Moodle vs. Blackboard?

I just reviewed Lisa and Jim’s online discussion on how to create a syllabus on both Moodle and Blackboard 8.

I like both formats and learned some very interesting stuff. Not sure which format the instructors use at my school, CTU, but it looks like Blackboard.

I would definitely link information into the syllabus that I would like my students to use, whether it is on my computer or on the web.  I woul also like to use images to make it more user-friendly for my students, especially the ones who are not very computer-savvy. The more comfortable the student is with the online environment, the more successful they will be.

I would be hard pressed to appreciate having to add links each time I teach the class, but the upside is that many times, information can be outdated. Adding the links for information each time insures that the student is getting the most relevant information for their studies, based on the current industry trends and information needed to understand and complete their assignments.

I know I am getting more excited to learn more about teaching in the online environment.  This software is very cool!

Planning a Class and Applying HTML and other Applications

HTML is an application that I am familar with. I have my B.S. in Visual Communications, but have not worked with HTML in quite some time. However, once you understand the language, it is easy to pick up and to remember, if you have worked with it.

HTML is great for teaching if you want to emphasize certain areas of your study for your student to grasp.  If you become more advanced, you can make your presentations even more engaging and lots of fun to review.

Prezi is an awesome tool. I was blown away by reviewing some of the examples done.  You can create a flow chart of information in moveable slide format. I would love to present a class using this format.  I am very advanced in PowerPoint so Prezi takes it one step further.

In preparation for my classes, I would post my slides with bulleted items in PowerPoint. I would have detailed speaker notes below and cool graphics on the slides, some of them being .gif files so the students can be engaged by the slides.  I would look for questions and comments and respond during the lecture and encourage more feedback from my students.

I would keep the colors streamlined so that there is not too much color.  I would want the students to understand the content and not get too involved with the slide colors.

Occassionally, I might add a slide transition or too to keep the slides from being too redundant, such as I do in my classes now for study. 

I would read over the slides and review them to insure that I would be seeing what the students are seeing.

I have had instructors who presented slides that had typos and/or information that we really didn’t need or use.  I would try my best to eliminate that and focus on the information needed at hand.

Overall, once the class was over, the students would have a better understanding of the course lecture and be ready to do their class assignment.

Pedagogical Goals and Objectives

Hi, Everyone!

Still muddling along with the class but catching up as I can. 

After reading about Implementing the Seven Principles, I wanted to post objectives that I have regarding teaching an online class.

1. Establishing a good rapport between student peers and the instructor. I am an online student at Colorado Technical University. The first online discussion post that we have to do for each class is to post something about ourselves, our degree programs of choice, and what we plan to do in our career. That is a wonderful idea because it allows each student and the instructor to meet the students and learn more about us and where we are in our careers. As we don’t have the advantage of having face time in our classes, it helps us understand each other.  We can also post a picture of ourselves in our discussion as well, if we wish.

2. Practice makes perfect. Reading the assigned readings and doing the assignments helps you understand the assignments.  Also listening to the lectures, whether archived or live helps understand and makes for a better assignment.  I learned that doing all three helped me have better feedback and information to do my assignments.

3. Using technology helps. Having up to date technology to apply to your course of study helps give a better understanding of the assignments given.  For example, my 2nd Masters’ is in Project Management. Understanding Microsoft Project, Word and Excel takes you a long way toward understanding how to prepare for a project. It also helps you stay organized throughout the duration of the project.

However you choose to apply your teachings, make sure you have a thorough understanding of the knowledge base for the class so that you can communicate effectively with the students.  Stay in contact with your students outside of the lectures and you’ll have an engaged class and one that students will enjoy.

 

Accessing Blogs and Google Reader!

Okay, doing my best to catch up in the class! I am enjoying the assignments that are reflective of the class and learning so much about blogging!

I watched the video with Alex Couros. He is a hoot and a very engaging speaker!  He kept the crowd’s attention.. I reviewed creativecontent.org and will be spending time on freevideolectures.com.

Tried to follow Mr. Couros on twitter but the name he gave #yrdsbquest, didn’t come up. Maybe I forgot the # sign and will try again!

At any rate, did my readings and is just learning as much as I can. 

Hope you all are doing as well!

Karen

 

Diigo-A Piece of Cake!

Okay, so I am a little behind but I am catching up.  I did my Diigo Account and yes, it was easy to set up!  I am now part of the mccpot community and is looking forward to be all caught up!

How is everyone else doing in the class? I hope all is well for everyone!

 

Thoughts on Class By Karen Coleman

I am navigating my way through the lessons and trying to play catch up a bit with this class. So far, the textbook is very interesting and gives me more insight on the online environment.

By the end of the week, I will be caught up to where everyone else is in the class and ready to keep rockin and rollin! #LuvinIt