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Joy LaJeret

Assessment for Learning Video - 7 views

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    I read the assignment about assessment and suddenly thought...this is really crap! I dislike the whole concept of grades. In fact, this video shows that if you really want to assess assessment...what you need to do is teach the most difficult class and find a way to help all students learn it. Learning is a process. I think you cannot learn as much without the help or couching of an instructor or professor. If they show you what concepts they want you to learn...every step along the way, through course design and asking questions to stimulate thought, learners will learn even the most difficult concepts and apply them.. Feedback is essential. Not just feedback; but feedback that helps the learner build on what they already know and move forward. Interactive learning with others continues the process and helps give the learner even more ways to continue the learning process.
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    So, now that you've discovered the big secret about assessment, what do you think of our responsibility as educators to assess our students? Is there a way we can satisfy the requirements of the education system, and also know whether/what our students have learned? And, give the challenges, how do you feel about your role in deciding what is important for students to learn? For example, if you learn none of the objectives stated in this course, but you learn something that transforms your life and makes you a better person, is the course a failure? The student? The teacher? You can spend a lifetime trying to puzzle together how people learn, and how to know they've learned. I think our role, is to find a place where we are comfortable in our ability to identify the subtle cues that signal progress and enlightenment. It's certainly not easy.
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    The part that hit me the most was 'bring the students inside the assessment process." This really makes sense to me...why should what we want them to study and know be a secret for exam questions only.
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    One of the biggest sea-changes I've seen in my own teaching experience at Bellevue College since the 1990's is a greater shift towards student-centered learning. One of the major indicators to me of this change was the "Affirmation of Inclusion" initiative that states as an up front policy that Bellevue College is committed to treat all students with respect and support no matter of their ethnic background, age, disability, gender, etc. This policy is visibly posted in every classroom. The older standard educational model based on what Rick Stiggins calls "producing dependable rank order", ie.. consisting of winners and losers - is giving way to a educational approach with lifetime learning as a foundation. We are all on a continuous learning path during the entire arc of our lives, and can potentially all help each other wherever we are on the curve. Rather than specialized pidgeon holes, we are more aptly described by Buckminster Fuller's book title in the 1960's - I seem to be a verb...
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    I dislike being graded! Yet the grade factor has given me a reason to dig deeply into any studies I take. I wanted to be in charge of my learning and assess myself...unfortunately, I set standards far higher than any instructor would.
Jennifer Dalby

Bellevue College Student Code - 2 views

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    I thought you might like to review this, based on our topic this past week. I don't think this document gets as much attention as it should. I like that this is posted as a "right" - "Students shall be protected from academic evaluation which is arbitrary, prejudiced or capricious, but are responsible for meeting the standards of academic performance established by each of their instructors."
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    I send students to the Omsbud office quite often when they are in a dispute with grading and their instructor...just thought it was worth mentioning.
Mary Ann Simpson

Policy Pointers - 2 views

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    This website is a repository for "policy research from leading think tanks worldwide." There are many articles posted in PDF format for your perusal. I looked at several, among them, one regarding blended (hybrid) learning classes in Colorado Public Schools and another about the impact of digital learning in the US and the world.
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    I read the article on What Determines the Return to Education. This was basically a study about how in 1973 Scotland raised the minimum time to leave school was based on a calendar event - the end of Easter and not just the age of the student. The result was that it added about a year to the student's staying in school and this resulted in more people getting more formal acadmic qualifications and helps them in the job market, but the impact of how much more they learned wasn't measured. A good website for the latest.
Joy LaJeret

From Inside-out to Backward design: An Aid for Deeper Learning - 3 views

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    Another Professor from my Alma Mater, the Unversity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is a professor of Political Science.Taken from his blog the follow excerpt: "He received his Ph.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2003. He currently teaches introductory politics, international politics, and a U.S. Foreign Policy course at Steven's Point through the Collaborative Degree Program. His current research focuses on how the U.S. military has adapted strategies and tactics in stability and reconstruction operations. Contact Eric at: egiordan@uwc.edu" We both are Political Science majors with an interest in Law and Diplomacy and the U.S. Military.
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    I love reading reflections on implementing new strategies in teaching and learning. That's one of the best things about posting your reflections online. You never know when someone will find you and feel connected, or at least less alone!
Jennifer Dalby

