tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18115531772786880582011-09-30T03:29:45.031-07:00The purpose of this blog is to explore ideas about postsecondary teaching and learning – both online and on-campus. Not because I am an expert, but because I am always looking for ways to improve my practice. I hope this blog serves as an archive of teaching strategies that are not only useful to me but have value to others.Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-13693322694637359812009-09-14T13:06:00.000-07:002009-09-14T13:23:41.374-07:00

The first week of class… Whether on-campus or online, we always plan a few orientation and get-to-know-you activities in an attempt to get our courses off on the right foot. I actually really enjoy these activities, but I always look for new ways to accomplish my objectives. One thing I’ve learned is that, especially in online courses, orientation and get-to-know-you activities cannot – and

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-3701311619765877202009-05-14T14:17:00.000-07:002009-05-14T14:17:00.429-07:00

Recently, due to a new policy in our school connecting Teaching Assistant-eligibility with class size (specifically for online courses), I am asked by colleagues if I have any advice for effectively using teaching assistants (TAs). My record of effectively using TAs, however, is hardly stellar. I have had just as many failures as successes. For me, "effectiveness" has come down to two things:

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-72613914552327182542009-04-17T09:51:00.000-07:002009-04-19T20:15:50.674-07:00

Although I have of late neglected this blog while writing for other venues, I am stimulated to regroup after attending a few sessions about online teaching and learning at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual conference. I have no beef with the research methods described by presenters. Instead, I find it disconcerting when researchers fail to attend to basic, foundational

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-61675349933169951652009-02-08T15:21:00.001-08:002009-02-08T15:53:33.912-08:00

Recently, I've had to do some thinking about how to design and facilitate effective accelerated courses. We are implementing an accelerated format -- Maymester -- over a three-week period of time between the spring and summer terms. This is a popular approach at many institutions, allowing students to take another 3-credit hour course before leaving for summer break (or, for those year-round

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-84014685592256029012009-01-21T11:26:00.000-08:002009-02-08T20:33:26.768-08:00

A year or so ago, I shared my Adult Learning and Education syllabus with a colleague as part of a discussion on enhancing adults' motivation to learn. When he saw that it was 22 pages long, he laughed. What was I trying to do, scare them off?!? And kill more trees?!?Although afraid I would scare them off, my thinking about how much to give students up front was -- and continues to be -- pretty

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-35053712438282308472009-01-15T13:32:00.000-08:002009-01-28T20:50:38.102-08:00

Given the nature of the courses I teach, I tend to use authentic projects for assessment purposes. However, because of recent conversations with students, I've been reconsidering my avoidance of quizzes and exams. What I have heard from students is that quizzes and exams help them gauge their acquisition and comprehension of content, which can be very helpful for formative reasons in advance of

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-42678524439232731762008-12-29T23:15:00.000-08:002009-01-28T20:56:27.661-08:00

Years ago when I first started teaching my idea of an engaging lecture was to bring blank overhead transparencies to class, and write on them while talking. I even mastered a David-Lettermanesque delivery to my lectures that got me a few laughs here and there…and served to fuel my enthusiasm for teaching. What I didn’t realize then is that I wasn’t a good lecturer…and that what I was delivering

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-63024946582006831972008-11-24T19:41:00.000-08:002008-11-24T22:04:03.544-08:00

As a staple of online instructional interaction, online discussions are a big part of what takes place in the learning community – it is through these discussions, often, that much of the learning occurs. Therefore, learners’ comfort with participating in online discussions can have a big influence on what they achieve in the course. Comfort can be achieved through establishing trust with the

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-12895442873220994672008-11-23T14:20:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:09:27.538-08:00

I've been using a fun (and quite popular) online tool called Wordle to produce images of word collections. For example, I recently created a Wordle image as a main page graphic for my online course. Here is a simple one that summarizes what I write about on this blog --In this example, some words -- such as teaching -- are larger than others because they are included in the word list more

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-9096207124113819082008-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:002008-10-29T19:29:38.650-07:00

