Electrochemistry Laboratory Demonstration

Cornstarch Lab Assessment

1. What happened when you slowly pushed your finger or fist into the mixture?


2. What happened when you jabbed your finger or fist into the mixture?


3. What happened when you squeezed the ball?
When you released the ball?


4. What factor seems to determine whether the mixture behaves as a solid or as a liquid?

Moldule 6: Learning Content in Distance Education

I had to re-post the video above to make it all fit on the page.
In so doing, the video on this post disappeard, but the "comment" section remained here.

Bill

For Module 6, I responded to the following blogs:

Lynne Butkiewicz
http://waldentechnology.blogspot.com/

Amy Cantymagli
http://acantymagli.blogspot.com/

Christine Wallo
http://cwallo.blogspot.com

Katherine Crawford
http://kat-edutech.blogspot.com/

Christine Rand
http://walden-crand.blogspot.com/

Moving Toward Dynamic Technologies






Personally, I'm well over toward the dynamic limit of the spectrum. I really like to interact with others and try new things that offer a more creative perspective to distance education. Let's face it, taking this course is also aimed at a more dynamic view and experience.

This must be tempered, though, with the understanding of the principles of education and how they apply to distance education. Workability and practicality is very important.

In my work, therefore, in distance education, I tend to be more conservative, using only tried technologies with a good track record. In science education, it's easy to lose students. The material has a fairly high learning curve and it pays to stay on track with proven "learning objects" if we can extend that definition to include standard text books and laboratories.

I see this as different communication patterns. You read a textbook or watch a video and then you share an opinion or reply to a question. The cycle occurs over a longer period than in a chat or video conference. It takes longer to generate new ideas. You ruminate for weeks or longer at times and then express some new opinion, some hypothesis of your own. Scientists did this a centuty ago. It was very time consuming, but it produced very good results. Today, and with faster communication systems, the process is streamlined. The exchanges are quicker. In science, it's still faster at the research lab - but the technology helps enormously to gather information and to communicate. I've never seen new ideas generated so quickly or enthusiastically as in a room full of students who have warmed to the subject. The trick would be to produce those same dynamic effects using the new techology tools.

References:
McGreal,R, and Elliott, T. (2008). Technologies of online learning (E-learning). In Anderson, T. (Ed.) The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.). (pp. 333-365). Edmonton, AB: AU Press, Athabasca University

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools. [Unpublished Paper].

For Module 5, I responded to the following 2 blogs:

Christine Rand: http://walden-crand.blogspot.com

Chris Wallo: http://www.cwallo.blogspot.com

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

I just don't seem to be able to get blogger to transfer my graphic organizer copy like I want. Try clicking on the blog above to view it.

The main content is in the center" Online Learner Environment", surrounded by four major branches;
1. "Course Content Materials" which has Text, Online Resources and Lab Supplies as sub categories.
2. "Social Presence" which has the course registration itself and the student and school academic standing as sub categories.
3. "Cognitive Presence" which has an Informed and Motivated Teacher and an Expertly Designed Curriculum as sub categores.
4. "Collaborative Environement" with Local and Online Resources as sub categories.

Number 4 would have additional sub categores consisting of messaging online as well as telephone, cell phone, or any other communication vias available.

This "graphic" was supposed to serve as a model and focus for the discussion of how we might be able to engage learners with new strategies and tools.

Both Terry Anderson and Vance Durrington and his coauthors (Anderson T, 2008), (Durrington V.A. et al, 2006) insist that we load the curriculum itself with structure and assessment rubrics for collaborative activities. I believe this might be better left more voluntary and less enforced communication as it might restimulate student personal freedom losses and lower the enthusiasm for study. A teacher must be very careful how he or she handles assigning other students to monitor the participation of others. I see more dangers here than I see benefits. Whereas a voluntary collaboration recruitment would, I feel, be much more successful. At all events, structuring collarboration into the curriculm properly is definitely a key strategy. I do like the Problem Based Learning strategy to open up group participation. This is always a winner in science classes. Again, it's that much harder to engineer online.
Palloff and Pratt advise us to transform what works in the classroom to an online format. (Palloff, R.M., and Pratt, K., 2005). This can be done with videos easily and seems to be the most successful adaptation to date. Siemens (Siemens, G., 2008) stresses guiding students through a more complex curriculum.

One thing that would work would be an easier way to post graphics to blogs. Joke. :)
as Durrington et al would have us do!





Anderson, Terry. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. (pp. 343 - 365)Edmonton, Alberta: Au Press, Athabasca University.

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193.

Palloff, Rena M, Pratt, Keith, (2005). Collaborating Online, Learning Together in Community, San Fransisco. CA, : Jossey-Bass

Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and DesignersGeorge SiemensPresented to ITFORUM for DiscussionJanuary 27, 2008.

For Module 4, I responded to the following 2 blogs:

Christine Rand: http://walden-crand.blogspot.com/2010/06/module-2_29.html

Amy Cantymagli: http://acantymagli.blogspot.com/