this is my first time with the software and the coding language, I think the course works extremely well. It provides a good balance between context and technical elements, both of which combined to draw me in even as a complete novice.

    While I am interested in the data we were using in week 1 (mainly WHO data, similar to what I have come across during graduate study) what I found most rewarding was gaining a better understanding of the various approaches and how they can be applied to small and large sets of data. Again, the course structure demonstrates the thought process alongside the mechanical steps, which was very effective. My favourite interaction with the exercises was the little messages that appeared after completing one, referring you back to the course platform. It was a small thing, but it made a big difference to how easily I could navigate an alien environment.

    I dipped into the course a couple of times during the week, first to have a look around and read some introduction material, then again to read some more and watch the first videos and then a third time to get stuck in with the actual exercises and quizzes. Sorting large tables by columns and calculating different averages was particularly satisfying… I installed the software etc the week before, so that things were ready when I got started. I liked the information and prompt provided to share the work from the course and I might do so in the following weeks, but this week I feel the whole process is still too new for me to want to share more than my thoughts.

    So far, so good – a really engaging and rewarding first week with lots of practical knowledge gained. Looking forward to week 2!

  • #23things: (algorithmic) transparency and diversity

    This week on the #23things course that I am participating in together with my colleagues I read an article on diversity, described thus:

    Can computers be racist? Big data, inequality, and discrimination– An excellent article, including video of a lecture given by Dr. Latanya Sweeney, on how big data can perpetuate and exacerbate existing systems of racism, discrimination, and inequality (see this week’s full text here)

    I found the article really stimulating not least because I am interested in the growing movement behind public interest technologists (link to the full article). One paragraph in particular caught my eye, specifically a recommendation on how we may overcome the bias in relation to inequality inherent in big data practices:

    Pressing for “algorithmic transparency.” By ensuring that the algorithms underpinning critical systems like public education and criminal justice are open and transparent, we can better understand their biases and fight for change.

    It’s a recommendation I think makes a lot of sense, but I have come across many instances where this isn’t the case. In many cases only the expert developers involved in creating the system really understand how it works. That leads me to consider where efforts to make algorithms underpinning critical systems more open and transparent will meet the growing expertise professionals in for example education need to have in order to approach the technology at their disposal in an effective way.

    Yet while the article has certainly prompted me to think and read further, it’s also reminded me that even the simplest or most commonplace technology can create problems. #23things uses examples like exploring accessibility features on mobile devices or the use of emoji/bitmoji to get us thinking about wider issues and those are easy to relate to. Anyone who like me functions as tech support for family members for example has likely been grateful that a mobile phone’s text size or colour contrast adjusted to suit the needs of elderly users. There is a huge spectrum of issues that opens up before you when you start focusing on accessibility and diversity.

    For me, these two of the #23things are a useful reminder that this is an essential part of what we do every day and that there is always a lot of room for improvement.

  • Peer review as a #DigitalScholar: week 3

    This week our task on the #DigitalScholar course was all about per review. From creators of our own course outlines we turned into reviewers for our peers and provide feedback on a number of theirs.

    In contrast to reviewing short abstracts for conference proposals or fully thought out research papers, reviewing course outlines is a different experience for me. For example, after only a week or two of developing, quite a big proportion of what I have reviewed (and produced myself) is work in progress and thus often a lot more interesting. My peers are taking a more risks trying to put together an innovative course. I like reviewing work in progress as it exposes more of the thought processes – my own and my peers’.

    Also, it’s been fascinating to see the range of different proposals and topics. The discourse on online courses I am most familiar with is based in Higher Education, primarily in the UK and the US, and the course outlines I have seen are targeted at participants all around the world, including in a number of developing countries. The audiences that have been identified are quite different from the ‘typical’ MOOC participant I so often read about. In contrast the course outlines are all about helping communities not connected to formal education provision.

    I read an opinion piece in the future of universities today, from Times Higher Education, and one of the views presented was that technology has found a home in universities, but that nothing has really changed. This kind of perspective is common because it reflects our consistent need to learn, to assess, to prepare new generations for a broad range of professional futures. Learning Technology may change the way we do things or enhance them, but the fundamental processes remain unchanged, the article argues. On the other hand, the DigitalScholar course highlights the scale at which for example the availability of online courses, such as the ones we are designing, are changing things. Identifying a need that an online course can meet is a first step to making use of Learning Technology that really acts as a “game changer” – providing training, CPD or supporting crisis management.

    So, thanks to Reda and the course team for another inspiring and engaging week of the course. I am already looking forward to next week.

     

  • My first week as a #DigitalScholar: the adventure begins

    IMG_3158It’s been a busy week taking part in the new Digital Scholar course and in this second post I’ll share my initial impressions and experience over the past few days. This online course is run on the Scholar platform, which I am new to.

    Saying hello: One of the really fun aspects of the first week on the course has been getting to know the other participants. It’s been great to see greetings from a global group of participants from a pletora of different backgrounds, professions and sectors. I’ve been enjoying hearing about what others’ are aiming to get out of the course and what they are looking to achieve.

    Finding my way around: that’s been more of a challenge given that I am new to the platform, the course structure etc. The course team provides a lot of guidance, including video tutorials and overviews/lists of things to do. Some aspects of the Scholar platform haven’t felt intuitive to me – e.g. the process of adding others’ as peers – but all in all I have found what I am looking for.

    Noise or nice: Like other courses of this kind I have participated in, there is A LOT of activity in the first few days. Figuring out what to concentrate on and what to filter out is a key learning process. For me, adjusting email settings and finding ways of checking on updates without getting lost in hundreds of personal messages has been a learning curve. I’ve tried the Slack channels as well, although at the moment I haven’t found a use for it yet. I have tried to participate in the conversation #DigitalScholar on Twitter instead. I am not sure to what extent I am going to engage with the informal networking instead of the formal peer review process – I suspect it’ll depend on how much time I have.

    Independence: One aspect of the course I really like is that it allows you to be fairly independent in how you organise and approach your work. There is a strong emphasis on figuring out how to make this work for yourself and that helps increase my engagement. I also enjoy having a new online space in which to start creating a project. There are key deadlines to work towards, so that helps keep me focused and paced through the week.

    Up next: I have just over a week to finish the outline of the online course I am using as my course project. It’s a course about using reflection for CPD in Learning Technology (yes, for some of you that may sound familiar from my CMALT portfolio…;) .

     

     

  • Starting a new course #DigitalScholar and discovering a new platform

    cd861-lecture_in_progressThis evening was my first introduction (or ‘live learning moment’) to the new #DigitalScholar course. If you want to take a look at what this course run by the Geneva Learning Foundation is all about, have a look at the course announcement (course starts on Monday, 4th July 2016).

    This course is a new adventure for me, a new opportunity for CPD but also a chance to discover a new platform: Scholar. I haven’t tried this one before – but the course community will also be using Slack, a tool I’ve only recently started using and found quite useful even for a complete novice.

    My aim is to make the most of this course by designing a new course outline in Scholar, hopefully focusing on reflection as part of CPD and aligned to the CMALT framework that I help develop in my day job for ALT. I like the idea of starting a course with a clear aim in mind already – that works for where I am in my thinking just now. Also, the organisers are very clear about me, as a participant, making a clear commitment to spend time actually working on the course. It feels very transparent and engaging and I really want to try and support this kind of peer-based learning as a participant.

    So, I am at the brink of jumping into this new community. I’ve set up my account, signed up for the platform and started making a few connections – but largely this is a leap into the unknown. I can’t wait for Monday 🙂