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Blogger
Thurs, 17 Apr 2008 13:00:00 CST
PTID Podcast 04-17-08.mp3
This week’s session has our faculty panel discussing Blogger, the wildly popular blog hosting site that falls under Google’s ever-expanding umbrella of Web 2.0 products. How easy is it to set up and account and begin creating blog content, and is there applicability in the classroom?
Facebook in the Classroom
Thurs, 10 Apr 2008 13:00:00 CST
PTID Podcast 04-10-08.mp3
Today's audiocast focuses our faculty panel on Facebook, the hugely popular social networking site. Each of our faculty panel has created an account in Facebook and interacted with the various functions. So what's the verdict?
PollPub
Thurs, 20 Mar 2008 13:00:00 CST
Click here to see the Video Podcast
This week’s session has our faculty panel discussing PollPub, the quick, simple, and effective method for getting opinions. Our faculty panel discuss their experience in using PollPub and it's applicability in the online classroom.
Open Office Review
Thurs, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:00 CST
Click here to see the Video Podcast
Open Office (www.openoffice.org) is a suite of office applications comparable to Microsoft Office. The suite contains applications for word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, drawing, and equations, and is absolutely free. This vodcast has the PT-ID team discussing their experiences in using the Open Office applications, the potential uses in the classroom, and a potential problem when sharing files using .rtf.
Moving to a New Course Management System
Thurs, 28 Feb 2008 13:00:00 CST
PTID Podcast 02-28-08.mp3
This week's audiocast has our faculty panel examining course management systems. The college will soon be moving from a familiar WebCT Campus Edition CMS to another system as Blackboard phases out support to make way for newer CMS technologies. What do faculty want in a new system? What objects are absolutely critical? What objects can we do without?
Frappr!
Thurs, 14 Feb 2008 13:00:00 CST
Click here to see the Video Podcast
This week introduces our first vodcast as the PT-ID team evaluates the use of Frappr! using a videocast. Frappr! is one of the many Web 2.0 technologies that are popping up on the Web. Frappr! is primarily a social networking tool allowing visitors to place a pin on a virtual map indicating a location. But how easy is it to use Frappr! and does it have applicability in the classroom?
So What's the Deal With Online Course Dropout Rates?
Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:05:00 CDT
PTID Podcast 11-14-07.mp3
This week's session deals with dropout rates in online classes. A problem common to many online courses is high dropout rates, rates that are much higher than their seat-based counterparts. Same instructor, same content, but over 50% of students may drop out of online sections by the end of the term. So what's going on? What are some possible reasons students drop out more quickly in online sections than in seat-based sections. And what are some possible ways for retaining these online students.
Online Course Attendance Expectations
Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:05:00 CDT
PTID Podcast 11-07-07.mp3
This week our panel discusses the expectations of both students and instructors on the frequency of logging in to online courses. How often should faculty log in to their courses to answer emails, read and respond to discussion postings, grade assignments, and do general course management? And what expectations should instructors have for their students? Should faculty dictate the number of times or the amount of time that students spend in their online classes? What about life events such as births, accidents, illness? Should instructors weigh circumstances such as these into the student attendance equation?
"Unforcing" Student Discussion Postings
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:05:00 CDT
PTID podcast 10-31-07.mp3
This week our panel attempts to unravel the mystery behind getting meaningful discussion postings from students in asynchronous discussion forums. The discussion board is a popular tool for posting questions and responses. But many times student responses seem forced and may lack substance. Is there a way of getting students involved in discussion topics without the postings simply a regurgitation of the obvious? What are some methods that instructors can use to engage students in a meaningful dialogue when using the asynchronous discussion format?
For more information:
Crafting Questions for Online Discussions
(Penn State University)
Online Discussion Participation Sample Rubric
(Northeastern University)
Faculty Resistance to the Adoption of Learning Technologies
Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:45:00 CDT
PTID podcast 04-12-07.mp3
There are a number of useful tools now available that can assist in achieving learning outcomes. And lets face it, many of these tools actually can make learning fun for students while appealing to multiple learning styles. Learning technologies that can create video presentations, animations demonstrating concepts, audio productions, and many others are now simple to create and even easier for students to access. And yet there are a great number of faculty that resist using such technologies. Why? What are some of the barriers faced by faculty in the adoption of these proven learning tools? And what can be done to overcome these barriers?
