Friday, August 16 -- Week 1

Shout out to Autumn for sending me her Windshield Check yesterday and for helping her classmates!

Shout out to Grace for sending me her Windshield Check yesterday!

Will you see your name here?  I will post student celebrations here each day -- celebrations may be about something awesome you do within the course or something great that is happening to you outside of the course.

 

You should be finishing Week 1 today.  Week 1 is due Monday -- use your time wisely today so you can take the weekend off!  Thanks for the awesome Windshield Checks.  If you did not send yours yesterday, send it to me today.  

Be sure you are reading my comments in your gradebook -- some students say the feedback is as rewarding as the work!  

Ready, learn, lead!

You have the opportunity to collaborate with your peers each week in our discussion boards.  Replies to classmates should show your understanding of what your classmate said and then offer affirmation and/or advice related to the week's content and your life experience.  Back up your ideas in your replies the same way you would back up your ideas in your assignments -- state evidence and explain it.  Devon Haynie said it best in his article for US News:

Students should also keep in mind that discussion boards are meant to be conversations, where each post builds on the previous comment.  "Good response posts are response posts that do not only agree or disagree," says Ebner. "When you read another student's post, you have the ability to expand the conversation." To do that, students can reference material or, when appropriate, relate it to their own life experience, he says. 

- From "5 Ways to Ace Discussion Board Assignments in an Online Class" http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/04/03/5-ways-to-ace-discussion-board-assignments-in-an-online-class

Go back and read the comments you posted in the Week 1 Discussion Forum -- were they quality? did they encourage dialogue? Get to know your classmates.  You must reply to at least 1 classmate in future discussion forums (the requirement for Week 1 was 3) but I encourage you to reply to more.  I agree with Haynie and believe discussion forums should be a place to open dialogue.  As I have posted in my feedback, I encourage you to repost replies to your classmates if they do not meet course requirements.  Practice makes PERMANENT!

Logging in for the first time?

Be sure to read Monday's Daily Announcement first.  Use the attached visual to help you navigate our course's homepage.  To get started, follow the steps in the visual below:

 

Message me in the course using the inbox on the left of the screen, text/call me outside of Canvas at 9196-435-2008, email me at melissa.dettman@ncpublicschools.gov, or message me using Remind.  If I do not answer right away, I will answer as soon as I can and definitely within 24 hours.  You can also get help using the Peer Tutoring Center -- click on the PTC quick link on our homepage.

Contact me with questions, concerns, or to share something that is going on in your life.  One of your contacts each week should be an evaluation of your learning.  We call these learning evaluations Windshield Checks.  By Thursday of each week, you should send me a quick explanation of your understanding and progress via text, email, or Canvas inbox.  You will learn more about Windshield Checks and see examples in the Course Documents section of our course.