Learning Objective 2: After watching a required video lecture and completing research and reflection on a relevant neuropsychological disorder the student will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the mind body connection. Students will complete individual research on a relevant neuropsychological disease to an exemplary level based on a detailed rubric and post their work into a scientific online learning journal. (Application)
Introduction:
The module associated with the learning objective is entitled "Zombies and Descartes" and is an attempt to help the students make the connection between the generation of the mind (and associated behaviors) and the cellular composition of the brain. Prior to this module students would become familiar with basic neurobiology and now would be asked to answer the questions, What happens when the neuron or neuronal network dysfunctions? What does that tell us about the workings of the brain and the mind or associated behaviors? Here students are being asked to conduct some independent research into the neurobiology of mental disorders and to generate a new SOM that reflects that alteration. Students will utilize the Web2.0 tool Blogger to document their research and as a scientific learning journal illustrating their SOM videos and conclusions.
Web 2.0 Assessment Activity:
Blogger is a free blogging application that is part of the Google family. Google hosts your content on its servers and the application remains free as long as your domain name ends in blogspot.com. Users can upgrade to a personalized domain name for around 10 dollars once they have set up their initial account. The site allows students to contribute text, videos, links to webpages, and images easily and facilitates collaboration via the commenting feature. A class page could be envisioned or each individual student could design a site for cataloging classroom activity and progress. Blogger created sites are easily maintained and altered and would allow students to contribute work as an e-portfolio and/or reflective journal.
Beneficial Features as an Assessment Tool:
Blogger is very user friendly, I chose my theme and set up my initial pages in under 15 minutes. The design is intuitive, with a graphic user interface that includes basic settings that any Blogger would readily utilize, such as adding links or pictures to the site. When comparing Blogger to Wordpress, another freely available blogging site, blogger definitely is much quicker and easier to use as a novice. Since Blogger is part of the Google family, user are given access to utilities such as Google Analytics, which may prove useful in tracking student activity if work is consolidated into one site.
Challenges as an Assessment Tool:
Access to blogger requires signing up for a free Google account that gives the user an email account and additional access to a plethora of Google applications. Signing up is not burdensome but for those interested in privacy or consolidating their internet usage it may be a sticking point. Additionally, the user retains copyright to their materials but Google reserves the right to modify the application and indeed cancel it at any time. While Goggle does state that an attempt will be made to notify the user ahead of time, there is no guarantee that your content may not be lost in cyberspace. In comparison to Wordpress, Blogger seems to be a much less powerful site without the long standing community and marketplace support that Wordpress has acquired over the years.
Educational Application:
To address the aforementioned learning objective students would utilize Blogger to create a scientific learning journal or e-portfolio. Students would post their work and include self assessments and reflections. Students would post their SOM video on a neurobiology component that they had previously investigated, their research on a neuropsychological disease, and a new video building on the previous one that would now illustrate the alterations seen in the disease state. View an example e-portfolio at the high school level.
Plagiarism and Universal Design:
Creating a scientific learning journal using blogger is again a very personalized activity and will be difficult to plagiarize. The instructor can utilize search engines and plagiarism checking sites, such as turnitin.com to validate any conclusion paragraphs. Video posts can again include transcripts and captions and the site should be well organized with high contrast to aid any students with vision difficulties.
Creating a scientific learning journal using blogger is again a very personalized activity and will be difficult to plagiarize. The instructor can utilize search engines and plagiarism checking sites, such as turnitin.com to validate any conclusion paragraphs. Video posts can again include transcripts and captions and the site should be well organized with high contrast to aid any students with vision difficulties.
Student Centered Learning:
Utilizing blogger to create a scientific learning journal is a very student centered activity and will give the students ownership and pride in their work. Additionally, it will enhance engagement in the classroom and allow students to readily collaborate.
Conclusion:
For students and instructors Blogger is a great resource for quickly building blogs that can be readily used in the classroom. However, if users are interested in keeping content available for years to come, a more stable option may be worth exploring.
Resources:
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