Assignments
Online Group Discussions (presentation and participation) 5pts/week
This class will meet online every Monday and Thursday. You will be assigned 4-5 readings for the week, all of which you will be expected to have read. You will be assigned to groups of 4-5 people for the session. In your groups on Monday, a couple of you will be responsible for being the “expert” on one of the assigned articles. You will lead a discussion with your group, provide a summary, define any terms or concepts that are difficult in the reading, and pose questions for discussion. The group leader (to be determined in class) will send a copy of your transcript to me after the discussion.
You will be evaluated each week based on your presentation’s coverage as well as your participation in the discussion for the other readings. If you miss a discussion, you will be unable to get full credit. If necessary, we will also schedule other online meetings during the week to cover the readings.
25% In-Class writing/Discussion Posts 5pts./unit
As we complete the readings in each unit, you will be given a prompt to respond to as an online discussion post question. Your posts will be evaluated on evidence that you have done the reading and can respond to the questions I pose and evidence that you are working through ideas and engaging the discussions. (For example, responses that go: “I thought these readings were difficult and I couldn’t really follow them,” or, worse, “I thought this article was boring….” will not receive high evaluations.)
25% Tutoring Portfolio 25 pts.
You will be required to identify an individual or a group of people to tutor for the duration of the session. My expectation is that you will spend a couple of hours each week (or the equivalent) with whomever you are tutoring. For those sessions, you will prepare activities and track your progress. At the end of the course, you will turn in a portfolio that will contain: a log of your tutoring meetings; copies of any prompts or activities; selected copies of your tutee’s materials; reflections on the process that tie your work in those meetings to our class readings and discussions.
10% Online Professional Development Activity and Reflection 10pts
You will be required to attend at least one professional development activity on Tapped In. Tapped In has workshops and discussion groups scheduled regularly and these are attended by educators and others from all over the world. You will participate in the activity, provide me a copy of the transcript (which should provide evidence of your participation – not just attendance) and will write a reflection on the activity. The transcript and reflection are due by the last day of class. Be sure to check the calendar and plan accordingly. Sometimes the workshops are cancelled and that will not be an acceptable excuse for you not to do this assignment. The activity needs to actually happen and you have to participate in it as a professional development opportunity.
15% Essay and Assignment Sequence 15pts.
Detailed assignment sheet will follow, but this will be a final major assignment for the class.