Week Three Day 2

The students participated in their second discussion forum based on two essays: one on groupthink and the other on lying. Here were the assignment directions.

On page 258 of Ericsson's The Ways We Lie, she cites Irving Janus's definition of groupthink. Using this definition as a starting point and the video below, find one example of groupthink in history or in the news and analyze it using the eight symptoms of groupthink. Be sure and cite your source. Then, review the other ways of lying that Ericsson categorizes. Provide an example from your own life and argue why you feel that lie was justified or not.

OR

Sykes in his essay The "Values" Wasteland contends that modern education fails to teach morality. Do you agree? Watch the video and do some outside research to argue the point that contemporary schooling blunts or enhances young people's moral sense. In either case, offer convincing examples from your own and other people's schooling to support your point of view. Be sure and cite your source in your post.



Erica's post and sandwich critiques on GroupThink won the award of the week.

groupthink


by Erica Blanco (elblanco) at 1/27/2010 11:42 AM

“A psychological phenomenon within decision-making groups in which loyalty to the group has become more important than any other value; with the result that dissent and the appraisal of alternatives are suppressed.” This is how Irving Janis defines the concept of groupthink.

When I was in high school, I took an AP psychology class, and in this class we learned about groupthink; therefore, I already knew the definition and how it worked. One thing I was not aware of was how hugely it can affect the outcome. The Bay of Pigs Invasion is a great example of groupthink in history. Kennedy’s advisory committee made six different misconceptions about their plan of attack, some of which included that nobody would know that it was the U.S. that was responsible for the attack, that the Cuban army was very small and weak, and also that the Cuban army was so ineffectual that it could just be wiped out. They had the illusion that Cuba was vulnerable and that it would be an easy defeat for them. There was direct pressure to get the job done and overthrow Castro. The majority of people thought it to be a good idea and a full-proof plan and the ones who were a little skeptical just smiled and nodded.

I can remember such simple examples of groupthink throughout my life. When in the classroom and a teacher asks a, “have you ever,” or “do you think,” question and asks for a raise of hands as the answer, in fear of being looked upon differently I waited to see how many people raised their hands first and then raised my hand along with them.



http://department.monm.edu/portfolio/2009portfolios/rpowers/artifacts/Junior_Colloquium_Docs/CATApapers/group%20think%20bay%20of%20pigs.pdf

Re: Nick's Group Think

by Erica at 1/27/2010 11:47 AM

Very good points. I also chose the Bay of Pigs invasion as an example of groupthink. I think that this should be left out of decisions as well, but in reality that seems almost impossible. A lot of people won't ever stand up to people of higher authority or speak out on how they feel if nobody else has stated their opinion. A lot of people think its better to be safe than sorry, and their eyes safe is agreeing with the boss man or with the majority, and sorry is standing up to them and taking the risk of being fired or rejected or even causing another disaster.

Re: Groupthink

by Erica Blanco at 1/27/2010 11:51 AM

You did a good job. It's interesting how such a simple thing can cause such a huge impact. You could have gone a little more in depth with your example, which is a good example by the way. I also use those little white lies all the time! They come in handy but sometimes I do feel bad.

Because we had just finished looking at the 5 criteria for evaluating web pages, I might have asked the students to mention why the source they used was a credible one. Some others in the class went straight to wikipedia for their source for their post. They need to be encouraged to look further.

The other disappointing result of the groupthink question was that many used the Bay of Pigs or Vietnam as their examples from history and didn't specifically refer to the eight symptoms from the essay. In other words, it is possible that some students did not read the essay but only watched the video.

The other thing that the students need to work on is being more critical in their replies to their peers and going beyond anecdotal evidence to agree or disagree. I wanted them to analyze how the writer presented his or her argument. Erica was the only one who made suggestions to her peers.

The other problem is the lack of proofreading for mechanics. Even though I have a discussion forum rubric, most students are using textspeak.

I was pleased with the fact that everyone but two people posted and replied to their peers. Yea!!

Week Three Day 1

Where did the time go today in the F2F class. I went over some of the links under the Resources tab and spent some time talking about doing one's own research using http://www.surveymonkey.com/. My Creative Composers will be spending this week gathering information, seeing if http://www.polleverywhere.com/ or http://www.surveymonkey.com/ will work for their first research paper around the theme of education.

