Begin Here!
An Orientation to the Course
Welcome to IDST-10, Training for Online Instructors!
This overview
I hope Blackboard will work well for you as your skill develops. If you need assistance, there is contextual online help (at the top right of the menu bar) as well as Butte College's own Blackboard-certified trainers Chris Palmarini and Dave Stephens (click on the link on the home page that says "Help and Other Resources" for more on the support we offer).
The course front page is divided into two sections, the course home page area and the tools menu (to the left of the course home page). The course home page is devoted to links to various Learning Modules (LM for short). Let's take a look at that area (the picture may be from an earlier semester):
"LM00-Begin Here" gives you an overview of the course and other important information; that's where you are now.
"Help and Other Resources" gives you way to contact student support if you have trouble logging in to Blackboard or other technical issues related to Blackboard. You'll also find a link to download free software you may need for this class as well as links to campus resources such as the online library database (which you can access from home).
Finally we come to the first Learning Module. It's labeled with the the LM number (such as LM01, LM02, and so on) and the date it first becomes available.
Each Learning Module includes a brief description of its content and the remainder of the presentation, followed by various projects such as discussions or assignments. Note that some projects have to be completed outside the Learning Module (such as PR01, creating a profile and uploading a picture; or PR12, creating a sample LM in your Blackboard "sandbox").
Click on the link to any Learning Module and you should see the first page displayed with the table of contents on the left. Actually, there are two tables of contents.
Please begin with the Presentation (the LM should open with the first page of the Presentation displayed) and, when you're finished, click on each of the other links, in order, in the left-hand table of contents to see the remaining elements of the Learning Module.
Special technical notes!
The second major area of the front page is the left-hand tools menu.
You can use the left-hand table of contents within each LM to go from page to page (remember that the Presentation link, usually the first page in a Learning Modules, has its own internal table of contents.). Sometimes, because of a computer glitch, the entire left-hand table of contents may not be visible. If you close the LM and open it again, the rest of the table of contents may appear. If not, you can also navigate using the "action menu" icons at the top right of each content page. By clicking on the arrows, you can go forward and back from page to page in the LM (but not within a Presentation). Here's what the action menu looks like:
In the online world, where we cannot interact with each other face-to-face, it is especially important that we adopt a constructive and encouraging tone in our written communications. We may find ourselves disagreeing with one another but we can do so with respect and dignity.
In emails and in discussion postings let's strive for a tone of "polite but relaxed formality" with each other. Feel free to call me Dan. Strive to write in complete sentences (this is not instant messaging!) and think before you click the "post" button. Remember that everyone in class can read your discussion postings (including me!). In your private emails to me and to other members in class, please be considerate of the other person.
The Journal is a private area, just between you and me, where you can feel free to vent. We all need a place to let off steam now and then, and I'll try my best to be an encouragement if you're going through a time of frustration.
:-) Happy
:-( Sad
:-o Surprised
:-D Laughing
;-) Wink
I'll try to respond within 24-48 hours to emails sent me from within Blackboard; for quick questions the turnaround time may be much shorter. (If Blackboard is not working or for non-course-related communications, write to me using an outside email address: danbarnett@me.com or BarnettDa@butte.edu.)
My GoogleVoice "find me anywhere" number is 530.413.8525, However, email is much to be preferred if you have a question.
Since you may never have taken a totally online course before, it will take a little while for you to feel comfortable navigating Blackboard.
There are at least three ways to get technical help.
If you write to me with technical questions, I'll do my best to answer but I will often direct you to one or more of the three areas above.
It's important for you to understand that this is not a do-it-yourself, work-at-your-own-speed course. We will draw on many disciplines (such as psychology, philosophy, educational theory, instructional design, and so on) in thinking about and discussing how best to teach online.
We can learn much from each other as well, but in order for interaction to take place we all need to be more-or-less on the same page. We lead very busy lives, but try not to get behind. Read what others have posted and reply with a helpful comment or suggestion. You may not be able to read every word in every discussion (that's my job) but stay connected.