Highlights of the TXDLA and CCCC Conferences
Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:48:00 CDT
PTID podcast 03-29.07.mp3
This weeks session has our faculty panel summarizing two conferences that were attended duing the past week. The first was the Texas Distance Learning Association annual conference held March 27-29th in Galveston, Texas The conference focus is on regional distance learning and the impact it has on K-12, higher ed, and business. The second conference was the Conference on College Composition and Communication, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and held in New York City on March 21st-24th. Both conferences provided attendees a wealth of information either directly or indirectly dealing with distance learning and learning technologies.
Student Crises in the Online Classroom
Fri, 9 Mar 2007 09:52:00 CDT
PTID podcast 3-08-07.mp3
Separation by time and/or distance is the hallmark of Web-based courses but this doesnt mean an isolation from the personal issues that befall students that enroll in these courses. Issues such as accidents, illness, births, and deaths still occur. So what is the instructor of one of these students to do? How does an online instructor deal with serious issues that are bound to crop up during the semester? Today our faculty panel exchange ideas on dealing with the crises of the online student.
Discipline and Online Classroom Management
Mon, 5 Mar 2007 15:05:00 CDT
PTID podcast 03-01-07.mp3
All instructors having taught in the traditional classroom setting are familiar with methods and techniques for classroom management and disciplining the student that may need, shall we say, extra attention. But what about in the online classroom? When students dont participate as they are expected to, or when the discussion board deteriorates into a flame war, or issues of expected netiquette are not followed, what is an instructor to do? Listen to our faculty panel discuss these issues and offer possible solutions.
Should all courses have a Web-based component?
Tue, 15 Feb 2007 13:30:00 CDT
PTID podcast 02-15-07.mp3
In todays technology-oriented world, instant access to critical information is the norm rather than the exception. But this isnt necessarily the case in higher education. Campus-based courses still rely heavily on paper handouts and verbally delivered course information and supplemental content. But what if all campus-based courses had a Web component, a place where students could log in at any time, day or night, to obtain syllabus information, exam details, supplemental content such as lecture notes and self tests? In addition, students could have a discussion area where course-related questions and issues could be shared with others in the class. A Web component for all classes would make these tools available when the student is ready rather than when the classroom door is unlocked. Today our faculty panel exchange ideas on the idea of creating a Web component for campus-based courses.
For more information:
Bloom's Taxonomy:
Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Learning strategies handouts: Bloom’s taxonomy. The Center for Teaching & Learning, Idaho State University. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
Writing Educational Goals and Objectives
Bixler, B. (2006). Writing Educational Goals and Objectives. Educational Technology Services, Penn State University. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
Blended Learning Systems
Graham, C. (2004). Blended learning systems: Definition, current trends, and future directions. Instructional Technology Unit, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
DMC Faculty Technology Assistance
Faculty Resources, Department of Distance Learning, Del Mar College
How Appropriate are Accelerated Online Courses for Students and Faculty
Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:45:00 CDT
PTID podcast 02-08-07.mp3
Many higher education institutions are offering credit-based courses in an accelerated format. A course that normally taked 14 weeks in a full term is now being taught in as little as six weeks. For most students, online courses are more challenging and require a greater amount of time than the seat-based counterpart. So are we setting them up for failure? And what about the faculty teaching these online courses. Research has shown that it can take up to twice as long to properly administer an online course when compared to seat-based.
The Assessment of Online Students
Wed, 30 Jan 2007 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 01-30-07.mp3
What alternatives are available to faculty for assessing online students? DMC distance learning faculty discuss methods used successfully to assess subject knowledge for students taking Web-based courses.
