This is the presentation of a storytelling session in Joint Techonolgy Enhanced Learning 2010 Summer School in Ohrid, Macedonia

1. The innovative, creative, and engaging educator in Academia AlevElçi Eastern Mediterranean University Northern Cyprus Presented in JTEL 2010 summer School Ohrid Macedonia

2. Role Playing Question: State one of the learning problems todays students encounter in Academia? Response: As an educator, what would you suggest in order to enhance learners engagement and building knowledge using technology?

3. Outline Challenges in Higher Education Learning environments Technology Enhanced Learning Tools Social networks Facebook Ning Wikis Digital Storytelling Role of students Role of educators Results & Discussion

4. Challenges in Higher Education Neither students nor faculty are happy! Change in needs & expectations of students (Ellis, R., 1993;Fallows, S., & Bhanot, R., 2005). Change in learning environments (Grodecka, K., Pata, K., & Valjataga, T., 2008). Need to embrace 21st century learning skills (Solomon, G., & Schrum, L., 2007).

5. Complaints about todays students Do not read adequately Do not research adequately Do not meet deadlines Do not study Have no interest on the subjects Last minute problem solvers Do not bother with things Try to find an easy way to do things Complain...

6. Change in 21st Century Students’ Learning Learning styles Games Learning time and place Networks Use of Technology Experiential Constructivist Creativity Personal Learning Environments

7. Learning Environments Traditional Classrooms are limiting! Wider range of context At home Library Cafe Mobile Online Accessible 24/7 Social Communities Collaborative Any time, any where, any phase...

8. TEL Tools Social Networks Facebook Ning Wikis Wikispaces Wetpaint Digital Storytelling Alice Emphasize Team building Peer-to-peer Collaboration Teacher student collaboration Projects Storytelling Games Animations

10. CSIT474 Advanced Database Management for DBA in Oracle

11. CSIT422 Project Management in IT

12. Sharing content related

13. Links

14. Videos

15. Photos

16. Communication

17. Discussions

19. Facebook groups http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?language#/group.php?gid=17894549712&ref=ts http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?language#/group.php?gid=17790879328&ref=ts

22. CPIT224 Term Project “Dream Factory” for using Alice to create 3D Animations

23. CITE101 ICT in Education

24. GPSC315 Software Applications for Guidance and Psychological Counselling

25. ITEC474 Advanced Database Management for DBA in Oracle

26. Sharing subject related

27. Links

28. Videos

29. Photos

30. Communication

32. Private community

33. Share experiences

34. Entertainment & Learning

35. Previous semesters contributions are available

36. Disadvantage

37. No sustainability after the course ends

38. http://the-end.ning.com

39. http://cite101.ning.com

40. http://gpsc315.ning.com

42. Wikis ITEC422 Project Management in IT For developing and collaborating in class projects with participation of all students Prepare another wiki project Prepare an IT newsletter for the department Collaborative writing Adding, editing, changing content Commenting each others contributions Learning Web 2.0 tool

43. Wikis Advantage Project management collaboration and communication Creating common reports and documents Effective Disadvantage Training is needed Difficult to followup http://pminit.wikispaces.com/

45. Alice Used in ITEC356 Introduction to Animation with Storytelling Learning to create animation or games with a 3D drag-and-drop software Digital stodytelling Object Oriented Programming concepts

46. Alice Advantages Can further use animation and games for educational purposes Working on a project with students from different disciplines Disadvantage Individual work preferences of some students created problems in final group project

48. Students They don’t want to be sole learner They want to participate in learning process They want to choose their personal learning environments They want to teach themselves They want to be active and engaged in what THEY want to learn They need to be interested in the subject They need to be encouraged They need to be motivated They usually prefer to work in communities

49. What is the role of faculty member in facilitating new forms of learning? Not only Traditional Teacher... Knowledge transformer! Role model Creating communities for faculty development in collaborative educational technologies Orchestrating learners Connecting learners Creating wider range of context (learning environments)

50. Role of educators Not only transfer knowledge!!! Facilitate Guide Collaborate Communicate Friend Parent 24/7 connected

51. Role of educators Considering that each student is different Attract early adopter students Engaging students Be creative in their teaching Innovate new forms of teaching Create various learning environments Share, care, dare...

52. Result & Discussion Facilitating new forms of learning may close the gap between teachers and students that exists in traditional teaching. Also formal and informal learning environments can be hand in hand. Collaboration can be emphasized more than competition. Entertaining while teaching can be a priority. Teachers needs to be professionally developed to integrate technology in the curriculum for including new forms of learning activities. Also the sustainability is needed for future competence development.

54. Fallows, S., & Bhanot, R. (Eds.). (2005). Quality in ICT-based higher education: Some introductory questions. In J. Wisdom (Series Ed.), The staff and educational development series. Quality issues in ICT-based higher education. NY: RoutledgeFalmer.

55. Frazel, F. (2010). Digital Storytelling. Washington DC: International Society for Techology in Education.

56. Grodecka, K., Pata, K., & Valjataga, T. (2008). How to Use Social Software in Higher Education. A handbook from the iCamp project (2005-2008).

58. Let’s Share, care, dare...