LearningTimes Green Room

Susan demonstrates how to bridge a guest expert into an online course, while having an engaging conversation with Dr. Norman Garrett about how his teaching practices have changed as a result of technology over the last few years.

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Show Notes:

Susan goes solo because she and Dan can’t get their schedules to synch up. She has two objectives for this special edition:

1) as an example of what one could do to incorporate a guess lecturer or an expert into an online course 2) specifically for use with a course Susan teaches. The students are examining online learning in general. This exposure to a guest lecturer is a teaching methodology and today the guest is going to talk about how his teaching has changed over the past 5 years as a result of technology. And THAT relates to almost every listener we have, so I decided to share this with the broader audience.

Finding a good guest is a challenge. He has to know about the topic you need; be an expert. He has to know how to interact with your students, either in the synchronous or asynchronous environment. And, he has to have the time! Susan found the perfect guest!

Dr. Norman Garrett is currently a professor of Computer Information
Systems in the School of Business at Eastern Illinois University, where he teaches courses in programming, networking and management information systems. But more importantly, Susan knows Norm because they teach the same course for a faculty development program through the University of Illinois and they share a love of gadgets.

Norm’s been teaching online for 5 years and has a preference for the blended or hybrid approach. He teachers upper division and graduate classes.

Broadly, what’s changed in your practice over the past 5 years? For
starters, the student familiarity with some of the tools. Originally students were not familiar with tools, and today they know (and some know more than us!). Students are more accustomed to working collaboratively, as well. Colleagues also know more and have richer ideas about what online courses should be like.

How did colleagues get smarter? Norm preaches the message whenever he can but some have taken a hard look at what a good course is. Norm says the best thing to do before teaching is to be an online student.

Norm’s students work with podcasts, and he rarely has to explain what that means. Same with RSS (which he uses liberally) Our collective vocabulary has grown.

Norm explains how he uses RSS as a social networking concept, increasing connections between students. RSS allows for peer-peer collaboration and sharing (and generating) content. Very interesting explanation! This can take some time to train students on how to use the technology. Norm talked about a student who occasionally comes back and posts on the blogs.

As for what technology he’s giving up, Norm is moving away from PowerPoint as we’ve known it. He reviews the history, the pros and cons.

Now what should listeners do? If you are listening as one of Susan’s students, you need to either post an epiphany you had listening to Norm OR ask him a question within our course. The deadlines and more specific instructions are posted in the course.

If you’re part of the broader audience, I would love to hear YOUR stories about how your teaching has changed as over the last 5 years. What role has technology and/or online learning influenced this? We can keep that discussion going through learningtimes or on our website at www.ltgreenroom.org.

Guest David Barr from Illinois Math and Science Academy joins Susan and Dan to talk about the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards.

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Show Notes:

Guest David Barr from Illinois Math and Science Academy joins Susan and Dan to talk about the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards.

ISTE: International Society for Technology in Education

NETS: National Educational Technology Standards

And specifically the new version we discuss.

The standards apply to all levels of learning, not only K-12. They tell us what people need to know and be able to do with technology for living and working in the 21st century. The first version was developed in 1998 and now the standards are being refreshed for relevancy. Direct link for the draft of the new standards [PDF].

These standards are about learning /with/ technology and not learning /about/ technology. “Using to learn and not learning to use” better reflects what younger generations already know.

Categories in the new version:

* Creativity and Innovation
* Communication and Collaboration
* Research and Information Retrieval
* Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
* Digital Citizenship
* Technology Operations and Concepts

Some of these categories were reordered. Creativity and innovation are new. These reflect the skills that will be at the center of work needed for a global world. The language is very concrete and focuses on production.

Who implements these standards in an ideal school setting? David explains the relationship of these standards to state standards and assessment programs. Adopted, adapted or absorbed; a variety of methods.

Internationally, other countries are also considering these standards within their own cultural context.

Listeners, what to do? Read the standards and complete the survey at NETS Refresh survey.

Participate in the Performance Indicators by Grade survey or the Essentials Conditions survey.

Dan and Susan want to know what you think of these standards. What would you add, or how would you re-order them? Anything else you might add to this conversation?

You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!

In this episode, Susan and Dan focus on adjunct faculty. Since adjuncts deliver about 60 percent of all college instruction, there are a considerable number of them who, like Susan, are teaching online.

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Show Notes:

In this episode we look at the role of the college professor in higher education and specifically adjunct faculty.

Adjunct faculty are a formidable number – almost 60% of college instruction is done by adjuncts so it stands to reason that means there are a considerable number of us working online (Susan is one of them).

Susan reads a quote from John Sexton, president of NYU, which was printed in Managing Virtual Adjunct Faculty: Applying the Seven Principles of Good Practice.

Adjuncts bring real world experience that enriches institutions and the students’ learning experiences. They bring real life stories of putting theory into practice and demonstrating leadership and discernment.

Susan pulls out one of the themes in the paper (Good practice communicates high expectations) and this leads to a discussion of what the bare minimum should be in training online faculty.

How to provide professional development and support for part-time faculty has been a question many institutions have examined. Dan introduces a successful program from Valencia Community College, led by Daryl Peterson. At first Valencia started to provide online professional development for adjunct faculty through one course: Teaching in the Community College. They have since developed a comprehensive 60 hour program that certifies adjuncts and rewards them with a different title and pay. Daryl Peterson, Director, ScenariosOnline (a business unit of Valencia Community College) can be reached at dpeterson8@valenciacc.edu.

This leads to a discussion of the importance of offering the same services and quality of professional development to adjuncts. Susan offers several ideas gleaned from resources she found.

Pay! What are adjuncts paid? This was a short answer. Not much to say about being underpaid.

The difficulty of participating in professional development when adjunct: managing work, family and multiple locations. Susan promotes online opportunities. A couple good programs, by the way, that examine online teaching and learning: MVCR and UW-Stout’s program. (And yes, Susan is affiliated with both these places.)

Class loads: Seems more institutions are getting the clue that packing online courses with virtual bodies is not a key to quality.

Pay (again): The workforce can be from all over the world.

Office hours: Susan holds them online and explains how she approaches the time.

Finally, Susan notes the importance of becoming part of a network for exchanging ideas.

You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!