In my post on Jazzing up the syllabus, I describe a few ways to make going through the syllabus during the first class meeting a relevant learning opportunity. What I neglected to share is a strategy I've been using in my online courses for several years -- the scavenger hunt. In my online courses I ask students to complete a scavenger hunt about the course, with most of the content for the hunt

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-40818424260610795222008-10-27T23:48:00.000-07:002009-01-14T10:15:17.351-08:00

As described in an earlier post on the educational purposes of blogging, I really do use this blog for reflecting on my own practice and as an ideation sketchbook of my ideas. It is a place to formulate stuff, share formative and summative versions of my thinking about teaching. It has also helped me with other forms of professional sharing. For example, I had a recent piece published in the

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-31957799682220023712008-10-24T15:23:00.001-07:002008-10-24T21:38:03.270-07:00

This is a topic on the minds of many of my faculty colleagues (and me!) -- how to get students to complete the assigned readings before class...or at all. My initial thoughts on this have always been that the readings have to be relevant:To achieving the learning objectivesTo completing the assignments and projects of the courseTo student assessmentTo the world outside of the course (whether in

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-90454864605215041102008-10-02T10:56:00.000-07:002008-11-02T20:25:29.112-08:00

Every now and again, an article about the perceived failure of technology in schools to realize the anticipated, expected promise of improved student learning and achievement crosses into my radar. I typically dismiss these articles because they usually present flawed and incomplete arguments, and/or fail to recognize the complexity of the situation. One of these articles, by Mark Bauerlein,

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-47225149123172370512008-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:002009-03-02T21:55:06.463-08:00

My students and I have been exploring an interesting format for presentations, called Pecha Kucha (pronounced peh-cha ku-cha...but said really fast). The basic format is 20 slides/images, 20 seconds per slide/image (so, just under 7 minutes per presentation). Developed by two architects (see the Wikipedia entry for more background and links to useful resources) as a way to structure presentations

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-45396098321458687572008-09-29T12:33:00.000-07:002008-10-02T12:45:56.934-07:00

I have been so lucky recently to have multiple opportunities to observe my colleagues teaching on-campus and online. It has served to rejuvenate my own teaching...encouraging me to reflect on my teaching and course design decisions. These observations have reinforced for me the following:The importance of connecting with students and enhancing social presence.The value of establishing and

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-59659490536596404742008-09-28T10:21:00.000-07:002008-10-03T12:23:18.541-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted to this blog because I've been focused on sharing ideas and connecting with folks in different ways (e.g., through my Ideation blog, webinars, online newsletters, LMS). For example, one social networking tool I've been exploring with students and colleagues is Twitter. My reason for getting into Twitter, and inviting interested online students to try it out

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-79125383066821805912008-08-27T08:39:00.000-07:002008-12-09T05:42:33.892-08:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of online course designers and faculty to talk about how to improve the odds of involving online students in effective collaborative activities. In preparation for the discussion, I revisited a set of guidelines I had put together for other workshops and talks I deliver on the subject. Many of these guidelines have already found there way into

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-1996513150150777442008-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:002009-02-19T13:59:52.349-08:00

For me, storytelling is everything. When I pull it off and do it well, it helps me achieve so much as an educator -- engaging learners, establishing social presence, illustrating relevance, encouraging connections between theory and practice, holding attention, having fun, being in community, and so on. It is the key to connecting, to making sense of the world, to contributing to the world. To be

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-21741387828336549262008-07-30T10:25:00.000-07:002008-07-30T17:15:28.886-07:00

What is the thinking these days about class size for online instruction? I was asked this question today. This is a question that online educators frequently examine. My professional recommendation, supported by the literature, is that online class sizes be limited to 15 to 20 students. Why? Here is what we know:Attrition in online courses and programs is a problem. The attrition typically has

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-8696927238405690552008-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:002008-07-30T09:08:13.948-07:00

I delivered this presentation in May 2008 at the CU Online Symposium. A number of the strategies I share during the presentation are described in more detail throughout the blog. [Note: As stated in other posts, I struggle with delivering presentations in conference and conference-like settings because I do not use PowerPoint or other presentation software well. I recently completed a workshop