I emphasized how important it is to write for a real audience and take risks in this course on the writing material. I told them that each paper they would write for me would go to a real audience and not just me. I think they were surprised that their writing was going to be more than an academic exercise.

Since our reading was about 9-11, we explored conspiracy theories as it relates to evaluating web sources. Kudos for today's assignment go to Caitlin, Clay, and Kelles for summarizing the flight remote contol theory. Before checking out their post, check out the pod/remote control non-credible YouTube video.

Here is their post:

Conspiracy Theory # _5_ Debunked Summary:
The Conspiracy Theory states that the planes that hit the world trade towers were remote controlled. The company that manufactured the planes that struck the towers explained that there was no way for the planes to be controlled from any other location other then the flight deck of the actual aircraft. Eyewitness passengers also made phone calls stating that hijackers had taken control of the planes.

Non- Credible: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=76058

It is noncredible because:

- It is “.com” not “.gov” or “.edu”

- It is full of advertisements

- There are no credible credentials to the author or the page.

So, how would I change this activity. As I was searching around for conspiracy theory videos, I found it would have been more educational for the students to view these videos and then find a credible source that debunked the theory. The students could provide evidence and state why the source was credible. The only problem with having groups of students view videos in a F2F computer class is that there is no sound on the computers, so perhaps this approach was the way to go, or save this lesson for an online class.

What surprised me in the submissions was that two groups didn't save the worksheet to the desktop and work on the responses from the desktop, upload the document and submit it. I had assumed that they knew how to do it. I also found out that some students don't know how to use the course management system messaging function.

There were no time for presentations either. Next week, I will delve right into the activity for the day. I felt that since this was the second time I've seen them since January 11th, they needed more orientation to what was in the course.

Good lesson overall. The students were attentive and learned that doing their own research and finding a real audience is a part of the authentic writing experience.

Nick, Mackenzee, and Laura summarized the insider trader theory. They summarized the theory and provided evidence debunking the theory. Their resource person provided them with a non-credible source. Here is an example of a non-credible source on the subject of inside trading.

Here is their post:
Nick, Mackenzee, Laura


This is a conspiracy that states that there was unusual trading in stocks of United and America Airlines just before September 11, 2001 supporting evidence of knowledge prior to the attack. The U.S government debunks this stating that indeed there was trading, but each trade was made for a specific reason.

Non- credible source: http://www.hereinreality.com/  . This is a non-credible source because there is no contact information, or any way to track their information to a source.

Week Two: Day 2

Martin Luther King Day was a day off for my F2F class, so Week 2 began with a discussion forum related to Paul Robert's essay How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.

I found this video on the internet that talks about 500-word essays that high school students write which I thought went well with the article. I loved what the speaker in the video said about if we are bored with what we write, won't our reader be, too? Check out this video.



Here is the exercise that the students had to work on related to the Robert's essay and Brittany's outstanding responses.

1. Find a quote on the internet that will lead to an explanation and the claim that writing is hell


OR

Find a quote on the internet that will lead to the claim that writing is heaven. Be sure and credit the author of the quote.

2. Here is a dictionary definition of the word writer: A writer is a person who commits his or her thoughts, ideas, etc,, to writing. Write a humorous definition of the word writer.

3. Revisit the student essay, Why College Football Should be Abolished on pp. 317-318 and do the following:

a. Write a catchier title.

b. Write another reason why college football should be abolished that is not listed on pp. 317-318.

c. Write one sentence from the essay and then below it, write a more concise version in which you eliminate obvious padding.

d. Write a short lead in to the essay in which you attract the attention of your reader on the subject of abolishing college football. This is called opening with a 'POW'.

4. Reply to at least two of your peers using the sandwich critique (mention a strength, make a suggestion, end with some encouraging words).

ENC 1102 Composition II - CRN 11289

________________________________________



Brittany  Discussion Forum 2 Post

by Brittany  at 1/19/2010 10:14 PM

1. Writers write about what obsesses them. You draw those cards. I lost my mother when I was 14. My daughter died at the age of 6. I lost my faith as a Catholic. When I'm writing, the darkness is always there. I go where the pain is.

