I joined the learning team titled "Illinois Campus Tour: Seeing the Sights with a Digital Eye."
As the learning team experience consists of three-day programs, there are so many things to talk about.
Rather than posting my story here, I would like to invite you to the learning team's blog site:
http://fsi2009campustour.blogspot.com/
I already posted a couple of stories there, so you can go and read them. Also, the blog has lots of photos taken on campus. If you want to see some cool places on the university's campus, it's recommended.
It's too late today, so I'll post another story about micro-blogging (e.g., Twitter) tomorrow.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Summing it all up
This was a great experience and I hope we can spread the word back at NEIU to our fellow colleagues. Michelle covered some of the same workshops I went to, so check her reviews for some excellent web sites. The ikeepbookmarks website has hundreds of useful sites, mostly free so it should keep us plenty busy mining for some gem sites.
Something else you can check out if you don't already know is that your windows pc has a movie maker already installed so when you ever are ready to take on becoming the next Steven Spielberg you can get your start with this software. It's not too difficult to master and I'll be happy to share what I learned from making a video during this conference. However, I am sure I will focus more on just using ready made learning objects and videos available for free on line in such places as merlot.org.
Something else you can check out if you don't already know is that your windows pc has a movie maker already installed so when you ever are ready to take on becoming the next Steven Spielberg you can get your start with this software. It's not too difficult to master and I'll be happy to share what I learned from making a video during this conference. However, I am sure I will focus more on just using ready made learning objects and videos available for free on line in such places as merlot.org.
Web 2.0, RSS Feeds, and Free Multimedia!
Web 2.0: Facebook, Ning, and Your Learning Management System
What is Web 2.0? It is characterized by “social software.” What is social software? It enhances the creation of learning communities. Learning communities are groups of people that get together to learn something from each other. Learning communities help affective learning.
When considering whether or not to link your content management system to a Web 2.0 program like Facebook or Ning, it is important to find out if your institution has a policy regarding linking offsite, or a privacy statement.
Before introducing a learning community to your students, give them an introductory survey. Have students used the internet before? Do they have an internet connection? Do they have a Facebook account? How experienced are they? Some students are totally ignorant of internet safety and give out sensitive information. Give students some proctoring to prevent that.
One of the newest social software is Ning. Ning is a user-friendly Web 2.0, and can easily be set up as a learning community for your class. Visit http://www.ning.com/.
FREE MULTIMEDIA SOFTWARE
http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/, Account: freemultimedia. Leave password blank and click Login. WOW!
Using RSS to Improve Student Performance
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. This workshop was about how to get students signed up for RSS feeds to receive scholarly information.
There are several ways RSS feeds can be used in your classes. You can ask students to pick an article from the feed for class discussion. Students can also include articles from RSS feeds as a source in a research paper.
There are a few applications that allow students to access these feeds. Start with Google reader: reader.Google.com. You’ll need to open up a free gmail account if you don’t already have one. In a separate page, log in to your institution’s library and go to Databases A-Z. Choose Academic Search Premier, for example. On the upper toolbar choose “Publications.” Once you have located the journal of choice, click on the orange RSS feed icon, which appears to the left of the name of the publication. When you open the icon you will see a URL for the Syndication Feed. Right click and copy the URL. Go back to your Google Reader page. Click on “Add Subscription" and paste the URL inside. Click Add, and the feed will appear on the left and you will see individual articles to the right. Then post the feed in Blackboard by posting the feed URL. They will have to click “Yes” to subscribe. Students will then have to go to Blackboard to access the feed.
Michelle
Wetpaint
Learned about the Wetpaint website building tool this morning. VERY useful tool! You can combine static web pages with collaborative (wiki) pages, discussion forums, video and photo uploading, member (student) profiles and more, all on one site. You can really build a whole course site with this one tool. And, if you are using it for a class, you can register to have the ads removed for free. Worth a look; let me know if you would like an overview. Also, I grabbed the extra handouts for you all.
http://www.wetpaint.com/
http://www.wetpaint.com/
NoteStar
The two consecutive sessions I attended were hands-on-workshops--NoteStar: An Online Approach to Systematic Research.
NoteStar is a free online utility designed to assist both teachers and students in the preparation of research papers. NoteStar can help students conduct collect and organize their notes, and prepare materials for their papers.
During the workshop, what mostly impressed me was several things that instructors can do with NoteStar, including:
- create, assign, and manage students research projects
- track students’ progress
- check their sources for authenticity
- send messages (e.g., assignment, guide, comment, etc.) to students
- teach them how to organize their notes and references
NoteStar is available for free at http://notestar.4teachers.org
In order to use it, you must first register by creating your account.
