ETC647

Common Question I: ONLE Please justify why your unit integrating ONLE, not just distributed learning (DL) or online learning environments (OLE). Be sure to distinguish ONLE from DL and OLE. Provide the examples from your unit to justify your responses.

 One of the classes I teach is Journalism.  This is as class that can only benefit from collaboration.  Using an ONLE for this would be helpful for many reasons, not the least of which is conserving resources (paper, toner, etc.).  By using a wiki, the students can easily contribute to each other's work.  Normally in a writing class, students would create something on paper and interact only with the instructor.  Using ONLE, students can interact and learn from each other.  The unit I am proposing is the first unit students will complete in the class.  

Common Question II: Key Instructional Strategies Please discuss how you integrate the required ONLE instructional strategies (Social network, social tagging, participatory web, UGC, and Community-Community interaction).

Community Community:  Students will create criteria for determining whether a news story is "important".  Students will post this on the Classroom Wiki to have it available for future classes.  It is unclear whether or not future classes could interact back as they may be at a different school by then. UGC:  Students are creating their own definitions of what is newsworthy.  They are generating their own content in this way. Participatory Web:  Students are creating a wiki together.  They will be interacting with each other and the wiki.

Common Question III: Evaluations Discuss how do you know your integrated ONLE instructional strategies effective? Remember assessing content is different from assessing instructional strategies.

I think you can really tell if your strategy is effective by how well the class proceeds.  If the students are constantly lost and haven't been using the tools provided appropriately, then your strategy does not work.  For my particular lesson, I would know that it was effective if the students take part in discussions and successfully complete their assignments.  The bottom line of any strategy should be to facilitate the learning of the content.  So, it stands to reason that if they get the content and complete the project, the strategy has worked.

I like that your rubrics clearly designate which assignment they belong with. They are also very clear on what is expected from the students.

Thank you!

Common Question I: ONLE Please justify why your unit integrating ONLE, not just distributed learning (DL) or online learning environments (OLE). Be sure to distinguish ONLE from DL and OLE. Provide the examples from your unit to justify your responses.

My unit is Online Learning Environment because it but includes many other instructional strategies. One type of ONLE my unit uses is bookmarking on Delicious. Another example, of ONLE in my unit is blogging where the learners are reading and responding to classmates posts.

Common Question II: Key Instructional Strategies Please discuss how you integrate the required ONLE instructional strategies (Social network, social tagging, participatory web, UGC, and Community-Community interaction).

My unit integrates social tagging by using the resource Delicious to find and share resources with classmates. My unit also uses community-community interaction by creating a wiki site and collaborating with a group to create and implement a unit.

Common Question III: Evaluations Discuss how do you know your integrated ONLE instructional strategies effective? Remember assessing content is different from assessing instructional strategies.

I will know if my integrated ONLE instructional strategies are effective by assessing student participation and comments through class discussions and end of course surveys. I will also know if my instructional strategies are effective by the use of blogs. This will allow me to "see" how my students are processing new information.

What other elements of assessment might you include?  Consider aligning the assessment to technology or content specific standards.

How are these objectives aligned to state and technology standards?  Are those listed anywhere on the site?

Wall Wisher is neat!

I might consider adding some more formatting to this page to make it look a bit more official. The stock photos all have watermark logos on them, so I might find some that look more professional.

I like that you chose Google+ for networking instead of Facebook. Did this have anything to do with Google+ ability to separate people into different circles and share information independently, or was it just as a convenience of a Google product?

Aric, both of the reasons you state above and Google+ allows the team colleagues to meet synchronously, 24/7 as well. Good tool for remote users to connect.

Awesome page of resources.  Almost a bit overwhelming.  Definitely useful for students looking for some additional help, and also a great support for constructivist learning.

How can you create a database for these presentations as resources for future use?  Could you create a Delicious tag structure for it?  

You may need to explain to them how to follow someone on Twitter.

Is this where the students can communicate about their diet plans?  What does this wiki page specifically accomplish?  Are there any requirements for students to comment on each other's diet plan choices?

Will these tags be carried over to future classes?  How might you make the tagging structure more specific to your courses (so they don't get lost among other general tags)?

Nice use of Google Docs to streamline the process of assessment.

Content: Students will really enjoy this activity! They will definitely learn the importance of recycling and technology that goes with it.

ONLE Instruction Strategies: There was definitely the instructional strategy of Participatory Web for the students, along with Social Networking. I didn't see any UGC- where the content that the students generate is required readings of the other students. I also didn't see any RSS feeds or tagging.

ONLE Technologies: Definitely great use of ONLE technologies: Google Sites, Google Docs, blogger, Dipity for timelines. They are all used appropriately and effectively (as a collaborative tool).

Consider adding a video or article link for this page.   I think adding some detail to frontload this lesson may help student have some buy-in and sense of direction.  Perhaps a clip (pr trailer) from Fast Food Nation or Supers Size Me?

The audience is high school students, which I have not worked with, but it does seem appropriate. They will be doing a lot of communication and updates through Twitter and Diigo... which seems a bit unnecessary to me since high school students see each other in class and it'd be easier to just have them talk directly. So, is there a point to these tools beyond using the tools for the sake of using the tools? What is the advantage to it?

Good question.  Yes, they will see each other in class but they will not necessarily have the opportunity to or want to talk about the lesson during this time (as we will be working on other assignments).  Twitter is more for class updates which I would normally do and it just gives them the responsibility.  Diigo will be used as the discussion board (just like we are using it now).  Students can instantly ask questions as they come across them versus having to wait until the next day and end up forgetting.

It seems very straight forward and organized, but looks like it will take a lot of additional in-class time to explain, set up, and keep the ball rolling. How will you keep it productive enough that your principal doesn't try to cut your head off for deviating from the curriculum?

This is going to be a year long project spread across the entire curriculum.  The first group will probably take A LOT of hand holding and will take some extra time, but the remaining groups will do most of the work on their own time.  The project does not deviate from the curriculum at all because they are "teaching" the same concepts that I would have been teaching.

Do you think you could provide an article or reading to help support this lesson?  Maybe something discussing the value of food tracking or the risk of "dietary ignorance"?

How are they creating a content page? What will they use? This assignment sound like a wiki :)

My Algebra courses have a pre-exisitng page where they can find assignments, due dates, resources already.  The students will be adding a new page to this website.  I use Google Sites but it would be the same as Wiki.

Could you provide some links or resources for these tools?  Perhaps a tutorial link to adding these features to iGoogle?