Week 4

1. Our text categorizes electronic information into four types:

Textual Information

Presentation Graphics Slide Show

Spreadsheets and Databases

Multimedia objects

Provide an example or multiple examples of effective use of each type of electronic information for eLearning. Be sure to provide specific information about what makes your indicated use “effective”. Explaining effectiveness in light of one of the media theories as presented in this session (or another media theory you prefer) is expected.

A. Textual Information – consists of two categories, announcements and documents. Announcements are shorter and are created using the LMS software. Documents are prepared using a word processor, and are longer and more detailed. Email is the basic form of textual information. Blackboard is a great tool that shares simple announcements for one way communication, and lets documents and examples to be posted so one can view them in the formats they were intended to be presented in.

B. Presentation Graphic Slide Shows- The one I am most familiar with is Powerpoint. Powerpoint provides great one-way communication when presenting instructions on a task or a presentation about a subject. In Dr. Newberry’s and Dr. Baek’s classes, I have found these to be a great way for a more complete understanding of the task at hand. It’s advantages go beyond textual information in that they create a more appealing way to present information to the audience.

C. Spreadsheets and Databases – using LMS gradebooks is minimal effecgiveness but does not contain much media richness. The book states that students can play a “what if”, and is a neat tool in trying to figure out your grade.

D. Multimedia Objects – lectures made in imovie are high in media richness theory as it relates tone and facial expression. It’s not as personally focused as email, but is easier to understand the intended meaning by the presenter. One of the key advantages for me is the ability to pause, and rewind to make sure I have complete understanding of the topic.

2. Our text goes into some very specific detail on the proper formatting of textual information. Explain what you believe to be the most important guidelines for your use of textual information that are provided in the text and then create a sample text document (other than an announcement) that demonstrates the best practices of formatting textual information. Be sure to explain the purpose of the document and who the intended users are if that isn’t obvious from the document itself.

The most important guidelines for use in textual information are to chunk information, use bulleted lists, and use text links within documents. The shorter the announcement is, the more likely that people will read it. Teachers are especially notorious at my school for not reading announcements or emails, so quick and concise is the key. Keeping the announcement brief and easier to read takes away from the intimidation of the announcement or text. The best way I have seen this used is in our schedule portion of our class. The links provided in their take to you to specific requirments for that week.

The document I have used for this was an announcement I passed out to teachers on how to retrieve data for their students using our districts Datadirector.

Common Assessment Data Guide

A. Summative Results (Classroom Standards Performance Report)

1. Log on to DataDirector. (www.achievedata.com/sanbernardino)

2. Click on Exams.

3. Click on 1 test you want results for (ex. 2009-2010 Grade 3 Spelling Common Assessment #2)

4. Under the Reports table, click on Classroom Standards Performance Report.

5. If you are viewing more than one exam, Click on Add Exams.

6. Select other tests to includes in report.

7. Click Save Changes.

8. Must click on Update button.

9. To print, click PDF icon at top of screen.

3. What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication as it is used in eLearning and how do you choose between the two for a given task?

Synchronous communication is where there is communication between two parties at the same time. Examples of this would be in an audio chat or Skype. Asynchronous communication is where the communication is happening anytime. Blogs and email are the two most common forms of this.

If the goal of the task is more involved and needs a clearer and faster mode of communication between people, synchronous communication would be the better tool. The challenge with this way is to find a time where everyone can “meet” to complete the task. If the task is feedback about a project or a question that needs to be answered, asynchronous communication can be used.

4. What technologies does your CMS/LMS have to support synchronous communication?

Skype and Talkshoe are the two synchronous technologies that I have used. Using Talkshoe for the first time last week, I was impressed with the fact that Dr. Newberry recorded the session for later use. Recently, I learned about Blackboard having the feature to have an online whiteboard. It also contains the virtual classroom and chat feature.

5. What technologies does your CMS/LMS have to support asynchronous communication?

Blackboard uses discussion board, email, and forums. I use the link in blackboard to gain access to all the blogs to further the discussions we have about our tasks.

6. Describe a task or assignment you could use in an online class that would use either asynchronous or synchronous communication. Explain the task or assignment, identify the technology you would use to support the activity and explain why you chose that technology. Explain what you would do to ensure that the activity was successful.

As someone who needs answers now and am very impatient waiting for responses to texts, emails, and blog posts, I would choose Skype as my synchronous technology for a class assignment. I used Skype successfully in past classes to complete projects with my partner. Of course, the key was to have that partner on line and logged in, texting was used to set up those times. The huge advantage for me using Skype is getting meaning and tone across. My wife will tell you how my tone in texts often don’t portay what I really mean! ;)

The task I could use would be to create a simple powerpoint assignment with a partner. Skype gives the ability to share what is on my screen with my partner at the same time being able to communicate openly. No meaning would be lost due to the fact it is a video text, expressing both tone and facial expressions. Immediate feedback could be given by both partners as the presentation is created on one of the computers involced.