EDU 6701: Journal for Week 5

One of Ten

Having spent so, so much time on the Final I found myself being grouchy as to whether all of this is worth it . . especially at my age! Good Lord, I thank that we had five weeks of lock-down at the prison, thus giving me lots of time to do writings, readings (but not online). That really helped.

I know understand why Anne wanted everything covered in the course including the kitchen sink in a no-more than 1100 word project. It is an excellent way to hone writing skills to its basic distillation. But, as I've written elsewhere, I still feel much was left out, no matter as to how many times I rewrote it and tried to pare it down to its most basic. I do worry that 50% of the final grade is a bit too much to ask students to strain for that 'distillation to the basics'. But, I do understand . .

One class (almost) down and nine to go. I really don't see it as a drudge, really I don't. I'd much, much rather do it online, knowing that I could not - would not, never want to - do this (another MA) in a f2f component.

Still, it bothers me a bit . . .

One Week Off

I'm glad we have access to Dr. Khalsa's 6702 syllabus. Great way to start the readings and get at least one week under the belt. This really helps.

Which brings me to another point. Indiana University's MS program on Information System Technology page lists all courses and, in some cases, extensive syllabi and reading lists for the semester. (I realize that course content, requirements may change, but it gives the student / perspective student an idea, in-depth, of what s/he can expect. I really like this. I wish CSUEB would do this.)

Yikes!

Well, so much for Dr. Khalsa's 6702 syllabus! Guess she decided to 'shut down' access to it. I knew I should have copied the reading list for the first couple of weeks. Yes, I know, I know . . the list may change but it probably won't change that much. And, I won't get angry if the list is different. I'm not a 22 year old who would be piqued if this happened. I'd just learn more . .

Course Evaluation

Don't know if I said this at course evaluation . . .

The course needs to be a full quarter (and probably as well for the next 3 courses). Is this to save money?! God, I hope not. We really need to have more intro readings, maybe two group and two long project papers. I don't get it.

EDU 6701: Journal for Week 4

Online Learning (for those of us who wouldn’t dream of doing a degree program again f2f)

Some of my ‘teacher friends’ think it a bit esoteric (if not a bit strange) that I still extol the virtues of online learning. It’s interesting, but I really don’t miss that ‘contact’ time that I think is at times overrated for f2f classes. A case in point was a grad-level course on research on reading, plodding through a 1200 page tome. I now think how it could have been so much better had it incorporated the ideas of construtivism, collaborative, student-centered learning. Just same old teach up front, lecturing with a good amount of discussion, but not very enlightening.

But, Good Lord! There are so many variables that must be taken into account for a successful and informative online class to succeed. Guess that’s an important part of the challenge.

And the Project goes on (and on, and on . . )

My concerns regarding the amount of expected points to cover in the project have not abated. Talk about writing as being engaged, recursive, and more of the same! But, that’s the wily part of the assignment.

I keep hovering between 1050 to 1150 words, constantly weeding out wordiness (what tends to be a problem for me). I went back and realized that it’s o.k. to ‘fantasize’ a bit about what the blended class at California Community College (alias for Sacramento City College) would really look like. The information that I wrote in is factual (I worked there as adjunct for 4 years), so the information as to what can transpire in the creation of a blended class as basically factual.

Rubrics

I’ve written a lot of rubrics for writing courses and wrote a basic one for one of my TESOL classes, so I’m a little familiar with them. I’m still not sure as to how many categories to add for the Project. I’ve seen that didn’t have enough and others that went way beyond what was necessary. I’m currently thinking of 4, 5 major categories and subtopics. We’ll see how it shapes up.

The Tech Thing

Still concerned about this. I was accepted to Indiana University’s MS program in Information Systems Technology but opt for CSEU first (and maybe do, at the least, the certificate program after these classes). I feel so inadequate (as I know others do) when it comes to ‘tech stuff’. I wish I were ahead of the pack as Vivian is with this stuff . . in time.

