More Googling at Union

I’m so excited to go back to Union University today.  Dr. Anna Clifford and her students invite me from time to time to come and spend some time with them talking about Google and Web 2.0.  We always have so much fun.  (Anna always remembers that M&Ms are my favorite treats, too.)  Today, I have the pleasure of Joanne G. coming with me to share her expertise as well.  She’s a former middle school teacher with Memphis City Schools and has a wealth of real-world knowledge that can be sure with Anna’s preservice teachers.  I don’t know if we’ll get everything that we want to talk about in or not, though.

Today, we’re going to tooling around with Google Docs/Apps.  In particular, we’re going to take a look at Google Reader, Google Docs word processor, Google Docs presentations, Google Docs spreadsheets and Google Docs forms.

Here’s the links to the wiki pages I’ve created to go along with the workshop.  Anything we don’t get to will be accessible through these links, and please use them liberally.

1. Using Google Reader
2. Using Google Docs word processor
3. Using Google Docs presentations
4. Using Google Docs spreadsheet
5. Creating forms and quizzes with Google Docs forms

And a Google Form for us to try if we have time.

Google Groovin’ at Union

It’s going to be a great Saturday morning! I get to spend the morning with some awesome teachers at Union University in Jackson, TN. So, “Good morning, Union!” or maybe it should be, “Google morning, Union!”  They are taking a weekend class with my dear friend Dr. Anna Clifford, and she asks me from time to time to come spend some time playing with them. I’m so honored that I get to come.  I love sharing and I get to learn something, too.

Today, we’re going to tooling around with Google Docs/Apps.  In particular, we’re going to take a look at Google Reader, Google Docs word processor, Google Docs presentations, Google Docs spreadsheets and Google Docs forms.  I hope we can get through it all.

If we don’t happen to make it through everything (and that’s okay, I always plan too much), here’s the links to the wiki pages I’ve created to go along with the workshop.  Anything we don’t get to will be accessible through these links, and please use them liberally.

1. Using Google Reader
2. Using Google Docs word processor
3. Using Google Docs presentations
4. Using Google Docs spreadsheet
5. Creating forms and quizzes with Google Docs forms

And a Google Form for us to try.

IDT 7074-8074: Welcome to our fall semester

Welcome! Today is the first day of the fall semester for IDT 7074/8074.  This course is centered on learning theories and instructional models used by instructional designers and K-12 teachers.  Our course materials will be housed inside a protected wiki at http://theoriesandmodels.pbworks.com and our grading will remain within UofM’s course management system eCourseware (http://elearn.memphis.edu).

I encourage you while you’re here on my blog to consider adding your email address to receive email updates from my blog or subscribe to my RSS feed.  I promise not to fill up your inbox.  I also invite you to comment liberally in areas that interest you.  There will be a number of opportunities throughout our semester for us to read and comment on topics here.

Image from sirwiseowl at Flickr.com

Graduate Teaching Assistant Workshop

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  Well, I took a large part of the summer off to spend with my family.  Yesterday was my first day back at work, and today, I have the awesome opportunity to speak to a hundred or so graduate teaching assistants from across the University of Memphis.  I was a TA at both Clemson University and at The University of Georgia.  So I have a great respect for these folks and the important work you do.

Dr. Karen Weddle-West, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, asked me to share tips on creating effective courses both on ground/on site and online.  I’m really super excited to do so.  I’ve put together quite a few tips that I use both in my face to face courses and online courses.  I have created a page on my professional development wiki at http://viralnotebook.pbworks.com/Graduate-Teaching-Assistantship-Works hop .

I’ve organized the tips into four categories

1. Setting student expectations
2. Tips for managing a course
3. What value am I adding?
4. For whom and what purpose is your Powerpoint?

On the wiki page above, you can find all the notes and tips I discussed today, as well as the embedded presentation and the link to download the slides.

