Session+Three

= __**​ SESSION THREE: REFLECTION ON THE ROLE OF VOICE**__ =

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Reflect again on online courses you have facilitated or participated in in the past. Where did you see a weakness in either the "teaching" or "learning" aspect of this course? Please share your reflection in the table below.=====

Read over the submissions of your colleagues, and consider how this weakness could be addressed, and whether or not the inclusion of audio/voice tools would be useful.
I believe audio and voice tools would have helped because hearing a voice instead of reading text might have been more motivating for some participants. If this could have been done several times during a session I think we could have seem more interaction on the threaded discussions. The content of these tools could have been messages of encouragement, expectations, summaries, or descriptions of threaded discussions. For example, "I have noticed many threads have great ideas about implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom today. I encourage you all to check out the threaded discussions and see what inspirations you get from them!" I really like the idea in the phone.io example about using these tools for the session summaries although I do think some participants might benefit more from text and audio, in that case the voki might be a better choice.-Amber I have found the orientation to be great and then as the weeks go by, the group gets busy and they do not get to participate as much. So, I try to encourage the few posts that they do write to be meaningful and engaging~ Melissa I have found that changing the subject heading when a person replies often attracts more attention. When doing so, changing it to directly match what is commented on within the reply will also draw in those that want to focus in on particulare content within each session. --Sara ||
 * ~ Weakness ||~ Strategies ||
 * ===**//Use the rows in this column to describe a weakness you have experienced in either the "teaching" or "learning" process of a course.// //(i.e. delivering content, understanding content, completing an activity, etc.)//**=== || ===**//How could this weakness be addressed? Would audio/voice tools have helped? Why or Why not?//**=== ||
 * A weakness I have seen in a past course was participant engagement in the threaded discussions. I think this was due in part to a facilitator who might have been able to be more visible and also due to lack of participant enthusiasm and motivation.-Amber || ​ I don't know if any of the participants would have felt comfortable with asking the facilitator to be more visible. There was encouragement from the facilitator for the participants to be more engaged.
 * Some weeks it is hard to keep the discussion going. If the topic is noncontroversial and everyone is pretty much in agreement, it is hard to make original posts later in the week and to make comments to the people who have already posted without sounding like everyone else. || I am thinking that when this happens, it would be good to do some voice or try a group activity. What do you think? Do you think these would help or hinder? ~Melissa

You will see in future facilitation that I will be asking for facilitators to complete a weekly log. The log will address such things as the discussion questions that do not genenerate robust discussions. In addition I will ask for feedback regarding session readings, activities and the course project. I have instituted the weekly log with the facilitators who are leading the current session. Their logs are due at the end of the course sesison. This information will inform all future course revisions. ~Donna || Stephanie || I wonder if we should post examples of good posts and post responses to help with this common issue. I think audio/voice tools would be a help in that we could record the examples with them for our auditory learners or record expectation reminders.-Amber
 * As I have facilitated online courses over the past year, the number one problem I have seen from some participants is the quality of discussion. I don't mean everyone, just a few of the participants only post the bare minimum to meet the requirement. I always reply back with an open ended or thought provoking question, but still just sometimes get some "one liners." So, that is a problem that I have encountered more than one time and would like to advance those participants in their discussion.

I have started adding that participates are receiving graduate credit and that their course work including discussions should be high quality. I don't know that it helps. (Mary)