For more information:
Assessment
Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment
North Carolina State University , University Planning & Analysis
WebQuests
The WebQuest Page ( San Diego State University )
Locate and Evaluate WebQuests (Annette Lamb)
Opening and closing theme:
Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order)
Midi Database
Development of Distance Learning Faculty
Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:15:00 CST
PTID podcast 11-27-06.mp3
Faculty entering the online classroom must navigate a number of unfamiliar learning technologies that, depending on the tools used could be as little as an email system or as broad as assignment drop boxes, discussion boards, quizzes, and group presentations. How should faculty be prepared for the use of these new classroomtools? And how should they prepare for the dramatic changes in Web-based classroom pedagogy? In this session, our faculty panel tackles the issue of the training and development of faculty that are entering the online classroom. Should training be mandatory? What sort of training should be offered? And whose responsibility is the oversight of such training? Should it be the Distance Learning department or the responsible academic department? What about regular and timely retraining? Is it necessary, and if so, what should the training entail?
For more information:
Faculty Resources:
Orienting your students to the online classroom
Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:15:00 CST
PTID podcast 11-13-06.mp3
Many times, the first week or two of any semester for instructors teaching online courses is spent answering an endless stream of questions from students on the navigation of the course and issues dealing with the learning technologies used. Students may have questions on using the discussion board, or email, or even logging in to the course. You will have some that are unable to download essential plug-ins or that have installation issues. Still others will be confused about the navigation of the course. So how do you properly orient students to the online classroom? This session has our faculty panel discussing proven methods for introducing students to their course environment so that more time is spent on learning the subject matter and less on learning the technologies.
For more information:
Student WebCT Orientations:
Streaming video-based:
Text/graphics-based:
Student Success mini-workshop:
Distance Learning student resources:
Moving your traditional courses online
Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:30:00 CST
PTID podcast 11-07-06.mp3
Transitioning a traditional course to an online format is not as easy
as posting lecture notes and PowerPoints onto a Web site. How will students
interact with the content? With the instructor? With each other? What sort of
assessments will be use? What are the technology requirements students will
need to access these materials? How will students be oriented to the online
classroom environment? How will the instructor learn how to use the online course
tools along with the pedagogy of the online classroom? This week's session
deals with these issues and solutions that can be used to properly transition traditional
courses to an online format.
For more information:
PT-ID Instructional Design Assistance
WebCT Training
Virtual Classroom-Teaching Online Workshop
Cheating in the online classroom
Tue, 30 Oct 2006 16:30:00 CDT
PTID podcast 10-30-06.mp3
Cheating is something that few faculty like talking about but that permeates every course in every discipline at every academic institution. And the online classroom is no different. In this session, our faculty panel talk about some of the cheating incidents that have occurred and some strategies that can be used to guard against cheating in an online environment
For more information:
TurnItIn
Using audiocasts in the classroom
Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 10-23-06.mp3
Do audiocasts have a place in the online classroom? And if so, how can audio be used to supplement more traditional sources of course content. In this session, DMC faculty discuss a variety of ways in which they are using audio to reach their students. Also discussed are simple and inexpensive methods that faculty can get started using audio in their classrooms.
For more information:
Audacity
Camtasia
The open source courseware movement
Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 10-16-06.mp3
Several institutions are making their course content freely available to the public. The idea, initially started at MIT, is slowly catching on with both domestic and international institutions of higher learning including Johns Hopkins, University of Michigan, Utah State University, Tufts, and a multitude of international institutions. What are the positive aspects of making an institution's course content freely available? And what, if any, are the pitfalls?
For more information:
MIT
Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
Tufts University
Utah State University
Really Open Source (Inside Higher Ed, July 29, 2005)
“Open Courseware” Idea Spreads (Chronicle of Higher Education, March 4, 2005, Subscription required)
Basic technology skills for higher ed students
Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 9-25-06.mp3
What are the suggested technology skills that students should bring with them when entering college? DMC faculty discuss the basic technology skill set for students that will ensure a smooth transition into the higher education classroom.
Resources needed for teaching online
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 9-18-06.mp3
DMC distance learning faculty discuss the various resources necessary to teach online. Resources refers to such things as instruction time, office hours, and the technology setups available at home and office.
Getting started using WebCT
Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:15:00 CDT
PTID podcast 9-11-06.mp3
DMC distance learning faculty discuss methods for getting started using WebCT in a blended, hybrid, or online format. Panel members talk about the best tools for getting started in WebCT, methods for orienting students to the online classroom, how to incorporate interaction, and some pitfalls to avoid. |
