slumming
I’m tending to post more over at Aqueduct, my academic technology blog. I will be hosting a history carnival on June 1st, and will be posting some thoughts about Second Life - a virtual world without a knitting store. Stop by and say hi.
Carnival!
I will be hosting the June 1st History Carnival here at Aqueduct. In honor of my upcoming doctoral defense, the theme will be “American Dissent” from Daniel Shays to Tom Hayden. You are welcome to leave nominations in the comments. I’d love to feature some commentary on digital respositories, so if you’ve been meaning to write up something about a few sites you’ve tagged, you’ve got one month to get crackin!
Finals … Job Interview … Life
really, I’m not ignoring my computer. In fact I am spending too much time pressing buttons and not nearly enough time knitting. I’ve got final projects due this weekend and then a big, BIG, BIG job interview on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed.
Pedagogy and Curriculum II self-assessment
Self-assessment:
In an earlier post about self-assessment, I wrote that students often laughed when given the task of grading themselves. With little or no guidance, the instinct to give yourself an A and walk away is too easy. Really, who wouldn’t? But this is where I have begun to see the value of rubrics – and I actually found myself checking back against them this week as I put together my final project.
Since I’ve become a bit of a math freak, lets break out the calculator and see how I did.
Participation
Promptness:
4 points
Always completes the four-step process before Fri at 12:00 noon PM
I’m not sure if I should get all four points because it is not in my nature to procrastinate, but if you are offering 4 points for doing my work on time, I’ll take them.
4
Depth of Post & Clarity of Expression
10 points
Constantly makes reference to assigned readings for the week; Expresses opinions and ideas in a clear and concise manner; Contributions thoughtful, original evaluation, synthesis or analysis of topic
I think I got better at this as the ideas became clearer to me, as the readings began to reinforce my knowledge and I was able to feel more confident in my connections.
9
Contribution to the online Learning Community
6 points
Aware of needs of community; responds to at least four student postings each week; regularly attempts to motivate the group discussion but does not dominate conversation
Looking over my own posts, I think I was fairly active, but, I didn’t do four responses each week because I was constantly aware of trying not to dominate the conversation. If everyone else had been contributing the four posts as well, I would have felt far more comfortable posting more.
5
Contribution to the f2f Learning Community —
10 points
Attends f2f class and regularly participates in discussion or activities; is always on-topic
I attended all the classes, arrived on time with the exception of the 1 time I was locked out, never shied away from answering tough questions, and I hope, stayed on topic.
10
4+9+5+10=28/30
Blog
Critical Thinking & Development of Ideas
5 points
Constantly makes reference to readings, discussions, or other research; Contributions thoughtful or insightful. Makes interesting connections between ideas.
I really tried to connect my readings with things going on outside the classroom and to play with ideas as they occurred to me.
5
Quantity
5 points
Includes 12 or more postings.
This will be my 14th.
5
5 points
Is very cognizant of own learning process
Yep, I think I demonstrated, both in the blog and online, my own learning processes.
5
5+5+5=15/15
Wiki*
Content
4 points
All of the definitions contributed significantly to the knowledge base of the course
I think my definitions contributed to the wiki, but not to the knowledge base of the course (not to quibble over semantics, but I do think I contributed significantly to the knowledge base of the course, but not through the wiki).
3
Quantity
4 points
Submitted 5 or more definitions
Yep
4
Organization
2 points
Always followed the recommended format
Yep
2
I really like the idea of using a wiki, however in full disclosure, I feel that this was the weakest element of this class. It was never integrated into the learning activities, for most of the class it was just Muriel and myself posting and she got to most of the definitions I was thinking about way before I did.
3+4+2=9/10
Project
Needs Assessment and Situational Analysis
7 points
The need for the instructional design project is well stated and is substantiated with data; Problem statement is well written; comprehensive situational analysis.
This was the most difficult part of this project for me, not because I didn’t understand the assignment, but because I didn’t have a “real” audience in mind when I began this project.
5
Learning Goals and Objectives
7 points
Goals are clear and based on needs assessment; instructional objectives are appropriately written to show what the learner will be able to do after the instruction takes places; Goals and objectives also organized around “significant learning”
I think the process of scaling back my goals and objectives made this section stronger and I hope that the goals and objectives are fluid enough to be modified to meet the learners.
6
Feedback and Assessment
8 points
A comprehensive feedback and assessment plan is designed that is consistent with the instructional objectives
Yes – I view this class as a partnership between the students and myself. I address that in the syllabus and have created opportunities for feedback and course assessment into the structure.
8
Teaching and Learning Activities:
10 points
Instructional activities appropriate for the audience and objective; Instructional strategy is creative and learner-centered; Technology always used effectively to enrich the learning experience.
I hope so, I gave a lot of thought to the types of learning exercises I designed. BUT in some cases, I used a tool to try the tool even though it may not have been the best tool for that unit – this was a calculated decision based on the types of assignments I am likely to encounter when I leave MCGC and get a job. I may never, ever, have need for a quiz in a course I design, but I should still know how to do it in Moodle if anyone asks and I should be able to help them integrate the questions into a significant learning activity.
9
Grading and Assessment
4 points
Comprehensive grading and assessment plan reflects learning objectives
In an concerted effort to make the process transparent and to assist students in understanding their own performance, each activity is graded, with appropriate feedback opportunities at each step. Students can know their grade at any point, without asking the instructor for constant updates.
4
Writing Skills
4 points
Sentence structure and grammar excellent; correct use of punctuation and citation style; minimal to no spelling errors. Content is very clear and organized.
I am sure I’ve got a typo here or there, but I think everything is grammatically correct.
4
5+6+8+9+4+4=36/40
Presentation*
Content
2 points
Clearly based on sound learning or instructional design theory; Student demonstrates of full knowledge (more than required) with explanations and elaboration.
Coherence and Organization
2 points
Flows together well; Good transitions; Succinct and well organized
Delivery
1 point
Poised, clear articulation; Proper volume; Steady rate; Good posture and eye contact; Enthusiasm; confidence; Captures audience’s attention; Use of media is appropriate
This hasn’t happened yet, so I cannot assign myself a grade, but I will be shooting for 5/5
So lets add it all up:
28
15
9
36
5
93
Look at that, 93; even by the numbers I’m still giving myself an A.
What the numbers don’t show, and this is where I think I have my biggest problem with rubrics, is that I really learned a lot in this class and I think I could have gotten an A without working as hard (intellectually) as I did. I really liked this class and I liked the work I did in this class. And leaving aside all the numbers and formulas, judging my grade based on a different set of criteria –- did I interact with the ideas and with the other students and did I do so in a meaningful way — I’d still give myself an A.
And if we go back to my original statement of intent:
“This semester, I hope to continue finding answers to my essential questions, among them: what makes a course successful, when does using technology actually enhance a curriculum as opposed to just change the way it is delivered and how can I fine tune the way I learn and teach to be more effective? ” (from the “Who are you post” during the first class)
I would say I made great strides in building up my knowlege base. As we learned about each element of course design, I tried to pay particular attention to how it was done in this course, and how it was done in other classes here at MCGC and that process contributed as much to my learning as the readings and classroom instruction. Not only have I learned how to design more effectively, I’ve learned how to learn more effectively as well.
The birth of an essay collection
Check out “Pages” in the sidebar to follow a growing collection of essays.