Ah, learning exercises. Designing them may be the most creative part of the curriculum process so far. In thinking about my online course design, I’ve had to think outside my traditional box. My tendency is to think in terms of reading, writing and research but those aren’t learning activities; they are homework assignments that, if done poorly, amount to little more than busy work.

How can I transform those skills into actually learning activities that meet the goals of my course? Fink encourages us to routinely revisit the entire process, going back to the goals to make sure our learning activities are in alignment. To that end, I’ve included my goals here.

learning_goals.jpg

For this course, I am really starting at the beginning with the student and a writing/reading/editing activity.

a) The Place Where You Stand - The world as you know it depends on where you stand and what you can see. The author’s blurb on the back page of the book attempts to introduce the reader to the author and the perspective they bring. Please write your own blub, to be included on your profile page in Moodle. Please make it concise and relevant; what experience do you bring to this class that shapes the way you view the globtech economy.

b) When you are done, pick one classmate and review their bio. Is it concise? Can you edit the paragraph in any way to make it read better? Feel free to email them and ask questions. Now, rewrite their bio, if necessary.

c) Now, dig a bit deeper on Friedman - what do we know about him, that he hasn’t declared. Post your reply to this forum. Keep a searching journal (see sample journal to be included later) telling us where you searched and what you found.

What is the goal of this activity? To get students writing and engaging in an editing exercise to strengthen their core skills. We slowly begin to introduce critical thinking skills, first by asking the student to decide what is relevant and then by asking their partner to decide. Finally, we introduce some technical skills (the searching) that will require some logic (how do you search for Thomas Friedman and “The World is Flat” and not get online booksellers, for example) as well as some evaluative skills – what do we need to know about Thomas Friedman that he hasn’t told us yet, and why does this new bit of information matter? Finally, students learn that they can be the creators of content, not exclusively the consumers. I see this as a minor learning goal, at this point, so I won’t spent too much time on it, but I want to introduce it because we will be building on it as we go, once I am secure that the lower level goals have been met and or exceeded.

To model what I am looking for, I’ve posted mine. Students are welcome to edit it.

Amy Stevens
Ms. Stevens is a politically aware, libertarian-leaning feminist concerned with the intersection of technology and academics. In the past 15 years, she has survived riots in the nation’s capital, lived in a naked commune, endured a doctoral program in American History, published a book about radical social activists of the 1960’s and worked as a financial technology consultant to some of the country’s largest mutual fund companies. She is a married mother of two, living outside of Boston.