You can catch up on the weekends if you need to, and remember that the fourth week is also a time to finish projects (no new course material is introduced in the fourth week).
Let me know how you're doing. Send me an email if you're facing difficulties and together let's see what we can work out!
Your experience in this online course will likely be very different than what you experience in a face-to-face classroom. Some students thrive in the online environment and like the convenience, while others miss the person-to-person interaction and wish they could at least see who is in the class.
Well, we're here to help! By creating a class profile in Blackboard, others will be able to click on your name when it shows up in discussion postings and see who is posting. You can also click on the Roster button on the left to see everyone in class.
Your first assignment is to create a profile. It's easy.
You may want to print out these instructions since you'll be moving away from this page in order to create your profile.
1. First, locate on your hard drive a digital image of yourself, or a picture that's meaningful to you, that you'd like to show up in your profile.
I don't want to get too technical here, but most pictures taken from a digital camera won't work very well in your Profile. The reason is that the file size is too large, usually several MB (megabytes). Such images can produce great printed pictures, but if you upload one of the images into your Profile, it may take classmates a minute or two, or 5 or 10 minutes, to view the image every time the Roster button is clicked (since the image has to download into the browser for viewing).
Instead, try using a picture that has a smaller file size (measured in the KB--kilobyte--range). You can also help reduce file size by cropping (cutting away) some of the material in a digital picture with large file size. An easy and free way to do this is to use Picnik (http://www.picnik.com). You can upload your image, click on the Edit tab, and crop the picture, then save it back to your local computer (with a different file name!). A good size is about 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high. Then you can upload the smaller image to your Profile.
2. Next, go to MyBlackboard (the page that lists all of your Blackboard courses) and click on My Settings in the top right of the screen.
3. Click on the tab that says My Profile and then click on the Edit Profile button.
4. Then fill in the appropriate information: Your nickname, gender, outside email, and hobbies and interests. You can put a little check mark by the information you'd like to make public.
5. Warning: Make sure the "User Name" box is NOT checked; you DON'T want that to be made public!
Please note that while YOU will be able to see your User Name in the roster, others will not (just as you won't be able to see their User Names).
6. On the right of the screen, under Photo, click the Browse button and locate the image you'd like to upload. A little window should pop up--you may have to wait a moment--that says Get Files.
7. Click on My Computer.
8. Another window will open that shows the documents on your own computer. Navigate to the picture you'd like to upload, click on it, then click Open.
9. It may take a bit to upload the image (as I noted above, try to use one that has a fairly small file size).
10. Once the image is uploaded, click the check box near Photo to make the image public.
11. Then click Save.
12. From now on, when others click on the Roster button in any of your Blackboard courses, they'll be able to see your profile!
13. You'll also be able to click on the People Link after the names of those who post in the discussions and see their profile. Even better than Facebook (well, sort of!).
Discussion postings are a central element of this course. Each discussion topic requires an original answer to a question I'll pose, and at least one substantive reply to another person.
But I'd also like you rate at least two original answers in each discussion (except the first one, the Bio File) using star ratings. (Instructions given below.)
If your peers find your discussing postings clear and helpful, you should know! I hope you'll find the peer review interesting and a bit fun to do as well.
All of this sounds like a lot of work, right? It is. By spending the time that's needed on this course, you'll likely find a closer connection to those in class, and have more involvement and engagement with the subject matter. This will never substitute for face-to-face interaction but it may make this online environment a little friendlier and more interesting.
Here are the directions for rating postings discussions. They apply to all discussion. You may want to print out these instructions for safe keeping.
Remember that you need to rate at least two substantive original discussion postings (you can't rate replies). As you're reading through the postings in a topic, and find one that is especially helpful, for instance, pause and give it a rating, and add a sentence to explain your rating (if a text box is available). You can say something like, "Clearly explains the concept" or "Helped me change my mind." Remember that others in class can read what you say. You are anonymous, but I can see who has written what.
