Holistic and aesthetic education recognizes the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Learning is viewed as an experiential, organic process; making connections is seen as central to curriculum processes. An aesthetic perspective and the process of building knowledge through inquiry are seen as integral to all forms of education and life itself. Creative tools and webs of communication are explored within this context. Courses in this program focus on arts education, creativity, contemplation, imagery, literature, mathematics and technology, and experience-based approaches to language.
Further information about Holistic Education from online resources can be found on Holistic Learning.
2. When does the course actually begin and end? Does that mean I can't go into the web site until May 3?
Online courses operate from the same timetable as on-campus courses and so are subject to the dates contained in the Bulletin and Schedule. That means that we begin the course on July 4 and ends on August 12, 2011. Final papers and projects have until August 20 to be submitted. For those eager to get started, it is recommended that you look at the readings in advance. Blackboard and C2C will be open on the July 4. I encourage students to bookmark http://astralsite.com/1799 as useful links are on that page.
Once you have the URL (or web address) for the web site, you can log in any time starting May 3. You are encouraged to log in ASAP in order to make sure that your username and password work and that you know how the site works. You will also find a place to send a note introducing yourself which should be done immediately on beginning the course.
3. Is there anything special I need to do once I find the web site and log in?
Yes - look around; become familiar with the interface and organization of the two sites.
4. How do I do that?
On the first screen you see after you log in to the coure in BlackBoard there is a menu of options on the left hand side. Scroll down that menu and Click on the C2C option and enter that part of the course.
5. Anything else I should do?
please note: Once the course starts - all class related e-mail will be sent to your utor e-mail account for security/privacy purposes) Should University of Toronto servers go down, emergency announcements for the class will be found at http://astralsite.com
6. If posting my email address is voluntary, why would I want to do it?
There is no way to communicate privately with others in the class in C2C. You cannot send a note to the conference to just one person. Any note you post can be read by everyone. There may be times when you wish to follow up on something or "talk" to another person privately. In that case, email provides the means. Everyone in the class is required to have a utor email account but you may want to give an alternate e-mail address. If you have an e-mail account that you use regularly, you may also want to forward your mail from your utor email to that address for convenience. Because we will also be doing activities on BlackBoard, you will also need to have a utor account to access that learning management system. See Accessing the course for instructions.
7. OK, I've logged in, and posted an introduction of myself. I've even uploaded a picture of myself. How is the course going to operate once we're underway?
Each of the "headings" or "titles" that you see are called Forums in C2C. As a basic format, I have created a view for each topic related to the course. I also post a note in the view to explain what the view is about, whether there are particular readings that might be useful for background, and I might ask a question or pose a problem. From that point on, it is just like a face-to-face class in that we discuss the topic/question/problem etc. A major difference between this forum and a classroom is that there is a record of the discussion here that you can refer back to all through the course if you wish. Once a week I post an update that gives a summary of the week just past and a preview of the week ahead. This update is required reading each week.
You can check to see who has read a message. Helpful Hint! When you have read messages, you will want to mark the message as read unless you want to return to post a response to this message later. You can reply or "build on" to messages or "edit" your own messages at any time. Messages that have more than one author can be edited by anyone listed for that message. I suggest keeping a log where you note the number and subject of a message you plan to respond to with perhaps key words to remind you of what you want to say.
8. Do we all have to be on line at the same time for this discussion?
No, this is not a chat line. You participate in the discussion when it suits you. One of the advantages to having an online classroom is that it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You and your team will want to organize chat sessions (chat is available using a MSN account). You can also arrange to chat with individual classmates or with me.
9. How many times a week should I log in?
To really be on top of things, I would advise logging in daily. In spring and summer, keep in mind that the course has been compacted into six short weeks so checking several times a day is not unrealistic. As in any graduate level course - you need to spend time "out of the classroom" preparing and reading as well as in class - in this case - the classrooms are virtual. As stated elsewhere, postings need to be appropriate, relevant and of substance. In the winter term, there can be as many as 2500 messages over the semester. It is of great importance that you keep up to avoid frustration. Learn to move quickly through messages, taking note of those of particular interest - put down the author's name and subject line, and the number associated with the message so that you can quickly locate it when you are ready to respond.
10. I understand that we are expected to keep a journal - can you explain this?
You may keep your journal in any format you choose - some students like to keep a blog while others use an ongoing word file or write out thoughts by hand in a notebook. The idea is to reflect on what is happening for you in this course, to gather ideas and resources - to think on paper about your projects and how you are progressing with all of the work and discussions. At the end of the course, you will be referring to and citing this journal and any other relevant readings in your reflective paper. You will be telling about your participation and the projects related to the course. This journal will be an invaluable resource in writing the paper. You do not need to show anyone your journal - or to submit it.
11. I like to read ahead in my courses. Can I get a schedule of the readings by week?
The readings will be posted in C2C as well as linked from this information site. The schedule for the semester indicates what readings and course related topics will be discussed each week. If you do want to do some reading ahead of the course, I suggest that you use your own initiative to search out articles related to Holistic Teaching and Learning and to Computer Technology as related to collaboration and the constructivist learning environment. I assume that as graduate students you will read what is made available to you and that you will also be reading beyond the assigned readings given in the course.
12. I see that we have more than one virtual classroom. How will the Holistech2011 Conference be used?
You may want to visit this conference on a regular basis. Here you will find Sub-Conferences where you can post Resources you want to share and where Mentor/Coaches can respond to technical questions and post tips. There is a Cafe here as well for social chit chat. These sub-conferences give you a different way of communicating with the class and help to keep WebKF from being too overloaded with postings.
13. What is the need for BlackBoard if we have C2C and other tools?
Blackboard is the official management tool at the University of Toronto. You may find that the institution you work with in future has a learning management system like BlackBoard. There are only a few assignments in this course that require you to investigate this system with the idea that this will give you at least a basic understanding and facility to work in that type of environment. Here at the University of Toronto, many courses are using this system. You will need to have a utor account to work with this program - see Accessing the course for instructions.
14. What are the deadlines for the two main projects in this course?
The team project will need to be completed in time to be presented to the class as a whole and each team will also be posting feedback for another team regarding that project. Please see the Class Schedule. Independent projects will be presented near the end of the course. Peer feedback is an important component of the course so time must be allowed to have participants respond to the ideas as the presentations are done at the very end of the course to allow the maximum amount of time to develop them. It is a good idea to design projects that can demonstrate your skills and expertise, meet your objectives and also be completed in a timely fashion.
13. What feedback and evaluation can I expect in this course?
Peer and self evaluation are key elements in this course. At the end of each weekly discussion topic, a team will be asked to briefly summarize the highlights of the discussion and list any resources given in postings. At the end of the presentations of team projects, each team will give feedback to another team. At the end of the course, you will be submitting a reflective paper, based on a reflective journal kept during the course and on your activities and projects. When you submit your reflective paper, you will also be submitting a brief self-evaluation and rationale for a mark in the course. When the marks have been submitted, you will receive a brief follow-up message from me regarding your work in the course. If you want to have feedback earlier in the course, you may send an e-mail to me, asking me to comment on your progress.