Related to examples of using techs in the classroom is an entry that I posted to my blog this morning about using Twitter in the classroom. Some interesting examples, as well as touching on pros and cons. See "Twitter in the Classroom."
Over the past four years, I have employed blogs for a number of curricular purposes. Some of my most successful attempts involved using blogs as a site for student journals and for student discussion. Part of what I like about blogs is that they can be designed as a very student-centered assignment. Students have the authority to name their blog, choose a template, post a picture, etc. Essentially, I see it as their online space for the course. I have experimented with students sharing and collaborating in blog spaces, which works fairly well, but I like using blogs best as individual journals in the writing classroom. Blogs also afford the opportunity for students to engage with an audience beyond the classroom or beyond the walls of the university. Recently, as I have become more interested in service-learning pedagogies, I have begun to see blogs as a useful technology for connecting community and academy. Another nice feature of blogs is that you can choose to make them private, viewable to only persons you approve, or you could make them entirely public.
Blogs versus paper journal:
Instructor doesn't have to drag stacks of notebooks home. Students can post any time and nearly anywhere with an internet connection. There are options for collaboration with a more public audience beyond the instructor.
Blogs versus discussion board:
The possibilities for posting pictures, movies, videos, and linking to other websites are, I believe, enhanced in the blog realm. Again, there are options for an outside-of-the-classroom audience. I like to create a system where students have individual blogs for journals and they join one class blog for discussion; this balances student-centered space with collaborative space.
Another reason I like blogs: They are easy to create and easy to update. It literally takes 5 minutes to create a blog (maybe 15 minutes to walk your entire class through the process). My favorite blog creation sites are Blogger and WordPress. Both are user-friendly and free! I would be happy to share assignments and blog creation instructions I have used in my courses, if you are interested. Or, if you'd like to schedule a meeting for us to chat about the potential for using blogs in your classroom, just let me know. ajholmes@email.arizona.edu
This is a very short article from the Campus Technology website addressing the numbers of students that will be taking on line classes in the coming years.
http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/10/28/Most-College-Students-To-Take-Classes-Online-by-2014.aspx
http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/10/28/Most-College-Students-To-Take-Classes-Online-by-2014.aspx
Teaching Strategies Workshop
Faculty Matter: Quality Matters Standards for Developing Online Courses
This workshop will discuss implementation of the quality standard rubric designed by Quality Matters. We will dissect the quality standards rubric.
(The LTC in collaboration with Outreach College)
November 13, 9am to 11:30am in the Presentation Area of Room 337 (Computer
Building on the SE corner of Mountain and Speedway)
Faculty Matter: Quality Matters Standards for Developing Online Courses
This workshop will discuss implementation of the quality standard rubric designed by Quality Matters. We will dissect the quality standards rubric.
(The LTC in collaboration with Outreach College)
November 13, 9am to 11:30am in the Presentation Area of Room 337 (Computer
Building on the SE corner of Mountain and Speedway)
Teaching with Podcasting workshop
Monday Nov. 9th, 9:00 - 11:00 and Thursday Nov. 12th 1:00 - 3:00
Room 311 Computer Center (SE corner Mountain & Speedway)
Workshop leaders: Stuart Glogoff (LTC) & Gregory Anderson (OSCR)
more information email Stuart
UA faculty who are podcasting will talk about their experiences and answer your questions.
Monday Nov. 9th, 9:00 - 11:00 and Thursday Nov. 12th 1:00 - 3:00
Room 311 Computer Center (SE corner Mountain & Speedway)
Workshop leaders: Stuart Glogoff (LTC) & Gregory Anderson (OSCR)
more information email Stuart
UA faculty who are podcasting will talk about their experiences and answer your questions.
Monday, Nov. 9th: Jim Collins, Professor, Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology & Amy Fountain, Lecturer, Linguistics??Whether you teach face-to-face or totally online, you can podcast lectures or new content to your students. In this workshop, you will learn why nearly 50,000 people visit the UA's iTunes U site each week, what faculty and departments have added to it, and the different ways that you can take advantage of podcasting to enrich your students learning experience.
Thursday, Nov. 12th: Scott Hessell, Lecturer, Family and Consumer Sciences & Suzanne Westbrook, Senior Lecturer, Computer Science
Here I am sharing an example of potential google docs user - I got this e-mail and perhaps the information could be useful for other users:
"I need assistance creating an online space or platform for my students to use for their group projects. I am having them create annotated bibliographies of online resources related to authors and works we're studying, and I need some online place in which they can construct these bibliographies -- a space with simple tools for posting text, pdfs, images, and creating hyperlinks.