Group Projects and the Assessment

I still feel strong for a group assessment that assigns points to both individual contributions to the good of the whole. However, I wish I could remember how an instructor – years ago – had such a rubric for one of my f2f classes. It really worked well and the group wasn’t punished for what the slacker(s) did not do.

Not that it was a problem with Mini #2; it wasn’t and, in the end, everyone worked well and collaboratively. I was pleased (but for synchronous discussion, but let’s not go there again).

EDU 6701: Journal for Week 2

Social Darwinism in the Age of Electronic Learning?

"Computers will not replace teachers, but teachers who use computers will—inevitably—replace teachers who do not."

I think this a bit too hyperbolic, if not exhibiting a kind of self-serving smugness. There’s an inevitability about it that makes me a bit uneasy. I prefer to think that there’ll be a place for all kinds of teachers in the world; after all, don’t people learn differently and aren’t they deserving of having mentors who teach to their particular niche of learning?

A trained and gifted teacher using the Socratic method is practicing a rich learning approach that focuses on the high-level thinking techniques of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Bloom would approve and certainly would have been comfortable in the gymnasium. Sounds pretty student-centered and collaborative to me.

Now, I certainly am a believer in the power of transformative education that computers and their various programs and applications can have – are having – on education. After all, I wouldn’t be spending time and effort to learn more about the promise of this media (and hope to become an instructor in said media). Perhaps I lack prescience in realizing the inevitability of replacing of one group of instructors by another group.

No, I’m the true believer in every sense for online learning and training. But, there is plenty of room for all, instructors and students. We see ourselves as facilitators in the education of our students; we are guides and collaborators. That’s exactly what Socrates was doing more than 2400 years ago.

Have you had an "AHa!" moment?

More 'Ditto' than 'AHaa!' for the course so far. Case in point is Khanh's posting yesterday at '2:2 E-Learning': "In some ways E-learning is like returning to the older Socratic methods of education, just with new technology." I thought that my thoughts on Socrates possibly a bit too esoteric, but . . there was Khanh's posting. I like to think I'm not being too weird.

Maybe I've had more pint-sized 'AHaa moments than gallon-sized ones. Realizing that I can do things with Firefox that I can't with Safari; realizing that I'm on track with others' thinking more than I had thought; realizing that wow! . . this can be hard if I don't keep my nose the the grindstone! But, it's definitely been a learning curve.

Are you excited about a new idea for your online course?

Problem may be is that I have too many ideas for my online course. I believe I'm sufficiently prioritizing what the course will entail - perhaps 'Ahaa' moments - but I need to develop a course fully to see what needs to be added, deleted, modified, etc. As it now stands I have a linear approach with first having poetry, then essays, short stories, drama / a play, a novella, novel. I'm considering intercalating drama, novella, and novel with poetry, essays, and short stories and introducing literary terms such as plot, character development, theme, etc. at appropriate times. I am worried that I may be overdoing it with WeqQuests, but I think that - if kept to basic research - it would be a good way for team-building and collaborative research.

How is the course going for you?

A bit overwhelmed. At the least I've laid out a plan for my final project. I have the information - lots of it from TESOL.org - so research-wise I'm fine. Just need to be sure and stay disciplined on this.

I am a bit concerned about being the lead person for my group Mini #2. Not being the leader, that doesn't bother me: Been there, done that. Just hope all keep their noses to grindstone.

The Blended Class

The blended (hybrid) class is difficult to define beyond the obvious of it being online as well as in a traditional f2f (face-to-face) classroom environment. The difficulty lies in it being a malleable term: The time element for each teaching platform is fluid. Is the class to be 50-50 in its delivery? 40-60? Actually, this is a moot point. A sufficient definition need only be that it be taught in a f2f situation as well as through a distance-learning situation. Other examples of a blended class could include a correspondence module as well as a f2f situation. However, we'll maintain the conventional definition of it being f2f and online.

