LTTO Session #9: Summary

Jill Miels began the session by describing her work on the ATE Technology and the Future of Teacher Education Standing Committee. She shared a grid listing the NETS for Students, NETS for Teachers, 21st Century Skills, and TPaCK (Technology, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) Skills. Jill distributed two teaching/learning scenarios about what learning could look like with extensive use of technology. The group discussed the interface between the grid and the scenarios.

Next, Jill showed a graphic of a networked teacher and a traditional teacher and talked about the differences.

Finally, a School 2.0 Learning Ecosystem graphic was shown and discussion ensued about how we prepare teachers for the schools of the 21st Century.

You may access a podcast of the session here. You will see that I need much more practice making podcasts!

Session #9: Preparing 21st Century Teachers for 21st Century Classrooms: The Challenges for Teacher Educators

In session #9, our Featured Faculty member, Jill Miels, will start out with a short vocabulary review of Web 2.0, Education 2.0, 21st Century Classrooms and 21st Century Learning Skills. These four concepts will frame the rest of the discussion related to the implications of technological changes for teacher education programs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to examine a scenario of what one of these classrooms might look like and what types of skills will be required of the teachers.

Please join us for the next LTTO session on November 19th at 10:00 in TC 217.

LTTO Session #8 Summary

Diane Bottomley began the session by demonstrating how she uses rGrade to manage assessment in her online courses. She showed the group how she accesses assignments students have submitted to the Blackboard digital dropbox within rGrade. Discussion ensued about the advantages and disadvantages of the Web Gradebook, rGrade, and the Blackboard gradebook.

Next, Diane discussed ways we could use rGrade data to evaluate our program in the future. rGrade has great potential for data manipulation and analysis.

Finally, the group had an extensive discussion about students' submission of the same project/assignment in several different courses. It was decided that the Elementary Education faculty should draft a statement to put in our syllabi stating that all work submitted for the course must be original and not previously submitted in another course. Additionally, faculty should configure their assignments with specific criteria to limit students from being able to use them in multiple courses.

Session #8: Evaluation

In session #8, the Featured Faculty member, Diane Bottomley, will facilitate a discussion on issues pertaining to evaluation. Specifically, issues related to student learning, tracking student projects so they are not used for more than one class, and program evaluation will be discussed.

Join us for the next LTTO session on October 22nd at 9:00 in TC 217.

LTTO Session #7 Summary

In our first session of the year, the group discussed the procedures for developing online courses and revisions in the Learning Objects Sharing Program. A flowchart of procedures and the revised Learning Objects Sharing document will soon be available on the Department of Elementary Education web site. There are two pending cases of learning objects sharing in the department. There have been delays in the payment of stipends due to some copyright issues, but Extended Education is working to resolve this soon.

Next, electronic submission of student evaluations of online courses was discussed. Some faculty members are getting lower student response rates than they have received for face-to-face courses. In addition, faculty members cannot see if it is obvious that a student reversed the ratings on a course evaluation, because the individual evaluations are not sent by Jim Jones. Susan will discuss this with Jim Stroud as well as see if Extended Education can help in any way.

Harold Roberts is working on a summary page that will describe each of our online courses. He will use Jim Flowers' web site as a model and link it to the department's web site.

Dean Weaver is interested in starting a Teachers College initiative that would give instructors a forum for sharing what they are doing in their online courses. Ideas were generated that Karen Ford will collate and send to the Dean.

Finally, the group decided that the topic for the next LTTO session will be evaluation, including program evaluation and evaluation of student learning.

Join us for the next LTTO session on October 22nd at 9:00 in TC 217.

Session #7: Learning Objects Sharing Program

Join us for LTTO Session #7. Susan Tancock will be leading a discussion on the department's Learning Objects Sharing Program for online courses. If you have already developed an online course or you plan to do so in the future, this program will be important to you. Susan will bring copies of the guidelines to the session.

LTTO #7 will be from 2:00-3:00 in TC 217 on September 22nd. We hope you can participate in the discussion!

