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=ETEC 510 Project Wiki=

Members

 * Doug Smith
 * **Peggy Lawson**
 * ** Dy Chen **

Monday, Aug 1
Thanks to you two for working with me on this project and filling in for me while I was gone. I found this project to be productive and a very good learning experience, thank you for that too. Take care! Doug

Sunday, July 31
it turns out that interent and phone access is quite difficult here no Rogers reception, only telus (i'm not on telus!). so this is my one quick check in. it looks like things are okay? sorry that i can't help more. I've sent in my reflection and peer assessment fwiw. thanks Doug. **Yes, no worries. Enjoy camping.**
 * **Okay, Done! Crossing my fingers and hope it's there. Peggy, can you let me know if you do not see the exam? All good! I'm just about to submit the final paper. I've also set our module open for guests now. Thanks guys - it's been fun & a great experience. Thanks for all of your hard work! Awesome! Thanks to both you and Doug for working non-stop on this project. It's been my pleasure working with you guys. I have "stole" a lot of information from both of you through this experience (ie. Illuminate, moodle). Hopefully, I get the pleasure to see you guys in future courses. If not, best of luck to both of you for the duration of the program! **
 * ** I am going to start inputting the questions again until I hear back from you just to save time. ** Dy - even 1 question is probably fine. No-one is going to go through the whole exam at any rate; the idea is more to just show our intentions. Again, place the exam in something like Topic 13, which can then be linked to the "home page".
 * Dy, can you put up your final exam again? Post it in one of the topics at the bottom of the list (Topic 13 I guess); once it is there I will copy the link to the appropriate place **I am in a bit of a panic....Now I can't find the genetics exam. It was under quizzes section last night and this morning. Do you know a way to recover either the genetics exam file or I think there is a way to extract the questions in the question bank at least. If not, I'll just have to suck it up and input the questions and answers again. Maybe the error stems from simultaneous updating you think? But moodle would have save that file somewhere right? Why would it disappear?**
 * Getting closer! These are references that are in the body of our text but not in our reference list, and I don't see them on our Wiki references page (but I will keep hunting):
 * Longfield, 2009 - page 3 of our paper; regarding difficulty in changing misconceptions
 * Parton & Bailey, 2008, pg 10 of our paper; regarding PBL
 * ** So I can't find these references in my ref folder, a quick research turns up these as my best guess at the references: **
 * **Longfield, J. (2009). Discrepant teaching events: Using an inquiry stance to address students' misconceptions. //International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21//(2), 266-271.**
 * ** Parton, G., & Bailey, R. (2008). Problem-based learning: A critical rationalist perspective. //London Review of Education, 6//(3), 281-292. **
 * **oOps - my apologies! the references were already there, but a little formatting glitch had them already indented so I missed them. Hope the search was quick.**
 * **Good morning. Yes! I haven't gotten started on the self reflection yet, but that shouldn't take more than a paragraph right?**
 * **I don't think those are my references, but I will double check my reference folder and post the ref here.**
 * **Quick Question Peggy. Maybe you know the answer to, if not, no worries. I was trying to put superscript in moodle as an answer to the exam, and it's not appearing as superscript choice. I did some research and its suppose to be undefined as the code and inserting the information you want as superscript in between the >< . I am not going to spend more time on it. I think I will put it as regular scripts.**
 * Yes, the undefined codes are used to produce superscripts. Perhaps Moodle doesn't read the full range of html codes. I got very good at hand-coding supersrictps & subscripts when I did my chemistry site ( [] if you're interested). If I have time I can go in and have a look, but there are still a number of other last minute items to get cleaned up & finished, and maybe I'll try to get out to enjoy some fresh air today!) **Do enjoy the nice weather. It's a little hot here, and I am hiding indoors to avoid being sunburned. =) Wow, I wish I could do what you and Doug do with technology...I am nowhere near that level of expertise. I tried a couple of things, but maybe you are right about the code not being read in moodle. I could type it in the text box, but it appears as** ** undefined ** **if I put it in the answer selection. I will get back to it when I get a chance. By the way, do you need to move the exam at all? I am not sure if it's showing up at the correct location right now. I am going back to put in some feedback and images on the exam questions. I will also do a re-read of rev2.** I will go in now & link the exam to the correct spot; thanks DY. I haven't done any coding within Moodle, but typically to enter HTML code you will need to drop down into HTML mode (look for a <> symbol in the text box tools icons). If you enter HTML codes in "normal" mode, you won't get the html results you want; maybe that's the issue. I'm not too worried about that, and may not have time to go in and check.

Saturday, July 30

 * Thanks Dy. I have gone over the the Rev1 version of the document. Great work. I did find that there was some repetition of several points, and some sections that seemed out of place. I also wanted to include a bit more on some of the actual instructional design aspects, specifically for online learning so have added a few things there in addition to some moving around of a few sections. I am going to let this sit and rest for a few hours, then re-read once more. I'll post the latest revision once I go over it again, and do a double check of our reference list.
 * Here is the current, and I suspect final version. I still have not double-checked the reference list (to match with references used) but will do so in the morning, and do a last check of the moodle. Don't forget to send in your individual reflections, and also a peer assessment I believe. I'll be sure to let you know once I've passed things along to Diane. Hope the camping is great Doug; I'm sitting here in SK hoping for a Rider victory.[|ETEC510-genetics-final_report-rev2.doc] (oh, and I will re-check the word count; the value on the draft just posted is a little off)
 * **Peggy, I really like the touch-ups in moodle organizational wise. I know Doug did a lot of the content also. It's looking really good. So I am putting in the Genetics unit exam. I am new to moodle, so I am not sure if there is an exam option. I just added it in the quiz section and name it genetics unit exam. I am still adding the questions into it, but if you want to move it for organizational purposes, or rename it, that's fine. I will keep adding to it and probably will wrap up the questions by tonight.**

