Module 8: MVMs

My husband and I have been together for nearly 30 years and we really do not have a good concept of what the other does. We see the hard work each puts into the job. He will often take me to a grand opening of the office or restaurant he has just finished and I can ooh and ahh with the rest of the visitors. He does fabulous work. Each time I take an extended trip to some remote part of the world, I will return to a remodeled bathroom or bedroom, a new deck, or a rock garden. However, I often don't participate in the process.

Last night I showed my husband my EDU 762 Final Project. It was fun to listen to him ooh and ahh over my work. Web pages are still a mystery to him and the idea that his wife builds them is as amazing to him as his work is to me. I don't think we will ever truly understand how the other does what we do, but it is so much fun to view the finished product together.

My learning moments this week came through self-reflection based on the climate of my workplace and something my husband said to me as he reviewed my project. Both require me to dig deep into my psyche and determine what I want to do when I grow up. At this point in my life, that really means what I am going to do with my skills and aspirations now that I am on the verge of retirement.

What is next for me?

Module 7: MVMs

This week my most valuable learning moments came from a variety of sources. All are related to the class but only a few are directly in the class.

• I was blessed to have conversations these past few days with some of my favorite colleagues about teaching and learning. 
• I have been involved in reviewing candidates for the directorship of the new Faculty Commons. Watching their presentations and hearing their vision for the direction of teach at BC are stimulating. 
• I have taken one part of a project in my BTS 168 class apart. It was exactly what I was having the students do in the project when they take a finished report and deconstruct it. I took a project and deconstructed it into the various pieces that should make up a comprehensive whole. I was pleased. I think I accomplished that goal. If you would like to see for yourself, check out my BTS 168 Team Initial Design Project. 
• I reintroduced myself to Teaching Online: A Practical Guide by Susan Ko and Steve Rossen. It is a great reference book. 

In the past two weeks I have spent at least three 10 hour days working on my project and have added a bit nearly every other day. I am so hoping that I got the concept right and that major revisions are not in store for me. I'm tired. It was been a long, hard haul since January.

I started January enrolled in one class and teaching three. By the time mid month came around, I was enrolled in two classes, teaching three, totally inundated by tenure issues, and had been without power for four days. I ended up dropping my BI class and am still bummed about that.

In mid February I was enrolled in one class, teaching three, still totally inundated with tenure issues and my father passed away on my 24th wedding anniversary. It was all I could do to stay on my feet and focused. My students, my classmates, and my professor were all incredibly kind. My family stepped up to the plate and we all got done what needed to get done.

In March I was enrolled in two classes, teaching three, still deeply immersed in tenure issues, spending 20 hours per week on a hiring committee, and preparing to teach one class I have never taught before and one I teach only once a year. 

When April comes around, I'm thinking things will be easier. I am still enrolled in one class, teaching three, still deeply immersed in tenure issues, now find I am on the Pluralism committee, and am working on my third request for public disclosure. In all the years that I have been at BC, I have gotten three requests for public disclosure. They have all been within the last two months.

I have gained a great deal from this course. It is rewarding to understand that what I have been doing is pedagogically sound and to be able to put language around it. It is also great to have the opportunity to dissect a class and put it back together in better shape. I am just ready to have a life for a few weeks before I start my next class for summer quarter.

The Art of an Authentic Apology

Blogger Cynthia Morton writes, "An insincere apology can be almost as much of an insult as the upsetting event.   If you don't mean it, don't say it is how many of us feel when it comes to hearing the words 'I'm sorry'."  Is there really an art to it? I will answer a resounding Yes. If not an art, at least a methodology.  

So, how does one apologize? 

First, we need to take ownership of the apology. An apology uses I language.
Correct: I am sorry I ...
Incorrect: I am sorry you...

It is appropriate to say I am sorry that my explanation was not clear. It is not appropriate to say I am sorry you were confused. First of all, we don't know the other is confused unless we are told so. It is not appropriate to project our feelings on another person. If I am the one who wrote the the confusing explanation, then I need to take responsibility for it. In other words, do not blame someone else for what you did incorrectly.

