Let's use the radio metaphor. In the good old days (the really old days of radio), the family gathered around the box to listen to live performances.LM04
Storyboarding I & Time Shifting
In the last Learning Module we looked at the "big picture" as well as the "little picture." In this Learning Module we'll focus on the bridge: storyboarding, a way of breaking down larger units into smaller ones and of showing how the smaller ones relate to each other.
You'll be selecting a smaller segment of the class or topic you're working on for your "sandbox" Learning Module and then listing the elements of that segment (lecture, discussion, reading assignment, and so on). You'll be introduced to the idea of storyboarding by which you can show the relationships among each of the elements in the smaller segment you've selected.
This smaller segment will be what you will use in developing your new Learning Module in your "sandbox" and, if you like, you can begin now by creating some of the Lego pieces or inventory you know you'll be needing (such as sample quizzes, assignments, discussions, Web links, and lecture/presentations). Right now, though, we're still in the preliminary stages of working step by step through a Learning Module creation process and you may want to make revisions as the course progresses.
A subsequent Learning Module will ask you to pair each small element with an appropriate online tool, but that will come later.
This Learning Module also raises the controversial issue of learning (and teaching) styles. We've already touched on the matter in the Begin Here Learning Module; your view on the matter may well influence which elements you include in your storyboard (such as lecture rather than group work or group work rather than lecture).
The next pages introduce you to three interrelated concepts:
The second writing assignment appears in this Learning Module. It asks you to develop a storyboard for the small segment you've identified and then publish it so it can be shared with others in the class. We won't be directly discussing the actual storyboards you develop but others in the class might be helped by your contribution; if you do have comments on the storyboards feel free to post them in the Learning Cafe. This storyboard (which will be fleshed out in a later Learning Module) will form the basis for the development of your own Learning Module in your course shell "sandbox."
Enjoy!
Those who produce graphic novels often use storyboards to divide the action into manageable parts so the artists can have a sense of what to draw. Storyboarding is also used extensively in filmmaking, of course, and many other areas as well.
Even in online course construction!
In this class you'll be making a simplified storyboard--not for the entire course or topic you have in mind but for a much smaller unit. The reading you'll be doing in this Learning Module makes things a bit more complicated than what we'll be doing here, so don't be overwhelmed by the detail.
There are two Learning Modules in IDST-10 devoted to storyboarding; in this one the goal is to choose a small segment within the online course or topic you are thinking about developing. This is the segment you'll be using for the sample Learning Module you're developing in your "sandbox."
Then, break that unit down into smaller, connected activities. This has nothing to do with what online tool you might use (that will be considered in a forthcoming Learning Module in which you'll pair each element with an appropriate online tool).
For now, though, there are just four steps and they can be shown in storyboard form:
select a segment --> break the segment into its elements (quizzes, discussions, etc.) --> show how the elements are connected --> examine the storyboard in light of your view on learning styles
So, now to the first step, selecting a segment.
If you're thinking of creating an online course from an existing f2f courwe, or want to modify an existing online course or develop a Learning Module for a topic or hobby, think in terms either of a period of time (say, what goes on in a given week in your f2f class) or single class session or even a subject unit. Whatever you choose should actually have varied elements within it so there is a flow from one element to the next.
Break the segment into its elements, such as introductory remarks, quizzes, group work, writing, lecture presentation, reading assignment, discussion, and so on.
Show how each element is connected; that is, how one flows to the next. You can create a simple written storyboard (as illustrated above, with "-->" used as arrows) for pasting into the text box of the Project 7 assignment ("Go With the Flow"). You can use a word processor's drawing tools but then, if you're able, convert the document into a PDF and upload the PDF as an attachment to the assignment. Don't worry about which tools might work for each element; you'll consider that later in the course.
Examine the storyboard in light of your views about learning or teaching styles (which we'll talk about later in this Learning Module). What do the elements you've included say about you or about your course? Would introducing other elements into the storyboard enrich and deepen the student's learning?
It's also important to look at your storyboard in light of what we'll call "time shifting." We'll discuss that on the next page!
"Time shifting" is something that happens when a recording is made of a TV or radio program which can subsequently be viewed or listened to at a more convenient time. The TiVO is a time shifting device; likewise, audio podcasts, because they are recorded files, are a kind of time shifted radio.
