tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.comments2023-09-21T05:08:17.214-07:00Recharge PointDavid Lloydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-8992513425609077162014-05-27T00:05:53.217-07:002014-05-27T00:05:53.217-07:00The unfortunate reality with Project Post Mortem (...The unfortunate reality with <a href="http://russsilva.livejournal.com/872.html/" rel="nofollow">Project Post Mortem</a> (also called Project Debriefing or Lessons Learnt) is that everyone thinks they are a great idea, but they rarely ever get done. I would say the main reason for this is because upper management generally doesn’t think its worth the commitment of resources.Michelle Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04753725841492677904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-5198062028737786892014-05-26T22:05:22.797-07:002014-05-26T22:05:22.797-07:00Probably the most important reason for undertaking...Probably the most important reason for undertaking a <a href="http://tris-brown.newsvine.com/_news/2014/05/19/23937142-the-smart-crystal-ball-of-project-success/" rel="nofollow">Project PRE-mortem</a> is the least obvious; its to engage technical staff, to ask them how they felt about the project. Far too often programmers feel they have been rail-roaded into doing things they didn’t want to do during a project, for example; cutting features, following technology choices made by management, having to work over-time because of poor time planning, etc. You must listen to people – that doesn’t necessarily mean you enact the ‘nerf guns for everyone’ policy your zaniest programmer requests, it just means sincerely listening to what they have to say.Michelle Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04753725841492677904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-18361873160879704202014-02-06T21:29:34.447-08:002014-02-06T21:29:34.447-08:00The project debrief, or Project Post Mortems, is o...The project debrief, or <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/project-post-mortem/" rel="nofollow">Project Post Mortems</a>, is one of my favorite parts of a project because I learn as much from a negative project experience as I do from a positive one.<br /> What contributed to the project’s success or failure? The positive and negative drivers of this project were closely enmeshed. What follows is my pro and con post-mortem list of PM actions that drove the project to failure.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18163200297968083567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-33863054519436234652014-01-03T03:17:10.831-08:002014-01-03T03:17:10.831-08:00Online reading is not my thing. But after reading ...Online reading is not my thing. But after reading your blog I am really pleased. I don’t know about other blogs but this I will definitely keep coming back to. <br /><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/project-management-articles/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-tackle-a-technical-project-6866079.html/" rel="nofollow">Project Post Mortem</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18163200297968083567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-54953501055106767712013-03-18T03:47:44.089-07:002013-03-18T03:47:44.089-07:00I welcome comments. I don't recall ever removi...I welcome comments. I don't recall ever removing any. I AM the blog administrator, so how can this be? Is this incident another example of amnesia, or did something else happen? Sorry, grohon. Repost your comment, and I'll make sure I read what you have to say, and whether I agree, I'll post it if it is not abusive.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-23059424582805439042012-08-04T05:54:59.854-07:002012-08-04T05:54:59.854-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.grohonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15371609883317564647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-67444442931631862392011-08-14T18:05:29.684-07:002011-08-14T18:05:29.684-07:00Reflection on dialog
Concluding this assignment,...Reflection on dialog <br /><br />Concluding this assignment, I am supposed to write a reflection on this experience of creating a discussion post and moderating discussion. I am to write about whether the discussion was “lively,” why I think it was or wasn’t lively, and what I might do differently in the future.<br /><br />I’m not sure how to define “lively.” I was very impressed with the creativity in Stephen’s response. It was precisely the kind of unexpected display of creativity I had hoped to inspire. On the other hand, there was not a lot of back-and-forth dialog. Each person posted, and then there were comments that were as much about this assignment as they were about the discussion. I was very pleased with the initial posts, but I would have liked my “students” to comment on each other’s posts.<br /><br />I suppose I am partly at fault for the lack of secondary discussion because I did not do anything to engage my “students” beyond the initial post. I could have asked questions. I could have asked students to comment on each other’s posts. <br /><br />Rudy provided a useful meta-discussion post that helped me think about what I would have liked to do differently. He pointed out that my rubric used the word “intelligently” inappropriately. In the future, I will pay closer attention to how my choices of words can convey unintended and possibly negative meaning. In my rubric, the word “fairly” would have better described my intended meaning. <br /><br />Rudy also pointed out that my posted instructions were open to interpretation, and without the kind of specific guidance that can help students to focus their writing on pertinent topics. I did not provide any specific discussion points in my assignment. Another aspect of an assignment that I should have included are clearly defined due dates. Without due dates, students are likely to put off posting until discussion is not practical.