Kim Dinsmore Edtech523 section 4173 Dr.

Letourneau 4/3/2011

Communication Plan
1. Routine Tasks (Monday-Friday)
Minimum of one hour per day checking email and responding if necessary. Minimum of one hour per day checking discussion boards, making notations, and possible replies to various posts if necessary. Minimum of two hours per day reading and assessing assignments. Minimum of one hour per day reflecting on instruction, collaborating with colleagues, and/or preparing improvements for the next semester's course. Minimum of five hours per week posting assignments, researching online resources, and participating in my personal learning network (wikis, blogs, education communities...).

2. Critical Thinking Prompts

The Teaching Effectiveness Program through the University of Oregon gives a great summation of good discussion questions. Since I do not want to reinvent the wheel I will relay in whole their suggestions below:

"To promote Convergent Thinking ask why, how, and in what ways. E
Examples: How does gravity differ from electrostatic attraction? How was the invasion of Grenada a modern day example of the Monroe Doctrine in action? Why was Richard III considered an evil king?

To promote Divergent Thinking ask suppose,, predict, if...then, can you create, what are some possible consequences...
Examples: Suppose that Caesar never returned to Rome from Gaul. Would the Empire have existed? What predictions can you make regarding the voting process in Florida? How might life in the year 2100 differ from today?

To promote Evaluative Thinking ask defend, judge, justify, what do you think about..., what is your opinion about....
Examples: What do you think are the advantages of solar power over coal-fired electric plants? Is it fair that Title IX requires colleges to fund sports for women as well as for men? How do you feel about raising the driving age to 18? Why? (Teaching with Technology - All About Blackboard, n.d.)

3. Management Issues and Strategies

Some reoccurring discussions on our discussion board thread about management issues and solutions were the following: Problem: Lack of community Solution: Create icebreakers at the start of the course and have activities where students work cooperatively. Problem: Little student participation Solution: Require minimum participation and have it part of the grading. Individually address students who are not posting. Problem: Delayed student responses to questions Solution: Have multiple response due dates. You could have two dates, the first would be for your post and the second would be for your response to another post. Problem: Unclear instructions or expectations. Solution: Immediate feedback from instructor if it seems students are confused. Providing a rubric for expected discussion board posts. Differentiated instruction such as video, voice threads, and resource links. Problem: Lack of instructor presence. Solution: Clear communication at the start of the course on why the instructor does not respond to each post. Jumping in when things are stalled or going wrong. Problem: Lack of reflection or critical thinking. Solution: Providing good examples at the start of the course on high quality responses. Using the critical thinking prompts above. Problem: Large class sizes. Solution: Create assignments that involve breaking up the class into groups. Organize, organize, organize! Problem: Dominating student(s). Solution: Address student through email if it gets disruptive to class. Relay at the start of class expectations for discussion board netiquette.

4. Online Discussion Forum Checklist/Rubric

Below is a simple rubric for online discussion forums.

Category Promptness

0 No post

1 Posts are delayed or past due date Frequent errors Does not express ideas and opinions clearly/ little connection to topic One post per week

2 Posts are at last minute and leave no time for responses Minimal errors Does express ideas well but with minimal connection to topic Two-three posts per week

Grammar/Spelling Expression/Relevance

No post No post

3 Posts are timely and provide ample time for responses One or two errors Expresses ideas well and connects well to topic. Four or more posts per week

Frequency Total

No post 0-12 points

5. Original Idea
If a teacher has a smart phone, she could schedule a personal phone call or email for each student throughout the semester. She could have a preset greeting and include an inquiry into one fact about the student that she has learned through the discussion boards. This will provide a more personal touch than just responding to emails or voicemails. My phone will inform me when an event is happening on my calendar. If they don't have a smart phone or electronic calendar, an old fashioned calendar will work just fine. With a large class, divide week two through week six into students per day. More than one student may need to be contacted per day depending on numbers.

Teaching with Technology - All About Blackboard. (n.d.). . Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://tep.uoregon.edu/technology/blackboard/blackboard.html