Join us in TC 405 at 1:00 on October 19th for this informative session. Please note the change of location.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Session #21: Blackboard Bells & Whistles
Join us in TC 405 at 1:00 on October 19th for this informative session. Please note the change of location.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Session #20: Summary
We began the first session of the 2010-2011 academic year by sharing our successes and struggles in online teaching. Successes included asking better discussion questions, using more multimedia, getting more skilled at troubleshooting, and producing process mini lessons.
Struggles included issues with the Help Desk, using all of the features of Blackboard, long-term impact on teachers' practices, developing a research agenda, creating a sense of community in classes, more dynamic ways for formative assessment, and being a better facilitator.
Next, we discussed possible topics for this year's LTTO sessions. I am working on some exciting ideas and will let you know as soon as I have them planned.
Finally, we looked at a few tools for creating online timelines, including TimeRime, Timeglider, Timetoast, dipity, and preceden. There is also a new tool that allows for real-time collaboration on a document by up to 13 people at the same time, called TypeWith.me.
On September 1, 2010 the Office of Learning Technologies at the Indiana Department of Education introduced the 21st Century Learning Lab, a new communication channel which will be used to explore innovations in educational technology and to showcase the progress that Indiana schools are making in bringing such innovations to the classroom. There will be four main pieces to this project, all revolving around a monthly theme.
1. First will be a monthly podcast (posted on or around the 1st of the month) presented by an employee of the Indiana Department of Education. This will be an opportunity to tell the audience a little about the topic and IDOE’s stance on it. The September podcast will focus on Digital Curriculum and Textbook Alternatives, along with a podcast introducing the 21st Century Learning Lab.
2. Next will be the monthly webinar, which will be a chance for schools to tell other schools about their projects and successes. Each webinar will be moderated by a member of the DOE staff, will include about three school participants, and will always include a 15- minute Question and Answer period.
3. Last, there will be ongoing conversations about the monthly topic. Participants will be able to share their thoughts and questions about the topic in the related Learning Connection community. Also, three members of the Office of Learning Technologies staff – John Keller, Yancy Unger, and Gary Bates –will be blogging about all things ed tech.
October's LTTO session will be on using all the "bells and whistles" in Blackboard. I'll let you know when I have the date and time for the session.
Struggles included issues with the Help Desk, using all of the features of Blackboard, long-term impact on teachers' practices, developing a research agenda, creating a sense of community in classes, more dynamic ways for formative assessment, and being a better facilitator.
Next, we discussed possible topics for this year's LTTO sessions. I am working on some exciting ideas and will let you know as soon as I have them planned.
Finally, we looked at a few tools for creating online timelines, including TimeRime, Timeglider, Timetoast, dipity, and preceden. There is also a new tool that allows for real-time collaboration on a document by up to 13 people at the same time, called TypeWith.me.On September 1, 2010 the Office of Learning Technologies at the Indiana Department of Education introduced the 21st Century Learning Lab, a new communication channel which will be used to explore innovations in educational technology and to showcase the progress that Indiana schools are making in bringing such innovations to the classroom. There will be four main pieces to this project, all revolving around a monthly theme.
1. First will be a monthly podcast (posted on or around the 1st of the month) presented by an employee of the Indiana Department of Education. This will be an opportunity to tell the audience a little about the topic and IDOE’s stance on it. The September podcast will focus on Digital Curriculum and Textbook Alternatives, along with a podcast introducing the 21st Century Learning Lab.
2. Next will be the monthly webinar, which will be a chance for schools to tell other schools about their projects and successes. Each webinar will be moderated by a member of the DOE staff, will include about three school participants, and will always include a 15- minute Question and Answer period.
3. Last, there will be ongoing conversations about the monthly topic. Participants will be able to share their thoughts and questions about the topic in the related Learning Connection community. Also, three members of the Office of Learning Technologies staff – John Keller, Yancy Unger, and Gary Bates –will be blogging about all things ed tech.
October's LTTO session will be on using all the "bells and whistles" in Blackboard. I'll let you know when I have the date and time for the session.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Session # 20: Open Discussion on Online Teaching
Our first Learning to Teach Online session for the year will be an open discussion. Please come to the session prepared to share one of your online teaching successes and one of your online teaching struggles. We will celebrate your successes and help you brainstorm solutions for your struggles. We will also brainstorm topics you would like to see addressed in future LTTO sessions.
The LTTO session will be on September 16th at 12:00 in TC 217. Because pizza will be provided, please let me know if you plan to attend. BYOD (Bring your own drink.)
***I will be starting a discussion group for the book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind. Tom has agreed to purchase a copy for everyone who wants to participate in the book group. Please let me know if you would like a copy. I also need to know if you want a paper copy or the ebook version of the text.
***I will be starting a discussion group for the book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind. Tom has agreed to purchase a copy for everyone who wants to participate in the book group. Please let me know if you would like a copy. I also need to know if you want a paper copy or the ebook version of the text.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Session #20: Interactive Whiteboards
Jerry Case will be our presenter for Session #20. He will give a "product tour" of the SMART Board. After the session, we will gather information about additional SMART Board training you would like to have.