In my guess, it will take about an hour for first-time users to learn main features of the software. But the only (and main) problem is that instructors have to learn it not only for themselves as teachers but also for students because instructors need to teach how to use NoteStar. Luckily, the website provides a good help page, available at http://notestar.4teachers.org/help.
In my experience, the main functions and user interface of NoteStar are very similar to EndNote, which is most popular among reference management software. Different from EndNote which is more individual research oriented, however, NoteStar is directed toward instructors in classroom environments.
Another feature provided along with NoteStar is ThinkTank (http://thinktank.4teachers.org). ThinkTank is designed to help students develop their research projects. Based on the main subject assigned by the instructor, the students can refine it by choosing from a variety of suggestions on ThinkTank which generates random subtopics and possible research questions. It can help them learn how to refine their research topic and plan before actual research and writing begins.
I tested it for myself by assigning a subject in my teaching area and seeing how the random subtopic generator works. The software produced diverse subtopics and questions. Frankly, some of them were not that much great. Nonetheless, students can learn some basic logic and skills organize their own research questions (because I saw many students often have trouble with creating their research questions).
During the workshop, participants had a 30 mins discussion to share their experience with students writing. We all agreed that wrongful citation and plagiarism bring lots of challenge teachers as well as students. As NoteStar provides a good tracking tool, the software , when used adequately, can help teachers guide valid and ethical ways of knolwedge acquisition and creative writing.
NoteStar is a free online utility designed to assist both teachers and students in the preparation of research papers. NoteStar can help students conduct collect and organize their notes, and prepare materials for their papers.
During the workshop, what mostly impressed me was several things that instructors can do with NoteStar, including:
- create, assign, and manage students research projects
- track students’ progress
- check their sources for authenticity
- send messages (e.g., assignment, guide, comment, etc.) to students
- teach them how to organize their notes and references
NoteStar is available for free at http://notestar.4teachers.org
In order to use it, you must first register by creating your account.
In my guess, it will take about an hour for first-time users to learn main features of the software. But the only (and main) problem is that instructors have to learn it not only for themselves as teachers but also for students because instructors need to teach how to use NoteStar. Luckily, the website provides a good help page, available at http://notestar.4teachers.org/help.
In my experience, the main functions and user interface of NoteStar are very similar to EndNote, which is most popular among reference management software. Different from EndNote which is more individual research oriented, however, NoteStar is directed toward instructors in classroom environments.
Another feature provided along with NoteStar is ThinkTank (http://thinktank.4teachers.org). ThinkTank is designed to help students develop their research projects. Based on the main subject assigned by the instructor, the students can refine it by choosing from a variety of suggestions on ThinkTank which generates random subtopics and possible research questions. It can help them learn how to refine their research topic and plan before actual research and writing begins.
I tested it for myself by assigning a subject in my teaching area and seeing how the random subtopic generator works. The software produced diverse subtopics and questions. Frankly, some of them were not that much great. Nonetheless, students can learn some basic logic and skills organize their own research questions (because I saw many students often have trouble with creating their research questions).
During the workshop, participants had a 30 mins discussion to share their experience with students writing. We all agreed that wrongful citation and plagiarism bring lots of challenge teachers as well as students. As NoteStar provides a good tracking tool, the software , when used adequately, can help teachers guide valid and ethical ways of knolwedge acquisition and creative writing.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Portfolio-Based Assessment
The second presentation that I attended focused on the new format for the entry-level Global Studies (formerly International Studies) students at U of I, and that is portfolio-based assessment.
In deciding whether or not to use portfolio-based assessment, determine the goals, outcomes, and assessment of the portfolio. This department first had students create an e-identity. In this e-profile students talked about themselves, their values, their interests, and made a dream plan for themselves. The next step was to have them create web pages on the culture of their choice. There are several choices on which program to use to do these types of portfolios. Here are a couple:
http://www.taskstream.com/pub/PDF/ToolsBrochure.pdf
U of I is using Mahara for their pilot:
http://mahara.org/
In this pilot program there are three major assignments. First the individual profile, then the midterm project where the skills are combined with organizing information gleened from online, and thirdly, a group project that involves online collaboration. This allows for the skills to be linked with the research. The final group project involves navigating communication among group members. They are able to send links to each other through Mahara.
The presenters described two main groups that students fall into: technophobes and overconfident users. However, the technophobes are a relatively small group, and the overconfidence ended after the first deadline. In order to give students support for the e-portfolio, workshops and office hours were set up. The technology is taught very briefly in lectures discussing what the assignment would be, and then in a series of 10 computer lab workshops.
