Course Outline

Readings and Class Discussions (20%)

Activities and goals: reading and bi-weekly discussions: reading, participating and facilitating the discussions, making connections between the reading and practice, contributing original ideas, incorporating and responding to the other colleagues' perspectives.

I would like to mention that participating in online asynchronous discussions is in themselves computer applications in education. Not to mention asynchronous discussions are very important part of distance learning, more and more schools and teachers have incorporated discussion forums (and blogs and wikis) in their regular classroom teaching. Literature has indicated various benefits of communicating and having students communicate through asynchronous communication tools effectively. With this in mind, we have dual goals here: one is to have conversations about computer applications in education; another is to experience asynchronous written communication in a recursive manner.  
  
Although we are not in a traditional classroom setting, I expect that all participants in this course progress at a similar pace (i.e., following the weekly schedule and assignments). I think this way, you won’t feel lost due to too much work at once, and that the whole class will benefit from more focused and synergistic discussions around the weekly topics. 

I expect approximately two to three substantive but succinct postings from every participant on the discussion forum every two weeks. You should feel free to post your original comments or respond to the other colleagues. By substantive postings, I mean that you will need to back up your posting with your research and reading, together with your creative and spontaneous thoughts, whether you respond to a colleague or post an independent thought around the discussed topic.  I don’t encourage a simple phrase such as “I agree” or “That’s wonderful” although I recognize the value of such a response.  It can be frustrating to read through a series of postings that offer little information.  Instead, please try to build on the conversation and introduce new ideas: cite specific points or reasons for your opinion or ask questions to clarify your understanding of what was said or to get other’s ideas, for instance.

Meanwhile I recommend that you not post a long essay paper under the discussion threads, because few people will have time to read long essays in an online discussion format.  You are definitely encouraged to put the essay or exhaustive Internet resources in your journal or blog.  For the post on the discussion forum, I would say one to three paragraphs, or 100 to 250 words could be reasonable lengths. 
  
Please do not underestimate your own ability to encourage and motivate others in this course to learn and discover, neither should you underestimate the valuable experience you may obtain from dialoguing with the colleagues in this course. One of the greatest advantages of the online learning is the greater and equal opportunity for all participants to learn from each other by respecting and challenging their comments and inquiries.

The following are some /moves (adapted from Stephen Brookfield's "Discussion as a way of teaching") which I expect us to try out while responding to each other's postings:

• Ask a question or make a comment that shows you are interested in what another person says
• Ask a question or make a comment that encourages another person to elaborate on something that they have already said
• Make a comment that underscores the link between two people’s contributions
• Make a specific comment indicating how you found another person’s ideas interesting/useful.
• Contribute something that builds on, or springs from, what someone else has said. Be explicit about the way you are building on the other person’s thoughts
• Make a comment that at least partly paraphrases a point that someone has already made
• Make a summary observation that takes into account several people’s contributions & that touches on a recurring theme in the discussion
• Ask a cause and effect question – for example, “can you explain why you think it’s true that if these things are in place such and such a thing will occur?”
• Find a way to express appreciation for the enlightenment you have gained from the discussion. Be specific about what it was that helped you understand something better
• Disagree with someone in a respectful and constructive way

I will join the discussions as a regular participant. As instructor of the course, I may not respond until others have had a chance to voice their thoughts. I may also occasionally play devil’s advocate, to draw out other views that may not be expressed on the discussion board, or to ask you to defend one particular viewpoint.  The idea is to have everyone think reflectively and critically about the issues at hand and be able to express the ideas rather than reach the “correct” answer for these discussions.

Weekly Schedule

Reading & Discuss

Tech Resources

PBL Project Timeline