In this class we want to adapt that idea to help us think about storyboard construction.
Let's use the radio metaphor. In the good old days (the really old days of radio), the family gathered around the box to listen to live performances.
If you missed an episode of a mystery or police serial, you missed it. Though the next radio episode might provide listeners with a short recap, the story moved on. It was the day of synchronous communication, direct from the studio to the listeners.
Similarly, in a f2f class, students who miss that day's discussion miss out. And though the instructor may provide a short recap in the next session, the class moves on to the next assignment (which generally builds on the material that has gone before, just as the radio serial did). The f2f class is synchronous communication.
What happens when you try to "translate" to an online modality what goes on in a given class period? First, imagine an instructor in an f2f class gives a 10 minute presentation, has the class break into groups to discuss it, spends another 10 minutes clarifying and answering questions, and then has students write in class about what they've learned. All that takes place, synchronously, in just one class period. It looks like this:
Week 1: Presentation --> Group Discussion --> Answers to Questions --> Writing Assignment
Now try to image how this might be done online. Immediately you run into the problem of time shifting. Welcome to an asynchronous, not synchronous, world! If you divide your online class into weeks, a Learning Module you release on Monday might be due Sunday night. That means students might be viewing the presentation any time during the week.
If you required students to join a group discussion, much of that discussion would likely take place Sunday, even Sunday night just before the deadline. If you planned on making comments on the group discussion, and then asking students to write about the subject after reading the comments, how is that going to work?
The temptation might be to see the flow of the course in terms of days of the week. You might ask students to complete part 1 of the Learning Module on Monday, part 2 on Tuesday, and so on--but that assumes most of your students will be available to work on each assignment day by day. That just doesn't happen online (even in IDST-10!). Course materials and student responses are time shifted. You can never assume most of your students will be gathered together at any particular day or hour.
Here's a way to restructure the course in light of time shifting:
Week 1: Presentation --> Group Discussion
Week 2: Answers to Questions --> Writing Assignment
Most group discussion postings will likely be done on the weekend. Once the discussion assignment is due you can move on to the next week, providing comments and then a writing assignment (to be completed by the end of the second week).
Of course, at the same time new material is being introduced in the second week with additional assignments for this new material given in the third week. And so the cycle continues.
This is not the only way to structure an online course, but it does try to take into account the reality of time shifting. Think carefully about what you want your students to accomplish in a week. They might be able to complete one or two discussion assignments, and a quiz or short writing assessment, but they won't be able to go on to do additional assignments based on your comments on their work until the following week.
Here's another example of how "translation" to the online world has to take time shifting into account. Discussions themselves are time shifted. Rather than oral communication in a f2f environment, online the discussions are written down--time shifted--for later reading by other students and their instructor.
Let's say you have three mini-discussions each f2f class period, on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the students are engaged but when class is over the discussions end and you move on to your next class. Now consider the online environment: 6 discussions online every week wouldn't really work for your students--or you.
If you had 35 students and 2 sections, and required students to do an original posting and one reply for each discussion, do the math: 6 x 35 x 2 x 2 = 840 postings to read each week. Good luck!
Time shifting. It means a whole new way of looking at course flow online!
Here are some helpful links in preparing your storyboard. There is a wealth of material here, but don't be overwhelmed. Scan the various pages quickly so you get a feel for how a storyboard works. Our goal is to develop very simple storyboards (and I mean simple!), not to try to duplicate some of the examples given in the links.
"Using Storyboards in Online Course Design" (PDF)
"Storyboard To Success" (PDF)
Note: There are references to storyboarding examples but these are not available; there is also frequent mention of a storyboarding worksheet (which is available from the link below) but you do NOT have to fill out the worksheet. What I'm looking for in the "Go With the Flow" assignment is a simple storyboard or flow chart showing how each element in your proposed sample Learning Module connects with the others.
"Storyboard Master Worksheet" (PDF)
Note: This is a long and complex document, with several sections, and it is far too complicated for the purposes of this course. Scan the document and get the idea of the importance constructing the "flow" of each element in your Learning Module. Alternatively, imagine that what goes on in your classroom (f2f as well as online) will be made into a film but that you first need to storyboard each element. You can put in "storyboarding" as a search term in YouTube for a vast number of tutorials on storyboarding for film--which has some applicability to what we are doing here.
