Module 8 - Weekly Reflection

Being the last post for the course, I wish to thank our instructor, her assistant and all fellow students for a productive summer. We have become acquainted with so many tools and pedagogical recommendations that we can put into our Assessment Toolkits. I know it will take me time to work through all the tools that were introduced over the course of the summer however I do appreciate the reviews and evaluations that our class members have submitted. I have saved these reviews and I hope to use them as a starting point from which to further investigate their use in my online projects.

I also plan to keep Bloom's taxonomy in mind when designing all parts of my online courses. Course objectives and goals must be clear, concise and directly related to the course assessment tools. I also believe that the work of Bonk and Henri has made a believer in me as far as course discussion analyses. The facilitation of an online course is a delicate balance that should guide students to be responsible for their learning by creating inter independence among peers.

Our jigsaw project for the midterm was useful in many ways. It helped us form a collaborative relationship with a manageable group of fellow students. We shared strategies to complete the assignments as directed. We learned many aspects of many useful tools for our assessment toolkits.

I thank everyone who was able to give constructive criticism when necessary. I wish everyone the best in their future endeavors. I hope to work with many of the class in future courses.

Module 7 - Weekly Reflection

Most of the week has been spent completing the final project for the course. I have been reviewing four assessment tools; SurveyMonkey, Webex, Our Story and Calendar Builder. Each of these tools plays an important role in the overall online course design. I have been trying to use VideoPaper, a tool suggested by the instructor, as the software for my final project. Due to the fact that our final projects do not integrate video, I do not feel tha VideoPaper is my best choice of tools. However, I feel that the ease of navigation through the course as well as through the final project are paramount in this decision. After reviewing many tools and reading many student reviews, I feel that the creation of a small Web site would be my best solution.

I also took some time to review the three grading programs; Excel, Micrograde and Easy Grade Pro. I was especially interested in the web-based capabilities. Our school district has been trying to migrate to a new grading program. The research phase has moved into a trial phase but I do not think that any of our curren programs has been unanimously selected as the program that meets the needs of a K-12 school distict.

I have had the opportunity to review other final projects as they have been posted. They are well thought out, well constucted as well as imaginative in their delivery.

Module 6 - Weekly Reflection

A precourse survey started our activities for the week. I used Survey Monkey to create my survey. This tool is easy to use and contains the functionality needed for most course related surveys. Before starting the survey, I needed to reorganize /redesign my online course (again!) in a more meaningful way. I had the opportunity to teach a blended format of the course this week. It did not go well. I did have my students complete a survey but it was too late to change the format once I received the results. Lesson learned! The survey must be sent out well enough in advance so that the necessary changes or adjustments can be made to the course design if warranted.

I also participated in Monday's Dimdim conference. There were approximately 10 classmates participating with Jennifer and the facilitator. The conference went smoothly and was a great way to connect with the class. I did not have a microphone but was still able to communicate via chat with the class. Jennifer showed us how a PowerPoint presentation could be displayed and used interactively in the Dimdim software. I am curious as to how a webcam would work with Dimdim. I am going to try to get a group of teachers to give this tool a thorough test as I am hoping to use this as one of my tools for my online course. I have used other conferencing tools over the past few years but their costs would be prohibitive in the K-12 school setting.

Our third activity involved a comparative study between two course syllabi; the Casey and Khalsa courses. The Casey study was a f2f journalism curriculum. Khalsa's course was an online media studies course. We focused on the concept of cybercoaching and its effect on teaching and learning in online courses. This method of formative assessment has been proven to increase student achievement. The task for this course is to incorporate this method into our developing online courses. We aim to help our students develop new and improved skills and knowledge rather than merely point out if they are right or wrong. This leads students to take charge of their own learning in meaningful and purposeful manner.

I have been developing my online course for the final project. I am changing the formats of many of my activities. Originally there were too many 'technology-based' activities which overwhelmed the students. I will be cutting back on technology and focusing more on organization and ease of use.

Weekly Reflection - Module 5

My Taxonomy Table

This week focused on organizing my thoughts for the final project. My online course is a course for teachers and staff that could be adapted for any high school student. I am focusing on Web 2.0 tools that can be used in the classroom. I am also highlighting some web tools that are for personal productivity. I am planning on presenting the course content with various Web 2.0 tools. This would be a hands-on introduction to the tool itself. I will be starting the class with Moodle, followed by del.icio.us (tagging, networks, clouds) then flickr (focusing on photos used for classroom use) and creative commons. Next, we will use and discuss blogger.com, Rss feeds and making your own avatar. PBWiki will follow with Google Apps ending the course (docs, igoogle). I have almost completed the learning objectives and their ranking in Bloom's Taxonomy. No decision has been made as per the final format.

