Welcome to our blog page! Here you'll find interesting views on a wide mix of topics within the field of project management, including risk management, cybersecurity, and AI. We hope that you'll feel free to contribute your views as well.

Project Management is nothing new!

Do you know that project management has been with mankind for about as long as we have consciously existed? When we consider that project management can be defined as

the employment of limited resources to achieve a unique objective, we will see that mankind has always, from time immemorial, been striving to achieve one-off goals -whether hunting a mastodon for the first time; building a pyramid; a bridge; or sending people to the moon.

Project management however became a distinctly organized and systematic management science during the period between the late 19th century, supported by the work of Gantt (1861 -1919); Mayo (1933); Taylor (1947); to mid-20th century, having been consolidated, no doubt, by the efforts of NASA in the 1950s.

Over the years several organizations, including the PMI, AAPM, and IPMA have been instrumental in arranging and providing PM bodies with technical knowledge and best practices.

Whether huge and complex or small projects you can improve the chances of their success by applying the relevant principles, procedures, tools, and techniques of Project Management. These have been put together by practicing PMs and researchers and several approaches have emerged. Just ensure that you're not overly complicating a simple thing!

Science Project in School

What's the most complex, or simple project you've worked on? Did you use PM Principles or just good old management approaches? Do you think that there is a relationship between the use of PM Principles and the success of projects? Please let us know.

Until!

Hubert

March 7, 2023

The Power of Collaboration in an Online Flipped Classroom setting: An example from UWI -EDCE 6050.

Today I wish to share my reflections on the particular topic captioned above- the power of peer collaboration in a flipped classroom setting. At the outset, being hard-pressed for time, I was fixed on the decision to create and post a short and simple blog... you know the 'KISS' principle - Keep it short and Sweet. However, as I reflected on my headline, I began to question my own understanding of the term 'Flipped Classroom". Is this the type of learning that is being deliberately crafted and facilitated by my EDCE 6050 instructor?

What exactly is meant by the term, "Flipped Classroom"?

In fact, my first impression is that it is opposite to the traditional teaching-learning situation where the students undertake lower-order cognitive tasks such as recalling, understanding and applying, according to Bloom's Taxonomy (Armstrong 2010)) in class under the supervision of the teacher, and then go struggle by themselves at home with trying to

analyze, evaluate and create new insights or items from knowledge gained. On the other hand, Sams & Bergmann (2014, cited by Ozdamli & Aşıksoy 2016) have provided the well-known definition of “what is done at school done at home, homework done at home completed in class”. This model sees students taking responsibility for their own learning,(Bergmann, Overmyer & Wilie 2011, cited by ). and participating in discussions with their peers and teacher,(Bergmann & Sams, 2012, Overmyer, 2012)., citedOvermyer, 2012). Lastly, flipped learning has been described as one model of a Blended Learning system. Because of increased opportunities for interaction with the teacher, collaboration with other students, problem-solving practice, and self-paced learning, there seems to be every potential for students in flipped classrooms to gain more learning, and I can personally relate to the great impact that shared responsibilities and peer collaboration has had on the course.

A recent assignment required the class members to choose a topic, prepare a lesson, and present it by video on Youtube while ensuring that there was a component for stimulating intellectual curiosity. The design of the assignment, in my view, seems to have resulted in limitless benefits for the entire class. I know that I have gained immensely from that exercise, far more than could have been possible from a traditional class. The assignment caused me to really carry out a fair amount of research on the topic, in addition to the guidance and learning materials provided by the tutor. Also, I was obliged to research as many digital tools as possible before deciding upon the appropriate technological mix for preparing and presenting the lesson, and uploading the video onto YouTube. This was one activity that exposed me to scores of alternatives, and I commenced an Excel Database of Education Technologies and Terms because I didn't want to lose the information I had garnered so far. Also, my peers kept our WhatsApp chat alive with exchanges of problems, solutions, and general information. Now just imagine my ultimate joy to discover that I was able to multiply my learning several times over, through collaboration with my colleagues who had all undergone the same process, because we had placed our videos in the online discussion, along with questions for stimulating intellectual curiosity. This explains the synergies that can be generated through peer collaboration. Although I haven't been able to respond to all, I intend to read and learn from all of the postings in the discussion.

Yes! Peer-to-peer collaboration can yield great results. I only hope that I can convince more of my reluctant adult learners of the tremendous benefits.

Until!

Hubert 

 March 29, 2023

References

Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 29th March 2019 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.

Ozdamli, F & Aşıksoy, G. (2016). Flipped Classroom Approach. World Journal on Educational Technology. 8. 98. 10.18844/wjet.v8i2.640.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn". Benjamin Franklin

Four Digital Training Applications I wish I had known during the Covid-19 Era.

Before starting the UWI TLET Course, I can honestly say that I was pretty much one-dimensional as far as training technologies go. Before the Covid-19 era, I relied strictly on PowerPoint Presentations via overhead projectors or large screen monitors for delivering face-to-face management training...and I was complacently smug about possessing that technical edge. During the early heights of the outbreak, people stopped going to work. They became cautious about meeting as groups. The more flexible organizations permitted some professionals to work from home. As employees trickled back into workplaces, it soon became pellucidly clear that there was not going to be business as usual. By law, Workplaces were not allowed to have 100% workforce attendance, so staff members were rostered and rotated. Face-to-face training in enclosed surroundings became non-existent. Those operating from home were still required to show evidence of having produced some work. Thus began the search for online tools for doing work, and even for conducting training. Attempts to send training by email, supported by WhatsApp proved futile.

