Cori Martin

SLM 521

Elective 6: elearning

 

http://www.flvs.net/_students/showcase_flvs/engsoc/amstu/module07/lesmod7/07_03/07_03_01.htm

Florida Virtual School – I looked at a sample lesson plan for an English class having to do with the myth vs. the reality of cowboys in the American West.  The website did not indicate which grade level this particular lesson was for, however I can deduce that it would be for secondary classes and depending on the depth one was looking for, it could be applied to many grade levels.  The sources that students would have to investigate during the course of the lesson are adequate, and the writing assignments were okay, I would have liked something a little more in-depth.  I appreciate the brainstorming in the beginning and the example of a graphic organizer to try to get students to think and be organized.

            The ultimate project of writing a cowboy song seemed a bit short.  I’m not sure but I think I would have liked that coupled with something a little more in-depth, however I’m not sure how long one of these lessons is supposed to take either.

            I found a few grammatical errors within the sites that students would have to access to find out information for their projects, and that is always troubling.  The subject and the standards are up to snuff but I felt like the lesson could have been taken further, and there is no indication as to the context of this lesson, and where the unit is heading.

            Obviously because this is a virtual school, this will become an issue, however within a subject like this, where a student is thinking about what their concepts of a particular subject are already, having other students around to bounce ideas off of would be so helpful and yet their was no forum that I could see for them to do this.  The lesson did encourage them to talk to their family about their ideas, but I’m not sure that would be enough.  This was a lesson that could have been quite social within a classroom, and that lack of contact on the internet was very pointed to me.

            The layout of this lesson is clear and easy to follow, the links are effective and easy to read, however the matter behind the lesson is where I feel the lesson falls short.

 

 

http://www.class.com/default.asp?sec=2&cnt=demos

American Literature I: American Crossroads - The Unit and the work that will be involved in the unit are laid out clearly in the first page.  Unfortunately there is a typo on the first page and some of the writing is not the most exact it could be.  When clicking on a particular link, I had to enter some more information instead of the link going exactly to the next corresponding page.  Also because these are demo lessons, the grade unit is never addressed, which would be helpful.

            This lesson and unit are extremely well developed, and they have interaction with other students through a mandatory discussion forum.  This lesson addresses that there will be questions of vocabulary, both within the usage level, and the tools of English.  These words are highlighted and similes are offered, but I’m not sure as to how effective that is for actually TEACHING new vocabulary.

            Each lesson has a full historical background and the projects within each lesson are very well suited to the reading.  The quizzes at the end of each lesson as well as the items that would have to be submitted are excellent ways of monitoring students’ progress.  The websites that students visit are thorough, but some of the links could be sharpened so there wouldn’t be a need for wandering.  I would have liked to see how parents would know how their student is doing within this unit.

            Also due to the nature of the writing and reading, the course could be altered to cater to different needs, and it scaffolds itself very naturally to the learner.