Pedagogy

[Beth Davies-Stofka]

We need a spot to discuss the bland but practical matters! Chris mentioned that he used Dvolver Moviemaker in a class, and I have a plan to do so as well. I also want to experiment with Second Life this fall semester (which is rushing up the way the ground rushes up when you fall off a building). Let's talk about the practical issues involved. Here's my first question: how do you present your assignments? Do you include them in the syllabus? What language do you use? Assuming you are using Blackboard, is there anything special you do with the Assignments tool, in particular, in the way you word the assignment and present the URL they are supposed to visit to do their project?

[Kae]

First if you are constantly evolving your assignments like some DIYers - then since the syllabus is the contract, the best idea is to give broad names and the point total in the syllabus

Asignment 1 30 points
Assignment 2 30 points

Project 1 100 points
Project 2 100 points

then some verbiage in the syllabus about when (the date) you will be making the assignments specifics available. I teach marketing - so I never know when something new or interesting that I feel just needs to be included will come along. So I always have my point totals ready but am very open to evolving the assignments and projects. ( If you are someone who likes to have everything worked out before the class begins this suggestion will leave you nervous and anxious!.)

I also like this because I don't like students to work ahead - I'm too much of a constructivist I feel they should all get there at the same time sharing their experiences and learning form one another. Also the projects usually push their comfort zone, so I like to have the time to scaffold the assignments in class.

For me what always works best is options. If something is Web 2.0 and I feel may be challenging to an individual with low tech skills - I assign it as group work or a group project.

Also with technology, not everyone has the same access - so I give options. With dvolver that's not much of a problem but with Second Life and the graphics card required, you would want to find something SL or virtual world related based on your discipline.

As far as the Assignment tool in Blackboard - I think if you believe the project/ assignment is going to involve more that what usually is given out in your assignments - then I would make a seperate Learning Module for that assignment.

In this learning module - you can include the link, a word like file/rtf/filtered webpage with the descripton on how to use the tool, instructions and grading rubric. Other links to websites related to the topic or tool, check and see if YouTube has a video on how to use it or if there are any "quick and dirty" how to use it sites on the Web. I would do this the first time to make sure that the assignment is clearly explained.






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[Chris]

Hello Beth,

Good questions! Below are my responses to your questions. I use this in both F2F and online classes. I’d probably even use it in hybrid classes, but I don’t teach those… yet. :-)

I typically present the new tech in a project form or as extra credit. This could be a group or individual project.

In the Syllabus, I simply call it Project I, II, etc and let them know more information will be coming as the semester progresses. I try to have 4 projects in the Spring and Fall and 2 in the Summer. These projects range from 50 points to 100 points and contribute about 30% of the overall grade. I also use Extra Credit as an enticement to get students to try something new. I will typically have about 100 points of extra Credit each semester. My typical class is based on 1,000 points. (We accountants like big numbers. :-) With each project, I create a project brief that explains the project and lists key points and questions needing answered. I’ve attached a copy of one of my projects to this post.

Another reason I use the Extra Credit is that my college requires that make all assignments optional in their use of new technology. For example, I cannot make entering Second Life mandatory, but I can make it an option. My college administrators and legal counsel are fine as long as I give an alternative to going "in-world." The typical alternative is to find articles on the internet that talk about Second Life and critique / offer solutions to an issue.

I use a combination of assignment and discussion tool. Typically, I require a critique or analysis to be done. This write up is submitted via the assignment tool. I also require that my students post their write up in Discussions. Each student must respond to a minimum of three classmates and the responses must be more than “good job”. I typically require a minimum sentence length (5 sentences or more) for each response.

I also do a separate learning module for each project that includes a podcast from me, web links, the project description and links to the discussion and assignment tools. I have also been known to create “how to” guides to assist my students with logging in, creating a character / account and other things. I primarily target free simulations and games.