For the first time I’m using a virtual campus and a lab on a regular basis. This is a new situation. Even though I’ve been using the web as part of my classes for almost 4 years, I have no experience at all with live online activities with students.
Soon I had to admit I was taking too many things for granted, which made the class a bit messy.
| I assumed I controlled the contents I created.
But then I saw that the school has copyright over the campus. Solution: first I publish the activities under creative common license, then I copy them on the campus and attribute them to myself. Yes, more work, but I don’t want someone else to own what they’re not paying for. |
| I assumed students could follow written instructions.
Well, most of them can’t. As they work at their own pace, the result was I ended up repeating individual instructions over and over again. Solution: I use the projector to go over the whole activity before we start. |
| I assumed students would follow my instructions even when they implied new practices. But old practices rule.
For example, they are supposed to search copyleft images, I give them the link to flickrcc and they use Google image search. Or they have to write using a campus application or a google doc and they use word. Solution: No solution. Insisting and waiting, maybe. |
I had to face a bigger problem. No. I mean, I’m facing a bigger problem.
I believe technology should be part of a class. Twitter, a piece of chalk, google search, delicious, a text book, a Cd, a blog, a sheet of paper, a wiki, a pencil… So, the thing is, how can a once in a month lab session (scheduled by someone else) be part of my classes?
I haven’t been able to work that out. In fact, I don’t want to work it out. Any solution to this would be a hoax. I could lie, lie to you, to the institution and even to myself and publish a list of the wonderful activities my students are developing. Well, some are wonderful, not doubt. Yet, they are not embedded in the classes.
Supplements.
Photo Credit: So Many Ways by Furryscaly
