My final blog for the Effective College Teaching: Using Technology to Support Learning is a reflection on what I learned about utilizing and sustaining technology in higher education. One of the most important new ideas I learned about was the creating faculty initiatives to sustain technology, and hopefully keep up to date, not just with technology, but with innovative, creative and effective pedagogical strategies that engage learners. I am particularly interested in higher education and liberal arts courses that are delivered online and are asynchronous. So the idea to keep up with and ahead of the potential teaching and learning tools out there is important to the future of online teaching and learning. It is one thing to jump into a technology and offer a workshop, but it is quite another and a significant improvement to create workshops that are under the umbrella of faculty initiatives. The training and support is more forward thinking, broader, inclusive, and encompassing of the goals, mission, objectives and strategies of a long range initiative targeted to support the faculty and reach students (Kenney, Bannerjee, & Newcombe, 2010).

The second most important thing I have learned and am continuing to learn about are the ways we can use social networking to teach, reach and engage our students in tradition or online classes. I have stated over and over again that the online classroom discussion forum is now over 20 years old and we need to find new ways to engage our online students. I am not suggesting we abandon online class discussions entirely; but we don’t want it to become too predictable, reflect a lack of pedagogical innovation as we follow the status quo so that online discussion becomes busy work aimed at securing virtual attendance. If we don’t innovate, online discussion will loose its positive benefits to help students interact, construct knowledge, engage and learn from one another- it could soon become the equivalent of a same old boring class lecture delivered over a 20 years period.

My colleagues shared many useful tools and strategies in the discussions of technology. The two most immediately helpful and interesting were an online source management system called Mendeley. This awesome free system is going to be very helpful for me to storage, manage and keep track of all my sources and pdf files in one place (Mendeley, 2015). I am so thankful to Megan for this suggestion and it came just in time as I start my doctoral study soon and my source library and storage system is getting out of control.

The second helpful suggestion and sources were related to assessments and having students create digital student portfolios as assessments and a way to show students growth and learning, their specialization and professionalization in their field. I would probably use portfolios in courses if I were teaching students specializing in their major. However, if I was just teaching a survey or general education class, I would use this concept in the form of student journals submitted digitally. I gained many new ideas for assessments that were more about assessing students understanding and skills, which I prefer over submitting quizzes and tests .

Teri

References

Buus, L. (2013). Perspectives on the integration of Facebook into higher education. International Conference on e-Learning: Kidmore End: Academic Conferences International Limited, 437-443. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Kenney, J.L., Bannerjee, P., & Newcombe, E. (2010). Developing and sustaining positive change in faculty technology skills: Lessons learned from an innovative faculty development initiative. International Journal of Technology in Teaching & Learning, 6 (2), 89-102). Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Mendeley (2015). Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/

Digital History: Ethics, Citations, and Copyright

In this blog I want to discuss the ethical issues and copyright issues associated with digital history to ensure that instructors follow ethical guidelines for their profession, and copy right laws when teaching history in an online classroom. Online history teachers can enliven their online classrooms or social media postings with rich visual imagery in the form of digital pictures, digitized documents, or maps.

Historical images and digital imagery are easily accessible on the internet and use of digital files posted to an online classroom discussion can be a powerful way to reach students, to capture their interests, and can lead to engaging discussions. Garza (2009) discussed the need for colleges to have policies and a keen understanding of the laws and policies that govern use of online materials and sources. While the author may have been referring to course syllabi or student data or other resources, the notion of awareness relating to legal issues and copyrights are important for history faculty.

The following statement on honesty and integrity if from the Organization of American Historians:” Honesty and integrity should undergird the work of all historians. Historians seek truth about the past in an effort to better understand historical developments and how they relate to the present and future (OAH, 2002)”.

While this statement does not deal directly with ethics, online teaching and copyright issues, it speaks to the heart of the matter about the important role history instructors have in modeling honesty and integrity in their research and teaching practice. Teaching history online may involve an instructor posting historical documents and digital images to engage students in online discussions.

Historians may not often face copyright issues when posting digital documents since many documents are in the past and may be in the public domain. However, there are modern history documents and digital images that will be protected by new copyright laws (Coen & Rosenzweig, 2015). It would be wise for historians to know the cut off dates of public domain for published and unpublished works. However, it would be even better if historians just got in the practice of adding citations for every image or document as good practice to model ethical standards of the historian.