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-29754619914435611342008-06-29T10:41:00.000-07:002008-08-22T15:27:37.087-07:00

I am very interested in figuring out how to use digital music with students. Whether teaching online or on campus, my students are often carrying mp3 players, iPods, or some sort of device for playing and listening to music. Instead of asking them to set that stuff aside, I want to use music in instructional ways. Here are a few ideas:Pick a course topic and have students find songs that say

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-83444138096848961982008-06-28T10:15:00.000-07:002008-06-27T10:23:32.330-07:00

I have been playing with the idea of playing games with students in online courses, mostly influenced by recently seeing an episode of "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" online. When I think about those types of games -- Jeopardy, Millionaire, and so on -- I think that it is the questions that make the games interesting. And, that the folks who have the most fun and learn the most are those who

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-16838997114802063302008-06-27T09:52:00.000-07:002008-06-27T11:05:48.110-07:00

Del.icio.us is a very useful online social bookmarking tool. It allows individuals and groups to collect a library of online resources (i.e., webliography). For instructional purposes, I have asked groups of students to create a webliography on a particular topic. But, honestly, I find this to be somewhat limiting, and less than satisfying in and of itself. It works well if I then have students

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-18766900286033675692008-05-07T09:46:00.000-07:002008-05-07T11:58:46.659-07:00

Students carry a lot of technology with them wherever they go, including into the classroom. Because these technologies -- such as iPods, computers, cell phones -- can serve as distractions from what is instructionally happening in the classroom, many faculty are requiring that students turn everything off at the start of class. What a loss! Instead, my suggestion is to find ways to use students'

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-20310952552949135002008-05-03T07:49:00.000-07:002008-05-03T08:13:07.950-07:00

I have recently found that some of my faculty colleagues are leery of allowing students to include Wikipedia references in their papers. I don't blame them. Some of the content in Wikipedia is well established and supported, some content isn't. Sometimes students don't know the difference...or, more accurately, how to determine the difference. And, it is important for them to learn how to

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-40405227350774548312008-04-24T13:24:00.000-07:002008-05-07T16:18:14.356-07:00

Today, I had another webcast experience as a presenter. I have done them before (both as a presenter and a participant), but it has been a little while since I have presented during a webcast...and I had forgotten...The webcast was in support of a recent article we (Jackie Dobrovolny, Dave Young, and I) had published in Innovate (a good journal for people interested in online education). [Note:

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-38456991904986275822008-04-23T17:06:00.001-07:002010-01-21T19:32:31.812-08:00

Always looking for tools to use when considering the quality and effectiveness of my eLearning course design and teaching, here are links to a few resources I have found quite useful:National Standards for Online Courses and Online Teaching from the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL)Rubric for Online Education from CSU ChicoResearch-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines from the

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-55280268332284352752008-04-21T09:39:00.000-07:002008-05-07T10:22:09.238-07:00

There are a lot of examples of discussion guidelines out there...this is a good thing because learners and faculty are looking for ways to assess discussion participation. Here are a few guidelines -- a Top 10 -- I typically share with students (in conjunction with my use of inspiration/karma points, as described in Karma (or inspiration) points for discussion assessment, and discussion ground

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-54621124360184479022008-04-19T18:31:00.000-07:002008-10-25T22:49:59.125-07:00

For a number of years now, I start my courses with the following activity (stated differently for different contexts):1) Describe your best learning experience. Think about your most valuable, effective learning experience and in at least 250 but no more than 500 words share your learning story. When you write your "Best Learning Experience" story, don’t editorialize or try to explain why you

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-20240016915888814702008-04-11T21:43:00.000-07:002009-02-08T15:48:04.047-08:00

For the last several years, I have spent a lot of my consulting efforts working with higher education faculty and corporate instructional designers on appropriate instructional strategies for new and repurposed online learning opportunities (e.g., courses, tutorials, modules). Consistently, the tendency has been to start with what has already been done in the past, especially in a repurposing

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-81884962138309122392008-04-03T19:11:00.000-07:002008-08-13T07:57:27.636-07:00