Second, never call someone names during an apology. Better yet, never call someone a name. We are all clear that saying, "Xxxxx is a loser" or "Xxxxx is an idiot" is name calling. One can lessen the impact by taking ownship of the opinion, "I think Xxxxx is an idiot." However, that kind of name calling is still inappropriate.
Correct: After rereading my comment, I see how it could it raise all sorts of questions.
Incorrect: You are confused.

Third, do not project thoughts or feelings on another person. We don't know how that person thinks or feels unless that message is communicated to us.
Correct: Thank you for your question. I'm happy to explain what I meant by my earlier comment.
Incorrect: You are reading far too much into my comment. 

Fourth, ask what can be done to apologize. The person may want something specific or nothing at all. However, try referring back to what the other person originally requested. That may still be all the person really wants.
Correct: I'm sorry. What can I do to make this up to you?
Incorrect: I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Let me tell everyone how sorry I am.

All in all, it does not take much to say one is sorry. The point is to say it, mean it, and try not to make the original issue any worse by adding additional insults through placing the blame on the other party, name calling, and incorrectly interpreting thoughts or feelings. 

Module 6: MVMs

This has been one crazy week. And I am legally prohibited from talking about it. Oh well, been there before. Hopefully telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth will prevail again.

Our readings this week were very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the readings on scaffolding. The article on scaffolding from wikipedia only whet my appetite and I found a particularly interesting article at the University of Georgia on Scaffolding - Emerging Perspective. The concepts of both scaffolding and cybercoaching just made good sense to me. I don't know where I learned to do scaffolding, but it I find that I do it often in my classes.

We also created a pre-course survey. I did one on SurveyMonkey that incorporated several elements that I already use in my classes. I normally have students write an introduction, do a self-assessment, and write a computer plan. Each of the items gives me a valuable piece of information and utilize a different tool in our LMS. I will likely continue to use them for most of my classes; however, I may rewrite this one and use it in my Web 2.0 Tools class. I invite you to give it a try.

Click here to take survey

Module 5: Plagiarism in an Online Class

Plagiarism is not a big problem in my technology classes, for the most part. It is huge in my Web classes where students will copy and paste an entire Web page into their own page. Not hard to catch because they cannot create the code that is present in those pages.

In my database classes there is a whole market in selling homework. I'm sure this is an issue in other classes as well. In order to try to stem some of the trafficking, I have a methodology that the students must follow when they create their databases. When the databases are created as I require, the name is stored in the module code for the database. I can find it and verify who created the database. The students are not sophisticated enough at this stage to find the code and I don't tell them where it is. I don't even tell them how I check.

I also customize the data files for every quarter. I cannot tell if someone else is doing their homework, but I can tell if the database is one of mine or one that was obtained from a different source.

I have a YouTube channel where I give demonstrations of the techniques in the textbook I use. Someone contacted me though my channel and offered me $100 for one of my databases. He told me that he was turning it in as homework. I didn't answer.

Module 5: Taxonomy of Assessment

Guiding Objective
Working as part of a small team and given an example report and feedback from the project owner, the student will analyze and deconstruct the report to design and build a database capable of producing that report.

Module Objectives

1. After completing Tutorial 01 in the course textbook, a student will list fields from an example report containing 20 or more fields with 100% accuracy using the team wiki.
2. After completing Tutorial 02 in the course textbook, a student will discuss with team members the relationship of each field in a list of 20 or more fields to all other fields using database specific terminology and create grouped lists (tables) with 90% accuracy using Elluminate.
3. After reading Appendix A in the course text book, swill analyze each table, add necessary fields which are not shown on the sample report, and and classify the Key field(s) in each table according to its specific function with 90 – 100% accuracy using the team wiki.
4. After reading the supplemental material on Many-to-Many Relationships, the student team will illustrate the relationships among the tables using the team whiteboard with 70 – 100% accuracy.