References

Coen, D.J. & Rosenzweig, R. (2015). Digital History: A guide to sharing, preserving, and presenting the past on the web. Retrieved from
http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/copyright/3.php

Garza, M. R. ( 2009). Ethics in an online environment. New Directions for Community Colleges, (148), 63–70.

Organization of American Historians (2002). OAH statement on honesty and integrity. Retrieved from http://www.oah.org/about/reports/reports-statements/professional-integrity-and-the-oah/

Teaching with Technology: Using Technology to Foster and Assess Student Learning
Sid Meier’s Civilization Video Game to Teach History

In this blog I want to discuss how to use the video game Civilization to engage students, foster learning, and ways to asses learning in a college history courses. Sid Meier’s Civilization or Civ as it is called, is one of many in a series of award winning historical based civilization building games first released in 1991 on a PC platform (Civilization, 2015). The version of the game selected can be closely matched to the type of history course taught as Civ offers many versions of their games. I would also tie the use of Civ technologies to building class wiki pages or building on official Civ Wikia pages.
Civilization has a big community of followers with various groups, including an official Wiki pages that could be an asset to the teaching history with Civilization (Civ Wikia, 2015).

Sid Meir’s Civ is the game I would select for teaching courses like World History, Ancient History, or Western Civilization at the college level. Civ I is an earlier version of Civ so it may cost as low as $10- $25, the investment is far less than a typical college text book. The way Civ works is that students would be building their societies, on various layers and learning about history and the development of societies as they go along.

Civ does not follow any particular historical narrative, not history told from a perspective or voice of the dominant culture. It is more of a game where societies are built along how humans developed and aligned with technological advances (Cruzan, 2015).
What makes Civ idea from my viewpoint is that it helps students understand history, which if far more important than memorizing a bunch of things they could easily look up online later. Students get to engage with the game and each other and as they build their societies, they learn to understand why things happened, what worked and did not work and route memorization is out the window.

Student’s could play the game on their own, or online, in teams to encourage collaboration. I would post a weekly discussion prompt or assign a short essay where students discuss historical accuracy; we could also engage in critical debate about an actual historical event and why it happened the way it did. Perhaps a student tried to change the way a society grew and developed in their game; we could discuss how that alternate history could affect other histories into the future or what really happened in that society and why changing the outcome in the game, wouldn’t change actual historical processes.

We could use our findings to build a class wiki page about our game and world history and what we found out. Alexander (2014) used Civ 5 to teach his Ancient history class and found that the game was useful in teaching broad historical developments over time. Students were required to play the game and most enjoyed it; they were assessed at 15% of their course grade (Alexander, 2014). I would consider making that 25% of the grade, because I would try to incorporate the game into the class more and not try to tie it to a lecture as Alexander (2014) had done. I would likely engage the students in weekly discussions, assign essays so they could and also credit for contributions to the wiki page. I also give great weight to the development of historical thinking and historical literacy and I believe the game would help convey these concepts and help students build these skills.

Video games were once considered to have only entertainment value; an d in many cases dismissed due to the violent themes and activities, however, in recent years we have come to understand how they can improve memory, aid in cognitive function, and problem solving skills (Mendez & Moral, 2015). It is important to match the correct game with the course, the objectives of the course and create appropriate assessments and then ask for and listen to student feedback to improve the course and be creative with revisions and innovative ways to use the game, meet course objectives and engage the students.

References

Alexander, J. (2013.) Civilization and enlightenment: A study in computer gaming and History education, surveying student-players of Civilization IV. The Middle Ground Journal, 6, 1-26. Retrieved from http://resources.css.edu/academics/HIS/MiddleGround/articles/alexander.pdf

Civilization (2015). Sid Meier’s Civilization: Games: Retrieved from http://www.civilization.com/en/games/civilization-i/

Civilization: Official Wikia (2015). Games: Category Page. Retrieved from http://civilization.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Games

Cruzan, N. (2015). How to play Sid Meier’s Civilization. Personal communication on Nov. 11, 2015, Bellingham WA.

Mendez, L & Moral, E. (2015). Research and educational innovation with video games. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 13(2), 211-218.