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-22020751402264032102011-08-14T08:03:03.558-07:002011-08-14T08:03:03.558-07:00Steven, I am impressed with your creative response...Steven, I am impressed with your creative response. Your description made me just a little bit angry. I want to do that assignment and teach that impudent student a "lesson" which I can assure you will be very will documented! <br /><br />I also liked the way you contrasted two ways of presenting the same assessment. Clearly the second approach motivates a response much better than the first.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-470742474980748522011-08-14T07:54:10.600-07:002011-08-14T07:54:10.600-07:00Rudy, thank you for the suggestion of the book “Ma...Rudy, thank you for the suggestion of the book “Made to Stick” (Heath & Heath, 2007). I copied your reference. I will check that out. <br /><br />I recognize the proven value of cliffhangers and "hooks," but when I recognize I have been hooked, I get angry and turn off the television. I respond that way because I have experienced news hooks that did not accurately headline the news. I don't appreciate being manipulated or mislead.<br /><br />Misleading hooks aside, I am intrigued with the idea of selling knowledge gaps. I want to know more! <br /><br /><br />References:<br /><br />Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2007) Made to stick : why some ideas survive and others die.<br />New York : Random House.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-64462773105494698862011-08-14T07:38:12.551-07:002011-08-14T07:38:12.551-07:00Rudy, Thank you (I mean it) for your constructive ...Rudy, Thank you (I mean it) for your constructive criticism. Mostly likely I will review your comments frequently as I plan future assessments.<br /><br />I agree with your criticism of the word "intelligently" the rubric. The word is dripping with harmful implications. In this context "fairly" would have been an appropriate substitution to convey my intended meaning, with "fairly" contrasting with biased unfair summarizations. <br /><br />I agree with you that learners should be provided with detailed instructions. You suggested that I should include specific readings and prompt for specific kinds of responses. I would generally agree, but my goal was to push for synthesis of ideas I had not considered. The topic is an issue I had already been mulling over in my mind. I thought this assignment would provide a way to get other peoples ideas. I also wanted to chose a goal for this assignment that would keep the requirement simple.<br /><br />Another shortcoming of this post was the failure to include any deadlines. Students ought to be given a clear understanding of expectations about due dates. <br /><br />Not related to clearly communicated due dates, I started this assignment late. I posted a skeletal response Wednesday night, and I "fleshed it out" the next day. As I added detail, I felt it was important to ensure that nothing added could conflict with possible responses already under way.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-22826144221814834502011-08-13T13:31:57.615-07:002011-08-13T13:31:57.615-07:00Evaluation of “Inspiring Online Discussions”
1. ...Evaluation of “Inspiring Online Discussions”<br /><br />1. Thoroughly enjoyed the topic and appreciated the conciseness of the instructions (with one exception below #3). I’m not a fan of the images on Blogs in general, but I can see the connection to students being interested. So, I think it’s an appropriate use of the image.<br /><br />2. The omission of readings for which the students should focus their assignment appears to provide less direction and structure for the assignment. You can make the case that this is OK depending on the learning outcome, but you open the door wide when it’s time to grade the assignment because parameters have not been established. I do recognize that there is a restriction with this (our) class assignment because we were not given designated readings to choose from.<br /><br />3. I would have preferred to have one or more prompts or model questions as a basis for my post. This would have helped me because I really didn’t know what was meant by, “Consider how the topic of inspiring online discussion can be made interesting, and write a response to this post which expresses two ideas which can be compared and contrasted in a short response of two or three paragraphs.” I’m sure it’s crystal clear to you, but to me, the post has suggested that a topic needs to be controversial (or have a twist) to increase interest in readers. Now you’ve asked me to response to the issue of a post needing to be controversial with “two ideas.” Am I supposed to respond in a manner that supports or refutes your position? Should I offer an alternate position? R, is there another possible direction for my response? It is here that I believe the model questions could have provided more clarity.<br /><br />4. I did like that the scoring rubric was easy to obtain and read. However, I do believe that there are a couple areas in the rubric that could be improved:<br /><br />A. I believe that some of the criteria were subjective. For example, for Creative Analysis, the description of the “Fair” category was, “Discussion intelligently summarizes research.” I’d prefer to see “intelligently” replaced with a more objective descriptor or a set of concrete representations of what it means to intelligently summarize research. <br /><br />B. The descriptions in the “Technical Analysis” dimension were confusing to me. The use of “fewer than six and “fewer than three,” did not provide me with a distinction between the categories that is quickly and clearly understood. I’d prefer a clear range such as 3-5 or 1-2 to insure there is no confusion or overlap.Rudy Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10668265679091951540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-15699246512247988932011-08-13T13:30:59.962-07:002011-08-13T13:30:59.962-07:00Response to Inspiring Online Discussions
