First Day of Class

Here is what I learned about the get-to-know-you icebreaker: it works better in a small group. (Never again in a large group!)

1) In my first class, I had an icebreaker. Students wrote a get-to-know-you question on an index card, and then passed the card to someone else. Then they wrote a second question on the new card. After that, they had to get up and cross the room to introduce themselves to someone and answer the questions on their card. The students seemed to recieve the activity fairly well. They were talking and moving about the room, and did not seem overly ackward about participating.

2) In the second class, I tried it a different way. Students also wrote questions and passed cards the same as before, but then I had them stay in their seats, introduce themselves to the whole group and answer the two questions on their card. This was much more awkward and got the class off to a worse start.

Here is what I learned about Blackboard:

1) It is difficult to do a Blackboard exercise in class on the first day, because not everyone is necessarily registered yet.

2) The instructions I gave in the welcome message were too complicated. They had to read the welcome message, go to Assignments, then the first line of the assignment directed them to Course Documents, where they got instructions on the assignment, and then had to return to Assignments to submit. In the future, I will put the Print Screen Instructions with the Assignment itself (the way I originally had it!).

3) I think I should have given the students more direction instead of assuming they would read and understand all of the directions. Especially on the first day, there is no reason for them to unnessecarily feel "stupid." At the very least, I could have said to the group "This is kind of like a treasure hunt. You will have to read the instructions carefully and click around to different areas in order to complete all the steps. Don't feel shy to ask a classmate or me for help, because some of the steps are not so obvious."

Here is what I learned about journalling:

1) So far, so good. The students cooperated and did not complain. The journals in the first class (where they had a small-group icebreaker) seemed more genuine and sincere. The journals in the second class were ok too, but you could tell they were less warmed up to the journal idea or to the class in general.

2) Now I don't know what to do next. I was going to assign a journal entry that piggybacks on the first. But now I know some students didn't fully answer the first journal, in order to logically do the second. Also, some students may have been absent today but will show up next time. This makes me want to change my plan about piggybacking the topic.

On the other hand, I think that part of the reason for not answering completely was that some students didn't understand the word "impede." (I thought about clarifying that word, but then I decided against possibly talking too much. Again, I realize afterwords that the clarification would have been worth the additional speaking.)

I will probably still piggyback on the last topic, but maybe find a new way of wording the topic so it works even if you didn't complete the first journal.

Here is what I learned about my students:

1) It is true that I have many young students in my class. The 12:30 class had a significant cohort of 18-year-olds just graduated from high school. Also, many students drive in from other towns.

2) I had my first accomodation request. I have to figure out how to administer a test with a reader and give time and a half. I think we will have to schedule the test for a different time, outside of class.

My overall thoughts:

The first day was hard. I was reasonably well-prepared, so in that respect it wasn't so bad. But I feel ackward getting started. I worry about talking too much (and then realize I didn't give enough direction). I worry about having a classroom atmosphere that is not fun. I worry about forgetting to remind students to bring their textbook next week. I worry about a lot of things. . .

It is not the first time I've taught, nor the first time I've taught this course, but for some reason I feel very, very new. I feel like, "will I ever learn?" I hope so!

Experimenting

This fall will be the first time I teach multiple sections of the same class. . .

One thing to consider is that I could experiment by trying different things with my different sections. For instance, I could stick with my regular old quotes for one section, have students write journal entries related to quotes in another section, and do more open-ended journalling assignments in the third section. Or, have the third section be the control group that does computers only.

The benefit is that I could try several different things and compare the outcomes (as percieved by me, such as how the class seems to react/engage, whether it is comfortable for me, etc.). Additionally, since my classes are only 8-weeks long, I could modify my ideas for the second half of the semester and experiment even more.

A drawback is that conducting different activities in each section would entail some additional prep work, which might not be feasible considering my schedule this fall. Another drawback is that the validity of this type of comparison could be comprimised by the chemistry of the different classes. What I mean is every class is different, so even if a technique doesn't seem to work well with one particular group, it might be very well received by a different group.

All in all, experimenting with is an idea worth considering. It might be fun to try!

Journalling #2

The Quote Journal I blogged about on June 2 was designed for an English course, but could it be modified for use in a computer class?

For a long time, I have been using motivational quotes and a quick discussion of the quote to start each class period. My experience has been that motivational quotes can get students thinking and interacting, provide opportunities for students to share personal information (sometimes even fears and insecurities which are often shared by others), and they reinforce the role of education in attaining personal goals. Occasionally the quotes seem superfluous, but often they help students open up and feel more confident about their ability to succeed in computer class.

However, the on course activity adds a new dimension to quotes: journalling. Would journalling work in my computer classes? I think so.

Here are some variations I can think of:

-a one-minute open-ended journal to clear your head before class

-a one-minute journal related to a motivational quote provided by the teacher

-a quote journal (students provide the quotes, commentary not required)

-a short journal activity via email or discussion board

-short reflective journal questions, such as "What could I do to improve my performance in this class?" or "What study techniques might help me retain this information?"

-short feedback journal pieces, such as "What, if anything, did you find difficult about this assignment?" or "So far, what is the most useful thing you have learned in this class?"
I think that journalling is a really useful tool for practicing critical thinking, allowing students to have more participation and control over their own learning, addressing potential barriers or set-backs students may face, and when done in class it allows for silence and internal reflection.
I'm going to consider implementing a journalling activity in my computer classes this fall.