Is there anything like this already embedded in D2L -- or that can be easily linked to, from D2L?"
Option 1: Google docs? One person can create an online file and share it with as many people as he/she wants. It allows users to post comments, modify texts, and also to compare a new version with an old one. So it basically works as an online Microsoft Word, but with sharing capabilities. The students don't even have to have a Google account: as long as ONE group
participant has a Google account, he/she can create the file and share it with
classmates (Gmail is free).
Here is an example of how google docs works: I created a Google document in this
link
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AQno64uyTh-RZGQ1bWM5a3JfMTJmOXQyc3NqOA&hl=en .
If you click it, you will be able to open/view/edit. It's up to the user to decide if people can edit it or not.
Google docs supports these types of documents:
---------------------------------------
"I need assistance creating an online space or platform for my students to use for their group projects. I am having them create annotated bibliographies of online resources related to authors and works we're studying, and I need some online place in which they can construct these bibliographies -- a space with simple tools for posting text, pdfs, images, and creating hyperlinks.
Is there anything like this already embedded in D2L -- or that can be easily linked to, from D2L?"
Option 1: Google docs? One person can create an online file and share it with as many people as he/she wants. It allows users to post comments, modify texts, and also to compare a new version with an old one. So it basically works as an online Microsoft Word, but with sharing capabilities. The students don't even have to have a Google account: as long as ONE group
participant has a Google account, he/she can create the file and share it with
classmates (Gmail is free).
Here is an example of how google docs works: I created a Google document in this
link
http://docs.google.com/Doc?
If you click it, you will be able to open/view/edit. It's up to the user to decide if people can edit it or not.
Google docs supports these types of documents:
---------------------------------------
Types of files that you can upload:
Documents (up to 500KB)
HTML files and plain text (.txt).
Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Rich Text (.rtf), OpenDocument Text (.odt) and
StarOffice (.sxw).
Presentations (up to 10MB from your computer, 2MB from the web, 500KB via email)
Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pps).
Spreadsheets (up to 1MB)
Comma Separated Value (.csv).
Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx) files and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods).
-------------------------------------------
For pictures it's even easier, because all they have to do is copy/paste it into
the document they are working with.
Regarding PDFs, that is a little problem: google docs doesn't allow it.
Option 2: Here is a second solution: D2L allows you to create groups (assigning specific
students to each one) and then to create a "group locker" for each one. This is
the description in D2L:
-----------------------------------------------------
Group lockers allow users to share and work collaboratively on assignments and
projects.
Use this page to upload, create, edit, move, copy, zip, and delete group files.
Group locker files can be modified by any member of the group. Group lockers are only available for active courses. Please save a copy of important files to your personal locker or your personal computer before a course ends.
---------------------------------------------------------
It doesn't have all the features as Google docs does (adding comments, for example) but they are allowed to edit the files using Microsoft Word and then share it with their group. At the same time, it would be useful for you because you'd be able to see all the files they have organized in little group folders, and grade it directly in D2L.
I have been using the lockers this semester and it has been working well - the students save the multiple drafts of their essays, have their peers edit them, and I can see the whole process from the first to the last version. I also appreciate being able to see their submission date, as the system stores it.
A free resource that you may want to check out is called Faculty Focus. You can subscribe to email alerts or subscribe via RSS. I've been getting it the past month or so as email alerts and they are short and to the point. Here are a few that look like they'd be of interest to this group.
October 12, 2009 "Understanding What's Needed for Online Teaching Success"
September 28, 2009 "For the Best Assessment Standards Try the Combo Platter"
October 7, 2009 "Tips to Reduce Cheating in the College Classroom"
September 30, 2009 "Reaching Online Students with Learning Disabilities"
On the site you will see a list of other topics. Faculty Focus also publishes special reports on relevant topics. The reports are free, though you have give them your email address. I've not seen any spam and get these short alerts. Looks like good content.
October 12, 2009 "Understanding What's Needed for Online Teaching Success"
September 28, 2009 "For the Best Assessment Standards Try the Combo Platter"
October 7, 2009 "Tips to Reduce Cheating in the College Classroom"
September 30, 2009 "Reaching Online Students with Learning Disabilities"
On the site you will see a list of other topics. Faculty Focus also publishes special reports on relevant topics. The reports are free, though you have give them your email address. I've not seen any spam and get these short alerts. Looks like good content.