Friday, July 29

 * Dy - it's been a long time since I've actually taught this material to students. Do you have any estimate on how long you would typically spend on this Mendelian Genetics material with students? ** I haven't taught Biology in Canada for a while, but I would have to say minimum of 2.5 weeks for me. First weeks is more of an intro to DNA and genes (assuming it wasn't taught already). **
 * ** Day 1-3: It takes students a while to get the basic concept that DNA is a genetic code (ATCG) and every single cell has it and it's passed on from parents to offspring. A bit of history of genetics (who did what; although I have to admit, I don't spend that much time on it due to the time pressure). I like to do vocabularies first, (esp. inner city students, they are at a lower reading level, so one day will be devoted to creating index cards of words; ie. dominant, recessive, variations, Genotypes, phenotypes, alleles; amino acid->protein->protein shape->traits). **
 * ** Day 4-7: Then we usually go into some activities with list of physical traits (like tongue rolling, widow's peak, hitchhiker's thumb etc) and working in partners, write down what traits they have (this usually gets them really excited, I guess its more of the "I never knew or notice the reason I look like this is from genes." Then the next day, we'll talk about how to find out monohybrid works through practice of punnet squares. Then, punnet squares + probability the next day and have them do practice for homework. Then, dihybrid crosses the next day. **
 * **Day 8-9:** **Talk about special traits (ie. sex-linked, certain diseases), pictures, diagrams etc.**
 * **Day 10: I actually do a lab very similar to the baby face lab. I must have gotten it somewhere similar. Students pair up and I tell them this is the time they have been waiting for....procreation (just don't go home telling your parents that Ms. Chen said you can do that). They get in pairs and identify their own personal traits and their genotypes (best guess provided by the guide). Then if they have a baby, what traits would the baby possess (using punnet squares). Then draw out the baby (the baby never turn out pretty or cute for some reason. =D)**
 * **Day 11-12: Note most traits are not actually expressed through simple dominant recessive relationships. Discuss co-dominance and incomplete dominance (ie. hair colour, eye colour, blood type). There could be many factors associated with gene expression. (Touch up upon mutations or biotechnology if time permits...which it usually doesn't)**
 * ** Day 13: Wrap up. Review. **
 * **Day 14: Final Unit exam.**
 * We we also going to have a more formal final exam (even just a few questions as a starter) for our module, as the summative assessment along with the concept map assignment? Just looking for it to add it to the Final Assessment part of the module (I think I will rename it from "Individual Assessment" to "Final Assessment", but if you prefer the other I can switch back)
 * I thought Dy was going to create it in Moodle. If it doesn't get done, so be it. But give Dy time, other than that, I wouldn't touch anything - enjoy your free time and weekend intead.
 * ** Yep, it's a work in progress. Trying to match the learning outcomes and website activities to the final exam. After completion, I will link it here, and also post it on moodle. **
 * Sounds great Dy! No huge rush, as it will be easy to link it to the appropriate spot. I am just in the process of going through Rev(1), doing some edits to try to bring the document together in one voice.
 * As far as I'm concerned we can submit now. I don't have much more time to give. I"m about to leave for camping, but you can definitely get a hold of me via email. As well, I will have mobile internet so I can get work done if need be. But I won't be checking here very often now. So if you want help or advice, PLEASE ASK! I'd love to try and get back to you. **Have fun Doug! I love camping, haven't done it for a while, where are you off to?**
 * Peggy, the Voki page seems to only load in IE. I've tried firefox, chrome and safari. I say leave it there regardless, as the point of etec 510 is to explore these things and see them in a pedagogical light. I left a note at the top of the voki page saying that ie is required. This is a problem with Voki and their support forums are down.


 * Thursday, July 28**
 * Doug - Did you really want that link to News up in the banner area? Will keep it there if you feel it is critical; otherwise for aesthetics I will remove the link. Added link to Reflections & Discussions above the oogachaka baby. Personally I like the oogachaka baby, as a whimsical artefact for the module. If you hate it or find it distracting I can remove it.
 * It's a standard feature in Moodle, and if I remember correctly, it cannot be removed. It is the best way to send out news and emails to the Moodle users, as Moodle does not have a specific email function.
 * Dy, do you have the full citations for:
 * (Unal & Unal, 2011)
 * (Kirschner, 2001)
 * (Kerr, 2010)
 * (Aharony, 2009)
 * (Gunel, Hand, McDermott, 2009)
 * **Yes I do, will add to the bottom of the reference on rev1.**
 * **Also added Bahar**, **Johnstone, Hansell (1999) reference. Will check for other missed references. Sorry, I usually do references last.**
 * check it out but I think Bahar got cut in the content.
 * **Rev1** is up at: @https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yuUqnqKBb618miosJNgnf4kPh7cQEl2Et6PLYCRRu70/edit?hl=en_US I have the general formatting in place (no title page or headers) and I believe the citations are correct except for the 5 listed above. It's at 4270 words including group reflection. No conclusion or intro yet, and I don't care if there is one.
 * I don't want to futz around with the report too much from now. I know that it can be definitely improved and I think you may have a few edits planned and that's cool (I have a couple of small ones too but can't remember what they are now). But really we could end up massaging this for hours and hours, days and days. Engineers do this all the time, we always want to improve the product; sales people want to push the product out the door.
 * I'm pretty sure I said I was going to do some stuff and haven't done it yet. If you want me to do something, please let me know. If there is something in moodle that I should tweak, tell me (I need to finish a question in the 2nd quiz).
 * For delivery to Diane, one of use should put the report in the dropbox and mail it to her in Vista. As well, we all should mail her our personal reflections via Vista mail. Should we use the name "genetics-group" in the personal reflections so Diane hopefully finds it easy to track?genetics_group-design-project.docx, genetics_group-reflection-dy.docx, genetics_group-reflection-peg.docx, genetics_group-reflection-doug.doc
 * Sounds great Doug - excellent job & thanks for all the hard work. As you've seen I'm trying to clean up the Moodle; I'm sure the Rev1 will be pretty much good to go. I will do a read over but anticipate few changes - as you say, easy to continue forever. I will make sure to get it all submitted, including the email to Diane (course instructions are sometimes a little unclear!)
 * ** MC Feedback on the quizzes are up. I am going to be working either on the final exam questions or figuring out how to input feedback for Short answer questions. I remember seeing the curriculum standards somewhere for this unit, either on here or on the moodle, can someone point me to it if they remember where it is. ** Here is what you're looking for I think - on the Biology Concepts page? ** Thanks Peggy. ** **I remember seeing a different one somewhere, but I'll use this one.**
 * More tidying up in the Moodle. I'm adding some introductory comments to the ETEC 510 class about our project. Feel free to edit or add remarks. I may also add a few additional "narrator" comments in various spots, although I really don't expect anyone to go through all parts of our Moodle. I'll admit to not finishing re-reading Rev0 but am really liking your edits Doug. After reading the Assignment thread in Vista, and Diane's comments, I'm happy to see how our report is constantly referring to how our project specifically ties into the literature. I was highlighting some of those points in yellow last night.
 * I was wondering if we should include a clear, concise list of our moodle activities in the report? Is there a chance that a person would read our report without see the moodle, and think, "I have no idea what the hell the //really// did." ? Definitely - I think this is what should be in the Interactivities section. I'm thinking that section is more a description of what you would find in there, and why we designed certain things the way we did if not covered elsewhere. There are little things - such as pages without excessive amounts of text (students won't read large amounts); use of graphics & other devices to break up the reading; the use of video & audio has already been mentioned but possibly could be again; hopefully fairly easy navigation (but not as good as maybe I would like - it's the moodle learning curve for me, trying to re-adjust from Blackboard)
 * I've added the reflection to rev0. 309 words I believe. **I would like to finalize the edits on rev0 by early afternoon and set rev1 by this evening. __Please comment here when you are finished with rev0.__**
 * **Looks very good. I've added only a few additional notes; I will try this evening or tomorrow morning to possibly edit some areas as noted, but you are good to go with rev1 from me.**
 * Okay, I tried to incorporate all the helpful comments. I know we need to cut down on the information, and hopefully I did that while not mentioning every single activities we have on the moodle.
 * Wednesday, July 27**
 * I am far behind in the Vista discussion threads and we try to finish up our project, but there is a discussion thread called Assignments that has some useful comments from Diane, specifically about the Interactivities section.
 * ** 1:10pm - I've finished my edits for rev0. Maybe you guys can respond to the comments, make any new edits, and then tonight I'll take it all and create rev 1. I haven't done the reflection yet. (I think all of the comments on the original draft have been addressed). I think that any further clarifications to activities or assignments can be specificed in Moodle itself. I somehow wonder if we (me?) have made the report too general? But to go into more detail on what the interactivities are (ie moodle), it is better just to look at moodle. Maybe I'll put that thought in the reflection if it resonates with everyone. **
 * I hate to step on toes, but I think I should throw this out there. I think the Interactivities section is quite long (1200 words) and is straddling a fence. It has one foot in rationale and pedagogy, and one foot in explanation of the interactivities. I envisioned that it would be a more concise explanation of what we ended up with and why, as the first parts of the report should have developed all the rationale. I've made some edits but of course respect others' opinions. No I think you are absolutely right Doug. I am taking a break from it and will look at it with (hopefully) fresh eyes later. I agree there are too many rationale explanation in the interactivities. Peggy's an excellent editor, I am sure she'll make some great suggestions. Sorry - company all afternoon so haven't gone back to visit the drafts. I agree with those thoughts, Doug. We can leave the general theory out of the interactivities for the most part; mentioned where things fit with what but without detail. I will get in there tomorrow. The other google doc has some of the reflection points in there - tons there, will be easy to fill that required space. Played briefly with bubbl.us today - love it. Not a lot of bells & whistles, but a nice simple tool which is often what is needed.
 * Thanks again Doug, for taking the time to show me how Moodle works. =) Okay, I'll put the feedback on today, then work on the final exam.
 * Here is the elluminate link: @https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=&password=M.3DC84016C88E3C5DA069B0B541FAC6
 * Here is the quiz file (including the feedback for each solution). [[file:Mendel and Punnet Square Quiz.doc]]I know you have been doing a lot of work Doug, if its easier on you, you can try to teach me how to put it on the moodle to save you time.
 * I know I've been posting a lot of comments, etc., but you really have done a great job with the write-up Doug! I second that, the write-up looks amazing.
 * [] is back online. Dy, do you want to give it a try? There may be a download required that takes about 10 sec to do. Different browsers may work better. Yay! works for now. Crossing my fingers it will work for our meeting later. =). Excellent! I know it can be glitchy, but it helps if we can all talk, rather than just type. And screen share, too
 * I fixed up the Wiki section, giving some more specific instructions and moving it over to a Wikimedia site that I installed on my server. I also gave instructions for assessment, which takes the form of a 250 word reflection. I would suggest this is ok, and can make note in the report any of the following:
 * 1) assessing a wiki entry for HS should be flexible and reflective because making a good entry is really quite hard
 * 2) some scaffolding/instruction would be needed to implement mediawiki markup in a HS class. I happen to believe that wikimedia markup is conducive to creating an encyclopedia/educational type of wiki entry as opposed to a collaborative work environment such as wikispaces. Feel free to disagree!
 * 3) the wiki entry is a collaborative process that involves discussion before and after the entries are created
 * Finally, it should be stunningly obvious that I ripped off design from the ETEC510 wiki. I have absolutely no problems with this, given that wikimedia is distributed as open source, no IP was taken, and the whole premise of the wiki is built on sharing, collaboration, and building off the work of others. Please let me know if you disagree, I can remove a bit of the formatting and it won't be an issue.
 * I have no problem if you want to add this assessment, and definitely no qualms about it's design. I think we might now be getting into an excessive number of assessments/assignments for students - we could either drop some (e.g. the Mendel Project) or suggest that they provide options for the teacher. I think you're correct, the moodle module is becoming a bit unbalanced. But it is developing an interesting set of interactivities. Either way, I think it is doing a very good job of achieving the goals of etec510, where a design process is attempted, etc . I would still have just a little trouble with the new wiki as a group (partner) project for the new wiki as a summative assessment (I don't think the wiki is summative either, it is really only about asessment for learning) - oddly enough, esp. in high school, I've commonly noted that 1 will do all the work while both students get full credit. It is hard to enforce the sharing. And a collection of separate wiki pages is often just a collection of individual reports if there is no way to get the students to synthesize them. Nice to have & see, but I don't particularly see it as true knowledge building if that's as far as it goes. That would be an interesting discussion! I see it partially as a progression through Bloom's taxonomy, and although I didn't explicitly put those words in the moodle (how to succeed section I think?), I did make reference to the movement from knowledge to analysis, synthesis and evaluation, where the wiki is set in the analysis level. I see this wiki assignment mostly as moving a paper-based report into a wiki environment, and still a bit more on the "knowing" side as opposed to the "doing". The twins scenario, although it didn't match our initial expectations, still has a bit more of the "doing" (actually, the doing comes from the Punnett Square & baby face lab sections; the scenario now really just has students assembling some of the pieces from those activities).
 * Mediahawk - I'm all in favour of having students having to learn some coding and markup, but that would put a much heavier, unrealistic, burden on many online students that I've known. But I would definitely keep it as an option to something simpler such as wikispaces. Since time is always a critical factor in hs classes it seems, & online hs students are often slower at getting through a course than a F2F group, is it worth the time to get all online students knowledgable about the mediahawk technology? It somewhat goes against the "E" in sections I think. But some students would thrive & love it, so I would suggest keeping it as an option, but discussing that in the report. Good thoughts. One thing I will say is that talking with biology teachers here in BC, I definitely have been given the impression that Bio12 is "almost" a university level course. The kids that take Bio12 should be capable for a number of challenges.

