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This article deserves attention for opening up a professor's iterative process in figuring out the best structure for her class's online presence. I'm intrigued by the idea of using Facebook instead of or in addition to a professor-run website or Moodle page.

If the point of online discussion boards and collaborative projects is to get students discussing course ideas with each other, does it make sense to move those discussions to the social media venues they're already using?

This is the second of two MOOC-related stories in the Chronicle yesterday. I am "taking" a MOOC at the moment, which is taught by a professor at Duke University. I do get the feeling that he is treating me (and all the students in the MOOC) with respect, but I can imagine a situation in which this may not be the case. The conveners of the meeting that drafted this "Bill of Rights" clearly want to send the message that online educators should have the best interests of their students FIRST and foremost in their minds. I stress FIRST here because the drafters of the document want to avoid having MOOC students become a commodity that can be sold such as with social media participants (e.g., Facebook).

We complain about students' distractability, but what can we do in the classroom to practice holding focus?

Amusing idea for a class activity here - you can use Google Sheets and the website Flippity.com to run a quiz game. I've seen this implemented with PowerPoint decks, but this way looks a lot simpler.

Are you getting enough rest this summer? Are there decisions and worries you can deal with now so they don't wear you out next fall?

"Just to have someone from the university come up and say, 'You belong here' and 'We're so excited to have you here,' " (a first-generation student) says, "that would have changed everything for me."

Some interesting examples here. Perhaps the most important point is that computer use should be purposeful and engaging, not casting about for serendipitous learning.