These brief comments (if a text box is available) are NOT a substitute for you making a substantive reply to another posting. You don't have to rate a posting that you reply to, and you don't have to reply to a posting you rate.
When you come across a posting you'd like to rate, you should see a little button in the lower right of the posting.
Click on "Review this Message." You'll a star rating window pop up; select the rating and add your reason (if a text box is available; otherwise, just select the rating). Click save to return to the postings.
By clicking on "View All Reviews" you can see what others may have said.
If others in class have rated the posting, you'll be able to see a chart and the anonymous reasons given for the ratings (the reasons are not show in this screenshot):
That's all there is to it. At first this may seem cumbersome, but I hope as the semester progresses you'll find it easy (and maybe even a bit fun!) to be part of the peer review process!
There are many reasons students take online courses. Some students think the course will be easier than an on-campus course (not true in this case!) and some sign up for online courses because they think they can squeeze in all the work Sunday night (that rarely works!) and give adequate attention to all their other courses as well.
Frankly, this kind of course, the one you are embarking on, takes a lot of discipline and a lot of time--likely more time than the face-to-face version. Computers don't scream at us that it's time to log in to Blackboard and the daily press of events often finds us saying to ourselves that we can get everything done "tomorrow."
There's no way to know for certain whether your habits and personality are suited for this course and this format. But there are some indicators that you might find helpful in assessing whether an online course is for you.
In general, online learning is best suited to students who are
This course also requires careful reading and a fair amount of writing. Since we are not meeting face-to-face, most of the communication you and I will have is through writing, so you ought to be comfortable with this mode of contact.
Take the following self-check inventory:
http://www.butte.edu/distance/assess_online.html
The qualities needed by a good online student can be summarized by three easy-to-remember words: A good online student is reliable, realistic and resourceful. Jonathan Brennan, a distinguished faculty member at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA, has done research on student success and explains each of the qualities. (This material is quoted by permission.)
RELIABLE: Reliable students keep showing up with their best effort. Effective online learners are:
REALISTIC: Realistic students stay focused on priorities and feedback. Effective online learners are:
RESOURCEFUL: Resourceful students use outer and inner tools to succees. Effective online learners use Outer Resources, being:
and Inner Resources, being:
It means being aware of some of the research into how we learn and putting that information to work. According to
Jonathan Brennan, practicing learning tasks aids in the growth of dendrites which, he writes, are "fibers that grow from the neuron. Neural networks meet at synapses." He writes that "lack of practice weakens synaptic connections." Practice reading the course material and using the concepts in your discussion posts and writing assignments over and over until the practice begins to pay off in increased understanding.
The better you understand the basic concepts used in the course the more stimulating the reading will be, and that stimulation also helps dendrites grow.
Emotions play a key part in our ability to learn. As Brennan notes, "powerful overwhelming emotions (fear, frustration) can prevent effective learning and inhibit recall." But it's also true that "positive mid-range emotions (pleasure, gratitude or appropriate challenge) can enhance effective learning and promote recall."
He points out that often we get into emotional habit patterns that impede dendrite formation. When we read something that is unfamiliar, difficult, or that challenges our own ideas, it's easy to fall into the pattern of "fear or frustration." We fear we won't understand; we're frustrated when things don't make sense. If the emotions are intense enough, we give up. Ever happen to you? If so, reflect on the outcome. Did those emotions help you learn?
Being brain aware means being able to "manage emotions" effectively. Does that sound strange? Aren't emotions things that just happen to us? Well, we may not be able to control what produces the emotions (such as a difficult online course), but we can ask ourselves if our habitual emotional responses are really all that productive. Perhaps we need to recognize that we can use the energy produced by emotions (anger is a good example) to help us be motivated to be a bit more flexible and come up with creative solutions to the problems we face. It means being willing to ask for help.
