Documenting your learning is good

I was reminded via http://blogs.leeward.hawaii.edu/teachonline/2013/09/11/as-i-progress-through-the-course-i-am/ that it would be good to document my learning.

And, apparently, I didn't read something closely, and there is a badge that I could earn from this class, if I have a series of answers to a series of questions. So, I guess I should look again at the beginning stuff to figure out what those questions might be, so I can get more out of the course.

I'm also thinking I probably need to block off some time to focus on this class for a couple of hours a week, else time and tide will come and go, and the course will end, and I won't have but a few rambling blog posts to show for it.

"Have I spent enough time?" in an online class

Reading http://tomooc.edublogs.org/2013/09/06/0-week-reflections, I had an unrelated thought: How do I know when I've spent enough time in an online class?

I know when I've "spent my time" in a face-to-face class: the bell rings and the hour / 90 minutes is up for our meeting.

But how do I know how much is "enough" for an online class? If I spend 35 minutes battling the course-management system to get to the right place, and then 15 minutes reading, then 15 minutes writing a semi-thoughtful post, then the system deletes it without posting it, so I spend 10 minutes re-creating the post, how much time have I spent in the class? It has been (35+15+15+10 = ) 75 minutes of clock time, that feels like 2 hours since I've had frustrating time. So I feel like I'm done for the "session", but it has only been 15 min of reading and 15 min of first creation of post, so 30 minutes somewhat focused on content.

That disparity between the 30 minutes "on task" and the actual 75 minutes and the perceived 2 hours is a problem that I'm not sure how to fix. And I show my allegiance to the tyranny of the clock. I'm used to classes taking time, when in reality they take focused attention, and self-reflection and wrestling with ideas that sometimes takes hours when the time is not ripe, and perhaps only moments in a "taking a shower" satori.

How as instructors do we best help guide learners who are used to spending time in most traditional secondary schools to adapt to the new online learning.

It's almost like the old term-paper assignment. A first year teacher says "make it as long as it needs to be in order to cover the subject completely." A more experienced teacher says 1500 words, in 12 point Times Roman with 1 in. margins, but the danger is getting over-focused on word count, and losing the idea of making each word count for something.

Have I spent enough on this post?

Aloha from Kentucky - Howdy Y'all to Hawai'i

What is your intention for this course (why are you here)? I'm a librarian at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and I want to find ways to reach students better, and one way to do that is to become more embedded in online teaching. So, I'm here to see how the library can fit in all this.

What issues do you think are important? It is hard to know where to start on this one.

• There seem to be a lot of tensions: engaging students as interactively as they are used to communicating with their friends, but not violating their privacy (even if they don't yet acknowledge that they have any)
• Providing students with a well-rounded educational experience in a media environment that is still developing (when I explain something in the classroom, I can SEE how many people "get it" - how can I do that online?)
• How do we compete with free? If my students could watch MIT or Stanford or Sorbonne lectures, while would they continue to take mine?

How will contribute? Not sure what I'm supposed to put here "a lot"? I'm hoping to post as often as prompted is probably closer to the truth

How would you like to see community develop among participants? It would be nice to have more people to commiserate with: to let us know that we are not alone. It would be even better to learn how others have overcome those challenges. Or re-directed their energies into more fruitful paths (maybe some obstacles are meant to be gone around).

These types of courses are new for most people. In fact about 90% don’t even participate. How will you overcome the fear of learning in the open and the frustration of using new technology? How do you plan to courageously work through any setbacks, and not give up? I have courage, but only some. I have energy, but only some. My challenge will not be courage/openess, but prioritizing, and keeping up with this, along with all the other stuff I'm trying to keep up with.

Thinking about signing up for the U Hawaii "How to Teach Online" MOOC

Find out more about it yourself at http://blogs.leeward.hawaii.edu/teachonline/.

Behind the Best Semester Ever

I'm going to use http://bestsemester.blogspot.com as the "public" face of this project. It makes more sense for the "behind the scenes to be here.

Ideas from talking with student (new student worker) 8/19:

• need to do more marketing of library sources (no one knows what the library can do for them)
• need to encourage more (something - need to make longer notes)
• probably should do a "webtool of the week" to keep up interest in the blog (which will also have research tips)
• let students know that there may be something "better than google".
• students don't even know that our paid-for library databases exist
• let them know that DBs can be used from home
• the BCTC webpage is well-read - use that to spread the word
• if you send an email, the subject needs to be VERY catchy
• didn't know BCTC facebook existed
• Blackboard (outside resources) tab is unknown (maybe not a completely bad thing, since it is generic for all of KCTCS)
• some students ARE already using diigo.com