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 * Tuesday, July 26**
 * I like the Genetics Wiki in principle. I suspect it will stay as a stub and we can say something about it in the report. I think assessing a wiki is difficult, although I guess we could rip off Diane's wiki rubric! But assessing a wiki entry is tough, as one of our readings (or maybe it was the audio link) said.
 * I added a Concept Map assignment and I'm reasonably pleased with it. Have a look at it, at your leisure. If it's ok, it stays and we can tweak the report a bit to make it reflects what is happening
 * While I do like the concept map assignment, I see it more as a way for students to demonstrate they understand the terminology. But as far as the genetics go, the ability to predict offspring traits given parental traits, or vice versa, is a much more important concept in this unit than just showing that the students have a good grasp of the terms.
 * I think I understand. So the emphasis could be more on "Doing" as opposed to "Knowing". ie procedural vs. conceptual. My only comment is that I thought quizzes should have tested for the procedural objectives although I don't know if it would be considered sufficient. I'm ok if you would like to frame the concept map in a different manner, it won't take much work to re-word some things.
 * What is a topic that all Bio 12 students will have covered at some point in time? How about cell division,etc. The reason I ask is because I'm going to find an example concept map to highlight for the concept map assignment. Just to make it better than a stub.
 * **Sorry about this but I'm going to be pressed for time tomorrow morning. My wife had to go to work, which means I must tend to the kids at 7:30 and leave the house by 8am PST, to take them to camp. I can meet for about 10min. Maybe that's okay if I can get a post-chat transcript/recording. Another option is to change the time to 9:15am PST. Again, sorry about this but such is life..**
 * **No problem - should we meet 9:30 am PST (I had almost forgotten!). OKAY Shall we try Connect 1st? When it works we were all able to talk at the same time ([|http://breeze.cornerstonesd.ca/met)]**
 * No worries, I am fine with the new time. Just tried to test out the site, it states: "
 * Would you guys say the twins the project is the major project for this unit? Can someone clarify whether there will be a reflective piece for students to reflect on this process?
 * I thought the twins project was DOA, since it was the PBL that we didn't pull off?
 * It still served as a focal point, to bring the pieces together and provide some direction. As the entire module goes, it's not very PBL, but it is a more open-ended assignment than any of the others. But it could be removed with little effect. Vote and let me know - I'm good either way, but will need to remove the pieces of it.
 * I'm fine with it actually, it's a good focal point as you say.
 * I like the creative aspect of it. But good with whatever the majority agree on.
 * Not sure where to put the formative feedback, so I will just put it on a separate word account until I know otherwise. Don't want to mess with Moodle.
 * The formative assessments are those that the teacher would provide feedback (or via automated quizzes) that are meant to serve as practice for the students without being marked on them. Like a sports practice - the coach provides feedback; it is only summative feedback with the student gets a mark for the actual course mark. The analogy is the actual sport game against an opponent. Since this module is part of a larger genetics unit (that would include DNA, meiosis & mitosis, genetic diseases), I think we would be fine with just one or 2 summative evaluations at the end of the module - either a traditional test and/or the concept map. I can see all of the other quizzes & assignments being formative - the teacher will provide feedback, but not a mark that goes in the gradebook. A final point -these days, summative exercises should be individual work, not part of a group mark. Here are assignments, etc., that are already in place - do we want them as formative (not for actual mark) or summative:
 * Genetic misconceptions storyline - a group exercies.
 * Mendel group project - short group exercise; Mendel biography, a bit about his experiments
 * Wiki of genetic terms (page 2 of the Mendel section) - group work
 * Genetic problems - in the Punnett Square section, finally added today. Individual. I would definitely say formative
 * Mendel quiz - individual
 * Punnett square quiz - individual
 * Baby Face lab - group
 * Twins scenario - group (which we may drop)
 * Possible concept map - individual? If so could be summative. If a Group project - formative
 * Possible "traditional" final exam - not started (could just indicate that it would be). Individual. I would vote for summative.
 * Yes, you can add feedback to the MC questions on the document that you uploaded. I'll do the Moodle stuff.
 * I have a "rev 0" at this link:@https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8lUqN-iLyACbWL_G-ucH0TIUDqwj_RaKRewf-220GE/edit?hl=en_US It might be useful to read instead of the draft/editing doc, to get a better idea of the flow. The two docs are identical as of 11:53am PST. Any edits after this time to the draft are not translated to rev 0. Again, I just made this doc in order for better reading/flow.
 * Thanks Doug - I'll go have a read at the new location. Where is the best place, for you, to place additional comments - the new doc or the earlier draft (which is getting pretty full of comments!). Word count - we will still have the group reflection piece to add in. 5000 words would be okay after Diane's email I think, but we can also trim some for sure. New comments can maybe go on the Rev 0 document if it seems like a good starting point and we agree that the cuts I've made are okay.
 * I'm still finishing up some loose ends in the Moodle, striving for consistency and a few things to post, or make note that they are planned - I don't think we'll have a big problem with everything not being 100% up there I agree
 * I believe we discuss what happened to PBL in the paragraph above Figure 2. Perhaps we want to go into more detail?
 * For the concept map, give me some time today to address this and some of my loose ends on Moodle. Using it as a stub is not a bad idea, we have what we have... There is now an explanation in the report that discusses the need for prep/scaffolding for a concept map. We can also note in the report that a summative test is also a straight-forward assessment tool.
 * The final report as it stands is now at 4600 words, so that part looks okay. We can likely trim it down a bit still if desired.
 * I have not written a conclusion. I like the idea. We should keep it very brief imo. Any statements that could include "wish" or "may" would perhaps be better in the reflection. Again, I'm pretty easy on this stuff. I like to point out different views but by no means do I insist on them!
 * In the verification I reference a test inventory that would be Appendix A. Here it is: [[file:appendix A.pdf]]
 * **I've added a number of comments to the rough draft, as well as a paragraph at the top of the document. While I think it is coming along, I think we need to focus in more on some of the specific things we did and why; I'm finding things still a little too broad and theoretical perhaps. I think we should clearly indicate any differences from our original plan, and why, rather than try to re-word things so that it sounds as though that was our original intention - I think that is a huge part of the assignment and the reason behind it. I will try to get some of this thinking down in the reflections. Regarding the concept map - with time at the essence you might want to consider having a section of our report, perhaps in the Conclusions section which should be added - that there were some additional ideas or plans that we did not get around to incorporating. I think the map is a very good idea, but as it is there are already a lot of activities in there. But I could see it as having potential as the final summative, individual activity. I'd suggest putting it there - even the "stub" of the idea in the Moodle, saying this is where the concept map activity would go.**
 * I think I responded to all of your comments. Some might still need some further work or negotiation, others I'm sure are dealt with. On a couple I clicked "resolve" just for fun and that made the comment disappear. Sorry about that! I wondered where they went! No problem - I think it would be useful for the reflections to note that compromise was required by the group on some issues. That is a valid event. Yes for sure.
 * **On the assignment requirement page I did include some references for verifications.**
 * They were very helpful, thanks
 * Monday, July 25**

