Getting Comfortable and Getting Started

Online Learning Activities

Learning activities that are adapted or developed for online delivery have some special considerations that are usually assumptions made in traditional classroom delivery. In an online environment, leave nothing to chance—don’t assume students will “get it” or will understand what you “mean” if you don’t say what you mean directly and clearly.

Following are some considerations and then some ideas for online learning activities.

Considerations:

Give LOTS of clear, concise directions.
Keep direction statements short.
Keep paragraphs short in directions.
Set deadlines.
Hold to deadlines.
Provide a checklist with deadlines (downloadable).
Remind, remind, remind (early on).
Require individual activities.
Require partnered activities.
Seriously consider group-based activities.
Keep groups limited to 3 people.
Set up groups in Blackboard and tell students what features their group pages have.
Plan and use time (a week) to help students learn how to be a team/group:

Include discussions about what makes groups/teams successful/unsuccessful.
Include discussions of and require group guidelines from each group (mission, ground rules)
Include discussions of and require group evaluation tools and processes.

Some Ideas ~

For Getting Comfortable and Getting Started

Scavenger hunt through the syllabus for specific words, policies, assignment deadlines or other directions (make a list of 5-10 things).
Scavenger hunt through the site for information about you, about the syllabus, about the location of specific items, etc. (a list of 5-10 things).

Have students find the average shoe size of your class. (Discussion Board “ice breaker”).

A student shares something that stresses them out; then other students can brainstorm suggestions to relieve the stress. (Discussion Board “ice breaker” or hallway conversation starter).
Add “thought for the day or week” to the Announcements, Content Area that contains weekly assignments, or Discussion Board.

For Reviewing and Breaking up the Action

Reviewing by Questions: http://reviewing.co.uk/success/success2.htm
Active Reviewing Cycle: http://reviewing.co.uk/learning-cycle/questions.htm
Active Reviewing Tips: http://reviewing.co.uk/ezine1/art001.htm
PowerPoint Games: Download at http://www.grand-blanc.k12.mi.us/pptgamedownload/
Jeopardy Games, including a Blank Jeopardy and Instructions: Download at http://www.hardin.k12.ky.us/res_techn/countyjeopardygames.htm (blank and instructions are at bottom of the page)
Various TV-based Games (zipped): Download at http://soe.cahs.colostate.edu/faculty/johnson/games/
Games with samples and instructions for a variety of applications (using PowerPoint): Link and download at: http://facstaff.uww.edu/jonesd/games/
Online learning activities: http://www.quia.com/web
Learning objects: http://www.wisc-online.com; www.merlot.org
“Let’s Create Web-based Learning Activities”: http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/ORTESOL2000web/home.html#Hotlist
Integrating the Internet into the Classroom: http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/usia/home.html
Example of Directions for Online Activities: http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/usia/syllabus1a.html#daily

From TeachNet (http://www.teachnet.com/powertools/take5/061199riddles.html) – Hallway or Discussion Board ice breakers or “breaks” when the work gets intense --

Add a Letter CONTRIBUTOR: Mirjana and Goran Tomic
From each word below, make two new words by adding a letter (1) at the end; (2) at the beginning.

go_ _go

oil_ _oil

arm_ _arm

hear_ _hear

hat_ _hat

not_ _not

Riddle: Give this riddle your best shot! 80% of the kindergartners that were asked this question got the answer, but only 20% of Stanford graduate students got it. What is greater than God, What is more evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you will die?

NOTHING! (Read the riddle again with "nothing" as the answer)