Scott Olsen

A good balance integration of methods has a tremendous value which is also dependent on appropriate methods being applied to specific courses and course material. One additional benefit of students using technology to contribute to a class would be if that is guiding, the students would then know where trusted sources of information can be found.

The risk felt when moving towards active learning can be mitigated by rubrics that all for defining and assessing assignments and assuring that students will work towards the necessary breadth and depth of the subject matter. The illustration of the director seems fitting, although it is possible that in Hollywood the director's role is far more detailed than what is described in this course. I see bringing the streams together, that is 1. the studied and lived expertise of an instructor who has dedicated decades to understanding a topic, and 2. the active inquiry of the student who will better… >>>

This section provides realistic obstacles and challenges related to active learning. Definitely, there are stigmas and biases among educators, for sure there are students who are less than motivated and would prefer an easy course, even if there is no learning involved, and obviously, technology can create multiple challenges, especially if an institution lacks resources for a quality LMS. That said, beyond the barriers, there is an opportunity to create engagement and better learning.

Perhaps as thinking changes, active learning should shift from being considered the extra step in lesson plans to being the core of lesson plans. This is not without its challenges in a context where new courses are needing development and the easier pathway may be lecture and discussion. As well, courses with dense content may require creative options.

By use of the growing resources that facilitate labs in asynchronous courses, courses can offer more practical hands-on learning than previous, old-school asynchronous courses were able. The ideas do not just apply to stem related course but can be adapted to other courses.

This section provides much fodder for thought. The use of labs can put content into a practical application, can help students process the content beyond rote learning, and can provide the opportunity for group interactions, all of which are positive to mastery of course content.

Continued use of asynchronous does seem to need infusions of creativity by way of assignment or rewards in order to be engaging in the long term for a broad student pool. Adding rewards could benefit the student but may also be of benefit to the instructor under certain circustances.

Asynchronous education can be highly effective with the right design and with the right learner. If thinking about professions that require ongoing learning, almost all of this is asynchronous. That may 1) provide a basis for endorsing its effectiveness but 2) provide an indication of the kind of learner that functions best in the asynchronous learning model. I see an objective is creating courses that are able to better instruct students who may not the ideal asynchronous learner profile.

The blogging rubric is beneficial to define what is possible in using a blog as a part of instruction. Depth of idea and strength of citations is a factor as shooting from the hip does not create the kind of rigor needed in an academic setting. 

I like how writing competencies are in view in the use of microblogging. It seems counterproductive however to use text language. With some students, it's difficult to keep texting language out of academic essays, and so I am not sure that I would want to go this route. That said, writing complete and concise (and compelling ) copy in 280 words or less is a skill that should be developed.