LearningTimes Green Room

In this episode, Dan and Susan share their holiday wish lists. They might have some surprises under the tree!



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Show Notes:

Dan and Susan share their holiday wish lists. They might have some surprises under the tree!

Dan wishes for something that would help unmotivated learners get motivated real quickly. Likewise Susan wishes that students were adequately advised before they signed up for online courses.

Susan wishes for an easy solution to helping learners manage their expectations. When you read the course catalog, does the description fit the course? What expectations due learners bring to the virtual classroom, and how can instructors clarify what is expected of learners?

Susan needs (wants) a new laptop. A ruby red one, please.

Susan would like an open-source web-conferencing tool that combines graphics, whiteboard, interactivity and audio.

Dan would like a replacement for multiple-choice quizzes. What he really wants is a tool that creates multiple-choice quizzes that foster critical thinking. Check out http://www.willatworklearning.com/.

Susan is really dreaming when she asks for an answer to the security question related to assessment. How I know that the person in my online class is really who she says she is?

For the K-12 teachers and of the world, Susan wishes for fewer filters so that they can access some of the cool collaborative tools that are available online.

Dan wants a tool to tell him which tools he needs to learn.

Susan needs a digital cleaning service that will clear her hard drive of old files that are probably now clutter more than resources.

Dan needs a service to tag all his digital photos.

Dan wants a simple solution for audio e-mail. Susan wants free transcription for podcasts.

Dan and Susan leave their listeners with well wishes for happy holidays and would like to hear what’s on their lists.

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!

On this Thanksgiving week in the United States, Dan and I would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our loyal listeners. Your comments and engagement in the LearningTimes community keep us going. We’ve enjoyed getting to know you and thinking out loud with you. Some of you may be traveling this week, and so if you have not caught all of our episodes, consider downloading and listening to us on your journey. We love to travel! And for those listeners who are not celebrating with us in the United States, we are equally thankful for your international presence. Finally, we want to thank John and Jonathan from LearningTimes for their constant support and encouragement in the production of this podcast. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Susan and Dan are joined by Stacy Behmer who shares her experience with digital storytelling (DST) in elementary and middle school classrooms.



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Show notes:

Stacy Behmer joins Susan and Dan to talk about her experience with digital storytelling (DST) in elementary and middle school classrooms. Stacy researched DST as a graduate student at Iowa State University and has made her resources available at http://ctlt.iastate.edu/~ds/Behmer/. Throughout this interview, Stacy references Jane Schmidt, a middle school English teacher in Maquoketa, Iowa, as well as her major professor Dr. Denise Schmidt. Both women were instrumental in advising Stacy through her research.

Defining DST: combining story + music, audio, video, photos and other media.

Stacy’s research was with 7th grade language arts students. She walks through how she became acquainted with DST and how she saw the connections to teaching/learning and standards.

The end product of her research were stories created by groups of 3-4 students on the theme “Everyone has a story to tell and we’re going to help you to tell it.” These stories came from interviews of community members; the project extended over a four week period. Stacy shares all the details of how she implemented this.

A couple insights/questions to listen for:

• What happens when a group doesn’t follow the prescribed steps?
• The importance of flexibility
• How kids latch on the technology
• Mac/PC alternatives iMovie versus MovieMaker versus PhotoStory3
• Connecting your project to standards (think language arts)

What would she change? Building in assessment measures throughout the project.

Can this transfer to higher education classrooms where faculty do not have students every day for large chunks of time? Stacy tells about pre-service teachers and their DSTs.

Stacy’s biggest surprise was the level of engagement.

Again, go look at Stacy’s website at http://ctlt.iastate.edu/~ds/Behmer/ and see the stories!

Listeners, Susan and Dan want to hear your stories about DST projects you’ve tried and how they’re working!

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, Dan and Susan talk about the use of video in online
instruction.

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Show notes:

In this episode, Dan and Susan talk about the use of video in online instruction.

Beginning with a story of how easy working with video is today, Susan senses more instructors are introducing video and multimedia.

A couple schools are studying YouTube and social networks. One example is Pitzer College. Here is an interview on CNN about the class.

Michael Wesch is a cultural anthropologist and media ecologist at Kansas State and has, along with students, produced several popular videos, including “Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us” and “A Vision of Students Today”.

YouTube, Google Video, TeacherTube and SchoolTube are all examples of services that make video easier for teachers to produce and get video hosted. A brief discussion of the problems with the openness of a service like YouTubes and why TeacherTube and such services have cropped up. Another service Susan couldn’t remember correctly was SciTalks, which shows science videos.

Susan reflects back 5 years about the difficulties of working with video then. Software has become easier and more accessible, and more people are playing around with their personal cameras!

Why would someone want to include video? Social presence. Demonstrations. One to one problem solving.

Digital story telling and student productions. The value of bringing out point of view. Dan references Jonathan Finkelstein’s Real Time Minute videos. Susan suggests you could ask student to use cell phones to do the same.

Coming back to the idea of using a public social network for such work, Susan shares a comment left by a reader/viewer after watching one of the college-produced videos:

“Huh. I was just magically transported back to college and all of those worthless, boring liberal arts classes I had to take.”

