Inside eLearning by Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D. : Interaction

Avoiding the "Yes, But..." Trap

AndriaL — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:45:00 GMT

Overcoming Negative Self-Talk

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. Moppsie:

I was doing really well, on my way to my online degree, but something happened a few weeks ago, and I'm not quite sure what to do.

I was working on a group project, and I started to notice that we weren't able to make any kind of progress at all. Every time someone would suggest something, someone else would come up with some reason why it wouldn't work.

For example, I wanted to go out and take photos, put them on Flickr, and then link to them for illustrations for our group project. It seemed like a good idea to me, and easy to do -- but that was shot down. It wasn't just my suggestion -- everyone else got shot down, too.

What could be happening? We get together quite well online, and no one is rude -- it's just that we're at a total impasse.

Sincerely,
Stuck in St. Simeon

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Dear Stuck:

Even though it is a polite atmosphere, and everyone seems to be getting along quite well, there is something insidious going on. You're starting to see negative self-talk in all your group members.

Negative self-talk is very serious and you have to act quickly before this behavior spreads to your online academic career and your life in general.

The "Yes, but..." game essentially states "I can't do it" or even worse, "You can't do it!" to all who care to listen. There is a feeling of resistance and a kind of stubborn refusal to be solution-centered, which is very disturbing.

Chances are, you and your group members are not even aware of what you're doing. You may not know that you're not only blocking each other, you're blocking yourselves by not even trying the different suggestions.

The "Yes, but...." game is just one of many ways to engage in negative self-talk. There are many ways to sabotage yourself. The key is to learn how to pull yourself out of the tailspin.

One of the best approaches is to incorporate strategies from self-regulation. Here are a few great ways to get started:

Keep social opportunities open. Make sure everyone feels they are contributing something and that it's being recognized and acknowledged. Give people a chance to go out on a limb and be creative.
Set goals that can be measured. When your group starts mapping out its project, be sure to ask people to do something that can be measured. Usually that translates into something that can be produced. For example, a mini-report could be part of it. Another could be feedback on each other's contributions.
Be sure to include deadlines. Nothing's worse than having a lot of things to do, but no sense of when to do them. The lack of deadlines is a great way to get people stuck in a procrastination trap.
Make sure challenges are at the right level of difficulty. If you ask your team members to do something that's too easy, they'll become bored and will stop being engaged. On the other hand, if it's too difficult, it can be demotivating. After all, no one likes to feel as though they'll most likely fail at what they've been asked to do.
Make sure the tasks are relevant. Help people see the potential transfer implications in what they're doing, and how they can apply what they're doing.

So, Stuck, please don't give up — there are a lot of things that you can do.

Sincerely,
Dr. Moppsie

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Research Sources to Avoid in Your Term Paper

susan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:12:00 GMT

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

How to Do Research Online (Without Ever Stepping
Foot in a Library!)

Dear Dr. Moppsie,

I am at my wits' end. I am taking a first-year composition course and I had to write a research paper. I did research, quoted the material, cited my sources, and got an "F"! I asked my professor what happened, and she told me that I used Wikipedia, and that my block quotes were too long.

I totally lost confidence, so I decided to go online and find a paper I could buy or "borrow."

At termpapers.com, I found a great paper (I thought). I was going to use it as a guide, but I ran out of time (and confidence). I turned it in. I got a failing grade on it, too. I am not surprised, but I am very embarrassed.

Now I'm in real trouble. My professor is giving me one last chance to write a research paper.

Where do I start?

Sincerely,

Frazzled Fledgling E-Learner

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Dear Frazzled Fledgling E-Learner,

You've been given another chance, which is a good thing. But, don't let this "teachable moment" slip away just because you're feeling like skulking away in shame. Hold your head up high and get back into that research paper! You can do it!

Wikipedia and most other wikis:

For most people, Wikipedia is the first "go-to" source. After all, Wikipedia is what usually comes up first in Google searches. Many times, Wikipedia is a great place to start. The entries provide fairly reliable results, and there are links to other sites which allow one to investigate further. Comparisons between Wikipedia and traditional encyclopedias have pointed out that Wikipedia is often more complete, and the information is more up-to-date. So, what is so bad about Wikipedia? The problem lies in the fact that it is a wiki, and that anyone can add information to the entry. While in theory this means that there is a system of checks and balances, in operation, it has made Wikipedia the site of mischief and deliberate misinformation. Don't let yourself be unwittingly drawn into someone else's lack of complete knowledge, agenda, malicious play, or warped sense of humor. There is nothing wrong with using Wikipedia as a first step, but always be sure to double check the information and to use other information.

