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Vol. 1 Issue 1 Spring 2006
Teaching and Learning with Technology
Best Practices,
Teaching Tips, Ideas, Resources, What's
NEW!
Greetings Faculty at
Penn State York Campus!
My name is Suzanne Shaffer and
I'm the new Instructional Designer on your campus. When I tell people my job
title, I often get the question, "What do you do exactly?" Well, an
instructional designer (in academic settings) usually works with faculty in
a resource capacity:
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providing information and
resources on best practices in education
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assisting collaboratively
in the course design process
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instructing in the
effective use of technology in teaching
 My time
is usually spent in collaborating one-on-one with faculty, developing
resources to help faculty inform their teaching practice, conducting
workshops, and researching
current trends in education.
I often think of IDs as people who carry a tool belt
full of ideas and applications for educational endeavors. By
talking with faculty about what they would like to
do with their classes, IDs can recommend activities and approaches that
will help faculty build successful and rewarding courses.
On a brief personal note, I am
a York native, happily returning home
after many years away. I served as an instructional designer at
Montgomery College (near Washington, DC) and at Towson University where I
helped faculty adapt their F2F courses for
online delivery. I love my job because it gives me access to so many
different content areas and teaching situations which I enjoy tremendously.
I also enjoy cooking, traveling, and am dedicated to adult literacy and
ESL issues, having taught these for many years in the Philadelphia area.
Besides my M.Ed. in Instructional Systems from PSU, I hold a PA State
Teaching Certificate in General Science and Program Specialist designation
in ESL.
I look forward to meeting you
soon, finding out what's happening on campus and what you would LIKE to have
happen regarding teaching and learning. Over the summer, I hope to be
getting up to speed with Angel tools and applications (my background is in
Blackboard and WebCT) and will be working on
getting resources together that I think will be of service to you come fall!
Please contact me with ideas, requests, questions, and just to say "hello"!
This newsletter is the first
edition of what I hope will become a valuable resource for you, supplying
information about best practices, teaching tips, ideas for your classroom,
and what's new and hot in education!!! This first edition starts with
information about using discussion boards effectively to enhance instruction
in your classes. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful summer break!!
Feature: Using Discussion Boards Effectively
One
big benefit of using online discussions is that your interactions are no
longer slowed down by students who come to class unprepared to discuss the
reading. They also extend the work that you can do during regular class
time.
Students benefit by having time to think about and frame their answers
according to the assignment and their own experiences.
By
using asynchronous discussions, you can ask challenging questions of
students. Get them to interpret and apply what they have read. Have them
systematically make reference to course materials in their discussion
postings to connect and reinforce their learning.
Discussion boards can be used in a wide variety of ways:
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Discussion/Feedback
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Role-based simulations
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Case studies
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Debates
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Jigsaws
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Group-oriented projects
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Private journals
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Review
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Problem-solving tasks
How
can you...
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Craft discussion questions to support critical thinking?
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Manage the discussion effectively?
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Develop guidelines for student
participation?
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Wrap-up the learning?
Read
More….
A
blog (or weblog) is a website in which messages are
posted and displayed with the newest at the top.
Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject,
such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as
online journals. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to
other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
Since its appearance in 1995, blogging has emerged as a popular
means of communication, affecting public opinion and mass
media around the world.
Retrieved from
http://www.Wikipedia.com on April 13, 2006.
Blog
use is gaining ground in educational settings. An example of an educational blog
that explores the
topic of Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom can be viewed
HERE . Read more about using blogs in your classroom in the Summer Issue
of Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Contact me if you are
currently using blogs in your courses and would like to share what you are
doing!!
Return to Top
Book Review - Summer Reading Invitation
Learner-Centered
Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, by
Maryellen C. Weimer (Professor Penn State
Berks Campus), is an engaging and practical introduction to the world of
learner-centered teaching in higher education. Weimer discusses the changes
that occur when the focus in college classrooms shifts from teaching to
learning: the balance of power, the role of the instructor, the function of
content, the responsibility for learning, and the purpose and process of
evaluation. She also describes the elements necessary for successful
implementation in the classroom. Important resources are also enclosed such
as sample syllabi, activities, handouts, and reading list for those
interested in learning more about the subject.
Vincent Tinto (Syracuse
University), in his landmark research on student retention, concludes that
the most important factor in student retention is student learning: when
students learn, they stay; when they are more actively involved in their own
learning, they learn more, and their retention rates are higher (2000).
Adopting a learner-centered approach to teaching can help you to achieve
higher rates of student satisfaction
and retention.
Consider adding Maryellen
Weimer's book
to your summer reading list! Or join an
on-line reading group for the summer by contacting
scs15@psu.edu if interested.
Tinto, V. (1997).
Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student
persistence.
Journal of Higher
Education.
68,6 (November/December): 599-623.
Weimer, M.C., (2002).
Learner-Centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. Jossey-Bass.
San Francisco.
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