MS Word Copy/Pastes - A Discussion Tip

I maintain a personal website and within my domain is a folder called Physical Geology in which I have uploaded many webpages with illustrated tutorials and tips for my students.
This external site allows me to supply my students with additional help that does not require lots of space in D2L News or Discussion areas because all I need to do is provide a document name and a link.

Here is something I did today. It makes use of both my new D2L Discussion "Alerts!" Forum and my personal website.

I posted another Tip. It concerns the Word Copy/Paste Icon under the Discussion Compose Message Advanced Tab.

A lot of students were copy/pasting discussions they had created in Ms Word and they were doing so "directly", without using the Copy/Paste feature.
Unfortunately the integrity of their original Word document was not maintained and so fonts and spacing were askew. Those students meticulous about the appearance of their post were spending a lot of time trying to correct the appearance, often to no avail.

I am hoping this tip will save them time and a lot of trouble when copying their posts from Word.

This is the lead-in that I wrote in the Discussion Alerts Forum:

Tip: Do you copy/paste your Discussion Posts from MS Word? To maintain the fonts, spacing and the overall integrity of your document, try this! See: Word Copy/Pastes for Discussions (opens in a new window) [http://www.geolor.com/PhysicalGeology/Copy-Paste_from_Word_Tip.htm]

Lorrie

Documenting Phone Conversations

This is something I am doing this semester.
If a science Lab was submitted on time but it was poorly done, here is one technique I use when allowing extra time to revise and re-submit work.
I request a phone conversation with the student in order to discuss why the Lab did not meet the course standards and criteria and what needs improving in order to attain a better grade.
As we are speaking (not from memory hours later) and, based on my conversation with the student, I jot down some notes that contain: any important questions that I asked, the student’s reply and/or comments to my questions as well as the criteria that must be met to receive additional points on a revised Lab submission.
(I always inform the students at the beginning of the phone call that I am compiling notes and that they will be sent via Email “for their records” when we have finished talking.)

Before ending the conversation, I ask if the student understands the criteria for improving an assignment and if he/she agrees to it. The student’s response is also noted.

After the phone call ends, I copy/paste these notes into an Email message which I send to the student and to myself. In this Email I put the date and time of our phone conversation.

I do this for all important phone conversations relating to student requests to submit late or revised work.
This way the student and I both have a record of what was covered in the phone call as well as what agreements were reached that will allow the student to improve a grade.

Lorrie

Alerts in the Discussion Area

As a follow-up to my last Blog post in which I considered and questioned using the Discussion area to reach my students with important Course Reminders...I have tried something!

This morning I created a new Forum called "Alerts! I placed it at the top of the Discussion area.
Then, under "Alerts!" I created a New Topic called "Current Reminders".
In that message area I put very short and succinct reminders just in case they are not visiting News or reading Emails.

One of these reminders encourages students to visit Home Page "News" with each course log on.
Another provides the link to D2L Setting Tips I wrote for Emails and Discussions.

I have not allowed for replies. I am keeping this area at the top for reminders only.
I will be creating a Q and A Forum which I will place toward the bottom.

This new forum did push my current Unit Discussion Topic down just a tad but I can live with it because the Alerts are brief.
I hope this will work well and help my students.

Lorrie

Students learn and so do I!

I like when students call me on the phone for help. Not only do they get the opportunity to receive additional assistance with assignments and requirements but sometimes I also learn some enlightening information.
I mentioned in my last Blog that I provided some Setting Tips for the Email and Discussion areas of the course. I posted this information along with links to a webpage with the same tips on course Links, News and I also sent them in an Email.

I knew that redundancy was important for these Tips because, if Emails were hidden behind "panes", then people might not be seeing all of their important messages.
However, after speaking with a student just a few days ago I was made aware of a "habit" that could significantly alter how many of my students are reading News and maybe even accessing any Links.

When students log on, D2L kindly alerts them if they have new unread Discussion Posts or Dropbox Feedback. During our phone conversation, the lady mentioned that she clicks on those "link alerts" to go specifically and directly to that area of the course. That sure makes sense! But in doing so, the Home Page is bypassed along with the "News items" on the Home Page.
This one phone conversation really gave me something to consider. It made me wonder how many students are bypassing the Home Page in favor of going directly to specific course locations.

Other Instructors have shared how they sometimes put important alerts/news in the Discussion area, which makes perfect sense since students have to go there to complete assignments.
I have held off doing this simply because I wanted to reserve the Discussion area for science research posts only and not "clutter" it up with course information, alerts or tips.
However, since students absolutely have to go there to complete assignments, the Discussion area may very well be an important, significant and effective way of reaching those students who do not read Emails, who bypass the Home Page and who never click on Links from the Course Top Navigation Bar.

And so this Blog is not about "what I have done" but rather it is about "what I am thinking of doing".
I am still mulling over in my head exactly how touching base with students in the Discussion area can be accomplished in a way so as not to detract from the neat, well-organized research topics contained therein.
A "Tip" at the very top will grab their attention but it will also move the current, Main Unit Discussion down to second place.
What about at the bottom? "Discussion Posting Directions" appear towards the bottom and I am certain that only a few people have looked way down there to read the instructions. Instead of being a case of "Out of sight; out of mind", it is more like "At the bottom; not as important".
I am leaning towards at the top, as a brief message in a Forum Header, no student posts allowed, so as not to expand the short, to-the-point tip into a long, half-screen topic. The wheels are still turning in my head! Ah yes, flexibility!

