Talk:Scott Graham ... Portfolio

comments from Mary Beth

Hey Scott,

You are in the same boat as me, with a bit of work yet to do. This is a big undertaking for sure!!

Comments: You have two sets of what look like lesson plans. I don’t know if that was what we were supposed to do? I think that the project is supposed to be directed at the group who are responsible for the learning outcomes, ie who is your audience? Perhaps set up a “cover page”, what your students will first see when they open the unit. Try to find some pictures to make things interesting, ie that “engagement of learners” section on the evaluation rubric that counts for 20%!!

My understanding is that your initial lessons on blogging need to be an “online learning experience” for students, followed by your social studies content. It looks like you have quite a few of these lessons; could you cut a few for now then add more later? Be clear on your learning outcomes for each of these.

Make sure you add some references throughout, like readings or media. My advice, start with the structure of the project, then add to it. Send me an email later in the week if you’d like another look through.

Mary Beth

Instructor's comments on your instructional analysis and objectives -- Jz833665 11:03, 19 October 2009 (EDT)

Hi Scott,

You're working on a very interesting topic, and developing an instruction case to demonstrate the use of blogs for enhancing learner interactions.

Re. objectives,

1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of blogging through the creation of their own blog.
2. Given the historical context of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, students will identify the "who," "what," "when," "where," and "why" of the conflict on a graphic organizer.
3. Given the historical context of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, students will adapt the cognitive strategy of turning a graphic organizer into at least a five paragraph essay.
4. Given the historical context of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, students will generate a blog which becomes a letter to the United Nations in order to offer a viable resolution to the conflict. 

As I understand, your focus is on student interaction and blogging. Are you additionally thinking of graphic organizers as another tool to get across? In what ways will the graphic organizers support student collaboration and interaction.

My sense is that you need to construct a more coherent story line, using student collaboration and interaction as your major pedagogical thread/concept and making it bold, connecting up the tools.

Instructor Comments on your lessons -- Jz833665 09:02, 24 November 2009 (EST)

Hi Scott, You're working on an interesting topic and have put together some good thoughts.

• Your project focuses on producing an instructional case report about using blogs to support collaborative learning of a specific topic in your area. Please re-read the following guide I posted in the General Suggestions...

"What issues should be addressed in an instructional case report

Here are the basic elements an instructional case report should include:

   * Rationale and overview: Your intend, what it is about, how a teacher may use it.
   * Learning context (or professional training context)
   * Why the selected pedagogy/tech/assessment tools are appropriate in this context.
   * Lesson plan
         o The learner
         o Educational outcomes and performance objectives (including sequencing the objectives into an ICM)
         o Design ideas about the learning processes, media, resources, assessment
         o Lesson units (unit objectives, content, activities, resources/tools, assessment if needed within a unit) 
   * Implementation
   * Reflection 

This is only a primary outline to guide your work. You may find some of the elements inapplicable to your case or that a different structure works better for your case report. So you can adjust in meaningful ways to make your case study report most informative, readable, and valuable to teachers. "

Please add a front page for your project to elaborate the first three issues, before your specific units and lesson plans. You need particularly to elaborate your teaching model and design thoughts.

• As I commented earlier, you can refine your design by elaborating how the objectives relate to each other and come together as a whole learning journey. You can do it by generating an ICM (it was on our agenda of over two weeks ago).

• Your objectives listed for lessons 1 and 2 in unit 1 are the same: Given information about the process of creating a blog, students will be able to create their own blog and navigate through it, and other’s blogs, as demonstrated through the creation of their own blog. So I guess this is a unit-level objective, for Unit 1. You may want to provide an overview (objective, structure,a synthesis of your pedagogical model and thoughts) of the unit before the specific lessons. UNIT ONE ... BLOGORAMA

• Your lesson 1 works fine. You may make it more elaborated so that others can learn from and even adopt it. For example, students will analyze 3 blogs, list those three. While detailing several lessons that can demonstrate your unique design thoughts, you may choose to work on fewer lessons so that you can finish the whole project on time.