Well, my reflection for this week is fairly brief. I spent the majority of the week working on the Instructional Design course to organize the material for the Integrating Technology project.
The group meeting was move to next week, so I should have a better organized project and something worth posting a reflection about.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Project Thoughts
Well, I think I finally have direction for the Integrating Technology Project.
Introduction
This project will be created for the introductory course in the AAS Business program designed for freshmen students at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. The course provides foundational principles in business, including advertising, marketing, law, management, and human resources. And upon completing this course, students will have the ability to describe how these areas efficiently interact with one another in the field of business. Ideally, this course will allow student to gain a complete understanding of basic business principles, and provide students the ability to decide if the field of business is one that they desire to study and be employed.
This course could be dramatically improved by utilizing additional resources to create learning activities that integrate technology and challenge students to think critically. To do so, this course will be set up to go beyond a blended environment to include various web 2.0 tools and create a “blurred learning environment” (Whitehouse, 2009) with eight face-to-face sessions, seven asynchronous sessions, and one synchronous section. Additionally, usage of a typical textbook will be limited and resources available through the Internet will be incorporated to provide opportunities for students to become more aware of available resources in the global environment.
Integrating Technology
Integration of technology will include the use of Twitter, blogs, a course-created wiki, and WebCT.
Students will utilize a weekly “3-2-1” assignment in which students identify three key points, two questions, and one reflection question all pertaining to the weekly topic or the final project. The three key points and two questions will be submitted in a blog, while the reflection will be submitted on Twitter, limiting the student to 140 characters. This limit on the content of the reflection requires students to critically self-assess what they have learned. These activities will serve as a method of formative assessment, allowing the instructor to track student progress and determine what needs to be addressed in subsequent sessions. Additionally, these activities support integration of technology and the acquisition of critical skills for living and working in the 21st century.
The wiki and WebCT components will serve as portals of delivery for both the asynchronous and synchronous portions for this course. The wiki will be developed and managed by the instructor to serve as an organizing center for the final project. This will be a forum for discussion, resource sharing, and access to students’ personalized web pages.
The WebCT component will be utilized throughout the semester to deliver all other elements required in the course, including the syllabus, course schedule, PowerPoints®, links to the Internet, portals for submitting assignments, quizzes, and all other instructional materials related to the course.
Introduction
This project will be created for the introductory course in the AAS Business program designed for freshmen students at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. The course provides foundational principles in business, including advertising, marketing, law, management, and human resources. And upon completing this course, students will have the ability to describe how these areas efficiently interact with one another in the field of business. Ideally, this course will allow student to gain a complete understanding of basic business principles, and provide students the ability to decide if the field of business is one that they desire to study and be employed.
This course could be dramatically improved by utilizing additional resources to create learning activities that integrate technology and challenge students to think critically. To do so, this course will be set up to go beyond a blended environment to include various web 2.0 tools and create a “blurred learning environment” (Whitehouse, 2009) with eight face-to-face sessions, seven asynchronous sessions, and one synchronous section. Additionally, usage of a typical textbook will be limited and resources available through the Internet will be incorporated to provide opportunities for students to become more aware of available resources in the global environment.
Integrating Technology
Integration of technology will include the use of Twitter, blogs, a course-created wiki, and WebCT.
Students will utilize a weekly “3-2-1” assignment in which students identify three key points, two questions, and one reflection question all pertaining to the weekly topic or the final project. The three key points and two questions will be submitted in a blog, while the reflection will be submitted on Twitter, limiting the student to 140 characters. This limit on the content of the reflection requires students to critically self-assess what they have learned. These activities will serve as a method of formative assessment, allowing the instructor to track student progress and determine what needs to be addressed in subsequent sessions. Additionally, these activities support integration of technology and the acquisition of critical skills for living and working in the 21st century.
The wiki and WebCT components will serve as portals of delivery for both the asynchronous and synchronous portions for this course. The wiki will be developed and managed by the instructor to serve as an organizing center for the final project. This will be a forum for discussion, resource sharing, and access to students’ personalized web pages.
The WebCT component will be utilized throughout the semester to deliver all other elements required in the course, including the syllabus, course schedule, PowerPoints®, links to the Internet, portals for submitting assignments, quizzes, and all other instructional materials related to the course.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Reflection of the Project
I’m having a difficult time coming up with a project that I feel will be adequate for this course, while balancing the amount of technology that is appropriate for the content and learner enrolled in the program that I teach.
I’m toying with an idea that will institute technology in multiple phases. Phase one will begin with a blended course that employs live and online (synchronous and asynchronous) formats. The major focus of this phase will be to improve student engagement and increase opportunities to conduct formative assessment activities to improve instructor understanding of student progress and learning of the topic. Two social networking tools will be employed at this stage. Ideally, phase two will employ a wiki will in place of WebCT as a way of delivering the asynchronous portion of the class. While I would love to begin introducing the wiki during phase one of this project, I believe that students will have enough difficulty learning the topic and including the social networking tools. So for phase one of the project, Twitter and blogging will be employed to further develop formative assessment.
Twitter will be utilized each week. Similar to the muddiest point or the one minute paper, students will quickly post thoughts throughout the week following the class. Each post will be required to focus on one of three areas: 1) What was the most interesting topic covered this week?, 2) What do you find to be most confusing?, or 3) What question do you have about this week's topic?
A blog will be utilized every other week during the semester. Beginning week two and continuing until the end of the semester, students will post reflections to the class. Each reflection will require students to focus on their learning.
I’m toying with an idea that will institute technology in multiple phases. Phase one will begin with a blended course that employs live and online (synchronous and asynchronous) formats. The major focus of this phase will be to improve student engagement and increase opportunities to conduct formative assessment activities to improve instructor understanding of student progress and learning of the topic. Two social networking tools will be employed at this stage. Ideally, phase two will employ a wiki will in place of WebCT as a way of delivering the asynchronous portion of the class. While I would love to begin introducing the wiki during phase one of this project, I believe that students will have enough difficulty learning the topic and including the social networking tools. So for phase one of the project, Twitter and blogging will be employed to further develop formative assessment.
Twitter will be utilized each week. Similar to the muddiest point or the one minute paper, students will quickly post thoughts throughout the week following the class. Each post will be required to focus on one of three areas: 1) What was the most interesting topic covered this week?, 2) What do you find to be most confusing?, or 3) What question do you have about this week's topic?
A blog will be utilized every other week during the semester. Beginning week two and continuing until the end of the semester, students will post reflections to the class. Each reflection will require students to focus on their learning.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Social Networking
Well another fun-filled week of Higher Ed Law, Instructional Design, and Integrating Technology homework. I wonder what I would do if I actually had a life outside of WVU? Either way, I think I'm beginning to feel the onset of Senioritis!
So this blog is really about MoTiVaTiOn! I have heard people say that motiviation is really about "how bad you want something." In the past I've had a strong push from external motivators. Those that help you keep your mind on the goal. I guess I really never realized how important it is to have cheerleaders.
I feel like I'm a road team going into a hustle confine. Can I make it out of here with a win, or do I simply try to survive! A win sure would be nice but to be honest, I'm trying to survive this semester!
So for motivators . . . I think I will simply try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel for today.
So this blog is really about MoTiVaTiOn! I have heard people say that motiviation is really about "how bad you want something." In the past I've had a strong push from external motivators. Those that help you keep your mind on the goal. I guess I really never realized how important it is to have cheerleaders.
I feel like I'm a road team going into a hustle confine. Can I make it out of here with a win, or do I simply try to survive! A win sure would be nice but to be honest, I'm trying to survive this semester!
So for motivators . . . I think I will simply try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel for today.
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