Second-order research results:

You're doing an online search and you find an article in the New York Times that reports the results of a recent research project. The topic is perfect, and they've selected the statistics that are perfectly aligned with your needs. You cheerfully incorporate the material from the New York Times, and you cite your source. You are happy. At least, you're happy until you happen upon another newspaper article-this one from the Chicago Tribune-- that is reporting the same results. The numbers are different, and what is worse; there are findings that the New York Times article did not include, due to space. It turns out that the New York Times article contained typographical errors, as well as significant omissions. You wish you had cited the Chicago Tribune article instead of the one from the New York Times article. But, would that have helped? Chances are, the Chicago Tribune article omitted other information that might have been useful to you but not to their general readers. What is the best approach? In this case, the best is to look for the orginal paper published to report the results of the research. It is not as hard to do as it sounds-the key is to look at the article, write down the citations, and then to look them up. Often the results are from a prominent journal, or a government study, both of which are fairly easy to locate. If you're feeling bad about your research skills at this point, don't worry. Almost everyone makes this mistake when writing research papers.

Here is a quick list of other sites to avoid.

Op-Ed "rant-sites": Many newspapers have online editorial pages that may or may not be reliable. They are extremely biased, which is sometimes good if you're writing a paper that discusses bias, but can be problematic if you're trying to promote other things.
Unreliable blogs: Some blogs are considered even more reliable than traditional news sources. Most are not. In fact, they can include pure disinformation or lies, and yet sometimes they get picked up by Google, to the point that the lies become so commonly believed that they become urban legends.
Some online encyclopedias: Encyclopedias sound good. They can be very incomplete. Use them, but be careful.
E-mails (unless part of an interview): Generally speaking, emails are unreliable unless they are used in very specific ways, such as being a part of an interview.
Tweets (unless directly related to the topic of your paper): That said, using Twitter is a great way to share information.
Term papers posted on the Internet
Student papers for sale or made available
Out-of-date statistics

At any rate, Frazzled Fledgling, don't give up. Please rewrite your paper and use your own thoughts, and use reliable sources, in moderation. Keep in mind that your paper should be about your thesis statement, and not just data.

Mainly though, write about what you care about. Gain confidence through your own interests. Express yourself and your interests.

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Can I Tweet My Way to an A?

susan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:03:00 GMT

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

Related Online Degrees:

Top Tech Gadgets for the Online Learner

Dear Dr. Moppsie,

I am totally hooked on Twitter. In my opinion, it's the best way ever to get the word out and to let people know what's going on. I wish I could use it with my online class. Do you know of any ways it's being used?

I love online courses, but sometimes they frustrate me because I feel I have to be online to communicate with my classmates. Couldn't we just "tweet"each other?

Signed,

Tweetness and Light in Texas

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Dear Tweetness,

I'm very happy to hear you're excited by Twitter. You're not alone, its just amazing how many people use it to communicate to groups. It's a lot more efficient and immediate than text messaging. In many ways, it's even better than RSS feeds because they're so easy to use with your cell phone.

Twitter is addicting! Yes, I follow several users on Twitter — and, yes, I admit, I follow a few celebrities and also news feeds.

You're right. Twitter can be perfect for e-learning. Instructors can set up a Twitter feed for the class, which has all the class members in it, and it's easy to follow. The instructor can send tweets, and students can "tweet" to each other.

Tweets, with their short-burst 140-character limit, and the ability to achieve ubiquitous, spontaneous messaging to a potentially massive number of recipients, can be an excellent way to maintain a high level of communication, openness, and motivation.

So, let's take a look at what we can do with Twitter in the e-learning space. First, let's start with instructors.