Illinois Online Network: Using Storyboards in Online Course Design (Web link)
Note: Be sure to scan the additional pages linked on the page, including "Why Use Storyboards"; "Creating Storyboards"; and "Putting Storyboards Into Practice." Again, the details can be overwhelming, but scan the material to get the idea. The storyboards for this class will be far simpler. In fact, phrases and arrows will do.
The way you storyboard a course, or smaller unit within the course, says something about your own teaching and learning style since you're likely to include those elements you're comfortable with (lectures, say, or group discussions) and shy away from those elements you think are ineffective (lectures, say, or group discussions).
The subject of "learning styles" is hotly debated these days and you'll have an opportunity to weigh in as well. We've already looked at several aspects of learning styles in the Begin Here Learning Module. Some people are convinced that people have different learning (and teaching) styles and that online courses should offer a number of ways of presenting the same or similar material (such as an audio presentation, a slide presentation with images, and a written transcript of the same presentation).
Others maintain that the subject matter itself determines the kind of style one needs and that part of the learning process for students is practicing using unfamiliar styles. For example, a hands-on kind of person might enjoy a horticulture class (even an online version would presumably encourage students to do some planting in reality) but have a difficult time with Kantian ethics which asks readers to consider pretty challenging concepts such as "law in general." But even the hands-on student can practice the skills needed to understand Kant (if anyone has actually succeeding in understanding Kant).
While learning styles are not part of the storyboard process, they are worth thinking about as you examine the kind of storyboard you develop.
Click on the links below and take at least one of the quizzes to determine your own learning style, or reflect on the A,B,C,D learning stye chart in the Begin Here LM. Then scan the two articles on the learning styles controversy. You'll be reporting your findings, and your reflections, on the class blog.
Learning Styles and the Online Environment (Web link)
Note: Within the page you can click on several "quizzes" that purport to say what your learning style is. Some of the quiz links may have rotted.
The VARK Questionnaire (Web link)
Note: The acronym stands for "Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory modalities that are used for learning information."
Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence (PDF)
This journal article was published in December, 2008; after a survey of the relevant literature, the authors write: "We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning styles assessments into general educational practice."
Are Learning Styles Invalid? (Hint: No) (PDF)
This article takes issue with the one above, but reaches surprisingly modest conclusions. It was published in September, 2010 as part of the On Course website. (Butte College has presented a number of On Course workshops.) The author concludes: "The optimal teaching style strikes a balance (not necessarily an equal one) between the poles of each dimension of the chosen learning styles model. When this balance is achieved, all students are taught sometimes in their preferred mode, so they are not too uncomfortable to learn, and sometimes in their less preferred mode, so they are given practice and feedback in critically important skills they might never develop if instruction were perfectly matched to their preferences."
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Blog posts are different than a threaded discussion. Entries in a blog appear with the latest one on top and comments tend to be subordinate to the main entries. Wheras the Journal is a private communication tool between the instructor and student, a class blog can be read (and commented on) by all members of the class. A simple blog can be created in Blackboard using the Discussion tool and choosing "blog." If you're new to blogs, you may want to view the short YouTube video produced by CommonCraft. It's an excellent introduction. |
Here's a convenient checklist of all the projects for the first week of the course. The goal is to get "COM" (completed) in My Grades for each of the items below.
__ Project 1 - PR01. Create a profile (access through My Settings on the My Blackboard page; view by clicking on Roster menu button within the workshop).
__ Project 2 - PR02. Discussion - BioFile and Project Choice (all discussions require one substantive original entry and at least one substantive reply to another posting).
__ Project 3 - PR03. Journal (requires at least three substantive entries throughout the course, including a narrative about the online course development administrative and creative processes; you may not be finished with this project yet).
__ Project 4 - PR04-Discussion (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly).
__ Project 5 - PR05-Assignment 1 (Syllabus Narrative).
__ Project 6 - PR06-Discussion (comments on the Syllabus Narrative).
__ Project 7 - PR07-Assignment 2 (Go With the Flow).
__ Project 8 - PR08-Class Blog (Learning Styles - requires one substantive entry and at least one comment on another blog entry).