In our Community Discussions, I'll query the community by posting a question about using the Discussion area effectively and succinctly for non-discussion related information.
In another Blog, I will follow-up with what I tried. If you post any alerts, tips or news in the Discussion area, please feel free to comment and share how you do this without taking away from the appearance of that area of your course.

Lorrie

D2L Email and Discussion Settings

In line with my previous Blog Entry, today I did something that will hopefully remove some student frustrations with "appearance" in the Email and Discussion areas.
By removing the check mark from Show the message preview pane under Email Settings and also by unchecking Show the preview pane in the Discussion Settings, the appearance of these areas changes to one more similar to what many were used to in Blackboard Vista.

Too many students were not seeing all their important Emails because they were hidden behind the preview pane and they did not realize the pane needed to be brought down a bit.

In order to reach all of the students I knew it would be necessary to provide the directions for changing settings in more than one course location.
Of course I sent an Email but, if the problem is with hidden Emails in the first place, then that might not be the best way to reach all students.
I also wrote the directions down on an HTML webpage which I posted on my own website. Then the new webpage was entered as a new link under the course Links (Category: Additional Resources).
I created a News item that alerts everyone to the Email directions I sent and which also provides them with the HTML link for all directions.
And so, I have tried to reach everyone in 3 ways.

Students who have already changed these settings have been delighted with the new appearance of Email and Discussions.
Hopefully this will alleviate some of the discomfort with "appearance" that students have expressed in their Emails.

Lorrie

Done and Not Done - A Bit of Self-Evaluation

Self-evaluation is a good thing. Without it one cannot be flexible or open to change. As each semester ends a bit of reflection on one's own performance can be beneficial.

What have I done to provide additional resources for my Physical Geology students?

I maintain my own external website on which I have provided many tutorials, often illustrated with graphics I have designed myself.
I send important links to these additional resources in Emails and I also link them from the Course Links Tab.

What do I really want to do more of in upcoming semesters?

I want to provide Audio Recordings and Multimedia Slideshows or Videos I have created to help my students with some really difficult tasks they must perform in their Lab activities.

No matter how many Tutorials I have written, not very many students go to the links to take advantage of these resources.
Of course this has been disappointing however I am beginning to think that perhaps there is just too much “TEXT” between all the course documents and my own webpage documents.
Maybe what is needed is a breath of fresh air in the form of “voice” and “multimedia presentations”. These would be especially effective when it comes to lab experiments. Since students are working alone, often struggling with equipment, visuals would provide an opportunity for them to see the Instructor manipulate materials for Lab experiments.

I have asked students who call me for Lab help if they would watch an instructor-made lab video and if they honestly believe they'd have the time to do so.
Every person said "Yes".

And so I intend to get one of those "Round Tuits" and then begin to create and incorporate some Audio/Visual Lab resources in my courses.

Lorrie

Validation

Several Instructors who used the D2L learning environment prior to Spring 2010 shared that students found the experience to be intuitive and that there weren't lots of complaints or problems.
During the first 2 weeks I did receive several Emails from frustrated students who were having a tough time getting used to D2L. Primarily, these were students had been familiar with Blackboard Vista.

What I am sharing is a little thing but it's something I always try to remember to do.
Before encouraging the student to take some time just to explore the course links and documents or even perhaps to call me, I try to validate what they are saying.
The first lines of my reply Email will always restate and confirm what the student has shared in his or her email.

If the student says something like, "I am totally lost and overwhelmed by this new system. I don't know where anything is!"
Then I will reply with, "Yes, our new D2L learning environment is different than Blackboard Vista and I totally understand how a new layout could at first overwhelm and frustrate you. I can understand how you feel and I am sorry you are experiencing any difficulties."

Than I follow with some suggestions that will lead to a better understanding concerning where everything is located in the course along with some words of encouragement about how we all will be comfortable and familiar with our new changes; it just takes a bit of time.
I include myself in the "we" to impart the feeling that I totally understand how difficult change can be but that time is on our side. After all, I was there and experiencing "newbie" feelings and not that long ago.

I have found that, after my replying with an Email that validates, provides suggestions and encourages, then the follow-up Emails from the same students are very positive.
In fact, they all have agreed that they are sure they'll get used to the course and any changes in a short time.

Come to think about it...don't we all like when our feelings are validated rather than dismissed?

Lorrie

Play the Role of the Student!

This semester I tried a new discussion technique and it worked.

The Scenario.
My Physical Geology classes have 3 Unit 1 Discussions: Student Introductions, Plagiarism and the big 40 out of 50 points Main Research Discussion (Geologic Wonders) in which they must come up with 4 distinct ways that Geology affects their lives and then provide some good science and supporting references for each ‘wonder’.