Instructor Tweets:

Due dates: Weekly reminders of key due dates are very helpful. In fact, they're key for good time management.
Critical concepts: Worried that you're missing the major points in the unit or the lesson? Ask the instructor to send out tweets that list the critical / key concepts. They will make mental organizers. You'll be able to start developing a schema for yourself, which will help you create clusters and groups of knowledge. It will be easy to retrieve them.
Key questions: Sometimes it's a great idea to have a little "twitterfest" your instructor can send out a good question for you to answer (in 140 words or less!) and all the members of your course can tweet a response. It's a wonderful conversation that can take place any time, any where.
Links to Flickr, YouTube: You may not be able to stream a video or retrieve graphics from a web-based image repository such as Flickr. However, you might be able to send a tweet with a link. You can email the link to yourself and then go to the website once you have a wifi connection and enough bandwidth to download or stream the media files. Alternatively, you can upload your own photos or video and send out a link to the file. It's a great approach if you're taking, say, a biology class, and you're looking for things in the field. For example, you could take pictures of environmental problems - erosion, a pond overrun with algae and pond scum. Your only limits are those of your own imagination. Explore, express, share!

Student Tweets:

Here are a few things you might tweet with your fellow students:

Questions for professor
General comments about course content
Responses to questions
Notes and observation from the field
Collaborations

Administrative Tweets:

Having the ability to contact many people simultaneously is a huge benefit for college administrators who need to get the word out quickly, especially when immediate action is called for, such as enrollment deadlines, scholarship announcements, and more.
Announcements
Directions
Bulletins
Alerts

Before you start using twitter in your studies

Can too many tweets constitute a distraction?
Make sure the tweets are relevant.
Connect tweets to learning objectives.

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Math Phobia, Anyone?

susan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:11:00 GMT

Dr. Moppsie Responds to a Terrified Student

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. Moppsie,

Related Links:

Math Courses

I'm thrilled that you've started answering e-learning questions, and are willing to give excellent tips that will help me succeed. I appreciate it because I'm terrified. I have been avoiding math as long as I can, but, as they say, “You can run, but you can't hide.” I need to take and pass (this is the key consideration!) Beginning Algebra.

Help! I have a math phobia. To make it worse, I've successfully avoided math for many years, and I've forgotten anything I ever knew. What can I do? I'm doubly afraid because I'm taking the course online. How will I ask questions? How can I get in a study group?

Signed,
Numbers Give Me Nightmares

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Dear Numbers,

Don't worry — you're in luck! Do you realize that by signing up for an online Beginning Algebra course, you'll have probably ten times the resources that you'd have in a traditional class?

Also, you'll have the opportunity to form a study group, or have a study buddy, and you'll be able to communicate with them 24-7. That's a lot better than meeting after class or trying to figure out everyone's schedules so you can meet, isn't it?

Real World Applications

Even the most basic math concepts begin with real-world applications. You'll automatically ask yourself questions: How do I solve this? How do I do this?

Teaching math has changed a great deal over the last few years. You're going to be introduced to concepts "where they live" so that the entire process makes sense. For example, you might be faced with a real estate problem. How do you figure out how much commission your real estate agent will make? How much will you have to bring to closing? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to check the numbers that you've been given by the title company? Chances are, you're already thinking about how you'd make the calculations.

If so, you're on your way. You're involved in what is called "situated learning" — the problem is located or situated in a specific time, place, and it's a comfortable, practical way to approach abstract concepts.

What happens if you get stuck? The nice thing about online learning is that you'll have a chance to work with other people, and you can share steps in the process.

Tag Team Algebra

Solve problems together. Each member of the team breaks problems into steps. Then, in the discussion board area, or in a special collaborative space online, each member of the team will post his or her part of the problem. You'll have a chance to comment on it, and to see how they arrived at their approach.

Videos with Step-by-Step Guide

You might have trouble getting started, and would like someone to lead you through the process, step by step. You're embarrassed to ask your professor, and you don't quite understand the explanations that your fellow students provide. Plus, you may not have a lot of confidence in them. After all, they're learning, too!

This is where videos in which a professor explains each step are great. Usually, the professor works with a whiteboard or a computer tablet that records his or her moves, but sometimes the professor is even writing on a chalkboard and someone is filming while as he or she works the problems out on the board, and he explains each step. The nice thing about video is that you can replay it as many times as you need, and you can practice alongside him or her — just take out a piece of paper and a pen/pencil and get to work.

Write down the problem. Start to solve it. Then play the video and see if you're doing the same thing. Then stop the video, and continue solving the problem. Play the video again and check. You'll be amazed at how it feels just like having a mentor. The nice thing is that your mentor or tutor is infinitely patient, will repeat things a thousand times if necessary, and is utterly free. :)

Collaborative Learning

Answer questions collectively. Teams and study buddies are great. If your instructor does not have a thread in the discussion board where you can ask questions, and then respond to each other, please ask her to add one right away. Also, the "virtual student lounge" concept can be great for facilitating team learning.

