INTERACTIVE ONLINE INTERACTIVE ONLINE TECHNOLOGY TOOLSTECHNOLOGY TOOLS

to Enhance Learning for English Composition Students

WHO IS YOUR WHO IS YOUR PRESENTER?PRESENTER?TIFFANY SMITHTIFFANY SMITH

Educator Faculty Development Coordinator

Webster UniversityWebster University Online English Composition

Instructor St. Louis Community College-WildwoodSt. Louis Community College-Wildwood

QUESTIONS TO QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…CONSIDER… Can a virtual classroom offer these?

communication feedback encouragement an interactive learning environment

Can technology tools engage students?

Can Instructors increase student learning in an online course?

… … YES!YES!

Blackboard enables students to: share their ideas openly/freely interact with peers collaborate ideas participate in group activities improve writing skills gain insightful feedback from Instructor LEARN!

HOW… TECHNOLOGY HOW… TECHNOLOGY TOOLS!TOOLS! Online Discussions Wiki Sites Blogs Mail Elluminate

ONLINE DISCUSSIONSONLINE DISCUSSIONS

Develop ideas on course concepts Interact with peers to gain deeper

understandings Reinforce writing concepts Practice paragraph development Enhance reading comprehension skills

ONLINE DISCUSSIONONLINE DISCUSSION

WIKI SITESWIKI SITES Share & collaborate ideas

Wiki pages to showcase pre-writing information, topic information, etc. on a paper

Wiki sites for group paper projects Share helpful web links & summaries

Wiki pages to showcase helpful course concepts paragraph development, introductions, closings,

etc. Publish drafts and final essays

Wiki pages to showcase individual student’s work Publish & share research material

Wiki sites to showcase research project material

WIKI SITESWIKI SITES

WIKI SITESWIKI SITES

BLOGSBLOGS

Students: Exchange informed ideas Practice paragraph development Examine writing over time Reinforce writing concepts

BLOGSBLOGS

MAILMAIL

Compartmentalize student messages Reinforce meta-cognition assignments Send and Receive feedback Share important course information

MAILMAIL

ELLUMINATEELLUMINATE

Hold Virtual Office Hours Demonstrate writing skills Conduct live Q&A sessions Offer course feedback & clarification

ELLUMINATEELLUMINATE

STUDENT FEEDBACKSTUDENT FEEDBACK

6 semesters: Meta-cognition Feedback

“I actually had more contact with you online than with some Instructors I see 2/3 times a week.”

“Excellent Instructor! She pushed me to work very hard but I learned a lot.”

“I feel… even if my grades not what I truly wanted… in the end…I have grown… learned… Thank you.”

STUDENT FEEDBACKSTUDENT FEEDBACK

1 semester: Survey Monkey-Technology Tools

95% favored Virtual Office Hours 87% favored Blog assignments 83% favored Instructor online help/input 80% favored Online Discussions

Survey Monkey-Course/Writing assignments 100% - course helped with critical reading 96% - course gave writing skills 96% - course helped expand paragraph writing skills 95% - course helped learn to synthesize ideas 95% - comfortable writing Argument Paper

RESEARCHRESEARCH Krentler, Kathleen A. & Laura A. Willis-Flurry. “Does Technology Enhance Actual Student Learning? The

Case of Online Discussion Boards.” Journal of Education for Business (July/August 2005): 316-321. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 16 Apr. 2009.

Goldscheider, Eric. “Blackboard: New Uses For Technology; In Class, Gadgets for Interacting, and No One Need Nod Off.” The New York Times (2000): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 2 May 2009.

Rosenfeld, Barbara & Manual Martinez-Pons. “Promoting Classroom Technology Use.” The Quarterly Review of Distance Education 6.2 (2005): 145-153. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 29 Apr. 2009.

  Pedro, Francesc. “Comparing Traditional and ICT-Enriched University Teaching Methods: Evidence

from Two Empirical Students.” Higher Education in Europe 30.3-4 (2005): 399-411. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 6 June 2007.

  Gallini, Joan K. & Daniel Barron. “Participants’ Perceptions of Web-Infused Environments: A Survey of

Teaching Beliefs, Learning Approaches, and Communication.” Journal of Research on Technology in Education 34.2 (2001-2002): 139-156. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 6 May 2007.

  Edwards, Janet. “At the Center of it all.” Maryville 10 (2009): 11-17. Maryville Conference Handout, St. Louis,

MO. 2 Oct. 2009.  Yang, Catherine. “Big Program On Campus.” Business Week 3900 (2004); 96-98. Academic Search Premier.

EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 6 July 2009.  Anstendig, Linda & Eugene Richie. “Guide to Writing and Technology across the Curriculum: A Resource

for Professors and Student Assistants.” 2003. Pace University Online. 13 Oct. 2009. <http://webpage.pace.edu/erichie/wacguide/>.

  Caverly, David. C. & Lucy MacDonald. “Techtalk: Technology for Developmental Writing.” Journal of

Development Education 22.1 (1998): 0894-3907. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 02 Aug. 2006.

RESEARCHRESEARCH Brookfield, Stephen D. & Stephen Preskill. “Discussion As A Way Of Teaching Tools and Techniques For

Democratic Classrooms.” San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.  Krentler, Kathleen A. & Laura A. Willis-Flurry. “Does Technology Enhance Actual Student Learning? The

Case of Online Discussion Boards.” Journal of Education for Business (July/August 2005): 316-321. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 16 Apr. 2009.

  Goddard, Mark. “What Do We Do with These Computers? Reflections on Technology in the Classroom.”

Journal of Research on Technology in Education 35.1 (2002): 19-26. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 2 May 2009.

  Caswell, Thomas C. “The Threaded Discussion Forum: A Case Study in Technology Integration.”

Clearing House 75.1 (2001): 26-29. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 2 May 2009.

  Goldscheider, Eric. “Blackboard: New Uses For Technology; In Class, Gadgets for Interacting, and No

One Need Nod Off.” The New York Times (2000): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 2 May 2009.

  Fitch, James L. “Student Feedback in the College Classroom: A Technology Solution.” ETR&D 52.1

(2004): 71-81. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Webster University., St. Louis, MO. 16 Apr. 2009.

QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

TIFFANY SMITH Email: smittiff@webster.edu Email: tmsmith@stlcc.edu Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/WritE_RighT_NOW Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/educatortiffanysmith