Bit by bit, synchronous online training material prepared in PowerPoint and transmitted via Zoom became the technology of choice. Students' collaborative work was made possible with telephone, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. A few used Google Docs for collaborating on group presentations. I used Survey Monkey and then Google Forms for summative evaluations. In the absence of substantial technological awareness, this arrangement appeared to work fairly well.

It wasn't a seamless system, however, and there were several hiccups. For one thing, the participants were generally adult professionals of varying ages and work circumstances. This meant that regardless of the timings we agreed upon, some participants just kept

missing sessions. Even synchronizing group work posed a challenge. Also, most of the participants were using cell phones to access the course, and some of the instruments just didn't have the memory capacity to deal with zoom. Using Survey Monkey for Final Evaluation saw some participants receiving their digital test papers long after their peers, because of low download speeds. We definitely lost some students due to technical issues, as well as synchronous sessions, among other things.

Now we come to the original intent of this blog...applications that I now know, and have developed skills in using, as a direct result of the EDCE 6050 Course, that I wish I had known before.

1. PowerPoint - used as a storytelling tool - PowerPoint is a trusted Microsoft product that has been around for several years and is the most widely used tool for making business presentations and providing academic instructions, holding 95% of the global market share for presentation software. However, although it is so popular, many users are unaware of its great potential as a storytelling tool. The built-in features of PowerPoint are now being used in different ways to make more interesting presentations. So you can add voice, animations, texts, pictures, and video to produce simply amazing lessons, which can be converted to video and exported to YouTube. As a traditional PowerPoint user, I could have made my instructions so much more interactive and interesting, I could have also used it for asynchronous classes.
2. Audacity - a free open-source audio recording and editing tool; Great for Podcasts. It seems to be a very popular tool for educators. Using this tool, I could have prepared podcasts suitable for many of the students to listen to during their long commutes, or just to provide voice instructions on their assignments. The latest version is Audacity: 3.2.5
3. Screencast-o-Matic - It's now renamed ScreenPal, and it allows you to record everything that lies within the framed part of your screen. ScreenPal offers options to record video using camera and voice; record screen and voice. You can edit, but that will require you to pay a small fee for an upgrade. This application would have made the preparation and transmission of asynchronous class learning materials possible for me.
4. Loom - With Loom, you can record your screen and camera with one click and share that content in an instant with a link. Just imagine! This versatile and intuitive tool has been around for quite a few years and is used by companies and educators for sharing information and instructions. The application allows users to record screens and audio, send a link to others, and provide them with a forum for feedback.

Considering that there are thousands of applications out there that can be used for education and training - and the fact that many more are emerging daily, I can't by any chance say that these four applications are the best. For me, however, they would have made my life as an instructor, and that of my students, so much more comfortable. Oh well! Better late than never. I'm using them now as a TLET student and have already begun to integrate these tools into my work.

Which four applications would you have chosen for use during the same period? Please let me know in the comments section below.

Be good.

Hubert

 May 15, 2023

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship"

Louisa May Alcott

Les Brown, a very famous motivational speaker, often told the story of his constant search for a better job, while he was a low-income earning insurance salesman. One day he discovered that he actually had that job but was not using it productively. He ultimately became an insurance top seller and millionaire and rose to fame as an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker.

I must confess that I'm one of those professionals who would only purchase a new computer when the old one is almost dead. By that time, the physical infrastructure and technological capacities are all outdated. This is not because I'm a scrooge, but because my computer becomes my life and work. I become attached to it; reluctant to replace it and to risk losing settings applications, and files.

Anyway, I replaced the old hp laptop with this Dell Inspiron in the middle of last year and have been constantly using it in my sometimes frantic and desperate search for new digital educational applications and tools to satisfy the requirements of EDCE 6050. The new instrument, with Microsoft Windows 11 OS was loaded with up-to-date MS Office software to which I didn't pay much attention. I only 'needed' Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But the thing is, Ms. Office 365 has limitless features and applications. There are also MS Teams and Google Meet which are great for collaboration and teamwork, as was indicated by some of my EDCE 6050 classmates. These can provide communication and training solutions depending on the problems faced. But I can't convey my absolute joy to discover

Clipchamp, a real charm of a video creator and editor, sitting right there on my laptop. My own application. No calls for paid upgrading... no hidden charges or strings attached.

For the critically important Individual Assignment, I required a video maker and editor and literally tried several of them, including Screencast-o-Matic, now ScreenPal, which I was actually deciding upon because it's quite a versatile tool, offering video, screen capture, narration, quiz functions, and analytics. It however requires a subscription to upgrade for access to its full features.

But, back to Clipchamp's features. It is freely available online or as a downloaded application. It allows 30 minutes of video length; music that is built in as stock or can be downloaded. You can narrate, and add videos, pictures, and texts. There are scores of opening templates to choose from, according to your topic. The editing feature is simple and intuitive and even as a beginner, you can emerge with fairly professional results. In the end, you can export to video of your desired quality, and upload it to YouTube without too much trouble. Since I discovered that video creator and editor, it has become my 'go to' solution. It even saved the day (evening) when I encountered problems with another TLET Course.

Do you have that application on your computer? Then try it, or use the online version at: https://clipchamp.com/en/video-editor/

What's the lesson in all of this? The solution might be at your fingertips. Sometimes you just need to step back a bit and look at what you have from a different perspective.

Until next time.

Hubert