- Anne Rice

2. Writer – a person whose trashcan often overflows with crumpled papers.

3. a. Eradicating the Distraction… College Football.

b. College football influences student bodies to consume dangerous amounts of alcohol.

c. “In the olden times when people played football just for the fun of it, maybe college football was all right, but they do not play football just for the fun of it now as they used to in the old days”

“In the past people played football for their own enjoyment, currently this isn’t the case.”

d. “Win or lose, we still booze” is chanted throughout campuses on college football game days. Although this does sound enticing and can be exciting, it often leads to disastrous issues such as hospitalization, arrests, and even death. This is only one of the many issues college football influences or effects.



Re: Nick Manos discussion forum 2 post

by Brittany at 1/20/2010 12:38 PM

Nick, I loved your definition for writer I felt like it was pretty insightful. I also really liked your points on the amount of funding that goes into college football, that's definitely an extremely valid point. The one suggestion I have would be to try to think of a catchier title, but I know from my own experience doing this that it is an extremely hard task to do. Overall I thought your points supporting the funding fact were insightful and interesting.



Re: Timothy Milne - Discussion Forum 2 Post

by Brittany Ubaldini at 1/20/2010 9:45 PM

I liked your definition for writer, it was funny and very true. The suggestion I have would be to look deeper into why college football should be abolished as well as changing "could be" to "should be" in your first sentence of number three part b. Good job finding a quote to back up your claim!

Brittany is really thinking sideways and takes a different angle on an overused subject. She is using a "quote that stokes" for her lead in. Her using the Anne Rice quote about writers write about what obsesses them ties in with what I believe that students need to write about....their passions or obsessions. Requiring a specific subject for students to write about in their paper assignments doesn't make sense to me.

As we progress through the semester, I hope my students will feel confident enough to take risks, explore new territory, and write about what they are passionate about. We shall see.

Week One: Day 2

Students participated in their first discussion forum of the semester. I have decided to do my modules around themes. Over the next couple of weeks, the theme will be education.

The students were to choose from six different questions based on videos and the readings. They were to write on three and respond to at least two of their peers. I am doing the discussion forums a little differently this semester. I am having them work in groups of 12 students rather than a whole group discussion. I will see how it works out. The only disadvantage is that with fewer people, there may be lots of procrastinators. I might have to change my directions and have them do their replies by the next day rather than the same night. A couple of students were waiting for others to post. The majority of students will post from 8 p.m. onwards, so the 2 p.m. submitters are frustrated waiting for two people to get in and post so that they become frustrated. I might poll the students on this one when I see them in class next.

Anyway, here are the six questions and some exemplary responses.

Write the answer to THREE of the following prompts. Please refer to the question you are answering.

1. Watch the short films,Second Life Media Zoo, Vision of Students Today, and Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, Comment on the ideas presented in each of the videos. Using some of the ideas presented in this video, Discuss how technology can be best implemented in our nation's schools and univesities? Present a case for virtual learning? Would a Second Life learning experience be for everyone? Why or why not?

2. According to Brooks in his essay Psst! "Human Capital", why do policies that focus on teaching children skills and knowledge ultimately fail to develop human capital? What policies does he use as examples of such failure? If one agrees that skills and knowledge ultimately fail to develop human capital, then what should teachers be doing in their curriculum to develop human capital?

3. Read Mary Sherry's In Praise of the "F" Word and present an opposing viewpoint to the one that Sherry presents in her essay.Be sure and cite at least one outside source in support of your opposing viewpoint.

4. In Michael Kimmel's A War Against Boys, he primarily focuses on how gender inequality affects boys. Summarize Kimmel's argument and present a counterargument that gender inequality also affects girls. Do some outside research and cite at least one source to back up your claim. What has been your experience in schools with gender equality?

5. Do some research on the type of human capital that many millionaires possess. How did they acquire it? Of the four types of human capital that Brooks describes, which one do you feel is your strongest? Provide evidence that you are strong in this type.

6. Do some research on the concept of capital as used by economists. How do economists define and categorize capital, including the human capital? Be sure and cite your source.

Question 1 was very popular as well as Question 5.

Alex's response:

Watching the short films, Second Life Media Zoo, Vision of Students Today, and Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, changed my opinion towards online learning. The video about Second Life Media Zoo was extremely interesting because this was the first time that I have ever seen virtual education to this extent. Although it was very impressive, from the looks of it I think it would distract students from their main objective, learning. Watching the video I could imagine myself losing focus because I would be too busy treating the class as a video game.