In reality, a definition that includes a time-element for a blended class is only important when deciding what is pedagogically possible (and not) in one platform or the other. This allocation of time may vary due to the skills from class to class. For example, a listening-speaking class, although it could be facilitated through technological features such as iPods and / or QuickTime applications. As such, instructors teaching a class in these skills may prefer more inclass over online participation. The needs of the curriculum usually tend to affect the time allocation; the proficiency of the students in both the skills to be mastered as well as the skills needed to navigate through a CMS may necessitate the careful choice of time allotment spent in one platform over the other. There are other factors and these factors have to be considered carefully and balanced according to some of the points stated above.

Among the most important factors to be considered are

• a vision and plan stated in the future goals of the institution;
• the curriculum to be included in the online program (either blended or fully online);
• the student services that are available for on-campus students should be as readily available to online students;
• student training and support for those students who wish to incorporate online learning in their education;
• copyright and intellectual property rights for the instructor;
• and consideration of the change in organizational structure (which will vary according to the amount of time and effort that will be allocated to the total commitment to online teaching).

See Levy's article for a more detailed survey of these points.

____________________

There are many resources available on online learning and teaching. The following links offer various thoughts on blended environments. Most of them agree on the principles of what online learning entails for successful outcomes to be achieved.

• Learning Circuits is a source for e-learning. P. Valiathan's Blended Learning Models is a good survey of the why and how of three blended learning modules: skill-driven, attitude-driven, and competency-driven. If you like neat, clear, and succinct lists as I do, this short article should be read.
• Rossett, et al. offer another list in Strategies for Building Blended Learning.
• Building a sense of community for online classes to be successful is essential if collaborative learning is to succeed. Roval and Jordan's article, though not primarily concerned with building a blended learning course, is an important addition to research on learning collaboratively online, with emphasis on the role of participants in blended courses.
• For us neophytes in this new genre of online teaching and learning there's Hensley's short but informative article about his own experiences teaching a hybrid Introduction to Theatre class.

More Resources for Online Teaching and Learning

Online learning and teaching has gone through a rapid and ongoing metamorphosis since the first computer assisted class was taught at Michigan State University in 1992 (a long time in the chronology of the online environment). The term 'collaborative learning', a current buzz word in online learning, may have first been used in a paper titled Collaborative Learning Through Computer Conferencing [ Wikipedia ]. In just 16 years (since that first course in a physics class taught at Michigan State and in particular during the last 8 years), there has been an wealth of research (not all of it useful) in the field.

General Sites

Taco for Mac OS X
Bare Bones Software
Language Learning and Technology
Site Wizard
Learning Circuits
The American Distance Learning Consortium
Mid-Atlantic Addiction Technology Transfer Center
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Network
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Adobe Captivate
Distance Education Clearinghouse
Writeboard
Backpack
Distance.GradSchools.com
The World Lecture Hall
Sloan-C WikiOnlinesapiens Blog
WordChamp
ClassMarker Quiz Maker
Rubrics for Assessment: UW-Stout

Zunal
Blackboard: Greenhouse Awards
The National Academies Press
Distance-Educator.com

Journal of Online Education

Is Online Learning Right for You?

Readings

E-Learning for Leadership
WebQuests Rubric
Six Factors to Consider When Planning Online Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education
Blended Learning ModelsStrategies for Building Blended Learning
Language in Action: From Webquests to Virtual Realities
E-learning, Online Learning, Web-based Learning, or Distance Learning: Unveiling the Ambiguity in Current Terminology
Constructing Your Web-Quest or Web SiteTwo Common Web Design MythsClass Conversion: Face-to-Face to Online
Web Page Development Guidelines
The Top Fifteen Mistakes of First Time Web Design
A Theory for eLearning
Blended Learning and Sense of Community: A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses
Creating a virtual face-to-face delivery environment
Indicators of Engaged Learning
E-Learning 1.0: 10 Tips to Optimize Your E-Learning
Written Interaction: A Key Component in Online Learning
We-Learning: Social Software and E-Learning
We-Learning: Social Software and E-Learning, Part II
Designing Collaborative E-Learning For Results
Faculty Development for the Net Generation
The Myth about No Significant Difference
If There is No Significant Difference, Why Should We Care?
No Significant Difference and Distance Education
The "No Significant Difference" Phenomenon: A Literatue Review
Online Protocols
A White Paper: Achieving Success with Blended Learning

An aside . . .

