Participation


Our online course "environment" consists of this course blog, your group members’ blogs, and your own blog. Think of your blog as ultimately "portable" in that when the scaffolding of this course experience is removed, you will have the beginning of a professional portfolio that highlights your philosophy and pedagogy and practice of educational technology within your content area. It will have meaning long after this course module is finished.

On occasion, you will be asked to work with other students in your content area major to complete a specific task. Throughout the course, I will be assigning specific discussion prompts designed to elicit (but not force) online discussion. In addition, you are invited to discuss on your own other items relevant to the course material. Your online participation as a whole should represent your observations, thoughts, connections, analysis, goals and other artifacts of your learning throughout the course. By the end of the semester, your blog should contain at least 15 original posts. These include posts that are required as part of interactivity assignments.

In addition, you should substantially contribute to your classmates' blogs—especially those classmates with whom you share the same content area specialty. (See the Groups menu) By "substantial" I mean posts that relate to the course content and are additive or transformative to the larger discussion. Do not simply reply, "Nice going, Bob. I completely agree with you on this point." If you agree with Bob, then point out specific points in which you're in agreement and provide additional information from your own experience or add/layer onto the point in a way that adds meaning or insight. It is possible to make a substantial contribution to another blog in 50 words; but sometimes your thought may require you to use upwards of 300 words. Part of your challenge is making that decision. To fully meet the criteria for online participation (20% of your final course grade) I recommend using the 9-3-1 formula on a weekly basis (this is only a recommendation, not a rule):

  • Read/browse through a minimum of 9 of your classmates' blogs
  • Respond to at least 3 of the 9 blogs you reviewed
  • Post at least 1 course-related entry on your own blogspot (may be included in the weekly interactivity assignment)  

If you consistently follow the 9-3-1 formula, by the end of the semester you will have enough documented discourse across time to earn full credit (20%) for online participation. With regards to the substance of your participation, I will assess your work according to the criteria listed below:

  • Comprehension of ideas. Your postings should illustrate your understanding of the readings and activities and reflect upon the topics covered—questioning and critiquing aspects of the assigned readings. 
  • Connection of ideas. Your postings should not just summarize the readings, discussions or activities; they should also illustrate your ability to draw connections across aspects of the reading, class discussion, current events, your own personal experiences and what you observe and experience during your field visits.
  • Clarity in communication. Your postings should present ideas in a clear, concise, and coherent manner so that the reader easily understands the message you are trying to convey. Keep in mind that when it comes to volume of text and the Internet—less is more.
  • Conventional expression. Your postings should adhere to the conventions of Standard English, (correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage) as appropriate to an academic setting and yet conversational. Keep in mind that this is not text-messaging.
  • Consistency. Although blogging should in one sense be organic in nature, for the purposes of course assessment, you should blog on a weekly basis in rhythm with the assigned readings, online discussion, and field visits. To generate discussion and responses from others, you should post regularly; however, your blog is ultimately assessed as a body of work at the end of the course. This means that you can add, change, delete whatever you like up until the final examination period.
  • Communal contribution. I expect you to read and contribute on a weekly basis to other classmates’ blogs and/or discussion forums, as appropriate for a 1.0 credit course. At the end of the semester, I will assess both the quantity and quality of your contributions to blogs other than your own according to the five criteria listed above.


I have enabled the Comments feature on many of these course pages to invite you to assess each component of the module as we go. This is essential, given that you will be simultaneously engaged in your co-requisite courses (READ 411 and CURR 314) and there may not be clear connections. I invite your questions, comments and ideas so that we can make any necessary adjustments or clarifications along the way.