There will be two identical sessions: April 12th from 2:00-3:00 and April 13th from 11:00-12:00. Please choose the one that fits into your schedule best. Both sessions will be in TC 406.
I hope you can attend!
There will be two identical sessions: April 12th from 2:00-3:00 and April 13th from 11:00-12:00. Please choose the one that fits into your schedule best. Both sessions will be in TC 406.
I hope you can attend!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Session #19: Summary
Our speakers for Session #19 were Pat Clark and Eva Zygmunt-Fillwalk. They began by giving a brief history of how they became involved in the Teaching Diverse Students Initiative, which is an extension of the Teaching Tolerance Project. You can register for a free subscription to Teaching Tolerance or the eNews from this page.
Next, they gave an overview of the site, starting with the Tools section. The tools section is very deep and can lead learners to more and more specific information around many issues related to race and ethnicity. Specifically, Pat and Eva wanted us to know that there are some great resources at the PBS site, Race: The Power of an Illusion.
The Learning Resources section contains linked information organized alphabetically around the topics addressed on the site. It would definitely be worth instructors' time to look at the Learning Resources page to see if any of the information could be used in their courses.
There are two case studies available on the site described as case-based course modules that can be used in multiple ways and engage the learner in problem solving related to improving instruction of racially and ethnically diverse students. Please note that there is a brand-new case study available that instructors are now fighting over to claim for their courses!
There are three major discussions in which students can participate. You must become a member of the site to gain access to the materials and discussions, but registration is free.
Finally, Pat and Eva shared how they use the learning objects on the TDSi site in their courses to negotiate student reactions during phases they call "Pre-Encounter, Encounter, Post Encounter, and Taking Action."
Thank you to Pat and Eva for sharing this wonderful resource with us.
In lieu of an LTTO session for April, please attend one of the SMART Board Product Tours being offered by Jerry Case in TC 406 on April 12th at 2:00 or April 13th at 11:00.
Next, they gave an overview of the site, starting with the Tools section. The tools section is very deep and can lead learners to more and more specific information around many issues related to race and ethnicity. Specifically, Pat and Eva wanted us to know that there are some great resources at the PBS site, Race: The Power of an Illusion.
The Learning Resources section contains linked information organized alphabetically around the topics addressed on the site. It would definitely be worth instructors' time to look at the Learning Resources page to see if any of the information could be used in their courses.
There are two case studies available on the site described as case-based course modules that can be used in multiple ways and engage the learner in problem solving related to improving instruction of racially and ethnically diverse students. Please note that there is a brand-new case study available that instructors are now fighting over to claim for their courses!
There are three major discussions in which students can participate. You must become a member of the site to gain access to the materials and discussions, but registration is free.
Finally, Pat and Eva shared how they use the learning objects on the TDSi site in their courses to negotiate student reactions during phases they call "Pre-Encounter, Encounter, Post Encounter, and Taking Action."
Thank you to Pat and Eva for sharing this wonderful resource with us.
In lieu of an LTTO session for April, please attend one of the SMART Board Product Tours being offered by Jerry Case in TC 406 on April 12th at 2:00 or April 13th at 11:00.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Session #19: The Teaching Diverse Students Initiative for Affecting Teacher Change
Most prospective teachers grew up in European American neighborhoods and when seeking teaching positions, actively avoid schools with a large inflow of minority students (AACTE; Jackson, 2009).
In one study, preservice teachers consistently stereotyped their students based on race and social class, and they routinely displayed biased behaviors and attitudes in their field placements (Aaronsohn, Carter, and Howell, 1995). These stereotypes frequently translate to differential expectations and subsequent disparity in practice, jeopardizing the notion of equity in education to which we all aspire.
Join us as Eva and Pat discuss how the Teaching Diverse Students Initiative can help preservice and practicing teachers consider the issue of bias and their personal role in affecting change.
The March LTTO session will be on March 25th at 1:00 in TC 217.
***Please note that this session is appropriate for those teaching online AND face-to-face courses.
References
Aaronsohn, E., Carter, C. J., & Howell, M. (1995). Preparing monocultural teachers for a multicultural world: Attitudes toward inner-city schools. Equity in Education, 28, 5-9.
Jackson, C. K. (2009). Student demographics, teacher sorting, and teacher quality: Evidence from the end of school desegregation. Journal of Labor Economics, 27 (2).
Session #18: Summary
Our guests for session #18 were Chris Cardona, Lynne Niclair, and Kevin Davis from Pearson.
Chris took us on a tour of one of the fully developed online courses Pearson has developed. The course content of each of Pearson's online courses is designed with the same template, so each course has a similar format. There are videos, discussion questions, assignments, projects, and rubrics for each course. These courses are ready to go and fully available to any instructor who adopts a Pearson text for her/his course. Please contact Chris if you want access to the content.
Next, Kevin showed Building Teaching Skills and Dispositions from MyEducationLab, which includes course- specific or text-specific activities. Pearson also has TeacherPrep available as a resource for students.
