Communicating Online Part 1

 

A few weeks ago I watched the PBS program Digital Nation, which highlights some of the ways our world has changed in just the past few years due to the availability of digital communication. The program presented some research that showed students aren't as good at multitasking as they think they are. (What a relief to have my own opinion affirmed.) But what has been on my mind ever since I watched the video is the segment on Second Life. Despite my personal misgivings about our culture's reduced interaction with our environment, I was fascinated by the way IBM was using Second Life to hold meetings. At least in the video's presentation, the meetings seemed quite natural, and I'm ready to try it! (I wonder if I would need a second computer, or at least a second monitor, just so I could access all of my relevant documents without leaving a meeting.)

 

On the other hand, Second Life is so realistic, that some of the benefits of online discussions would fall by the wayside. Students that rarely speak up in class often participate frequently when they have time to compose their responses in an online discussion. And this asynchronous communication means every student doesn't have to be available at the same time. After seeing the potential for reaching students this way I am unwilling to sacrifice it.

 

I guess what appealed to me about Second Life was that the classroom could be intact without students being on campus. Although student mastery of the course material is my number one goal, I view communication among students as an important tool in accomplishing this goal. Although a few students zip through online math homework and prepare themselves for tests, many use the online homework in a superficial manner. It is when they compare their work to other students' work and discuss it that they begin to learn it.

Next: Communicating Online Part 2, technology vs. textbooks.

Scheduling tests for a blended course

This week I submitted a Distance Learning form to accompany the fall 2010 schedule update from the math dept. Despite the fact that I had already worked out a schedule for my course, and thought about what I would write on the form, the detail needed for the form took me about 6 hours to complete.

My understanding is that one of the college's goals in offering blended courses is to create more classroom space. Hence where a twice-per-week class has been offered, we can now offer two once-per-week classes. For this reason I decided to offer two sections of my blended course during the week, even though I really wanted to test just one section before offering another. Then, because my course is just half a semester long, I decided to fill up the remainder of the semester with two blended courses in the same classroom space. This will allow me to adjust the course after my experiences in the first half of the semester.

A major scheduling issue is exams. Because my course is so short, I cannot take any classroom time for midterm exams. I am allowing four days at the Rockville Assessment Center for the exams in order to reduce the pressure on the Assessment Center. Since my courses meet two days apart, that puts two sections of students at the Assessment Center within 6 days. I'd better make sure I turn in the tests with plenty of lead time to the Assessment Center!

There were other scheduling issues pertaining to exams, but they are specific to the short nature of my course. The larger issue is that if the college begins offering a lot of blended courses, the Assessment Center's role will have to be greatly expanded. Without question, this will be a major issue.

Organization and Online Delivery Systems

The latest complication to my planning for classes is the duplication in online delivery systems. I've used MyMC for quite awhile now and it's allowed me to post files and a "daily log" where I briefly summarize the day's activities. The students grow to depend on it, and it keeps me organized. (Since I've been using WebCT, however, I see many features in WebCT that are far superior to MyMC.) This semester I'm teaching a class with MyMathLab (a publisher's site that contains an online homework system), which contains its own organizational system, and duplicates many of the features of MyMC. How do I use both systems together with efficiency?

 

When I offer my blended Trigonometry course, I will be using WebCT along with MathXL. MathXL is the stand-along homework system found in MyMathLab, but it also contains a few of the organizational features of MyMathLab, such as announcements. My responsibility with respect to this duplication issue will be to provide a clear organization that encourages students to see the outline of the course, find their materials easily, and complete their assignments on schedule.

 

It seems obvious to me that WebCT gives the students the outline of the course, so that must be the primary delivery system, but I have to make sure the students realize this. I must make sure that students check WebCT for announcements and due dates, and they must realize the entire course is available to them at any time if they just long on.

 

I cannot force students to log on daily; instead I must make sure that get a benefit from logging on each day. So not only must the online activities be relevant and useful, but the outline and structure on the course site must be immediately apparent when students log on. This is a reminder to me to review the entire site very carefully for this characteristic before the course begins.

 

 

    

Worthwhile Activities; Preparing for Class

Here's my first weekly post to record what I'm doing to prepare for the blended course I'm offering next fall (2010). I have completed two weeks of exercises using the Pearson product MathXL, as well as a few other things. I'm trying to keep in mind that I shouldn't be duplicating my on-campus class, but taking advantage of the students' online access to offer something different. There are two things in particular I'm trying to accomplish:

1. I want the students' message board postings to be worthwhile in terms of mathematics and/or learning, and I want it to contribute to a sense of community. This is especially important because we meet only once a week. I just taught a winter session class and since we met every day for over two hours we really got to know one another. The same thing happens over the summer when I teach classes that meet every day for extended periods--for a few weeks we are a little club with most everyone working very hard.

To address this first issue I've divided the week into two parts, with assignments due during each part. Message board discussions that pertain to assignments can begin AFTER the first assignment is due. That way everyone should have something to say, because they will have (hopefully) completed the assignment. I also plan to begin discussions that aren't so technical so that those who may be struggling with the math can still contribute. For instance, I have written a question for students to address after reading a news article.

2. I want students to prepare for class discussions and test their knowledge before being assessed. When I was in school we were told to read the text before coming to class. Most students never did this, of course, but we all knew that we should. I don't think anyone even tells students to read ahead of time anymore, probably because we know they won't.

To address this second issue I have compiled MathXL exercises that are due before class; these questions address material that is prerequisite to the lesson. I have also written practice quizzes that are to be completed after the week's exercises are turned in.