I'm also interested in creative writing with specific attention to response to those readings. A case in point is the posting below "On Sandra Cisneros's 'My Name' ". She inherited her great-grandmother's name, Esperanza. it's a wonderful little short story that I encourage all to read.

SQ(4)R

Background

You're probably familiar with SQ3-R as a formula / method for efficient and effective reading of content-based texts. This strategy helps students select what s/he is expected to know (at times outlined on class syllabi and / or gleemed from classroom notes); help students remember important ideas just read and, probably most important of all, help students review efficiently. However, I've modified it a bit. The well-known strategy is widely-know as SQ3-R but I've included a fourth 'R'. Still, the method is simple:

• S = Survey what is to be read with emphasis on major and sub headings and any graphs, tables, pictures and notes as well as any summaries that may be included. (I also teach my students to read and make notes of topic sentences for each sentence and / or paragraph).
• Q = Turn the headings, (subheadings, graph or picture notes, or summaries) into Questions.
• 3 - Rs:
  R = Read to answer your questions.
  R = Recite and answer your questions in your own words.
  R = Review by looking over highlighting and / or notes for basic points for each section.

Modification

My fourth 'R' is Research. I believe that having students research topics in is a powerful tool for reinforcement of learned material. I also believe that questions asked by students during their initial survey and questioning of the reading but not covered in the reading assignments will help them develop a wider knowledge and understanding of what is expected of them to know. Hopefully, students will also 'get into the habit' of delving into topics/subtopics related to though not necessarily germain to what they may immediately need to know.

I have no empirical evidence for this other than it 'makes sense'. First of all, as students read more and incorporate what they read as part of their own schema the more knowledge resources they are able to draw upon as they progress to their education goals. Secondly (and, I admit, even less empirically valid) is that it worked and still works for me. Let me explain

A Lucky Undergraduate

As an undergraduate I took a class during with an instructor whose a approach to education was based on 'traditional' approaches current at tertiary levels at English (and now at many U.S.) colleges and universities which emphasize the student, after initial guidance and couseling, focus attention on particular areas of topics related to the particular class taken.

I took a History of the Reformation class taught by a visiting professor from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. There were traditional assigned readings and lectures with plenty of encouragement and opportunity for students to delve deeper into particular areas of general topics. Not long into the course we were required to to write five general topics that interested us and on which we would be willing to do more intensive research.I don't remember all five topics I choose but I do remember being fascinated with Erasmus and Luther's famous 'epistemological battles' on the nature of free will and on the influence that John Calvin had on the Reformation with emphasis on Geneva and its aftermats.

Let it suffice . .

to say that I gained more knowledge on these two subjects and that I continued to read more widely on the Reformation since taking the class. Was this all? Not quite.

My instructor gave us worksheets of broad outlines (much like major and subheadings found in basic content-based texts) for us to fill in, as it were, with questions of our own to further research. In other words, the professor taught us a method of studying and - especially - of researching that I used throughout not only during my undergraduate and graduate years but which still use to this day (using judious border notes in my text with, if possible, my laptop at hand for quick research) to supplment and / or clarify what I am reading.

So, research - especially in this day of a wide and rich array of electronic databases - is an important method that I add to the popular SQ3-R formula and which I not only encourage but teach as part of any class for efficient and effective reading.

Finally, let me add that I use collaborative learning to the method first introduced to me by my Simon Frazer professor. This increases the potential for a more deeper and broader knowledge base as dyads, triads and what-have-you pool their resources, schema and talents to the studies at hand.

Links

I created this Power Point Presentation on Effective Reading for an online class for teaching online.

Other Resources

There's quite a lot out there on the Web on SQ3-R. For a basic overview see ARC@ at Sweet Briar College. For more detailed (and excellent information) visit Strategies for Success. Use their link Vary Your Reading Strategies for savvy skills and strategies when using SQ3-R for discipline-specific readings.

