In reading chapter 7 (Ko and Rossen), as well as reflecting on the slidecast presented by Lisa, some things really stood out for me. There are so many different elements that we can include in an online classroom, but I keep coming back to what Lisa talked about, having a pedagogical purpose behind each activity/assignment you give and each online tool you use. I like the idea of using both
- Blackboard AND
- A Blog
in the courses I might teach online (psychology). Using the Discussion Board in Bb allows for students to give each other feedback and creates community. Using a Blog set up by the professor, gives each student a chance to respond to information posted by the professor. I agree that it is necessary to give students direction and guidance on what makes a good post, including a grading rubric with samples of good and bad posts. It is also important to keep in mind how much time it may take students to find links, form thoughtful, reflective responses and input those comments into the online class activity.
Some creative elements that would be great for an online psychology class include using reflective writing assignments (tie the information from the class to your personal experiences), using case studies or scenarios to explore information, even adding the element of debate into the class (do vaccines cause autism? http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=668180 ). (VERY important to tie learning objectives into assignments or activities).
I am curious to know how many professors use peer evaluations as part of the student’s grade in an online class? That is not something I currently use in my f2f classes.
I created an account on diigo and bookmarked an article. I wasn’t able to make notes or highlight the article. I will probably create links on Bb in my online classes, but I would like to explore diigo a bit more.