> > as for the word counts, for me they are 'approximates'...to get you not to write 'war and peace' for every section ;-)...part of graduate school learning is to be able to critically analyze but in a succinct manner...;-) so a judicious edit is a good idea...each word count is to try and keep you in line with the worth of each section, and the final is to make sure if you do go over a bit in each, there is a maximum to be considered...I don't want to hem you in too much but I also know that some boundaries are necessary... > > Does that help clarify? let me know if you have additional questions or if I've missed anything...cheers, Diane > Dy, I think it would be great if we can add the formative feedback in the quiz questions, or at least as many as possible. The idea is that it each wrong answer on the multiple choice gives feedback. For example:
 * I'm about 70% through the final report draft (not touching the interactivities though). It's probably a bit hard to read now because I'm keeping all of the edits and not deleting stuff. Later today/tonight I will create a new google doc and simply post the document there (with no edits) for easy reading. Does that sound okay? We can decide on which document to continue with once we have tentative agreements on the edits.
 * My report edits are in blue and text that I suggest that we remove (or that I've moved elsewhere) will be kept in red for now.
 * The writeup is looking very good - Great work Doug. I have gone through about 1/2 of it and will finish in the morning; you'll see my comments. I've also got a separate short list of points that I'll post once I finish going through things. Hopefully the hard work we put into putting the proposal together is a help, and pays off in the end.
 * Concept map - in the Moodle someone added a bit about having students create a concept map. Great idea that we never followed up on. We have enough activities without it perhaps, and nothing has been developed for it, but would not be too tough. Keep or delete?
 * Keep. I am going to do that after the final report draft. The intention is to give the assignment + rubric, plus guidance on resources to use.
 * I think its a good idea because I did some research using concept maps and explaining the rationale in the interactivities section.
 * Diane's email - Hi Doug...and group...if you review the assignment, it was based on the fact that (depending on how through your proposal was) it could be a major part of the final full work...some proposals will not be, as the group found they did not propose work that was easily translated into objects and artifacts...so they did a lot of re-tweeking...those who were able to propose accurately will find a large part of the work will carry over...but remember this...the proposal is just that 'a proposal'... the final work is 'what you actually accomplished'...in detail and with rationale...and a review of not just what you planned but HOW you accomplished it...the major focus on the second is on WHAT you create, the interactivies...not the plan to create ...you did that in the first round...
 * If it helps, I am using the Comment feature in our google doc for the final paper to add a few notes. Does that help you Doug?
 * Don't forget to jot down a few notes for group reflection, on the assignment page of this wiki, when you have time and/or think of things.
 * I've been putting my thoughts into the comments other google doc, since I guess we will write the reflection there.
 * I'm changing the student introduction to the module; hopefully that will clarify some things

1. Who was Gregor Mendel? a) He was Charles Darwin’s British colleague Mendel was influenced by Darwin but did not work with him b) He was an Austrian monk apparently monks have a lot of time to think! c) He was a botanist <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">he did experiment with plants but botany was not his profession <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">d) He was a American environmentalist <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mendel lived at a time where very few people championed environmental causes

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I put formative feedback for only the first two questions, and then I was out of my league... Okay. Will get on that after final touch-ups on the proposal interactivities.

