Fifth Week

Strategies for Student Success
This week we discussed key elements instructors need to include in an online course's orientation and at the beginning of the course to help the students be successful. The instructor needs to set all the groundwork in place. Students must understand what is expected of them very clearly, and if they don't, they need to ask questions.

Procedures and policies need to be reviewed, and students need to be familiarized with the vocabulary and lingo of this learning environment. During the orientation process, students should be given a syllabus, and they should review it and make any inquiries at that time. The communication piece is crucial during the initial stages because if the student feels unconnected like they have no social presence anxiety will set in and they will give up.

The student needs to be a self motivated and determined learner. I don't feel this environment is conducive to all learners, but one way an instructor can assist a non-motivated learner is by setting up a calendar so the student can monitor their progress. The learner must also be organized, and they should be methodical and map out a course of action. This can be done by chunking assignments so they are not looking at the course as a whole.

For students with low level computer skills, there must be a training session at the beginning, and there needs to be technology support. We learned earlier the more we become familiar with our environment the more we will participate which will increase our social presence. This is important because it keeps the student from feeling lost and alone. Instructors can improve this feeling of uneasiness by providing the student with feedback and a relatively quick turnaround time.

Another thing that is crucial to the success of a student is addressing technology issues. These should be addressed in the course description before a student even signs up. They should include all aspects of the students technology needs. Including the software requirements needed, the hardware needed, and any settings they may need to change.


Don Bates

Fourth Week

Participation in Discussions
We discussed how to improve student participation in both synchronous and asynchronous online learning environments. The number one factor that influences most students is their grade. Many stated that making it a requirement to participate was the easiest way to encourage participation, but the grade would have to be significant enough to ensure participation. I think providing positive feedback will increase student participation regardless of the learning environment. One method for increasing participation in the synchronous environment would be to turn on a "Raise Hand" action key. This would give the instructor more control over the conversation, and students would be more apt to respond if they didn't feel like they were on a game show.

Instructors must also develop a clear criteria, and they must explain the requirements to students. Planning is another factor that can determine the level of participation. The questions need to be well thought in order to develop students higher order thinking skills, and the material needs to be relevant. In the online environment, providing examples will also increase student participation because it gives the students a reference.

Third Week

Moodle
This week I revisited Moodle. It is always an interesting learning experience. I have still not learned how to include mathtype code in the HTML for Moodle. So, I improvised and posted the questions as images. This seemed to work ok, but there was a snag. Some of the respondents got questions wrong because they included a period after their response. Another detail I will have to learn from in Moodle. I still think this system could benefit my students.

Many of the people participating commented on how the visual resources and practice helped them to remember how to do an operation. This I think is the greatest strength in using Moodle or any other course management system. It could be a great resource for reteaching or intevention, and I think it would be a good source for review for an assessment, but I don't think at the high school level it could be used exclusively. Students at this level need feedback and encouragement to complete tasks, and I am not sure this environment would provide those entangibles.

Direct Instruction
During this week, we also discussed direct instruction in general. The main downfall with this instructional method was its rigidness because it limited a students creativity. It is also hard to use this method with complex tasks. The other stumbling block was the pace. With the implementation of one new idea, it would almost be impossible to get through everything. One way of overcoming this that came to mind while completing the Moodle was that lower level content could be delivered from the Moodle, and the more complex concepts could be covered in greater detail in the classroom. This would be an option to make the direct instruction approach work because I do like the use of ability groups.

Don Bates

Second Week

My discussion on social presence went well. The goals were met and I believe everyone learned a little something on the way. We discovered that familiarity and the individuals learning environment play a key role in a student’s ability to develop social presence because students are more comfortable with their surroundings which causes them to participate more frequently. I was quite surprised of the time commitment an online activity takes to complete. The development piece of the activity was really a small part of the whole process. It was the maintenance of the discussion that took the most time. As a class, I would say that everyone also realized how important the instructor was to the productivity of an online assignment. This I think is often overlooked when dealing with an online environment, but it was very evident from the get go that the instructor was the main cog in the development and control of the learning environment.