Sharing & Privacy: Can We Have Our Cake And Eat It Too? - 5 views

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    "It's often said that services like Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter - you name it - are not the product, you are. Each and every bit of information you share and action you take is used to create a profile of user behavior, which is used then to either advertise directly to you or to people on a whole. But how can we ride the fine line? How can we have great, world-changing services at a price (read: free) everyone can afford without completely selling out the end user?"
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    Quick read. The bottom line one needs to ask, will companies find that balance and then abide it? I am not optomistic that will happen. There seems to be a mentality that it's OK to collect all this personal data. There has been some backlash of late, specifically Google and Facebook appear to be 'trying' to implement some safeguards. It will be interesting to see how things look in 12 months from now.
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    I often wonder how privacy can ever be achieved on the internet. Although there may be more gates, access, and checkpoints added, there will always be a server somewhere that is recording our inputs and gathering data and stored.
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    I think it's going to have to be redefined. But I also think we're in the process of defining new commodities. We need to decide what we value.
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    I think this issue of privacy and use of personal information by online service companies is a very big deal. I'm also beginning to make use of some of these cloud-based applications (especially from Google) as part of my standard approach to teaching hybrid classes. Up until this past year, I've relied on the tried and true Vista/Blackboard to manage student projects and interactions, but I've found it to be sort of a dinosaur compared to the speed and ease of use of other Web2.0 apps. But if I'm working outside of Vista/Blackboard, I need to be especially careful of privacy policies and procedures of the companies behind these online apps. In the 'Sharing and Privacy' article, Mike Melanson makes some interesting points. He says: "...the companies themselves - the Googles and Facebooks and Twitters of the world - realize that correctly handling these issues of privacy are center to their continued success." and... ""All things equal, the company that's going to want to win in the next couple years will have the best privacy model." When I was doing my own investigation into this issue last winter, I asked myself, "What are the most conservative and and security conscious organizations using for social networking tools?" So I went up to the US Army website to find out. Certainly they have a heightened need to be careful what companies they choose for their social networking tools. I posted the results of this online research on my Web2.0 Chronicle blog. The results aren't surprising... Google, Facebook, Twiter, Wordpress, Flickr... among others. I see no need to rush into this area, and am willing to wait until the dust settles and user results come back from dependable sources. Jennifer's recommendation of Diigo is a good example of this. For myself, I've already left a significant "digital footprint" over the past 15 years - which is now out
Jennifer Dalby

Educause ELI Conference - Free streaming sessions - 0 views

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    This is related to some of our inquiry last week about open courses. ELI is an important conference. I hope you get a chance to check out some of the free sessions online. "Educating in the Open: Philosophies, Innovations, and Stories February 14-16, 2011 * Washington, D.C. or Online Free Conference Streaming SessionsJoin us for the ELI 2011 Annual Meeting "Educating in the Open: Philosophies, Innovations, and Stories," where we as a community will explore the theme of openness in Washington, D.C., February 14-16. If you can't attend in person, participate online. We'll explore the many meanings of "openness": open textbooks, open curriculum, open research, and open resources, as well as openness to new ideas. Today's technologies have transformed the way we interact and engage with the world around us. New devices, services, and effective practices have increased access to information while new policies and philosophies that explore openness have accelerated that change. The growth of social networks and virtual communities has transformed the learning environment into an interactive place to share and build content and community using collaborative systems. * What are the opportunities and the challenges associated with educating in the open? * How might our learners benefit from becoming producers and consumers in this environment? * How can we, as a community of teaching and learning professionals, collaborate more openly? * What evidence do we have that the trend toward openness is having the impact we hope for? Through a highly interactive and engaging program, we'll also examine the value of cross-campus collaboration in the creation of new learning environments and explore strategies to develop campus environments built on engagement, collaboration, authenticity, and co-creation."
ann stephens