Creating...Response to Inspiring Online Discussions<br /><br />Creating interest in anything requires getting and maintaining someone’s attention. With the proliferation of information and vehicles for accessing information, the requirement for getting and maintaining attention has risen sharply. The case could be made the this rise parallels that of technologies such as cable television, personal computers, the internet, cell phones and smart devices. Marketers, educators, and parents can all attest to the changing behaviors of consumers, students, and children as they attempt to gain and maintain their attention. If there is no end in sight to the increasing information flow and the proliferation of technological devices that consume human attention, then instructors of online courses must find new solutions or old solutions that have proven successful if they have any chance at making topics more interesting to inspire online discussion.<br /><br />I agree with the post that a controversial twist increases interest in readers. I’d also like to suggest that the book “Made to Stick” (Heath & Heath, 2007) provides a solid overview of important Sociological and Psychological research focused on gaining and maintaining attention in humans. Of particular interest here is the strategy of “creating a knowledge gap.” The authors, Chip and Dan Heath, suggest that knowledge gaps are used effectively by writers and TV producers to tease the reader or audience because the natural tendency is to want to close the knowledge gap. Soap operas and the evening news are notorious for providing a “teaser” or “cliff hanger” to get you to tune in. Online marketers have figure this out as well as they sell e-books titled, “The three secrets to getting you teenager in Harvard: for free.” There appears to be much that can be applied from using the “create a knowledge gap” strategy for online discussions.<br /><br /><br />References<br /><br />Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2007) Made to stick : why some ideas survive and others die.<br />New York : Random House.Rudy Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10668265679091951540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-16191698090490740122011-08-13T01:51:17.084-07:002011-08-13T01:51:17.084-07:00I agree that incorporating controversy and persona...I agree that incorporating controversy and personal experience make a discussion prompt more interesting. Here is a “before” and “after” example:<br /><br />Before:<br />Post your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of assessing online collaborative work from the perspective of the instructor and the learner.<br /><br />After:<br />Assume you are the instructor in online course. Your students have been given a project that requires collaboration with two other students to complete the project. One of the students emails you expressing a reluctance to participate in a group project. The student asks you if you if he can work alone on the project.<br /><br />Write a two to three paragraph response to the student in order to persuade the student to participate in the group project. Be sure to include the benefits to the student in participating in a group project as well as addressing any potential objections. Also, explain how a group project helps you (as the instructor) assess a student’s work.<br /><br />StephenStephen Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904748438427944286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-37341917819663501682011-08-11T12:40:50.541-07:002011-08-11T12:40:50.541-07:00I updated my post. Changes included expanding my o...I updated my post. Changes included expanding my original summary paragraph and providing a more detailed assignment, while not changing the essential character of either paragraph. I also updated the rubric to better fit the current assignment. The original rubric was a short essay rubric I created for another assignment. That rubric is located at http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=X5A423&sp=yes <br /><br />I intend to add a graphic to this assignment, but a suitable graphic has not yet been found.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-47178383879435055132011-06-13T17:21:13.113-07:002011-06-13T17:21:13.113-07:00Melisa,
Unfortunately, it appears instructors nee...Melisa,<br /><br />Unfortunately, it appears instructors need to address the topic of plagiarism. As you might guess, I think teaching students to paraphrase and digest articles would be the best way to combat plagiarism. I think I would assign students to select from several six-page articles, and require them to paraphrase the article they choose, including all major ideas in a one-page digest, with a proper citation of the source article. <br /><br />I would also require students to properly cite short quotes and indented verbatim paragraphs to demonstrate mastery of both ways to quote text verbatim, with proper citations.<br /><br />As a homeschooling parent, I required my children to journal about their learning, which included a requirement to write a digest of their learning materials each day, so they had experience paraphrasing every day for several years. In my opinion it would be ideal for students to have had years of experience with paraphrasing before they start taking college level classes. The discipline encourages students to immediately apply what they learn.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-88246931694718014642011-06-12T21:04:48.502-07:002011-06-12T21:04:48.502-07:00By the way, I am not having any trouble posting co...By the way, I am not having any trouble posting comments since reading your fix. I appreciate your help!Melisa Cobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10021509210024249010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-24733734468114547762011-06-12T21:03:59.975-07:002011-06-12T21:03:59.975-07:00Great Post!
