I heard this podcast about 5 or 6 times… the first 4 times were the beginning over and over and over again until I could teach my i-river how to continue after I had stopped it. The last 2 times, I took notes because there was so much I wanted to ask. I’ve got a lot of questions (nothing new…) and in case anyone wants to respond to them, I think I will number them so you can say, “in response to question # 97… ” … you get the idea.
First and foremost, I am impressed and awed by Kay’s vision and courage to step forward when it wasn’t popular to do so, and to work towards the development of a NCLID. Everyone who is affiliated with this program has every right to be proud and pop some buttons.
I’m sure you’ll be able to follow my thoughts as I pose them in the form of questions.
Question 1 - “Congress designated UNC as home for NCLID.” How did this come to be an act of Congress?
While listening to the “old paradigm” and the “new paradigm” I realized that we should have known the new paradigm all along… it makes such sense…
Question 2 - how could we have missed this for so long?
Question 3 - how does spoken language come to be defined under technology? I need something to help me make this connection.
Regarding Blackboard.. “you have to do it right” and correspondence… “you have to do it right”… doesn’t that go for any style of education? No matter what presentation you choose, you have to do it right.
Question 4 - what determines if we do it right?
I love the soap opera strategy… wonder how I can get it into my braille class… need to think on this for a bit. The idea of sending files and doctor notes and other “authentic” materials in response to “the right question” makes me smile…. but…
Question 5 - what is the objection to a textbook in online education?
Question 6 - regarding the use of chat with students… again, this is a very intriguing idea for me, and I’m going to try to set it up with my students this semester… at least once… to give it a try. And, I’m really curious to see what happens if I don’t tell them to “raise their hand” to speak… but how does this work with a student who uses a screenreader?
A comment to Kay… I remember reading that “teachers are being asked to teach in environments in which they were never students.” That line stuck with me for many years… it is so very true!
Question 7 - regarding the philosophy of academic freedom and intellectual property… how do you see this happening, given the egos that Kay mentioned in the field. Some are eager to share, but is this group the minority, the majority, the middle… and how do we make this equitable for all… and do we have to make it equitable? Will some always be takers and never givers?
Question 8 - Nate - can you explain to us how to “do html” instead of powerpoint… and … what is your opinion of the powerpoint reader … there is something that claims to “read” powerpoint slides.
Question 9 - Regarding the comment that graphics and pictures are a distraction… aren’t most sighted folks used to - and want - a visually attractive environment? Do most consider plain text to be boring?
Question 10 - With regard to the need to maintain a social presence, and the university instructor who tries to do that by responding within 24 hours (and often within hours or minutes), how does one deal with the affect it will have on the next semester… when the next teacher does not want to be on call 24/7? (I think I already know the answer to this one… but let’s go with the scenario where the program chair does not want to impose 24/7 on her faculty, and the faculty will not choose to do this - no - you can’t fire them).
Well done, guys… not only did I come up with a lot of questions, but I also have some neat ideas (interactive listserv, chat, etc.) that I intend to try out firsthand.
Last question… how does one go about creating a podcast? What do you need to know/do/be?
thanks,
3 responses so far ↓
1
Kay Ferrell
// Oct 17, 2005 at 2:57 pm
Gees, Sheila! And you wrote this after getting back from APH? I was brain-dead, and you did this. Hmmm.
Thanks for your kind words. It wasn’t just my vision, though — Kay Persichitte, now the Director of Teacher Education at the University of Wyoming, was really the mastermind of how it could work. I just wanted to change the way we did business. Kay also brought me Nate, and then the fun began!
In response to Question 1, we are funded by a Congressional earmark, from year-to-year. (If you like our work, please tell your Senators.) However, UNC is also mentioned in the NCLB section on National Activities.
In response to #5, I still use textbooks in my classes, primarily because I want the students to have resources after they leave us. BUT, NCLID also funded AFB Press’ effort to go online with textbooks — more precisely, we gave them seed money to make the transition and do a field test with 5 universities. That effort is culminating with the opening of ePublications at AFB in November.
#6 — students with screenreaders do have difficulties keeping up with the chat. I have trouble keeping up with the chat. To some extent, I think it depends on how you are using the chat — for content, social engagement, information . . . . I admit to trying to structure it more when a blind student is in the chat, but at other times I just let it go.
#7 — Egos are rampant in higher education. For me, it’s been a growth process. I still get angry when someone plagiarizes without attribution from my publications; I guess that’s an ego thing, too. But this is a new age of information. You can’t keep knowledge close to the chest. You have a responsibility to put what you know out there before you’re not around any more. I don’t know what proportion of faculty feel the same way that I do. It’s irrelevant, really.
#9 — I think what Nate’s done for us is to make accessible environments visually interesting, too. But that doesn’t mean that you need a graphic on every page (especially your own photo). We’ve also taken the position that we didn’t want alternate pages of text, as some folks do (text version vs. graphics version). All means all.
#10 — Besides social presence, there’s something else going on here. Students have a right to a response. It’s better if they know when they can expect that response. I’ve found that I need to carve out time for myself in order to get my other work done. But then I try to tell the students what’s going on with me. Some faculty give specific times when they will respond, almost like email office hours. You gotta live with yourself. The important thing is you have to respond. But no, department chairs can’t make faculty do much of anything!
Thanks, Sheila. I do appreciate your thoughts, comments, and compliments!
2
Administrator
// Oct 17, 2005 at 7:21 pm
Thank you for your responses, Kay! I didn’t actually “write” this when I came back from APH… I listened to the podcast as I travelled - in both directions - and wrote comments and notes and questions to myf as I was listening. When I got home, I couldn’t wait to type them into my blog because I was so eager to hear the answers.
Some of your responses helped bring me to a comfortable place, and some of them gave me ideas for further thinking.
3
James Farmer
// Oct 20, 2005 at 11:27 pm
BTW you’re now a featured edublog!