The Student Introductions and Plagiarism topics presented no problems and everyone posted right away.
However, this was not the case with the 40 point Main Research Discussion about their “Geologic Wonders”.
After several days only a few students out of 3 classes had posted.
What was going on? What could be done to help students better understand the requirements so that the Main Unit Discussion would start moving along?

Possible solutions that came to mind:
1. Expand on the directions.
Expand by how much? Do we want directions for one discussion to be so long and involved that one has to scroll twice just to read all of them, not to mention that the students will cringe when they see them all? The directions were already concise and long enough to explain requirements.
2. Send Emails with more detail.
Emails are one possible way of handling the problem. However, students receive lots of Emails and sometimes Emails go ignored for awhile. Also, taking the solution to the Email location of the course would mean separating the solution from the problem which existed in the Discussion area. That did not seem like the best way to motivate students to post either.
3. Upload audio or video recordings.
Recording multimedia tools in which I explained the post directions in detail seemed like a viable option but I wanted something that could reach all students and not allow for excuses such as my audio or video is not working on my computer. An immediate solution was needed. There was no time to work on recording or video edits for a few days.

My Method of Choice:
4. Play the Role of the Student! (Role Modeling)
An idea came to me! What if I could show them exactly what was expected for that Main Research Discussion? What if I took the time to write a research discussion post for the topic just as if I were as student in the class? The idea intrigued me; I was excited to try it and so I began writing my own research post. My post would be well organized, embellished with images, scientifically factual and based on research from good supporting (and well cited) websites. I did not write from my own expertise and knowledge because the students would not have prior knowledge of the subject when they began writing and so I researched as if I were new to Geology.

When finished, I converted the Word document to an Adobe Acrobat .Pdf file, uploaded it to the Course Files and then linked it right below the Main Discussion directions with the following lead in:

“Are you stuck or confused? Here is a .Pdf document that will show you an example of what we are seeking for this Discussion topic. Please take a look.”

This lead in was followed by a Course Link to my discussion document.
For those of you who are reading this blog and who are interested in seeing the sample discussion, I have uploaded the document to my website. Here is the link: Instructor Sample Unit 1 40 point Discussion Post - Geological Wonders

As backups to this new method, I also sent the link for my new discussion post in an Email and posted it in News too.

The Result:
Within one day people began posting and the majority of posts were very well done, well organized, chock full of good science and supported with well cited references from the get-go.

Who knows? Perhaps they enjoyed seeing the Instructor write the same post they had to tackle.
Or, maybe all they needed way to see how to approach the research post.

Did this “Playing the Role of the Student” work with everyone in all 3 classes? Absolutely not!
Some students may not have opened the link to read the sample post. This is not unexpected since students vary in the ways that they learn best and in the course resources that they will choose to explore. Helping all of my students to understand directions and concepts requires reaching out to them in more than one way. Redundancy is essential, but that is a topic for a future blog.

And so the old adage, “Teach by example” became another effective discussion tool in my online classroom.

If you have used a similar or other effective approach then please tell us about it!

Thank you!
Lorrie

Hello! Thank you for stopping by.

“Hello” Everyone! My name is Lorrie and I am a Physical Geology Instructor for CCCOnline.

I am delighted to have been invited to share some of my online teaching experiences and problem solving techniques with you.

I was a classroom teacher for over 20 years on both the High School and University levels. I love both science and teaching and so being in education allows me to enjoy and blend both interests simultaneously.

What single factors stand out as important in my teaching career? Ingenuity and Flexibility

Experience has taught me that no 2 semesters or years are the same; no 2 classes in a single semester are the same and of course, no 2 students are the same. Teaching styles and techniques that always seemed to work in the past may need tweaking in order to successfully reach a new class or even one individual learner in a class.

I began my career as a Permanent Substitute in a Public school District. It was my “foot in the door” which gave me an advantage for being hired as a full time faculty member the very next year. Substituting was like “paying ones dues to reach an ultimate goal”.
A substitute’s job is not an easy one. He or she walks into another teacher’s class cold. Students don’t know the teacher and the teacher does not know the students. Discipline problems are to be expected. The subject is usually not within the substitute’s area of expertise and often there are no lesson plans to be found.
It is an uncomfortable place to be in, so how does a substitute survive? Ingenuity and Flexibility

From that single, difficult year, learning to be flexible was something that stayed with me throughout my entire teaching career.

I am always trying to come up with (and learn from others) some new and different ways to reach a student or an entire class when the “old” methods just do not seem to work. Flexibility is critical in the face-to-face classroom and I honestly believe it is even more essential in the online classroom.

Within the online setting the option of verbally explaining course requirements and directions in depth and detail is almost nonexistent, unless one considers audio recordings which still don’t allow for a back and forth teacher/student exchange. “Reaching them all” in the virtual classroom is an exciting challenge!

And so, for my next blog entry I will share with you a “flexibility experience” that turned out to be a winning new discussion tool for me in our Physical Geology Research Discussion Posts. The Title of the blog will be: “Play the Role of the Student!”. If the title peaks your interest then I hope to see you here again soon.

I welcome your feedback and questions.

Thank you for stopping by my area of our Community Blog!
Lorrie