Sunday, July 24

 * Question: Does Moodle have internal emailing capabilities for students to communicate with their partners?
 * not really. but if you create a forum where every student is automatically subscribed to. Then you can have it set to notify all subscribers by email when a post is made. The News Forum at the top is good for this. Only the teacher/admin can post in this forum. Gotcha
 * I will check, and get links set up for discussion boards, etc. and make links to wiki, google docs nice & obvious. If anyone has any good assessment rubrics for multimedia presentations that would be good.
 * Adobe Connect issues; might try a different browser Dy. I've seen that problem before - never connects, but can't recall the solution at the moment
 * it's probably my crappy internet connection. I tried both mozilla and IE. Neither works. tried DL adobe connect, but I don't think that's the problem
 * Doug, Don't know if you already have this source [[file:exploring PBL in the context of HS science_design and implementation issues.pdf]] or if its useful at all
 * Goole Docs
 * For the final report draft -[]
 * For other comments, etc. -[]
 * thanks Peggy!

we can try elluminate: @https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=&password=M.3DC84016C88E3C5DA069B0B541FAC6
 * Dy - Doug and I are in the Adobe Connect meeting room if you are around to join us. I am having trouble connecting. =[ It says "connecting...." but never goes through. We are trying to set up an elluminate option. Hang on. Or Vista or a google doc. I'll post here in a sec
 * [|ETEC510 GeneticsProject visual summary.pdf]. Might not be fully complete.
 * nice graphic
 * yes. I really like the visual representation, makes it easier for me to understand. Is there a reason behind the different color coding for pages and assessment?
 * I am having trouble accessing the UBC library website, my connection seems to be able to access all other pages. Here are some minor suggestions for the proposal. [[file:design-project-proposal_Chen_Lawson_Smith(possible edits).docx]] Will continue to work on it after our meeting.

Saturday July 23
let's meet online Sunday morning. I'm good from 6am PST onwards. Early riser! =) I get 3 hours to sleep in due to the time difference. hehe. Am good all day. Just let me know what time and I'll be on. (once again, please link adobe connect or elluminate.) How about 7:30 AM PST? [] Great! Thanks for the reminder link Peggy! Hopefully, I'll get some more research on the proposal completed before our meeting tomorrow . (Just uploaded some references that I had used through some research I did today. Just ignore it (unless you are in the mood for some bedtime reading.) cause I am not ready to post the edit of the proposal yet. Off to bed, will get up earlier to work on it tomorrow prior to our meeting. Do you guys have blackberries? My email address is doug@dryfly.ca and gets pushed to my phone. My bbm PIN is 2223D703
 * If you haven't already done so, you might want to make sure you check the "Notify Me" tab at the top so you'll get email notifications any time the page (or any page) changes. It helps me know when the come back & check for wiki updates.
 * **Good tip. Just did it.**
 * My bb pin is 31F7FD8F
 * **I am anti-technology, I have a disconnect BB. (cause I am preparing to return to BC, that's why). Shoot me an email: dchen@languagediplomacy.org but I'll be working in front of the cpu pretty much all day, and will reload this page pretty often.**
 * Due date for the project is Sunday, July 31 so we need to have it complete before the long weekend - so does that mean Thursday or Friday if people are away for long weekend (long weekend bad for me as well with company coming). Can we aim for Thursday, with a rough draft earlier??
 * **Sure. Right now, I am re-reading the proposal. Am adding some research to it, feel free to delete or accept changes. I guess I will hold off on the other quizzes for now, as we want to complete the draft first.**
 * If you would find it useful, we can return to our original Google Doc to start some rough work on the final paper. We really need to move to working on that now; we can keep mucking around in Moodle but I think we really need to make headway on the paper. Doug, did you make any more progress? []#

Saturday, July 23
=== The more we get done in the next 5 days, the far better it is for me (and you!). I am away for the long weekend, but will be taking my laptop and 3G phone, so I will have internet access. I'd prefer to be ahead of schedule though. My wife knows that I may have to spend a day on the computer, such is life and the family is prepared ;) === Friday, July 22
 * **Dy:** I need more input from you for the quizzes. On the Punnett square quiz I need the completed answers to 14, 15 and 16. Q13 is not possible unless we draw the Punnett square for them: I need the completed answers for this; I would also like answers for Q11; finally, I need the #marks for each of Q11 - Q16.
 * **Sorry, was planning to get back to it, and forgot to complete the answer key. All the updates are on this file [[file:Mendel and Punnet Square Quiz.doc]]** . **Answers for Q14,15,16 as well as points for the quiz (total for punnet square quiz is 85%, not 100% but close enough. We can tweak it if it matters.) Also changed Q13 as well and drew the punnet square for them as well.**
 * I thought a visual representation of what all we are putting together might be helpful. Never used it before but I'm trying a google drawing, because we could collaborate on it. I had to install Google chrome to use it. Just working on it now but feel free to jump in; it might be a useful addition to our final paper - []
 * It might also be a good visual organizer for students & could be posted in the introduction section
 * Quizzes - would it be better to just have one quiz, combine Mendel & Punnett Square? We already have quite a few student activities. Activities - Active learning. Something to discuss in our final paper.
 * I like the idea of splitting up the quizzes. It lets students focus on specific topics in smaller chunks. I put in the first quiz and I can edit it. One thing we can concentrate on is putting in good formative feedback. If you preview the quiz @http://moodle.met.ubc.ca/mod/quiz/view.php?id=13968 you will see that I put feedback for the first few questions. This ties in with the readings we did on assessment and I think it is good pedagogy.
 * Quiz looks good Doug. Formative feedback good & important. I'm fine with however you want to split up the quizzes
 * ** This is awesome Doug! I think it looks great. I second what Peggy said, however you want to split up the quizzes is fine with me. **
 * Do we have enough content/assessment and activities now? I think we should concentrate on implementing ideas that we've learned this term and focus on that and how it ties in with the paper. So that's what I would like to focus on: tightening up the assessment and PBL.
 * Yes, we have lots of content. I will just finish posting the actual material for the Twins scenario (blank at the moment) & will try to get some rubrics posted - it is important for students to understand how they will be assessed. Would like to try to post a timeline for students, too; another important aspect for online students.
 * I've posted a lot of my thoughts about the final paper below & on the assignment page - how would you like to continue this discussion?
 * **A syncro meeting would be good later today if possible I think! either adobe connect or elluminate. AC is fine since we've used it before**
 * **Should I send an email to Diane about word count and how much repetition from proposal she is expecting? Or wait until after we have a discussion? I'm comfortable on waiting.**
 * Due date for the project is Sunday, July 31 so we need to have it complete before the long weekend - so does that mean Thursday or Friday? I could meet Adobe Connect (breeze.cornerstonesd.ca/met) or else tomorrow morning before 1:30 today, or tomorrow morning.
 * **Doug, you are pretty good with staying connected. When I want to disappear for a weekend trip, I am pretty much disconnected from technology.**
 * **I am fine with whichever day you guys want to meet up. The only day I can't do is this Monday, July 25. Could someone provide the information for adobe connect or elluminate? My internet connection is spotty lately, but it should be fine if I get DC, I will reconnect again**
 * **As Peggy suggested, I have created 2 short summative quizzes for the Mendel section and the Punnet square section. [[file:Mendel and Punnet Square Quiz.doc]]Not sure if there is a required format (for the first one, I did multiple choice.** **The second one has a mixture of multiple choice and short answer.)** **Going to work on the other tw****o suggested quizzes (sex-linked** **& incomplete dominance). They may be put together as one quiz, depending on how related the topics are.** Thanks. I'll have a look and can get them into Moodle. I'm not too worried about these; we don't really have to have everything full & complete for our genetics course, but nice to have some quiz material to post.
 * .** __If you guys want to leave the "put it into moodle" to me, that might be better. Otherwise there isn't a lot for me to do because I'm not creating lessons or quizzes/assignments__ **
 * ** - ** Sure, that would be good Doug. I'm going to try to put together a concept map of what all we have in there so far. I'm finding I wouldn't mind seeing visually how everything is fitting together.
 * **Sorry for being an idiot, but could someone point me to where I can take a look at the proposal or upload it here so I can see if there are more research that we need to do?**
 * You bet - here's the [[file:design-project-proposal_Chen_Lawson_Smith.docx]] -