When working with e-portfolios there are problems with plagiarism, most of which are unintentional. Students need to understand that EVERYTHING taken from online needs to maintain a citation. Students can't just cut and paste. They need to be taught how to cite a reference online.
One of the benefits of online portfolio assessment is that when students ask for letters of recommendation, the professor can use the e-portfolio as a reference. A downside of portfolio assessment is that it is a lot of work. E-portfolios can very easily be turned into a capstone project.
Stay tuned,
Michelle
In deciding whether or not to use portfolio-based assessment, determine the goals, outcomes, and assessment of the portfolio. This department first had students create an e-identity. In this e-profile students talked about themselves, their values, their interests, and made a dream plan for themselves. The next step was to have them create web pages on the culture of their choice. There are several choices on which program to use to do these types of portfolios. Here are a couple:
http://www.taskstream.com/pub/PDF/ToolsBrochure.pdf
U of I is using Mahara for their pilot:
http://mahara.org/
In this pilot program there are three major assignments. First the individual profile, then the midterm project where the skills are combined with organizing information gleened from online, and thirdly, a group project that involves online collaboration. This allows for the skills to be linked with the research. The final group project involves navigating communication among group members. They are able to send links to each other through Mahara.
The presenters described two main groups that students fall into: technophobes and overconfident users. However, the technophobes are a relatively small group, and the overconfidence ended after the first deadline. In order to give students support for the e-portfolio, workshops and office hours were set up. The technology is taught very briefly in lectures discussing what the assignment would be, and then in a series of 10 computer lab workshops.
When working with e-portfolios there are problems with plagiarism, most of which are unintentional. Students need to understand that EVERYTHING taken from online needs to maintain a citation. Students can't just cut and paste. They need to be taught how to cite a reference online.
One of the benefits of online portfolio assessment is that when students ask for letters of recommendation, the professor can use the e-portfolio as a reference. A downside of portfolio assessment is that it is a lot of work. E-portfolios can very easily be turned into a capstone project.
Stay tuned,
Michelle
Learning to Teach Online Steps and Missteps
Wow! What an amazing day. The first presentation I attended was "Learning the Dance of Teaching Online: Steps and Missteps" was an introduction to putting a course online and some of the best practices involved in getting a successful online course off the ground. The number one suggestion is GET SUPPORT. Know where your technology resources are. Start slow and small. You don't have to pull out all of the bells and whistles right away. Ask yourself, what is it like for a student to take an online course? They may be feeling like it's too much technology, so have some routine to it. Keep in mind student needs. Have an orientation. Introduce the technology you're using and the course expectations. Explain how to navigate through the course system. Make sure that students have the right computer connection. They may be distance learning from a library, a public school. If you're using Elluminate, for example, they may get kicked offline.
There are many free tools out there; wikis, blogs, rss feeds, quizzes, etc. Google "online teaching tools." Teach students "netiquette." Let them know what you're expectations are. Seek and tap into resources. Here are some resources for teaching online:
Illinois Online Network (ION)
Offers a series of 8-week courses to assist faculty to learn to teach online:
http://www.ion.illinois.edu/
Elluminate (synchronous online learning tool)
http://www.elluminate.com/
Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm
Journal of Online Learning (this is a free email journal)
http://jolt.merlot.org/
National Education Association - Online Teaching and Learning Resources
http://www2.nea.org/he/abouthe/techip.html
Daily blog highlighting e-learning tools and information
http://janeknight.typepad.com/
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Center for Teaching and Learning Tools for Teachers of Online Courses (This is an excellent site that lists many links to additional online teaching resources)
http://www.ctl.mnscu.edu/iteach/online/ni_itotor.php
The Core Rules of Netiquette (excerpted from Virginia Shea's book Netiquette)
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
There are many free tools out there; wikis, blogs, rss feeds, quizzes, etc. Google "online teaching tools." Teach students "netiquette." Let them know what you're expectations are. Seek and tap into resources. Here are some resources for teaching online:
Illinois Online Network (ION)
Offers a series of 8-week courses to assist faculty to learn to teach online:
http://www.ion.illinois.edu/
Elluminate (synchronous online learning tool)
http://www.elluminate.com/
Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm
Journal of Online Learning (this is a free email journal)
http://jolt.merlot.org/
National Education Association - Online Teaching and Learning Resources
http://www2.nea.org/he/abouthe/techip.html
Daily blog highlighting e-learning tools and information
http://janeknight.typepad.com/
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Center for Teaching and Learning Tools for Teachers of Online Courses (This is an excellent site that lists many links to additional online teaching resources)
http://www.ctl.mnscu.edu/iteach/online/ni_itotor.php
The Core Rules of Netiquette (excerpted from Virginia Shea's book Netiquette)
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
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