Journal 10

The New Gold Rush: Establishing Effective Online Learning Policies
By Ferdi Serim

According to Ferdi Serim, online learning is the fastest growing segment of educational technology. This type of educational channel has the advantage of delivering student-centered learning anytime and anyplace. Serim’s concern is that this vehicle may encourage the elimination of skilled educators in favor of a more cookie cutter-mass content approach.
One possible solution is in the creation of hybrid courses. These are courses which combine face to face instruction with the online component. This best-of-both-worlds approach, according to Serim, leads to higher completion rates and a higher quality learning outcome than online courses alone.
Professional development is a high priority in making these hybrid courses work. Traditional teachers can become effective at online learning with the right combination of professional development and clinical experience. Qualified online instructors can produce high-quality online learning materials with more specialized instructional design and implementation skills.
Serim argues that this type of instruction works. Students once considered at risk achieved better results when they were in control of the pace and direction of their education.

Question: What would be my biggest challenges in conducting an online course?

Other than mastery over the technology itself I might find it difficult to form a relationship with the students. I would not always know how they were progressing until they actually failed at a task. Creating specialized assessments to monitor the students early and often would be critical.

Question: What is a possible disadvantage to having students in charge of the pace and direction of their learning?

Some students would tend to stay within their comfort zone. They may move more slowly than they could and avoid going in directions where they do not feel confident.

Journal 9 Classroom 2.0

Presentations

This tool deals with multi-media presentations on the Web. They can be part of a website, used as a collaborative tool by students or as a presentation such as powerpoint. I am interested in this technology as a learning and communication tool where there are many applications.
One of the recent posts discussed a new product called Jing. This software allows the user to take whatever image is on their computer and share it with anyone by using a link pasted onto the clipboard. It even allows images to be shared as video.
Another teacher was asking about applications for teaching math. She wanted to create slideshows and movies as expressions of the new material they were learning in class. One of the responses was to use a concept mapping tool called Cmap. Students can not only collaborate with each other, but parents can view what the students are learning.
Someone else was using Voicethread for English language learners with good success. It allows students to speak over images. I think this has some great possibilities. Projects can be created where contemporaries speak over pictures of some time or event to tell their personal history.
One of the last threads I looked at discussed Google’s new presentation tool. This application along with Sliderocket would compete with Powerpoint. Most seemed eager to having an alternative to Powerpoint.

Journal 8

Leveraging the Business Teacher
By Dr. Melissa Bledsoe

In this article the author describes two problems. First, elementary teachers have trouble keeping up with the latest technology. Second, middle and high school business teachers must stay current on technology. A partnership between both of these groups can benefit the entire district and create strong relationships between teachers.
Such collaboration is not without its barriers. According to Bledsoe, overcoming the logistical problems is of primary concern. There is also the issue of timing. Finding a common time for meetings and workshops can be difficult. Making the effort to surmount these obstacles will create a number of benefits for teacher and student.
Bledsoe suggests some examples of collaborative ideas which are not difficult to implement. Her suggestions include a Teacher Exchange Program where teachers will switch classrooms for a day. This plan could be part of a mentoring program where business and elementary teachers are paired together at the start of the year. In addition, other projects such as technology newsletters, field trips, and workshops on software and troubleshooting techniques. For elementary teachers such a partnership can be a perfect solution to a growing problem.

Question: Are business teachers likely to be open to such collaboration?

Some would be open to the idea and eager to help. Others would resist, feeling that the partnership is rather one sided. Business teachers might resent having their time taken up in a partnership where they derive very little benefit.

Question: What might be an alternative solution to helping elementary school teachers with technology issues?

The district could hire a single IT person or team to conduct workshops and training sessions. This person could be available via e-mail or phone for troubleshooting problems. They could also publish a newsletter like the one described above full of information on new technology.

Journal 7

Online Professional
By Jim Vanides

I found this article particularly interesting because I am currently taking on online course for the first time. Jim Vanides describes his first experience in teaching an online class and how it forced him to rethink some teaching methods. His class, The Science of Sound, was offered to elementary school teachers. Like my own class it was asynchronous, but had assignments with deadlines and a definite beginning and end.
WebCT delivered courses have similar content, but are an entirely different experience for both teacher and learner. This caused Vanides to get creative with some of his instructional materials and techniques. The science notebooks he would normally use were redesigned into private discussion topics. Frequent assessment became even more important since the teacher could not see his students face to face to evaluate their progress. Venides came up with three assessment methods to overcome this problem: An open-ended mapping activity to evaluate the student’s connections between ideas, a weekly self-assessment, and the science notebook.
Most interesting was how the teacher’s main responsibility shifted from content delivery to the facilitation of discourse between students. This discourse now improved because of the greater time delay between responses and the need for clear and concise writing. What Venides also learned was that designing a Web based course takes time and the teaching itself takes time. Online teaching requires new skills which can be learned and once learned can make the online experience rewarding for everyone.