"I'm a visual learner--no wonder I have such a difficult time with the readings. There aren't any pictures!" "I'm an auditory learner--no wonder I have such a difficult time with the readings!" "I work with my hands--no wonder I have such a difficult time with the readings!" Sometimes learning styles can be used as excuses for the difficulties we have in a particular class.
While research suggests that we do have preferred cognitive styles, one cognitive scientist, Daniel T. Willingham, writes that such preferred styles don't really help us when it comes to learning meaning. Willingham is professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, and he writes in Why Don't Students Like School? (Jossey-Bass, 2009) that "most of the time students need to remember what things mean, not what they sound like or look like." In fact, he says, students "are more alike than different in terms of how they think and learn."
We may be very different in our cognitive abilities (how well we think) but when it comes to styles (our preferred way of thinking) Willingham says the research is very mixed in terms of students with an auditory bias actually learning the meaning of something better if it's presented in spoken or audio form. Likewise, it doesn't seem to be the case that those who favor the visual actually learn meanings better if they have images or something else to see. (It may well be the case that if a test is about how something sounds--the quality of a sound--then the auditory learners might outperform the non-auditory learners; and if a test is about the colors in a picture, the visual learner might well outperform the non-visual learner in remembering the colors. But in many courses, like this one, what's being put to the test is whether we understand the meaning of concepts.)
Nevertheless, if a particular learning style helps us remember the meaning of a concept, that's good. But that doesn't mean we can only learn through that one style; we can take in meaning in many different ways. The key for this and other courses is to use our preferred learning style if it's helpful, but to practice using other styles if the instructor's presentation is not to our liking. Research seems to show that we are not "locked in" to any particular learning style (though we do prefer one or two over the others).
There are dozens of lists claiming to show human learning style, but they don't all agree. One simple list seems to capture some of the differences in our preferences, and it will be useful for us to use. The list is based on the work of management researcher William Herrmann and it's called the Brain Dominance Model (there's more about this in the Wikipedia entry of the same name).
Herrmann divides humans into four dominant areas of thinking styles:
A - Analytical Thinking
(facts, theories, data)
Key Words: logical, factual, critical, technical and quantitative.
Preferred Activities: collecting data, analysis, understanding how things work, judging ideas based on facts, criteria and logical reasoning.
B - Sequential Thinking
(application, experiential, hands-on learning)
Key Words: safekeeping, structured, organized, complexity or detailed, planned.
Preferred Activities: following directions, detail oriented work, step-by-step problem solving, organization and implementation.
C - Interpersonal Thinking
(personal, emotional, community)
Key Words: kinesthetic, emotional, spiritual, sensory, feeling.
Preferred Activities: listening to and expressing ideas, looking for personal meaning, sensory input, and group interaction.
D - Imaginative thinking
(innovative, creative, out-of-the- box thinker)
Key Words : Visual, holistic, intuitive, innovative, and conceptual.
Preferred Activities: Looking at the big picture, taking initiative, challenging assumptions, visuals, metaphoric thinking, creative problem solving, long term thinking.
Herrmann's research suggests that each area is represented by about 25% of the population. In this class, then, there are likely all four types represented.
Part of my job as an instructor is to present class materials "with a little something for everyone." Part of your job as a student is to challenge yourself to expand beyond one thinking style if that style is not helping you put meaning into your mind.
It's important to cultivate thinking strategies that enable A's to understand B's, C's and D's, and so on, and get meaning from projects not geared specificially to their own style. This goes back to being resourceful and creative in adapting one's preferred learning styles so one gets as much meaning as possible.
