Answer in your blog: What are the options for grade reporting?

Canvas students can log in and see their grades live and there is no need to print out traditional report cards.

Are there various levels?

Grading can be done automatically by the system if I’ve created an assessment within Canvas. You can see the amount of activity that a student has put into the Canvas system. You can include rubrics in the system.

Which levels remain most valuable for the online instructor in regard to student performance?

For a fine arts teacher, the rubric would be the most helpful for showing student performance and understanding of the learning objectives of the lesson.

Which trend did you select?

I selected Gamification vs. Game-Based Learning.

How do you foresee this trend impacting online learning?

Students enjoy the game-based learning. There is immediate feedback on how students are learning and progressing. I’ve used Quizlet, Quizizz, and Kahoot. Students love playing those games in order to remember skills from classes. I can assign them as homework, and students can determine with Quizlet how they want to interact with the game aspect. They can do flashcards, or play a game.

Will this trend be a learning fad or will it become an essential part of online learning in the future? Explain.

I think it will continue being an essential part of learning. Students really enjoy the game aspect. There is the uncertainty of winning and students can replay the game-based learning experience if they want to become more proficient with the subject matter.

Learning Circuits Blog had an interesting article on the topic.

Which LMS is best?  Consolidate the information about open and commercial LMS presented in this lesson.  Select your favorite LMS

After reading The Journal article on LMS, I selected Canvas. The site was easy to set up a free account to sample. I had used it previously while working in Liberty County. This system provides a lot of great features for teachers and students. I think the organization system is better in Canvas then other LMS. You can separate content into sections. I was able to make assessments. I like that you can have students resubmit their work. Students can annotate and highlight the work that they submit. I also like that teachers can add their own comments to students’ work. If the county pays for it when you grade assignments in Canvas it can be transferred to Powerschool automatically. The LMS was great for duplicating and editing courses as needed. Teachers can also see a student’s view as well. There is a lot of great features in the LMS.

Next: Include the following in your blog
Explore: Try out a screen casting tool of your choice.

I used Screen Record-Screen Recorder App it is for Mac OS. I’ve been using it for the past 3 years.  Cost is relatively inexpensive about $9.99.

Create: Create a screen capture sample lesson (under 2 minutes) in which you explain an educational concept for students.

I do a lot of screen recording since I teach animation/game design, graphic design, and photography. Here is a recent lesson I created using the Screen Record- Screen Recorder App that involves using Adobe Animate and Motion Tweening.

Messy Art Teacher Screen Record

The concept of screen recording for my classes is very important. This is used for students that get behind or need remediation on their own time. This motivates students to learn while I am there because otherwise, they need to watch the videos. My returning students I tend to do more video tutorials with them because I have another set of students that are new to the concepts. It works out well. It also is a record of what I have taught my students. I can also see if I need to adjust anything to make it more clear. It is an excellent tool.

What synchronous vendor application/tool did you select?

I chose Google Hangouts.

Using the application, what did you experience using the synchronous learning tool? Was the task easy? Challenging? Did the process present problems?

I found it to be easy once you get the hang of it. I don’t know that it is very clear on how to set up a Google Hangout at first. I had to speak with another teacher on how to schedule and watch the hangout.  I would want to create a video that gives exact directions for how to schedule and then meet up. I have not tried Google Hangouts on a phone or iPad. I have only used it on my desktop or laptop computer. The student participant was using a cell phone. The quality of the video recording was low res and pixelated. There was a lag when I tried sharing my screen.

Document the responses and general reflections on synchronous learning and the recorded session in your blog.

Link to Screen Recording Google Hangouts

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of open-source versus commercial software?
I’ve used Google Hangouts for open-source software when teaching and collaborating. Since it is open-source it is easy by just signing up for a Gmail account or if the school district uses Google for Education the students will have a Gmail account that they can use. It was not always the most straight forward getting the hangout to work. Probably the hardest part was figuring out how to meet online at the appropriate time frame. At times it could be laggy. With open-source, there are forums that you can post questions but no troubleshooting department to address issues.
I’ve taken a course using the Blackboard Collaborate for a graduate course. The instructions had multiple ways they could video connect with students via the Blackboard. They could use a desktop, or smartphone to hold conferences live. The conversations could be archived for future reference. It seemed much more integrated with the virtual classroom.

2. When would an open-source application take precedence over a commercial product?

I’ve used Google classroom and paid LMS. The problem I found that the districts did not want to pay for the added features in the paid LMS. It was beyond their budgets. It could be hard on the teacher when the district could no longer afford it and then switch to something else.

3. What are the issues when choosing between Open Source vs Commercial Software?

Everyone’s situation is different. Budgets are different, devices, and upload/download speeds can require that you take the time to test and demo each version.

These tips were originated from the elearners.com.

Audio and video recording of the Poster.

iNacol

1. How has the Participate module prepared you to meet each standard listed above? For each standard, link to or provide specific examples from your work in Participate.
2. What strategies will you take away from the Participate module and apply to your teaching? Explain why.
3. What lessons were most beneficial for you? Explain why.

   The Participate module of the Effective Online Teaching Course has been helpful to prepare me for providing students with an understanding of the online environment. As an instructor, one should not assume that students will know the netiquette and consequences of their actions in the online environment. One of the strategies I would use from the beginning of teaching online is an AUP. An acceptable use policy allows all parties to know what is acceptable in the online classroom, similar to classroom policy and rules. All teachers do them, and it should also be extended to the online classroom. Providing an environment that students feel comfortable having these discussions is an important part of teaching.  The lesson on digital safety I felt was the most beneficial because I was able to create a powerpoint presentation on the topic. The powerpoint presentation I created that discusses the topic of digital safety would be utilized in going over the rules and consequences of students’ actions.