With regard to Vision of Students Today, the video itself really caught my attention. Most of the facts that the students were holding up I could relate to. Also I could see how technology is about to be the style of education for the future. Pink Floyd's video confused me at first, but what I got from it was that students do not want to be just another "brick in the wall". Technology can be implemented in in our nation's schools and universities by offering some courses that are either hybrid or online. I am not saying that all classes should be like this, but since the future is heading in the direction of technology, we should be trying new ways of education ourselves. Also hybrid and online classes take a lot of time-management and self discipline. These are future characteristics that we all strive to master at some point in our lives. Second Life may not be for everyone because some people learn better when they are in a classroom setting where they are taking notes and are in front of a teacher. Also, students may be less motivated and distracted while they are at the comforts of their computer.

Katie's response to Question 2:

2. According to Brooks in his essay Psst! "Human Capital", why do policies that focus on teaching children skills and knowledge ultimately fail to develop human capital? What policies does he use as examples of such failure? If one agrees that skills and knowledge ultimately fail to develop human capital, then what should teachers be doing in their curriculum to develop human capital?

Policies that focus on teaching children skills and knowledge fail at creating human capital because they are not created for the way people really are. We spend tons of money, more than any other country and still our skills and knowledge are not soaring like they should be. In order to build on human capital, we have to build on more than just skills and knowledge. Like Brooks describes, you have to be well rounded knowing about cultures, how to be social in society, having morals and how to be cognitive. People need wants and struggles, they need ambitions and aspirational reasons to strive for success in life. None of this can be developed with just skills and book knowledge. Policies such as the program No Child Left Behind and Title 1 schools, Brooks, uses as examples of failures. Teachers should have more human relating activities to get students out of books, have games that help students learn how to morally behave. Not to cheat because the game is more fun if you don’t cheat. Doing trust workshops, allowing students to catch another student’s weight would allow students to form trust with people they may not know well. Having culture days where students have to dress up and bring food from places out of their culture to share with the class. There are many things teachers can do that would help create a better human capital and actually, a more exciting class. Teachers are too focused on the books that it takes out the creativity in students. Creativity makes the mind work harder.

The only question that did not challenge the students was the one on how economists define capital. I would delete that one next time around.

Seventeen of the 24 people in the class participated in the discussion; however, two dropped the course after the first day. It will take another week to get some students to realize that a 11:55 p.m. deadline is for real. I will probably lose two or three more students by midterm. I sent out an email to the 7 who didn't do the assignment. I heard back from one.

Week One: Day 1

Build television sms voting polls at Poll Everywhere

Spring 2010 semester starts off with me saying, "Okay everyone, take out your cell phones and turn them on. I want you to take a survey using polleverywhere. There were some shocked faces as students hesitantly took out their cell phones, turned them on, then proceeded to text in their answer to the question, "Why are you taking this course?"

Instantly students were able to see how the class was voting. I then explained how polleverywhere could be used for analyzing your target audience, getting feedback on a presentation, or even for assessment purposes. All students were asked to then create an polleverywhere account. I talked a little bit about the importance of acquiring digital literacies using Web 1 and Web 2 technologies and how these new digital tools are important in today's visual world.

The photo above is from our bingo icebreaker activity where students had to roam around the room finding someone who.....and writing in their name. Ryan quickly had his boxes done to make bingo. Brittany soon followed. Here they are introducing the people who did various things, like ones who could touch their nose with their tongue, hated fish, loved pizza, had green eyes, had been outside the country, etc. It was a nice way to get people out of their seats. How would I change this activity? I would have a time limit and whoever filled in the most boxes would be the winner. The activity was too short when it was done as bingo.

Here are our lucky winners:

Then, I went into a discussion on the learning outcomes, my expectations, and some highlights of the syllabus (attendance policy, kinds of papers they would be writing, grading philosophy, etc.). I was hoping for about 15 more minutes to do the syllabus quiz in Angel and a journal entry in preparation for their module on education. Alas, there is never enough time in a class period to do it all.

We ended the class with questions from the students. The biggest shocker to many of them that there would be five assignments due for the next online class. The question was, "Will there always be five assignments for each class?"