On Sandra Cisneros's "My Name"

I read Sandra Cisneros' "My Name" in the text "Interactions", used in many ESL classrooms, and found myself reflecting on my own name or, I should say, names. I read "House on Mango Street" many years ago and remember even then thinking about this excerpt from the book. Let me explain.

I immigrated from the Azores when I was six. My name was listed by Immigration and Naturalization as Jose Manuel Avelar Rosa. 'Jose' was my father's name, 'Manuel' his father's, 'Avelar' my mother's maiden name, and 'Rosa' my patrilineal surname. Upon naturalization I 'Anglicized' 'Jose' to 'Joseph' but I rarely use 'Manuel'. (My aunt, Tia Madrinha, still refers to me as Jose Manuel, now and then, and it holds dear and comforting feelings for me.

A few years ago I decided to apply for dual citizenship through the Portuguese consulate in San Francisco. To do so I had to have an official copy of my birth certificate from the Azores. A freiend of mine, who also came from the Azores but came at an older age and is wonderfully bicultural to a degree I wish I were, helped me with the process. In particular, she guided me through the process of seeking a copy of my birth certificate from Flores. What a surprise when I received it in the mail!

I looked at copy of the birth certificate, and then again. They made a mistake! They must have! I read 'Jose deAvelar'. They left out my patrilineal! Well, they hadn't. Rosa had never been my patrilineal. deAvelar is my legal surname (in Portugal). It was registered as such when my father had me baptized in the village church eight days after I was born.

Maria, my friend who helped me through the process and is far more knowledgable about Portuguese social and cultural patterns than I am, explained that it's very common for parents to change or modify baptismal names and that many in her family had done the same. I'll never know why my father didn't use Rosa, his surname, as my own (for he died many years ago). My mother never even knew this for she was still bedridden when my father took me to the church. She was just as surprised as I was when I showed her the birth certificate! Does it matter that I'm 'really' Jose deAvelar and that it's not my legal name here in the U.S.? I'm not sure.

When I became a citizen I considered changing my name to Joseph Francisco Avelar, 'Francisco' being my mother's father's name. Cisneros on page 15 states: "So your entire life is spent trying to figure out who you are and how to be happy being that person." 'Being' Joseph Avelar Rosa or Jose deAvelar would not greatly alter how I see or define myself. Still . .

Cisneros inherited her great-grandmother's name, Esperanza. However, she states that, although she inherited her name, she didn't want "to inherit her place by the window". The name had a negative connotation because her great-grandmother was literally abducted by her great-grandfather and possibly held against her will and, metaphorically, spent the rest of her life "by the window". She didn't want to inherit a name - a legacy - that connected her to an incident that suggested a kind of 'captivity'. But there is a deeply-felt and very positive connection to my mother's father.

Francisco Avelar was a whaler and owned a small whaling boat. I remember watching the six to ten men crews rowing the small boats out to the whales passing our small island during their annual migrations. This work was very dangerous and my grandfather, being the owner of the boat, was the one who held the harpoon and who struck the first blow; a very important but dangerous task. The boat would be ragged through the at-times turbulent waters and often boats would be overturned by the whale and lives would be lost.

Fortunately, my grandfather lived to old age. He was known as "O Capitao", The Captain. He was a gentle, caring, soft-spoken man, that much I remember. It is for these reasons - his bravery, his caring, gentle ways - that I would be honored by changing my surname from Rosa to deAvelar.

Resources

Want to know more about Sandra Cisneros? Try these links.

A good biography of Cisneros is available at Modern American Poets. This is the Authorized Sandra Cisneros Web Site. However, I had trouble accessing some of the internal links. Maybe you'll have better luck! VG: Voices from the Gaps is an excellent blog from the University of Minnesota dedicated to women artists and writers of color. Start with "Our Project" under "Praxis" to find out more about the blog. "Bios" under "Art" will access a page with alphabetical links to individual artists and writers.

Information on the Azores? Try Beautiful Azores (Be sure to see 'Flores', the island where I was born.)