Online Quizzes and Practice Problems

Your online course will come with a number of resources. They may be a part of your textbook. Alternatively, there may be links to online resources — quizzes, review, and interactive practice items. They help you practice solving the problems in a way that will help you prepare for a testing situation.

Taking online quizzes and solving practice problems in a format similar to your tests will help you gain confidence, and will help you conquer performance anxiety.

Online Mentors and Tutoring Services

Do you need a live person to guide you through the problems? There are many online tutoring services — you can find them online and even in multi-user virtual worlds such as Second Life. Here's a cautionary note, though — you may find yourself deviating a bit from your course textbook, course problems, and even the material you'll be assessed on. You'll learn a lot, but it may not be what you'll be tested over. So it may better to focus on your course, your course outcomes and the learning objectives, along with the specific texts, practices, and more.

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Discussion Boards: Delightful or Dangerous?

susan — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

If the path to your online degree requires a great deal of interaction on a discussion board, you probably enjoy it. It's a great place to get to know your fellow e-learners, and it helps you keep from feeling that you're absolutely alone in the e-learning space. At the same time, if you have questions, it's often easier to ask a classmate instead of asking the instructor. No one wants to feel foolish, and it's good to have a buddy system. You're in a situation where you get to discuss the course and gain a deeper appreciation of different approaches and perspectives to the work. Beware, though -- there can be pitfalls in the discussion board, and potentially dangerous areas.

Discussion Boards Pros

Connect personal experience with course content
It is always interesting to hear what others think about the same reading, and the same assignment. When you read an article or do online research, you may wonder if your thoughts are on-track with what you’re supposed to be getting out of the writing.
Chance to ask questions, feel comfortable with ambiguity
Develop learning community
Peer reinforcement and collaboration
Connection between readings / course content & learners' lived experience
Evoking and building on prior knowledge
Post and share learner support items
Share / create portfolios and galleries of images / projects / presentations

Discussion Board Cons

Can you trust everything you read in the discussion board? Which posts are reliable, and which are not? Learning critical thinking skills and how to judge the reliability of information is a skill you'll find very useful in a world of blogs, wikis, Twitter, and other interactive ways to share information and opinions. Sometimes something is believed simply because everyone wants it to be true. We can see that all the time in e-mail chain letters on urban myths. Below are a few issues to keep in mind as you respond to prompts and as you read classmates' posts.

How to Write an A+ Discussion Board Posting

Cognitive Domain Dangers: Can You Trust What You Read?

The cognitive domain covers the knowledge and information you're learning in your course, and it also refers to where and how mental processing takes place. One of the most fundamental lessons of learning is that learning is continuous -- you're always learning, even when you may not think you are. So — with that in mind, remember that it is as easy to learn wrong information and practices.

You’ve seen it in your daily life – the news flash that goes viral – rumors of celebrity deaths or causes of deaths, rumors about the financial health of a bank or a company. People behave as though these rumors are true.

You might not think that the same thing would happen in an online course, but it can because the discussion board is essentially a social network and the same behaviors occur there.

Perhaps the most problematic aspect of the discussion board is that one tends to let go one’s critical thinking skills and begin to trust things that are posted.

One of the most radical cognitive issues ushered in by Web 2.0 applications is that that participants tend to stress community member-contributed knowledge. This gives way to a mentality of "Knowledge is a construct, mediated by the community," which can be dangerous.

Like YouTube videos going viral, the information shared may be incomplete, inaccurate, misleading
Like blogs and social networking sites, what you share is not necessarily anything more than an opinion, but it possesses authority & could confuse people
Like social networking sites, the attention-getting and emotion-grabbing are more appealing; the faux chases out the real (if one is not careful)
Can distract from the outcomes / outcomes assessments
Learning objects can be the anchors — tie to the assessments that will be required

Core Strengths of the Discussion Board: Affective Domain

Before you give up entirely on the discussion board, keep in mind that the discussion board emulates real life and the social networks (in the real world and in the virtual world) that you interact with. Learning takes place by sharing information and emulating the positive behaviors of others.

Sense of community (need for affiliation)
Develop positive self-concept
Motivating - goal-setting, affirmation, recognition
Develops sense of self-efficacy
Self-determination

The strongest benefits occur in the affective domain – the part of learning that engages your feelings and emotions. This is where you find ways to motivate yourself and to satisfy innate needs that you as a human being possess.

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