What a fun tool -- Animoto!I created this video in about 10 minutes.My thinking is that I could use this tool to help me establish presence with my online students -- sharing photo collages to give them another way to get to know about me and my life. And, I could ask them to do the same as part of their introduction at the beginning of an online course. It is a way to jazz up the conventional "

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-36506815896899904002008-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:002008-04-20T08:39:56.691-07:00

This is a follow-up to my earlier post on how Bullet points make me crazy...and is in response to three separate incidents that happened today:To paraphrase a colleague, who was reflecting on our recent collective endeavors to create presentations in support of various workshops, "I am not impressed with our creative use of PowerPoint lately." A question from a student, "Why do you avoid using

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-62197423720494419572008-04-01T10:34:00.000-07:002008-04-02T20:04:11.512-07:00

This is a little off topic... Every year, the faculty participate in a merit review of what we have accomplished over the last year. One of the lenses we examine our work through is impact on the profession and community -- this is something we value very much. There are many ways to look at this, but here are a few fun ways:Go to http://scholar.google.com/ and plug in your name or the title of

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-83513656286360451912008-03-31T09:25:00.001-07:002008-03-31T20:43:30.445-07:00

I attended a very interesting conference last week sponsored by eCollege -- CiTE. The conference was focused on designing and teaching in eLearning environments. One thing that surprised me was how many presentations about plagiarism and cheating were delivered. Even the presenter of a session I attended on serious games used the cheating/plagiarizing issue as the context for demonstrating a

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-23672148779988735912008-03-16T21:16:00.000-07:002008-10-29T20:12:36.354-07:00

“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ~ Herman MelvilleWhile preparing a workshop on the educational uses of blogs -- online, Web-based journals in the form of frequent, chronological publications of thoughts and ideas, typically within a specific

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-67125660694069660482008-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:002008-07-30T08:48:31.415-07:00

I have a couple of different posts about digital stories and digital storytelling in this blog. The first digital story I ever created -- to help enhance my teacher presence in my online courses (see Storytelling for presence) -- was done using Premiere, which is a fantastic tool. I have also experimented with iMovie and FinalCut, also great tools. But, the issue I come back to over and over is

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-88982414300145488942008-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:002008-07-30T08:49:02.186-07:00

I have three new Flickr photo sets:-- Kids...-- Attempted Creativity-- Her First Word Note: This is an example of how to use Flickr for digital storytelling.I've been thinking about the various ways to use this tool with students. You could have students take photos on a particular topic and set up a Flickr site (an individual can set up 3 sets for free). For example, given that MLK Day is right

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-55466513447536542252008-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:002008-05-06T11:18:41.998-07:00

PowerPoint/Keynote (presentation software, in general) makes me crazy. I am a classic user and abuser -- bulleted slide after bulleted slide...YAWN. So, now, I try very hard to avoid building slideshows to support presentations and use alternatives instead (handouts, flipcharts, photos, etc.). But, I still end up occasionally using it, and not very well when I do (there are a couple of examples

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-60024471713734321232007-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:002008-10-29T20:11:14.837-07:00

This YouTube clip really got me reflecting on our changing university audience and their use of technology (and our use of technology and teaching strategies). I plan on using this clip to start a discussion with students in the spring about both of these topics. Check it out. [Update 10/29/08: Dr. Michael Wesch recently posted an entry to his blog, Revisiting “A Vision of Students Today". I

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-54223047339630380732007-11-12T17:06:00.000-08:002008-01-12T10:48:53.317-08:00

Here are two sites that help you send large files to students via email:-- mailbigfile.com-- yousendit.com

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-22353683670063157662007-10-31T20:32:00.000-07:002007-12-21T11:03:50.224-08:00

I love this sort of thing. Theo Jansen, a Dutch sculpture, has created beach creatures out of electrical tubing and lemonade bottles. Check out this demonstration -- love the creativity...and the possibilities!

