Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Part B - Application of TPACK

1.  TP(Technology/Pedagogy)
My WPP uses a website technology, Weebly, in order to serve as a resource that can be accessed by students as needed throughout the semester.  I've chosen a website as the platform for this resource because it will always be accessible at any time, day or night, and believe me, many students work well into the night when I am sleeping soundly.  This technology is familiar to them as the Weebly sites provide intuitive functions because they are constructed like many websites on the internet.  Students will understand how to navigate through the website without any lessons on how to use the technology.  My pedagogy for this particular project is to approach the topic of plagiarism as an academic unit by providing a formal setting for the information and also to give students a person to consult with on the topic, leaving it open for discussion throughout the semester.  This information is not part of my core curriculum as I am a teacher of world religions, so I cannot justify taking a portion of our semester to cover this topic as a unit in our class.  It must be something that the students work on outside of our class.  My intent is to empower students to develop their knowledge and understanding of plagiarism and to use this knowledge, not only in their current class with me, but in their future courses in college, as well as in the workplace and anytime that this knowledge is needed in life.   It will absolutely impact each and every assignment submitted by a student in my class as writing is required in two assignments each week in my online courses.  This information can make or break a student.  If plagiarism is committed, they will receive a zero for the first assignment and be removed from the course, with an "E"as a final grade, on the second offense.  I therefore, need a technological tool that is easily used by students and accessible, without intervention from me, that will guide them on how to avoid plagiarism, reducing the number of students faced with the undesirable consequences of engaging in plagiarism.  I will, of course, stress to students that I am available to discuss plagiarism and and answer questions, however, I need this tool to inform, provide specific instructions, give practice and then provide students the ability to assess their own knowledge.  The Weebly blends technology and pedagogy seamlessly.

2.  TC(Technology/Content)
The Weebly is a way that students can access the material related to plagiarism on whatever level is needed at the time of encountering the Weebly.  Some students don't know the definition of plagiarism, at all.  Some have a vague idea about plagiarism, but don't know how and when to apply the rules of proper citation.  Some students know about plagiarism, but don't understand how proper citation plays into the picture.  What most students seem to be lacking, is the knowledge of copyright and ownership of "words", which is the whole reason plagiarism is illegal and why proper citation methods exist in the first place.  Therefore, the Weebly meets the student at the point in which the student needs to be met.  A student can access the materials that she needs without having to work through the subject matter that is already known by that student.  If a student only needs to confirm the mechanics of a style of citation, such as APA, then he can just access that information.  If a students needs to understand the definition of plagiarism, then she can read through that portion of the material on the Weebly.  The Weebly will provide comprehensive coverage of the topic of plagiarism and the student can use the portions of the topic that serves her, specifically.  And, because the Weebly never sleeps, unlike the instructor, the student can find the information needed at the time that it is going to be used, which fosters learning and retention.  The student can access the material and apply it immediately as the student is working because the Weeby will be up and running as long as the student has an internet connection.  On the Weebly, one will be able to become educated, interact with the tutorials, assess and test one's knowledge of the topic, and have access to my contact information if questions linger or clarification is needed.  The Weebly technology will comprehensively present the content in a way that just one instructor can't.  Email, the LMS, a Google Hangout, or telephone call cannot provide students a thorough encounter with plagiarism like the Weebly plagiarism site can.

3.  PC(Pedagogy/Content)
I would like to erase the confusion associated with plagiarism, as the confusion seams to cause a fear of plagiarism, which ironically seems to generate more instances of plagiarism.  My pedagogical approach for this project is to present the topic of plagiarism as an academic unit, explain why plagiarism needs to be avoided, and also give the student the opportunity to consult with me regarding plagiarism.  Through the use of the Weebly site, plagiarism will become a topic that causes less confusion and fear in students.  The content will be presented to students in a way that educates them on copyright and authorship and distinctly illustrates proper citation methods.  Receiving the material in a compartmentalized platform that covers the content from the very roots all the way to the applied practice, will serve to enmesh the pedagogy and the content.  The student will find that the content is reliable in every sense of the word.  The content is directly pertinent to the success of the student, not just in the student's current class, but in all classes, and all throughout life.  Also, the student will find that the content is available when the student needs it, even potentially after the course with me has come to a close.  Also, the content is already curated, meaning the student is not going to have to conduct an independent internet search, which may result in mixed messages, scattered information, information that is not detailed enough, and information from sources that are less than sound.  Most importantly, the student can rely on the fact that the newly obtained understanding of plagiarism is correct.  The student will learn the definition of plagiarism, the foundation of it, or copyright, how to avoid the consequences of engaging in plagiarism, as well as assess one's own understanding of the topic.  The pedagogical goal is to give the students a well rounded study of plagiarism, similar to the experience one would gain in an English class.  When students can learn the material needed in order to avoid plagiarism and then assess their own understanding of this topic, then the goal has been met.  As long as real learning is occurring, students are becoming empowered to observe the rules of copyright, avoiding plagiarism and feeling they can consult with me to develop their skills in this area, then the pedagogical and content goals of this teacher, will be satisfied...alas.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