Question: What do I like most in an online class?

I like completing tasks on my own schedule. I like not having to go to campus.

Question: What do I like least about an online class?

I do not like discussion boards as a venue for communication. After these conversations I rarely feel that I connected with the other participants. Also, the old truism of out of sight out of mind, can sometimes apply. Sometimes I will go several days without even thinking of the class and then rush to get current.

Journal 6

Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?
By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

The premise of this article is that a teacher’s decision to use or not use technology in the classroom and the manner which it is used has social justice implications. What does the use of classroom technology have to do with social justice? According to the authors, students must become fluent in technology to solve problems and enhance their learning. Students who fail to develop these skills will be at a severe disadvantage when it comes to educational and job opportunities. Swain and Edyburn cite a 1992 Department of Labor study which predicts that eighty-percent of jobs over the next twenty-year period will require technical skills.
Technology use in the classroom does have social justice consequences and teachers must keep this in mind when devising learning activities. The authors believe that the equitable use of technology must include availability, the enhancement of learning opportunities for all students, and it must be a reflection of real-world situations.
The reality that all students do not have equal access to technology must be overcome. The author’s suggest resources such as the Digital Equity Portal and Toolkit, computer refurbishment Web sites, and the use of free or open source software. These tools can help open up opportunities to all students equally.

Question: What is one tool I might use to determine which students have access to technology?

Have each student write and submit which tools are available at home.

Question: What can I do to overcome the problem of equal access?

Search the Web for resources and make these resources available to all students.

Journal 4

“Avoid the Plague: Tips and Tricks for Preventing and Detecting Plagiarism”
By J.V. Bolkan

Some studies have shown that more than half of all undergraduate college students have engaged in plagiarism. Some educators, according to J.V. Bolkan, blame the Internet for this staggering number. It is more precise to say, not that the Internet is to blame, but that the Internet has created new opportunities for plagiarism to flourish. The root causes of plagiarism are multifaceted. In this article, Bolkan concerns himself with solutions.
Bolkan argues a three part strategy of prevention, detection and punishment. The teacher’s policy toward plagiarism and its ethical consequences should be discussed early on. Other successful strategies include developing assignment which will leave as much of the students ‘fingerprint’ as possible. Have the students submit their research in stages. Require at least one recent source. And design a rubric that will prove that the student understands the content of their paper.
Teacher’s can also let the students know that they will Google items to check for plagiarism. It may not be fool proof, but will catch some and deter many more. Teacher’s can also become familiar with a students writing style. If they did not write the paper it will be obvious. As a last resort teacher’s can use commercial anti-plagiarism tools such as Turnitin.
Finally, to have an effective punitive policy is only possible with strong deterrence and detection. The opposite is also true. Punishment must be certain and consistent.

Question: What is a suitable punishment for plagiarism?

As a teacher my policy has been no credit for the assignment and parental communication.

Question: What is the most effective way to detect plagiarism?

By knowing your student. Most teachers know the capabilities and writing style of their students. When in doubt have the student tell you about their paper and how it was created.

Journal 3

“Copyright 101” By Kate A. Thompson

This article discusses the concepts of intellectual property and copyright law. The author, who is an attorney, begins by defining copyright laws as a form of protection for ‘creators of original works and authorship.’ Thompson goes on to state five exclusive rights of the copyright owner including reproduction and public display.
Thompson then gets to the key point for educators: the fair use of copyrighted materials for educational uses. She lists four questions which the courts will consider to determine if a particular use qualifies as fair. First, what is the purpose of the use? Is it for nonprofit purposes? Second, what is the nature of the original work? Is it more fact based or creative? Third, how much of the original work will be used? Fourth, what is the effect of the use on the marketability of the work?

Question: If creative works are used in an educational setting, but for the ultimate purpose of generating sales or goodwill within a for profit situation, is that a violation of copyright law?

I think that technically it may be a violation since the purpose of the use is to gain income for a business.

Question: Can students copy information from government websites without regard for copyright law?

Yes. According to Thompson, works created by the federal government fall within the public domain and can be copied.