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-29675164067613057842007-10-29T21:59:00.000-07:002008-01-12T10:26:18.884-08:00

I had the pleasure of attending the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) annual conference in Anaheim, CA, last week. I also had the pleasure of sharing two presentations. For any interested folks, here are links to the two presentations (as pdf files) and the corresponding handouts (as MS Word files):Strategies for Creating Social Context in an Online Calculus-Based

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-41504981066397238922007-10-15T17:26:00.000-07:002008-03-16T22:34:08.395-07:00

I really like to use film clips to illustrate various points. It's easy to do these days if you have Internet available in the classroom with so many film, tv, and advertising clips available via YouTube. This fall, I ended up in a room without Internet access. Luckily, there are tools that help you download clips to your computer. The two tools I've been using are Video Downloader and

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-35472719565736076762007-08-26T23:05:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:06:11.801-07:00

As I've mentioned before in this blog, I like to use small group activities in my courses, both on-campus and online. In my June 27, 2007 post, I described a few common reporting out structures that I use in the classroom. Below I describe the adjusted versions of those structures, used to help avoid boring report outs in online courses. These strategies – Rotating Threads (modified from Rotating

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-84254434770979470382007-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:07:23.961-07:00

As the facilitator/instructor, don't jump in immediately. As soon as you start contributing to the discussion, it has the potential of shutting down ideas -- students are less like to share alternative viewpoints. In my online courses, for example, if students start a discussion on Monday, I will wait until Thursday to post (and I make sure students know this is my plan so they don't think I have

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-29749477619195262422007-08-11T13:51:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:08:22.344-07:00

I'm just starting to use more synchronous discussion tools in my online courses. Besides the fact that the tools have improved and students (and I) have easier access to them, I found inspiration in Brookfield and Preskill's book (Discussion as a way of teaching, 1999) to help me think about some strategies for synchronous discussions.Here are two ways to structure synchronous online discussions,

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-59309110068507486572007-07-31T19:37:00.000-07:002008-03-16T22:35:33.259-07:00

In my quest for a free whiteboarding tool, I came upon this excellent tool from GE. I needed the tool for an online physics course -- so students can work on drawings and equations together. This tool is perfect for that activity. I plan on sharing it with my students this fall. But, for the moment, I am just addicted to playing with it, and making friends draw with me.

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-76956235349059619232007-07-23T22:38:00.000-07:002008-03-16T22:36:42.625-07:00

Check out Jane Hart's blog. Every day she shares a new eLearning tool. I am impressed with the variety of tools shared, and with her ability to post something new every day...I'm lucky if I post something once a week. Anyway, Jane's blog is a great way to keep up with tools and a one-stop-shop for researching possible tools that you can use with students.

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-75605778659734141492007-07-17T12:01:00.000-07:002008-01-09T12:02:48.098-08:00

Related to my last post, I find this to be a thought-provoking slideshow as well...

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-31458761357069574582007-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:002008-01-09T12:03:20.786-08:00

Well, if this doesn't illustrate the need to integrate technology into what we do with students at every grade level, I don't know what will...Please see this thought-provoking slideshow from the Durango School District's IT Director, Howie DiBlasi.

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-27390980410508951652007-07-09T11:25:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:09:22.795-07:00

I have been using discussion protocols in my on-campus and online courses (see Protocols Part 1 posting for protocols for on-campus use). I like discussion protocols because they provide a structure for engaging students in critical thinking about topics and issues. These protocols also help me encourage balanced voices in which all students share their perspective. I originally learned about

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-70380501587605535072007-07-02T12:29:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:10:17.092-07:00

A few times a year I am lucky to work with a new group of online instructors. I primarily share with them my thoughts on engaging students in online discussions, and facilitating groupwork activities. A question that comes up has to do with involving students who are a bit on the quiet side, regardless of the reason (e.g., learning preference, procrastination, lack of interest, overwhelming

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-14699110414724403362007-06-29T09:25:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:05:32.418-07:00

A book that has been very helpful to me when thinking about ways to engage students in discussion is Brookfield, S. D., & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a way of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. If you (and your students) are tired of debates or being assigned conversational roles (such as devil's advocate), check out this book. Here are a few of the discussion protocols I use and really

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-24723836315609990522007-06-27T10:50:00.000-07:002008-04-28T21:04:12.811-07:00