“YouTube is … supposed to be more interesting than this. YouTube is … not an education device. YouTube is … a distraction from the intellectual rigors of college, not a substitute for it.”

Hmmmm, so you can overdo it with inappropriate use of social media. Susan and Dan also want to be clear that they are not recommending that we all videotape ourselves lecturing.

The Dramatic Question – Dan’s favorite idea for production.

We want to hear how you all are using video. What were some of the challenges?

After the fact resource: another video worth watching “Pay Attention Video” - about the need to infuse technology into teaching.

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, Dan and Susan explore the idea of critical thinking in online learning. Can you create the same kind of dynamic, spontaneous pursuit of a topic when you move online?

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Show Notes:

In this episode, Dan and Susan explore the idea of critical thinking in online learning. Can you create the same kind of dynamic, spontaneous pursuit of a topic when you move online?

Susan first asks whether there is the possibility to work synchronously. But for those who teach asynchronously, most would argue that the technology can be used to bring about greater depth, participation and critical thinking.

What is the disconnect that keeps faculty from making the transition and building courses that are driven by critical thinking?

Susan says this starts with instructional design. What are you asking students to do and how?

How are we asking the questions? A couple resources: A Questioning Toolkit - old ’97. And then Introduction to Crafting Questions for Online Discussion

Dan also suggests looking at the verbs you use when asking questions, but Susan reminds us to keep it within the vocabulary range of the learner.

How do you know when someone has thought critically? Facilitators must not assume learners understand the roles needed to bring about critical thinking. Instructions, rubrics and rewards are three strategies discussed.

Poorly inter-related monologues; how do we get beyond these? Susan admits she’s struggling in this area!

Final nuggets: get training in pedagogy, set up your course for discussion to be central, craft appropriate questions, know what outcomes you want in advance, facilitate accordingly. Of course, it is never that simple!

Listeners, what are your ideas and experiences in bringing about critical thinking in online discussions?

A final resource we forgot to mention:
Teaching Critical Thinking through Online Discussions [PDF]

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 show, Susan and Dan discuss strategies for first year teacher prep with Cheri Toledo.

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Show Notes:

By way of Skype, we are joined by Dr. Cheri Toledo, Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Instruction at Illinois State University.

Cheri is innovative in how she helps prepare tomorrow’s K12 teachers. This topic came from David Warlick’s 2¢ Worth blog posting on the topic of first year teachers and technology. Cheri helped move the discussion forward by commenting, but also articulated her thoughts on her own blog.

What’s Cheri doing in her classroom? For example, now she gets students to know standards by using del.icio.us and having them network to pool resources.

Part of what Warlick was writing about was that new teachers didn’t know they were using Web2.0 tools. Cheri followed up on this idea with her own informal in-class survey of who’s using what. Our students might have the skills, but are not using the same tools we use.

Susan and Cheri then questioned the Pew research [PDF] from last year.

Susan asks Dan what he expects from his kids’ teachers and their use of technology. He’d love for the teachers to model the use of these tools. He shared what kinds of things happened in school as he observed them. Susan’s school is different; very strong support from the LMC Director.

What are Cheri’s hopes for what pre-service teachers would eventually do in their own teaching? Using blogs and wikis for collaboration. Her concern is the lack of understanding at the school sites and the overabundance of blocking.

We tend to teach the way we have been taught. Even before the term begins Cheri’s students are asked to engage. However, their responses are not always favorable. Who likes change? She introduces the “Did you know …” video.

Dan asks if Cheri has come across a resistant student who finally “got it.” Do people shift? In a couple years we’ll know about the long-term impact, but short term success does happen!

Hey Cheri’s students, we’ll comment!

Teachers sometimes don’t recognize how their own futures are changing. Pedagogies are shifting, too. Small discussion of teacher-centered versus student-centered.

Susan gives praise to Mrs. Baumert, LMC Director at Smith Elementary School, who blogged about a trip to Space Camp, hosted by the James Jordan Foundation. See the blog and pics. She helped keep families connected.

Dan and Susan want to hear comments from new teachers. What is it you wish you’d been trained in that you weren’t. Or, what is it that you are not able to do that you want to do? Cheri would like to know their ideas about how we can help education professors.

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 special anniversary show, Susan and Dan celebrate one year of podcasting in the LT Green Room and are joined by some very special guests in a game show format. Don't miss it!

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Show Notes:

Susan and Dan’s special guests (and good sports) on the Anniversary Game Show included:

• Dr. Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan, The Thiagi Group
• Matthew Richter, The Thiagi Group
• Cheri Toledo, Illinois State University
• Rodger Hergert, Rock Valley College and Illinois Online Network
• Jonathan Finkelstein, LearningTimes
• John Walber, LearningTimes

SPECIAL NOTE: All of the guests on this program received complimentary registration passes to the Jossey-Bass Online Teaching and Learning (OTL) Conference Online, a completely online conference connecting the authors of the best-selling OTL series of guidebooks with education professionals worldwide. Susan and Dan will be special guest speakers during the conference, conducting a practical how-to session on educational podcasting. Consider joining us October 17-18, 2007. All participants receive their choice of 3 guidebooks. Use discount code “LTGR10″ when registering for a $10 discount compliments of the LT Green Room.

