cynthiasite
read. think. write. speak. be.
User loginupdates & infoSpring 2010
> While this site formerly hosted my online composition course, I have migrated all of my materials to Desire2Learn. This site has been restructured to focus on my academic blog as well as on materials & resources for distance education faculty, both here at Suffolk and across the state. |
distance edHow Do You Grade an Online Conversation?A really smart article from Campus Technology about how to grade an online conversation. Useful ideas for many online professors! Learning in the Webiverse: How Do You Grade a Conversation? Former English professor Trent Batson notes that faculty might look for the following conversational elements: NYSCATE Metro Conference May 18-19, 2009Hi, all. I'm here at the NYSCATE Metro Conference 2009, and I've been taking notes in all of the keynotes and workshops I've attended. I'm attaching my notes to this posting for your perusal. We've heard from Dr. Helen Padgett, President Elect of ISTE, and she has given us a national and international context for the work that we do within the NYSUT Committee on Educational Technology. I've also attended several "The Way Forward" workshops with Stan Silverman and our friend Joe Pesavento, and they've been spreading the word about the state's tech plan initiatives. Free Software for Students... and Professors!
Here are some FREE software programs for students -- and for professors too if you're looking for new or free programs to try out! All of the software can be downloaded onto and run from a flash drive -- VERY useful for students, who may or may not have regular access to a single computer -- and students can download all or some of the applications. Are Your Students Ready for Online Learning?My colleague Chris Conzen, our Director of Campus Activities, sent the following information about the Student Online Readiness Tool (SORT) to me. This site allows students to assess their comfort and ability to succeed in an online environment. Chris notes, "from what I hear, this is especially useful for non-traditional learners who are more likely to believe they may not be able to handle distance learning, but who also may benefit the most given the smaller windows of time they traditionally have to attend classes." Might be a useful tool to ask your online students to complete, or at least review at their leisure, prior to the start of your online courses! Start Skrbl-ing for Online CollaborationI discovered the free online whiteboard called Skrbl last spring and have been wanting to share with colleagues. Seems like it could really prove useful for distance ed faculty who teach in the areas of math, science, or the arts. Skrbl is described on its website as a "simple and easy online multi user whiteboard" that lets you text and sketch with others online. You can also share files and pictures via Skrbl. Podcast PrimersLooking to use podcasts in your online classes, but not sure how to get started? Check out these resources:
AFT-NEA Higher Education ConferenceI'm in Washington, DC, on April 27-30 to attend the AFT-NEA Higher Education Joint Conference: Building Alliances for Higher Education and the Public Good. As Adjunct Coordinator for the Faculty Association, of course, I'll be attending several sessions on representing and advocating for contingent faculty. Unfortunately, one of the adjunct workshops I'd love to attend is being offered at the same time I'm presenting, but I'll make it to two other sessions. 03.11.08 All College DayFor my All College Day workshop on effective online teaching, here are my notes and materials to facilitate discussion and here's are my DE discussion forums so that you can share your good ideas and thinking. Currently I'm sitting & listening to Chuck's keynote & I'm blogging... because I'm a Gen Xer who goes nowhere without her laptop. Below are some of the websites Chuck cited (click "read more"): Suffolk to migrate to Desire2LearnWell, the big news at Suffolk this semester is that the college has decided to adopt Desire2Learn as its primary course management system. You can read the last college brief about the training and migration plan here: http://raven.sunysuffolk.edu:8081/CollegeBriefs/CB72.doc. I serve on the college-wide Distance Education Committee (DEC), and I know that DEC had unanimously voted to encourage the college to adopt Blackboard as its CMS. However, I have to note that several of us on DEC didn't vote for Blackboard because we deemed it the best CMS on the market. Rather, we cast our vote primarily out of recognition of those faculty at Suffolk who had already learned SLN, only to convert to Blackboard. With 30+ faculty already on Bb, we were trying to be considerate to those colleagues. That said, I've seen and dabbled with Desire2Learn, and I personally am THRILLED about the new system! It's fabulous. I've used SLN a little, and I've taught dozens upon dozens of sections of 4 different courses in Bb, and I've created this entire site using Drupal to host my composition class here at Suffolk. So I'm quite familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of each system, and I'm excited by what D2L will enable us to do. It has plenty of features that Bb and the others do not, and I'm eager to explore it more fully. Stay tuned for updates about D2L at SCCC. 
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