Discussion Prompt – for Week 7
In the last few weeks, you’ve learned and applied your understanding about online assessment as it is applied to written tests and performance-based tests. This week you’ve read about a third area where assessment can be applied. That area is collaborative activities such as discussion forums and group projects.
For the next two weeks, you will have the opportunity to practice collaboration in the effort to create a Checklist of Necessities for the 4 phases of a discussion activity. The 4 phases are Design, Preparation, Moderating, and Evaluation. Each class member will be assigned to one of the phases. [Here is the link to the GROUP ASSIGNMENTS .] Communicating and working together, each group will be expected to create a collectively generated and agreed upon checklist of the actions, objects, or concepts needed to successfully accomplish that phase in establishing an online discussion forum.
In the last few weeks, you’ve learned and applied your understanding about online assessment as it is applied to written tests and performance-based tests. This week you’ve read about a third area where assessment can be applied. That area is collaborative activities such as discussion forums and group projects.
For the next two weeks, you will have the opportunity to practice collaboration in the effort to create a Checklist of Necessities for the 4 phases of a discussion activity. The 4 phases are Design, Preparation, Moderating, and Evaluation. Each class member will be assigned to one of the phases. [Here is the link to the GROUP ASSIGNMENTS .] Communicating and working together, each group will be expected to create a collectively generated and agreed upon checklist of the actions, objects, or concepts needed to successfully accomplish that phase in establishing an online discussion forum.
Use the resources from the posted lesson, especially Chapter 9 Design for the Virtual Classroom from William Horton’s book E-Learning by Design (website to course). Find at least two additional but outside resources for your reference list that provide information helpful to expand and confirm the elements listed in the lesson resources. Put team member’s name on the checklist document you create. Each of you will need to hyperlink the checklist to your discussion posting for Week 7.
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This particular post is scheduled as a two-week activity rather than the usual Post by Wednesday - Respond by Sunday. The reason is because this is really two activities: a Checklist with References and a Discussion Post. Here is an overview of both activities and the timeline for completion.
This particular post is scheduled as a two-week activity rather than the usual Post by Wednesday - Respond by Sunday. The reason is because this is really two activities: a Checklist with References and a Discussion Post. Here is an overview of both activities and the timeline for completion.
Week 6 – By Friday
Communicate with the members of your group. Assign roles and responsibilities. Decide upon the tasks needed to complete your part in this project. Establish a schedule. Develop and share your individual research to generate a collective checklist. Evaluate, add or eliminate items; in essence reach consensus. Consider using a wiki as the medium for communicating and sharing your ideas. Consider web-conferencing for a synchronous meeting among the members of the team.
Week 6 – By Sunday
Proofread and edit. Decide upon the "appearance" for your document – layout, fonts, sizes, graphics, links, etc. Create a professional-looking checklist, including a reference list (3 sources minimum), as a PDF document. Complete and submit to the appropriate dropbox your private evaluation of everyone’s work effort and output by using the rubric provided. Here is a link to the Peer-Evaluation RUBRIC. Everyone should review the rubric early to understand the expectations.
Week 7 - By Wednesday
Reach concensus within your group on the sources and the checklist so that each member can post the checklist and references as a link in the initial posting to the Discussion Board. Along with the link to your group's checklist, write a post that explains the phase to which you were assigned. What was your group tasked to do? Describe also the process of working collaboratively for this project (successes / difficulties). Did collaboration work well for your group? Provide a defense or criticism of Discussion Forums for online instruction as a means to assess what a student learns and the depth of that understanding and application. Do Forums work as an instructional technique? Should they be evaluated? Remember to support your position with evidence from sources and/or experience.
Use subheadings to identify the three parts to this week's posting, but also add approppriate transition words so that the three sections are connected to form a unified essay. Consider how textbooks smoothly connect sections and paragraphs with good transitioning. As usual, make sure to proofread and edit your submission so that it can be easily read and understood. So this week's post calls for
1.) a link to your checklist and references;
2.) explanation of your group's phase of the operation;
3.) description of the collaborative process within your group;
4.) defense or criticism of discussion forums;
5.) reference list
Week 7 - By Sunday
For this week you will be participating in another form of collaboration by reading, responding and sharing with at least two groups representing other phases in developing a Discussion Forum.
First, click on the link in a person’s Initial Post to note the checklist. Did it seem complete? Are there other thoughts or ideas you think should be added to the list? Now read the Initial Posting to see how this person described the phase of the operation and whether the collaborative process seemed to work well for the group. Was the explanation of the process similar to your group when it came to collaboration? Did your group approach collaboration differently? Was it because they represent a different phase than your group? Lastly, read what the person said about Discussion Forums. Hopefully s/he, as well as you, were frank and honest. Within the rules of good netiquette, respond to the person’s view with your own now informed opinion concerning Discussion Boards.
In addition to submitting your Initial Posting and Response to two other groups, return to your own submission; read and respond to any class members who have read your posting concerning your group’s checklist and your personal commentary about the Discussion Board topic and the collaborative process used in making the checklist. Here is the link to the DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC. Review it both before and after preparing your response so you understand what is expected.
Week 7 - By Wednesday
Reach concensus within your group on the sources and the checklist so that each member can post the checklist and references as a link in the initial posting to the Discussion Board. Along with the link to your group's checklist, write a post that explains the phase to which you were assigned. What was your group tasked to do? Describe also the process of working collaboratively for this project (successes / difficulties). Did collaboration work well for your group? Provide a defense or criticism of Discussion Forums for online instruction as a means to assess what a student learns and the depth of that understanding and application. Do Forums work as an instructional technique? Should they be evaluated? Remember to support your position with evidence from sources and/or experience.
Use subheadings to identify the three parts to this week's posting, but also add approppriate transition words so that the three sections are connected to form a unified essay. Consider how textbooks smoothly connect sections and paragraphs with good transitioning. As usual, make sure to proofread and edit your submission so that it can be easily read and understood. So this week's post calls for
1.) a link to your checklist and references;
2.) explanation of your group's phase of the operation;
3.) description of the collaborative process within your group;
4.) defense or criticism of discussion forums;
5.) reference list
Week 7 - By Sunday
For this week you will be participating in another form of collaboration by reading, responding and sharing with at least two groups representing other phases in developing a Discussion Forum.
First, click on the link in a person’s Initial Post to note the checklist. Did it seem complete? Are there other thoughts or ideas you think should be added to the list? Now read the Initial Posting to see how this person described the phase of the operation and whether the collaborative process seemed to work well for the group. Was the explanation of the process similar to your group when it came to collaboration? Did your group approach collaboration differently? Was it because they represent a different phase than your group? Lastly, read what the person said about Discussion Forums. Hopefully s/he, as well as you, were frank and honest. Within the rules of good netiquette, respond to the person’s view with your own now informed opinion concerning Discussion Boards.
In addition to submitting your Initial Posting and Response to two other groups, return to your own submission; read and respond to any class members who have read your posting concerning your group’s checklist and your personal commentary about the Discussion Board topic and the collaborative process used in making the checklist. Here is the link to the DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC. Review it both before and after preparing your response so you understand what is expected.
Bruce,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you provided the four phases and required learners to address each phase for their post assignment. Your post seemed friendly, yet organized with a specific purpose.
Melissa