In a recent conversation on Facebook, a well known author I follow posted suggestions for high school teachers to prevent students from using their cell phones in class because they are distracting at best and can lead to explosive disruptions. They had suggested that teachers create ‘cubbies” and each student would be required to deposit their cell phone into these cubbies when they entered the classroom. I was surprised at the large number of people that overwhelming agreed; many were educators with many years teaching experience, although a few disagreed, citing school safety issues and the rise in campus violence.

I was the lone dissenter, I argued that “cubbies are for toddlers” and that requirement would not be an age appropriate or respectful way to treat high school students or adult college students. In fact, this act of taking the phones away could contribute to more defiance and lead to further problems. Although the discussion originally centered on high school students, it is not a huge leap to take this discussion and ideas and see how they apply to college learning environments.

Most of the questions related to cell phones in the classroom are framed around the negative: how to minimize cell phone disruption in this classroom. A few educators however, are approaching this from a positive angle and are examining ways to utilize cell phones and mobile devices to maximize learning. I stated that teachers could positively harness student’s natural interest in their cell phones and they could be used as an educational tool, instead of being viewed as a disruptive device.

If teachers are tired of telling students to put away their phones and find that many students are not complying anyway. The teachers could turn their classroom into a technology friendly environment and create classroom activates and assessments around the technology. Students can use their cell phones (or tablets and lap tops) pairing up if necessary, to study their subject. There are simple ways to ensure students are working, instead of socializing on phone. One instructor got rid of the lecture dynamic with teacher at the front of the class; they circulate around the room to check on and give feedback to the students while they work (Gram, n.d.).

This is an excellent solution that addresses the concerns about students ability to process information and multitask if they sue their cell phones during lecture – just drop lecture during the cell phone class segment (Anastasia, 2011). Establish a policy that phones are not out during opening lecture and introduction to class learning activities for the day. Which brings us to another reason for not banning cell phones; instructors will miss the opportunity to instruct in proper usage and appropriate times for using their cell phone and that their phone can be a technological tool (Sterner, 2015). The phones can be used to post questions, discussions and digital images to class social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, there are apps on phones that could be accessed to create lessons and further classroom activities. Tessier (2013) reported positive student reactions to cell phone use in class; the students reported that their phones helped them learn, to enjoy learning, to be more successful and also “marginally improved their attendance” (Tessier, 2013, p. 25).

Instructors who choose to adopt mobile learning and permit the use of cell phones in classes will have to stay on top of it; they will need to be creative, and innovative to sustain learning opportunities through mobile devices. For the instructor, this means staying up to date with current trends and research related to mobile technology; reading tech reports, currently scholarly research, visiting blogs of other educators and applying new ideas to current practice. However, innovation should be encouraged and supported by the institution in terms of financial and technical support as well as creating a culture and community that recognizes and rewards innovation (Nworie, 2014). This could include creating a web based campus repository of ideas and successful innovations in various courses, instructors can provide examples, share what they are doing, what worked and what did not work and encourage collaboration. Recognizing and rewarding innovation are important efforts “towards developing and sustaining successful instructional innovations are influenced by personal, pedagogical, curricular, and institutional cultures and factors” (Nworie, 2014, p. 12). To this end, the intuition plays a large role in supporting the faculty innovation and sustaining technology in the classroom and the use of cell phones or other mobile technology.

References

Anastasia, D. (2013). College students’ cell phone use, beliefs, and effects on their learning. College Student Journal , 47 (4), 585-592. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Gram, E. (n.d.). Using Smartphones in the Classroom. National Educational Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/56274.htm

Nworie, J. (2014). Developing and sustaining instructional and technological innovations in teaching and learning. Journal of Applied Learning Technology, 4 (4), 5-14. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Sterner, R. (2015). 4 Things You’ll Miss by Banning Cell Phones in Your Classroom. Education Digest, 81 (2), 56-58. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Tessier, J. (2013). Student impressions of academic cell phone use in the classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 43 (1), 25-29. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Teaching with Technology: Facebook extends learning beyond the classroom

I explored Facebook as a technology to use in teaching practice for a recent research paper for my course. I had originally selected Facebook as one of a few choices available that would be free and easy to access; yet, I did not really believe at that time that I would ever be interested in using Facebook in my teaching practice. After reviewing the literature and the results of several research studies, I actually changed my mind; Facebook can indeed become a very useful form of technology to engage with students and extend learning beyond the classroom.