I tried being overly complementary about a post or two early in the weeks discussion so that maybe the others would be reminded what a quality post was. Nanette || Another issue which has nothing to do with content, teaching, etc., is that some participants never receive very many responses in the discussion board. I always respond to all the original posts and sometimes this is the only response some get. I wish the participants would be more willing to post to these people. Just encourage them in some way. ​ Carolyn || All of these issues could be addressed with the voki. Some learners are visual and some need to hear the material presented. By placing a voki with directions or reminders in the News Item, along with text, the requirements will probably be clearer for the participant. It could also cut down on the busy work of sending out a lot of reminders to the participants. Embedding a voki in the blog would have been a tremendous help for the participants who had never blogged. Carolyn As a class participant it does not bother me that people do not post anything to my comments. if it happened all the time-then the faciliator should comment, but if it is a one time thing-no big deal-don't worry about it-I don't think the particpants worry about it-at least I wouldn't-Sally It also seems like their are one or two in every class that seem to post a reply to everyone. Sally || Julie || I think that having the students respond using the audio might make them more creative in their response. It would also help the readers so that all of them didn't look the same. It might want to make them read more to see what the others put. I also think it could help with providing directions for the assignments. I know that I have read directions before and miss interpreted them. Hearing the directions might have changed that for me. Julie
 * The Orientation Session is always a "busy" week for me with constant News Items and e-mail reminders to complete Profiles, discussion posts, graduate credit, etc. Also, some participants have difficulty posting their first discussion post or Dropbox submission. The rubrics course requires the participants to post in a blog, which was difficult for some at first.
 * I found out that the discussion board was the weakest area of the class. It seemed like all the posts sounded the same and didn't lead to any discussion beyond what was required. The posts to the participants were not as involved. They would just say I like that idea or good job. I wanted more in depth postings.

Julie...I have often wondered whether it would be appropriate to post something in the discussion to all concerning thoughtful posts. From the standpoint of the learner, they don't want to have to read 50% of the posts when they say "I agree" or "good job" and from the standpoint of the instructor, we don't want participants only having to read 50% of the posts that are not thoughtful and meaningful. I did not ever post anything just because I wasn't sure how it would be taken---wanted to keep everything on a positive note and didn't want to discourage anyone from posting. Has anyone tried to post something similar and was it successful? Stephanie

When I begin the course, I remind participants of where to find the criteria for discussions and then give examples of what not to say in my session emails. I tell them it is fine to agree but they need to say specifically why they agree. This has seemed to help in some instances. Tish

I have included instruction that discussion posts must be thought provoking. I have gotten permission from actual posters from previous classes to post a model of a thought provoking idea. Then the instructions explain that follow ups should also extend the discussion by agreeing, disagreeing, or extending the idea in some way. I think using the model of what is acceptable in addition to the rubric can be valuable. (jane)

I agree with you whole heartedly!! I stress over and over again and again to the participants to respond THOUGHTFULLY TO TWO ORIGINAL POSTS WITHOUT USING GENERALITIES LIKE: GREAT OR GOOD IDEA, YOU ARE RIGHT, ETC. I have personally emailed participants who obviously did not read the readings and tried to "wing" their way through the discussion board. Time is precious, that is why so many people take online courses; therefore, responses need to be rich!!! It would be of great advantage to use audio.voice tools to reinforce the importance of responses on the the discussion board. (JoAnn) ||
 * One item that gives me trouble is explaining how to use the drop box to submit assignments for "newbies." I would like suggestions.~Melissa || Melissa...I would say that your scenario would be a perfect example for one of the voice tools, such as the voki. I have not yet tried one of the voice tools, but do plan to use the voki during my next course. :) Stephanie

I made a document that gives directions step by step. I send it as an email attachment and post the directions and the document in the News section of the course. The document also contains an image so participants can see what I am talking about. Feel free to use it, modify it, whatever works for you! Tish :) Thanks for the doc ~ Melissa - Your welcome! On our discussion board this week, Valerie created an online video as she worked on a Voki; we saw where her cursor went and her voice narrated what she was doing. Then, she posted the link for us to view. It's great, it's free, and I plan on using it for mini-lessons to use online and with my high school students. To see Valerie's video and her answer to me, check out the bottom of the discussion board (two separate, threaded postings). Pam I agree doing video's are excellent! ~Melissa ||
 * Participants who respond to EVERY original response and don't have anything substantial to add. It's distracting on the board because you have to sift through useless comments to get to the heart of the discussion. I often find myself just starting to click without really reading because I am tired of reading "I agree," "I like that," "thanks for the idea." On the other hand, I don't want to discourage anyone. || That is a tough one. Is there a place to write these types of responses down and say they are examples of replies that lack quality? Maybe in the orientation session it could be addressed. You could use the voki to say the examples and encourage them not to be used. -Amber

