Pedagogy:
One objective of the
assignment calls for students to write and produce a public service
announcement. Public service
announcements are brief multi-media presentations that aim to persuade the
viewer to make healthy choices. Students
may have seen a PSA while watching television.
Although the school close circuit television system is not viewable
beyond the school building, the audience it reaches is an important audience to
students attending the school. Students
will be motivated by the chance to share their work with the school. This assignment enables learners to show
their knowledge on cyber safety topics “in the context of meaningful activity”
(Driscoll, 2005, p. 390).
The topic of cyber safety is
very timely and appropriate for the student audience. In fact, it is likely students will know of
someone that has been cyber bullied or may have used some of the Internet tools
discussed in the assignment. The
assignment is “relevant” to the students.
Developing the knowledge of the students on the topic of cyber safety
and requiring them to create a public service announcement for their school
will enable them to “face relevant problems” and work toward a solution. Giving
students’ assignments with a real world purpose and ensuring it is done in a
relevant context is part of the constructivist design according to Brown,
Collins, and Duguid (as cited in Driscoll, 2005, p. 390).
The course, “Keeping it Safe” was designed with multiple
asynchronous discussion opportunities.
Frequent class discussions are facilitated using Edmodo. During each module class participants are
required to respond to discussion prompts. Students are also asked to respond
to peers at times. According to
Dipietro, effective student and teacher communication is key. Discussion boards serve as a motivational
tool. They also encourage students to
“interactive with the content” of the course through textual discussion (2010,
p. 335). The use of frequent discussions
using Edmodo also helps to facilitate a positive learning environment. Providing
students a discussion participation guide and participation rubic prior to use
of Edmodo attempts to set the expectation for positive focused interaction.
Constructivism calls for
presenting information in multiple modes of learning. Student will encounter a brief list of tips
for staying safe on the Internet while visiting the Federal Bureaus of
Investigation’s link. Interactive games are available on the I Keep Safe link. Students can play interactive games which
address topics such as illegal downloading, excessive video game use, how to
avoid abuse, and Internet safety. The link, On
Guard Online, presents several videos.
The video topics range from sharing information online to standing up to
cyber bulling. The “On Guard On Line” brochure expands on tips to keep students
safe online. According to Driscoll, “viewing the same content through different
sensory modes…enables different aspects to be seen” (Driscoll, 2005, p. 399).
Group collaboration is an important aspect of constructivism (Driscoll, 2005). Requiring student partners to explore the different Internet links, take notes, select main points, plan a PSA, and produce a PSA will require social negotiation. Students will have to select one to two tips to share during their PSA. Cunningham points out collaboration enable students to discuss their opinions and come to an agreement. During the process of discussing which tip(s) should be shared, students will have the opportunity to “understand (a) point of view other than their own” and “defend individual perspectives while recognizing those of others” (as cited in Driscoll, 2005, p. 397).
The nature of the course allows students to take ownership of their learning. Digging Deeper links are placed throughout
the steps of the quest. Students may
decide they need guidance on how to take notes for this assignment. In that
case, the Digging Deeper link to a note-taking template maybe required. When given the directions to write a public
service announcement, students may decide they need more information about the
characteristics of a PSA. At that point,
a student can click on the Digging Deeper link and watch examples of PSAs and
read about the steps to writing a PSA.
When faced with producing the final PSA, students have the choice to
select from three different media tools. Each tool is accompanied with a
Digging Deeper link, offering a video tutorial of how use the tool. Constructivism according to Hannafin requires
that “students are not passive recipients of instruction… instead, they are
actively involved in determining what their own learning needs are and how
those needs can be best satisfied” (as cited in Driscoll, 2005, p. 399).
The content used to expose students to the course
information must be diverse. The needs
of the learners will require multiple forms of content, according to Dipietro
(2010). The course, “Keeping it Safe”
utilizes animated video clips, an interactive quiz, and text to display best
practices for using the Internet safely.
Students are exposed to course information in multiple formats and
occurrences. According to the
International Association for K-12 Online Learning’s Curriculum Checklist, it
is important that a course include “ a wide variety of media and learning
technologies such as video clips, animation, and live web conference with the
teacher” (2010, p. 16). The selected
video clips also frame the content in social settings with which students can
identify. Young adults are seen making
positive discussion about the content being uploaded from their mobile
devices. Dipietro suggests the course
content must be deemed as valuable to the lives of the students (2010). Selecting multi-media clips with students in
relevant social situations will make the connection process easier for
students.
Students will be assessed
using a rubric. The rubric is aligned
with the lesson objectives and activities required during the web quest. For example, students are required to write a
persuasive public service announcement script, which includes supporting
evidence to illustrate one to two of their noted tips. This objective is aligned to the Common Core
GPS standards listed in the web quest.
Directions for the quest lead students through the process of exploring,
taking notes, planning, and producing the PSA. The rubric is aligned to assess
this objective, because students are scored on the topics of content and
persuasive power.
In a quality online course the instructor serves as a
“knowledge guide” leading students to construct knowledge and providing “fluid practice”
and individual feed back as they monitor understanding (Dipietro, 2010,
p.337). Students participating the
course, “Keeping it Safe,” are tasked with creating a public service
announcement from three of the ten tips they have noted. During the process of synthesizing
information, students participate in a discussion forum, create a storyboard,
and provide peer feed back prior to creating the PSA. According to Rubrics for Online Instruction, it is important for students to
have opportunities in the course for self and peer assessment throughout the
course (2009). The use of paired peer
review using rubrics allows students to edit their products (storyboard and
public service announcement) prior to the final assessment.
Requiring students to
construct a collaborative multi-media outcome with the purpose of solving a
real world problem that impacts their lives, such as cyber safety, is
constructivist in nature. There is an
authentic purpose, collaboration will take place, and students will construct
meaning.
Sources:
Barbour, M., & Plough, C. (2009).
Social networking in cyberschooling: Helping to make online learning less
isolating. TechTrends, 53(4), 56-60.
Dipietro, M. (2010). Virtual school
pedagogy: The instructional practices of k-12 virtual school teachers. Journal
of Educational Computing Research, 42(3), 327-354.
Driscoll, M.P.
(2005). Biological bases of learning and memory. In A. Burvikos
(Ed.), Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.,
pp. 265-306). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Rubric for online instruction. (2009). Retrieved December 1, 2012,
from http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/
Watson, J., Gemin, B., & Coffey, M.
(2010). Promising practices in online learning: A parents's guide to
choosing the right online progam. Vienna: International Association for
K-12 Online