The table is using only activities from objectives 1 and 2 at this point.

Bloom categories	Learning objective verbs	Activity
Knowledge (recall, list, define, identify, collect, label)	Identify, list	Students will open the sample report at the class site and using the example in their assigned course textbook, they will identify and list each field in the report on the team wiki.
Comprehension (summarize, describe interpret, predict, discuss)	Discuss, describe	Students will discuss and describe the relationship each field listed has to each other field in the list using Elluminate.
Application (apply, demonstrate, illustrate, classify, experiment, discover)	Demonstrate	Students will demonstrate knowledge of the difference between a label and a fields by listing only fields in their field list on the team wiki.
Analysis (analyze, classify, connect, explain, infer)	Explain	Students will research two database specific terms, explain their meaning, and post examples on the team wiki.
Synthesis (combine, integrate, plan, create, design, formulate)	Combine, create	Students will combine their own list of fields with those of their team members to create a master list of fields on the team wiki.
Evaluation (assess, recommend, convince, compare, conclude, summarize)	Assess, compare	Students will assess their own list of fields, compare it to those of their team members  on the team wiki.

Module 4: MVMs

This week was about team projects. But my MVMs for this week are not about team projects. I headed an audit team when I was 25 years old and have been a group leader, supervisor, manager, team leader, committee chair, and team player since then. Teamwork is a necessary part of business. I don't like it and I don't dislike it. It is simply a part of life. We participate in teams at work, school, sports activities and volunteer community work. When I was young and trying to make my mark the corporate world, I was quick to volunteer to lead a committee. Now that I am old and have no need to be in the spotlight, it is my purpose to support the efforts of younger members looking for opportunities to prove themselves. I consider it my responsibility and privilege to help them become better. I hope I do that by delivering my part on time, helping others when needed, stepping in when asked, and by not taking over when the team struggles.

The project team of which I was a part for our assessment toolbox did a very nice job. Everyone pulled together and stepped in as needed to do what was needed. I am pleased to have worked with Mare, Martha and Karen. I hope you will visit the Team Sprocket Assessment Toolbox. 

My most valuable moments this week came in doing the research for my own portion of the project. Sir Ken Robinson states at the end of the video that I have embedded below that we should tread softly when others lay their dreams at our feet. He reminded me how important it is to encourage students to achieve in all our interactions with them. How we behave towards and communicate with them can impact their faith in their own ability to achieve.

Social Learning Summit

Classroom 2.0 announces the Social Learning Summit on April 21st. Check out the presenters and presentations at 2012 Social Learning Summit Proposals.

Authentic Assessment (Presented in GoAnimate)

An interesting use of a Web 2.0 tool to present the topic of authentic assessment. The Dr. Wiggins referred to in the video is Dr. Grant Wiggins, President of Authentic Education in Hopewell, New Jersey. I think that Dr. Betty Wiggins is only the avatar inteviewer in the story.

Module 03: Concept Map

I much prefer to create concept maps using a whiteboard or pencil and paper. I don't like to muddy up the concept with graphics that don't work. It is obvious that this is a technique that I need to spend more time on. I should have just canned the online software and went with Visio.

Concept, thinking or mind maps are considered an effective method to enhance student learning (Ogle 2000). Additional research and case studies showing improved ability to make connections and to establish relationships is located at Designs for Thinking - Research.

I created a concept map using WebinspirationPRO, a collaborative visual productivity tool, to model the following learning objective: Students will build a fully-functional customized user interface with macros, macro groups, command buttons and procedures to match the client specifications request within a four week period using Microsoft Office Access 2010. It was not appropriate for the assignment, so I created another one using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2010. It covers a shorter period and more specific objectives.

Resources:
"Designs for Thinking - Research on Thinking Maps®." the thinking foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.
Ogle, D. (2000). Make it visual. In M. McLaughlin & M. Vogt (Eds), Creativity and innovation in content area teaching (pp. 103-114). Norwood, MA.: Christopher Gordon.