Thursday, July 21

 * I keep forgetting to post these - rubrics for content, and presentation, that came with the original twins scenario. I've only glanced at them myself, but will get to it; some changes will obviously be needed due to online environment. I think we should definitely provide students with assessment rubrics for the scenario presentation, and anything else other than quizzes and traditional assignments. Does anyone have any good ones for multimedia presentations? I do like the idea of separate ones, for content and for presentation.
 * [[file:Content Rubric.doc]] & [[file:Presentation rubric.doc]]
 * I would like to take a stab at writing some of the report for a draft tonight. At least that is my intention FWIW.
 * I think that would be a good idea. I've got quite a few thoughts posted now on the assignment requirements, and a few useful links to resources for things I am most familiar with. As you get into the writing, if you think of dividing up sections for each of us to work on let us know, but one of us should be the primary editor/writer I think for consistency?
 * ** Okay, sent my brother to the airport. =) I am back and in full force. Thank you for putting up with all the hectic-ness lately. **
 * ** A couple of quick questions just to get me oriented: **
 * ** What's the word on citing sources. Do we need to request permission to cite worksheets we take online? **
 * I'll be honest: I take worksheets, re-write them and change them a bit and then use w/o citations. Certainly my students have no use in knowing the pedigree. If the source is particularly unique, I will email the author and ask for permission and cite the source. I haven't borrowed anything for ETEC course though.
 * No, we don't need to cite worksheets I don't think, not in full, but it's not a bad idea to at least provide a link to the original source I think. I did get permission to use the Twins scenario - don't think we really needed to but it's nice to ask, and let the authors know their work is still getting used.
 * ** How about images? ** I think we should provide a link to the source of an image. Our course should model proper Internet behaviour for students . Changed my mind - I'm really not worried about this.
 * **Today and tomorrow I will probably be working on getting some resources for moodle. I am not 100% clear on the editing and don't want to make changes without getting both of your inputs, so I will probably post the resources on this site to be reviewed first.**
 * if you get content, I can easily add it to Moodle. Don't worry about that.
 * Doug, somehow your beautiful CSS styles seem to get broken. I really do like the appearance of your pages.
 * Yes, think we're getting enough content really, but some quiz questions for Mendel, Punnett Square questions, and a few on things such as sex-linked traits (in very simple terms), incomplete dominance would be good. I don't think we need to have everything fully complete as in ready to deliver to students, but as close as possible.
 * **I am leaning towards getting the resources on the moodle site set up, and then working on the final design proposal to support the moodle. __Any thoughts on that? fine. __**
 * I think we can start with our assignment write-up before the Moodle is fully complete. I'm afraid I'm a tinkerer. My work style is probably hard to follow - apologies. I start posting things in the broad outline, then go back & fill in details, edit, etc. My writing is not up to my own standards, so feel free to edit any writing. I'm working primarily on the Mendel, Punnet Square, Beyond the Basics, Lab, and Scenario. I think we can still position the entire project in the PBL light, albeit a bit more guided instruction. Must remember that our students are typical high school students, in an online environment. The ones I work with can use as much guidance as possible, so my main goal is give them room to explore (the scenario, and lessons that are not 100% structured as a lecture would be), but also give them a general path to follow.
 * I've now added references to the problem scenario to each of the genetic sections. Hopefully that will tie the whole piece together a little more clearly.
 * **In the "How to succeed section" I edited the explanation of evaluation for the students. Although the focus is on the process of learning, I find it useful for the students to know how and what proportion they will be evaluated (percentage wise and types of assignments). Sounds good. __Q: Are concept maps and design wikis considered summative or formative?__ They can be both. Summative is an explicit use, whereas Formative relies on students and instructors using the assessment afterwords. Just about any assessment can be formative, and I think it is better to frame assessment in this regard. Feel free to correct any errors or make changes.**
 * I know the values for assessment are open for discussion. High School kids - I would not give a lot for self assessment, especially if it's not something they are used to doing. Plus, we have not really set up anything for reflections. Other than fleshing out the path we've started & are well into, I'm hesitant about now adding a lot of extra items. Doug, I'm not quite sure what your specific plans were for your concept map & wiki, although I know we had talked about it with the proposal. An open-ended wiki sounds good in theory, but I'm thinking it will expand our expectations too much for the students in our little module, esp. if we are still using our PBL scenario. After working on this project for the past few weeks, I'm not too keen on a major shift in focus with a week to go **.**
 * Formative assessments - In my mind these are for guidance for students, and instructure. As students gaining the concepts correctly? As such I wouldn't grade them as part of the actual "mark". When I was in the classroom everything got a mark - as motivation for students to actually do the work. I would seriously try to get away from that now. So the value of formative assessments is 0%. For summative evaluation I'm thinking that is what the final exam would be for (not that we would prepare a full one), and . . .? Keep in mind this module is only part of the full Genetics unit in biology (chromosomes, meiosis & mitosis are other key parts). There would also be the group presentation of the scenario, but now-a-days in my district you should assess students individually, not as part of a group.
 * Perhaps move the bit about assessment, or copy it, to the Course Syllabus page as well. That page would serve to house all general content about the course & the module, so students can easily locate it when they need to.
 * **On the __scenario Introduction__, what are those html coding on the left side? Is it an error with my CPU not being able to load graphics? The concept of having students research the information based on the modules to produce a product to explain twins and genes. What is the final product? Is it a PPT presentation or....?**
 * The coding is a link to a voki animation; just something I was playing around with to provide both visual & audio information to students. Doesn't need to stay. In real life, a short video clip of the instructor introducing each major segment would be something good I think; the voki is just kind of a stand in for that. It is important to strenghten teacher-student bonds in an online environment as much as possible. Could be a browser issue if it isn't playing correctly.
 * I've copied information about the final project presentation to that introduction page. Lots of little changes like this that I still need to make - clarification for the students.
 * **LOVE the misconception idea! Added some things, but will go back to this because we could add or detract depending on the direction of the course design. Thinking about touching upon mutation and cloning misconceptions.**
 * **Love this one:** http://www2.edc.org/weblabs/mendel/mendel.html ** How do we (and could we) post this as an external link? Under the Mendelian genetics section **
 * The other day I lost a lot of the editing I had done - my own fault for not saving before I went out to walk the dog. I will add links back, and get some to play on the page. I think a mix of a few links to follow but much of the content is actually displayed on the web page works well (a fine line between having too busy of a page, I know - multiple short pages are probably better than 1 long web page. Minimal scrolling is best).
 * **Updated some polygenic, codominant traits on "Beyond the Basics" Also can add this link?** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LhwbM7FupQ&feature=related
 * **Updated some polygenic, codominant traits on "Beyond the Basics" Also can add this link?** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LhwbM7FupQ&feature=related

