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"Reacting to the Past (RTTP) consists of elaborate games, set in the past, in which students are assigned roles informed by classic texts in the history of ideas. Class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work. It seeks to draw students into the past, promote engagement with big ideas, and improve intellectual and academic skills. Reacting to the Past was honored with the 2004 Theodore Hesburgh Award (TIAA-CREF) for outstanding innovation in higher education. "

" also share a lot of your concerns about specifics, but I think I've found a way to work my brain around it. You're absolute right; we've been conditioned to think in terms of exact numbers. We're used to being told our posts should be 200 words with 4 paragraphs and exactly 8 links to external sources, so that's how we've learned to function. I think this class has been great for me to retrain my brain to think creatively rather than within the confines of instructions. For length, I just make sure I answer the question. I ask myself if I feel that my answer is appropriate, or if I should go into more detail. It helps me if I stop focusing on the grade (as hard as that is) and instead focus on the assignment itself. If I can answer the question with detail in two sentences, I feel like two sentences is a perfectly fine entry. Most of the time, my entries are 2-3 paragraphs. I just write down what I'm thinking, rather than trying to filter through "Is this what Dr. Becker wants to see?" I think my work looks a lot better when I'm focused on what I think looks respectable, rather than trying to mold myself to what I think others may expect of me." h/t Jon

Ah, this is so interesting. Over lunch I announced that I love how Twitter is being used in OLE. I can see integrating it in a similar way that OLE is: As a way to announce that assignments (or makes) are complete. Given that 'ah hah' moment with me, and this article, it's pretty clear that there's a lot you can do with it, on many levels. Knowing your audience and making sure it meshes with the parameters and goals of the course are key.

"They were so busy hating Twitter they didn't realize how much they were learning or how much they were thinking critically."

This is actually an interesting historical account of how language evolves in the digital age.

Oh. My. (Palm to face.) A few weeks ago I gave the following in class assignment; take 5 minutes to interview your partner to find out what they did this weekend. Be specific. After the two minutes I said, "Ok - now you have 30-60 seconds to sell us their weekend. Pretend we are an audience of people looking for the perfect weekend. Sell us their weekend." Guess how many weekends were FILLED with 'Netflix and chill". Now guess how many times I nodded in agreement recalling documentary marathon after documentary marathon. One of these things is not like the other!

"In reality, the main value of project-based learning is that it teaches students to ask the right questions. Traditional assignments predefine the information that the students will use. Project-based learning puts students into the position of having to determine what information they need by asking the right questions."

PBL and Online Learning