WK7Assign2

Approaching discussion groups effectively as a Moderator

Moderators play a crucial role in the field of communication. They can also play a role within online learning within discussions and forums. In this week’s resources, Palloff & Pratt, describe various types of moderators that can be effective and useful within online learning through the use of discussions and forums. They provide various examples on what type of characteristics moderators should have in order to be beneficial in working with discussions groups. In understanding how discussion and forums have a high possibility of getting out of hand, it is important to acknowledge the tasks of moderators and how they can change the dynamic and interactivity between students within discussion groups.

For this weeks discussion, provide one supplemental positive characteristic that a moderator should possess when working within online discussions. Then provide two characteristics that would not be beneficial for a moderator to have or use within an online discussion. Provide a short rationale as to how they relate to discussion forums through the use of references or a personal example.

Below you will find the link to the scoring rubric which will provide information on how you will be scored.

Click Here for Rubric Paloff & Pratt Doc

References:
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K., Promoting Collaborative Learning, Building Online Communities). Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Plagiarism

With the advent of the online technologies and the exponential growth of the World Wide Web comes increased access to information. Unfortunately, this access also can create additional opportunities for cheating and plagiarism. This week, you will post a blog entry concerning your insights on the topic and methods for detecting and preventing cheating and plagiarism in the online learning environment.

To prepare for this assignment, view the video program "Plagiarism and Cheating" and read the article "Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A Case Study in Detection and Remediation." In these resources, you will be presented with numerous strategies for detecting and preventing plagiarism in online learning. Although it presents additional challenges and responsibilities for online instructors and trainers, applying specific design, facilitation, and assessment considerations will relieve many of these concerns. Consider the following:

Aside from Turnitin, another software that is useful is called Dustball. This site allows for uploading and copy and pasting information to the site and provides information as to what statements or sentences have been taken word for word and find it the information has been stolen without proper citation. 

Creating questions that require the students to use their own personal experiences and integrate them with the subjects topic as answers can help students provide unique answers.  Create assessments that will encourage students to want to use texts properly in order to retrieve answers to the subject matter at hand. Instead of taking information from the book word for word, I would try to allow them to use statements as references, as long as they have the name of the author and the text name at the end of the paper or answers at hand. I would provide a lot of leeway in regards to the format and not be very rigorous in regards to whether it is in APA or MLA format.

By understanding what different forms of plagiarism are being used by students and providing various ways to avoid them to students as a guide when writing answers or papers. Other types of consideration that should be taken are students experience in working with plagiarism and correct referencing, whether they understand the different formats for citing information depending on the type of paper they are writing and understanding what type of paper you are requesting the students to write. This last part is important because a reflection paper does not necessarily have to include references but even though it can make the paper stronger, reviewing papers over and over again can cause a facilitator to become confused and grade papers incorrectly for a student without remembering what type of paper they are requesting.

Impact of Technology and Media

 Technology and media provide the skeletal structure and backbone for online learning environments. In working with building an online learning environment, I have learned that there are many components that can go together in various setups to make the learning experience interactive and intriguing for the students at hand. Technology advances at a quick rate, so keeping up with the trends that are used in social networking formats can also be used in an educational setting online so that there will be familiarity and a greater sense of comfort for students. Multimedia can reach students with different cultures and learning styles. From audio to video to pdf files to other formats used, multimedia provides options for students to approach the lessons at hand and understand the main idea of the subject through different contexts.

The most important consideration for an instructor should be in implementing their presence. "The teaching presence provides the framework for guiding learning and setting out the goals and expectations for the course learning experiences." Before understanding what technology should be used for the course the instructor should understand that they are the main tool to provide the education to the students. It should come from their own skills, understanding and confidence in being able to instruct the material at hand.  

One technological tool I find most appealing is blackboard and Twitter. Though I am not a hardcore "tweeter" (?) I feel that this tool can make a strong impact in the field of instructional design because of its ability to provide an excess amount of information to an unlimited amount of people. The format of using 140 characters or less can provide the students with a quick summary of the subject matter and hand and through the use of shorter website links such as TinyURL or Bitly, this provides opportunity for sharing information in a quicker format without having to take extra time out for searching or typing long URL's. Blackboard has piqued my interest since going to school through Walden University because of its simple format. Being that I have had prior experience with Moodle, I enjoy Blackboard because of the interface and the different options I have to communicating among peers while keeping all my information in one location without getting lost.

