This first course in the certification aims to introduce you to the basics of learning online and provides an overview of the ACT approach. By the end of this course, you will have a basic understanding of the importance of active teaching and learning and the ACT model that underpins the courses.

• Say Hello
  • For your first activity, we will be using an exciting video creating tool to introduce yourself – plus hear what others have to say both from this cohort and those who have traveled the road before.
• Getting Started – Activated Lesson
  • Getting to know me and the activated environment where we will be learning.
• Getting Started Quiz
  • Testing how well you concentrated in the module.

4 Hours

6 Hours

Here we explore the second of the ACT Digital-Age Pedagogies – Conversation. You will find that all of the pedagogies link together and they work best when they are used together. But here we turn our attention to the next ACT pedagogy –  Conversation. 

We live in a world that has been fundamentally changed by social media. No longer is content central to learning. Of course, content is always vital, but conversation around content has now become more important. The soul of social media is conversation, and as such, this is a powerful pedagogy in our digital age.

“Conversation should touch everything, but should concentrate itself on nothing.’ – Oscar Wilde

• Conversation Pedagogy – Activated Lesson
  • We now move up to the next layer of the ACT model. In this activity, we explore conversation as a pedagogy. By the end of this activity, you will have an understanding of the power of digital-based conversation for teaching and learning.
• Conversation Pedagogy – Activity
  • This is your forum – a conversation space. Share ideas and then comment on other peoples ideas. Learning happens in the conversation and sharing your thoughts will enrich others and your own thinking too.
• Conversation Pedagogy – Quiz
  • In this quiz, you get a chance to briefly reflect on what has been covered in this module the pedagogy of Conversation.
• Assignment
  • Create a Conversation Pedagogy-based Lesson Plan.
• Assessment
  • Final assessment for this module.
• Conclusion
  • Certificate
  • Feedback

5 Hours

The pedagogy of corrcetion….I mean correction. This is where we get to explore the powerful and exciting world of learning through correction. This is where mistakes are celebrated as they develop learning. In this module, we will be exploring the power of learning through correction and how you can use this pedagogy to activate your teaching. As with the other pedagogies, this pedagogy works best when blended with the other ACT pedagogies.

• Correction Pedagogy – Activated Lesson
  • As we scale the ACT model we increasingly invoke both activity and the cognitive investment of our students. In this lesson, we look at the correction pedagogy. By the end of this activity, you will have an understanding of the power of mistakes in learning and how technology can be used as a tool to support a correcting pedagogy.
• Correction – Forum
  • This is where you get to share what you have done using a video based tool.
• Correction Activity
  • Correction on a Conversation Activity.
• Correction Pedagogy – Quiz
  • It’s good to make mistakes…as long as we correct them. Because that is where the learning takes place
• Assignment
  • Correction Pedagogy-based Lesson Plan
• Assessment
  • Final assessment for this module.
• Conclusion
  • Certificate
  • Feedback

5 Hours

At this stage we are scaling the heights of the ACT pedagogies as we now look at the pedagogy of Creation. While all the ACT pedagogies involve activity this pedagogy is focused specifically on creating content. This resulting artifact of the learning experience is itself a powerful enabler of learning that allows you to invoke the other pedagogies such as correction, conversation, etc.

• Creation Pedagogy – Activated Lesson
  • By the end of this lesson, you will understand the power of using creating as a pedagogy and how this can easily be applied through simple approaches. It’s getting cognitively tougher as we climb the layers. You know the fear – if you don’t you soon will – of being faced with a blank document and having to write something. It’s one thing to talk about content or even correct content, but to create your own content really requires us to be intellectually invested. And then the best part, after putting in the effort, an artifact remains.
• Creation – Forum
  • A conversation around the tools and artefacts we create when learning through the pedagogy of creation.
• Creation Pedagogy – Quiz
  • Here we get a little brain active and see what has been learnt in pedagogy of Creation.
• Assignment
  • Creation Pedagogy-based Lesson Plan.
• Assessment
  • Final assessment for this module.
• Conclusion
  • Certificate
  • Feedback

5 Hours

Waht wuold you say if I tlod you taht eevn if the ltteres are mexid up you can sitll uestradnd tihs.  

That’s how clever your brain is – it can see the patterns in the words and it can figure out what is actually meant. However, to read the sentence above takes more concentration. This is what the pedagogy of chaos is about. It is about disruption that forces activity. So, get ready to being disrupted. Get raedy to tihnk!

• Chaotic Puzzle
  • Chaos is such an amazing pedagogy – it’s making sense of the seeming mess. To get you in the right chaotic/disruptive mood you will start by solving a puzzle.
• Chaos Pedagogy – Activated Lesson
  • In this lesson, we will explore the exciting pedagogy of chaos. We live in a world where students are constantly faced with making sense of the information overload they’re faced with. This information is often conflicting, has missing elements, has too much content, etc. Learning to make sense of this is not only a powerful pedagogy but a vital skill to develop in our modern world.
• Chaos – It All Comes Together Forum
  • A chat space to share your final Chaos activity and to take a look at what others have done.
• Chaos Pedagogy – Quiz
  • Time to see what you have learned about the powerful pedagogy of chaos.
• Assignment
  • Chaos Pedagogy-based Lesson Plan.
• Assessment
  • Final assessment for this module.
• Conclusion
  • Certificate
  • Feedback

5 Hours

Challenge 1

• This challenge will test how much you know about some of the terms that were used in this course.

Challenge 2

• In this assessment, you will watch a short video while at the same time answering questions. So be sure to watch carefully and think about what you are hearing.

Challenge 3

• This challenge is a little different. It is built around the game show “Who wants to be a millionaire”. Here you will be testing your concentration and knowledge of the ACT pedagogies in a somewhat stressful environment – sounds a little like the pedagogy of chaos.

Challenge 4

• You must have completed ALL the activities above and ALL the quizzes before you can do this Final Exam! 
• Tests what you have learnt throughout all the sections.

The ACT Toolbox is your repository of “How-To” lessons. Here you can easily search for lessons on tools (e.g. Zoom) or topics (e.g. Curation). You can also browse by category (e.g. Google or Chaos), plus you can leave comments, suggestions, and new ideas.

This is not simply a digital toolbox of lessons, it is a growing, active, space to continue your learning journey as new lessons are added, tools are rated, and conversation is shared. 

The course also includes a copy of the book “Active Blended Learning – 5 proven ways to bring engagement to 21st-century teaching” by Dr. Craig Blewett

This book both supports the online course and also provides valuable additional content. You are going to want to keep your copy of this book because it will be an invaluable resource when you are teaching.