I reviewed the plagiarism software, turnitin.com. Just a few months ago, I thought that Turnitin.com might lose a lawsuit that would put them out of business. They were sued for copyright..by students who had submitted papers to the database. These students said that Turnitin. com did not have the right to keep these papers in their database. The students lost and we will all keep our subscriptions to this anti-plagiarism software. We do not have a big user group for the program but those teachers who do use it, are faithful users.

My favorite use for turnitin.com is when students themselves submit their papers in rough draft form. They will receive their papers back from turnitin, which will give them an opportunity to correct any types of plagiarism. It gives the teacher an opportunity to demonstrate, first hand, how plagairism is detected, which then can lead to further discussion on plagiarism itself.

The discussion and Bloom's Taxonomy Table created for the Carey article was rich with ideas. I found the lessons to be very adaptable. This is always to the benefit of the learner. There were so many useful and creative ideas posted on our discussion board. I was excited to see the new Snagfish program. This could open up a whole new arena for the classroom teacher and video.

Weekly Reflection Module 4

Our readings for the week focused on assessment tools that we have reviewed thus far in the course. In Furger's article, Assessment for Understanding, performance assessments were studied and their place in the world of student learning was documented. Due to the increase of available testing tools along with the increase in the amount of time that we spend testing, there has been considerable debate over the validity of these performance tests. I agree with Furger's conclusions about "time well spent" and "assessment versus accountability." Well designed, high quality assessments are worth the time and effort. It can be said that students are learning during the testing just as they are learning during a teacher during the course of a unit of study. Students, teachers, administrators and legislators are all responsible for the education of our students. Performance tests are an excellent means of accountability to the public. It can be argued that teachers will teach to the tests. I believe that this is not always a negative. Teachers who teach to test content are guaranteed to cover the learning goals and objectives of their local or state educational agencies.

In the Australian Quick Guide Series, a concise summary or toolbox of assessment tools were reviewed. An important point mentioned in the article was the pedogogical twists and turns an online instructor can take in the process of designing assessments, which would then lead to the same twists and turns in designing teaching strategies. As online tools become more accessible and sophisticated, we are fortunate to have a toolbox that is diverse and flexible. We have the capabilities of meeting the needs of diverse learners from across the nation, all in one learning community.

As teams of 4 or 5 members, we have jigsawed our way to a final midterm project. Using the tools that we have reviewed in this course, we have collaborated on a 'Toolbox" that contains the personal reviews of an online tool that can be used in online course assessment. Our team communicated via the Desire2Learn discussion board, an online wiki and email. We agreed on topics, formats, and deadlines within 24 hours of receiving the project. This group project is a wonderful way to gain another viewpoints other than my own on similar topics. Our team worked well together even though we have very different in backgrounds and educations. I know that my very talented team could not prepare as much as they would have liked for the project due to the time constraint. The online forum did limit us on time. An example would be when we tried to get consensus on a format for the final project. It takes at least 24 hours to get a response to all members, due to work and lifestyles.

I liked the preparation and work that went into this project. The tools we used are all valuable teaching and learning tools for an online course. Many of these tools could also be used with great success in the blended learning environment.

Module 3 - Weekly Reflection- Assessment

Module 3 – Weekly Reflection

This week’s focus on assessment of student learning in the online classroom was consolidated into three stages of the learning cycle. (Wiggins & McTighe, 2000) It was valuable to review the importance of essential questions as a framework for learning outcomes. Not only do we as online instructors / course designers need to focus on essential questions in the teaching process but our students need to focus on the essential questions that should be raised in developing the constructs of their own learning . The answer is the question. I hope to spend more time with teachers and students reviewing the necessity for essential questions in any teaching/learning activity. I will also investigate the possibility of a workshop for teachers during staff development days on developing essential questions in the curriculum. I wonder if any of our classmates has conducted or attended such a workshop in their districts?

The assessment learning cycle http://web.uconn.edu/assesment/cycle.htm was a very clear and useful tool in understanding Stage 2 – What is evidence of understanding? This flowchart substantiates the fact that assessment must be an active, continuous process rather than a final point in the learning process. Curricula, teaching strategies, assessment tools and more must be reevaluated and redesigned to meet the needs of continuous needs of students.

Choosing assessment tools to match learning objectives and expected outcomes is extremely important. As we continue to review these tools throughout the course we will have a rich repository of resources at our disposal. I also believe in the importance of a diverse arsenal of tools that will meet the diverse learning styles of a student population.

The 30 emerging technologies from Bonk’s article in Module 3 were examples of existing tools that have been implemented in online teaching and learning up to date. Although the article focused on higher education tools, many of these tools can be used successfully in the K-12 environment.

