Susan Moore July 1, 2013 EDET 755 Dr.

Smyth Course Site Reflection Instructions The course that my group built was titled EdTech500: Integrating Technology into the Classroom. The course was a hands-on approach to instructing teachers how to use various technological tools in their personal classroom. The course site mainly consisted of vital documents (syllabus, schedule), an assignments page, and a discussion board. The course used a project-based approach to learning, and provided multiple opportunities for collaboration with peers as well as self-reflection throughout each assignment. The most important thing that we thought of throughout the design process was to make the course site direct and simple. We did not want any extras to get in the way instead our team only included the necessary information, documents, and instructions in order for our students to be successful. We did our best to only include tools and media that supported the learning objectives and allowed our student to become an active learner. As we began focusing on that, we realized we should develop our learning goals first and foremost, and state them clearly for our students to view at the beginning of the syllabus. We were sure to develop our learning objectives so that they were measurable, appropriate, and clearly stated. We decided to allow a majority of our assessment measures to rely on self-reflection and collaboration, therefore allowing for the instructor to serve primarily as a facilitator. Our assessment methods were included with each assignment, and reflected specific learning goals. The grading scale was included in the syllabus, and the grading method and point amount was clearly stated with each assignment. Although the instructor served as solely a facilitator, we were sure to include support and tutorials throughout the course site to assist students with any challenges they may have faced along the way. Overall, we also included links for general help with the course in general or technological issues. We wanted to ensure that our students still felt in touch with their professors and not alone despite the fact that this course is all online. We included a variety of instructional materials, both in text and through videos to ensure that the course was accessible to all students. Perhaps the biggest challenge our group faced when beginning to design our course was the amount of options that were available to us. Personally, I was quite overwhelmed at the beginning, and felt as though I needed to include every little piece of content that was offered. I had to take a step back and realize that a lot of the tools available to us were not necessary for our course, and including them would not make our course more developed- instead it would create a confusing, distracting page almost impossible to navigate through. After realizing this, our group discussed the important aspects that needed to be included, and we quickly deleted the rest.

While my biggest goal was to make the site as simple as possible, being a student in the Breaking Designs group demonstrated to me that we could have gone much simpler! As a student, it was advantageous to have even less options to navigate through the site, and I was able to find my way around quite easily. Their directions were very direct and clear, and I had no trouble understanding what was expected of me. Another aspect of the Breaking Designs course that I appreciated was the use of educational links. Instead of simply instructing us to read about color theory, students were instructed to experiment with the sites and engage themselves. By providing hands-on hyperlinks instead of just readings, multiple learning styles were able to thrive, and understanding was met at a much deeper level. In MOOCS and other LMSs, I believe that the use of discussion boards is one of the most beneficial tools an instructor can utilize. It is a tool that encourages collaboration and reflection, while still remaining accessible and viewable by the professor. Instead of simply saying, create a group project, instructing students to create a group project through the communication tool of the discussion board, the instruction can successfully monitor participation, and be there to redirect when necessary. It also reminds the students to remain active, because they know the professor can access the threads and view each students participation and effort. The effectiveness of discussion boards relates to the group discussion related to the first article read, titled Building Active Online Interaction via Collaborative Learning Community. We discussed the importance of communication and collaboration in the college setting, and the pros, cons, and challenges of incorporating this into online classrooms. We agreed that the community that collaboration can create leads to success, which is why the reflections on the discussion board were such an important aspect in our created course. Although we read the second article, How Online Learning is Reinventing College, following the creation of our site, I found that it supported our desire to create an environment that serves the opportunity of other colleges: to mature, network, and gain knowledge in a lively atmosphere. Discussion boards, if explained and modeled correctly, can help online courses still deliver the social experience associated with college. Our discussion board was created with the goal of providing opportunities for student growth and support through activities that were interactive and student centered. All in all, the creation of an online course site was an incredible learning experience for me. It was great to be able to be a part of a dynamic group, as we were able to bounce ideas off of each other and ensure that we met as many aspects of the online course evaluation criteria as possible. Assessing other sites first allowed me to know what I wanted and did not want to include in my own course. It was rewarding to view the discussion board after the week went by to see the reflections, creations, and growth of my students. Ill surely never forget this experience of creating a course in a week. While it is clear that the simplicity of the site and the clarity of learning goals and other expectations is necessary, what I truly learned was the value of communication and collaboration between instructors and students in an online learning environment.