CII Hands-on Sessions: Using Technology to Deepen Student Discussion
The Center for Innovative Instruction (CII) will host a series of three short workshops based upon interests expressed at the panel discussion, “Technology-enabled Discussion to Deepen Student Learning.”
Each session will occur first on Monday evening and then be repeated the following Tuesday at midday. The three sessions are described below:
April 14, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. & April 15, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
#1) Using the New Discussion Board Tools in Blackboard 7
Faculty have identified various ways the Discussion Board feature in Blackboard can promote deeper discussions of course content, and they have developed solutions to logistical and pedagogical problems that online discussion can entail. The latest version of Blackboard includes new grading and tracking features that can now be integrated into instructor practice to increase student participation without increasing instructor burden. This session will include a tour of the new Discussion Board features in Blackboard 7 along with hands-on activities using the new tools.
April 21, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. & April 22, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
#2) Blogging with Word Press to Extend Student Discussions Outside the Classroom and Beyond
To promote student discussion of course content, some faculty have elected to use Blogs instead of the more controlled environment of a Blackboard Discussion Board. The educational benefits include greater autonomy and responsibility for the learners and a closer approximation to the professional communication practices of working adults. This session will include an explanation of the risks and rewards of taking student discussion into this more public forum along with a hands-on portion in which participants will be able to create their own Word Press Blogs.
April 28 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. & April 29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
#3) Streaming Rich Media in Support of Instruction While Abiding by Copyright Law
The Fair Use exception to copyright law allows instructors to present all manner of copyrighted materials for non-profit education purposes in a face-to-face classroom. The TEACH Act extends that exception to online environments, provided access to the material is restricted to class members and reasonable efforts have been made to prevent participants from taking and keeping copies of the copyrighted materials. This session will include hands-on activities showing how to upload audio and video content to streaming media servers and explain what precautions must be taken to stay within the limits of copyright law, the Fair Use exception, and the TEACH Act.
All sessions will be held in Science 310-11 except for April 22 which will be in Science 334
To register for one or more of these sessions, go to this URL:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=QcKiAUDX6a5MHq21wTeSeg_3d_3d
If have any questions, contact Kathleen Pierce or John LeMasney of CII, or Tim McGee of TLC.