The group talked briefly about options for textbook content, including eBook versions of Pearson texts. For most of the texts Pearson offers, individual chapters could be linked to modules so that students would have e-versions of the materials within each module. Students could purchase access to these chapters for one year or several years. Students could build their own virtual library of Pearson texts and be able to use highlight functions, notetaking, as well as search across all the books in their library.
Chris said he is interested in talking to individual faculty members who wish to use Pearson content. He is also very interested in talking to program area leaders about how Pearson can work with programs to develop and deliver content. Please contact Chris if you are interested.
Thanks to Chris, Lynne, Kevin for the presentation and for providing lunch.
Our next session will be on March 25th at 1:00 in TC 217.
Chris took us on a tour of one of the fully developed online courses Pearson has developed. The course content of each of Pearson's online courses is designed with the same template, so each course has a similar format. There are videos, discussion questions, assignments, projects, and rubrics for each course. These courses are ready to go and fully available to any instructor who adopts a Pearson text for her/his course. Please contact Chris if you want access to the content.
Next, Kevin showed Building Teaching Skills and Dispositions from MyEducationLab, which includes course- specific or text-specific activities. Pearson also has TeacherPrep available as a resource for students.
The group talked briefly about options for textbook content, including eBook versions of Pearson texts. For most of the texts Pearson offers, individual chapters could be linked to modules so that students would have e-versions of the materials within each module. Students could purchase access to these chapters for one year or several years. Students could build their own virtual library of Pearson texts and be able to use highlight functions, notetaking, as well as search across all the books in their library.
Chris said he is interested in talking to individual faculty members who wish to use Pearson content. He is also very interested in talking to program area leaders about how Pearson can work with programs to develop and deliver content. Please contact Chris if you are interested.
Thanks to Chris, Lynne, Kevin for the presentation and for providing lunch.
Our next session will be on March 25th at 1:00 in TC 217.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Session #18: eContent from Pearson Publishing
Chris Cardona from Pearson will be our speaker for Session #18. Chris is the Central Region Sales Director in the area of Teacher Education and Development. Chris will give an overview of the content Pearson has developed that is available for use in our courses. He will also discuss the many textbook and eBook options Pearson is offering for their materials.
Join us for this session on February 25th at 1:00 in TC 217.
Chris will be providing lunch. Judi, Diane, Deb, Pat, Linda T., Karen, and Resa have already RSVP'd. If you would like me to put you on the list, please let me know ASAP.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Session #17 Summary
Our guest for session #17 was Mike Modesitt, Director of Technology for the Teachers College.
Before Mike arrived we briefly discussed the findings of The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology. Specifically, we talked about the ways we could use handheld devices, laptops, and cell phones in our courses.
When Mike joined us he began by telling us that the new collaboration tools he would be demonstrating would be at a common address on the TC server.
Next, Mike showed us how to set up a GroupShare. "A share is a folder located on a remote computer which the owner (and others designated by him/her) may access and upload or download files and folders to/from. The benefit to such a share is that this enables the owner and his/her designees to "share" data easily. For instance, if you are the chair of a committee and each committee member requires a copy of the minutes from each meeting, you could create a share, upload the minutes to this share, and give the other committee members access to retrieve them." (From the GroupShare site) GroupShare is only available on campus unless you log onto VPN.
Finally, Mike and Penny demonstrated how the iChat program works to communicate synchronously and asynchronously, as well as to take turns controlling the computer screen. All Mac users have iChat on their computers. The directions for setting it up are located at http://ichat.tc.bsu.edu/ You can use iChat off campus now.
Thanks to Mike, Penny, and all who participated in the session.
Our next session will be on February 25th at 1:00. If you plan to attend and have not RSVP'd yet, please let me know that you will be there. Lunch will be served compliments of Pearson Publishing.
Before Mike arrived we briefly discussed the findings of The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology. Specifically, we talked about the ways we could use handheld devices, laptops, and cell phones in our courses.
When Mike joined us he began by telling us that the new collaboration tools he would be demonstrating would be at a common address on the TC server.
Next, Mike showed us how to set up a GroupShare. "A share is a folder located on a remote computer which the owner (and others designated by him/her) may access and upload or download files and folders to/from. The benefit to such a share is that this enables the owner and his/her designees to "share" data easily. For instance, if you are the chair of a committee and each committee member requires a copy of the minutes from each meeting, you could create a share, upload the minutes to this share, and give the other committee members access to retrieve them." (From the GroupShare site) GroupShare is only available on campus unless you log onto VPN.
Finally, Mike and Penny demonstrated how the iChat program works to communicate synchronously and asynchronously, as well as to take turns controlling the computer screen. All Mac users have iChat on their computers. The directions for setting it up are located at http://ichat.tc.bsu.edu/ You can use iChat off campus now.
Thanks to Mike, Penny, and all who participated in the session.
Our next session will be on February 25th at 1:00. If you plan to attend and have not RSVP'd yet, please let me know that you will be there. Lunch will be served compliments of Pearson Publishing.
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