More fun and learning with Wichita State

What fun I had yesterday with the folks from Wichita State. We had a great discussion about organizing a course for online delivery, and I had some really interesting questions about experiences with thinner syllabi, video conferencing, and approaching new faculty.  I’m a little concerned that I may have scared some folks, so I want to make sure during today’s conference that everyone is okay after they’ve had some time to digest and reflect.  We’re definitely going to take some time to consider the topic from yesterday.

Today, we’re going to be tackling managing communications online.  It can be a real bear sometimes when you teach online.  It can seem like you’re always “on.” So, how do you create reasonable expectations with your students and not not seem unresponsive or distant?  That just one of the topics we’re going to explore.  I have some ideas about how to manage communications to make them more managable for the teacher when you’re teaching online.

I’m also going to share some tips I have for conducting chat sessions, discussion boards, and two-way audio and video.  A couple of years ago, I conducted some research with a former student Dr. Jongpil Cheon (at Texas Tech University now) about two-way audio and video.  So, it’s interesting to see what works and what students value.  I’ll be incorporating some of these finding, as well as some “ah-hah” moments into the presentation.

The wiki pages we’ll be referring to today are:

1. Tips for online course management
2. Tips for asynchronous communications in an online course
3. Tips for synchronous communications in an online course

If we have extra time, then we might can get to some tools that I recommend using:

1. Tools I recommend

And here’s the presentation I’ll be referring to as well.

Video conferencing with Wichita State

Today, I have the pleasure of spending some time with adventurous faculty at Witchita State University. So, a “BIG Hello!” goes out to Amy, Darren, and Rick, along with all of the other guests who will be joining us. I’m excited because I get to spend two days with these faculty who are considering a transformation for their respective courses with a move to online teaching and learning. We will be video conferencing using a dedicated/stationary Polycom system, which includes screen sharing.

Today, we’ll be discussing effective online course design. So, I’ll be sharing some of my ideas about planning an online course and designing the parts of the course so they are most beneficial to the students and are more easily facilitated.

We will be referring to a number of pages from my professional development resource wiki in place of handouts. I’m also going to embed the overview presentation below, so that you will have access to all the materials in one place. (By the way, you can also use the link at the top of the page to go to my wiki and all the pages are linked there as well.)

1. Planning an online course
2. Introductory email to online students
3. Introductory pages for an online course
4. Course content page template
5. Course project page template

Here’s a copy of the presentation, too.

Using Google at Union University

Today, I’ll be spending class time with some exceptional preservice teachers at Union University in Jackson, TN, with Dr. Anna Clifford’s classes. I’ve been doing this for a couple of semesters now, and I always have a blast.  Here are some photos of previous sessions on Web 2.0.

As part of her instructional design and technology integration courses, we’ll be talking about teaching and learning with Google Apps.  In particular, we’re going to take a look at Google Reader, Google Docs word processor, Google Docs presentations, Google Docs spreadsheets and Google Docs forms.  I hope we can get through it all.

If not, here’s the links to the wiki pages I’ve created to go along with the workshops.  Anything we don’t get to will be accessible through these links, and please use them liberally.

1. Using Google Reader
2. Using Google Docs word processor
3. Using Google Docs presentations
4. Using Google Docs spreadsheet
5. Creating forms and quizzes with Google Docs forms

Effective online courses workshop

Today, I’m presenting a workshop with Drs. Lee Allen and Kay Reeves on creating effective online courses.  There’s a tremendous push currently in our college (and university) to move more coursework online.  So, beyond the technical aspects of using our course management system (Desire2Learn), we are also discussing pedagogy and course design for online teaching and learning. We’re looking forward to a great discussion and some important conversations about facilitating learning online.

There’s a number of handouts and a presentation that I’m uploading here as well.

• IDT Online Instruction (.ppt)
• Planning an online course (.docx)
• Introductory email (.docx)
• Introductory web pages (.docx)
• Course content template (.docx)
• Project page template (.docx)
• Link to IDT Group UMdrive space