WPP Part A- Description of Need or Opportunity

I need a tool to help students fully understand plagiarism.  My students are in college.  It is surprising to learn how many of them know little about plagiarism or how to avoid it when writing assignments.  From the survey results I've received from students thus far, I've discovered that about half of them have never formally learned about plagiarism in an educational setting before attending Henry Ford Community College.  Some have learned about it from other sources, and some have not learned about it at all.  This is quite shocking to me on one hand, but on the other, I see evidence of this more often than I am comfortable with.  This semester about 1/4 of my students engaged in plagiarism on some level within the first two weeks of class.  Being that I teach world religion courses, and not English courses, I need a comprehensive and reliable resource for students regarding plagiarism, that is not part of the regular curriculum.  I also need this tool to deliver information on multiple levels because some students understand some aspects of plagiarism, but have misconceptions about other areas of it.

I will create a Weebly.  This Weebly site will discuss the definition and scope of plagiarism and also methods for proper citation in order to avoid plagiarism.  It will serve as a repository of different types of information and interactive elements that will be useful to students who hold various levels of misconceptions on the topic.  The Weebly site will be used on an "as needed" basis throughout the semester, and I'm sure it will be used often.  When plagiarism occurs, I will certainly send students to the Weebly site to get the information they need to help them be successful in my course, as well as future courses and in the workplace.  I will also have a link to the Weebly site in the online courses that I run, so that students have access to it at any point that they choose to check it out.  This will provide an extra resource at the click of a button that can educate them at the time that they need it.  They will no longer have to research a topic they understand superficially, which in and of itself is worth the effort, as this type of research generally yields poor results in this area.

I plan on continuing to research more resources, but I have found a good deal of resources thus far to help implement my Weebly plagiarism project and my Diigo account is filling up fast.  My gracious instructor has advised that there is some wonderful information in "21 Things 4 Teachers" and "21 Things 4 Students", which I will certainly use as a guide regarding copyright and Creative Commons.  These sites get to the root of plagiarism by discussing copyright so students understand the whole reason why proper citation is needed, instead of just learning about citation as a "rule" to follow.  I have also found many tutorials and short films, and such, in MERLOT.  What I like about the two examples linked above is that they address the topic in a thorough manner and present it in a way that makes sense and in a format the promotes learning.  I plan to link to some of these tools in the Weebly to provide another platform for education.  Some of these tutorials and films are well made and there is no need to recreate the wheel in this regard when the resources are of such high quality and willing to be shared by the authors.  As far as content goes, in addition to the above, I will also be writing much of it myself.  Also, I plan on using the results from my student survey to help refine the kind of information presented to students.  This will help guide me in my overall plan.  These resources will serve as examples of how information is presented, what type of information is important, sources for interactive elements as well as resources that will be used by students directly.

I plan to get the Weebly up and running this semester so that students can begin using it as soon as it is finished, within a few weeks or so.  At this moment, I envision tabs on the Weebly covering the topics:  Plagiarism Defined, with tutorials; Avoiding Plagiarism, which will highlight citation methods; Copyright; Creative Commons; Consequences of Plagiarism, which may include an active blog where students can share  stories; and Resources.  {******I initially planned to have the entire Weebly site completed by November 20.  If this proves too daunting of a task, I will prioritize giving the most attention to the home screen, defining plagiarism, explaining copyright, and providing resources and tutorials promoting proper citation methods, such as APA, MLA, etc. ********}  I expect to then continue the use of the Weebly as a repository for new and interesting information that I find and build the site over time.  Beginning with next semester, I plan to have students take a quiz for assessment purposes and then require them to visit the Weebly site and take another quiz afterward.