Do you feel instructors should addres...Great Post!<br /><br />Do you feel instructors should address the topic of plagiarism and present exercises for students to learn how to detect plagiarism and tips for avoiding it? Or, should instructors expect their students to write from their own experiences or properly cite their resources?<br /><br />Do you feel that knowing your student can help detect plagiarism?Melisa Cobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10021509210024249010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-53335218496288223122011-06-12T18:52:28.859-07:002011-06-12T18:52:28.859-07:00David,
I agree with your point that is much bette...David,<br /><br />I agree with your point that is much better for an instructor to "design out" plagiarism rather than play cat and mouse games with detection software. Also, I appreciated your comments that as students, we can also structure our writing habits in a way to minimize plagiarism.<br /><br />One habit that I have developed is to create the references section of my writings first. That way, if I need quotes something directly, it minimizes the chance that I will forget a source when completing (and rushing to turn in) an assignment.<br /><br />StephenStephen Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904748438427944286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-20896472903635219042011-06-05T19:14:23.064-07:002011-06-05T19:14:23.064-07:00David,
I enjoyed your post. Thanks for personali...David,<br /><br />I enjoyed your post. Thanks for personalizing the accessibility issues. You made me appreciate the importance of contrast and scalability issues for web presentation.<br /><br />StephenStephen Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904748438427944286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-17461200354837163342011-06-05T17:24:21.888-07:002011-06-05T17:24:21.888-07:00David,
You made some really great points about pre...David,<br />You made some really great points about presentations, font size, text available, and color schemes. We tend to want things that appeal to us and need to remember the needs of our learners first. Thanks for that reminder! I also have been enlightened on creating that "learner community". I have learned and expanded my knowledge so many new tools and resources for all sorts of different tasks. Good job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-6830210695894634202011-06-05T14:19:20.816-07:002011-06-05T14:19:20.816-07:00Melisa, It's not that technology creates separ...Melisa, It's not that technology creates separation, it's that an online format naturally involves less contact than a face-to-face format. <br /><br />A blended format that has face-to-face contact supplemented with online discussion provides better connectedness than either format alone.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-41198039207419794322011-06-05T14:14:29.499-07:002011-06-05T14:14:29.499-07:00Rudy,
I did try using online discussion as a way ...Rudy,<br /><br />I did try using online discussion as a way to give my ESL students practice using English. I was shocked at how extremely my idea failed! It failed because my students were middle-aged immigrants who had never used a computer. That level of inexperience had never entered my mind. I responded by designing a workshop to give my students computer skills. You can look at the workshop at my website, http://1loyd.com. I have taught the workshop twice now, and I now have ESL students who communicate with me via email, posting homework statuses, and asking simple questions.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-33003073223967647642011-06-05T10:11:18.690-07:002011-06-05T10:11:18.690-07:00Thank you for your kind comments. I became aware o...Thank you for your kind comments. I became aware of the color-blind issue as a result of software interface issues with color-blind users. Some color combinations that contrast well for the rest of us, don't contrast well for people who are color-blind.David Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01765301393412490685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-75629119960437304922011-06-04T15:36:31.718-07:002011-06-04T15:36:31.718-07:00DAvid,
Thank you for your comment son my blog. A...DAvid,<br /><br />Thank you for your comment son my blog. Also thanks for ht link. I have bookmarked it for future use! Much appreciated!<br /><br />DDaniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12251865177309139340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50310980238589363.post-69125608405129654332011-06-04T15:09:27.408-07:002011-06-04T15:09:27.408-07:00David,
I really like your section on accessibilit...David,<br /><br />I really like your section on accessibility. You know I had never considered the issue of colour blind individuals. You have motivated me to do more research into challenges that may not be so obvious! <br /><br />You blogs alway slook great too. I can see you are tech savvy!!<br /><br />Thank you I enjoyed reading your blog.<br />DanielleDaniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12251865177309139340noreply@blogger.com