I like to use small group activities in my classes because small group discussions have the potential of giving each student a voice and having students dig deeper into a subject even with limited time. I also like to have the small groups report out to the full group to share what their groups discussed and so on. However, this can sometimes be on the dull side...and it is hard for students to

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-90845490293345598962007-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:002008-04-23T17:33:54.696-07:00

I receive a lot of email from colleagues regarding an article I wrote on workload reduction for online teachers. In reflection, I realize that there is a workload reduction strategy I frequently rely on, but failed to mention in the article -- co-teaching. It is true that it can take additional time to coordinate with a co-instructor, but having taught online as a solo instructor and a

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-78939427864903980222007-06-19T11:46:00.000-07:002007-06-27T10:44:49.274-07:00

Recently, I've had the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course -- to be exposed to the content, and exposed to good teaching. Watching others in the activity of teaching has always been a great way for me to learn how to teach (or how not to teach).The main aspect of my colleague's teaching that has stood out with every class meeting is the quiet confidence, calm demeanor, and steady flow

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-84313976651714954042007-06-10T13:19:00.000-07:002007-06-27T10:45:38.267-07:00

I tend to involve students in a lot of teamwork activities. Besides determining "rules of engagement" and making decisions about how teams and individual team members will be assessed (please see the "Creating structures for effective groupwork" post on May 16, 2007), I think it helps to involve students in teamwork activities early on that are low-stress and serve as teamwork practice. One of

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-33996066894128599082007-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:002008-12-09T05:42:34.477-08:00

Assessing discussion contributions, whether in an online or on-campus course, is a drag. I like to participate in the discussions too, and if I am responsible for judging the quality of each student's contribution I am distracted. Plus, I've always thought that it was inappropriate for me to be the sole judge of value. Luckily, karma points emerged as a teaching and assessment strategy that fit

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-53296524485226337332007-05-24T12:57:00.000-07:002008-04-28T20:49:44.807-07:00

Although it may seem like an overly formal step, I have found it very helpful to have students set "rules of engagement" to guide how they will participate and contribute to discussions in both on-campus and online courses. I have students answer questions like:What is our definition of a respectful, balanced discussion?How will we determine in what order people speak?How do we feel about

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-50923564890279625822007-05-22T20:25:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:35:42.045-07:00

I think it is nice to have guest speakers in my classes because they offer different perspectives on topics, and are often much better equipped than I am to talk about how things happen and work in the professional world for which the students are preparing.However, I have found that it can also lead to a lost opportunity if students don't prepare ahead of time. Guests are only with us for a

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-7026803948414865392007-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:002008-12-09T05:42:35.326-08:00

Recently I read a great article called The Promising Syllabus from James Lang, who writes a column for the Chronicle of Higher Education. This article got me thinking about my syllabi: what I include, the order of content, the number of "professor says 'no'" statements, and so on. Bottom line, it made me realize why I hate going over the syllabus the first night of class...boring, irrelevant,

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-57108087604033218012007-05-17T10:14:00.000-07:002008-07-30T08:49:40.251-07:00

One of the concerns I had early on in my online teaching -- I teach online and on-campus courses -- was how to establish my own presence in the course so that students felt a connection with me. Along with a number of other strategies, the strategy that has had the biggest positive impact is storytelling. My most elaborate example is a digital story created using Premiere (but could be easily

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-7372175327935646042007-05-16T10:58:00.000-07:002008-12-09T05:42:35.345-08:00

One instructional strategy that I use a lot in my online and on-campus courses is group projects, involving learners in collaboration, teamwork, peer review, and so forth. I like this strategy because:Group work can help counter the isolation some students may feel in an online course, Exposing students to multiple perspectives can open their eyes to diverse ideas, Students can achieve higher

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811553177278688058.post-34248977601968399092007-03-01T12:42:00.000-08:002008-03-16T22:53:12.935-07:00

This is just a collection of links that I am tracking. Things that make me smile...Achievement!Merry Christmas messagehttp://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html" target="new">Dancing bird

Joni Dunlaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01031290925513589638noreply@blogger.com0