Module 03: Moment Valuable Moments (MVMs)

This week I learned that I am very opinionated about certain things and need to have more facts and resources with which to support my opinions.

I also need to learn more about these items:

• Evidence-based learning
• KWL

I enjoy the work of Dr. Curtis Bonk and discovered a link to his PublicationShare site for access to all of his publicly available papers. 

Module 03: Simulations

A thread started by Kim J. entitled "Times have changed...but not really" really intrigued me. It is one of my pet soapboxes. I believe that children are not learning the how systems work by being allowed to start the game over. I am embedding my original posting below.

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To set the environment--it is still ski season here in the Pacific Northwest, it is a beautiful day, and I am sitting in my dining room where I can see the mountains and the sun, and I am working. Argh!

Phil Mahre

I am intrigued by the ideas of simulation and virtualization. Some of you may have heard of Phil and Steve Mahre--the Mahre brothers--who were World Cup and Winter Olympics skiers from Washington State. They had a reputation for running the course in their heads before they ran the gates on race day. It was said, and at this far date I cannot easily find a source, that they would stand at the top of the course with eyes closed and run the course mentally before jumping into the start gate. The difference between them and many students is that they knew how to ski and they had skied the course before. They were practicing tactics and stategy in their heads. They knew what would happen if they hooked a gate or lost an edge. However, they reported that the virtualization worked for them. Their many wins support their assertions.

I wonder how these "simulations" relate to what is being taught using a computer simulation. The Mahre brothers could ski before they raced at the Olympic level. Naomi’s point about simulations being controlled resonates with me. I know what it is like to fall in a race course, rocket out of both skis, and slide over salted snow face first. When I crash in Wii skiing, it doesn’t feel the same at all. Is there a price that we pay for setting up situations in which a student can "reset" the game and start over?

Unfortunately, this whole area is one of my pet soapboxes. I have tried step on and off it quickly; however, I could not resist the invitation.

Module 03: Personal Learning Environments

I am on a quest to determine the difference between a Personal Learning Environment and an e-Portfolio. In my journey I ran across the work of Graham Attwell, the Director of the Welsh independent research institute, Pontydysgu. Attwell states that the question of the difference between an e-portfolio and a PLE "is a question which has bothered me for some time as I am involved in developmental projects for both e-Portfolios and Personal Learning Environments. And it could well be that there is little difference, depending on how both applications (or better put, learning processes) are defined. Of course, if e-Portfolios are seen primarily as a vehicle for assessment then the differences are clear." He adds that a "PLE may be seen as a tool (or set of tools) for not only presenting learning  but for also (individually or collectively) developing a representation of wider knowledge sets (ontologies?)."

Resources:
Attwell, Graham. "Pontydysgu – Bridge to Learning - Educational Research." Pontydysgu – Bridge to Learning - Educational Research. N.p., 13 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/04/what-is-the-difference-between-an-e-portfolio-and-a-personal-learning-environment/>.

Module 02: Moment Valuable Moments (MVMs)

My most valuable moments in module two came with

• Creating a better understanding of the use of Bloom's Taxonomy in writing course competencies
• Discovering the Wisc-Online site and collection of RLOs
• Researching and writing about using blogs in technology classes. 

The last item is the one on which I spent the most time. I found lots of blogs about technology tools used in teaching and education; however, I found no examples of how blogging is used in technology classes.

I have decided that my best course of action is to post my findings to my peers in our class discussion thread and invite them to help me find resources. I am including a small portion of my posting to the class site below and also asking if anyone has any ideas about where I can find resources on using blogging in technology courses, please add a comment. I primarily teach database design, construction, and report writing. I teach both F2F and online.

My week was extraordinarily busy. I interacted with several of my peers and had meaningful interchanges with a few. My efforts at collaboration were weak; however, it is the nature of this time of the quarter. 

