Week 9 Reflection - The Curriculum Unit

Blog reflection: How did you and your partner divided the work? Did that work out? What were the pros and cons of working with a partner at a distance?

Curriculum Unit Collaboration
Dividing Up the Work
The division of work was a relatively easy exercise for Cheryl & I because we simply examined the topics of interest that we had posted in the discussion forum and fit those components into the outline that I had suggested so that both of us had a comfort level with the unit. Additionally, Cheryl had proposed using the WizIQ platform so she began investigating that tool as a platform, while I offered to investigate Ning as a platform. In the end, we decided to use both since the former is better suited for synchronous sessions and online tests, and the latter is better suited for asynchronous discussions, online chats, and course organization of materials. We did have a minor hiccup when Stephen decided to join the group but he shared that he was interested in using CCDT as a framework for the course so he ran with that. When he left the group, we still appreciated the work he had done as a jumping off point for framing our curriculum unit using the "Teaching for Understanding (with Technology)" methodology. 


How did it work out?
Cheryl & I worked very well together. We shared the same ideas about what we wanted to accomplish with the unit, how much content should be provided, and the components that should be included. We posted our initial outline to the Wetpaint Wiki but expanded upon the outline to create a working syllabus using Google Docs. We also used Google Docs to create an assignment/web 2.0 tool mapping document. We began using Skype to communicate but faced a few challenges along the way (see below). We also used the Ning chat to share information, Ning platform to demonstrate the course features that were illustrated in the course syllabus, and WizIQ to "record" synchronous session samples and create a sample online test. From a timing perspective, I worked on the initial outline first and then was away for Spring Break. During that time, Cheryl expanded upon the outline (although she did have some down time due to the power outages resulting from the storm!) and when I got back we collaborated together on finishing the syllabus. 


Pros and Cons of working at a distance
The biggest "pro" for me is that we can work within our own schedules. Since I was away for Spring Break, I was able to check messages on my phone to stay in the loop and also work on the unit before and after break. Cheryl was able to work during break and other convenient times for her. The other big "pro" of working at a distance is that we are in the shoes of the students. In creating our unit, we are also experimenting with the tools we will be expecting our students to use in the course and are therefore more aware of obstacles that may arise and can prepare for them. The biggest "con" of working at a difference is actually the technology itself. Yes, I know, I'm a technology geek. But I can still complain, can't it? You'll see below some of the challenges we had with the technologies themselves. However, here I want to mention that even in a synchronous environment like Skype there are visual cues that are missed. If we were working f2f, facial expressions, hand gestures and other subtle cues may have changed the outcome of our final unit. Or, at the very least, may have expediated the production of the unit. The small video screen in Skype doesn't allow for the same kind of interaction although it is better than text-based chat.



Web 2.0 Tool Challenges
I opted to break this section out from the overall reflection above because I wanted to highlight the importance of quality tools and appropriate expectations that students should have of the tools they use. In collaborating on the unit, here are some of the technical challenges we faced:

• Skype - We initially began using Skype to communicate but unfortunately Skype crashed Cheryl's laptop and it was unusable for several days. We had to then resort to other modes of communication like Ning chat. Also, we had quite a scheduling conflict. Between my student teaching schedule (during days), classes (at night) and Cheryl's weekend job finding time to talk was a challenge. At one point, we realized the only time to talk would be as Cheryl traveled to her job on a Saturday morning. This meant no Skype. We had to rely on the good old-fashioned cell phone. However, as my husband reminded me, that still using technology (including the Bluetooth hands-free component!). 
• Wetpaint - Some time during the weeks I worked on the unit, Windows decided it would be a great time to do lots of updates. After the updates, I could no longer copy/paste into Wetpaint because of some new security rule using Firefox. When I tried, I lost all of the data I had just copied in including all the new text I had written (not copied from anywhere) and the site just said "Copy/Paste Not Allowed" or something like that. I had to start all over again. Ugh!!! So, then I used IE instead of Firefox but the formatting was a mess. I finally switched back to Firefox on my laptop (instead of my desktop). In addition to this problem, I found Wetpaint's "EasyEdit" to be anything but. I like to get down and dirty with the HTML code and pretty-up my pages but Wetpaint doesn't let you do that. It's very un-user friendly.
• Ning - I really enjoyed using Ning as a platform although I did not some challenges from a course developer perspective. 
• You can't change the order of the discussion forums once you create them. And you have to create them in reverse order.
• You can't upload documents. You have to add links to the documents as a "Note".
• The RSS feed which I thought would work similar to Netvibes is less user friendly. It does not list the overall feed but rather individual entries on the feed which would make it hard for students to examine each other's blogs. 
• WizIQ - There are also several challenges with WizIQ. In general, I was comparing it to Adobe Connect and while it does offer online tests (which Connect does not) there are several components which are lacking:
• Online tests can not be edited after they are created.
• Desktop & Browser sharing can be used but can not be recorded without a premium membership.
• You can not see the faces of all the students; only the teachers video is accessible. (This may be available with a premium membership).
• In one of our classes, the WizIQ session crashed and everything after the crash was not recorded. The folks at WizIQ (who, by the way, contacted me unsolicited for feedback, told me that this is a technical problem on their end and they are looking into it).
• I do think the whiteboarding capability is a little bit better than Connect. 

Web 2.0 Tools that worked Great

• Google Docs - I know a lot of people are favoring Google Wave which allows for simultaneous edits, Google Docs worked great in our case. It was easy to see what changes had been made and by whom. And, it allowed us to create our curriculum unit at times convenient for both of us.
• Ning - The free platform was easy to use and offered a way for us to demonstrate what the course would look like for the students in our course. We could have also used Moodle which is open source but I've used Moodle before and thought it would be interesting to see the advantages of a social networking platform over a more traditional LMS. The main advantages are a nicer chat interface, photo & video integration, and in general more available features that can be added, moved around, etc...
• WizIQ - While we had problems with the platform, it did offer a free way for us to present examples of what the synchronous course sessions would look like. It also allowed for us to present sample tests which are important in a K-12 environment though not necessarily included in higher education online courses or classrooms. 

That's about it for this week. Overall, I thought the collaboration went extremely well and I am very pleased with the output that we were able to present. The curriculum unit is something that I think I will actually be able to use when I become a teacher.  

Online Schools Wetpaint - Our Unit
Google Docs - Course Syllabus
Google Docs - Quick Reference Guide
Ning - Expressing Yourself Online Course
WizIQ - Sample Session 1
WizIQ - Sample Session 2
WizIQ - Sample Unit Test
CCDT - Course Framework
Sample Rubric