LTTO Session #6: Summary

Our Featured Faculty Member was Eva Zygmunt-Fillwalk. She began the session by sharing how her practicum students are using the Carnegie Gallery of Teaching & Learning to post their work with students at Burris. She discussed how to use the site and the advantages it offers for students.

Next, the other participants shared several online and print resources they use to develop curricula in their online courses. These sites are available in the handout. If you have a helpful teaching resource, please post it as a comment.

LTTO Session #6: Resources for Teaching Online

Join us for LTTO Session #6. Our Featured Faculty Member will be Eva Zygmunt-Fillwalk, who will be leading a discussion on good resources for developing online courses and preparing lessons. Eva will want you to share your favorite resources for online teaching. Please come to the session with some resources to share. If you would like to make them available to others, e-mail them to Susan so she can compile a handout.

LTTO #6 will be from 12:00-1:00 in TC 217 on April 15th. We hope you can join us!

LTTO Session #5 Summary

Our Featured Faculty Member was Pat Clark. She began the session by sharing ideas for designing online courses from Pink Flamingo's Resource List.

Next, Pat discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using modules to organize online courses. She shared the 5X5 Rule for determining the number of modules and the number of topics that might be included in a course, with a caveat that this would be a LOT of topics to cover in one course. She also shared the importance of including video in her modules and gave the example of the short film, A Girl Like Me that she includes in her diversity course.

Finally, Pat showed how one of her courses was organized and asked other participants to do the same.

LTTO Session #5: Online Course Organization

Join us for LTTO Session #5. Our Featured Faculty Member will be Pat Clark, who will be discussing online course organization. Pat has asked that you bring an example of how you organize your online course(s)

LTTO #5 will be from 2:00-3:00 in TC 217 on March 21st. We hope you can join us!

LTTO Session #4 Summary

Our featured faculty member was Laurie Mullen. Laurie began her presentation with definitions of three types of field experiences: virtual, designed, and real. She discussed the use of Second Life as an experience in which students can feel embodied and represent themselves in various ways to others in the virtual environment.

Next, Laurie showed us how to move an avatar through some of the islands in Second Life. She emphasized that teacher educators might want to move beyond using new technologies as consumers and move into using them to produce or offer virtual field experiences.

Finally, Laurie referred to several helpful resources such as the ISTE Second Life site, the Horizon Report, and the work of Sarah Robbins, a Ball State instructor.

LTTO Session #4: Using Second Life in Education Courses

Join us for LTTO Session #4. Our Featured Faculty Member will be Laurie Mullen, who will be discussing using Second Life in education courses.

LTTO #4 will be from 12:45-1:45 in TC 217 on February 29th. We hope you can join us!

LTTO Session #3 Summary

Our featured faculty member was Melinda Schoenfeldt. Melinda began her presentation with an overview of the research regarding online collaboration, student perceptions, and techniques and strategies for creating an online community of learners. She summarized that online collaboration involves a social presence where people connect on a personal level, a cognitive presence where they connect with content and construct personal meaning, and a teaching presence where someone may structure and lead the educational process.

Next, Melinda talked about features of small-group work that foster collaboration including: communicating frequently with the members of the group, making as much interaction public as possible, creating a space for non-classroom-related interaction, understanding the limitations and strengths of the technology you are using, and asking questions often.

Finally, Melinda discussed future ideas for fostering collaboration including adding role-playing opportunities and using online games.

LTTO Session #3: Using Small Groups in Online Courses: The Importance of Community

Join us for LTTO Session #3. Our Featured Faculty Member will be Melinda Schoenfeldt, who will be discussing using small groups to create a sense of community in online courses.

LTTO #3 will be from 2:00-3:00 in TC 217 on January 25th. We hope you can join us!

LTTO Session #2 Summary

Our featured faculty member was Mike Putman. Mike began his presentation with an introductory podcast. He then reviewed video lectures including how to make them and what the research says about including them in courses. Next, he reviewed podcasts, their history, and the technology needed to produce them. He also offered guidelines for producing podcasts. Finally, Mike discussed the educational value of new technologies.

Following Mike's presentation, Susan gave a short overview of wikis and blogs and how they could be used in online courses. Please download the handout, "New Technologies Resources" in the Handouts frame for some helpful web links.