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In order for me to require students in my technology classes to blog, I have to be convinced that they will truly be gaining something from blogging that they are not realizing though our extensive use of threaded discussions. Students do participate in the threaded discussions, where we explain problems, offer solutions, present links, and form study groups. We do utilize blogs and forums in the classes as part of our research. I encourage students to sign up for forums and to follow technology bloggers. These resources allow us to ask and receive responses to questions that might otherwise go unanswered. I make regular use of my access to experts in my field through groups on LinkedIn, and I encourage my students to join in the discussion.

Module 02: Emerging Practices of Online Assement

 Our objectives for Module Two:

• Distinguish between measurement, assessment and evaluation
• Evaluate use of blogs in an online writing course
• Practice and demonstrate use of educational blogs as a collaborative, reflective assessment technique
• Formulate plans for a student-centered learning environment
• Design learning objectives that are connected to authentic assessment techniques 

I enjoyed the tour of the reusable learning objects (RLO) and learned three things about writing robust competencies by reviewing The Good, the Bad, and What Is a Competency? at Wisc-Online.

1. It contains one clearly written action verb
2. It is written at the application level or above in Bloom's taxonomy
3. It is measurable and observable

I have a particular interest in Bloom's Taxonomy, because I was unfamiliar with it until a few years after I had started teaching full time, and in writing competencies, because we are constantly rewriting competencies for our courses--as we should be.

Module 01: Let's Go to the Movies

I find it very difficult to find a movie that has profound impact on my life. I can name books and songs but not movies. As I thought about it, the movies that stuck with me the most were war movies. I don't like "shoot 'em up" movies. I think it is the sacrifice and often the futility that most impacts me. I ran through a number, like Blackhawk Down, the Last of the Mohicans, and the Deer Hunter, before deciding on Gettysburg.

Gettysburg chronicles a short period leading up to and the three days of the battle at Gettysburg. The concept of predestination is stressed repeatedly in the deep religious beliefs of the Confederate leader and serves to support the battlefield heroics.

My favorite character is Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and believe that Jeff Daniels does a great job of portraying the idealist professor from Maine. Who, by the way, went on to do more great things.

I am embedding a scene from the movie that I used in teaching inspirational leadership theories. In this segment, Chamberlain inspires a group of "mutineers" to achieve higher performance levels by articulating a vision. The inspiration music help a bit too. ;-)

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At first I did not like this assignment. I could not think of any movies that had truly impacted my life--or so I thought. The movies do impact my life by causing me to learn more, but it ends up being the books on which the movies are based that I remember.

Gettysburg: This movie caused me to read the whole series of books on and leading up to the Civil War by Michael Shaara and Jeff Shaara. The last time I studied American history was in high school. Textbooks in those days were highly sanitized. My delving into American history stimulated me to apply for two National Endowment for the Humanities’ Landmarks Workshops where I learned about the auto industry in Detroit and the steel industry in Cleveland. Both industries played a large role in shaping the management techniques we still use today.

Blackhawk Down: This movie has caused me to question my values and beliefs. My most memorable quote in the movie is given by Abdullah 'Firimbi' Hassan (played by Treva Etienne): "Do you think if you get General Aidid, we will simply put down our weapons and adopt American democracy? That the killing will stop? We know this. Without victory, there will be no peace. There will always be killing, see? This is how things are in our world." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/quotes The year after this movie came out, I got to spend five weeks in Southern Africa. Although a very different environment, I was more aware of the assumptions I held about about Africa and Africans. Being more open to the experience allowed for richer learning.

My two latest "life changing" movies are 1) North Face and 2) The Way Back. Both are historical drama, which tends to be my favorite genre. I found these movies through books and found more books through these movies. My husband's maternal grandfather died in the Soviet Union in the late 20's while working on the railroad. No one alive now really knows what happened. One of the characters in The Way Back went to Russia to work on the railroad and ended up in a gulag. My interest is even more peaked.

