Getting Started

Getting an online class going off to a good start is important because it is more likely to keep going at that pace. Bender, in Chapter 5, talked about how it is easier to keep going at a good pace than try to pick up a class that starts off slow. There are several ways to set up a strong beginning, and it is necessary to think about this, especially in planning the EdWeb project that will have discussions and social aspects.

Eileen pointed out the example of “thawing the online ice crystals,” which is a great image to keep in mind when trying to get students involved at the beginning. We had some discussion on how to get people to speak up at the start, mostly revolving around introductions, games, and starter sentences. Sherri said, “In the context of an online course, such as an interactive edweb, or our class here starting off with an activity that addresses each individual is a good idea.” I have to agree with this and spent some time thinking about how to apply it to my EdWeb. I added a post about this towards the end of the week. Since my students are already required to be a part of my geography class, and since they know each other, it would be inappropriate to start off the EdWeb discussion with introductions. But I still want the students to feel comfortable getting involved in the discussion online, so I need to come up with a good icebreaker to get them warmed up. Something like fun facts or a game or scavenger hunt would work in this case. It should be something fun in any case, to ensure that the students feel positive about getting online for the unit.

However, I do not want it to take up valuable time since we will only have a limited amount to complete the project. So I am thinking back to posting a “norms of discussion” for the students to browse over quickly and then just a quick little discussion or activity that would be engaging. I think a lot of people liked the activities we had last semester at the beginning of IT5660, like the Picasso drawing, the Fly Guy activity, and making up a caption about a picture. I would like to find something simple and fun like this but related to the topic the students will be studying so it ties in well. So I must go spend some time working on this, checking out different ideas, and getting it all ready!