Module 5 - Bloomtastic! Bloom-a-rama!

Creating my Taxonomy Table....

This week, I have been struggling with my taxonomy table. Why? I think it is because I am not sure if I need to use all of the lower and higher level categories of the Bloom’s Taxonomy Table on one course competency or project for the course or not. I also struggled with the idea that an activity could fit into more than one category. So what is a student to do? Head to the books! I decided to cruise the awesome article written by Andrew Church.

Here is what I found:

Church (2009) stated, “Some people may argue that you do not require some of the stages for each and every task; some too may argue about the necessity to reach the creation level for all activities. This is the choice of the individual“ (p. 6).

UGH! Church, could you be more obtuse? Ha ha! I guess it is up to me! I just need to dive in, start typing, present my ideas and incorporate the critical feedback that I will receive. After all, mistakes are a part of the learning process.

My Table....

I decided to have students use the group communication skills they will learn in the oral/interpersonal communication course to discover knowledge about intercultural communication. In my traditional face-to-face course oral/interpersonal communication course, students complete the same activity, but instead of a wiki, they present their findings during a group presentation. I am planning on adapting and modifying the presentation assignment into my online course in the form of a wiki report. Here is my current table. 

Reflection Remarks after Creating My Table....

I quickly discovered four important lessons this week when completing this activity: 

1. Designing an online course is more complicated and more difficult than a traditional face-to-face course. Instructors need to reframe the way activities are presented and executed. 
2. Designing an online course does take more time, effort and attention to assessment than a face-to-face course. 
3. Using Bloom’s taxonomy to design an online course can provide substantial justification for the link between your course activities and objectives. 
4. Instructors need to take into account how to avoid plagiarism when designing course activities and assessments. By creating unique and engaging activities (and assessments!), instructors can curtail plagiarism in their courses. 

Notes on my final project... 

We just received the instructions this week on our final projects. I reviewed some past student’s final projects on their blogs and I think I am going to submit my project with the use of a blog. I like the organization it provides, the ability to link to outside resources, and the ability to add media. I set up a blog and am ready to start working on my final project.