What makes a Quality Course from a Student Perspective - 3 views

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    The author of this study is Penny Ralstom-Berg, a Senior Instruction Designer at University of Wisconsin, where a survey of what makes a good course from a student perspective was conducted. The summary of the study starts on slide 20. The top 10 desires is consistent with what we've been focusing on in this class, however the bottom top is somewhat at odds and seems, to be, counter-intuitive to what I would have expected. Top 10: Assessments are appropriately timed, varied and appropriate; Instructions on how to access resources are sufficient and easy to understand; Course components are web-based or easily downloaded for use offline; Requirements for interaction are clearly explained; Opportunity to speak with instructor, classmates through email, bulletin boards, any time / any place; Technologies required are readily available - provided or easily downloaded; Clear instructions tell me how to get started and to find course components; Criteria for how I will be evaluated is descriptive and specific; Navigation is logical, consistent, and efficient; The grading policy is clearly stated Bottom 10: I find course-related content and share it with the instructor and classmates; I use wikis, shared documents, or other online collaborative tools to complete group work; I am asked to introduce myself to the class; I coach other students and help answer their questions; Opportunity to speak with my instructor and classmates through… same time, same place technology; Instructor does not participate in class discussions Course contains interactive games or simulations; I author / create course-related content and share it with instructor and classmates; I work in groups with other students; Course contains audio and video content
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    I'm surprised to read "working in groups" and "being asked to introduce myself" are in the bottom. Seems like the Top 10 are all about quick access to information/clear guidelines. Some of the Bottom 10 require more reflection and time on task. This is disappointing to me but a revelation.
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    Your characterization is right-on. I was thinking that perhaps this reflects how maybe college students are - which is to get through the courses to get a degree and not always on the what they can learn component. What I personally find more challenging on internet courses is finding who I really resonate with. There is a delay in the dialog and reading something is different than inflection.
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    Reading through these student recommendations was very helpful, and as you say - they complement the material presented in the Boettcher textbook very well. I was somewhat confused by Penny Ralton-Berg's differentiation between the Top 10 and Bottom 10 items. My impression is that there is a low student positive response for their contributing course materials for a class site.(??)
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    I am not certain I grasp the meaning of that slide presentation. Some of it I get and agree with.
Mary Ann Simpson

virtual Salt - 3 views

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    This well written article gives pointers to teachers on how to discourage plagiarism in their classes as well as how to teach students about plagiarism in a positive light before it occurs. Very helpful!
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    Thanks for sharing that info Mary Ann.
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    I think this Virtual Salt article does a good job outlining the reasons why students plagiarize. While poor time management and procrastination are major factors, I also think that students are afraid of looking stupid by using their own writing styles - especially with international students. My policy regarding plagiarism now is to "fire a shot across the bow - to make sure that a student understands how serious un-cited work or ideas can be. What follows is an example of an evaluation that I wrote for what I consider to be very good student, who should've known better. It was simple to discover the plagiarized material by putting a suspected plagiarized phrase in quotes and pasting into a Google search box. That approach works very well in my experience. *********** Evaluation note to a student who plagiarized content **************** Your assignment was copied and pasted directly from an online essay called "The Impact of the Information Revolution", written by Kerby Anderson at the following URL: a href="http://www.lifeway.com/" This is plagiarism. I can't emphasize how serious this is. Repeat occurrences can get you kicked out of school and can have a long term impact on your academic record. It also represents a careless and irresponsible attitude towards your work at Bellevue College. On a personal level, I'm also surprised and disappointed, since you've been a good student up to this point in the class. Since this is a 100 level communications class, I'm giving you zero points for this project. If it happens again, I'll fail you from this course, and will also notify the office of the Dean of Student Services, to let them know that there were instances of plagiarism on your part. If you feel that this action is unfair or unreasonable, you may contact XXXXX, Chair of the Communications Department at xxxxx@bellevuecollege.edu.
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    I found both comments and the presentation an interesting read. Maybe students plagiarize because of the pressures inside the system of education and in the business world. I have never felt the need; but I have felt the need to get good grades. I use to spend three days studying before finals and sometimes without sleep (no drugs) and then crash for 24 hours...sleeping. I did more than most students and worked hard to stay on the Dean's list. By the time I entered my doctoral program it was so cocmpetitive, I started rethinking the reason I had for being there. It was not a pleasant expereience. You had to be a 3.65 or higher just to get into the program and then write a reseach paper and defend it before a committee of three to just get in the door.
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