When setting up a classroom Facebook page, it would be essential to set it is a closed and private Facebook group. Instructors must protect their students privacy and identities and they must also realize that students may be submitting personal interpretations and perceptions in their postings; this class ‘work”, should not be subject to scrutiny by the general public. I would establish myself as the group administrator, facilitator and moderator and perhaps enlist a teaching assistant or peer mentor to co-moderate the page and postings. The class page also must have clear policies and group rules posted on the Facebook page and listed within the class syllabus (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011).

I would use my classroom Facebook page to make announcements such as class updates, due date reminders, extra instructions or examples, pose questions related to that day’s or that week’s study, with the purpose to engage students and extend learning. Another advantage to using Facebook groups is an opportunity for instructors to model and promote digital literacy and responsibility as well as reinforcing concepts associated with online identities (Park, 2011). To this end, I would make it policy to never solicit or accept friend requests from students; we don’t want worlds to collide n Facebook!

Facebook can be used to engage students and extend learning; I would post assignments that are media rich web based tasks such as requests for links to images, videos, and graphic content or I could ask questions and request replies and/or links link to a scholarly resources students find on their own (Esteves, 2012). This approach helps establish a constructivist approach and a learning community to a class Facebook page. Students can build and construct knowledge, support their peers and share information and resources as a learning community (Lam, 2012).

The advantages to using Facebook are that students have the opportunity to ask questions and receive quick answers outside of the classroom, they have anywhere anytime access to information, and many students are already members of Facebook and use it on a daily basis. Some disadvantages of using Facebook are that it will take a great deal of time to moderate the group and make the group engaging. A second problem may be that students are reluctant to use Facebook because of privacy issues and the advertising component of Facebook. I have addressed ways to ameliorate these negative aspects by stating user and privacy policies. Finally and not yet mentioned, Facebook class group work must be connected to in class or online learning and students must receive credit for their contributions as valid forms of assessment.

I have enjoyed blogging for my classroom; it has given me the chance to research topics of interest to me and more practice writing where I can blend scholarly writing, with writing in my own voice. The drawbacks to blogging for me are the extra time it takes to write my blog, review and respond to colleagues and the fact that the blog is disconnected from the curriculum, as if it was an afterthought or loose appendage, and we are not given enough credit for work or time. Although I enjoy writing my blog, I would prefer the extra hours be spent on my main assignments and major research papers.

References

Conrad, R. & Donaldson, J. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and
resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lam, L. (2012). An innovative research on the usage of Facebook in the higher education
context of Hong Kong. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10 (4), 377 – 386.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Park, Y. J. (2011). Digital literacy and privacy behavior online. Communication Research. 40 (2), 215-236.

This blog will examine online learning and technology resources and professional development resources at Western Washington University. I am not currently teaching at WWU; however, I was formerly a student and teaching assistant over twenty years ago, and would love to return to make a contribution to online teaching at WWU. I have gleaned insight about their resources from a review of their website (WWU, 2015).

WWU has a wireless network available throughout the campus complex, with strong signals inside all buildings and in out door as well. Faculty, staff and students are granted access to the WWU wireless network with a personal network username and password. If you are currently enrolled in at least a one-credit course, you will have access to Wi-Fi. WCC provides wireless access for our all members of the college community; they do not provide support for personal electronic devices.
WWU technology supports online learning and traditional learning through Blackboard and Canvas Learning Management Systems. Most faculty members make course materials available online through the LMS System so that students can access class discussions, assignments and exams by signing into their myWestern account

The myWestern account hosts email with 10GB of space and provides access to Microsoft Web Apps and 25GB of online storage on their Microsoft-hosted SkyDrive; the university also provides and additional 500MB of network storage for each campus community member.

WWU offers Multimedia Classrooms and 88% of all general classrooms are equipped with modern technology. Technology will include, computer, projector, document camera, media control panel, DVD player, laptop computer connection, audio amplifier & speakers as well as wireless microphone and voice reinforcement in the larger spaces and Smart boards in many classrooms. WWU has classroom response clickers and audio recording of faculty lectures and presentations; WWU also boats four collaborative classrooms on campus which have all the technology listed above as well as multiple interactive smart boards for use by student collaborators.

