350 - South America
350 in South America!
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GROUP DETAILS
Created: Jul 24, 2008
Updated: Jul 25, 2008
Membership: Invitation Only
Private
Primary Information Distribution Discussion
The purposes of this discussion are to develop the following to areas as follows from the NSF grant:
Primary information distribution: Primary information is curriculum content that is well-organized and ready for evaluation at other sites. This team will organize mechanisms for using the Internet to distribute content within the Network and deliver curriculum to courses. All of this will take place as part of an open-access system.
Primary information distribution evaluation: A team will evaluate effectiveness of the Internet system for delivery of content to various types of users and make recommendations for improvements.
Discussion participants need to consider how to achieve the above tasks in a variety of creative and mutually collaborative ways that will integrate well with the work of the other groups within the Open Science Network.
May 30, 2009 Meeting Participants
Primary information distribution: Kim Bridges - working group leader
Primary information distribution evaluation: Rainer Bussmann - working group leader
Please Note: Tentatively we are merging these two working groups.
Team members who participated in the May 30, 2009 meeting were:
- Kim Bridges
- Brad Bennett
- Michael Thomas
- Rainer Bussmann
- Christian Vogl
- Jason Best
- Karen Hall
- Irene Liao
- Alvin Manychief
- Jana Rose
- Gary Martin
May 30, 2009
Meeting Notes (Janna Rose’s summary)
Group 1: Primary Information Distribution
Our team decided to consolidate sub-groups a) system development and b) system evaluation because of the interdependence between each sub-group’s tasks.
The group also decided it was imperative to focus on what were deemed “meta-questions” before filling out our form.
Meta-Questions:
1) How can we reach teachers/professors of more diverse backgrounds? Who are we serving?
Grow Network—broaden network of societies and participating regions
2) What information do educators need? From what resources would educators and/or institutions benefit most?
Survey—with broadened network
(Experimentation)
Begin with undergrad courses, but from multiple regions (later expand up to graduate students, adults, non-traditional students; expand down to pre-schoolers, academic administrators)
3) What kind of portal are we imagining?
Advisory—assisting educators, engaging with people, improving resource that
already exist
Action Plan:
Group participants will continue brainstorming, dedicating time as available, as individuals and as a group. A google site will be implemented immediately to facilitate communication between group members. Dates for conference calls will be determined. A more specific timeline will be developed.
Step 1) Evaluation of “what’s out there”
a) possible collaborations, other interested groups, existing organizations
b) content—courses, educational websites, etc…
c) systems—how to store received materials, communicate information, how to
collect data
d) categories of information—subject headings that are appropriate or
“standardized”, archives in use Group 3, with Gail and Sunshine—overlap?
2) Prototype Development—an example to send out to people (what we’re looking for)
a) modules—define and exemplify
3) Developing website for all
a) what our “final” resource/website will look like
b) what it will contain—categories, how to browse (search?), how to link
c) services we will provide
4) Sending out requests using prototype
5) Receiving data (Round 1—continuous)
6) Evaluating data
a) evaluating the information, the curricula themselves, developing a way in which
people can comment on received information
b) elaborate categories according to data received
c) evaluate the delivery process, the format, the website and its services
7) Making it Available to all—opening the network
8) Evaluation of efficacy, upkeep, continuation
9) Develop ways to collaborate with Secondary Information group—getting 2nd info to
primary level Ways to collaborate with Groups 3 and 4 as well
Comments (1 - 6 of 6)
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With his permission, I am posting some comments from pjmatthews (Peter Matthews):
I [Peter] may be able to contribute to (1) evaluation of discussions of primary course information (in so far as it relates to my own experience and knowledge) and also to (2) the project sustainability discussion. If we think of the course modules as exhibits, then we could also consider the role of curators - people who can respond to enquiries about courses even after the original authors are not able to respond. This also raises the possibility of respecting the integrity of some modules as historical materials that are not subject to constant revisions, and not necessarily always in active use. We should also think about the stylistic range of teaching materials and modules. There should be room for different styles - some modules might emphasize the history of the discipline and theoretical developments, others might be strictly descriptive for certian times and places, and yet others might mix description and theory and also be designed for constant revision and updating. Different styles also naturally reflect different kinds of author - there is also a need for diversity in the author backgrounds. We should consdier how the modules work together as a set from which different course can be created, and also how they can work as modules for addition to other curricula, in medicine, botany, zoology, archaeology, and anthropology, for example. I may be reinventing the wheel, but as any engineer, ethnobotanist, and archaeologist can explain, there are many ways to build a wheel... |
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www.zoho.com has got an entire range of software products for free. For example, zoho wiki, zoho notebook, zoho show, zoho writer etc... where all the documents can be shared. This ZOHO is safe to use and SPAM free. Try using this.
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Have you all seen this website trying to put learning modules up on the web, or seen it talked about on Wiser Earth?
I heard about it from the founder Richard Baraniuk's TED talk.
Just make sure you don't go to cnx.com, which is not completely work safe. Possibly not a good thing about cnx.org. |
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I am curious, Will we discuss content at the May 30 meeting? or are there areas of foci you have already designated?
Trish |
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The syllabus for the Bio 501 Economic Botany course I taught at City University of New York's Lehman College to masters in education students can be found here: https://wfs.gc.cuny.edu/NBletter/www/
Includes presentation slides for each lecture, and links to books, audio, and video. |
The most recent syllabus for my ethnobotany class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison can be downloaded here:
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/emshwiller/web/Syllabus%20and%20schedule/EthnobotanySyllabus2008complete.pdf
If you have any trouble accessing this file, please let me know.
I would like to point out that one new activity in the fall of 2008 that was very successful was the classroom debate about the origin of the sunflower. A group of recent papers was provided to the student that presented data for both sides, and students were randomly assigned to either the "Mexico" team or the "Eastern North America" team. The students were very engaged in this assignment, and enjoyed going beyond the papers that I provided them on both sides of the debate, to seek out other resources that they could use to support their team's position. I would recommend this activity to other courses that have similar goals.