OpenSem: Course Schedule

Friday  8/26/16: Meet in Memorial 010
Getting to know each other

Tuesday  8/30/16: Meet in our classroom, Lamson 124
Bring your laptop to class (you can borrow one at the Circulation Desk in Lamson if you don’t have one of your own).

• Talking about Open Pedagogy
• Twitter & Hypothes.is

Thursday 9/1/16

Remember to bring a working laptop to EVERY CLASS!

• Make sure you have a Twitter account; add the app to your phone if you want.
• Make sure you have a Hypothes.is account
• Make sure your account usernames are logged on our spreadsheet
• Read “The Web We Need To Give Students” and annotate it with Hypothes.is
• Come prepared to talk about the article in class
• Our course hashtag is #OpenSem.  Send a tweet to the class to by adding #OpenSem to your tweet!
• In class, we will read: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it

Tuesday  9/6/16

• Last reminder: bring a working laptop to EVERY CLASS! Check one out for free at the library circulation desk if you don’t have one.
• Go to Google Scholar and do a search for First Year Seminar.  Choose an article from the list and read it (choose one of the PDF’s on the right hand side to make it simple for yourself). Send 2-3 tweets to #OpenSem summarizing your article, and be prepared to talk about it in class. Make sure you bookmark the article or write down the info so you can find it again! Stop by the Reference Desk in the library if you need help finding something good to read, or stop by Christin Wixson’s office in Lamson to get help from our course librarian!

Thursday 9/8/16

• Update your About page.
• Add a header image to your ePort.
• Choose a theme that you like for your ePort.
• Twitter:
  • Follow at least 5 people related to your academic or professional interests.
  • Follow at least 3 people from our class (can include me and Christin if you want).
  • Retweet at least 4 tweets:
    • At least two should be quoted;
    • At least two should be simple retweets.
  • Reply to at least 1 tweet.
  • Tweet to our hashtag (#OpenSem) at least once with something substantive.
  • In class: we will talk about how to do a blog post.
  • In class: we will talk about hyperlinking and adding images/captions to ePort posts.

Tuesday  9/13/16

• Assignment 1: Post to ePort Blog: Write a summary of the FYS article that you read.  Make sure that you introduce the article first, and include a link. Cover the main idea of the article, and then make sure you go into some detail about the key five or six (or four or seven…you decide…whatever it is) points that the article makes. Add a final paragraph where you give your student perspective on the article; what is your opinion of the article, and how does it relate to what you believe, from a student point of view? If you need writing assistance, swing by the Writing Center on the ground floor of the Library! Make an appointment, or just drop in.  They can help you plan, organize, revise, and/or proofread your work.
• Post the URL of this post on our spreadsheet when you are done.
• Tweet a link to your post to our hashtag once you are done.
• In class: we will talk about the Thursday Twitter chat.

Thursday 9/15/16 ONLINE CLASS

• Assignment 2: Choose one of these bullet points, and create an ePort Blog Post about it.  Make sure you add a link or two from interesting and high-quality supporting sites that you consult as you think about the questions. Add at least one openly-licensed image (with caption/citation) to your post.  Add the URL of this post to our spreadsheet when you are done, before 9:30am.
  • Does attendance matter in college courses? What advice would you give a new college student about attendance? What advice would you give a professor about attendance policies in order to help her craft a policy that would best help her students succeed in the course?
  • Do grades matter? How? Why? How do grades help students learn? How do they get in the way of student learning? What innovative ideas do you have to make grading more helpful to student learning? What would you do about grading if you were designing a college course?
• Class will not meet in person today.  Instead, please log on to Tweetdeck at 9:45am for a professor-free Twitter chat focused on attendance and grading.  9:45am-10:05am on attendance; 10:05-10:25 on grading.  Use #opensem to participate.

Tuesday  9/20/16

• Add 3 or 4 tweets from the Twitter chat to your ePort post on attendance or grades (do NOT make a separate post– just add them to your current version).  Do this by taking a screenshot (Instructions for Mac users) (Instructions for PC Users) (the HelpDesk in Lamson can also show you how) and then pasting the images in to your post where you want them.  Make sure you add in appropriate discussion to accompany the added tweets.  You may use one of your own tweets if you wish.
• Comment on the Assignment 2 ePort posts of at least two of your classmates (use the spreadsheet to find them).  Make sure your comments are robust and substantive!
• In class: checking ePorts:
  • About Page with picture
  • CC license
  • “Just another WordPress site” is not there!
  • Twitter widget
  • Header image and new theme (optional)
• In class: crowdsourcing our attendance policy
• In class: crowdsourcing our grading practice
• In class: crowdsourcing our learning objectives

Grading begins 9/20 at 10:45am!

Thursday 9/22/16

• Assignment 3: Write an ePort post in which you explore the five most important learning objectives for a First-Year Seminar, making sure to why you think each one matters.  In addition, consider the Skills that FYS is supposed to cover at PSU, and offer two or three ways that we could cover EACH SKILL to maximize student engagement in this course. If possible, link the skills experiences to the learning objectives! Make sure you add at least one image to your post, and add hyperlinks if needed. Log the link on our spreadsheet when you are done.
• In class: we will finalize our learning objectives and map the projects for the next couple of classes.  We will be using this Google Doc.

