Nelumdini Samaranayake

What do you believe will be challenging about getting the implementation task done?

According to the implementation plan template, the task would be challenging, but I think a semester without some challenge will be boring. A challenge provokes research, and research promotes learning. Moreover, I like challenges that satisfy me that I have gained a tone of knowledge during the semester. Defining and describing the technologies to be implemented and the tools that are expected to benefit the end-user under the implementation plan will be an easy task but formulating the pricing that needs to be searched with research evidence will be a slightly complex task. However, with this week’s task and researching through some sites, I came across the bill of materials needed as part of our team project on the SolarSPELL requirement, which can be further extended and used to learn technologies.

As a team, we have not discussed technology integration into the curriculum and how this will be integrated into lessons plans. We hope to use Moodle as the based learning management system for the stakeholders, although we are still to define the training goals and objectives, which I presume will be carried out this week. We will be listing different types of users from k12, high school, adults, and not forgetting the train-the-trainers who will have to be trained periodically. Also, the subjects that are going to be incorporated that supports our implementation plan. The team would be able to define and determine how many learning technology units are necessary to support the plan’s outcome and how often the technology will be used to develop an idea and replace it. Due to the details that need to be completed in the implementation plan, it will be challenging for the team to complete all the details within a limited time frame.

Given how short the turnaround time was, how did you break up the work this week? Who is doing what?

As per the course goals and outcomes, the team addressed the purpose and defended system solutions (broad/meta-view). By team discussion last weekend, we decided to move and elaborate the finalized document of system analysis and the identified needs/problems/stakeholder views. Each took parts that were already taken in the initial document and did more research. While placing an additional paragraph on renewable energy systems, more effort was placed into finding other types of energy and internet capabilities and methods that could be incorporated to solve the problem. We discussed various methods and feasibilities, as well as the issues, are foreseen into the future. Technology is changing fast, and more solutions are being brought into the limelight. It was also discussed whether Canvas could be the solution to the future of our project than Moodle as Canvas infrastructure is heading its way to solving many rural issues. Although without much confirmation of the solution, we decided to stay with Moodle as the Learning Management Tool.

Include at least three reference documents (articles, chapters, web sites, etc.) that you found that support your implementation plan.

Reflect on your work time this week. What went well? What was problematic?

My thoughts went in many directions and scenarios by researching and seeing that 44 million people in the US are without the internet. Although these may not be feasible for the group project due to cost, it was worth noting down the possibilities of connectivity for future projects if funding can be a possibility. The rural broadband solutions designed for service providers from Cisco open-access approach connect rural areas in American’s modern-day necessity. I also research the T-Mobile 5G connectivity, bringing the internet to rural America. Moreover, another was satellite internet connectivity for the town within 48 states. Hence work this week opened to check many possibilities of connectivity to the rural areas provided with education. The connectivity to these places will be an expensive process. As such, I settled back to the solar power energy solution while trying to connect the internet directly if possibilities are available. 

LTEC 6320, Fall 2021

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Published by Nelumdini Samaranayake

Nelumdini Samaranayake started her career in the information technology field and is now in the education environment. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas. Inspired by the saying “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow” by John Dewy. She is excited to take the new technology of instructions to the life of the learner; according to the universal declaration of human rights, “Everyone has the right to education.”

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