Ed 214 home Syllabus Schedule How Online Works Resources-Links Campus Support

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I.  Develop a Learning Activity/Content Assignment

You will develop an online activity assignment or convert an on-ground lecture activity assignment to an online activity content assignment for this week.  Don't feel overloaded with the technology.  You may choose to do something simple for this assignment.  I want you to think about how you want this to look for your students and place your activity, lecture or content assignment online in your Blackboard container. 

Learning activities are basically assignments -  things you have students do in or out of class to facilitate learning.  For example, you might interrupt your lecture and ask students to explain a concept to a partner.  You might also give a traditional writing assignment or have students work in a group to create a presentation or product.  The main point is to get students active.  Learning activities augment lectures, online presentations, and reading assignments by getting the students to process information.  The processing can be simple (e.g. memorization) or complex (e.g. synthesis or comparison or reflection).

Online content corresponds to face-to-face lecture, demonstrations, or reading assignments: it is how we usually first present concepts and skills to students.  You could create a brief (5-10 minutes) narrated PowerPoint presentation, a video tutorial, a Web page, or Word document and then have students do something with that information via an assignment.

Here are some tips to consider:

• Creating an Assignment - The Assignments tool allows students to turn in files to the instructor and allows the instructor to retrieve these files, grade them, and return them to the students with additional feedback. This tool can be used instead of sending papers or other files as email attachments or using the Drop Box.  Instructors access files submitted via this tool from the Grade Center, and students find it in the Content Area where it was created by the instructor. The advantages of using assignments instead of email or the Drop Box are that a Grade Center column is created automatically for each assignment that you create and Blackboard keeps track of who the files belong to without the need for students to name files correctly so that you know who is submitting them.
• Video for creating an Assignment (ths will open in a new window)
• Video on Submitting an Assignment
• Retrieving and Grading Student Files Submitted via an Assignment
• Include an introduction to clarify the purpose and relevance of the presentation assignment.
• Include examples, images, links, and/or stories to help make your presentation interesting and useful.
• Include a summary or conclusion to restate the most important points.
• Before you begin, browse A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence & see if you can find any tips relevant to your presentation objectives. Try a few suggestions!
• Use the notes feature of PowerPoint to create a transcript for deaf students.  You can quickly publish a Web version of your PowerPoint slides that includes the notes.
• Technology Demonstrations to think about using: Camtasia, CCCConfer, bogs, and Podcasting. 
• Some learning activities include scalfolding and use the Web as a resource or tool; examples are Hot Potatoes, StudyStack, compare/contrast websites, online journals, online presentations, case studies, and more.
• Powerpoint Presentations:  The easiest way is to just create your narrations within PowerPoint using Insert -> Audio in the menu.  Then you can just Save in a web format.  Here are some video tutorials to demonstrate:
  • Adding audio and notes to PowerPoint and saving in a web format

In this assignment, you will create content or a learning activity for your online students.  You should spend about an hour viewing the overview presentation and browsing examples and 1-3 hours creating the learning activity.
 

What to Do

1. Design a learning activity/content assignment that addresses a student learning outcome.  At this point, keep it general.
   
2. Consider scaffolding for the learning activity. What instructions do you need to provide?  Should you explain the purpose and relevance of the assignment in an introduction?  Does the student need to begin by reading or viewing a presentation? What will the student turn in?  Do students need coaching on process or using technology?
   
3. Put it all together in a Word document or Web page and upload to your Course Management System or show me where to access it.

1. Submit a document to Blackboard Assignments that explains where I can find your learning activity/content assignment in your Blackboard container.

II.  Respond to the Discussion Board

*sources from Online Courses through @One and Cuyamaca College