An occasional "Thanks for the idea." or "I really like this and I am going to use it." is fine. However, if that is all that they post, it is not meeting the criteria for the course. What do you think? ~ Melissa

I agree that those types of statements do not meet course criteria. I think my biggest concern is participants who are compelled to respond to EVERY original posting. It's like they are hogging the conversation and I just want to say let someone else talk! (Tish)

This is a tough one because you don't like to discourage. There is a teacher at my school who has taken one online course and he told me he doesn't care for them because of this very reason. He said he just doesn't want to take time to read unimportant and sometimes personal chit chat. (Mary) || Gilda || I don't always use the chat feature but if I have a class that is mostly made up of WVLearns beginners or the project is complicated, I have create an optional chat to answer questions. I also encourage people who have never participated in a chat before to try it out as a new experience. I usually use the drop box for the mid-course check. I can review the work and make comments without making it available to the rest of the class since at the midpoint the project is still a work in progress. || Another problem I have had is getting participates to respond to an email. I would really like suggestions with this. I send endless emails and no answers. (Mary) || Here in Mercer Co., we have robo calls that can be targeted to different audiences -- for example, all students, students at one school, seniors, etc. I wonder if WVDE could robo call WVLearns participants: "You will receive an email this evening. Please check your access email account." I think some participants don't check their mail regularly and/or don't know how to get on their access accounts at home. Pam
 * As I reflect on my own facilitation - and as we have progressed in this course. I love all the "tools" that we're learning about - but I'm not sure that I am making the most of the tools that are within the class framework itself. I'd love to know how many people use chat and the dropbox - and some ideas on how they've used them in their classes.
 * A weakness in online courses is transferring verbal language into written language. Often the emotion in the voice is misread and miswritten when turned into words read. A slight piece of humor might translate as sarcasm. A curt statement of fact might suggest anger when the intonation can't be determined. Unintentional emotions are often broadcast in writing that would have come across more accurately had the words been spoken. (jane) || I agree this is a weakness of online courses. I am have a dry sense of humor and I try to be very careful of what I am writing to make sure it conveys the appropriate meaning. I often use emoticons, :) for smiling for example. I also have put in LOL for laugh out loud. I think audio tools could help with this but as you pointed out in the discussion session they can become overused. I prefer to stick with emoticons because everyone can see the smiley! (Tish) ||
 * As a facilitator I become very discouraged with participates who don't submit a quality post or response. I find that very discouraging concerning that participates are in the field of education.

Mercer County uses School Messenger ~ Melissa || I have deleted multiple posts and have been tempted to delete other posts. || Sorry Shawn - I guess I just gave a different spin to the same problem without a solution. - Gilda ||
 * As a facilitator, I find that many times participants are not aware of the importance of the mid-course check that all WVDE online courses have. I wonder if it gets "lost" in the print, if they feel it's just a rountine practice, or if they hurriedly put something together. I have found that the quality of mid-course work is not "top notch." Perhaps the participants don't consider the rubic that goes hand-in-hand with the mid-course check. How do we get participants to realize that the mid-course check is a vital part of the final project and is something that is ongoing. (JoAnn) || There have been times when I was a participant I was asked to use the rubric to evaluate my own work and then to "hand in" the rubric with my mid course check. It was helpful to me in that I was able to self-assess. (Tish) ||
 * When posts are simplistic or not related, is it proper for the facilitator to delete them? Irene || In order to address the various learning styles, we need to include audio/visual tools whenever possible.
 * I think as a learner and a facilitator a difficult aspect for me is lots of late weekend posts. I find even if I am ahead of the game on Thursday or Friday, if I don't follow -up until Sunday evening, I may be 120 posts behind. Shawn || Late posts are not only a frustration to facillitators - but to the other participants - since we have the required readings. I had a number of participants complain that they thought they were really keeping up - and then all of a sudden - there was mass postings. - Gilda
 * I have had problems with people turning in quality assignments. Sometimes they have done the bare minimum. Sometimes they create their own template and it doesn't match the requirements. Sometimes they don't understand what they are to do.-Claudia || I think a Voki might help although they have a limited number of seconds of recording. I think embedding an audio/video file showing the template, the parts that need completed and how to complete them, and instructions for the dropbox would be a nice addition. I am going to try to do something like that the next time I facilitate a course that has a harder assignment. I just have to be careful not to be too detailed so that people feel they have to do it my way and don't use their own judgement and creativity. -Claudia