Module 01: Connecting Assessment Uses to Assessment Techniques

In his article on alternative assessment Buhagiar article (2007) enumerates six uses of assessment created by Caroline Gipps and Gordon Stobart in 1993. The list that follows equates each of those uses to a technique that was used in Module One of our class:

1. Screening: Screening was utilized by determining which of us could use the tools that were required for the course and which could not use them without assistance from the instructor or classmates. The module incorporated a variety of tools that required finding outside Web sites, checking and responding to e-mail, finding tools that allowed editing of a page, finding, completing and submitting a survey, locating and reading on-line materials, demonstrating understanding by reviewing the materials, and responding to others using course tools. I am certain I missed some. Regardless, the introductory activities should surface where attention may be required.
2. Diagnosis: Similar to above, the diagnosis portion could determine how assistance was received by the learner who needed it, who waited until the last minute (like me), who was quick to offer assistance, and who needed that assistance most often.
3. Record-keeping: Record keeping assures that students completing this program have actually completed the required coursework, which supports the objectives of the course. There needs to be some assurance to stakeholders that the certification or diploma received was the result of meeting the objectives and not simply buying a degree. Creating activities that learners complete allows the instructor to have some degree of assurance that objectives are being met.
4. Feedback: The feedback in this module came in many forms. How easily were the learners able to follow the instructions? Was additional instruction or clarification required? Are the peers providing quality feedback to one another or do they need to be assisted in understanding the nature of quality feedback? The survey completed provided information to the instructor and, ultimately, to the institution about the demographics and interests of the students. The survey also provided information to the instructor that could strengthen the feedback he provides to students by understanding more about who they are.
5. Certification: Learners certify by demonstrating mastery of certain objectives. In Module One learners are asked to address the objectives of 1) Define, compare and contrast standardized and alternative assessment techniques, 2) Illustrate the role of formative and summative assessment in an online course and program, 3) Interpret and practice the use of a wiki as an online assessment tool, and 4) Practice and demonstrate use of a discussion as an informal assessment technique. Activities were created addressing each objective, each had an outcome, and each could be assessed for level of completion.
6. Selection: Selection was used in a variety of ways. The movie discussion allowed students to self-select into discussions that were of interest to them. The assessment discussion allowed for the same outcome. The survey and other assessment techniques explored here can allow for the instructor to select certain groups. For example, the instructor may pair technically stronger learners with technically weaker learners, or learners with common or disparate interests to try to stimulate conversation, or place late posters with early posters to use peer pressure to stimulate earlier response to questions.

• Which tool did you like best and why?  I liked the survey best, then the movie discussion, and finally the wiki.
  
• What assessment advantages does it offer to your own course design plans? I like to know where my learners are coming from. Sometimes I have a group of technically skilled students and I can introduce challenging discussion items that prepare them for future classes. Sometimes I have technically challenged learners and our discussions, tips, and tools are intended to make them better prepared for the requirements of the current class. Additionally, I may have a whole group of Accounting majors or Medical IT majors. When I have students all in one field, I can address the materials more directly to the nature of the work these students will likely be doing.

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I had some difficulty determining that these were the six techniques that we were to discuss, because I expected them to refer specifically to alternative assessment. I decided to go with them anyway as several were clearly used in the three opening techniques of the ice-breaker, wiki, and survey.

I seem to be survey-challenged. I took the survey the first day or two after the class opened and really liked it. Then I discovered I had not taken the survey. I was thinking that I had just forgotten to click "Save" again. Been there, done that. But no; it was a different survey. I looked all over the site for the first survey I had taken and never did find it. I had to change my comments in the discussion, because I didn't like this survey as well.

I recall writing in the first survey about two things that are meaningful to me: 1) meeting Conrad Anker in a restaurant in Tingri, Tibet in 2007, and 2) journeying to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld, in Belize. The comments I made said something about my interests. The second survey did not leave me with the same feeling of having expressed something about myself.

Resources:
Buckman, Ken. "What Counts as Assessment in the 21st Century." Thought & Action 23 (2007): 29-37.
Buhagiar, Michael A. "Classroom assessment within the alternative assessment paragdigm: revisiting the territory." the Curriculum Journal (2007): 39-56.