gh10-2-11


 * On 10/2/2011 5:28 PM, Hanley, Gerry wrote: **


 * > 3.Larry and Naomi to discuss and decide on what activities will be **
 * > supported within these communities **


 * > a. Sharing course materials **

I am assuming we are going to try to develop two communities, faculty teaching Biology 101 and IT Literacy (which may be taught in more than one department on a given campus).


 * External material **

Things like Merlot objects, articles, Web sites, simulations, presentations, videos, podcasts, etc. that are currently in classroom use for the two specific courses. The cost of each should be noted.


 * Their own tips **

These will be fine-grained -- typically focused on one skill or concept. They need to take ownership of this activity. We can support them with tools like a wiki, database or threaded discussion, but they need to structure and populate it. A lot of this can be supported with a simple blog and tags.


 * Examples are **


 * Helping each other out by answering specific questions like "who has a good demo or presentation idea for teaching about RGB colors"?
 * Present examples of things they do that really work well, like:
 * My best lecture or demonstration – not an entire class, but just focused on a particular skill or concept.
 * My favorite assignment or lab exercise for a particular skill or concept.
 * Topics my students have particular trouble with ...
 * My favorite test questions on a particular concept or skill.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> b. Sharing syllabi **

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A collection of syllabi for those courses on each campus. (Links to them, not the actual documents).


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> c. Discussing how to use the no/low cost course materials effectively **

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A list of the textbooks and etexts they are using along with indication of which are free or cost less than a traditional print book.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lists of repositories and collections of course material relevant to the specific course.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Many of the materials listed under point a would also be free or low cost.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Naomi has this material for these and other courses on our campus, but we would have to solicit them from other campuses.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> Overall, you will need to write up a description of what and why we **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> are forming these communities with clear outcomes we want to achieve **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> by June 2012 and long term **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Activities **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Identify all full and part time teachers of these courses. (Is there any small incentive that could be offered in return for participation in the community)?
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Personally (email, telephone?) contact each one as well as having their provost contact them.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Identify a few core members for the Bio 101 and ICT literacy groups -- perhaps Nature adopters in the case of Bio 101 and hand-selected people Gerry knows for ICT. Get them together for a face to face meeting if possible. (Perhaps one in LA, one in the Bay area, etc.). Use Google+ hangouts somewhat regularly.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Show participants G+ hangouts and set regular times for them to meet online -- perhaps four times per week for each group so they can all find time to attend one if they wish to. Encourage someone to post short summaries of what was covered. Record and post the hangouts.


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Goals **


 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Get X% of the identified teachers to participate by contributing content.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Get an average of X fine-grained resources annotated and contributed per group member.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Identify resources that we do not currently have that could be used in these course across many campuses, then procure or build them.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Involve people teaching the same courses in our feeder schools.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Define online courses on both topics to be offered to the entire CSU. Perhaps the 200 Nature modules define the scope of BIO 101 -- what are the 200 ICT modules? (I can seed the ICT discussion with over 100 modules).
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Define online courses in both areas that could be offered: first on two CSU campuses then all CSU campuses, then feeder JCs and high schools with articulation then all people (a “MOOC”).


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> 4.Larry to select an online community tool that will best serve the **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> needs of the communities **

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This decision can be shared by the folks forming the communities.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It probably should not be one tool – things are too dynamic. For example, we could use Yahoo Groups for threaded discussion and Wikispaces for wikis, Zoho for databses, Blogger for blogs, Google+ for teleconferences, etc. Tie it together with a Web page.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Perhaps start both groups out with just a couple things, say a blog and Yahoo Group and a demo of Google+ hangouts then add things as they need them based on the sorts of things the group begins to gather and discuss.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do we have a budget for this? For example, could we use GOTO Meeting instead of Google Plus? Basecamp instead of Yahoo Groups? (Not sure we need or want to -- might be better to see what they find lacking in the free stuff).


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> 5.Larry to check to see if there’s a comparison of the different **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> functionality provided by the different online community tools **

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Are you thinking of things that are integrated like Ning? See my comments above on using a variety of tools.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As a variation on the theme, I ginned up a matrix of characteristics of e-readers and e-reader software. They are attached.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As you said, CATS could probably contribute a lot to this if you deem it worth pursuing.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> b.Larry, I’d like to see what you think about creating a MERLOT Content **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> Builder web page for a tutorial. Check out a template I created that **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">> focuses on using mobile apps for teaching **

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Would it be better to wait till communities are formed and see what sort of content they come up with?

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I could imagine making a page like that on what I have been doing with IT Literacy – reprising the evolution of the IT literacy curriculum, saying what I have settled on and why, presenting the etext, etc., but that would be narrow – my version.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">On a more concrete note – the page layout is kind of funky. If you view it on, say, a 1,000 or 1,200 pixel wide screen, the fixed width center column eats most of the real estate.