Module 9: The Economics of Educational Technology: Economic Foundations

This module was led by the Discourse Leadership Group that I was in with Tara Avenia and Greg Campbell. For the DLG assignment, we had to:

1. Outline the readings (primary and secondary sources) and post this outline to the group.
2. Provide a brief overview of the readings based on the outline.
3. Define key terms or methodological and theoretical concepts that are challenging.
4. Design handouts, discussion questions and presentation media for clarifying the readings.
5. Design activities for the group with attention to inclusive participation.
6. Moderate and bring closure to the topic for the week. (from the ETEC 511 Course Syllabus)

Please examine the website created by our group, DLG #9

http://etec511dlg9.wordpress.com/

I thought this assignment was very interesting. It was the first time for me to lead online class discussions along with other members of the group. I learned that in an online group environment, collaboration is key to a positive learning experience. In order to collaborate successfully, objectives must be figured out carefully, responsibilities must be assigned fairly to each member, and due dates for the objectives must be set at the end of the initial meeting so that the remaining time can be fully used by individual members to work on the parts that they are responsible for.

I also learned that one of the most important things in leading online discussions is to help others discuss more on the topic without dominating the forums. In order for this to happen, summarizing and questioning strategies need to be implemented so that important points can be connected to promote deeper discussions on the topics.

In all, this assignment was a great experience for me to learn and practice some of the skills required for successful collaborative work online, and I look forward to the opportunities that I will be having in future MET courses for me to refine these skills and discover new ones.