Week 4: Group mid-term

This week led to new challenges--no surprise there. Group work is often assigned as part of university classes; however, in traditional settings the group members see each other every week and, as a result, can easily meet before or after class to begin planning a project. Not so in an online classroom. Many students in online classrooms are doing so because of the unique ability to timeshift. Anyone with a DVR or Tivo understands timeshifting. The idea is that we participate in something at a time that is convenient to us. It is probably due to that fact that collaborating with group members and creating a firm project timeline was incredibly challenging for our group. This will give me something to ponder as I create rubrics for our students to help them surmount this issue.

While logistics were at times worrisome, my piece of the jigsaw was worthwhile and engaging. I was forced to consider Webex as a peer-to-peer application for assessment and really thought through some of its drawbacks and applications within a classroom. Considering these tools from the point-of-view of a teacher and then shifting point-of-view to the student yields different possibilities. I'm eager to read the work of other groups for their own insights and ideas.