Tuesday  9/27/16

• Assignment 4: Does your ePort have a Twitter widget; license; stable front About page with a welcome/bio and picture; posts feeding to a blog page; no mention of WordPress; no glaring problems? If so, you will get credit for this competency!
• Assignment 5: Choose three readings for your research topic.  One must be SCHOLARLY from Google Scholar (full text), one must be SCHOLARLY from an online library database (full text), and one must be an engaging website article or blog post.  Make sure they all focus squarely on your assigned topic.  Make sure all of them are worth reading, and make sure they don’t add up to too many or too few pages!  Add the links to our Google Doc (if you need to, you can email me one or more of your pieces if you can’t easily generate a link). If you need help with this, visit the Reference Desk in the library, or stop by Christin’s office, Lamson 106. HARD DEADLINE
• Read your website article or blog post from above and annotate it with Hypothes.is. HARD DEADLINE

Thursday 9/29/16

• Assignment 6: Create an ePort post on your university resource.  Make sure it includes:
  • Contact info from the office/area (link, phone #, hours, location and how to get there);
  • A short description of what the resource is;
  • The top 5 services provided to students by the office/area;
  • Insider tip(s) (something most students wouldn’t know, but it can help them succeed in taking advantage of the resource) provided by upper-class student(s);
  • Advice on how students can get involved or take advantage of the area;
  • an image of the place (caption it!);
  • a link to research explaining why this resource could be helpful for students, with a short summary of the research;
  • anything else you think matters.
  • Make sure you are writing for an audience of your peers!
  • Log the link on our spreadsheet when you are done.
• Assignments:
  • Advising Center: Dillon
  • PASS Office: Katelyn
  • ALLWell: Jake
  • Outdoor Center: John
  • Bookstore: Devante
  • Counseling Center: Cassie
  • Career Services: Jack
  • Center for Business & Community Partnerships: Sarah
  • Dean of Students/Student Life: Bryant
  • Dining Services: Lissa
  • Financial Aid: Skyla
  • Global Engagement Office/Study Abroad: Jeremy
  • HUB: Carlton
  • Health Services: Colin
  • HelpDesk at Lamson: Miles
  • Library: Abby
  • Math Activity Center: Erika
  • University Police: Ryan
  • Registrar: Jordyn
  • Residential Life:Emma
  • Recreation Programs: Jared
  • Silver Center: Patrick
  • Writing Center: Riley
  • Interdisciplinary Studies: Zach

In class, we will use these links about inquiry-based learning:

• Concept to Classroom: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html
• Capacity Building Series: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_InquiryBased.pdf

Tuesday  10/4/16

Watch this video on Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s ideas about teaching and learning:

• Now read this student blog post about Freire’s ideas on the “banking” vs. “problem-posing” models of education.  Annotate it with Hypothes.is.
• Tweet to the hashtag (#opensem) with your experiences with or ideas about these two models of education.
• Assignment 7: Make a creative work (video collage, documentary, artwork, spoken-word poem, short story, song, etc) that explores either the banking model or the problem-posing model.  Post it on your ePort and add an Artist’s Statement in which you explain how the artwork relates to Freire (one paragraph), to inquiry-based learning (one paragraph), and to your ideas about education (one paragraph). Add hyperlinks to your statement as needed. Log your link onto the spreadsheet. HARD DEADLINE.
• Thanks to Abby and Jake and Ryan for input on these readings.

Thursday 10/6/16  Guest Instructor: Student Project on Sexual Assault

If you choose to attend class today, you will receive 5 extra points on each of two competencies for participating in a follow-up email survey related to the class.  If you prefer not to attend class and participate in the survey but still wish to get the extra credit, you can watch this video, and post a short response on your ePort in which you explain the three most interesting points about the video (be specific) and what your own opinion on the issue is. (DUE THURSDAY 10/6/16 HARD DEADLINE.)

Tuesday  10/11/16

• Read this Educause article: “7 Things You Should Know About Connected Learning” and annotate it with Hypothes.is.
• Consider this stuff from the DML (Digital Media & Learning) Connected Learning folks: infographic, video, and short summary at this link.  Annotate the summary with Hypothes.is.
• Assignment 8: Educause and DML have different overall definitions of “connected learning.”  Summarize each definition in your own words; be specific and use quotes from the articles to back up your points.  Then, give your own impressions of these “connected learning” ideas.  What sounds helpful to you? Is there anything that alarms you or gives you pause? In what ways could these ideas improve the educational experience for students? Make sure you introduce and link to each article, and add a cc-licensed image or two to your post to make it more visually engaging. Log your link onto the spreadsheet.
• Thanks to Katelyn and Patrick for contributions on this reading!
• In class:
  • we will start by reading this link together: https://via.hypothes.is/http://erika9.com/uncategorized/educause-vs-dml/
  • then we will watch and live-tweet this video: https://vimeo.com/37639766
  • finally, we will use this site to generate our memes: https://makeameme.org/upload

Thursday 10/13/16

• Read “Why Openness in Education?” and annotate it with Hypothes.is.
• Choose one paragraph or quote from the article, summarize it, and explain what you find most interesting about it from your perspective as an undergraduate student.  After publishing your post and logging it on our spreadsheet, please tweet the link to our hashtag (#opensem) and tag the authors, David Wiley, @opencontent, and Cable Green, @cgreen.