With all the talk about thinking styles, it may come as a surprise that this class is about avoiding thinking. Cognitive scientist Daniel T. Willingham points out that humans find thinking just plain hard. We try to avoid it at all costs. Consider the following puzzle:
In an empty room are a candle, some matches, and a box of tacks. The goal is to have the lit candle about five feet off the ground. You've tried melting some of the wax on the bottom of the candle and sticking it to the wall, but that wasn't effective. How can you get the lit candle five feet off the ground without having to hold it there? (From Why Don't Students Like School?, p. 5)
Some people take considerable time figuring this out; some just get frustrated and never figure it out. It takes a lot of thinking. Now, if you've already encountered this puzzle somewhere else, and know the answer, consider what happens: You say, "That's easy! I've seen this before and here's the answer!" (Or, to impress your friends, you may not reveal to them that you remember the answer. You'll seem like a genius!) Rather than go through the agony of thinking about the puzzle, you simply draw on your long-term memory and provide the answer. You've successfully avoiding thinking!
You may want to talk about this puzzle in the Learning Cafe. You are also welcome to talk about learning styles and possible strategies to make this online course as effective for you as possible.
Here's Willingham's simple diagram of the mind showing working (short-term) memory and long-term memory:
The point is that if we can get meanings (the concepts we'll be studying about online course development) into our long-term memories, when it comes time for us to use them we won't have to think much at all. If we have created the right association of concepts (how one is related to another) in our long-term memory, we won't have to figure it out each time in our short-term (working) memory. Here's one more example, also given by Willingham. Read the following list of letters then look away and try to recall them:
XCN
NPH
DFB
ICI
ANC
AAX
How did you do? Most people, Willingham says, will remember about 7. Now let's rearrange the same letters and see how you do:
X
CNN
PHD
FBI
CIA
NCAA
X
A bit better? The point is that by making meaningful associations, we're not trying to remember individual letters, like X, C, and N, but we can remember meaningful "chunks" like PHD or FBI. There's limited room in our short-term working memory. If we can only remember 7 things, PHD and FBI each count as one "thing" since each is a meaningful unit. Are you beginning to see the idea? The more meaningful associations we can get into our long-term memory, the less we have to hold in our short-term working memory. We'll do better in the course by avoiding thinking!
So the way to avoid thinking in this class is to get the meaning into your long-term memory. That means practice, a lot of reflecting on how one concept is related to another. CNN is meaningful to many people, but others may never have heard of the cable channel and would need to practice putting that meaning into their long-term memories. Maybe your preferred cognitive style can help you design creative ways to help get meaning into your long-term memory. That's the goal. Then, when a project draws on some of the things we've been learning, you can say "I already know that!" and complete the project without a lot of heavy lifting (thinking).
This course requires about ten hours a week, mostly in reading online materials completing online projects.
You may find your schedule is so packed for you it's really not possible to spend all the time needed for this class. You may want to consider whether taking this course just now is the best choice. We face many pressures, of course, and I don't know your situation. But try to develop a workable schedule that takes into account the obligations you have.
Sometimes we set up schedules that are nearly impossible to maintain, especially if we become ill or a family member faces a difficulty. If you find that you can never log in during the week or that you simply have no time to read and think about the projects, you may need to revise your schedule for the sake of your sanity. Let's talk more about it if you like; write to me using Blackboard Mail and let me know your situation.
Recently a Butte College student, who took four online courses in one semester, wrote of a strategy for managing all those courses. I have permission to pass her words on to you.
I have four online courses this semester, and it takes a lot of organization to keep myself on top of everything!
I don't know that my process will work for your situation, but I wanted to share some of the things I do in case it would be any help to you!
1) Make a list of the days which your classes regularly update and keep it taped next to your computer screen or somewhere close. For example, one class always updates on Monday and Wednesday, so even though I try to pop in at least once each day, I ALWAYS come on as early as possible on those two days to get all of the new information.
2) Print out the complete course calendar if it's available.
3) Absolutely important -get a separate notebook for each class! Make sure you have an easy way to tell them apart - name of class on cover in a big black Sharpie, pictures glued to front that remind you of the theme of the class, whatever.
Each time you check into one of your classes, start a new page to write down any new information. You may want to devote the first page of each notebook to the assignments/due dates for that class. I find that writing down any assignments listed in the syllabus at the beginning of the year and crossing them off as I finish them very effective. This way, if you are ever unsure of which class has assignments coming due and you're not by a computer, you can just check your notebooks.