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 podcast, Susan and Dan take a serious look at the use of humor in online learning. What styles of humor work online, and what do not? Why can humor be controversial? Listen in and share your thoughts: this episode *is* a laughing matter.

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Show Notes:

Dan and Susan seriously look at why humor is controversial in online learning. Susan’s recent class took up the topic as a discussion about whether humor does, in fact have a place in online learning.

First, they clarify different styles of humor. For example, Susan doesn’t tell jokes, but she laughs a lot and sometimes her interpretations of why something is funny become funnier in and of themselves. Dan’s style is top crack a joke when no one expects it. Does that work online?

This leads to a discussion of the importance of letting one’s authenticity show when teaching online.

Making sure instructors know the boundaries: class, gender, race, (show an awareness of and sensitivity to) and sarcasm — probably never appropriate.

Dan looked into the pedagogical value of humor. Don’t just use it to be funny. Humor can help learners see something from a different perspective. It can help them relax.

You can ask students to find examples, with moderation.

Humor can also be a saying or proverb or images. Dan shares the example of a quote from Flannery O’Conner.

Dan references the research in this article, “Bringing Life to Online Instruction with Humor”.

Susan plays devils advocate and asks if students in a more humorous class learn more than those in a not-as-funny version. Dan thinks they do because they’re more engaged emotionally.

Dan and Susan would like to hear stories of successful use of humor — and a couple failures.

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!

Dan and Susan examine how people are using audio when teaching online, and ask listeners to share how voice figures into their own online courses.

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Show Notes:

Adding Audio to Your Online Course:

Topic is revisited from more than 2 years ago. Dan and Susan look at how universal voice is when teaching online. Are people using voice and if so, how?

At the time of recording, Susan was taking a class with Norm Garrett (former guest) on podcasting and the issue of voice came up for discussion, specifically the explaining voice as described in this article [PDF] by Gardner Campbell Susan gives her two cents. Well, she explains her point.

Not to get too tied to podcasting, you can have audio without subscription and RSS and have it in many form. Live chat could be one option. Giving feedback in audio is another form. It could be adding contextual information that supports what else is happening. It could be announcements or an introduction at the beginning of a unit or a summary at the dn. Lots of possibilities where you might introduce voice in place of text.

Dan asks is Susan hears other voices … a very funny moment.

The serious point is that Dan asks if there are different tones you would want to take depending on your purpose for using voice.

Is there a pedagogical reason to use a different voice depending on where you are in the course? Susan doesn’t have an answer. She goes on to say that putting one’s voice into the course personalizes the message in a way that the written word generally doesn’t.

Susan and Dan reference research done by Jeff Sommers on audio feedback.

Jeff Sommer’s webpage about audio commentary.

Research on student preferences for audio commentary on their papers done by Dr. Sue Sipple with Jeff Sommers

Jeff’s recommendations on tools for recording audio commentary.

What does it take to add audio? You could set up a microphone, use Audacity to record and encode and email the file. Or you can use a portable player like an iRiver mp3 player, which encodes automatically when you take the file off the little machine. Warning: check with your institution to see if emailing this feedback would violate FERPA.

You could even add voice comments to documents within Microsoft Word. Susan knows people who tried that and complained of huge file sizes, but are they bigger than a lengthy mp3?

Many of the newer course management systems support audio, too.

Dan and Susan would like to hear from people using voice in their courses. They’d also like to hear from those who are not … why not?

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 learn how the Smithsonian is using real-time online interaction to prepare for a new Ocean Portal exhibit, and get a first-hand account of the synchronous certification program offered by LearningTimes on leading effective online events.

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Show Notes:

Stephanie Eskins joins us from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History where she works as a consultant on the Ocean Portal, an upcoming online electronic outreach arm that will help the public learn about aspects of the ocean. This portal coincides with a new exhibit that will open in September 2008. You can learn more about this and increase your “ocean literacy” at http://ocean.si.edu/

Stephanie enrolled in the Certified Synchronous Training Program (CSTP) through LearningTimes based on the expertise of the instructor (Jonathan Finkelstein) and his book. We asked her about her experiences.

Great, practical advice came from the book! Through the learning community, Stephanie was able to see alternative approaches. Used real examples from work.

Stephanie took the most creative examples and created a personal toolkit for future use.

The team of Smithsonian staff, NOOA staff, and leading oceanographic institutions come together regularly via synchronous online meetings, so she has been able to incorporate at least one activity per meeting. Eventually this might be applied to real people, too, as the general public interacts with the site and experts.

What was it like to return to the learner’s chair? Stephanie reflected on how enjoyable Jonathan and the other learners made the program. The two key points she took from the course: 1) Focus on active learning and not just presenting; and 2) learning to adjust the complexity or level of the material on the fly. Great skills!

We’d like to know from listeners whether they’d go to an online portal and how do they interact with natural history museums?

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!