9.29.2005

ppt

I was never a huge Powerpoint fan. The extension itself *ppt* sounds similar to how I felt about it. Never much enjoyed professors' and colleagues' presentations with Powerpoint. It wasn't all their fault. The classroom designs were bad -- often making the black/whiteboard unavailable when the screen was pulled down. The presenter was faced with the acrobatic act of juggling powerpoint and chalk and papers and everything. And then on top of this, they would often just read their slides. Not good.

I think things are better now. Rarely do I see presenters reading Powerpoint slides. And the pen tool, along with better classroom designs have alleviated much of the juggling act. I am seeing more Powerpoints developed for outline reviews and flashcard type interactions. Works for me.

Except when these same ppts are then slapped online. These files can be huge. The outline format no longer works well as the crucial information and anecdotes that were the driving force behind the slides are now missing. The flashcards might still work, but I am quite certain there are better methods for flashcard delivery via the web. *cough* flash *cough*. Some instructors tell me they want students to print out the slides prior to class for note taking ease. This doesn't work for me. It's the graphic equivalent of making someone download a Photoshop file to see the images on your web page. It's a completely unnecessary step. *pppppt*

My quick solution: For printing, create a pdf file (four slides to a page). For flashcards look into StudyMate ($79-$139). For slide presentations, look into FlashSpring ($149).

9.16.2005

Discuss Discussion

Most instructors understand the need for interaction in learning. They see results in students who are most active in class; they feel results in their own thought provoking research. Interaction in the online arena is largely accommodated by asynchronous discussion boards (DB). There are other methods out there, but DBs are by far the most popular. They are relatively easy to implement and track. And most CMSs offer built in tools.

I have managed some rather successful as well as marginally tolerable DBs in my courses. And I have seen some impressive as well as depressive applications since. Here are some observations:

*Topics/Folders add an essential degree of organization. As moderator, you will need to do some moving posts around to make sure they are in their proper place.
*The instructor as moderator need not provide all the answers. If peers aren't helping each other, ask them to.
*This is a social environment. Loosen up the language style a little. Allow for socialization to occur.
*Encourage student posts by asking them questions, re-directing questions, taking polls, play devil's advocate, praising interesting posts (publicly and privately), and sharing personal anecdotes.
*If you have a dead discussion, jazz it up with photos, a game, extra credit, video, audio, ...

Basically, don't give up on your DB. To take away one of the few means of interaction in an online course will only hurt your learners.

9.15.2005

Dig. Natives

There is much in the literature these days about digitally native students. I started reading Educating the Net Generation edited by Diana Oblinger and James Oblinger. I can only recommend the first few so far, but those first few are well worth the time it took to download.

But with all the discussion on the Net Gen. It seems I still hear from faculty that they fear moving to online environments because the students will not be able to utilize the high tech. It is a serious concern. Many of our students do not own computers and therefore are less likely to be digital natives. However, if we ignore these students lack of digital prowess we continue to do them a larger disservice. As there are reading and writing labs on campus, I would also like to see a digital skill building labs.

Help desks are great, but they do little to educate and build skills and confidence in the student. They solve the problem (hopefully) and the student moves on. Microcomputer classes are super, but only if students take them. I expect basic computer skills are a part of the grade school and high school experiences. If they are not, then plenty of students are being left behind.

9.13.2005

Course Packs (E-packs)

A growing number of textbooks are (optionally) packaged with web-based materials called Course packs or E-packs. Mostly, I am not impressed. However, like most temptations in the world of computer assisted instruction, there are some cool items. I suspect though that these cool items are not used much by students. It's awesome to have a sound assisted glossary (especially for medical terminology courses), but I wonder how often they are used.

Some E-pack notes.

1. Many publishers host some of the e-pack files on their own server. If you don't want that, you will need to talk with your textbook rep. Sometimes they will accommodate this request and give you all the files.

2. Many publishers use e-packs as a means to ensure students are buying new books. They will require students to purchase access codes to view the course materials. Ask your textbook rep. And test your course as a student!

3. You will need to spend time filtering and possibly reorganizing material. Testbanks will contain questions that are poorly worded, or cover materials you find less important. These questions were not necessarily created by teachers.

4. Giving students tons of prefabed materials can have a negative impact on motivation and interest in your course. Keep asking yourself how these materials are increasing interaction, and how they help prepare students for what they will eventually do with these skills and knowledge.

9.09.2005

Welcome

It's early and I just set up a new blog for reasons not completely clear. But I believe communication is crucial and this is a form of communication. I also believe breakfast is a necessary step in the morning. So before I launch into thoughts on instructional design and how-tos for yours and mine, I will eat some toast and cream cheese.