Annoted bibliography

Transparency in Cooperative Online Education [accessed January 5, 2010]
by Chritian Dalsgaard and Morten Flate Paulsen
in The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 10, No 3 (2009)

While one might think otherwise, social networks are not new systems of learning management. But if we take into account the principle of freedom cooperative, these sites have very good potential. Allow a special form of communication and interaction with all the pedagogical potential. This potential is transparency and awareness that students have to be part of a community.
The use of a research study conducted by NKI Distance Education underlies and justifies the claims.

In my opinion, this article has the merit of bringing together a number of innovative ideas and very assertive about online education transparent.Wins special value, from a concrete experience which the authors have a profound experience.


Social networking sites: Transparency in online education [accessed January 5, 2010]
by Chritian Dalsgaard
in http://ncom.nordicom.gu.se/ncom/fbspretrieve/148036/Social_networking_sites_Dalsgaard.pdf (six pages)

They enable and promote international collaboration students, teachers and the rest of the community. They have the potential to facilitate transparency between the students, allowing each one to go see and overseeing the work of others.
Further, the center of learning, with social networks, is the individual and their issues / problems.

"The pedagogical potential lies within developing social networks, in which students share their individual or group activities. The potential is to support transparency through a combination of personalization and socialization, sharing personal tools within social networks (Dalsgaard 2006). The web service del.icio.us is a fine example of the combination of personalization and socialization. Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking service, which enables people to collect their bookmarks on a webpage. Initially the service supports individual organization and use of bookmarks. However, the bookmarks are made available for everyone on the web, which means that they are shared. Students can use similar personal tools to organize their work, collect literature, write notes, brainstorm, develop ideas and thoughts, write assignments, etc.. Sharing these tools with other students through networking supports transparency and consequently awareness among students "(p.5)

In my opinion, and even social networks can be viewed or some as a mere entertainment, the author addresses the question of a completely rigorous pertinet and potentiates a quality education.

Cooperative Online Education [accessed January 5, 2010]
Morten Flate Paulsen
in Seminar.net - International journal of media, technology and lifelong learning
Vol. N – Issue N – 20NN

In this paper, Prof. Morten presents his theory of the Cooperative Online Education.
In this context, inserts an item on the Transparency Supports Cooperation.
Highlights three advantages in the quality of learning:
- Preventive quality improvement, because we are prone to provide better quality when we know that others have access to the information and contributions we provide
- Constructive quality improvement, because we may learn from others when we have access to their data and contributions
- Reactive quality improvement, because we may receive feedback from others when they have access to our data and contributions

Read the text of the prof. Morten, relating mainly to the theory of cooperative freedom associated with individual flexibility, made his writings and theories brings up to become clearer, more workable.

Principles for Improving Online Tranparency, Quality [accessed January 5, 2010]
Christopher Hill
in http://www.facultyfocus.com/?p=8431 (20/10/2009)

In this paper, the author presents a series of very useful principle to promote transparency in online education.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #1 Show Up and Teach — The necessity of this statement is borne of the misimpression that the online class “teaches itself.” Since most of the course is already authored and designed for online delivery, instructors may believe they simply need to serve as the proverbial “guide on the side” as the students navigate the learning system. Not true!

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #2 Practice Proactive Course Management Strategies — The online instructor can help create a successful learning experience by practicing proactive course management strategies such as monitoring assignment submissions, and communicating and reminding students of missed and/or upcoming deadlines.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #3 Establish Patterns of Course Activities — Although the online classroom environment provides tremendous flexibility of time and place of study, establishing and communicating a course pace and pattern of work can aid both instructor and student, and alleviate confusion around how the course operates.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #4 Plan for the Unplanned — For those small or not-so-small occasions when “life happens,” having a strategy for informing students of these changes can go a long way to maintaining course continuity.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #5 Response Requested and Expected — Timely instructor feedback is essential for the online learner to manage their learning experience. Instructors are expected to respond to student inquiries within one business day.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #6 Think Before You Write — Most experienced online instructors can relay a variety of stories about a dialogue with a student that went awry due to a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the intended message. Take special care to be as clear and concise as possible.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #7 Help Maintain Forward Progress — Students in the online classroom rely on the timely return of assignment and exam grades in order to maintain positive forward progress in their studies.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #8 Safe and Secure — Using the institutionally supported learning management system provides increased degrees of security and confidentiality and keeps “institutional business” within the appropriate confines.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #9 Quality Counts — Instructors need to establish strategies for addressing the quality of the online learning experience, including content resources, instructional design strategies, and systems performance.

Principles of Effective Online Teaching: #10 (Double) Click a Mile on My Connection — As with many aspects of the online classroom, the technological infrastructure plays a critical role in determining student and instructor satisfaction.

In this brief text, the author draws the attention of quite clearly, how muitoos organizational issues and help design and promote the transparency and quality.