Wednesday, July 20

 * I've added some more stuff to Moodle. In particular, please check out:@http://moodle.met.ubc.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=1377. This follows on our proposal for knowledge building. Of course bits can be changed, such as the number of quizzes and the addition of another group project (or replacing the concept map with a different group project). I'm not sure how the PBL fits in with any of the lessons or assessment yet. At this point we may wish to ditch the PBL idea, unless we turn that into the focus of a group project. I don't think we need a unit test...
 * I've also added specific learning objectives to the questionnaire. I just took some of the points from our proposal, ones that I thought might be the most important. Maybe Dy can edit this list if needed.
 * I also added the Storyline assignment.
 * ==== I'm still working on assembling lesson materials; I think it's key to our project that some variety of interactive activities are included - switching from the simple downloading of notes & worksheets model of past online classes. I've been trying to think of a good lab activity or 2 that can transfer well into an online environment. I kind of like the Baby Face lab that accompanied the scenario (see an online version [|here]or [|here]) - probably more engaging for HS students than simulating Dropsophila crosses. A problem, however, was flipping the coins in an online environment. So I'm trying something - creating an Excel sheet that will randomly generate the coin flip that will represent which alleles the offspring get. ====
 * Here's what I've come up with so far. There are times, like now, when I can't log into Moodle, but I'll post a link to this when I can: []
 * How is the write-up coming along? Anyone get started with that yet? I added a few more note on the Assignment Requirements page yesterday. Would be good to try to have a draft done by this weekend I think.
 * I did some work with adding SECTIONS to the write-up

**Tuesday, July 19**

 * Vocabulary words - there are a bunch in this unit. I've posted most of them in the Part I: Mendle section. For now I've suggested groups use Google Docs to create a glossary of terms (instructions for things like this need to be tightened up) but do you have suggestions for a better, or more fun, way to learn vocab? Would something like glogster be useful (I don't know much about that tool). I may make up a Wordle for a break later - fun to do but doesn't really help the kids learn the terms.
 * Doug - I found your comments in the Topic 2 & Topic 3 section of Moodle. Feel free to start adding that actual content to Moodle. I've found that creating the activity in the appropriate topic works well. Once it's done, in the link to the activity in that Topic right-click the link to the activity & select copy short-cut. Then follow the link to it's proper section from the Topic 1 list, and add it there. Make sense? We can always meet online in an Adobe Connect session and I can walk you through it.
 * I know what you mean, but I don't really have any new topics to add to Topic 1 yet...
 * Where would you like to add your misconceptions survey, as well as the other self-assessment/learning objective checklist? I like those ideas. And you had said something about a storyboard project re: misconceptions.
 * Mendel Section - I've added a short little web 2.0 project, rather than having students download a traditional assignment to do. Will have to figure out timelines, and provide some rubrics for assessment. And decide - formative or summative?

Monday July 18
 * Just skimming over Module 6. On the To Do list is to think if we need to do more to get students going with a Google Doc & wiki. Personally I think these are very useful tools for collaboration and we should try to incorporate them. Your thoughts? A few basic instructions for students are needed, but I will try to get to that if the 2 of you can start working on the formal assignment write-up.
 * I'm back from 5 days camping and will be spending time on this stuff today. I think I'm going to work on the write-up assignment and tinker a bit with Moodle. I don't have a lot to say about content material specifics or quiz questions at this time. I've answered a few things below.
 * I think we really need to also get started on the final report (see the Assignment Requirements page). I've started writing down quite a few notes, but we should start with the formal writing part so we don't leave this major portion of the project until the last few days. Due date for the entire project is July 28.

Saturday, July 16
>> I’m doing a lot of work in Moodle today, so things will change quite a bit. Have a look around and get acquainted with it. I, too, am more a Blackboard person and am having to adjust to Moodle. If it’s easier, write some questions in a Word doc that can later be put into Moodle. I don’t think we need to be too comprehensive and complete.
 * What are everyone's thoughts about assignments, as students work towards the culminating project? I'm thinking of maybe a short one for Mendel (see attached - Dy, do you have some questions handy?). A problem set for Punnett Squares; I came across something that looks fun called Baby Face that might also fit in with Punnett Squares, or for Part 3 (see [] - where the idea for the scenario comes from). The challenge with this Baby Face would be to make it work in an online environment.
 * Would you think of these group assignments as formative assessments, along with some fairly quick self-test quizzes, and then one bigger individual exam at the end? I don't think we actually have to make up a final examp?
 * I think the formative can be built into CAA quizzes if we're smart enough. As well, the learning objectives questionnaire is formative. Finally, the peer assessment for storyline can be formative in a sense: require a forum posting and perhaps a reflection assignment. I think we have the beginnings of lots of collab and AFL, we just need to form the lesson flow once a few more materials are gathered and agreed upon.
 * I agree - I'm thinking that a short quiz could be added to the major sections, then one individual summative assessment. I think perhaps adding a link to these short quizzes with the lessons? Could have more than 1 web page for each of the lessons - multiple short web pages may be better than one page for each section. Just some thoughts.
 * Sorry - 1 more thing! Dy - do you have any classroom materials (assignments, problem sets, etc.) for genetics? It's been over 10 yrs since I actually last taught biology & I don't have any materials handy, but I'd be able to find or make some stuff up if you don't have anything.
 * I've replied to some of your notes from yesterday Doug - see below. In the new web pages I created for moodle, feel free to add your CSS styles back in. I didn't know you could do that in Moodle, link to your own style sheet - cool!
 * Thoughts about the best way to actually get the students to collaborate? I'll put some things into the Moodle, but let me know. I played around with the wiki inside Moodle, but not a real fan. And I like Google docs because multiple people can edit simultaneously.
 * Probably wouldn't hurt at all to get started on writing our final report - see the Assignment Requirements link.
 * ** Just checking in and letting you guys know, I will be more accessible from July 20th and onwards, but I will definitely look at the moodle and this site just to catch up on what's going on. Just doing some packing for my return and my brother is in town to help me with that. **
 * Glad to have you back! I was worried we had lost you!
 * Just wondering where is the moodle site (is it the sample one []and is there a login/password associated with it so I can check it out. I am not as familiar with moodle as I am with blackboard, is moodle where I can put the assessments for the students?
 * I am not necessarily happy with how I am setting up the learning path for our students. I would welcome feedback & updates. Today I am just trying to get material into Moodle.
 * yes, this is fine for now. It's a bit of an iterative process. First the assessment/backwards design, then the material. Once we have this, we refine the flow of lessons. This is where I think we formulate a knowledge building process.

**Friday, July 15**

 * Moodle Action. I've been playing around with Moodle. I'm a Blackboard person, and one thing I'm really not liking in Moodle is the lack of a good navigation method for students - it seems you just have to keep scrolling down an ever-increasingly long page to get to the newest material. No easy way to quickly find, for example, the course syllabus or unit outline. I've tried using the collapsing topics format, but that causes some display issues when editing mode is off. I don't like always having every student content item being something they have to download. So I've done some research and have found a way to really just have one topic being visible, but then in there creating links to other resources we post. I will set something up today to demonstrate - let me know if you like it. Doug, you seem handy with HTML so shouldn't have too much trouble with it - I will post more instructions later. We don't need to stay with this, but see if my quick demo works for you or not. I'm happy to change.
 * Yes, we can manually hide topics. We can also use conditionals - once a quiz is passed, the next topic is released. I don't think it makes any difference at this point if we incorporate this.
 * I have put navigation in the footer of pages before (previous / next) but this is best left to the end because of hard coding links. there should be some navigation via moodle as well but it is not showing. ubc restricts a lot of stuff though. I already got ubc to install a module for us (the questionnaire module). I think this is stuff we can mention in the write-up, but let's not get caught in customizing. We can also email Diane expressing our intentions.
 * Sounds good about the previous/next - something I really miss in our MET Vista class. We will see how this opening page I set up yesterday works for us today, as I do like having some easier way for students to jump to specific content. Messing around in the Moodle gave me a break from the biology work. To set it up, create new items - in the Administration block > setttings > Number of weeks/topics. To add additional content, set that to a higher number (10 or whatever). Create new content in an appropriate topic/week. Creating a web page for each major topic is good. Inside there will be links to different activities, etc. Then copy the URL link to the web page into the main navigation box in Topic 1. When all done, return to the Settings and reset number of weeks/topics to 1, which will hide the others.
 * Oh, and you can change the course banner - I was just doing some quick trials with something a little narrower.
 * Feel free to comment & reject on some of those videos (e.g. dancing baby) & voki - I was mostly just playing around with embedding various video. I do like the option of having some brief video introductions - possibly of the actual teacher - to help strengthen the teacher-student connection. Very important in high shcool online classes.