Hello everyone,
My name is Chris Johnson. I am the former Director of Humanities Computing and the Digital Media Resources Center in the ILC (Don't go looking for the DMRC, it is now OSCR Underground). For my last year at the U, I was a senior consultant in the Learning Technologies Center. Once you reach a senior position in anything you know it is time to move on so I retired from the University in 2005 to form the 21st Century Learning Group.
During my close to 30 years at the U I was privileged to teach technology courses in Educational Psychology, Educational Leadership, and Educational Technology. After retirement I continued this by teaching courses in the Master of Science in Educational Technology program at UA South and teach a course every year to future school Principals and Superintendents in the Ed Leadership program. I also keep my hand in as the Faculty Lead for the Second Life Implementation Project (so talk to me if you'd like to know more about Second Life.)
I am also the Past-President for the Arizona Technology in Education Association, the state affiliate for the International Society for Technology in Education; where I currently serve on the Affiliate Membership Committee and as the Poster Session Chair for ISTE 2010.
My current work is with 1) K-12 school districts on implementing 21st Century Skills through the use of technology, 2) the state level on strategic technology planning, and 3) university faculty on converting courses for online learning. My research areas are the use of Web 2.0 tools to facilitate 21st century learning, strategic planning for technology, and the purposeful design of learning environments including the intersection of physical formal and informal learning spaces with the virtual world.
I'm looking forward to sharing ideas and learning from you all. When introducing myself, I always like to include the following two quotes as thoughts that guide me. They are both from Albert Einstein
"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
"If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn't call it research."
My name is Chris Johnson. I am the former Director of Humanities Computing and the Digital Media Resources Center in the ILC (Don't go looking for the DMRC, it is now OSCR Underground). For my last year at the U, I was a senior consultant in the Learning Technologies Center. Once you reach a senior position in anything you know it is time to move on so I retired from the University in 2005 to form the 21st Century Learning Group.
During my close to 30 years at the U I was privileged to teach technology courses in Educational Psychology, Educational Leadership, and Educational Technology. After retirement I continued this by teaching courses in the Master of Science in Educational Technology program at UA South and teach a course every year to future school Principals and Superintendents in the Ed Leadership program. I also keep my hand in as the Faculty Lead for the Second Life Implementation Project (so talk to me if you'd like to know more about Second Life.)
I am also the Past-President for the Arizona Technology in Education Association, the state affiliate for the International Society for Technology in Education; where I currently serve on the Affiliate Membership Committee and as the Poster Session Chair for ISTE 2010.
My current work is with 1) K-12 school districts on implementing 21st Century Skills through the use of technology, 2) the state level on strategic technology planning, and 3) university faculty on converting courses for online learning. My research areas are the use of Web 2.0 tools to facilitate 21st century learning, strategic planning for technology, and the purposeful design of learning environments including the intersection of physical formal and informal learning spaces with the virtual world.
I'm looking forward to sharing ideas and learning from you all. When introducing myself, I always like to include the following two quotes as thoughts that guide me. They are both from Albert Einstein
"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
"If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn't call it research."
Open Access Week is being celebrated internationally for the first time this year October 19 - 23. Open access publications are clearly licensed to be used in a wide range of manners and venues including online courses; and Open Educational Resources provide a variety of instructional tools that can be used or modified and adapted in your classes.
Both types of open resources will be featured at two events sponsored by the UA Libraries on campus later this month.
Both types of open resources will be featured at two events sponsored by the UA Libraries on campus later this month.
-- David Shulenburger will give a lecture titled "The Research University Imperative to Distribute Scholarly Materials" on Oct. 20, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Kiva Room at the Student Union. Shulenburger is the first Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and his recent research focuses on the economics of scholarly communications and universities.
-- David Wiley will explore "The Broader Impacts of Openness on Education" on Oct. 23 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in RoomA313/314 at the Main Library. Wiley is Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University, Chief Openness Officer of Flat World Knowledge, and Founder of the Open High School of Utah.
Both sessions should be of interest to this group.
An article in The Chronicle today talks about Google Wave, which is supposed to combine email, instant messaging, wikis and doc sharing. (I'll reproduce the link below, though I've been told if you don't have a Chronicle account, you might not be able to read it.) There's potential for it to replace current course management systems.
It's still by invitation only, as Gmail once was. Anyone hear of it or tested it out yet?
Jean Goodrich
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Could-Google-Wave-Replace/8354/?sid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
[or try this link http://tinyurl.com/yc9qamw]
It's still by invitation only, as Gmail once was. Anyone hear of it or tested it out yet?
Jean Goodrich
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Could-Google-Wave-Replace/8354/?sid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
[or try this link http://tinyurl.com/yc9qamw]
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