Week 12 - The Recap

Week 1
This is the introduction about me and the course. I list my career goals and the items I would like to research or focus on throughout this semester

Week 2
I took an assessment and learned about my teaching style. I talked about how I would use my teaching style to my advantage and how it would benefit the class.

Week 3
In planning a course, the learning objectives and outcomes are important for the students and the instructors to understand in order to stay on track and provide the necessary assessment and evaluation for the course.

Week 4
In this post, I defined and discussed the purpose of the following: sequence, presentation, discussion, and building a course.

Week 5
I mention the purpose of the syllabus and making seem like legal contract. The syllabus is important for students to understand and is important for the instructor(s) to cover the expectations and objectives of the course with the students.

Week 6
I talked about the use of discussion boards and linked a video showing the intent of this tool. I think the video from YouTube did a great job showing how the discussion board can be used for all parties in the course.

Week 7
I talked the purpose of community in the text and from Pedagogy First. I feel it takes a joint effort to create community using an online platform.

Week 9
In this blog, I talked about meeting and connecting to others via computer-based simulations. I shared my experience and how neat it can be and unreal it can be as well.

Week 10
I talked about the pros and cons of blogging and the creation of Google website page. I like the use of the Google site if it is done correctly and the content organized as well as serves a true purpose.

Week 11
Talks about the the various rules and regulations. This was new to me as far as the various rules in the Internet world. This section opened my eyes to various laws and protection rights and also makes me aware of the what I am doing is legal or not.

Week 11 - Legal Matters

In reading about about accessibility, the TEACH Act, and learning about the legal matters from a speaker in our AHE 602/644 class. I must say these are sensitive issues but important ones for the public to know and be aware of these issues.

• Accessibility - I like how the website explains this subject and not only being limited to those that are handicap/disabilities
• The TEACH Act - the checklist that guides users to comply with rules and regulations of legal property using internet
• Fair use -  the speaker from Dr. Major's course explaining that the use of intellectual property is tricky and you have to treat each case differently.  The guest speaker did a great job of explaining the fair use guidelines and providing concrete examples uses various scenarios and actual legal cases.

The legal aspect is improtant for the public to understand and the guidelines when it comes to intellectual property. The explanations of patents to copyright is valuable in the business world as well as the higher education realm where students/professors must know the boundaries and know how they are protected in this particular arena. 

Week 10 - Writing to Connect

 From the reading and looking at the resources on the Pedagogy First website, I see the purpose of and various ways that blogging is used in and outside the classroom. Blogging is a neat tool and unique how the experts define this tool and its use.

What might be the advantages and disadvantages of using a class blog or student blogs for your class?

Advantages

• Creates a forum where you can comment on a topic and share your opinion on a particular subject.
• An ongoing log for you and the class to refer to time and time again
• It is available and immediate for the class to access and share ideas as well as give each other feedback on a particular subject matter  
• Another outlet of communication and a possible way to create community

 Disadvantages

• Getting everyone on board to participate
• Tracking the use of blogging and how some professors may use it as participation 
• Is there a sense of community actually created through the use of blogging 
• Possible barriers of communication (informal vs formal or required vs resource/outlet of communication)

Google Site or web page make a good welcome for students?

I believe Google Site would serve as a great welcome to students. I would view a well developed web page as a solid foundation/introduction to the course with the syllabus, overview, assignments, and other tools that students could refer to throughout the course like an electronic syllabus especially with a video attached to the site. In a different setting for my RA staff, I used and presented a Google Site for my staff to access, use, and update information throughout the year. I believe explaining the purpose of the site and going through each tool really benefited the staff long-term and this site was a success in my eyes.

Week 9 - A Whole New World

Reading about student activities in the online environment, the participants in the class can connect in a whole new level. I understand the use of computer-based simulations and animations. If done correctly and managed properly, then I feel like this is a great tool for students to interact and help create community while learning. I feel like this is another tool for students to have an outlet and communication in this particular virtual world.

From personal experience, I own a Sony Playstation 3, a video game console, and they have something similar to Second Life. It is a neat way to meet people and network with others. In a classroom setting, it could be used as project and for students to create and learn from each other. I view it as a possible distraction, but I honestly believe if done correctly with parameters then the students have the opportunity to learn and grow by recreating a process or activity. It can be use a participation grading tool for students to interact and complete tasks in the this simulation world.

Week 7 - Community or No Community

From readings and the video, I see that creating community is important for the teacher and the students to feel connected and have the proper resources to navigate through the content with no problems. I look forward to seeing your ideas and concepts as well as receiving feedback from my colleagues on this topic that interest me below.

I do want to take the time to discuss the research and study I am doing for another class. I mentioned earlier in my blog that I would like to create a class on the examining and analyzing data as well as trends regarding the direction of funding and finances for higher education institutions. I would like to recap the history and look the designed formulas that set the budget for colleges and universities. Then take it a step further to look at percent change for the state flagship schools versus the regional colleges. 

I want to look at the trends to see if state governments are taking the right steps and measures by maintaining higher education. Look at allocation of funds and examine to see if that amount is sufficient or are schools forced to moved into a privatization model. 

Week 6 - The Virtual World

On the internet skills test, I scored 92% on the assessment and missed the question about ISP. I should have known this term, since my professor in another course recently asked the class to define the term.

From class last week, I wanted to spend time on the use of discussion board in an online course. This video highlights four points on how students can use the medium of discussion board to create community and engage students in the course. I firmly believe that discussion board are great for the students to share ideas about a topic and more in-depth learning for the students. I have had professors in the past that required discussion board as a separate category as well as participation for the students. On the other hand, I like how the discussion board creates a small sense of community and a more engaging piece where you can see ideas and thoughts in different perspectives.

Week 5 - The Legal Contract

The syllabus is the document students and professors refer to the most throughout the course to make sure the goals and objectives are covered efficiently and effectively. Additionally, the syllabus is the foundation of how the course will go from start to finish and use the document as guide for the course.

• From the text, Ko and Rossen do a great job implying and signaling out how important it is for professors to create a detailed play-by-play syllabus. I did like the use of metaphors that the authors use referring to the syllabus as the "map" and "contract" throughout Chapter 5.
• Explicit and concrete details are important. I am a detail oriented person and would like to see everything in front of me. I understand the big picture individuals but at the same time defining and describing the picture into details are important when designing a syllabus in my opinion.
• I value the checklist for an online syllabus in the textbook that would help guide me the right direction in creating a solid syllabus (Reference page 123 under "The Schedule" section)
• I feel that incorporating an interactive syllabus would be beneficial to the students and give the participants the opportunity to understand the document thoroughly. In designing the class, I would have a welcome/introduction video for the students to use and refer to for further explanation of the syllabus, then move to a discussion chat to answer another questions, make changes to the contract, and clarifying points about the course/syllabus.