{******I have read some articles, one written by Jonathan Bailey, that explains how to teach about plagiarism in a manner that actually helps students.  Tackling plagiarism as an academic unit really helps in eradicating the occurrence of plagiarism, instead of just expecting students to comply with the rules of plagiarism, although they haven't been formally instructed about it's meaning or purpose.  One key component related to this is to have students learn why avoiding plagiarism is important.  Many think of it as just some random set of rules that they are supposed to follow for some reason.  Stressing the importance of individuality, credit for work and copyright will aid students in deepening their understanding of why they should observe these "rules", which will in turn make them more likely to find the practices valuable enough to employ themselves.  Additionally, providing students with a person to consult about the topic, instead of just instilling fear about it, will also go a long way in alleviating the prolific nature of plagiarism for today's students.  I will use information such as this to help guide me in constructing my plagiarism Weebly and believe that these strategies will help this project be successful.*******}  I will be able to assess success of this project, if the scores improve from the assessment quiz to the quiz after working on the Weebly site.  But, I think the most fulfilling sign of success for me will the absence of plagiarism throughout the semester.  And, I would hope that some positive student feedback would also occur.  I expect that students will be happier having been educated on plagiarism so that the issue is no longer something on which they struggle to understand and apply.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A Funny Thing Happened with Technology (CEP812)



Feel free to view my movie about a funny thing that happened with technology a few years ago.  It is my very first iMovie (I just bought a Mac).  I had so much fun making it and working with iMovie.  I admit, however, my son...he's nine...had to help me troubleshoot a couple of times.  I should be proud of that, not embarrassed, right?  Anyway, I hope you don't think my movie is too corny...or maybe that's the point of this assignment.  Thanks for taking the time to watch!


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Favorite Technology...so tough to choose just one

Please have a listen to my podcast regarding my current favorite technology.  It really is hard to choose just one technology that is my favorite with so many new ones emerging every day.  My laptop has to be the piece of technology equipment that I use the most.  I am a moody worker.  Sometimes I can work away in my office at home, but sometimes I need to work in a busy cafe, my favorite being Starbucks, or a cozy cafe, like "Meant To Be" cafe in downtown Farmington.  Or, at the library, outside in the summer, in an airport, and any place that I can get a wifi connection.

For the purposes of this assignment, I think Weebly is my favorite non-hardware technology.  I like creating a site that is useful for my specific purposes and the purposes of my students.  I feel that my Weebly site has greatly increased in my WR 130, Introduction to the Study of Religion, online students, the deep learning, retention of information and internalization of our subject matter.  It provides the "campus" effect of an online class wherein I give my take on the more formal resources assigned in the class.  Providing my interpretation of the material and how that particular material fits into the larger scheme, seems to help students engage with the subject matter in a less superficial manner.  I think I am in good company when I say, we instructors like that!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Introduction to CEP 812

Hello everyone in CEP 812!  I am Tracy Marshall.  Below is some information about me and my interests.  I expect to have a wonderful semester and grow a good deal as a result of it.

Please feel free to view my Voki introduction.

I'd say that my education passions focus around 21st Century Skills.  I'd like students to begin thinking about technology as a tool to build success.  No longer is education and technology afforded only to the wealthy.  These tools that can help one communicate effectively in our global society, provide a means to develop one's academic skills in general and serve as an aid in learning that is suitable to all types of learners.  I would like students to understand that technology goes far beyond socially interacting with friends.  If used with a purpose, technology can empower any individual that wishes to succeed by building one's communication and collaboration abilities and preparing one for the professional world.

I work at Henry Ford Community College as an adjunct instructor teaching World Religion courses.  I have created four different courses that run on a rotating basis.  Since I mostly work online, I have captured some pictures of a few of my courses and pasted them below.  They are my labor of love and are always morphing.

I look forward to meeting everyone this semester, working together and learning lots of great stuff!


This is a photo of the introductory page of WR 130.

This is a photo of the introductory page of WR 233.

This is a photo of the introductory page of WR 131.





Tuesday, June 26, 2012

CEP 811 - Final Reflections

I think one of the best strategies I have taken away with me from this course is to be always in consideration of UDL Guidelines.  Not only will this help those students in my courses that have some types of learning disabilities, but will help all students.  When I kept these guidelines in mind while creating my lesson plan and StAIR assignment, I could see how this would benefit so many people in so many ways.  Of course, I can't squeeze in every guideline in every assignment, but just keeping these guidelines in mind for all lessons, both online and in campus classes, will certainly enhance each lesson and provide a more enriching learning experience for all students.  I can't wait to go forward with this new knowledge to see how lessons, lectures, assignments, and all aspects of online and campus courses are improved. 