In our present discussion, we are covering communication, and how it affects learners. As an instructor, we need to familiar with our students learning styles, and we need to address these issues when developing online content. Instructors of online instruction must also remain flexible. Most of the students taking online courses are adults, and they have other happenings in their life that can disrupt the learning process. This is often difficult for some, me included, because they are rigid in their time constraints. We are also learning that when developing online content more is not always better. Sometimes the depth of communication involving a few activities is better than just touching on several menial tasks.

First Week

This week has been a little hectic because I had the first topic of discussion which was social presence. I created my second webquest ever and I think it turned out ok. It was an interesting topic because it is something you have always felt needed addressed. I can see some definite attempts by the university to increase social presence. I have only been taking online courses for two years now, but with the text messaging, "argh" group activities, and increased instructor feedback, there seems to be a feeling of being there. You don't seem as isolated.

We also created some interesting introductions with the use of Google Earth. I liked this idea very much, and it will be one I probably steal for my own students at the high school. Our class seems to be a diverse group after looking at the introductions, and it should provide us with an interesting learning environment.


Don Bates

13th and 14th Week

Website Design

These two weeks have been rather enjoyable and work extensive with the development of our websites. My website (http://www.cantonlocal.org/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=814) is linked through the high school where I teach. I update the weekly indicators every week, and I try to either put a helpful link or a tutorial on for difficult concepts when needed. But, this go around was a little different. Our band was getting ready to go on a Disney trip, and I had some students going on vacation. So, my work was a little more involved. The placing of the Course Management System under the Useful Links in my website was an enormous help. Since, we did this a week or so ago I was able to get the students log on information done before they left. The main benefit I found with the website is the communication piece. Students have no excuse for missing anything, and parental problems are nil. The parent can see what is going on in the classroom on a weekly basis, and it has saved me headaches already when dealing with absenteeism. I am planning to buy my own personal web space this summer, and place all of my classroom contents on the web. I think the most current statistic for internet access is approximately 80%. That means I should only have to deal with 2 out of every ten students when it comes to missing assignments and reteaching. It is going to be a work in progress, but after the foundation is laid, I think it will be worth it. In my classroom, I have already been using a hybrid teaching strategy so the kids know how to navigate and use the features, and most if not all kids have enjoyed the added use of technology in the classroom.

11th and 12th Week

During these two weeks, I developed a five week course on Moodle, and we discussed social networking and Second Life's affects on libraries.

Course Management System
The development of the course in Moodle was a difficult challenge at times, but for the most part, I have always designed my own curriculum and course maps. So, this was nothing new as far as the development procedures, but the process of putting them in Moodle was the challenge. I still have not found an easy method for placing math symbols and equations on Moodle. The words and numbers will show up, but the operators are all missing. I plan to learn this part of the process over the summer. It requires some converting in the HTML editor on Moodle.

The timing of this assignment fits in good with my own classes. We will be going over the principles of quadratics, FOIL, and factoring when we return from spring break, and I also have students going on vacations and a Disney band trip during these lessons. This Moodle course will allow them to not miss any of their lessons or assignments. I helped them create their passwords and usernames before they left, and we went through the elements of the course in case they had any questions. I am anxious to see how they perform in comparison with the rest of the class on the final exam which will cover these concepts.

Social Networking and Second Life
The main tool discussed concerning social networking was LibraryThing. This is like the Facebook social networking site, but this one revolves around books. It’s kind of like a large book club. The readers post their interests and comments on their page to allow others to view them. If the person reviewing has the same interests, then a social connection is developed. Libraries have developed their own pages on LibraryThing, and they provide tags so that viewers can get a quick reference concerning what the resource is about. Patrons can then find other books pertaining to their interests by clicking on the associated tag.

Second Life has been researched as a library resource since 2006. The main stakeholder in the investigation of its applications has been the Alliance Virtual Library. They have been the driving force behind this virtual world's application in the library. Patrons can check out digital copies of a number of books just like the printed copies within the confines of a traditional library. There is also a virtual reference available to patrons which is manned by volunteers throughout the country. With the growth of the virtual environment, it will be interesting to see if man power will keep up with demand.


Don Bates