Each faculty member and student is provided space on WWU’s web servers to create a personal web site. Licensing and professional software tools such as Adobe and Photoshop are available in various departments and the computer labs WWU also offers Microsoft Office 365, connections from Outlook and support for learning with mobile devices.

WWU has an extensive technology help department that provides assistance, support, and training to faculty, staff and students on campus and online. The support includes Microsoft office 356 workshops and tutorials. The WWU technology center offers free web design classes to develop or further skills in web building. The WWU Tech help center has training and support for Canvas LMS and hosts a special web page with instructional links and access to support (WWU, Academic Technology , n.d.).

The Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment (WWU CIIA, n.d.) is a web portal with many helpful links to workshops, focus groups and support for instructors teaching with technology. This is the go to section on the WWU for so many helpful resources as WWU is committed to provide ongoing support and believes faculty as well as students need ongoing education (WWU,CIIA, n.d.).

The Faculty GUR Group at WWU also supports and is affiliated with Faculty Learning Groups and provides external links to resources where instructors can seek additional support. One external link I would access for resources is the Faculty Learning Communities Handbook which hosts the The FLC Program Director’s and FLC Facilitator’s Handbook, Sixth Edition (FLC, n.d.). I have only begun to explore the links and connections to resources at WWU and sites external to WWU; I am encouraged by the support for teaching with technology at Western, it has changed a great deal in the past 20 years.

References

Faculty Learning Communities, FLC (n.d.). The FLC Program Director’s and FLC Facilitator’s Handbook, Sixth Edition. Retrieved from http://www.units.miamioh.edu/flc/handbook.php

Western Washington University, Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment WWU CIIA (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/default.asp

Western Washington University, Faculty GUR Group, WWU FGG (n.d.). Faculty Learning Community Resources. Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/depts/facultygur/resources.shtml

Western Washington University (2015). Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/

Western Washington University , Academic Technology (2015). Canvas: WWU Instructor Quick Start Guide. Retrieved from http://west.wwu.edu/atus/canvas/index.shtml

This blog will examine ways in which Whatcom Community College utilizes technology for teaching and learning (WCC, 2015). I am not currently employed in education and do not have access to inside information so much of my analysis comes from a review of the college’s website.

The college offers online courses, hybrid courses and self paced courses and degree through their eLearning program. Online courses employ various technologies and resources to deliver the same learning outcomes as regular on campus courses. Hybrid courses are offered in a combination of an online course platform and with in class instruction. Self-Paced Labs/Mediated Learning allow students to progress at a self-accelerated pace under the guidance of an instructor (WCC, eLearning Course Options, 2015).

CC uses Canvas brand software for their classroom management system. The college website lists several ways for students to learn how to use various tools such as a computer or mobile device and there are training sessions offered on campus that help with this and help with learning the Canvas software. The college provides a link to Canvas Students Tour, which has video and instructions about the interface of the Canvas software (Canvas, n.d.).

The WCC website also has a faculty tutorial and resource page, however, it appears to be a duplicate or direct link to the very same page that directs you to student resources and support services. I am unable to ascertain what types of training programs or resources the college provides for instructors that will be utilizing Canvas classroom management software (Canvas, n.d.). Canvas brand has several tutorial videos posted to YouTube channel (Canvas LMS, 2012) and each video deals with a different aspect of setting up a classroom or utilizing the software tools.

Other ways WCC uses technology to support teaching and learning is by offers student email accounts, has wifi access on campus, a computer lab and hallway computers and mobile learning. WCC’s library has an online searching tool called One Search (WCC Library, 2015). One Search helps instructors and students search online for local and remote sources from multiple collections and holdings from licensed databases (One Search, n.d.).

The final technology I will discuss is WCC’s distance learning program that is offered in consortium through the Washington Sate Community College system (WAOL, 2015). This is an excellent resource for teaching and learning online and is a collaborative venture among colleges to make certain various online courses are accessible to all community college students. If you were enrolled in a program and needed to study 100% online and a course required to graduate was not offered locally at WCC, you could enroll in WAOL to complete the course. If an instructor wanted to offer a course at WCC and enrollment was too low to justify the course offering; the instructor could sign up to teach at WAOL and offer their course to all Washington Community College students (WAOL, 2015).