Providing a good example might help in setting the expectations for the projects. Sometimes participants have been taught to do "plans" and such in one way, and it is difficult to transiton into another way. If a good example and maybe a poor example are shared, this would at least address the confusion of not knowing what is expected. --Sara

Claudia, I have had the same problem. I once had a participant to turn in a math project in a Reading First course. She had to complete her reading project quickly. I then started stating in my orientation e-mail that you must complete your own project and it must deal with ... (whatever the course). The mid-term check helps. Carolyn ||
 * Again, I am new at facilitating so I have very little experience to draw from. But I think that is exactly my weakness. I did not have a bag of tricks to use (or tools I felt comfortable with to help me add personality to myself.) Instead I focused on trying to make sure I communicated regularly with everyone, keeping a chart of who was who and when I last communicated. In the classes I have taken the facilitator gave them selves such friendly personalities seeming always available for assistance. When we ask participants to participate in the orientation discussion by introducing themselves are we not asking them to give themselves a personality? Nanette || I think audio/visual technology tools help the facilitator a personality - - a friendly voice. The more personality we have, the more approachable we seem and it makes the suggestions we give easier to take. But I also agree with what I read from others that over use of audio/ visuals can seem like a gimmick if used too frequently. And we all know the more ways we deliver information the more types of learners we reach. Nanette

I like Vokis and think they're great fun. However, in order to avoid overexposure, I might also opt to use an Audacity sound clip in various spots to personalize my online presence. The sound clips are less gimmicky and might appeal more to some of my students. Pam || be heard once. --Sara I agree. I think that utilizing a chat may be helpful or maybe some type of live messaging. I think that email sometimes doesn't have the same emphasis as a real live message session. I also think that perhaps the use of audio to emphasis the important aspects of the course and maybe even video "help" segments might be beneficial for some of the less tech savvy participants. Jackie ||
 * I have found some weaknesses with some of the courses that I facilitated. The first one is that many of the participants do as little as possible and expect the passing grade. I have had to send projects back over and over even after giving examples and suggestions for improvement. At times it seems that they can do the work but just choose not to do it. Then, of course, there are the participants who never finish the course and even though you send them numerous emails and ask them to let you know what is going on, they just drop off the face of the earth. Lastly, I think that a weakness in the program is that even though it is stated that to particpate, one must have Word installed, many particpants get bent out of shape when you tell them you can't open their program or they have dial up and can't download anything or watch any of the videos. It seems that the participants really do not take the time to read the News or the emails even though I tell them that it is important to do just that. I have been happy with the quality of the discussions in my courses, but want to work on communicating the expectations more clearly. Jackie || Finding alternate means of communication such as those shared in this session might be helpful in drawing people into the important information so that some of the issues you mentioned will at least
 * Many of the issues mentioned above, I have also struggled with. One area that I find that I see often - and sometimes I fall into this myself - is waiting until last minute to turn in the larger assignments / projects. This is particular hard on the development of rich content interaction when the discussion is based on sharing what the final project - or part of the prouject that should have been shared has not been turned in. I think this comes back to what I have seen others post before - you get out of the course what you put into it. I often find myself going back to older sessions so that I can draw even more from them - just in case even the discussion are behind - or new ones are posted. (Sorry, I am falling into this situation as I am typing this)Sara || Providing earlier reminders might fix this. Also, having a due date for some projects that could be turned into the facilitator eariler than when posting it to share. Maybe there is a way to share it with the facilitator, and then the facilitator can release those to be "viewable" by the other participants. Sara ||
 * One of the issues that I find perplexing is making sure all of the participants participate and stay on task. It has helped since we have put in the mid-course check. In some classes the mid course check does not help as much as others-because it seems that sometimes you have to get to about the end of the class to complete the project. Yes, you are learning things along the way, but you have to wait unitl near the end to make sure to do the right thing or select what you want to do. ||  ||