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Setting Up an Online Learning Experience

There is a value in knowing the technology available to you because you have a head start on understanding how you can apply the tools to the course at hand. You can also assist students who may or may not have experience with the technology and help them learn how it can be applied to the tasks and assignments at hand and provide them with a clear layout on what you expect the final project to look like. "Focus on the essential tools and build your first course around those tools." (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010) In having experience with the tools, you can provide a quicker form of assistance to students who need troubleshooting with the tools as opposed to waiting for a representative from the "helpdesk" to return a response, which most programs tend to have.

Laying out expectations for a course to the students allows the instructor and students to have a mental map of what will be needed and when it will needed to be submitted for each project or task. Students have to understand what the guidelines are for each course and in sharing expectations, they understand what the objectives and goals will be for that course. It provides them with the idea of what they will learn in the course and how they will be assessed to confirm whether or not they are understanding the material.

One consideration is confirming whether the technology tools provided whether through audio or video platforms, can be accessible on all operating systems, whether MAC or PC or Linux. Also the instructor should advise and confirm that the students have the programs required and that they are  at the most up to date version for optimal performance.

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical  pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Online Learning Communities

How do online learning communities significantly impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses?

Through the use of forums, sharing of sites and information through links and blogging and an adequate amount of sharing experiences and responses online to peers and other members of the online community. The more knowledge and questions that are shared, the more experiences and feedback that can be provided and reflect each students different mindset or opinion on whatever the subject matter may be.

What are the essential elements of online community building?

Experience in using social networks, useful and accessible forms of media and tools. The opportunity to participate in forums and discussion sites. A form of assistance or help desk for those that may be new to the field of online learning. Having an open mind to the various opinions of others, since the online world is literally a world of its own.

How can online learning communities be sustained?

Through applying new and old technological aspects to the communities at hand so that anyone that chooses to participate in it may have experience in some parts of the tasks suggested and at the same time, provide an opportunity for them to learn about new technologies. By providing students and facilitators with time constraints so that there can be completed tasks without delaying other tasks. 

What is the relationship between community building and effective online instruction?

The relationship is in allowing the participants to have an opportunity to shared and learn from personal experiences on particular subject matters that are within a common range within the online forum.  "Online facilitators set the stage for power sharing to occur in the way they approach learners and provide feedback." (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, p. 13) In having a mentor or facilitator, this allows the participants and students with the space and opportunity to share their insight while engaging with and respecting others.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

EIDT-6510

This is my blog for my course work in Instructional Design and Technology at Walden University. I look forward to working with all of you throughout this course. Three more courses left til graduation!!!!!!

Izzi

Analyzing Scope Creep

            In building this training, I had to work with the installation and integration manager at the time who assisted me with the detail in writing the information for the beginning part. We resolved the situation partially by still making the beginner part of the module go “live” on the website for the customers but we began working on the filming for the integration portion of our products with DVR’s and Cameras. Once this part of the project was complete we integrated it into the beginning portion of the modules and revised the intermediate parts to include much more difficult designs and integrations for our products and various setups and systems. Though this took a lot of time out of the integrations managers time for assisting customers, the CEO’s desire to have this up and running on the company website made the priority of the project change.

            If I had the opportunity to manage the project fully and decide when the information was to be placed live on the website, I would have decided to keep the beginning module as is. “The best approach is to set up a well-controlled, formal process whereby changes can be introduced and accomplished with as little distress as possible.” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008, p. 346) I would’ve decided to have the video portion of the project included in the intermediate portion of the project because of its ability to provide better information to customers that already understand our products individually and want to learn more about integration. Due to the CEO’s rush for the beginner module to have this information, many of our customers that were waiting for this information were delayed for much longer.

Portny, S.E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.