WiFi in the Ivory Tower

Danielle Eadens, Ph.D. & Michele Gerent, Ph.D.St. Petersburg College

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Session Agenda1. Brief History of Online

Instruction in Special Education

2. Effective Best Practices in Online Teacher Education

3. Selected Tools for Teacher Educators

Brief HistoryExceptional education teacher preparation programs

have a long history of offering distance education courses (Johnson, 2004; Spooner, Spooner, Alogozzine, & Jordan 1998).• These early courses used traditional methods of instruction including readings, lectures, and projects (Johnson, 2004)

Brief HistoryThere is a growing body of evidence

to support that online courses are as effective as traditionally taught courses (Caywood & Duckett 2003) and (Smith, Smith, & Boone 2000) compared groups taking the same course either online or in a traditional face-to-face class and found no significant difference in initial and follow-up learning gains

Smith (2000) found positive advantages to online discussions over face-to-face class discussions

O’Neal, Jones, Miller, Campbell, & Pierce (2007) found that web based instruction was as effective for disseminating special education course content to pre-service teachers as traditional instruction

Best Practices in Online Instruction: Course Design & Assessment

Clearly Outline Objectives and/or Learning Outcomes Clearly Communicate Textbook information,

Expectations, Including Deliverables and Due DatesApply the

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Education (Chickering & Gamson):Encourage contact between students & facultyDevelop reciprocity & cooperation among studentsEncourage active learningEmphasize time on taskCommunicate high expectationsRespect diverse talents & ways of learning

Review & Address Accessibility Issues Evaluate Student Learning Through a Variety of

Methods

Best Practices in Online Instruction: Technology

Set an Expectation for Students to Use Technology to Develop and Submit Assignments

Apply the "Six Principles of Good Course Design" Principle 1 - Information is scannable Principle 2 - File Issues are Considered Principle 3 - Copyright Issues are Considered Principle 4 - Web-based Resources are

Effective Principle 5 - Organization is Clearly Defined Principle 6 - Writing is Effective 

Use a Variety of Technologies Check Links to Make Sure They're Functioning

Selected Tools for Teacher Educators

Streaming VideoJing/CamtasiaImage-centered instruction (PPT, Softchalk)

Interactive Lesson Tools (Softchalk, video interfacing)

Streaming VideoBrief video clips to elicit emotion,

show examples of methodology, etc.Splits up material & presentationIncreases interestOpportunity to go beyond just telling the story about the kids

with special needs or your concept, but to show studentsWhere do I find these videos?

YouTube, TeacherTube, Vimeo, Hulu, internet search (Google: Videos)…. http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

Make your ownEncourage student submission of clips that demonstrate

concepts E.g. Submission from one of my students on behaviorism:

She called it “Pavlov in the office”: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1079423/the_pavlov_altoid_theory/  

Streaming Video Example

Jay Kinney, Northeast High School, “A” is for Autism

Jing/CamtasiaScreen-capture softwareCaptures your screen paired with your

voice (via headset or webcam microphone)

Jing: Free, maximum of 5 minute recording timehttp://www.techsmith.com/jing/

Camtasia: Free for 30 days, no maximum time limit, requires site or individual license to usehttp://www.techsmith.com/camtasia

Jing Example 1 (Content)

http://www.screencast.com/t/wzfrUI2HpG

Jing Example 2 (Directions)

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZGViZGJmNmEt

Jing IdeasGive directions that might be unclear

e.g. Discussion post: This is what academic discourse looks like, this is an example of a good discussion post, this is a non-example… be careful of… etc.

e.g. How to score the KTEA practice assessment

Give a student/group feedback on their assignment (especially if it is too much to write!)

Insert in a lesson to split up or explain confusing parts of a PowerPoint.

Camtasia IdeasOnline lecture from professor or

guest speaker (if you need them to voice over a PowerPoint)Note: If you want primarily video, use

a video camera insteadOpportunity to navigate through

difficult conceptsOpportunity to showcase multiple

things and complete a voice-over as you talk about them (this TED presentation would translate nicely into a Camtasia presentation).

Image Centered InstructionWhy? Dale’s Cone of Experience

Image from http://mitegypt.com

Image-centered presentations

Image Centered Instruction - PPT

Image Centered Instruction - Softchalk

Interactivity Tools: Softchalk

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Interactivity Tools: Softchalk

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Interactivity Tools: VideoSkype or ooVoo

Video conference with students, encourage students to work together in groups, record video messages for students www.ooVoo.com/student ooVoo how to:

http://www.oovoo.com/HowToooVooItem.aspx?pname=HowToooVooVideoMessages

Google Video ChatChat within gmail:

http://www.google.com/chat/video http://www.google.com/support/cha

t/bin/answer.py?answer=159499

Summary of ToolsStreaming Video (Most often free)Jing (Free) or Camtasia (Purchase)Concept: Image-centered instruction

PowerPoint & SoftchalkSoftchalk (Purchase)Skype, Google Video (Free), ooVoo

(Free/Purchase)Other tools that you cannot live

without?

Other Resources…http://www.polleverywhere

.com/FDLRS resources pdf

booklet: http://www.paec.org/fdlrstech/handouts/exploringnewterritories2010.pdf