 * Rationale - In a "real" class, content is king. But for online students, how this content is presented is also a critical factor. As any F2F classroom teacher knows (hopefully), simply standing at the front of the room and reading from the textbook does not make for an effective lesson. From our readings we know that key connections include: student-teacher, student-student, and student-content. Making these connections is a special challenge in an online environment, and once you see some of the changes I am just trying out - just for practice - tries to "personalize" some of these connections.

Thursday July 14

 * Just playing around in the Moodle a bit today. Layout & navigation is particularly crucial for young (e.g. HS) learners - it greatly helps if they easily know where to go & what to do next, so I want to do some checking into that.
 * Oh, and as it stands our problem-based learning is actually more guided learning (I will find the reference again). From experience, given the real-life groups of students we typically work with, I think students will have greatly success if they are nudged in specific directions, and given checkpoints along the way.
 * Doug - the genetics graphic on the home page. I like it, but it takes up a lot of space on that 1st page. Is there a narrower image you could use instead (& perhaps wider) so that the students don't have to scroll down the page at all to see the initial materials? (I have the same comment about out ETEC 510 home page in Vista)
 * Dy - as the other biology teacher in our little group - would you like to start working on creating some brief quizzes and assignments in Moodle, perhaps more as self-assessment checks for students. I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 in our module - one about Mendel, one having to do with simple Punnett Squares, pehaps a 3rd with some special crosses - sex-linked traits; incomplete dominance; etc.

**Tuesday July 12**

 * Doug, do you want to enter those pre-conception questions from that slideshare you posted into Moodle? Those were really good
 * okay, I'll enter a unit that talks about misconceptions and gets students to make a storyboard dialogue. We can fine-tune it later.
 * Check out: [] it is a sample html page, and is a proposed style/format we can use. It's a bit more engaging than the standard Moodle white space.
 * Definite improvement! There is research that shows that reading across the full width of a computer screen is not as effective as shorter width. I really like the style you set up.
 * My online access will be spotty over the next 5 days. I'll be camping with my blackberry and playbook, so I probably won't be doing a lot of writing or moodle editing. Probably just getting through Module 5 discussions.

Monday July 11 I updated the Course Design with the Dick and Carey Model. I think we have tons of info on the wiki and we can narrow our project down. I've listed the next specific steps we should take (which is pretty much what Peggy has below). I've also left a blank space for deadlines for when we should have each step finished. There is another deadline not shown, which is the on-going process of adding the information to the Moodle site. **My proposed moto for the rest of the project is "Keep It Simple."** The process of design is more important than having the greatest materials, assessments, etc, at this point. To make the module "classroom ready" a round of formative instructional design assessment would be done and the module would be improved (last step of the Dick and Carey Model). I suggest that we do not go through this process, although we could mention it in the write-up.
 * finalize which learning objectives we are interested in (all of the ones we've listed or a shorter list?) **Deadline:** July 8?
 * decide on the "problem" **Deadline:** July 8?
 * gather the module materials and interactivities (interactivity = less material we put on the moodle site!) **Deadline:**
 * finalize the assessments and projects **Deadline:**
 * finish the design write-up. **Deadline:**


 * I think we are making good progress at this stage. I can start firming up the biology aspects (since I know you a physics guy Doug) - the PBL scenario & fit in various interactivies that are on the web. This will take a few more days to assemble. I may start writing some quiz questions for our Moodle - perhaps short ones for formative, student self-assessments, and also for the summative. Dy may have some input. I agree Doug that the design process is more important than the content. I may start putting some things into Moodle in the next few days, at this stage largely so we have some "stuff" to start manipulating, to see what might work out well for our design - meaning nothing is permanently placed, feel free to modify, etc.
 * if it's easier, rough them out in a doc or on this wiki and I can do the entry into Moodle.


 * The other day I added a new wiki page - **Assignment Requirements**. We may want to start writing points here, too, so we don't have to rush with our final formal paper. It would be good to have an early draft of that report done about a week before the entire project is due on the 28 - should we aim for a first draft by the 22nd or 23rd?

Saturday July 9
 * I'm back from our family trip. Have either of you logged into the Moodle site? I created a skeleton for student self-assessment of the Learning Objectives, and this ties in with our plans for Assessment For Learning (and matches Peggy's 1. below)
 * I also created a page with web2.0 note board. This ties in with the ideas of Knowledge Building
 * I haven't added any "real" content though, this can be filled in later.
 * I'll create a format to use for presentation of material on Moodle
 * I added an idea for interactivity on the Course Design page. Specifics can be worked out after we go through the Backwards Design (ie determine what we really want to focus on).

Wednesday, July 6
 * I'm going to spend some time looking for resources & scenario ideas; I'll post useful items in the Additional Resources and Scenarios pages.
 * As Doug had mentioned before, and what my own division recommends - [|Backwards Design]:
 * 1) Identify learning outcomes - our basic genetic principles of heredity
 * 2) Determine acceptable evidence - group presentation of solution to problem (we could start to nail down some criteria for this - I like giving options for students as to how they could present). But also critical is individual assessment. In my province, that is the only summative evaluation that is really permissable. So other than standard tests, how can we assess individual knowledge of genetic principles?
 * 3) Plan the learning experiences & instruction.

Sunday, June 19 Monday, June 13
 * A useful guideline that I came across that fits what we want to do:
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Web-Based Science Inquire Projects - Guidelines for Best Practice
 * ([])
 * Provide a motivating entry point.
 * Provide access to authentic data.
 * Provide students with the means to make sense of the data.
 * Provide an opportunity to develop a culminating experience or a final artifact.
 * Provide flexibility.
 * I thought our discussions on the home page the last few days were useful, with most recent posts at the top. It does help keep track of new thoughts, etc. I think.
 * I've changed the navigation - let's move new pages into Project Proper. Create a new page & give it some page title. Save it. Then edit navigation. Place the name of your new page in an appropriate position in the "Project Proper" section, then click the Link icon. Create a link by clicking in the Page Name field and selecting your new page. Save. Sometimes new pages are created that later aren't that useful. Not a problem. There is a fine line between using separate pages to organize thoughts vs having too many pages.

Miscellaneous Notes

 * Friday, June 17 am - I'll create a new page for notes like this later, but as we develop we will want to consider structural & procedure things too, not just content. Such as consistant navigation, clear & consistant directions for students re: submitting assignments, etc. Think about things like this & jot down rough thoughts as you think of them. Does everyone has notifications set so you'll get emailed whenever one of us makes a change to any wiki page? A handy thing!
 * What pre-requisite knowledge do we expect the students to have? Thinking technological at the moment. For example ability to browse for files; download & upload; work in a wiki, etc. It might be useful to include mini-lessons on some of these skills (or link to existing tutorials)
 * We can start thinking about the "extra" learning that we hope students will gain, beyond the limited biological outcomes.