Tuesday  10/18/16

• Read this call for participation for #fyschat: http://autumm.edtech.fm/2016/10/11/call-for-participation-and-introducing-fyschat/#comment-1762
• Read “Why students who do well in high school bomb in college” and annotate it with Hypothesis.  Make sure you add AT LEAST 5 annotations/replies to the article! HARD DEADLINE.
• In class (we will do this in class together; it is not homework):
  • Using the GoogleDoc on OER and the GoogleDoc on Open Access as notes, write a blog post that is a organized as a letter.  Address your letter to faculty, to Plymouth State University, to the textbook industry, or to any other group that makes sense.  Sign it “Concerned Students.”  What do you want to say about all of this on behalf of students? Make sure your post is at least 4 paragraphs long, and that each one is well-developed and properly linked to supporting evidence as needed. Add an openly licensed image to your post, and check your post for apostrophe, run-on, and fragment errors. After a classmate reads it and you revise it, tweet your post to the #opensem hashtag with a small intro and one additional hashtag, either #OER or #OA.

Thursday 10/20/16

• Finish your in-class OA/OER post if you didn’t already finish it. HARD DEADLINE.
• Add AT LEAST 5 replies to other folks’ annotations on the #fyschat article. HARD DEADLINE.
• Assignment 10: Write a 3-paragraph ePort post (HARD DEADLINE). Log your link onto the spreadsheet.
  • 1: summarize the article, “Why students who do well in high school bomb in college”
  • 2: choose two separate annotations by other Hypothesis users and explain why you find them interesting or problematic or smart.  (This can be two separate paragraphs if that’s better for you.)
  • 3: add a conclusion where you talk about your own thoughts about the article: why is it relevant? what does it lead you to believe about education or college? which ideas do you find most persuasive or problematic?

Tuesday  10/25/16

• #fyschat
• In class: Twitter chatting and Storifying

Thursday 10/27/16 Group Meetings

• Meet with your group and choose a learning outcome to focus on.  Then develop a module for your peers.  This module should include assigned readings (must include permalinks) and a creative, engaging, worthwhile assignment that would take the average student 1-2 hours to complete. THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX FOR THESE ASSIGNMENTS, but make sure there is something that can be posted on the ePort. Make sure your module has an introduction in which you quote and explain your learning outcome , why you think the learning outcome matters to FYS students, and how the readings and assignment will help students meet that learning outcome. Post this on the ePort of one of your group members, and then post the link on our GoogleDoc with a brief sales pitch of what it’s about (make sure you attach your names to your link/pitch). HARD DEADLINE by midnight tonight, 10/27.

Tuesday  11/1/16 ONLINE CLASS

• Assignment 11: From home, using the group modules, choose one module and complete it. This will include at least:
  • one hour reading/annotating
  • one hour on chosen assignment (log your link onto the spreadsheet when complete)
  • HARD DEADLINE by midnight tonight, 11/1.

Thursday 11/3/16 Mental Health Day

• Assignment 12: Skip class today. Find a way to spend an extra hour doing something you love. Document it with a photo or video, and post it on your ePort with a reflection. What helps you recharge, and why? What do you suggest that college students do when they feel stressed or overwhelmed during busy parts of the semester? How can students stay on track academically while still enjoying life? Try to avoid clichés and the standard advice: can you dig deeper to talk about what really makes a difference for you in terms of feeling centered, relaxed, and ready to engage with your education? Log your link onto the spreadsheet. HARD DEADLINE by midnight tonight, 11/3.

Tuesday  11/8/16 Class meets as usual

• Comment on the Group Module posts of 4 of your classmates (use the links on the spreadsheet to choose, and use the comment section on the ePorts to comment). Make sure your comments are robust and substantive.  Choose one post to present to the class (be prepared to show it and explain why you thought it was good, interesting, etc.); send a tweet to #opensem with that post, and a short line about it.
• Comment on the Recharging post of 4 of your classmates (use the links on the spreadsheet to choose, and use the comment section on the ePorts to comment). Make sure your comments are robust and substantive.  Choose one post to present to the class (be prepared to show it and explain why you thought it was good, interesting, etc.); send a tweet to #opensem with that post, and a short line about it.
• Both of these are HARD DEADLINES due by 9:30am on 11/8.

Thursday 11/10/16

• Assignment 13: Read your article (see GoogleDoc for assignments) about student success and retention.  On a piece of paper, write down 3-5 key bullet points about what increases the success/retention rates for students in college, and bring that to class.  On your ePort, create a bullet list of 10 key quotes from the article that you think are the most helpful for understanding student success/retention. Make sure you add a link/intro about the article at the top of your bullet list of quotes, and include a complete citation at the bottom of the page, as well. Log your link onto the spreadsheet. HARD DEADLINE by class time.