Canvas LMS (2012). YouTube Channel. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVnFpa6fUDQ

Canvas (n.d.) Canvas Student Tour. Retrieved from https://resources.instructure.com/courses/32

Washington State Board for Community Colleges SBCTC (2015). Washington Online Retrieved from http://www.waol.org/

Whatcom Community College (2015). Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/home

Whatcom Community College (2015). eLearning Course Options. Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/academics/elearning/elearning-course-options

Whatcom Community College eLearning (2015). eLearning training and support. Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/academics/elearning

WCC Library (2015). One Search. Retrieved from http://wactc-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1395688888614&vid=WHATCOM&fromLogin=true

Thank you for coming by to read and subscribe to my blog. My name is Teri Cruzan and I am in my final regular course in the doctoral program in higher education at Walden University. I have reactivated my edublogs account from a couple years ago as I wanted the opportunity to build on what I learned in my masters program. My goals for the course “Effective College Teaching: Using Technology to Support Learning” are to learn more about learning theories related to online learning and to consider learning theories in relation online liberal arts programs as I work on my prospectus this fall.

Plagiarism Detection and Prevention in Online Schools

I tend to believe that most adult students are honest and would not knowingly or willingly be dishonest or resort to plagiarism. I agree with Rena and Pratt’s (2012) acknowledgements that it is up to an instructor to state academic honesty policies of their educational institutions and to further clarify what those policies mean in their courses. It is not enough for an instructor to post “Plagiarism will not be tolerated and can result in academic dismissal”. An instructor must take the time to go over the various forms of plagiarism that are most commonly seen in higher education. I also do not believe that there are higher incidents of plagiarism in online classrooms or that online classrooms prevent more opportunities for academic dishonesty (Laureate, 2012).

Plagiarism has been around forever, and has affected many notable traditional educational institutions. Most recently, Harvard University faced a huge scandal and had to discipline and expel dozens of students for cheating on a take-home exam when collaboration was expressly prohibited (Perez-Pena, 2013). It really falls on the instructor to inform and educate their students about what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and to create authentic assessments that measure learning in a way so that students do not resort to cheating.

I always liked the take home exam or the major research paper as a form of assessment in my history courses. When these types of exams or major paper assessments are created we are measuring learning based on what that student can show in their work on that exam or paper in a comfortable and dedicated environment, free of distractions and test anxiety. Learning is not measured by a student’s ability to recall facts, or remember dates, but rather is measured by students by their ability to draw on what they have learned. Students draw learning from multiple sources, to analyze and synthesize their learning in a cohesive written exam. Students can display a broad understanding, critical thinking skills, meaning making and connections; the kind of skills they can take with them to use in their next courses, their work or their community.

I also like the idea of an instructor fostering academic honesty and high standards of integrity in a classroom environment. We can have a special section of the online classroom devoted to guidelines, policies and principles. Mc Cabe and Pavela (2007), outline “Ten principals of Academic Integrity”, we could have that link in our syllabus and discuss the meaning of these principles early in the course. Instructors model academic references, correct citations and answer questions as they arise, we can also discuss the various ways students can inadvertently plagiarize and stress that although not intentional, these actions are still plagiarism.

There are many plagiarism detection software tools available for online instructors or universities to use in the online classroom and many are in use today. It is important to note that grading with plagiarism detection software must be accompanied by a firsthand review by a skilled grader. Most plagiarism software programs cannot distinguish between a copied or lifted passage from a text and an appropriately cited reference (Jocoy, & DiBiase, 2006). Many of these software programs are available for free trials and demonstration. But most programs require a subscription or are available through licensing from an educational institution. I will list some of these anti-plagiarism tools and software programs and their URL’s in this blog.

Grammarly (2013). Retrived on Feb. 12, 2013 http://www.grammarly.com/?q=plagiarism&gclid=CJ6UyfnTtrUCFQLZQgodbCQABg

*Plag Tracker (2013). Retrived on Feb. 11, 2013 from http://www.plagtracker.com/. Please see Munoz (2012), a Walden University Student blog that listed the references to this software.

