Description
Overview
There will be five discussion conference questions (6% each for a total of 30%).
You will be provided with five conference topics throughout the term (see below). You are expected to read about the assigned topic in the textbook and/or unit summaries to formulate an initial response and post your responses in the conference. You will be given a two-week period in which to discuss this topic, during the 1st week you must make your opinion post, and during the 2nd week you must provide at least two responses to other’s comments (please see schedule provided in the outline for specific due dates)
Discussion Topic 5:?Should students be rewarded for learning? What are the challenges created by rewarding students for success in school? Are childrens brains developing differently as a result of technology and the immediate rewards it provides? If so, does education need to catch up and start teaching the way students learn? What are the possible long-term costs and benefits to gamification and reward-based learning?
Purpose
Each discussion topic is designed to give you an opportunity to engage with the course material in a critical way. The discussion topics allow you the opportunity to think critically about the concepts and educational issues that are part of the course content. Each discussion will assess your ability to integrate the information gained from the course, formulate and express your own opinion, and engage in a discussion with other students in the course. Preparing and engaging in each discussion will help you to identify and explain the major concepts, theories, and ideologies covered in the course. The information covered in the discussion questions will also help you prepare for the individual paper assignment and the final exam.
Instructions
You will find your discussion group under the Tools tab (select Groups).? You have been randomly assigned a discussion and you will be in that discussion group for the remainder of the semester.? You are expected to make your posts using only the discussion board within the course.
The discussion topics run every two weeks and require you to post an initial opinion post during the first week where you discuss your opinion on the issue, relate your opinion to course material and provide something new to the discussion.? In order to add something new you need to include at least one source from outside the course.? This can be a journal article, book, website or anything you find that is related to the topic.? It does not have to be a peer reviewed source and can be someone else’s opinion or thoughts that you found online or in another resource.? In the second week you need to make two replies to others posts.? The reply posts do not have specific requirements, but are instead intended to be an opportunity for you to think about what others opinions and to provide a thoughtful reply.?
The discussion topics are formulated as a series of questions on a controversial issue that is described in the unit summaries for the week the discussion starts. You do not need to answer all of the individual questions listed for each topic, but instead use the questions to guide your thinking as you formulate your opinion and write your post. There are no length requirements for the discussion posts, and the marking key is purposely not particularly specific. The objective is for you to be able to discuss your opinions freely.
There are specific due dates for each post so be sure to check the outline carefully for these dates.? If you post late you will automatically receive zero for that post.? There are no extensions provided as we need posts to be submitted on time in order for the discussion to move along.? If you are ill or have compassionate reasons for missing a post you can email me directly and we will discuss options.?
