Katie Penwell-Purdin

I liked the idea of the Academic Honesty Policy.  It was well written, to the point, and I liked that each student signs/returns it, so there are no excuses for inappropriate/non helpful comments.  I plan to use this idea in an online course to be sure expectations are well understood before we begin.  

I learned a little bit more about some of these tools that I am not very familiar with such as blackboard collaborate, google hangouts, zoom, Flickr, Instagram, Linkedln, Tik Tok, and Twitter.  I also learned that students should be checked on every 3 to 5 weeks to ensure the technology is working.  I will be sure to use this timeframe when checking on students throughout the course.  

I liked the idea of a welcome letter at the beginning of the course and a best-wishes letter at the end of the course.  I will be sure to have both in my online classes.  

I learned that asking students for feedback throughout the course will make the course better and better each time it is used.  I will be sure to use student feedback to improve the course to ensure it works as efficiently as possible.  

I learned the difference between synchronous learning and asynchronous learning.  I was also reminded that discussion comments should lead to further discussion of the initial topic, and once students are shown an example of this, it will lead to very engaging conversations that are wholesome and beneficial to all.  I will be sure to remind students of proper discussion tactics if an online class is needed.  

I learned what several different options are when initially creating the course and what tools I want to use.  I did not know what these programs were, although I had heard of them before.  I now have a better understanding of what these tools are best for, such as the LMS, screen capture programs. virtual classrooms, wikis, and what their purpose is.  I also learned that any lectures posted should be no longer than 15 minutes, which I will remember if an online class is needed in the future.  

I learned that quantitative data usually gives you the what; qualitative data usually answers the why or the how.  It was suggested to use both to complement each other, and I plan to do that.  

I personally like the idea of students grading each others projects then being able to look at their own project to decide if they should change their own project in any way before submitting.  Constructive feedback provided by the students to each other helps the projects improve and also provides life skills to the students.  I plan to implement this.  

"Many online instructors create FAQ discussion areas to provide students with an oportunity to post their questions and have other students answer their questions.  Some instructors give credit to the student who answered the question properly."  I love this idea.  At times in the classroom, sometimes a student explaining to another student can get our message across more effectively.  I love this idea and wil emplement this if an online class is needed.  

I learned that it would be a good idea to have someone who has not seen your class site take a look at it to make sure the links make sense and everything is easy to get to/understand.  This will help to prevent many issues that students would have had, and to address the consistency/flow of the site before students look at it for the first time.  I like this idea and will do this.