Lesson 1: Introduction and Orientation to Blackboard and the Course

Attention

This first lesson is really like using a compass…you are getting your bearings in this online class, finding out where things are, and getting the lay of the land!

It is vital that you read all the documents that have been provided in this course to get a feel for all the complexity of this online class. And, I said "complexity", not "complex". It is not difficult to get around, there is just a lot here so you need to spend some time getting to know it. Sort of like exploring a city instead of a small town!

In each of these Lesson Plans you will see this same organization of material...an "Attention Getter" like this one...then a listing of the Learning Outcomes (what I expect you will be able to do when we are done with this lesson plan), the Teaching material for you to review, and finally the Assessment activities that are going to allow you to demonstrate that you got the Learning Outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the ability to interact and navigate within the Blackboard interface

Teaching

For this Lesson you will need to review ALL of the following areas of the course:

  • Course Navigator
  • Course Information Pages
  • Lessons

I can't emphasize this enough, you need to read EVERYTHING, take notes on it, email me any questions...or better yet, post questions in the Course Questions discussion board (which will remain open all semester!)

Take some time at this point in the semester to look around at everything that is included in this course...get a "feel" for the class so you can understand how it is structured.

Below, as in all Lesson Plans, you will find the various Assessments that are involved in this class...each Lesson will have different things for you to do so be sure you manage your time well to get all things done.

A bit on terminology:

The term Quiz, as it is used to describe the next section in the lesson plan, is generic and refers to all the different ways and activities that we can determine what you have learned.

Assignments are written documents that you have to first produce on your computer in a word processor and then upload to the site through a drop box. This is different than the Assessments where you write directly into the Blackboard interface.

Discussions are bulletin boards where you participate in online dialogue with your instructor and your fellow students. This is a vital part of the class. It is expected that you will participate in these discussions often and you are required to post at least two substantive comments to EVERY graded discussion. (IF you have graded discussions in your class)

If you need assistance navigating blackboard, this link will bring you to a resource that explains all of blackboards features and some basic nagivation tips.

Assessment

Lesson 1 Quiz

For each Lesson in this course you will complete a Lesson Quiz. You will find the Lesson Quiz listed in the same Lesson Folder that you found the Lesson Plan in. And THAT, my friends, is a sentance with WAY TOO MANY instances of the word "Lesson" in it!

  1. Reviewing the content of this course, which Lesson are you looking forward to the most? Why?

Lesson 1 Discussion A

In this discussion I would like you to post your Introductory Video. For this task you are going to create a brief introductory video of yourself using your iPad! Reply to each others' posts with questions and comments.

There are some choices in terms of how you want to create a recording.

For more information on creating videos on your iPad click HERE.

In addition, review the course objectives that are written in the course syllabus. Identify two objectives that you feel are very important for you personally at this point in your life and explain why.

Lesson 1 Discussion B

In this discussion I would like to see you reflect on your expectations regarding coming to college, how this may change your life, and how past roles (high school student, college student, worker, parent, etc.) may relate to the skills you have or need to develop to be successful in school.

 

Remember, you must post at least ONE reply to the discussion prompt and at least TWO responses to others' posts to earn full credit on graded discussions. Your replies should be MORE than just a "I agree!" or "Very cool!" It should be "substantive" by expanding on the students post, asking a questions, adding your own thoughts to what they have said, etc.

These instructions apply to EVERY graded discussion in this class; these instructions will not be repeated.