I also learned that many projects take a good deal of work.  This is wonderful!  If I spend a good deal of time preparing a lesson, like a StAIR, I can use it forever...and trust me, I will use the StAIR I created in CEP 811, until the day I am no longer a teacher.  I can use this StAIR for four different world religion courses that I teach, both online and on campus.  And, I think this particular StAIR will really help students understand a topic that they generally get very little training in...understanding the meaning of symbols.  Putting in some good time on the front end, will certainly pay off for students.  My symbols StAIR is a ready made tool for all students to use.  I am very happy about that!

Integrating technologies in this class helped me realize how I can really customize lessons to fill some needs that I have.  World Religion materials...good ones anyway...aren't easy to come by.  Usually, world religion is the last discipline to be incorporated into the pre-made technology tools out there...I really have to search for quality You Tube videos, tutorials and the like.  There are plenty of less than scholarly materials available, but not good academic ones.  I have learned that I can really just make my own.  They will be more tailored to my courses anyway.

In CEP 811, I have certainly continued on the path of my long-term goal, which is to learn more about educational technologies and put them to use.  Working with them is really the only way to understand how they can be used for strong pedagogy, and I have certainly used some technology this semester.  I like that I have been able to think specifically about good teaching strategies while using the technologies this semester because without good teaching strategies, technology doesn't serve learners well.  And, I have come away with some materials that I can use right away in my courses.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I don't want to pile on too many goals on my plate, but sometimes I just can't help myself.  I have come to really love this process of integrating best teaching practices and technology.  I have begun to think about some dream jobs, so one goal is to sniff around and see what job opportunities are out there.  I am also strongly considering apply to the MSU MAET program.  But, aside from that, I want to keep up with original goal of learning as much as possible about educational technology and use that knowledge in my courses.  I plan to use the materials I created in CEP 811 in the Fall semester, and am going to work on getting those placed into the LMS before the semester begins. 

I can't wait to begin CEP 812!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Share Activity - CEP 811:session 6

As I was working through the Online Experience Guideline of the Michigan Merit Curriculum, I was familiar with most of the technologies and have even used many of them in my courses.  Electronic Portfolios is one of the technologies that I have seen used in courses of some colleagues at the College, and, I believe in them whole-heartily as a technology that can teach students valuable 21st century skills, as well as give them a practical product they can use for career opportunities outside of their college educational experience.  As I was thinking about them and how they really don't fit into my courses because I have to teach my subject matter, which is world religions, a thought began to blossom.

Hmmmmmmm...my mind began contemplating...an idea is in there somewhere...and then, it bloomed.  What if I had students create an electronic portfolio describing themselves as a follower of a particular religion, preferably not their current one?  Hmmmmmmm.  How would this be a pedagogical value?  Well, it is known in the world of academia, that providing students to opportunity to defend a position other than the one held personally by them, or otherwise put themselves in the shoes of another, is a good teaching strategy.  In order to understand a differing point of view, one needs to really internalize that point of view and come to know how a person holding the differing point of view thinks. 

Therefore, I would like to create an assignment wherein a Muslim student, for instance, creates an electronic portfolio detailing her life as a Hindu, for instance.  The portfolio could include a biography section, which may be fictional in nature, detailing that she was born in India and how she grew up in a wealthy caste, and what her life was like.  She could have a philosophy section explaining a type of religious concept that she holds dear; list of religious practices, perhaps with photos; a "favorite sacred text" section, in which she'd link to a favorite sacred passage and explain its meaning and how it relates to her life today; and on and on.  Many of the elements could be not true to her real life, but be included in the portfolio in the same way that authors write historic fiction novels.  The information would have to be accurate, but it doesn't really apply to her life.  An assignment of this type would involve good research techniques, develop writing skills of a technical as well as creative nature, provide practice using 21st century skills to conduct electronic research, find digital and copyright safe images, music, etc.  And, a student would become familiar with an electronic portfolio to use in the future for professional reasons.  Hmmmmmmmm.

I think the technology that would be most difficult to use from the Online Experience Guideline would be online simulations as this really doesn't blend well with my discipline of religious studies.  I can't really justify putting a simulation of a frog dissection in my class.  Also, I can't see that online gaming would be compatible either.  World religions is usually the last category of academia to be included into educational applications, so I would highly doubt I'd find anything applicable to my content.  Other than those two technologies, I think I could use pretty much every other category of technology in the table provided in the Online Experience Guideline.  It is fun to contemplate the wonderful assignments just waiting to be produced with all those great tools out there!