4) If you use a to-do list, a day planner, etc, go through each weekend and write out your game plan for the following week. I actually write down study times, homework times, and general "going online to post/check email/check in" times. Make sure you list which classes you are studying for which days. Sometimes seeing on paper when you are going to work on an assignment is as helpful as seeing when it is due.
If you know you have a big assignment either due or being announced on, say, Thursday, you probably want to give yourself time before Wednesday night to finish all other outstanding work in that particular class (for example).
5) Above all, just take five-ten minutes each day to "pop-in" to each of your classes and check where you need to be. Never go more than two days without checking email, calendars, whatever. I find it most effective to get up 15 minutes earlier each day, sit with my cup of coffee, and just check for new postings, updates, new assignments, etc. Even if I don't get to them right that instant, I write them down and know what I need to look into by the time I go to bed that night.
Okay, sorry, this ended up longer than I planned, but I hope that any part of it was helpful to you. Online classes require a lot of commitment, but the advantage is the flexibility to do five minutes here, ten minutes there throughout the week till it adds up.
Never let yourself get behind if you can help it, and by all means, ASK FOR HELP when you need it from professors, classmates, whoever. With online communities, you have instant email or posting access to a plethora of people who you might never connect with in a regular class, so take advantage of the connected nature of the course whenever you need to! [One might add, of course, that while help is good, copying from others is not! Please don't copy from the Internet or from others or use your friends' work in this class as a "template." All of that is a violation of the student code of conduct!]
Good luck to you and feel free to reach out for more help any time!
I wear a digital watch and dread Daylight Saving Time because it means I have to figure out all over again how to reset
my timepiece. I have to hold in a button here, press another button there, click yet a third button somewhere else—and it all has to be done in the right order. Frustration! I'm frustrated because it's just not obvious what steps I have to take to change the time. You may feel the same way about computers.
You'll get many instructions in this course, such as how to upload an image to your Profile or assign star-ratings to discussion postings. But all the instructions in the world won't work if we don't read and follow them, and (let's face it!) our tendency is to forge ahead if we think we know what we're doing. But that will be very dangerous in this class!
Syllabus/Complete Course Calendar: Click on the "Syllabus" menu button on the left and read the syllabus and the complete course calendar that follows it (in the same file) carefully. Note the assignments and expectations. The syllabus and complete course calendar will be your guides throughout the course.
Blackboard: You may find yourself in unfamiliar territory as you access your course web site. There is a lot of assistance available, regardless of your skill level, but what I've found over time is that (maybe this is human nature!) we tend to try to do it ourselves, get frustrated, and give up and never ask for help. We don't want others to think we're dumb, or we just hate computers, or we're just too busy. May I encourage you to try just two things that will make this semester go very much better?
Fair enough?
Sometimes in conversation with several of my colleagues, one of them will use a big word that I don't understand. The temptation I have is simply to nod and smile and hope that the context will make it clear what my friend is talking about. But I'm trying to change, to ask on the spot (at the risk of embarrassment) what the other person actually means. That little bit of communication has cleared up a lot of potential misunderstanding. I'm less and less embarrassed to ask about something when I don't understand. It's hard as an instructor to admit I don't know something—especially to other instructors—but doing so allows others to help clarify their meaning.
Some of us think asking for assistance is an admission of weakness, but I disagree. It's a sign of self-confidence that we can ask others to help and not be threatened. One of the saddest days I've had took place some while ago. A student came up to me and confessed to not understanding anything that had gone on in class. What made me sad was the timing of this confession: five minutes before the final.
Let me know early if you're facing difficulties, technical or otherwise. Please communicate with me and together we can get you the support you're looking for.
Well, thanks for reading! Next, after you've clicked on the Syllabus menu button on the left and have read the syllabus/course calendar carefully, and have printed out the complete file, click on the first Learning Module (LM01) to get started on the first projects. Enjoy!