Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Palloff and Pratt (2007) comment that students who use technology in their personal lives may not be equipped to use it academically.  While teaching computers at the high school freshman level parents would often comment they expected their student to do well in the class because that student spends quite a bit of time on computers. More often I find that student is equipped to use the computer for personal use but in a structured academic environment not nearly as successful. Students have the technological skills to use and learn these tools but many are not able to transfer those skills to an academic purpose. Students need guidance to learn to use those tools in a way that will benefit them academically and in their future career.

Online learning is more accepted than it was even five years ago. The technology tools have been advancing at an exponential rate. I think the real key for an online institution and/or online instructor is to look at any new technology and think about how that can be used in their classroom. Actually this is quite the same thing teachers have been doing since the beginning of organized education. It is about experimentation and trial and error and in the greatest educational tradition, watching what others are doing and copy it if it works.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2007) Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Since our educational system is individualistic in nature it is difficult to grade students collaboratively. George Siemens (Laureate Education, 2008) discussed a three pronged assessment model for a collaborative learning environment. Of the three prongs the one that causes the greatest concern for me is peer assessment, not because I think it is unfair, rather because most students do not know how to assess their peers. Our individualistic educational system does not value peer assessment and as a result our students do not know how to assess their peers. When asked to perform a peer assessment they let their personal feelings about the other student color their assessment or feel they cannot say “anything bad” so give the other person fluff. I do think peer assessment is a valuable part of assessment in a collaborative environment but we need to help our students understand how powerful critique is and how best to complete it.

Networking and collaboration in a learning community is important for the growth of all students. A collaborative environment relies on each person working toward the common goal. The instructor is responsible for facilitating the learning community; students also have the responsibility to make the learning community happen (Palloff & Pratt, 2007).  When someone does not contribute it affects the other students. When students do not contribute, the role of the instructor would depend on the academic level of the students. Younger students will need more contact and guidance from the instructor to get back on track. Older students should be able to contact the group again on their own, however, in some situations the instructor may need to intervene if the disassociation continues over an extended time period.

Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Assessment of Collaborative Learning [Video program]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5260640&Survey=1&47=7338982&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Storyboard

I'm sorry I'm so late getting this posted. The past couple of weeks have been completely overwhelming. I hope to be back full time now. Anyway I am posting my storyboard, it is not finished but at least is a start at this point.

Try this link:             https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3OUHuBqgO2WMWY3NDdjYzUtMGEzNy00MjJkLTk2YTgtYWE0MTg0NWVlZDlk&hl=en_US