Turnitin (2013). Retrived on Feb. 11, 2013 http://turnitin.com/

Viper Anti Plagiarism Scanner (2013). Retrived on Feb. 11, 2013 from http://www.scanmyessay.com/plagiarism-detection-software.php

References

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A Case Study in Detection and Remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1–15. Also accessed on Feb. 12, 2013 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/242/466

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Plagiarism and Cheating. Baltimore, MD: Rena P. and Pratt, K.

Mc Cabe, D. and Pavela, G. (2007). Ten Principles of Academic Integrity.
Center of Academic Integrity, California State University. Retrived on Feb. 12, 2013 http://www.csub.edu/studentconduct/documents/principlesacademicintegrity.pdf

Munoz, L. (2012). Cheating and the Online Environment. Retrived on Feb. 11, 2013 from http://lynnmunoz.me/2012/06/22/cheating-and-the-online-environment/

Perez- Pena, R. (2013). Students Disciplined in Harvard Scandal. New York Times. Retrieved on Feb. 14, 2013 from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/education/harvard-forced-dozens-to-leave-in-cheating-scandal.html?_r=0

Advances in technology have had a profound effect on distance and online learning and have greatly expanded the types of tools available to instructors (Boettcher and Donaldson, 2010). The biggest advantages are that education is available to more students than ever before and the tools we have now will enable us to set up an online classroom with relevant course information, announcements and resources that are accessible to all times to every student. Technology opens up opens up opportunities for learning, earning degrees, certifications and career advancement training programs.

Asynchronous class sessions or meetings at online or virtual universities mean that more learners can access these programs; working adults, a single parent or a disabled student can be engaged in online learning on their own schedule. Moreover, there are financial benefits as learners do not have to incur expenses such as leaving their job or missing work , dependent or child care, transportation and parking expenses. Finally, learning with technology means that learners save time in traveling, taking a bus to campus or dropping off and picking up their children at daycare and this time can be devoted to learning.

I recall my own educational experiences while attending a traditional university and taking my child to childcare and picking them up every day. I would spend about 5 hours per week with these transitions and because it was a co-op campus day care, I worked 5 more hours. Just think, if I had attended online college, I could have saved 10 hours per week that could have been devoted to studies at night when my child was sleeping . I would have also had more time with my child during their formative years and I would have saved several thousand a year in childcare expenses.

I think we must keep in mind accessibility issues and diversity of our students as we set up learning environments and we can then provide options for access. For example, learners will be working from different times zones around the world, students may be traveling due to work or live in rural areas without high speed internet which will make it difficult to access high bandwidth multimedia resources. I believe we should post transcripts of all multimedia materials so all learners can access the contents of that video via a document. This will ensure access for hearing impaired learners or learners like myself that learn better with text based resources.

Accessibility issues are why I am more interested asynchronous learning environments so that autonomous learners can access in ways that are most convenient for them and at the time of day they can devote to learning (Boettcher and Donaldson, 2010). We must keep accessibility in mind when we use mobile technology as well; not all students will have access to smart phones, iPads, iPads or tablet due to the reception and coverage areas as well as cost of the devices and expense of service contracts. Mobile learning is a great tool, and it can enhance online learning, however, at the present time, it should not replace or substitute regular news, resources, postings and work in an online classroom. I canceled my smart phone plan a couple years ago due to the high costs of the data plan. I invested in Kindle Fire and can access it with wireless at my home or business and anywhere there is wifi; but I am not able to have anytime, anywhere access and that may be the case for many of our learners until we see the prices as well as reception improve.

I like the idea of using social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to send important updates, pose questions and engage learners in dialogue outside of the classroom; these sites can be accessed with mobile devices and online for those students that are not using mobile technology ( Conrad, R., & Donaldson, 2010). Google Reader , Google Bookmarks and Google Docs are sites that save time, keep us organized and help facilitate collaboration. and I am most interested now in gaining access to the software that set up an online classroom, I need experience working with the CMS (content management system), the dashboard and to learn how to navigate in an efficient manner. I liked the Blackboard classroom that Walden University used until they made the switch over to the programs they are currently using. I would love to have the opportunity to use this program and set up a course for part of a final project in M.S. In Education degree program.

References

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.