Concept maps as a final tool to connect learning objectives to assessment was a little ambiguous. The article provided did not lend itself to a clear explanation of its use in the educational environment. The activity and the sharing of concept maps were extremely helpful in understanding the wide range of opportunities for mapping. There are many software programs available that specialize in concept maps. Inspiration and Kidspiration are two tools that are frequently used.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Cooperative Learning

The focus of the Wang & Fang (2005) study that addressed the benefits of cooperative learning (small groups working together toward the same learning goals) in weblog networks, was twofold: a. “to discover what the ways cooperative learning may be integrated with computer(s) for instruction, and b. to ascertain the benefits of the cooperative learning in a computer-mediated learning environment.”

The Wang & Fang study focuses on a World Language classroom environment, however the results of the study and the implications for pedagogical change in the teaching and learning environment crosses all curricular domains. It is important to note that over 2/3 of the responding participants were very happy with their asynchronous (blogging) experience. This overwhelming response is important data in making a decision to use blogging or not, especially in my K-12 environment. However, it was also noted that the participants felt that a face-to-face leaning experience would supplement the asynchronous tool activity. This blended structure would be conducive to any K-12 classroom. To have an increase in motivation by using this cheap, fast and easy piece of social software is extremely beneficial.

According to the study, learning outcomes or objectives were positively supported in the areas of autonomy, cooperative learning, and time management. When referring to autonomy, the research referenced “self-confident learners” who take responsibility for their own learning. I do question how the result might differ in a younger population such as my K-12 learning environment.

In cooperative learning situations where groups of students are working together to accomplish shared objectives or goals, the study supported an increase in positive interdependence where each student was a contributing member of the group. Students also supported the increase in individual accountability while finding a way to work cohesively within the group environment. This interaction would naturally increase the student’s social skills and their ability to work with diversity. This is an important goal in all K-12 classrooms as well as in college and in the workplace. In high schools, hese work skills have been more prevalent in the technology/career based courses. Currently there has been an emphasis to integrate these skills into all curricular areas which is the basis for cooperative learning and constructivist learning theory.

I can see time management as a struggle for many students however the instructor at the K-12 level would need to set clearly defined goals and deadlines for the students. Perhaps, a specific number of postings would be required within a certain time frame. Of course this bring up the difficulty in assessing the quality of postings and replies to other students.

In conclusion, I can see blogs being used in my teaching and learning environment with very specific guidelines, policies and procedures put into place. This tool is prevalent in all students online lives and it is a natural way to motivate and engage students in an enriching activity.

Interview with Bonnie Bjorkman

Bonnie Bjorkman is the District Media Director and the Department Chair for the Applied Arts Department at a high school. The K-12 school district in which she works is located approximately 35 miles, northwest of Chicago. She is currently working toward an eLearning certificate. She hopes to someday design and develop online courses at the high school level. She enjoys biking, tennis, antiquing, gardening, and reading. She lives with her husband in Crystal Lake, IL. They have three grown sons.

Weekly Reflection - Assessment in eLearning - Module 2

Module 2 Reflection/ weekly journal entry
The element of communication is paramount when designing the course structure and the course activities in the online environment. Actually, communication is equally important in a face to face learning situation but the communication tools may differ. When referring to blogs, I see a tool that can be used successfully in both learning environments.
In just a few weeks I plan to orient a summer class comprised of fellow colleagues on the basic design and implementation of a blog. Therefore, as I have been reading through the assigned articles and participating in the weeks activities, I have been making mental notes on how I should approach the topics of blogs, Web 2.0 and Pedagogy 2.0, to this group of K-12 teachers. Emphasis should be made on the element of interactivity among blogging participants. Because a blog is posted on the Web, does NOT mean that “they will come.” We are creating an artificial “social” environment on the Web when we post a blog. Therefore we must structure activities that lend themselves to the interactivity of the blog as well as provide guidelines for participant accountability.
Other significant activities in blog participation are student / participant reading and writing. Obviously, posts on a blog are measureable, however there are many students who are not extremely prolific, yet they are able to gain knowledge and insight from reviewing the posts of their peers. On a personal note, I spend a significant amount of my time reviewing the discussions and posts of my fellow classmates. In a face to face learning environment where a blog might be just one of many course activities, students are often given the luxury of choosing the breadth and depth of their blogging engagement. In a unit of study or project, high school students usually have many more opportunities for grade advancement (alternate assignments, extra credit, etc) than college students when it comes to flexibility in choosing tools for assessment.
I see teachers using blogs in their instructional toolboxes, but I also take heed in the warnings mentioned in Lee and Allen’s article “Edublogs as an Online Assessment Tool.” Teachers must follow the necessary assessment ‘protocols’ mentioned in this article when using blogs as an assessment tool. The link between assessment and objectives is crucial. My current focus is on the K-12 environment, where this connection must be clearly outlined in order to produce the desired results.

Introduction

Although this is not my first attempt at creating a blog, this will be the first time that I dedicate the necessary time to make this blog a successful learning activity. I will also be designing a blog for a class that I am teaching this summer for the district teaching staff. From my personal experiences I will now know to encourage course participants to maintain an acceptable level of interaction with their fellow bloggers.